but I am taking a bloggy hiatus.  I’ve been reading books like The 4-Hour Work Week, playing Candyland and Hi Ho Cherry-O!, considering the value of the Best Cities for Young Professionals and contemplating the meaning of life.  And let me tell you, all that busy-ness takes it out of a person.  I’ll be back sometime next week….. unless of course I find some answers before then.  Until that day - a quote to tide you over.

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.

–Albert Einstein

Because at 375 they can right my world in 8-10 minutes.

So we are finally finished with our move. (I think.)  We have stopped bringing items from Grandma’s house and started taking things back or giving them away or throwing them away.  Each time we move I am astounded by the amount of “stuff” we have accumulated and, since our last two moves have been to smaller spaces, the amount of “stuff” that must be disposed of one way or another.  Interestingly enough, I don’t really miss anything we’ve left behind.  Oh sure, there are those emotional moments when you first decide that something must go (”Not the vase Great Aunt So n So got at that yard sale for nickel.  Remember how she talked the lady down from a quarter?  Can you believe anyone would ask a quarter for THAT?!  The nerve!”) But then the moment passes and you realize - it’s just “stuff” after all and you let go and your burden is a little lighter.  Finally, you are down to essentials.  You know, those items you absolutely neeeed.  But you don’t really have room for all of those either and so begin the hard decisions.  The criteria:  Is it truly useful?  Do I have space for it?

I know you think I’m rambling here but see labor is a lot like moving.  Early on, when you first start to think “Today is the day!”, you are excited.  You walk around in a happy daze.  You eagerly anticipate each rush as it comes.  These contractions are light and easy.  They do not demand your attention so you spend your time calling friends, “nesting”, and imagining the moment when you will meet your baby.  As the rushes begin to feel like waves gently lapping the shoreline in an ever constant rhythm, your excitement doesn’t wane but it does get tucked away momentarily as each wave washes over you.  Wellwishers come and go and between contractions you smile and nod and perhaps even laugh, answering their questions and listening to their stories.  Then (and this is where labor becomes like moving) just as you begin to settle into the rhythm of the waves, they intensify.  They become longer.  They become stronger.  Jokes are not as funny and you lose interest in the stories of “when I had my baby…”  The activity around you becomes “stuff” that must be discarded.  You don’t want to be rude.  You want to participate but you have to let go because there is not enough room within yourself for anything extraneous.  And within is where you must go.  Your retreat brings peace … for a time … until you discover there is “stuff” here too.  Fears, hopes, all sorts of emotional baggage.  In the constant sea of rolling waves you sort through each item, searching for the essentials. Toss the fear.  Release the expectations.  Strip everything down and when you discover your very core then you will also suddenly find yourself on the other side of the storm.

The waves will still seem tall because you will be tired but remind yourself that you are close.  Reach deep into the core you found and pull out a final bit of strength.  Your child is close.  You will hold her soon.

Read more Birth-Day posts here.

Throughout the years we have owned cats off and on.  The “off and on” is important because during every “off” time we gave all our kitty stuff away and purchased anew at the next “on.”  And that is important to explain because I want to you understand that I have tried a LOT of litter boxes. … Well, not me personally … the cats have tried a lot … well, actually each cat only tried one but that’s not the point.  The point is:  I know about litter boxes.  (I put the point in bold in case you got lost in all the rambling at the beginning.) I also know the two most important questions to ask yourself when purchase a new litter box.  Is it easy to clean?  Will the cat be able to kick/track litter everywhere?  One hopes the answers will be “yes” and “no” in that order but only time will tell.  Last week, I discovered for the first time ever a perfect “yes/no” combination.  The Omega Paw Self Cleaning Litter Box is incredibly easy to clean (”self-cleaning” is a bit of a misnomer) and it’s completly enclosed except for the entrance so litter stays in.  For the little bit of litter that gets tracked out, I added a simple, litter mat and voila!  No more mess.  All told I spent about $35 dollars on the solution which is quite a bit more than your standard litter box cost but I figure I’ll make up the difference in headache medicine.

If you haven’t already, click on over to Shannon’s for more Works-For-Me-Wednesday tips.

Since moving to Bartlesville, I have been with both children (and occasionally Will) almost 24/7.  Last night the stress of joy of all that togetherness began to run over.  Will assessed the caged animal look in my eyes and sent me out the door sans children.

Wow -  unexpected time alone - perhaps if I were anyone else I might have gone shoe shopping or spent the evening at a local coffee shop but being me, I pulled out the to-do list I’d been struggling through all day.  Finally, progress could be made.

First stop: Karate studio.  A few weeks ago I asked Sister if she could learn about anything, what would it be?  I threw out several options (dance, gymnastics, piano, horse-back riding etc.) but made it clear that she didn’t have to pick from my list.  If she had something else in mind, she should say so.  And say so, she did - without hesitation, “Karate and dog training.”

“Uhm, Ok.  It’s good for me to know what you’re interested in,” I said.

Well, the dog had to find a new home before the move so that left her other choice.  My pretty, little, make-up, high-heel, skirt lovin’ girl wants to learn karate. Oh the sweet paradoxes of parenting.

Second stop:  Dance studio - a mum can hope can’t she?

Third stop:  Wal-mart - your one stop shop for all things consumer-y.  We love to make smoothies so item #1 on the list was a blender, followed closely by milk.  After these two essentials were taken care of I rambled around the isles. Looked with sympathy upon the mom telling her child through clenched teeth, “Would you please just sit down already?” Found some beads for Sister on sale and finally ended up in Health & Beauty.  This is NOT a section I frequent.  Usually, I rush in only to grab toothbrushes or razors or some other practical item.  But on this occasion, I found myself tossing fingernail polish, nail buffers, brushes, hair clips and other sundry items into the basket.  At the eyelash curlers, I realized the insanity had to stop so I raced for the nearest checkout.  The twenty or less lady eyed my 30 something cart dubiously but let me through just the same.

Outside I tried to get my bearings.  Where did I park?  Oh yes, that row there, on the left.  My eyes scanned the cars looking for my distinctive, green Cavelier.  Halfway along, I spied it … on the… right?  Okaay.  I pushed my treasures right up the trunk, inserted my key and turned.  Well, I tried to turn but nothing happened.  I closed my eyes and sighed.  Only last week $200 had flown from hands into auto repair shop for just this problem.  “We replaced the entire lock.  You won’t have any more trouble getting that trunk open, Little Missy.”  (The ”Little Missy” part was unspoken but it was there all the same.)  It was almost 8pm.  Will had been alone with the children for over an hour.  I was beginning to fear for their his well-being. “I’ll just have to put everything up front and deal with this later.”  I looked up and caught site of a Dunkin’ Donuts cup on my dash.  Wait, I don’t have a Dunkin’ Donuts cup….or a pair of fuzzy dice hanging from my mirror…  Feeling as if I’d just stepped into some sort of twighlight zone, I cautiously turned around and looked straight at …. my car… on the left … just where I’d thought it was.

This Little Missy then walked sheepishly past some inquistive bystanders, loaded her bags in the trunk that opened perfectly and sped back to her family where her madness could be hidden behind the guise of motherhood.

In case you’re just joining us,  Birth-Day is a series of posts written each Thursday specifically for an expecting friend of mine.  Hopefully, these weekly, dare I say, nuggets of wisdom (Yes, I think I shall because I’m confident that way.) will help to guide her toward her perfect pregnancy and birth.  On the other hand, she seems to be doing pretty well on her own.  May I introduce Miss Leslie Jean.  Isn’t she photogenic?

Her mother has cleverly included captions for the ultrasound impaired among us. 

Welcome, sweet one.  We look forward to meeting you in person.

You can find more Birth-Day posts pearls of wisdom here.

No, I don’t mean parking ON the sidewalk… that’s just silly.  I mean parking NEAR the sidewalk and for good reason.  Two young children getting out of the car in a crowded parking lot or on a busy street can be a very scary thing indeed. (to the mom… the children usually don’t care at all)  Sidewalk parking is my attempt at safety.  Most places have at least a few spots in front of the sidewalk.  Sometimes these parking spaces are not obvious.  They may be far from the door or even around the corner from your destination.  To me it doesn’t matter.  I park, remind the children to “go to the sidewalk”, then it’s a free-for all to see who can get there first.  Okay, not really.  Sister gets out and waits on the sidewalk while I help Brother.  Once we are all together again I let them run ahead to a specified point (you can go to the lightpole, or that red line, or the second bush or the door with the blue letters).  Not only do I not have to worry about them running out into the street; they get to release some extra energy before we enter a store.  This is especially helpful on days with many errands.  Sometimes it takes a little longer but overall there is less stress and that works for me.

I do.  Then something happens like it did today and I am reminded what an excellent listener He is.  He always listens.  Every hour of every day to every word that we speak and every thought that we don’t.

So what about today?  First a little background.  You know that we’ve moved to an apartment in a new town.  What you don’t know is that unlike many apartments there is no front office.  It’s just six units tucked above an old sporting goods store.  It’s also important to know that I am an avid internet shopper.  Doing cost analyis and feature comparisons in the middle of Sears with two under six’s in tow is not my idea of fun and it seriously hampers my ability to find a good deal so I purchase most of our inedibles in my pajamas and have them delivered to my door.

Moving to a smaller space meant that most of our old, “big” stuff either didn’t fit or wasn’t worth bringing and that initiated a series of purchases… to be delivered…. oh, no … problem … where exactly would these packages be delivered?  We are downtown so leaving a big box at the main entrance is out of the question and since I can’t be certain we’ll be home when these items arrive now; instead of looking forward to their coming; delivery time was a little worry in the back of my mind. 

And He heard it.

Today, I met our new FedEx man and I was delighted at the way my Father heard my unspoken request and filled it so serendipitously.  The delivery man’s name is Carl which I knew as soon as I saw him because he is the very same Carl that used to regularly deliver packages when I worked for my parents’ company.  I know him.  I trust him.  My packages are safe and my worry is gone because God listens.

Here’s a picture of Brother from September 2005.  He had just recently started walking so I ordered a pair of Bobux.

I cannot say enough good things about these shoes.  People seemed to constantly remark on how well he walked in these.  But when he wore “regular” shoes the comments ranged from nothing at all to “just learning how to walk, huh?”

There are a lot of knock-offs available now for much less but they all have one major benefit in common:  they stay on.  If you have a toddler - you need these shoes.

Did you play?

I have some really great Birth-Day posts rolling around in my head about labor and moving and another one about the chicken and the egg but no time to get them down on paper (Can you say “on paper” if the words are actually typed onto a screen?) so for today you get another great quote.  Whether birthing a baby, an idea or a company; Mark Twain knew the secret.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions.  Small people always do that, but the really great ones make you feel that you too, can become great.

Look ahead to your labor and plan on surrounding yourself with people who know your choices and will support them.  It will make a difference.

Read more Birth-Day posts here.