Ok I think the may be my new title! Maybe I can have a t shirt made in case anyone forgets:)
A couple of truths to being a truck drivers wife:
1. Reunions are BEAUTIFUL! Whoever said absence makes the heart grow fonder absolutely knew what they were talking about!
2. The last day off (no matter how wonderful) will inevitably have a shadow cast over it in some point.
3. Small accomplishments feel like HUGE accomplishments!
4. You can be in a room with a thousand people and still feel completely alone :(
That's all for now
Love and hugs,
Mary
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
A New Phase
Well our tough decision is behind us. I am now officially a trucker's wife, Chad took the job three weeks ago. Aside from a couple of rough patches we are all managing pretty well.
I have been meaning to post here to fill everyone in but things have been insane here! I had all these misconceptions of what life would be like if Chad Started OTR driving. ("over the road" for all you non trucker's wives ;)) I thought I would be looking for things to fill my time. Chad worried about me not having any adults to talk to, and the kids thought we wouldn't be able to do all of the fun, "homeschooly" things we did before because I wasn't thrilled about managing all seven of them on my own.
I am happy to say, I have survived shopping, trick or treating, a field trip to the fair, a library day, and loads of other errands all by my lonesome! Yes, when the kids go to bed it feels really still and quiet and I REALLY miss Chad, but I have to say I am pretty proud of myself for how well I am managing!
I have become a firm believer in to do lists. I have several all over the house, I get this wonderful sense of accomplishment every time I am able to check something off. I feel so organized!
As for the adults to talk to, I talk to both my family and Chad's family quite a bit. The homeschool group have all been really supportive, and I am sure, once the sickies are completely finished rolling through (yes the icky bug reared it's ugly head AGAIN!) I will be back at church regularly.
So things are ok here, they may not be entirely ideal, but GOD is still watching out for us. I will try to update often so that you all can join me on this crazy journey!
Love and Hugs,
Mary
I have been meaning to post here to fill everyone in but things have been insane here! I had all these misconceptions of what life would be like if Chad Started OTR driving. ("over the road" for all you non trucker's wives ;)) I thought I would be looking for things to fill my time. Chad worried about me not having any adults to talk to, and the kids thought we wouldn't be able to do all of the fun, "homeschooly" things we did before because I wasn't thrilled about managing all seven of them on my own.
I am happy to say, I have survived shopping, trick or treating, a field trip to the fair, a library day, and loads of other errands all by my lonesome! Yes, when the kids go to bed it feels really still and quiet and I REALLY miss Chad, but I have to say I am pretty proud of myself for how well I am managing!
I have become a firm believer in to do lists. I have several all over the house, I get this wonderful sense of accomplishment every time I am able to check something off. I feel so organized!
As for the adults to talk to, I talk to both my family and Chad's family quite a bit. The homeschool group have all been really supportive, and I am sure, once the sickies are completely finished rolling through (yes the icky bug reared it's ugly head AGAIN!) I will be back at church regularly.
So things are ok here, they may not be entirely ideal, but GOD is still watching out for us. I will try to update often so that you all can join me on this crazy journey!
Love and Hugs,
Mary
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Decisions, Decisions
We are faced with decisions. Chad is still looking for work and the job market is virtually non existent out here. Our choices are to either take a few low paying jobs, or for Chad to take a job that would take him away for weeks at a time. The problem with the lower paying jobs is this, there's no guarantee that we can find the "combination" of jobs that will have flexible enough schedules so that they do not conflict so someone is always here with the kids, and that they will even pay enough for our financial needs to be met.
The weeks at a time job is a last resort for obvious reasons. It would most likely get us caught up on everything but we would not have Chad around here for three weeks at a time and none of us are happy with the idea of that.
So we are left weighing our options and praying hard! I know that God is going to put us where he wants us, but we are uncertain of where that is right now. Continued prayer is appreciated!
To add to the fun I have some sick kids around here, most of the boys have been running fevers and have shown other symptoms. I fear that the flu is not done with us this year:(
Love and Hugs,
Mary
The weeks at a time job is a last resort for obvious reasons. It would most likely get us caught up on everything but we would not have Chad around here for three weeks at a time and none of us are happy with the idea of that.
So we are left weighing our options and praying hard! I know that God is going to put us where he wants us, but we are uncertain of where that is right now. Continued prayer is appreciated!
To add to the fun I have some sick kids around here, most of the boys have been running fevers and have shown other symptoms. I fear that the flu is not done with us this year:(
Love and Hugs,
Mary
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sleep deprivation
I have another confession. I love to read! If I have a few hours of quiet time I WILL end up with my nose in a book! Sometimes it's inconvenient loving to read as much as I do. I tend to want to finish the story right away. If I begin reading before bed, it is likely I will not put the book down until the story is over, whether it's a 200 page book or an 800 page book!
Chad thinks I am insane for this. He will wake up around 3 am and focus on me long enough to roll his eyes, then he just rolls over and leaves me to my book. He knows it's inevitable. Books are both blessings and curses to me!
Why is this on my mind today? Because I stayed up until after three reading, last night. Then I woke up at seven to frantic screaming that Nathan's stomach hurt. I am sure you can all guess what happened next!
I guess as far as addictions go this one is pretty low down on the radar. I don't have many horrible habits (although if you asked the family they might rate my anal retentiveness and nagging as horrible habits!) and as far as I can tell my lack of will power for books seems to only hurt me in the long run.
;)
Love and hugs,
Mary
Chad thinks I am insane for this. He will wake up around 3 am and focus on me long enough to roll his eyes, then he just rolls over and leaves me to my book. He knows it's inevitable. Books are both blessings and curses to me!
Why is this on my mind today? Because I stayed up until after three reading, last night. Then I woke up at seven to frantic screaming that Nathan's stomach hurt. I am sure you can all guess what happened next!
I guess as far as addictions go this one is pretty low down on the radar. I don't have many horrible habits (although if you asked the family they might rate my anal retentiveness and nagging as horrible habits!) and as far as I can tell my lack of will power for books seems to only hurt me in the long run.
;)
Love and hugs,
Mary
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Hello All!
It's been a long time! A lot has happened around here since my last post and in all honesty I was sort of afraid of posting and it turning into a bit of a rant. I don't want to come off like I am unhappy (because in spite of everything I feel incredibly blessed) so I just refrained until I could explain it all.
First of all, we are all fine. Kids and parents are all alive and kicking and doing well on the health front. We have gone full force into our homeschooling this year and I am seeing progress. I am working continuously on our curriculum this year, adding things that are helpful, yet fun for the kids. The girls are doing our version of Princess Academy. Learning various housekeeping skills on top of crocheting, needlepoint, ettiquette, etc. So far it's been a fun experience :)
The boys are working on some guy things too, this year. proper use of tools, vehicle maintenance, etc. it gives them a chance to break away from the girls for a bit and spend some more bonding time with Chad.
We've also been working more on bible studies and speech with the boys. I am utilizing the things I learned last year from our speech therapist and they boys seem to enjoy it. Our pediatrician told me that he understands their speech more clearly this year than last year so I am just going to keep at it.
Now for the not so great news. If you have read my blog this year then you know that it has been a rough year around here with the car accident in May, and lack of hours at work. Chad was laid off in the middle of August to add to the fun. Sadly, the company he was working for closed it's doors two weeks after they let him go. He's still looking for work and we are praying that he finds something that won't take him away for us for weeks at a time. I'd appreciate any prayers you could send up on our behalf.
Amazingly, we are both pretty peacefull about the situation. As dire as it seems to not have a job in this recession. GOD has done an awesome job of seeing us through so far. I have faith that he will continue to do so. My prayer is that not only will he open a door for Chad, but that he will open THE door that brings him peace and happiness. He has been miserable at work for the last year, and it would be wonderful for him to find something that he really enjoys doing.
On the bright side, we are learning to make the most of our time with the kids. Finding low cost (or free) activities with the kids. The weather's changing so we are both venturing into the kitchen a bit more and enjoying more sit down dinners with the kids. This was hard when he was working crazy hours, the kids were sometimes heading to bed when he walked through the dor or he was heading to bed really early because he had to work a graveyard shift.
So that's the update, times are hard, money's tight, but were remain faithful that this is GOD's plan for us and we are patiently waiting to see what HE is going to do through us!
Love and Hugs,
Mary
First of all, we are all fine. Kids and parents are all alive and kicking and doing well on the health front. We have gone full force into our homeschooling this year and I am seeing progress. I am working continuously on our curriculum this year, adding things that are helpful, yet fun for the kids. The girls are doing our version of Princess Academy. Learning various housekeeping skills on top of crocheting, needlepoint, ettiquette, etc. So far it's been a fun experience :)
The boys are working on some guy things too, this year. proper use of tools, vehicle maintenance, etc. it gives them a chance to break away from the girls for a bit and spend some more bonding time with Chad.
We've also been working more on bible studies and speech with the boys. I am utilizing the things I learned last year from our speech therapist and they boys seem to enjoy it. Our pediatrician told me that he understands their speech more clearly this year than last year so I am just going to keep at it.
Now for the not so great news. If you have read my blog this year then you know that it has been a rough year around here with the car accident in May, and lack of hours at work. Chad was laid off in the middle of August to add to the fun. Sadly, the company he was working for closed it's doors two weeks after they let him go. He's still looking for work and we are praying that he finds something that won't take him away for us for weeks at a time. I'd appreciate any prayers you could send up on our behalf.
Amazingly, we are both pretty peacefull about the situation. As dire as it seems to not have a job in this recession. GOD has done an awesome job of seeing us through so far. I have faith that he will continue to do so. My prayer is that not only will he open a door for Chad, but that he will open THE door that brings him peace and happiness. He has been miserable at work for the last year, and it would be wonderful for him to find something that he really enjoys doing.
On the bright side, we are learning to make the most of our time with the kids. Finding low cost (or free) activities with the kids. The weather's changing so we are both venturing into the kitchen a bit more and enjoying more sit down dinners with the kids. This was hard when he was working crazy hours, the kids were sometimes heading to bed when he walked through the dor or he was heading to bed really early because he had to work a graveyard shift.
So that's the update, times are hard, money's tight, but were remain faithful that this is GOD's plan for us and we are patiently waiting to see what HE is going to do through us!
Love and Hugs,
Mary
Friday, July 31, 2009
Why I LOVE my six year old!
Aidan: "Mom, how old are you?"Me: "I'm old."
Aidan: "really old?"
Me:"Yup, REALLY old!"
Aidan: (in a matter of fact voice) "That means you're gonna die."
Me:"really, you don't say?"
Aidan:"Yup, gotta go, my dinner's ready!"
Kids are so funny!
Find your buddy!
I have been meaning to blog about this for quite a while, mostly because it is one of the many answers to "How do you do it with seven kids?"
Running errands can be a little daunting with seven children in tow. They generally scatter like bugs when you open the car door. So we implemented the "find your buddy" technique a long time ago.
Once we open the "clown car"door and they all file out one by one (much to the amusement of passers by!) we shout "find your buddy!" Then all the littles, must find an older child or parent to pair up with as we walk. This makes it so I am essentially keeping track of half the kids because the older kids are usually pretty good about holding on to their siblings.
If the older kids decide to be difficult and complain about which "little" chose to pair up with them then the older kids may or may not be paired up with a parent. Try to visualize a 13 year old holding his dad's hand and you will understand why this technique works so well!
;)
Love and hugs,
Mary
Running errands can be a little daunting with seven children in tow. They generally scatter like bugs when you open the car door. So we implemented the "find your buddy" technique a long time ago.
Once we open the "clown car"door and they all file out one by one (much to the amusement of passers by!) we shout "find your buddy!" Then all the littles, must find an older child or parent to pair up with as we walk. This makes it so I am essentially keeping track of half the kids because the older kids are usually pretty good about holding on to their siblings.
If the older kids decide to be difficult and complain about which "little" chose to pair up with them then the older kids may or may not be paired up with a parent. Try to visualize a 13 year old holding his dad's hand and you will understand why this technique works so well!
;)
Love and hugs,
Mary
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)