It's good to have a purpose.

 

"Are your stuffies doing school?" I just asked Jabin as I passed by and noticed this little vignette.

"Yup! Except the Angry Birds," he shouted after me as I went into the office. "They kill pigs!"

"Ah."

"Too busy being EPIC"

Has it really been nine years?!

When I got out of the shower this morning, I could hear a little boy making shuffling noises outside the door.

"Is someone waiting for the bathroom?" I asked.

"I am!" piped up Noah.

"Okay, I'll just be a couple of minutes." I hurried through the process of drying off, wrapped my towel around myself and opened the door.

"SUPRISE!!" he shouted, holding up a drawing of a flower that he had coloured and cut out, with "Happy Mother's Day" scrawled across it.

"Thanks, buddy," I said, giving him a big hug. His ear-to-ear grin was a photo-worthy moment in itself.

That was the beginning to a day that kept getting better.

The other two boys had made Mother's Day crafts for me, too, which they sprung on me as soon as I came out to the kitchen. (Jude actually made me look around the room for his three items, one of which was a poem: "Hair like sparkeling Jewels, you say all the rules, We made these gifs for you. Like em, save em, and enjoy em. Love Jude." Tee hee!)

Jude had been up since 7:00, mixing up blueberry pancakes. He had told us last night that he would likely do so, and Jason said that was fine, just wait for him (Jason) to cook them.

So, after a huge pancake breakfast, we got into the van, dressed up and ready to go to church. Out on the road, I took a look at the clock.

"We're going to be half an hour late. We'll miss most of the service, and then there is the Mother's Day Brunch, so we'll just be eating again."

Jason thought for a moment.

"Do you just want to do church at home?"

"Yep." (I hate walking in late, and a half an hour just seems quite ridiculous.)

So, we turned around and were home about two minutes after we left. Sunshine (our Golden Retriever) greeted us like we had been gone for hours. :-)

Since we were all spiffed up, and it was a gorgeous morning, we took the opportunity to take some family photos before we went inside for our service.

During our service, Jason had each of the boys say a few things they like about their Mom (that was pretty neat for me). Then he talked about how when they start looking for a wife, one thing to consider is that she will be a good mother, and teach their children rightly. After that, they gave me their biggest surprise: a video presentation that they had all worked on together yesterday while I was out for the day, covering the last nine years in family photos in about forty minutes. It was so fun looking back on my sweet boys as they were growing up, and it was a really great gift.

I am so blessed to be a mom, and I am so thankful for the boys I get to mother.

Really, how could I resist?

I don't know how those boys got to be so silly! (Ahem.)

Good Ol' Days

I've been working on my "About Me" page for my new web store, and to complement it, my mom sent me some photos of me, circa 1986, enjoying our family's horses. The palamino filly (which I believe was dubbed "Blondie" while we had her) was the gray mare's foal, sired by a black stallion, believe it or not. (And YES, my pants were always too short. It seemed impossible to keep me in clothes that fit--a problem that I am now dealing with in my own tall, slim children!)

Here is the relevant excerpt from my "About Me" page:

The summer I was nine, my parents acquiesced to my pleas to let me go riding alone. We had an old dapple grey mare named Gal. Stubborn—my father made no secret that he was not overly fond of her—but she was stable, and short enough for a tall nine-year-old girl to get up on by herself. I tried to saddle her a few times, but of course, one of my parents always checked to make sure everything was snug… (Well, except that one time… but no harm done—I just learned how to slide off a horse instead of under the belly with the rig.)

That summer on top of Gal was full of magical memories. I took miles-long, hours-long rides all over the surrounding countryside (most of which was owned by relatives, so I guess my folks weren’t too worried), all by myself. Riding a horse became my first taste of independence, of freedom—and all the magic that had only lived inside my head until then seemed absolutely real. Gal was old, and grey, and kind of pudgy, but in my mind I was atop a brilliant silver unicorn, and we were dancing through woods filled with faery kind.

And when do you get to see the actual page, complete with a functioning store? Soon...

But not yet.

Top Ten Reasons I Love Working From Home

There are always downsides to everything--most of us know this. But while there is the odd time I think that maybe a dedicated ten-hour stretch without the interruptions of home life would enable me to accomplish so much more, really, I absolutely LOVE that I get to work from home. And here's why (in no particular order):

1. Conducting business in my pajamas.
2. When I put my makeup on, my husband knows it's for him, not someone at the office.
3. When dealing with a particularly frustrating "Customer Relations" issue, I have the advantage of being able to take a few hours, cool down, and think about it before responding.
4. Home schooling my kids.
5. On my break, I get to go outside and enjoy my beautiful property.
6. Conducting business at night, after my kids are in bed.
7. "Going on vacation" does not necessarily mean I stop making money.
8. My business is portable--not just for vacations, but for moves.
9. It saves on gas.
10. I get to raise our kids, not a babysitter.

Hey, all you work-from-home moms and dads--do you have some reasons unique to you why you love your "job"?

Haiku

Gentle rain deceives
Making roads a soupy mess
Rain is worse than snow

Me to a Tea... er, Tee

Yesterday, I wrote this poem and posted it on my music blog. For those of you who didn't see it over there, here it is.



Kaleidoscope
The Reality of Being Me
By Talena Winters. ©2012

Sunday starts the week off busy
My “to-do list” makes me dizzy
Some church, some tea--do you suppose
Today I’ll find time to compose?

Monday, up with both feet running
Clean the house until it’s stunning
Drink some tea and help with school
Maybe take kids to the pool.
Grind the flour and bake the bread
I’d really rather be in bed!
“Wake up my inner songwriter?”
Oops—forgot to notify ‘er!

Tuesday, things don’t look much better
Good thing I’m a real “go-getter”
Or at least, I used to be--
I think it’s time to drink some tea;
Ah, yes! Now let’s help kids with school
And no! We’re not going to the pool.
And why don’t you all go outside
While laundry keeps me stuck inside?
I’ll pretend I’m doing lunges
In between the toilet plunges.
Maybe lyrics will come to me
While boiling another pot of tea.

Wednesday, sleep is torn asunder
By the sound of distant thunder.
Wait, that’s just the children pounding
Up and down the house, resounding.
What do you mean, you’re still not dressed?
And who’s going to clean up this mess?
The dishes done and children cleaned--
Good thing the schedule intervened
To keep the chaos under wraps.
Some tea, and maybe, just perhaps
Another cup. Ah, yes, at last
The school is done, and none-too-fast
‘Cause mommy’s got more work to do
Inside the office, so why don’t you
Go take the dogs out for a walk?
(Is this the cure for writer’s block?)

Thursday starts off with a clang:
Jump up because the cell phone rang--
A customer from Timbuktu
Who didn’t know, here it’s only two!
That’s how it goes on the internet
When you sell online, you can forget
‘Bout “business hours;” ‘cause “work from home”
Means your biz is everywhere you roam.
You’re at your friend’s house, having tea
Chatting quite industriously
When the phone rings, and “back to work!”
Answering questions, feeling like a jerk
While your tea gets cold (a sacrilege!)
And you lurk beside the fridge
Conducting business on the phone
While Friend drinks her tea, all alone.
But really, I am grateful that
My “job” lets me be here, not at
An office, where I’d never see
My friend for an afternoon tea
And more than likely, I would miss
The extra hug and extra kiss
My kids give me as we “do school”
‘Cause growing with them is way more cool
Than all those things I kinda wish
That I might “someday” accomplish.
The time for that will be the day
I watch my collegiates drive away.
But isn’t there some room in “now”
To write a song or two somehow?

Friday morn, I contemplate
If there is too much on my plate?
But no, I’m thankful for my life:
Mother, Teacher, Entrepreneur, Wife,
With dreams that God has given me.
I know that He will help me be
The one I need to be today
To tackle what He sends my way.
So, with another cup of tea
I teach the children “A-B-C”
I answer e-mails and organize
Clean the house and agonize
A little, ‘cause this whole week long
I didn’t write a single song
But no, remember? That’s okay
‘Cause I just gotta live today
Which has enough stuff of its own
Guide these l’il birds ‘til they’ve flown.
Now, looking forward to tonight
At supper, with candles alight,
We’re at the time that I love best
The Sabbath-when God said to rest.
We thank him for our family
And for blessings we can’t even see.
This special night helps blow away
All the “to-dos” I missed today.

On Saturday, I sit at last
Talk to my husband, holding fast
To precious shared time, sipping tea
Letting the week’s worries be.
The phone is off, the ‘puter, too
--Brief respite from the daily zoo.
Reflecting on the week gone by,
I wonder where the time did fly?
My kids grew some before my eyes!
And suddenly I realize
That I don’t want to miss a minute;
My life is busy ‘cause I’m in it.
I’ll knit and sew and teach and clean
I’ll work and play and love and dream.
I’ll sing my songs, whene’er they come
And be thankful that God gave me some;
I’ll live my life, eyes open wide
Enjoy each twist of this wild ride
And thank the Lord that He gave me
My passions, family, friends—and tea!

In Logical Fashion

Yesterday when I was in Walmart with Noah and Jabin, we saw a stack of licensed T-shirts in children's sizes that were only $7 each. Notably, there were several types of Angry Birds shirts, for which they had been asking. This game has not yet lost its popularity in our house. Since the price was reasonable, and within budget, I said we could get some for each kid. (Actually, Jude got Sonic the Hedgehog, since that's more his "thang". When he got home from school and found out, he was thrilled.)

The boys were so excited, they could barely wait to wear them. When we got home, the first thing Noah did was take his out of the shopping bag and try to remove the tag. Daddy got the announcement and Show-and-Tell from each kid when he walked in the door. With that kind of anticipation, and after several requests from Jabin, I made sure that I washed them all last night, even folding them in the wee hours on my way to bed so they would be ready for the boys to wear this morning.

When I came out this morning, Jabin was dressed in his new shirt, Noah was sitting on the couch in his p.j.s.

Me:

Time to get dressed, Noah! Your new shirt is on the dryer, if you want to wear it.

Noah:

No, I'm going to wear it Saturday.

Me:

     (taken aback)
You're not wearing it today?

Noah:

No, I always wear new shirts on Saturdays.

     (Pause.)

Me:

Why?

Noah:

Because.

     (Crickets chirping.)

Me:

Oh.