Early Dismissal

We got up and got everyone out the door today in decent time. The kids each have jobs they are supposed to get done before they leave in the mornings, which were far from done, but we made it down the lane in time to get on the bus, so I call that a win.

This kid is on winter break right now and enjoyed it to the fullest today!

Anyway, I feel like I've been behind and trying to play catch up with my Superkids work since, oh, the beginning of November or so. So I dug right in, ignoring the dishes on the counter and laundry on the floor. Somewhere between finishing a video and editing the rest of the pictures for the new children we met in Taiwan on our last trip, I got an email from the school announcing an early dismissal time due to weather.

Timber was thrilled to grab a sandwich from an un-eaten lunch.

He guarded it on his bed for awhile, but got hungry for a little snack eventually.

Since I hadn't even checked the weather or looked out the window I was shocked to realize that it was sleeting and snowing. I looked around and devised a plan. I'm not going to spell it out for you in detail, but the main components were child labor and bribery.

The house looks better now. Not great, but better. And we all piled on the bed together for a while and watched Psych. It is how I bribe them, but the reality is that it is my favorite thing to do. It is a queen size bed. And there were five of us. I think that equals about 2.5 inches each or something like that. Especially since we all need pillows and blankets. It is the best!

Now we have lasagna in the oven and I'm already secretly hoping for a delayed school start time in the morning...

Word of the Year

I've done this before. In 2013 and 2014 I chose a word for the year. I like having a goal for improvement tucked away in my mind. Choosing a word to focus on for a year works better for me than resolutions. It just sort of hangs there in my mind providing a niggling sense of inspiration, or guilt, as the case may be.

I've put thought and prayer into choosing this word, that is not the norm for me. I make decisions quickly and rarely deliberate for long, but I'm earning to be more intentional {that would have been a good word...} so I took my time and put some thought into it.

My word for 2018 is:

 Relationships

Y'all want to know how serious I am about this {and how supportive my husband is}? We added it to our budget. So that I can casually invite someone out for coffee or lunch. If that doesn't make it official, well, that and announcing it to the world on the blog, I don't know what does.

I think eggs (toad in a hole) fit this post, right? Even 2 eggs. You know, for sharing.

I want to focus on relationships I already have and build a stronger sense of community, but I also want to focus on building new relationships. {Who am I kidding? That should probably not be plural, let's not go crazy here!} I want to focus on real, authentic relationships, because I might as well face it, I'm over 40. What you see is what you get. I don't have time or energy for pretense.

I know this is an attainable goal, I also know it doesn't happen without intentionality.

So here is to community and coffee shop chats in 2018! 

Welcome 2018!

We have a tradition in the Martin family. Each New Year's Day we all meet at Grandma's house and spend the day together. Keith has 5 brothers, all are married, all have children. Some of his nieces and nephews are married and some of them have children. When everyone is there it is around 50 people. This year his only younger brother, Curtis, had sick children (four sick boys, y'all pray for them!) so his family wasn't there. But it was still a huge crowd for a not so huge house.

As you can imagine, the amount of food is mind boggling. It is a good way to start the year. Family, food, fun, and this year there was also singing. Most in the family like to sing. It is one of those things in conservative Mennonite settings. People learn to sing well in 4-part harmony. It is learned at school, at church, and often at home too. It is pretty amazing actually.

I know a lot of people are saying this, but 2017 was a hard year for me. My health has been bad. The pain levels have increased. I have almost constant nausea. It has just been rough. I feel broken and worn down. Chronic pain tends to wear you down on an emotional level. I still have all of the support I have had through my family, but I am struggling. I trust God, that He knows best. I know He could heal me or lead us to the right doctors and treatments. I want to be one of those amazing people who goes through years of pain and can praise God for the experience, but I am just not there. "Lord I believe, help Thou my unbelief." sums up my life right now.

Welcome 2018! I have chosen a word, or maybe 2,  for this year that I want to focus on. I am going to save that for another post. This one is long enough, so I'll share it with you tomorrow. Besides it deserves a post of its own.

I am taking up my 365 project, meaning 1 photo per day, goal again this year. You can follow those posts here.