The Campground

 
    After my baby girl began preschool this year and I came home to an empty house I knew it was time to get a day job. They hired me on as an assistant at this little school and my days would now be filled with Lego tower competitions, snack distribution, and as many versions of "The Wheels on the Bus" that we could come up with.
What I didn't expect was that my music business began to grow and 12-hour days took the place of the lazy summer afternoons from the previous months.
   You do what you have to in life and I have been blessed to have the energy, the good health, and most of the time, a good attitude to do it all. However, many things are placed on the back burner such as the bills that are not on auto-pay, arranging termite inspections, calling ATT to switch to U-verse, and with no bad intent, strengthening my spirituality.
    I kept going along this very busy pattern. My house got messier, my car was running on empty most of the time and there was conflict among my family over summer work. It was like I was keeping myself as busy as I could so that I could forget my worries. Though my prayer life is consistent, it is often in someway interfered with life's distractions.
    It was sometime between Wednesday and Thursday. I had managed to wake up that Thursday morning after somehow having slept though something I wished hadn't happened. I was paralyzed in physical pain. I never bothered to explore of what effects that tile flooring can cause to a weary body. And then the answer was very clear-INJURY!
    I was somehow able to lay down in a comfortable position where I felt no pain. When I woke that next morning I wondered if I would be okay to go to work. When I realized that I didn't know how to get out of bed without tremendous pain, I then had to think of a way to explain to my boss that next morning as to how I could not come to work because I "fell."
    As soon as I got that out of the way, I began to look up information online about what to for an injured tailbone (Coccyx, aka "Cuckoo" bone). It was very informative. I read about the causes, the treatments and, oh, also the part about the fact that it can take 4 weeks to two months to heal. The good news was that it can mostly be treated with at-home care.
    Well, I managed to get into a comfortable position on the couch to finally make that call to ATT. I cried a little and then I screamed when my baby girl jumped on my couch. I cried again. Depression began to set in as I though about how just 24 hours ago, I was playing ball with the kids, practicing the piano, and driving a car..... things I was now not able to do. I was frozen in one position fearful to move. But I did. I figured out a way to ergonomically stand without irritating the injury. I was going to fight. I managed to find undistracted time for prayer. All I can say is that it was loud and

there were not many words as all I could do was surrender.
    Though I had a goal to reestablish my mobility, I knew rest was also needed so I set up my "place" on my couch. After I balanced my finances, checked school progress on the school parent portal and called my investor to recover a password, I now had to find a way to be wise with my time because for the first time in a while, I would have plenty of it. In between ice packs, heat pads and ibuprofen, I returned to my online bible study, am reading a book about how to take my work as a leader of worship to the next level and reached out to a friend for prayer. I also studied my Spanish, watched Tim Hawkins videos on you-tube, atebpopcorn, and had a medicinal Jacuzzi party every night. Being injured was not really all bad.
    I will heal quickly. It won't be two months. I don't believe that God "causes" injuries. Everyday I pray that I will ALWAYS be a work in progress and that no matter where I am or what I am doing, I will never spin my wheels. I also learned that sometimes the process has to be painful.


Please pray for me as I continue to recover.
   

Pizza Buffet.....A Mother's Story

When I was much younger, I would remember hanging with my friends, shopping for clothes at the mall, or eating out somewhere where I would see a family who just didn't seem to have their act together. First, there's the twoyear-old who would spill her drink at the same time her two older brothers would hold a wrestling match  in the play place at McDonalds. Then there's the long awaited the Disney World trip where temper tantrums from two tired 4 and 5- year -olds exhaust mom and dad as navigate their way through a rainstorm at what is supposed to be the happiest place on earth. And then, of course... there's us.

It was a Saturday night. Yard work was done, the computer fixed and it was time for an evening of family fun at the pizza buffet and arcade. Emma was asked to help Deidre put her shoes on. Screams rang through the house after a fight broke out over the most coveted spot inside a large cardboard box converted into playhouse. Coins rolled across the counter and onto the floor as Laurel had emptied her piggie bank in the hopes for previous unused arcade tokens or quarter to be converted.  Emma was asked again to help Deidre put her shoes on. I scrambled through my coupon drawer looking for coupons Laurel brought home from school for completing her reading assignments. We rarely eat out together as a family simply because of the expense and the hassle of getting everyone ready but coupons at least make it more of a possibility. I found two. Deidre was still barefoot.

As we drove to the restaurant ready to enjoy the adventure that awaited, a CRCT theme song was created by Madi, sung to the tune of YMCA and could be heard throughout the car from the back seat.

Once the minivan pulled into the parking lot, the fun was about to begin. Not only was this a pizza buffet but an all you can eat pizza buffet. Oh, AND an arcade. As we got in line, Deidre was already gone and grabbed a plate and began to help herself before the buffet was even paid for.

After each little girl consumed just one slice of pizza and two carrots, I would for the next 30 minutes hear phrases like "Mom, can I have another dollar"? "Mom the machine ate my token but the game didn't work." and "Mom the machine ate my dollar and I got no tokens." They had fun playing the games as each one would spit out a few of those winning tickets hoping to score big at the prize redemption center.....even if it was for just one Jolly Rancher.

In the midst of it all, kids in the arcade results in at least some quiet time for mom and dad which is, well, nice and needless to say, rare. We enjoyed conversation over thin crust supreme, cucumbers with ranch dressing and Sierra Mist. But as expected, quiet time is known to have interruptions. The one about to take place would be the epitome of them all.

I remember it well. The sound of a stack of the unbreakable plastic serving plates resounding throughout the dining room. It was as though it happened in slow motion. The 4-year-old excitedly came around the corner past the dining room attendant who was unaware that she was about to be the target of a child who has not mastered the concept of spacial awareness. Our facial expression changed on impact as we saw it coming. Only something like this could only be associated with the family who has to sit at the very long table in the back of the dining room. It then grew very silent.......... until we heard the sirens and saw the flashing lights.

"I won! I won!" Emma came running out of the arcade after winning the ticket jackpot on Wheel of Fortune.

There was I time when I was younger and in the outside world of being a parent. At the time, I remember feeling very lucky. But now that I am inside of that world ironically, I, much like Emma, think I am very lucky!

                                                      What you can redeem for 250 tickets.

Identity Theft :(

About 7 years ago, I received a phone call from Tiffany's in New York confirming a purchase. Well, I had heard of the place, was somewhat familiar with the caliber of it's clientele and knew that I was not among them. My first thought was "Aww, he shouldn't have!" However, since there were no special occasions at the time to speak of and the fact that I was informed that the charge was on a credit card which was not that of my significant "he" but one of which that was mine, things seemed a little off. After a call to my credit card company, I had relied that my mysterious double had taken quite a significant joy ride at my expense. I had had better days. Luckily, I caught it in time before the UPS truck arrived for delivery and I was not responsible for the charges.
 

So here now,  the movie of my life fast forwards itself to the present day where I attend Madi's dance recital. The performance was a smash, her proud mom applauds in the audience and can't wait to see her baby girl after the performance to tell her she'll someday be on Broadway if she continues. Before she gets the chance, mom waits outside the auditorium only to find her baby girl in tears. She has lost her phone.  There's drama. Lots of drama. Telling her that it will "turn up somewhere" is pointless.  After the dressing room had been locked up for the night, the crowd cleared and searching to no avail, the ride home was silent.

The next morning, all was forgotten. Madi was all smiles and apologized as she felt that the drama over the phone had ruined my evening which it did not. Though still hopeful about finding her phone again the following evening during the next performance, there were no worries.

That afternoon, I was ready to enjoy some one on one time with Rebecca at the mall. After lunch for whatever reason, I felt the urge to check my email. Apparently, I had authorized a few purchases on Google Play. I thought about this for a few moments and forgot about it before checking my email again a few moments later. A few purchases had become an entire page of purchase confirmations. I didn't have my glasses on but I could see well enough to recognize that the purchases were not small. It was as though history was repeating itself. I knew that Madi's phone was linked to my Paypal account which was quickly draining and the charges from this crazy thief was headed for the funds in my checking account it was linked to. And I was such a great mood before all this happened.

With menopause on the horizon, I am no stranger to a good sweat. My afternoon of enjoyment with Rebecca had quickly turned to panic  where I am shouting on my cell phone words like "Fraud," "Identity Theft," and "Unauthorized purchases" to an automated voice service to Paypal while desperate for a representative in the linens department of a crowded Macy's store.

Meanwhile, back at home, while gazing at the screen of her tablet, she reveled in every successful download and couldn't wait for the upcoming adventures with her new games, apps and music. No harm done. To her it was all free......and so easy! After the funds were restored, Paypal frozen,  a confession, a long discussion from dad and an apology to mom, Emma had learned her lesson to not steal her mother's identity.

We still hope to soon find Madi's phone.

Music Lessons, Ethiopian Cuisine and Fire Trucks.....Lots of Them!

Though life is usually never dull for me, it is for the most part somewhat of the ordinary. This week, I worked on my taxes, cooked spaghetti and meatballs and celebrated my 46th birthday. However, in the midst of my circumstances of living an ordinary life in what may be considered unordinary circumstances by some, things happen from time to time that are.......well.........that of the unthinkable.

My Thursday work routine usually begins around 3:00 pm and goes until about 9:00 pm and I have students in 5 different locations. It was about 6:45 and I was on my way to my 4th location where I teach two young boys of an Ethiopian family. As usual, I enter their home, take off my shoes and make my way to their piano where I begin my work. As I began, my hands were shaking and my throat was dry. I did what I could to stay focused on my work with this young man but I remained distracted. As the lessons continued, the sweet spirit on these young boys were source of serenity for me as I continued to work with them. After an hour, their lessons were over and it was time for me to move on. I left their home only to find myself once again at their doorstep minutes later.

"Please, come in." The father said warmly. I took a seat on the cozy sofa in the living room as the news was shown on the television. I was offered dabo kolo and Czech beer as I would be staying a while. After a phone call to my last family informing them I would not make it that night and another call to my own family, conversation with the boys mom was pleasant.

Since they were late getting dinner started, I was there just in time. Though a steak dinner with African potatoes and rice was not on my agenda, I certainly was not going to turn it down. I dined with this family of 5 to include the parents, a nephew and the two boys while they ate their corn dog bites. We talked about church, traveling, family, life in Africa and music lessons. I have only known this family for about 3 months. It was both a memorable and enjoyable time.

With half a glass of beer remaining. It was time for me to go.

I was not sure exactly what I would expect to see as I would drive a quarter mile or so up the street. An hour prior when I had first attempted to leave the neighborhood after weaving around 4 out of 7 fire trucks numerous spectators and fire hoses on the drenched pavement, the blinding flashlight of a police officer came towards me. Appearing amused,  the officer made sure I knew how ridiculous that even the though of getting by actually was. Feeling shook up, bewildered and endlessly apologetic, a kind fire fighter helped me to navigate my way back into the other direction. Even he became amused at the sight of a shaky blonde woman who seemed to be in need of driving lessons as she had to be redirected several times in order to not back into the mailbox from behind.

At about 6:50pm that evening I was worried about being 5 minutes late to my lessons which I feared would throw the remainder of my evening off. At that same moment I found myself  following two fire trucks in the direction of the black smoke that filled the sky ahead. In my entire life of 46 years, I had never seen an actual house fire in real life. As I pulled into the neighborhood behind the fire truck through a smoke-filled street, I knew at that moment I would for the first time.......it was bad.

After this night, taxes, schedules and what we need at the grocery store that we just can't seem to live without for another day didn't really seem to matter now.

Last night. Wow. Just wow.

Sweet 16

With all the surprises I may face in any given day, it takes me nearly an hour to pray though my daily prayers every morning. My only hope is that God's not up their with his hands over his ears singing "La la la la la." Though I ramble on a lot during this time, I'm sure He's listening as He always answers my prayers in His time and in the matter in which He finds most suitable.
  
 Many years ago, if I were to look into the future and see myself today with 5 children, I probably would have gotten myself confused with someone else. Since my husband Mike and I were married within a short 9 months after our first date, the thought of having any children was somewhat daunting. Evidently we had some growing up to do.
   
I remember it was early in June of 1998 about 3 years later when I became overjoyed as I learned that I would be giving birth to our firstborn. It was a dreadfully long day that day as I waited for Mike to come home from work. With a kiss to my belly He welcomed my announcement . It was fathers day when I called home to reveal the news to mom and dad. I remember dad remarked that I had given him the best fathers day present ever. Just about 3 weeks short of nine months later on January 28th 1999, 5 days before my 30th birthday, I gave birth to Rebecca. She was born 18 days early at just over 6 pounds.

As we fast forward 16 years later, it is now a wild and crazy Friday night with the cousins over and you would never know that 5 kids plus 2 cousins would have ever been born from musical parents after a pandemonious singing of Happy Birthday. Madi is yelling at me as I point the camera at her and laughing and we are eating pizza for the third time this week. Rebecca had been anticipating this day a months in advance.

We saw the time line begin at Veggietales and on through Justin Bieber, NASCAR and finally Mine-craft. She won a blue ribbon at the Special Olympics for the 50-yard dash, traveled internationally and got baptised this year. After many years of IEP meetings, opinionated play group parents, and unanswered questions, we knew she would be just fine. I am not ready for her to be old enough to drive nor I am ready for her to become an adult in 2 short years. 

She is much like me. We know who we are even if others don't understand. We love being different!


                                              For Rebecca with love on her sweet 16!

                    












   .

Heros, Legos and Laurel

       15  years of having and raising children has lended itself to the inevitable sifting through toy boxes and making decisions.  Do we box it up and take it to Goodwill, or keep it around a while as it may be worth a fortune someday on ebay.  There are things I have gotten rid of worth a little more than what I paid, some worth nothing and other things I forgot we had in the first place. And sometimes you have to consider whether or not something will ever be played with again before you get rid of it.

A decision that I have never really struggled with was Legos. Yes, Lego's. Every size, shape, color but all feel the same when stepped on with your bare feet in the middle of the night. In a world full of Beanie Boos, Littlest Pet Shops, Barbies and other girlie toys, Legos tend to take a back seat and often end up in the toy box with random misfits, broken crayons and whatever came home from the treasure box last year in preschool soon only to end up at Goodwill.

However, things turned around this year when Laurel got a new girlie Lego set for Christmas. One which she guards every little piece with her life and the whole world stops if of them is missing.  A few additions were made and Legos are now her new passion even if she is only 7. Before I was aware this growing interest with her, I went about my usual business of cleaning and bookkeeping and would often not allow my self to be interrupted should one of her pieces go missing. It wasn't until I noticed how much fun she was having and how she would invite me to play along when I realized how serious she was. Suddenly nothing else mattered. Even during my prayer time, I accepted her tiny Lego ice cream cone she offered me. At this point not only did I want to play along, but wanted to support her cause. I looked through every toy box, laundry basket, and storage bin for any old Legos I could find that dodged the charitable donation visits. We celebrated the victory every time one was found.

Up until 7 years ago, I had never cleaned all the bathrooms, folded all the clothes, cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed all in a single day. I knew something was different that day. Marathon cleaning and a plate of individual nachos with jalapenos on each of them would send me to the hospital on that once-a-year snowy Georgia January night. Today, Laurel celebrates her 7th birthday. When I asked her what she wanted for a present, she told me she wanted a new pair of shoes.


                                                                                           


                                                                       For Laurel

Backyards, Potato Chips and the Men's Room

 It's now January after Christmas vacation and as I return to the music studio, I am often asked the question: "How was your holiday break?"  My answer is usually something similar to "Just fine," "Great, just great." or "Very nice. Thank you so much for asking." However, 17 days straight with five girls home from school made for some highlights.

I forget that having all the kids home for an extended period of time means that adjustments need to be made and boundaries have to be set. Some of which are not set into place until after something has happened. On Christmas, Santa surprised the younger girls with a new swing set, which dad worked hard during his vacation time putting together with many trips to Home Depot in between. When it was finally constructed, it stood in all it's marvel in the backyard as his young daughters gazed in wonder and awe and I was thrilled that I was finally able to mop the kitchen floor in peace with no one in the kitchen.  However, there were a few things I was unprepared for. As the house was quiet and the floor and furniture draped with dirty socks and dishes, I thought if I looked out the window into the backyard, I would see somewhat of a paradise similar to that of the Brady Bunch. Instead, I saw 3 young girls who were so excited to swing and play in the sand that they neglected to put on their shoes, socks and jackets for the cool December air as well as not changing out of their pajamas all in view of the neighbors should they be on their back patios. We also weren't prepared for one final trip to Home Depot when we learned that high school kids also like to swing.

Since the months fly quickly after summer vacation, I also forget one other important thing: They all have to eat. Since I am usually not in the habit of making lunch for 5 kids while they are at school,  I am very fortunate that I have two older daughters where at least one of them can help in this area. The one who does not help is the one on the couch with the bag of chips. I asked her if she had had lunch or if that was her lunch. I didn't exactly get a reply. In any event, lunch itself is not a problem. It's the time in between. Grocery shopping probably makes up for one of our biggest expenses next to our mortgage so I try to match coupons with sale items. I was fortunate enough to have a  good week where I bought about $150 worth of groceries for about $60. My stock pile included 10 packages of juice boxes, 10 frozen dinners, 4 bags of fish sticks, 4 packages of Chex Mix, popcorn, and Ritz crackers and in addition, a very large gift basket given to me by one of my students. After one week, all we had left was fish sticks.

And for the grand finale, on the last Saturday before school would start again, all of us got into the car and went out to dinner to Texas Roadhouse. It was about as rowdy as expected. There were fights over crayons, crawls under the table from one side to the other back and forth and I almost spilled my water. However, there are certain memories that generate from times like these that stand out more than others. Baby number 4 has been known for jumping into swimming pools with her clothes on, silencing a school cafeteria over her stolen applesauce and exploring on her own at the Smithsonian Institute when she was 5. I didn't hear the news until after we had loaded the car that Laurel Anne and visited the men's room at the restaurant. No! Not Laurel Anne. She would never do a thing like that! But she did. The girls ate nothing.

So in addition to expressing how joyful my Christmas break was, I can also include that I was eaten out of house and home, drained of my bank funds and surrounded by dirty socks. Which really is the case year round just more pronounced during this time. But now that it's over, and having had a baby at age 42, we will not officially be empty nesters until the year 2029, I can't help but notice how strangely quiet it is here today.