A Pathetic Bumble Bee

Returning on Monday from one of my favorite trips of the year, I was rejuvenated physically, mentally, and spiritually. Five days with the girls in sunny (well mostly) California left me feeling like I could take on the world! All the laughing worked wonders for my soul. With my return came the need for Steve to leave us and go to work without coming home for a few days.

Sam had been home sick on Monday and it was apparent he would need to stay home from school the next day. Sure enough he was very sick the next day requiring a trip to the doc’s for an antibiotic. As I arrived home Emeline was feeling sick and had a fever. No problem, I was still feeling very positive. By last night not only was Emeline and Sam sick, but I looked at Zachary and his cheeks were fiery red. Turns out Zachary spiked a high fever!

With three kids so close in age they are all competitive and constantly jockeying for position in the family. There were comments and arguments amongst them who was the sickest! Everyone wanted their temperature taken to see who was going to win that prize. I quickly found myself kick into nurse mode. Getting drinks, dispensing Motrin, changing TV channels, plumping pillows, giving hugs, praying for healing, etc. At one point Emeline thought she might throw up. She can have a difficult time targeting the bowl, so I told her I would pay her five dollars if she could just keep her throw up in the bowl.

When Zachary’s fever and chest pain (when he coughed) continued to worsen I called Steve and he came home. Eventually we got everyone to sleep. As Steve was getting ready to go back to work we realized there was a flood in the basement. Once that was cleaned up and after midnight Steve went back to work. Before he left I asked him to set the house alarm. It had started snowing quite hard. At 1:30 AM I was awakened by the alarm in the house. At first I thought it was Steve or the dog or one of the kids. When I realized it seemed like a real alarm I called 911. Thank goodness in the end it was not a real emergency because the police took twenty minutes to arrive at my house. What were they doing? Steve came home for the second time to be sure everything was o.k. in the house. We decided it must have been a fault in the system. I think I aged fifteen years in that twenty minutes waiting for the police with three children sleeping not knowing if we had an unwanted guest in the house. When the police arrived I was standing out on my porch in my pajamas in a snow storm to greet them.

My morning kicked off early with taking two more children to see the doctor. Having all three home all day kept me running. Of all the challenges and scary events that have taken place, the situation that almost put me over the edge was when Zachary asked me to put together a bumble bee he received in his kid's meal from Chick Fil-A. It was all my son asked of me today. When I looked at the directions they looked Greek. I couldn’t believe a fast food restaurant would give something like that out. One obviously needed an Engineering degree to put the thing together. After a few attempts to tell Zachary I really couldn’t do it and seeing the disappointment on his sick little face I decided to just design the bumble bee on my own without the directions. As a mom I wear many hats but Engineer Mom is not one of them! I got the tape and started taping it together. It was pathetic. When I was done it looked like a disfigured, handicapped bumble bee. I showed my masterpiece to Zachary (fighting back giggles) and said “Ta Dah!” He said “Is that what it’s supposed to look like?” I said “YES!” Thankfully he is only six and believed me. He replied “Wow!”

They are all resting, hopefully on the upswing to better health.

With the utter chaos of the last 48 hours, it’s been a little crazy and all consuming but I have honestly loved having them all home and taking care of them. They’re all so independent and growing up too fast. Putting my life and schedules on hold has been a true pleasure. Oh...and I still feel like I can take on the world, with God's help of course!

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

Sweet Dreams,

Debbie

Girlfriends Getaway

“When daily routines wear you down, round up your friends for a revitalizing retreat to play, relax, and learn. You’ll return home to loved ones with new energy.” Kathleen Reilly

Last Thursday I headed to meet my girlfriends for our annual Hermosa Beach retreat!! We started this tradition five years ago. My friend Bridget’s generous sister Nancy allows us to live in their beach house for a long weekend in January. We gals come from either Oregon where it rains everyday or Philadelphia where it is cold and snowy. Arriving in Los Angeles in January for us is like heaven!

Five years ago us girls (except Bridget) didn’t know one another. It was a bit risky for us all to trust our one common denominator (Bridget) and go live with other women for five days not knowing much about each other! Amazingly we all loved our time together and felt as if we had all known each other for ever. Hours of drinking coffee together, walks on the strand, and breakfasts at Martha's draws us closer each year. With such vast personalities represented there is always an interesting twist on the numerous topics of conversation. Solving all the world's problems is our expertise! The one cord that binds us all together is our love for God and our desire to know Him more in our lives. We can all just “Be” ourselves. Spending so much time together fosters a sense of honesty even our mothers (at least mine) don’t tell us. For instance this year, within twenty four hours together I was told to shorten my Christmas letter (too small to read, and who cares about Sam's favorite verse!) and my hair should be blonder! Oh, and constipation was a huge topic this year, I learned so much about the colon!

This year we had two more guests join us. Bridget’s younger sister Margarite from Florida and her friend Peggy from Los Angeles. I wasn’t sure how I would like this since I didn’t know them very well and the original group would be different. Well, we/I just loved having them with us! Peggy kept us laughing lots!

Bridget turned 50 recently and it was time to celebrate while we were all together. Her sisters Nancy and Margarite planned a surprise party inviting friends from college and high school to fly in for the festivities. I knew this was going to be such a blessing for Bridget and I could not wait to watch it all unfold.

I have known Bridget for over twenty years. She has been such an inspiration in my life. The big sister I never had. Walking into her surprise party with her and seeing the expression on her face was a moment I will never forget. Many who love her were there to celebrate a special occasion with a friend/sister/Aunt who has gone through some difficult times yet remains strong and an example to all of us what it is to trust in God when life doesn’t make sense, and it down right stinks! She is a woman who oozes with grace, finding only the good in people. I am proud and honored to call Bridget my friend.

After my final walk out to the beach this morning, I headed to the airport in Greg’s (Nancy’s husband) 1957 Ford…very cool!! Consistent with the last five years the memories are sweet from the 09 retreat with the Hermosa girls!

Back home my husband managed three kids with one being sick every day, forcing him to take sick children to work (perks of being the boss). Not once did he complain and make me feel bad for being away. Only phone calls of excitement and eager to know if I was having a good time with the girls! Thank you for the freedom to go Steve! It means more then you know.

Thank you Nancy and Greg for blessing us with your magical house on the beach in Hermosa!

Happy 50th Birthday Bridget!

Hermosa Beach 2009 album http://gallery.me.com/carolynkopca#100719

Sweet dreams and blessings,

Debbie

Fluffy Survives The Summer Family

Hi I’m Fluffy! Sam’s mom has agreed to let me take over her blog today. I’m a stuffed animal dog (not sure what kind). I get to travel home for a week with all the students in Sam’s class. I come in my own bag with a journal. The kids are supposed to write what they did with me during the week. I enjoy my time with each second grader because they are all so unique and I learn neat things about their family.

When I came home to Sam’s house I sat in my bag for a few days because Sam forgot to tell his mom I was there. When she found the bag and asked who it belonged to, Sam proudly claimed me right away (that made me happy)! Sam’s mom wasn’t sure what to do with me so she put me on the table, so their real dog “Ice” wouldn’t eat me. As I looked around the room and in Ice’s crate I could see lots of half eaten stuffed animals. I was glad I was in a safe place.

Watching the Summer family for a few days was quite entertaining. Sam has an older sister Emeline and a younger brother Zachary. They all love to play and have a good time. Once they all come home from school, complete their homework and chores, its PARTY TIME! The noise level in the house is one volume…REALLY LOUD! I liked watching all three scatter to their level of interest. Zachary likes to play games, Emeline spends time with her pet bunny and Sam loves to tinker around. Mostly he likes to build Legos. I’m just a dog, but one of the structures Sam created and built last week blew me away!

Once the weekend came Sam’s mom realized no one had spent any time with me. She felt bad about that so she told Sam he needed to start paying attention to me. She also realized that she would have to set the example. So, on Saturday I went to a basketball game with her (people call her Debbie). The Summers have three basketball games each Saturday and I saw two of them. I sat on Sam’s mom’s lap. There’s something about a mom’s lap that makes me feel secure. It puzzled me though why she went to the game because she sat and talked to a girlfriend the whole time and didn’t see any of the game. In fact one of Mrs. Summer’s other girlfriends came up to her and gave her key events in the game to mention should Emeline ask her if she was watching!

I was supposed to go to a birthday party with Sam but he forgot me so I slept in the car.

My last event with the Summer family was watching the Eagles play the Cardinals yesterday. I was home alone with Sam’s mom. She realized she would be all alone watching the game, everyone else was in different places. Initially she thought she would call someone to go watch the game but then decided it would be just fine to watch the game by herself, after all it would be a nail biter and she didn’t want to miss any part of the game. As her luck would have it Sam, Zach, and Mr. Summer came home because they didn’t want her to be alone. She didn’t want to hurt their feelings so she acted like she was happy they were home but still wanting to concentrate on every single play of the game. She has become quite a football fan, a serious one!!

It was clear in the first half of the game the Eagles were struggling. Sam’s mom was nervous, helping the coaches and referees make better calls. I never saw a lady talk so much to the TV especially during a football game! It was clear this woman was a die hard football fan. It made sense to me that she would want to be alone, no distractions. Unfortunately the Summer household is not where you want to be if you don’t want any distractions. As we were watching the games, Zachary was operating a new remote controlled car that was zipping across the floor making revving engine noises..talk about distracting! Then Sam bought a new Nerf Ball machine gun and was firing multiple pellets across the room. Mrs. Summer does not usually tolerate this behavior but last night she just acted like they weren’t there. I guess that’s how you have to be sometimes in an utterly chaotic household.

I watched a lot of craziness during my week stay at the Summer house, but one thing rang out loud and clear. There’s lots of love and laughter in the house. Mistakes are made but God is honored and grace is extended.

Thanks for letting me share,

“Fluffy”

An Afternoon Sledding

Winter weather in the Northeast can be unpredictable at best. The last few years have been extremely mild, not much snow at all. Often there will be a threat of a snow storm but then it misses us. The kids get their hopes up for a snow day or a good sledding day only to be disappointed. Yesterday the forecast called for snow. It started over night and by dawn the ground was covered. It looked like a promising snow day, and then it stopped!

Saturdays are busy with three basketball games ranging from possibly 8:00 AM until 1:00 PM. With Steve out of town for the weekend I decided after the games were over we would pile the sleds and ski suits in the car and head north where there was sure to be more snow for sledding! Since the snow wasn’t coming to us we decided to go to the snow.

The kids and I prayed God would show us where to go and how far. I decided driving an hour north on the freeway was sufficient. When I got off the exit we prayed again for a good spot. I told the kids to look for a school or industrial park. Sure enough within 2 miles we saw a large school with very big hills and kids sledding. It was starting to snow which made the conditions perfect!

Sledding is an activity that brings out the kid in me. Who doesn’t love to take a fast ride down a hill, not knowing where you’ll wind up or how far you’ll go? Of course running and jumping on the sled makes it all the more exciting. Watching the kids laugh and race down the hill delights my heart.

After a good long time out in the snow we piled back in the car and thanked the Lord for blessing us with such a wonderful day! Jokingly I said “Now we should pray that God can help us find a Dunkin Donuts so we can get a hot chocolate”. Sure enough, to my surprise, a mile down the road was a Dunkin Donuts. We ordered four hot chocolates with extra whipped cream!

What a fun day. It was a day I felt God smiling down on us. Emeline said “God is really good to us”, referring to the way everything fell into place on our adventure. Sam answered, “God is ALWAYS good to us”. As a mom, that blessed my heart to hear my son understand the sovereignty of God in his own way.

Blessings,

Debbie

I Did It!

“How long is this going to be?” “Why do we have to do this?” “Are we there yet?” “I don’t want to do that!” “This is too hard!” How much more do I have to do?” “I can’t do this!”

These are frequent phases I hear come out of my nine, seven, and six year old mouths. Whether it is a road trip, homework, chores, sports, or just life in general, our human nature likes and craves the easy road and smooth sailing.

Today I uttered these very phases myself and then some. After fifteen minutes of my first spin class I thought I would die! Coming off a foot injury and having to scale way back on my activities for the last five months has left this gal way out of shape!

After a slow recovery and the o.k. from my doc, I’m ready to slowly ramp up the exercise routine avoiding any high impact aerobics on my foot

After a brief tour of the club and inquiring about membership I met my friend Kelli for the class. I biked with Kelli outside once before…she’s a serious biker, and a strong one at that! I knew she would be my hero in spin class, and she was!

Back to me almost dying…..Although I have scaled back on exercise, I still have played restricted tennis (THE GAME I LOVE!!), and worked out a little at home. We’re talking minimal effort. Still, I went to the class thinking I could hang with the best of them. After fifteen minutes the teacher looked at me as if to say “girl, you’re pathetic!”

Bottom line is I hung in there for the whole 45 minutes, and I didn’t die! Often I could not catch my breath and I felt like my legs would fall off but I survived!!! What a great feeling when it was all over!! I was sure someone would come up and shake my hand congratulating me on my first class, or present me with a coupon for the juice bar, but no one did!

I thought about my kids a lot today while I was sweating, gasping to breath. We all have times and circumstances in our life when we are compelled to complain. The road ahead looks unbearable, down right impossible. Yet as we press on and endure blood, sweat, and tears, there is something satisfying about finishing the race well. I pray with God's help I can instill that in them.

Blessings,

Debbie

My Daily Prayer

Christmas seems like it was at least a month ago. The kids have been home for over two weeks. The house was a mess and there was urine all over the toilets from little boys with terrible aim! The toppling Christmas tree two days before Christmas broke many of our fragile baby ornaments (sniff). I suppose many moms would be thrilled their little people are going back to school tomorrow and they can have time to themselves, but I’m sad. Yes, I love having the kids home. All my “Debbie” time gladly goes on hold and I’m a 24/7 mom and short order cook!

Having three children so close in age has been a challenge at times, but they are getting to the age where they are so much fun! Although the weather was cold and windy we managed to get out once a day for fresh air and exercise! It doesn’t matter how they go, just as long as they go! Often we would have a friend along for the ride. We loved all the friends who visited us over the break. Dozens of homemade chocolate chip cookies were consumed!

As we rung in the New Year my heart was thankful that I have all my family. No family is perfect, in fact we’re all dysfunctional but that just makes us all normal! I am grateful to have so many in my life who have known me for years and love me just the way I am.

As I look back over 2008 there was a lot of trials for me and many I know. So much changed and yet most is really the same. When God is in charge of your life there is a consistency, stability, and steadfastness that remains undeniable. The storms come and shift the sand around but the Rock doesn’t move. My perspective has changed a great deal along with the lens I view this world. Being a work in progress is hard sometimes but as Christians we have no choice. God will continue to refine us as long as we breathe here on earth.

Although I’m not ready to send my kids back to school tomorrow I know they must go, life goes on, and my journey as Debbie, child of God continues! WOW! Scary, but fun!!

In closing I wanted to share something I read by Max Lucado that has become a daily prayer for me.

“Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.” AMEN!

Sweet dreams and blessings,

Debbie