RIP RUNNIN & ROARIN

This is just an outlet for me, to be able to get my thoughts out! I am a Woman, Wife and Mommy that also works outside the home! Just me trying to make it all work for the best for my family and myself! Just my journey!

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Grampa, the kids and "Tent camping"




The kids are having a ball!! I miss them, but enjoy listening to them on the phone, they barely have time to talk, they are on to the next thing!! Mitchell and Adam have claimed the small tent, my dad says, and he told Yaya, "you and I have the air mattress in the big tent" to which he says she immediately replied "OK" and played it off as though the boys are getting the better end of the deal (bet they all end up in the BIG tent before 9pm). Please continue to pray that they are safe and enjoy themselves and that they are obedient and kind so that Grampa Pat may enjoy them!!! The upper left corner is Grampa Pat, the kids and Grama and Papaw are on the right and Nana is on the lower left. Grama and Papaw are Larry's parents (in case you couldn't tell) and Nana and Grampa Pat are my parents (in case you couldn't tell). It is so neat, that each Grandparent provides something different to each of my children, all items they are in need of. Just goes to show, we don't always have to figure out God's awesome plan before he reveals it to us, I mostly rest in the fact that he has this part all figured out and then sometimes I can't wait to find out what he has in store................

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alright, so this is how my kids are used to "camping". This week they are going "tent" camping. I can't remember when my dad last took a full week of vacation, all at once!!! I am so thankful my kids do get to go on vacations this summer, even if I don't get vacation yet!!!!!!!!
They are leaving today, Tuesday, for a week of kind of planned out kind of not, (fly by the seat of our pants, my dad said) vacationing, here there and a few other places. Please keep them in your prayers, for safe and happy "Tent Camping"
Oh by the way, the extra kid, the one in the orange shirt, is one of our friends.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Ok I have entered a contest on 5 Minutes for Mom for a Insignia® 37" Flat-Panel LCD HDTV from www.bestbuy.com go on to above link and enter!!!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Just Do It!!!

I am so excited it is Saturday!!!! I get to sleep in, even if only til 8am, thats four,4, FOUR, extra hours of sleep for me, I feel so good.

I did need to be up by 8am though, my oldest is doing baseball camp at Railcats Stadium (the reason we are not camping this weekend). The camp is only 9:30-12:30 and doesn't take or add much to my day I was actually looking forward to going and watching and sitting and reading and sipping on coffee or pop (sounds relaxing to me)..... My husband had other plans, he is going to an auction. So, now we give the other kids the option of going with mommy or going with daddy, the statement "if you want to have any kind of fun you need to go with mommy" given by my husband to both children steered them right to their choice!!! What I don't understand is what isn't fun about going to a motor sport auction, quads, scooters, dune buggies? Anyway so it goes from two to four in a split second, no big deal I take it in stride and still plan on doing the same: sitting, sipping, watching and reading. Now, I realize that the Post Office needs me to pick up a package and in the same area I need to drop off a bill. I can still get in all the rest, I just need to drop off Adam first, go to downtown Hobart and go back and continue. Did I mention my house is trashed!!!! OK so can you feel the anxiety beginning, take it in stride Chrissy, I tell myself. I look out the back door and our ring pool is GREEN. Gosh, I am still in the planning stage, I have not left and I have not moved to far yet. OK SO after I drop off Adam at Railcats, go to downtown Hobart, come back to the Stadium, sit, sip, watch and read, then we will go to Walmart pick up what we need to change the color of the pool, buy cleaning supplies and then we can go home, clean and relax. I can do this, and still relax.

I take a minute put things in perspective, prioritize and change my attitude.

It is not what I would call a good attitude at this time . Pray, PRAY. Good attitude back, taking it all in stride, I am still Thankful for Saturday and that regardless of the reason all 3 children want to be with me. I tell myself "they miss me, like I miss them".

So the plan is now set in motion, we are on our way. We drop off Adam, we go to Hobart; huge sidewalk sale all over Downtown ok, I can get stuff done and still find a deal, we are in and out no time. Back to the stadium, I sit, sip Pop, read (the rest of my book I have been trying to read for 3 months now), and watch all 3 of my children enjoy themselves. Up to this point good! We move toward Walmart with everyone, make it through, spend too much money and too much time and head home.

The planning stages sounded horrible and I didn't even want to continue, but when it all played out, it worked out fine, I realize I put way to much in the planning and worrying!! Not so much the part of cleaning my house, maybe the cleaning fairy will have to come earlier this week to give me a hand!! Have I mentioned how much I enjoy having the help!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

So today it is harder to leave work at work, but I am going to do it (right after this blog, I hope). I do not like to run trains short, it shorts over 144 people out of a place to sit, let alone the other 20-30 that stand. Today, it almost happened, I was thinking I was going to have to run 1 train 1 car short, but I did not my electricians and Carmen pulled it together and literally pulled a rabbit out of a hat, I am so impressed and know that they pushed harder for me, or at least on account of me (I am so thankful), I think they saw the stress and frustration or maybe it was the tears in my eyes!!! Recently I was removed from this exact position for running a train short!!! Even though there are so many for me, I feel as though there are even more against me, and waiting for me to fall flat on my butt! I started my job as a coach cleaner a little over a year ago, but I knew I had been promised more. As soon as I could I let my Foreman know I wanted more. I passed all the tests, proved myself and kept pressing, so here I am a Mechanical Foreman, RELIEF FOREMAN, I am not full pledged yet!!! I have caught on to quite a bit. I am so thankful that my husband has always been involved in some kind of cars or things with motors on them, and he speaks to me about them, and talks about them as if I have always known mechanics, this has propelled me to the next level and I do actually understand what is going on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Regardless I still have to push hard, sometimes I feel as though it is because I am a woman, which all woman can relate to, and sometimes I feel as though it is perception and sometimes I feel as though others will receive a thrill out of my failure, so I push harder!!!!!!!!!! I know all of us mom's and wives have had days. weeks or even months where we feel as though someone is waiting for us to fail and say "I told you so" Share your experiences and share how you overcame!!!!!!! Share encouragement. I can tell you that in spite of what happened at work, at home was calm and obedient and well behaved and a true blessing, even when I returned home!!!

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Trying to make sense

Exciting! First comments, so much fun to see how people think and respond, makes me like this even more!!

Not really allowed to get personal phone calls at work, so I really try not to. At lunch I talk to my husband quick, our conversation usually starts with a "LUNCH TIME" and usually ends with I need to eat I'll talk to you later. Don't get me wrong, my foreman really do not mind any phone calls on my cell phone, I use it quite a bit at work for work, and also receive phone calls on it from home, from the kids and the babysitter, so it is more me trying to follow the rules than it is the getting in trouble, I just don't want to abuse the privilege. Lately, I have received more than a few phone calls every day, I had to lay down the law with the babysitter. I really, really love our babysitter, she is family. Our babysitter is young, not child young, but in her early 20's. Sometimes I think my oldest thinks of her as a sibling and not an authority figure. We have had to really put him in his place lately (HARD, I like to think of them as obedient and enjoyable to be around), if he didn't need parents God would not have made parents, I remind myself. The babysitter was using the line call your mom, ask your mom, this became a little to easy. As I stated earlier I am not supposed to receive phone calls at work, between possibly running trains late or short now I was worried about the kids fighting and not doing their chores, basically not focused on the tasks I was performing, not safe. I left a note for the babysitter, (not that I am not available for emergencies) my husband is available to help, but not to mediate she is the adult in the house, the children need to respect her as though she is their parent and she has the right to hand out discipline, the kids will respect her, it is better now. I realize, she feels as though she is a sibling to my oldest. She doesn't want to hurt his feelings, she wants to be his friend. I forgot, how much growing up we do when we think we are grown!!! I grew up with my oldest and slowed with my 2nd and grew down with my 3rd. I learned how to be a strict parent on my first, with my 2nd I learned that always totally strict and always matter of fact and always on top of the rules wasn't all there was to life, with my 3rd I remembered how to laugh and what was really important, (I am so glad I'm not going to learn what the 4th,5th 6th........... would bring) and that they were just kids and they were still learning and that they needed more compassion, I backed off and began to enjoy them and not worry so much about what everyone else thought! I desperately want my children to be God fearing, I desperately want them to be obedient and I desperately want others to enjoy them, most of all I realized, today, I want God to enjoy them, I want God to say to me "WELL DONE", it is not others I seek approval from. It seems like it is just to easy to get those two mixed up, I just don't understand why though!! Others don't even compare to GOD!! Gosh, does this all even make sense?

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

rip, runnin & roarin

rip, runnin & roarin
Sorry for my rambling.....

Isn't it great how kids can move on and just laugh and have a good time!! It seems like they let go of things so much easier, at least while they are young. A good lesson, it is ok to be upset, or to be hurt, it is not ok to continue to dwell on it and allow the circumstances to take away the joy we find in other things.

Right now I am letting go of work and the stuff that happened, to the constant fighting to earn the position I desire at work and I am going to enjoy the laughter of my children and their friends!!!

They are so happy to have the end of the day, the jammies time and get ready to lay down and watch a movie. I think as loud as they can be at times they enjoy the quiet time of rest!! Or maybe it is the structure they enjoy of knowing what happens next and being obedient by doing what is expected!!! No wonder I find peace in my routine, I am doing what is expected and being obedient and honoring my father!!!!

It is getting easier to smile and laugh, and get relaxed.

My youngest child was so happy when I returned home from work today (I thought something had gone wrong at home today). He, only 6, grabbed the phone and called his best buddy and said "put your mom to talk to my mom." I am given the phone, to hear another mom being forced on the phone and say "I'm not sure what is going on, but Mitch would not take no for an answer." Her reply was that her son was having a birthday party and sending out invites and wanted to make sure the information she was given earlier was correct, it was, I confirmed and hung up. I immediately called my husband to tell him the story of our youngest (our older two were barely ever on the phone at this age, matter of fact they have only in the past year began making plans and having conversations on the phone) I remember how to laugh now, I remember how to enjoy home and forget the junk that doesn't really matter right now. What happens at work stays at work!!!

Monday, July 23, 2007

Early morning

So it is back to work I go for a typical Monday, I hope. The list of chores for the kids, the list of does and do nots for the babysitter, change the washer and dryer, fold one more load before I go, fill the dishwasher, is there enough food for lunch? oh yeah, get ready for work all the stuff we moms do before we walk out the door to go to work!!!
I was a stay at home mom for 11 years and thoroughly enjoyed it, we ran and explored and spent time together. The entire time I was at home only I threatened and asked, but never did, to get someone to help me clean my home. Not every day, just once every couple of weeks. My husband would always say OK, and I never did it. NOW I did, I am thrilled, wish I would have done it sooner. A messy home really will stress me out. The line I often used when company came over or I got that question: "what did you do today?" Was I am at home because I have children, not because I have a home! Now there still just isn't enough time or energy. My children do have chores, daily and are required to keep up after themselves, but deep cleaning, not since I went back to work. Now the deep cleaning gets done and it is worth every penny. If this is something you have contemplated, stay-at-home or going outside the home to work, just do it!!!
Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

New to this!!

So, I have been enjoying reading everyone else's blog and decided to give it a try. I'm not sure if I can keep up with a daily schedule, I am willing to give it a try.

The name of the blog: Rip, roaring & runnin comes from the words I often use to describe my family and what is going on. I am often asked "what are you doing?" my reply is usually "finishing something so we can rip, run, n roar!" My opinion is most moms can describe themselves and their families that way, so it isn't unique that we are the way we are, but the words are!!!

Today we returned from yet another weekend camping trip and thoroghly enjoyed ourselves. A large group of people went and we filled our camper to the top with 9 people, 4 children, 1 newborn and 4 adults. Every bed and every spot in our 35 foot camper was used, it was a blast and relaxing!!!

Back to work tomorrow and back to schedules.....