Parallel Realities

I hate to admit this about myself, but I'm kind of an Eeyore. In general, my expectations for just about everything are way too high, I always want to accomplish about 20X what is even reasonable, and I tend to see the glass as half empty.  Most people that know me wouldn't suspect this (I don't think - maybe I'm typically transparent) because I try to keep all my internal struggles just that: internal.  (But my poor husband knows me all too well!)

I've mellowed considerably over the years and found that along with lowering my expectations and getting real with my limitations, the best thing I can do is simply choose to be grateful and see the good. I have a new phrase that I like to focus on throughout the day: live with JOY.  I know it's a little Jack Handey, but it does the trick when I find myself slipping and focusing on the negative. I have such a great life - I drive myself crazy when I start thinking negatively.

So after a long weekend of sick children throwing up and having diarrhea, Brandon on call and also sick, and missing the "Eat Like A Pilgrim" event at Thanksgiving Point that I'd already purchased tickets for - I'd like to take a minute to focus on the "other" reality:

1) With all my time at home, I got my Power of Moms book judging stuff done and finished up some other preparations for a really exciting new opportunity that has also come up through The Power of Moms. I'll blog about it later, but it felt good to get that done early on Saturday morning.

2) Kate got tested for gifted classes next year. After some fatherly forcefulness (Brandon can totally reach Kate in ways that I can't), I rushed Kate to a nearby jr. high where they were doing a three hour test on Saturday afternoon for gifted classes next year. She had been solidly resisting me for weeks, but when I finally got Brandon on board, she caved.  The whole experience was kind of emotionally exhausting - the persuading, the explaining why it mattered, the map questing to find the school with just minutes to spare, getting lost anyway, just about killing us trying to get to the right place on time, getting to the school 15 minutes late wondering if they would let her take it since I hadn't registered her in advance. It dawned on me after I got her all settled in and was driving away that this was just one of many, many times when I would have to push my children to do things they may not be interested in because I can see the big picture when they can't. That's what I'm here for. It's only for English and History, and I really don't even know if it's worth it (I haven't looked into the gifted program at all), but I just want her to TRY! And to want to try. Anyway, it wasn't fun for any of us, but I was really glad she did it.

3) We had a great time going to see Harry Potter last night with Kate and some friends. We also had some yummy Japanese food after. (We found a great place - it's called "Koi" in American Fork in case you'd like to know!) Kate kept talking about how "weird" it was to be on a date with us. I suppose, but we weren't about to see the movie without her, especially since she's read all seven books, twice.  She had four adults in the palm of her hand after the movie, explaining all the little missed details to us.

4) The choir number I accompanied at church today was quite loverly. (Yes, loverly.)

5) I made lion house rolls this afternoon (and a HUGE mess), and they were pretty darn good:

5) I played card games with my kids this afternoon while Brandon slept.

6) The kitchen is relatively clean and the laundry is just about done. (Until morning.)

7) I didn't mind the SNOW that fell last night. Quite pretty actually, even if we aren't ready for winter.  Elizabeth says she doesn't like "flinter" (fall/winter) because it's still just supposed to be fall, and Kate wouldn't let me put on Christmas music until Thanksgiving is officially over. She said we can only listen to "winter" music. (She was adamant.) Our favorite "winter" music is The Book of Secrets by Loreena McKennitt, Seasons of Mist by various artists, and Celtic Christmas by Windam Hill. It was nice to be home as a family, listening to that music with the smell of homemade rolls in the air and the steel blue skies outside.

It's pretty hard to totally ignore the hard and annoying stuff in our lives (and believe me, I could have done an entire post of that after this weekend), but it really does amaze me how there is always this other parallel reality that exists if we just take the time to see it.