Bucket list

Everyone has a bucket list. Or so I've heard. In all honesty, mine currently includes having a maid come clean my house, a fairy to do my dishes, an au pair to watch the kids for a bit. 

Then, while all those good folks are working hard, I'll crawl into bed and sleep. My ambitions aren't all that big these days.

My kids have a bucket list too.  Every day as they go to bed, their dad is at work. And they ask, "Does Papa work tomorrow?"  Because their bucket list is shorter than mine. For both, there are two items. 

1. Spend time with Papa

Every Papa is a Superhero...

2. Spend time with Mama

"Mama" as taken by the kids

We've been working on their bucket list. And that's calmed down my restless drive to go somewhere on Jason's days off.  Instead, we've been planning family days at home, and peppering them with fun projects.  

Like this one from Homemade Modern.  If you love DIY, modern design and concrete, this blog is for you!  (http://homemade-modern.com/ep8-2-revisit-bucket-stool/)

So, we started our day with a trip to Lowes for Quickcrete and posts, and a trip to Nana's house for a bucket.  An hour later we were home and ready to go.

We love stirring cement. And pouring water. 

In all honesty, the kids helped measure the concrete, pour the water, stirred for a minute and then decided to dig mud holes in the front yard.  

And in all honesty we were ready to get annoyed at their lack of interest in the project, and make them keep participating. Because that's what family bonding is all about, forced interactions, right?

But we talked and decided to let it go and finished out ourselves...

Ahem...himself, that is...

Everyone cleaned up and had popsicles. And even though the kids were done about 5 minutes in, all they talked about through dinner and bed was "their stool" that "they built."

And they rushed outside to see how it was doing the next morning.  It's hard to wait 24 hours for it to cure.  

And when it came time to remove it from the bucket, all hands but Papa's (he was at work), were on deck...

Jumping Jacks

It took a bit of work to get it out of the bucket...but those tenacious kids didn't give up...

"You ride it like a horse while I pull..."

And eventually...

Ta da!

We had our stool.

And they were so proud.

Once I read that when we major on minors, it's like moths are in our lives, eating holes in the fabric that weaves our days together.  

I'm so glad we swallowed our words of frustration at the kids who weren't spending the time as we intended.  I'm glad we left the fabric of that day whole.

Because now all that's left is a beautiful memory of a fantastic day.  Together.  Two bucket lists, complete.

Til next time!

No Regression...

So, confession time. I've been noticing my jeans were a little tight. And I thought to myself, "gee, I really need to start running again, now that it's warm."

And to make myself do it, I gave myself a goal...no new jeans til I run regularly.

Well, I've managed to do just that...you know, run once or twice in the four weeks since I decided it was warm enough.  (and for all my friends in the north, I know, 50 degrees with no ice or snow is warm...)

And then I went to the doctor who had to take my weight.  Oh.  Reality check.  The one or two pounds I thought I'd gained were actually ten.  In four months.  

I'm a fairly active person, my son has food allergies, so we eat really well, and I've always been in decent shape.  Until now apparently.  

What startled me was that I hadn't changed anything. I wasn't eating more or worse or exercising less.  And this kind of gain had never happened to me before.

Here's the reality.  There comes a time in life when your regular routine will actually cause regression.  

Ouch.

It's time to change things up.

That's a picture of the chocolate chip cookies I made tonight (and yes, they're dairy free, gluten free, egg and nut free and even gluten free...). But a cookie is a cookie.

So instead of snuggling with my handsome husband on the couch, eating cookies, I went for a run. And I ran further than usual, feeling that lovely jiggle with each step.  Sigh.

Half of America has learned from that P90x guy that you gotta change things up to build up and maintain strength.

Because things change. Life changes. Our age changes. Our bodies and metabolisms and appetites change.

There are people I admire so much.  People that live life that looks the way I want my life to look. People that talk the way I want to, with so much grace and warmth and love and wisdom. People that laugh and cry and dig in. People that are strong.  

They love and serve God with a grace and fervor that I hope I have.  And when I wonder how they've managed to maintain through the kids and jobs and dogs and cookies...

The answer is always the same.  They've all gotten there by changing it up. 

And that's how I want to live...No Regression.  

Time...

The soft start continues.  And with it, I begin to ponder my use of time.  A resource I always need more of.  I read this amazing quote today: "Time is at once the most valuable and most perishable of all our possessions."  

My time is perishing. 2012 is nearly gone.  Much remains undone that I had planned to do.  And much is left to do...like Christmas Cards.  I am terrible at cards.  I will get as far as writing and addressing them, and then leave them, stampless, on my desk.

I read this today too: In January 2012, humanity spent 10.5 billion (BILLION!) minutes per DAY on Facebook.  In one month, that adds up to over 887 thousand years!!!  

I was definitely part of that quota.

I have a large pile of laundry at my feet.  I really should fold it.  I have papers that have need filing.  Hamster cages to clean.  Muffins to bake.  And that's just the prose of my life.

There is more I need to do.  There is more I want to do.  Ideas.  Dreams. Visions.  Lying dormant in the busy idleness I call my daily life. In the new year, I want to take hold of time. I want to manage it.  Make it my tool...not my nemesis.  

I'm 36 this year.  37 the next.  These years don't makes sense to me, and most people still think I'm in my 20s...maybe that softens the blow of my literal age a bit...but panic sneaks in the cracks and crevices.

Time is running out, and I have more to do.  So today, even for a moment, I'm grabbing the time.  I'm learning to keep on, no matter the state of floors, laundry and bathrooms.  I'm learning to let go, and move forward, even if some dishes stay unwashed today.  

Because dreams and vision need hands and feet to make them reality.  So, today, here and there, I'm lending them mine.  



   

The battle...

This fuzzy, blue picture shows my Pilates mat.  We have begun bonding in this new year, it supporting my back with a layer of softness as I manipulate my way through some Pilates moves in the hopes of still being able to tie my own shoes when I'm 90.  Yes, it's on.  





Oh, and did I mention that I've also cut back on complaining, amped up on the prayer and time in the Word side of my life, and declared zero-tolerance on procrastination.  Which is unfortunate, because I'm really good at procrastinating.  And now I'll have to find something else to be good at.  Like blogging.  Or finishing up all the Christmas cookies left in the house.  But that might make the Pilates harder.


I have a favorite quotation from Lloyd Alexander that challenges me every time I recall it. "For each of us comes a time when we must be more than what we are." A new year brings that idea to the surface and I have grabbed it, and am reluctant to let it go.  I want to be more than what I am, that I may serve more fully the God who made me. 


My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NLT  Amen.