Sunday, August 8, 2010

To Write, or Not To Write

I've been doing better lately at keeping my own journal, just writing a little something in it at night before I go to bed. This blog is intended to be our family's record, but I often end up writing things as if it were my very own. I don't mean to, but I'm already writing, and typing is always so much faster for me, and I'm already going at it, so it just happens. But now that I'm back into my own writing habit, I am always thinking of "oh I want to write that down" but then I have to decide if it is for the blog, or for my own journal. Who would have known I'd put so much wasted thought into it? But anyhow, that is my dilemma.

Nothing too eventful happened this week. Tyler had another Little Gym camp, a Ninja camp, on Tuesday and Thursday from 9-12. He absolutely loved it, as he always does. The next semester of classes starts this week and I just can't decide if I should put him in again or not. I am always going back and forth. It seems like the world (or at least our country) is so competitive in every area and people are starting their kids in things younger and younger. On the one hand I say, but that doesn't make it necessary to spend so much money when they're so young, lots and lots of people grow up just fine without it, I don't need to join the rat race, I can be a mother who knows and not add unecessary activities into our families lives etc. etc. But then I also have thoughts about how he loves it so much, and he's not in preschool so maybe this is fine to have his only other "social outlet" source (is that even necessary either at this age? people make all these claims but I wonder how much it's just moms needing the break more than the kids needing outside friends...) and if we can afford it then why not provide the best possible opportunities for him, etc. etc.

Does anyone else have this problem? I go back and forth all the time and I just wish there were a clear cut answer.What are the best things to involve them in, and when? I know it's a decision that each family has to make for themselves, I just wish I felt more confident about one way or the other.

Our A/C went out one day this week. Kenny fixed it all when he came home, but by then our house was 86 degrees. I will tell you one thing, I would not be a good pioneer. I love air conditioning. I took my clothes off and was walking around in my you-know-whats for hours. There's no way I could handle those long, hot dresses. Anyway, it sure made me grateful for a normally very comfortable house.

Brynlee has been a real challenge the past few days as she has more teeth coming in, at least that's all I think it is. She acts like she's dying most of the time and we're all pulling our hair out by the time those dang teeth come in. It seems so much worse for her than I remember it being for Ty.

This weekend I was feeling really tired and like I had had a rough couple of days. You know, the worthless self-pity kind of thoughts. I was being negative about having to clean things that I swear I had just barely cleaned and just having a rotten attitude. Then I stopped and had some thoughts come to me. If these are my biggest problems in life, having a house to clean, children to take care of (even teething ones at that), and one hot day in the house, I have it pretty dang good. Honestly the things I was overwhelmed with are the biggest blessings in my life. I am blessed enough to have a home that needs cleaning, and to have children who are teething, ya know what I mean?

When we were in Adam-Ondi-Ahman we ate lunch at the Perman's little missionary home for lunch. (They were the ones giving us a tour around the place.) I just loved Cherilyn and her positive attitude about everything. I had never met her before so I don't know what she is always like, but she seemed to have just such a clear perspective. I remember her saying after lunch when cleaning up, "There's just something about being here, I don't even mind doing the dishes. I just love it. It doesn't bother me anymore." That really impacted me. I don't think I have to wait to go on a mission when my kids are grown to understand that same big picture. I can be happy about doing my own dishes and serving my own family, remembering what we're doing here and what our eternal goals are. Just some things I was thinking about. My life is wonderful, and I am so blessed.

2 comments:

Ben, Charlotte, Troy, and Liam said...

Ha, I have that same dilemma with writing. That's funny. I think to myself that my kids will just have to read both to piece our lives together. As for Ty, I obviously don't have experience to comment, but I like that you are striving to do whats best for him. You're a great mom!!

Elise said...

I know exactly what you mean...soccer teams, gymnastics, music classes. I didn't know it would all start at TWO YEARS OLD! Ridiculous, but I always feel guilty for not letting Vi do more.