Slowing wayyyyyy down

Life has slowed down a lot for me. I now have a cast on my foot. I have to have the cast and crutches for 4 weeks and then a walking cast for 3-6 after that. I fractured my heel bone all the way across my foot. The impact of my fall forced some other bones to move closer together, even though they didn't break, which is also cause for pain. Needless to say, I am not doing much. Fortunately, I can drive because I injured my left foot. I am also happy to say that I have lots of books to read, good pain meds and great friends that are helping me out. Its not all bad...

Fishing family

The past couple of weekends, we have gone fishing as a family. We packed up our favorite snacks, grabbed some juicy worms out of the garden and drove to some little lakes around town that Patrick has found. We aren't incredibly successful which makes the few that we do catch a tremendous joy. Watching Michael reel in a fish made me so excited!! His little tongue is sticking out and he's reeling and reeling with all his might - precious. Meredith isn't so much into the fishing, but she sure loves to sing and dance around while everyone else is. "Some" siblings get annoyed by this. I am so very thankful for Daddy for taking us on these special outings. These are memories that I will always treasure. Especially the times that Daddy is fishing with a "Lightning McQueen" or "Barbie" fishing pole. I bet he never thought he would ever see that day.

A new look at productivity

On a normal day, I am all about "the lists". I am not the type to actually write the lists down, I just have multiple lists that are in my head (on pretty paper, mind you) to which I add project upon project, activity upon activity, asking of myself more than 3 people could accomplish in any given day. The lists are filled with things that I think must be done, things that I want to do, things that won't ever get done and things that I dream about doing. I am essentially a slave to producing visible, quantifiable results. Over the past few days, I have not been able to accomplish any of the things on my typical lists. I haven't done any laundry, haven't cleaned a single toilet, haven't sewn or painted anything, haven't gone anywhere, haven't organized anything, haven't put anything away. However, what I HAVE done has still fulfilled me. I have played a computer game with Michael, I've gotten hugs and kisses from my kids because I was sitting down, I have helped Marky with her math homework, I have listened to many dramatically told stories from Meredith, I have snuggled with Michael and Maddie, I watched a movie with Meredith, I was able to sit and listen to the kids tell about their friends and their teachers. Sadly, these things never make it to the lists in my head. I have realized that I have been selling myself so short on what is truly enjoyable and important. Not that I don't ever do these things, I just never make them priorities. I listen impatiently, I snuggle for just a second, I am always too busy to help with homework, I never sit on the couch and watch a movie with the kids, I am constantly on the go, driven to accomplish necessary but not life giving tasks, all the while missing out on so much. I have been deceived into thinking that I am doing important things, when truly the most important things are being overlooked or done half-way. The truth of the matter is that the other stuff doesn't really matter as much, and it will get done even if I take the time out to just be with my family. Since I have had the misfortune (or fortune!) to have to be still and think about all of this over the past few days, I am determined to make a change. I need to change. Our home and my family deserve the best from me and I haven't been giving them that, even though I have fooled myself into thinking that I do. I'm looking forward to the changes that this foot injury has made me think about. I hope to become a slave to loving and being there for my family rather than a slave to my list. I know that the reward is going to be sweet. I've tasted it over the past few days, and it has been decadent.