Pass The Chips

How do these super moms do it? They have multiple children running in different directions with after school activities, managing to get a decent meal on the table in between piano lessons, soccer, lacrosse and most of them even look good!

During the school year my kids do not leave the home other then attending a small church on Wednesday nights. That one night of the week often leaves me feeling like I’ve been run over by a truck. Now with the warmer weather here and summer sports and camps gearing up we’re off and running every night! As if my kids don’t provide enough afternoon running for me Steve asked me to join a softball league…I don’t play softball! Really, I don’t! Seriously, the coach doesn’t know where to put me so he assigns me the catcher position. Since I can’t throw the ball very far I roll the ball back to the pitcher, who does that?

I’ve been trying to keep up with getting homework done, keeping the kids interested in school (a big task), feeding them a balanced diet just like any good mom would do…until tonight. I gave up.. I didn’t care that I had no idea what to have for dinner! As I loaded the boys in the car to go pick up Emeline from swim practice Zachary said “I’m hungry mommy, can I please have something to eat?” I went to the pantry, pulled out a big bucket of potato chips, jumped in the car, grabbed a handful for myself and passed the bucket around instructing everyone to share! Was it my preference? No, but for tonight, for this week, it will have to do.

Blessings,

Debbie

Shut It Down!

Injuries in our house occur frequently. Over eight years ago I had never stepped foot in a Children’s hospital nor did I know the location. Now, my car could make it to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) on auto pilot I’m sure. Not only do we practically have our own orthopedic surgeon, I actually have the private line to the doctor’s nurse practitioner (Meg) who has become a sweet friend of mine. The parking attendants know us as well as the servers in McDonald’s. Often we hear, “Here comes the Summer family again!”

Boys and injuries are common yet don’t go well together. How on earth can you keep a six year old boy down? Zachary fell off his skateboard last fall and injured his ligaments. Damaged ligaments is never good news, a break is much better, it heals quicker. Sure enough after three weeks in a boot Zachary has continued to have problems with the ankle. Last week he could not put pressure on it due to a recent football injury.

“We need to shut it down,” was the doctor’s recommendation. Taking the ankle out of commission with a cast was the only hope to give it a rest. With a bright orange cast we left the hospital, activity was restricted.

As the mom, I’m not sure how to police this cast situation. I guess the responsible moms would make their child sit and do nothing, watch TV all day. We had one of the busiest weekends in a long time with lots of fun activities. The kids were signed up for a tennis tournament and Zachary begged me to play. I made him promise he would not run too much (yeah right mom!).

The efforts to “Shut it down” don’t seem to be working; Zachary has no problem running, jumping, and climbing with a cast on. It’s actually amazing to watch!

Sometimes I wish I could just shut down, go to sleep and rest for a few weeks. Life seems so busy no matter how hard I try to keep it at a manageable pace. I have multiple injuries yet I’m in the middle of USTA tennis, and to top it off I’m on a softball league..I don’t know how to play softball! Steve asked me to play with him, he doesn’t ask for much so I wanted to honor his request.

Although I would love to shut down physically, it is my spiritual being that will keep me going. My relationship with God and abiding in Him is all I really need. The physical aches and pains can be tolerated for now; my main concern is the health and well being of my spiritual relationship with Jesus. Some days it feels great, other days it feels like I’m falling apart. I am thankful for a sovereign God who loves and cares for me. He is faithful even when I’m not. When others see an inner strength in me, it is because in Him I live, move and have my being.

Sweet Dreams,

Debbie

A Tribute To Mom

When reading the Bible for my quiet time I tend to steer away from the Proverbs 31 woman, you know the gal who did it all? Some say the chapter is not referring to just one person, after all who on earth could accomplish all that and still have her children rise up and call her blessed! My children rise and are mad at me that I woke them up! Of course I have respect for the Proverbs 31 woman because she/they are in the Bible and I believe it is inspired by God. The older I get the more settled I become in who I am. I’m actually grateful to have even a few (maybe only one) of the qualities the P31 sister had!

My mom is an example of a woman who (in my humble opinion) comes pretty close. My dad “considers her worth far above rubies”, he always adored her, and trusted her. Years ago my dad had a temper that only my mom could diffuse. Mom is an amazing seamstress, she can sew anything from clothes, to wedding dresses, and draperies. As for me, I can hardly sew a button! She is a pillar of strength and confidence. Her faith in God is unwavering and steadfast. When she speaks only kind words come out of her mouth, complaining is not in her personality.

Sometimes I wonder why I can’t be more like my mom. How did I turn out so different then her? When I was a little girl I looked just like my dad, that’s what everyone said. Now that I’m getting older people say I look just like my mom. Maybe as I continue to age I’ll start to be more like my mom. There’s no one in this world I would choose to be more like. Tears come to my eyes when I think of my mom. So many friends I know have lost their mom and my heart breaks for them. Instead of fearing the loss of my mom someday, I embrace the times I have with her today. I thank God I have been blessed with the closest example of the P31 woman..the gal I call Mom.

I’m so glad God gave us to each other! Happy Mother’s Day mom, I love you!!

Debbie

Shopping With Steve

Blocking the whole day off the calendar isn’t easy for any mom to do but weeks ago Steve and I decided to go shopping. Well, actually I begged Steve to go with me and he said “yes!” I had certificates to a very exclusive women’s store and I honestly felt ridiculous going! I never bought clothes from the store before and I didn’t particularly care for their style but assured myself I would find something.

Having a degree in Textile Technology with a minor in Apparel I definitely like the finer things when it comes to clothes and fabric but I have never been a full price retail shopper. My favorite stores have always been TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. That doesn’t mean you’ll never see me in Ann Taylor or Nordstrom, but only at the “sale” racks.

Today was no different. Even with certificates I still went for the clearance racks which were still quite expensive for my pocket book. Having my husband there felt awkward at first but then it was a fun experience. It reminded me how much fun Steve and I have together when it’s just us, nobody pulling at us or schedules to keep. We’re both calm.

I appreciated my husband taking time to spend with me. I know that is the reason he agreed to come with me, not because he likes to go clothes shopping, in fact it is probably one of the least favorite things for him to do. Yet, he took the whole day from work to be with me. He’s usually a fixer (likes to fix me) and he didn’t try to do that once today!

Our time is the most valuable gift we can give anyone. I constantly struggle with time management, often feeling guilty I am failing miserably. There are so many I care about in my life I can’t find enough hours to show them. So what do I do? I have to prioritize my family first and then everyone else, period.

Today Steve was a selfless example of just that 

Blessings,

Debbie