Anxious

We move in two weeks. Whew, this summer has flown by! Now, the thoughts that are in my head are lists and lists of "to pack", "not to pack", "to get done", "to call", etc. Utilities, arrangements, anxieties, anticipations and expectations.

At times, my thoughts take over and I cannot believe that we're doing this. There is so much that is uncertain.

Through all of this uncertainty, one thing is certain, God has a plan for our family, for our move. We will meet many more wonderful people on our journey. He has a plan for our boys, our house and Nate's career.  He has a plan that is greater than I can imagine.

In the Magnificat this week, there was a quote from Saint Teresa Benedicta's writing:

When we entrust all of the troubles of our earthly existence confidently to the divine heart, we are relieved of them.  Then our soul is free to participate in the divine life.  Then we walk by the side of the Savior on the path that he traveled on this earth during his earthly existence and still travels in his mystical afterlife.  

As I cook and clean and prepare and wait, I will pray that I may entrust my anxieties to Jesus.  He will carry them on His cross, and I will follow where He leads.

Premium Tomato Sauce

This morning I realized I needed tomato sauce to make pizzas for lunch.  "No problem," I thought.  I could simply pack up the boys and head to the Piggly Wiggly.

At the store, the boys hopped into a "car cart" and we were off!  "Mooommm?  Can we please get a snack?"  asked Jozef.  "Sure, one snack," I replied.

In the tomato sauce isle, as I reached for a can, I heard, "I found my snack!"  "Really?"  I thought.  "In the tomato sauce isle?"

Jozef spotted Dora the Explorer Spaghetti-Os and knew he had to have them.  I think the last time we purchased Spaghetti-Os was back in 2008.  Poor guy, he's been deprived for quite some time.

I agreed and we moved on.  Marcel announced, "I want some cookies!"  We made our way to the cookie isle and he indulged his craving and loaded the package into the cart.

Then, I recalled that Nate was coming home for lunch, so I thought I would get him some Pringles.  That and the baby loves Pringles.  I loaded the can into the cart and he proclaimed, "Chips!  Chips!  Chips!"

As I neared the cash register, I saw a kiosk for Crystal Light.  I typically don't buy Crystal Light, but the sign said "No Artificial Sweeteners."  "Oh?" I thought.  And placed it into the cart.  "I'll give it a try."

The cashier scanned the items and  proclaimed the total, "That will be $10.21."

"Woah," I thought.  "That's some mighty expensive tomato sauce."

-- Lessons Learned from the Premium Tomato Sauce Purchase --

1.  Kids really are expensive--if we let them be.  I could have said "No" to all of their requests.  In fact, there were a number of really silly requests that I did say "No" to.  We choose to allow them to be expensive, or not.  

2.  This story illustrates the importance of 1) going to the grocery store only once a week (or every-other week) and 2) sticking to a list.  I usually do pretty well here.  Since we've been back from this weekend, we've been skimping by food-wise so I needed the tomato sauce for lunch.  Though, not $10 tomato sauce... 

Fashion Forward

This Fall, I don't think there will be any second-guessing at the shoe store...

The boys have studied the ad and already have their shoes picked out!

--

And, speaking of Fall fashions, I find it hard to believe that someone, somewhere thinks this is a good idea:

Leggings are best left to the early 90's.  In our distant memories.

Images courtesy of striderite.com and gap.com, respectively.

How to Make a Decision

Situation:  You have a house showing this evening at 6:15 PM.  Your boys (yes, you have four busy boys) are into the LEGO bin as well as the K'Nex bin (read: 5,000 pieces each).  There are loads of laundry to wash, dry, fold, and put away, and a lawn to be cut.  Finally, the garage really could use some organizing so the people walking through don't think, "Wow!  I don't think they could fit another thing in here!"  

Qustion:  How do you spend your morning?

Answer:  Doing some much needed online shopping.  The thought of all this housework has me worn out already!

Finished!

We've finally finished our projects here and have put the house on the market!  It was no small accomplishment, I'll tell you that.  Now, for some pictures:

Amen!

Dressed for Play

Here, Marcel is dressed completely in red--something he was very proud of--which is, I believe, the summer's new 'khaki'.  Topping off the look is a red baseball cap--one size too small--and complementary clip-on necktie.  Now, some backyard boys have scoffed at such formal dress for playtime, but Marcel proves it can be done!  This outfit is great for play time or snack time or any time.  From the runway to the play date, Marcel is dressed for fun!

Top 10 Indicators You Had a Great Vacation

[ 10 ]

The kids collapsed from exhaustion into their beds each night--a much needed break for you.

[ 9 ]

You wore the "vacation look", complete with sunhat and sunburn.

[ 8 ]

You donned your swim suit more in one week than you have for the past 8 months.

[ 7 ]

You have resolved not to complain about local traffic any longer after driving through some major cities on the Friday of a holiday weekend.

[ 6 ]

The traffic was just a memory after some much-needed time on the water.

[ 5 ]

You have more bug bites than there are States in the Union.

[ 4 ]

Within your vehicle, there are enough crumbs and snack remnants to feed a play group.

[ 3 ]

You missed your bed.  Dearly.

[ 2 ]

You ate just as many s'mores as the kids.

[ 1 ]

You have many new great memories made with good friends and family.