Another year older, another year wiser.

“Whatever with the past has gone, the best is always yet to come.”


Wow, another year has come and gone. It’s hard to believe what kind of shape I was in a year ago. I was working 2 and sometimes 3 jobs just to get by and it was a constant struggle. It still is, but now I have one really good job, and now I’m back in school, almost another semester down amazingly. The last year has really been kind of a blur, particularly the last 4 months. I never would have thought I would be able to work a full time job, and take care of my kids alone and go to school. I don’t even know what possessed me to enroll in classes, but now I’m glad that I did.

Along with everything else, Cooper had a lot of trouble in 2 different daycares and that was a constant source of stress. And I do mean constant. I’m so glad that he now has a great place to go and I never have to worry about him. Carter is loving his daycare too, and looking forward to Kindergarten in August. They have both grown so much and are such happy kids. Everything I do is for those 2… whenever I don’t want to wake up in the morning, and drag myself through another 12 hour work/school day, I think about them and what kind of example I’m setting. That is what keeps me going.

The quote, “It’s always darkest before the dawn” comes to mind. There were times when I just wanted to quit my job and pack up and leave. I don’t know where I’d go, but I didn’t want to work so hard anymore. I’m glad that I always kept going and that’s what I’ll continue to do. Things are looking up, thanks to a lot of patience and good people in my life, and I’m looking forward to my 27th year on this planet.

And one of my favorite quotes:
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. –Jeremiah 29:11

Be Truly Glad

“So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.” 1 Peter: 1-6

This is one of my favorite verses ever. I will often say it to myself when I’m trying to get through a hard day like today. It’s weird how that happens and I find myself mumbling to myself for encouragement. Whenever I’m at work I dream about the kind of life I want to have someday… my life isn’t bad now, but it’s definitely hard to juggle everything and manage to be a decent parent at the same time. Whenever I’m being yelled at by some mean old man, or people are bossing me around, giving me dirty looks, etc… I just have to remind myself that this is only temporary. Tonight Carter was begging me to jump with them on the trampoline right when I finally got home from work. I told him I didn’t want to and he said “Why Mama, did you have a long day at work?” He knows me too well! I ended up jumping on the trampoline with them, work clothes and all, watching them both with such joy in their eyes. And it was worth every second.


This has been a hard couple months for us with everyone being sick, and the daycare situation, but it could always be so much worse. At least we have a roof over our heads, a great family, and I have a job. Alot of people don't have any of those things.


I know that one day my hard work will be rewarded… that, I am sure of! "This too shall pass"

Until then, I’m going to practice being truly glad!

too tired to think of a title..

I hate being sick. I know that everyone does, but I can't afford to be sick. I had to miss another day of work today because I was up all night puking. I'm so glad my boss is nice and doesn't make me feel horrible for calling in.. She knows I must be really sick and desperate to call in.

My kids are completely on their own tonight. And I do mean completely. I can just now sit up long enough to type on the computer. I feel like I have the flu, except I don't have all the respiratory symptoms, just the body aches, and I am soooo weak. It actually makes me laugh a little to think about how our evening has gone.. Dinner tonight was a couple slices of bologna that Carter got out of the refrigerator for both of them, and some Oreo cookies. My poor kids. If only Cooper could change his own diaper and dress himself for bed.. we would be all set.
Well, except for the fact that they are beating each other up and I can't be the referee tonight.. wish us luck! :)

Count it All Joy.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything…”

-James 1:2

Whenever I was little, my Mom always played these tapes in the car for my sister and I anytime we would go anywhere. They were called Adventures in Odyssey from Focus on the Family, and they were these short stories that told a bible lesson. I remember them SO vividly.. today, the one called “Count it all Joy” came to my mind.

My day looked a little something like this.. And this is how all Tuesdays and Thursdays look. Wake up at 6:45 am, drag 2 boys out of bed (one whom is really cranky like a teenager), dress them, feed them breakfast, and somewhere in there, dress myself (which basically consists of throwing on some clothes that I picked up off the floor) and head out the door by 7:45 am.

Drop them at their daycare about 7:50, where Cooper proceeds to hang on my leg and cry. My heart breaks into 1,000,000 pieces, and I then run to my car, and speed to work trying to break my record to see how fast I can possibly get to work. 8:01- I made it!

There is usually a line of about 5 patients waiting for me to open the doors, check them in, and put on a smile while my hair is looking like a rat’s nest, my clothes are hideous, and I’m still half asleep.

Lunch is at noon if I get lucky, and run to Sonic or some other equally unhealthy place and eat in my car, call to check on my kids at daycare and get “the bite report” on Cooper… drag myself back to work instead of just driving myself the other way and never coming back! Haha

Work until 5:00, which includes running around the building meeting various deadlines at a moments notice, and dealing with really rude people who think my life revolves around my job.

Then I go directly from work to Biology class, where I stare into space for 2 hours, and wonder just how confused everyone else in the class is. My teacher is from India or somewhere and I can understand about every fifth word he says. He likes to call on me at least 3 times every class… and I stumble through some pathetic answer and wonder how much everyone is laughing at me. I hate science with a passion and I’m just taking this class to pass it and get through it. 2 hours go by, my head is hurting, my body is hurting, I haven’t seen my kids in 12 hours, I’m hungry, I’m clueless, and did I mention tired?

Then I get home about 7:45, see my kids for about 15 minutes, and put them to bed.

Ahh.. silence at least. Time to write and do homework!

I live for the weekends… But just going through what I do on Tuesdays and Thursdays is enough to make me appreciate Mon, Wed, and Friday!! It’s amazing how that works. When I “only” have to work 9 hours.. and pick my kids up at 5:15, that’s like a break!

My point here is (and yes I do have one)… that even though things seem tough, we should remember to "Count it all Joy"… because as the verse says, everything we go through is teaching us patience and perseverance, which eventually has to lead to something greater.

I may be tired, but I’m alive!!… and at the end of a 12+ hour day, I have these 2 precious little boys standing at the front door in their underwear and a diaper smiling and saying “ Mama, we missed you!” That's makes it all worth it.

Count it All Joy!

Headaches, Homework, and Deadlines, oh my!

 

Have you ever tried to write a paper with a headache? Or better yet, have you ever tried to write a paper while 2 small children ran circles around the room, screaming? I have accomplished approximately 2 lines on a paper that is due this week, mostly due to the breaks I have to take about every 60 seconds to break up fist fights, check for blood, and send someone to their room.

”Mama, he hit me”! “Coopie, NO”! It’s a little hard to concentrate to say the least. By the time they finally go to bed, I don’t even have any brain cells left to try to sound remotely intelligent. My brain is basically shot by about noon from the work I do so I’m doomed by night time. I can barely keep my eyes open anyways!

Is it Friday yet?

Here goes Nothing..

My aunts suggested that I start doing a blog about a day in my life, so I figured why not ? What is one more thing on my plate in the grand scheme of things? Most of you know me, but if not I'll give you a little history. I am a single mom of two boys who are 2 and 4. I have basically always taken care of them by myself, and I don’t know any differently. Yes you read that right, and yes I still have a teeny tiny bit of sanity left.  I also work full time at a doctors office which can be extremely stressful at times... or 99% of the time I mean. It's a harder job than people think. It's not like I just sit and "answer phones" all day. I do answer phones (at nothing short of a stealth speed), check grumpy patients in and try to please them and everyone! I love the company I work for though (Integris) and I’ve been with them for 3.5 years now.

This semester, I started back at UCO to finish my English degree. I must have been out of my mind when I signed up for classes, but so far I am managing. I am doing well in the English lit class, but the Biology class makes me want to jump off a cliff. I never liked science in high school, so therefore I never learned ANYTHING. Even when I try to study for it, it’s a lost cause because my brain just doesn’t work that way! As soon as I get a couple more ridiculous classes out of the way, I’ll be onto all the English ones that I am good at.

Besides work, school, and kids, I like to write when I have time (hence the blog, although I’ll probably post new ones rarely) play the piano every now and then, hang out with my family, and shop at cheap stores like Dollar General and Goodwill with my sister. I’m always laughing, and I can’t live without music. That’s me in a nutshell.
Well, it’s almost 9:00 which means it’s time to clean, fold laundry, tiptoe around my house until my kids are finally asleep, do homework, and mentally prepare for a crazy week ahead…

ahhhh Monday morning comes way too soon.