Encouragement Teamwork and Awareness

What a weekend!  My guys and I enjoyed a wonderful family outing on Saturday.  You may be jealous when I tell you that it all began with a round of injections.  Ah yes, the family that gets flu shots together...  Well, hopefully we'll be the family that doesn't get sick this year.

My boys were very brave.  O was actually a bit frightened and has the typical needle phobia, but he got through it like a champ.  M hopped up in the chair with a smile on his face...  It crumpled slightly when the needle came out.  Absolutely no tears were shed this year.  After my little men were finished, I  went 3rd.  You'd never believe how terrified I used to be of needles if you had seen me relaxed and without hesitation.  My poor husband went last and was almost as unafraid as our sons.  What a bunch of troopers we were!

Running errands and working on a halloween costume for M took up the rest of our Saturday.  As we flipped between the NASCAR race and UofM vs M State game, I felt very content.  Activities of Autumn have a calming affect on me.

Sunday brought organized chaos in our home.  Resorting and cleaning of the boys' playroom took more time that I'd care to admit.  It did however leave us with fewer toys and more space.  Everyone in the family pitched in and many hands did make light work.  The boys agreed to put their toys away in their designated places from now on.  Laughing to myself here.  What an amazing job my boys did this weekend!

It's awesome how much can be accomplished when working together as a team.  Without the help of my 3 men (big & small), it would have taken countless hours to achieve today's goal.  Encouragement and a desired reward can also go a long way.  If you are faced with a challenge, put a little carrot out in front of yourself.  Marmaduke the movie, a treat, & root beer worked for our little guys.  My reward, besides a little less work on my own plate, was "Date Night" with my husband.  Laughter and smiles all around!

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Many of you already know how important domestic violence awareness is to me.  The month of October is not only Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Domestic Violence Awareness Month as well.  If you know of anyone who needs help, please encourage and direct them to:

Common Ground Sanctuary

Toll Free

248.456.0909

800.231.1127

HAVEN

Toll Free

248.334.1274

877.922.1274

http://www.domesticviolence.org/

If you are in danger,call 911, your local hotline, or the U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline at: 

1-800-799-7233 and TTY 1-800-787-3224.

Trust me when I say that it's not always cut and dry.  Living with abuse takes a toll on the souls of the abused and those who witness it.  It's never as simple as walking away.  Have compassion and refrain from judging those who live with abuse.

"Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks (fiction) showcases a domestic abuse situation within the novel.  While every abuse victim's story is different, Nicholas Sparks was able to capture the guilt, strength, compassion, fear, and many other emotions abusers often go through.  I admired the fictional portrait that Mr. Sparks painted, but also how the reality of actual situations was woven into the canvas.  It's an amazing book to read and I encourage everyone to pick it up. 

From Peace to Frustration

I took a brief break from blogging over the long weekend. I know... "you just started?!?" Yes, I just started this blogging experience, but since having children I don't often get the chance to experience quiet time with my husband of 10 years. This weekend we were entirely grateful to my Mom for giving us that opportunity. She took our 2 boys for 2 whole quiet nights. Well, quiet for us anyway. During this time, my husband and I were able to see 2 movies (that were still in the theatre), have a nice lunch (not fast food), a chance to peruse peacefully in the bookstore, and... we were able to miss our 2 boys! Aaaahhh... what a great weekend! Thanks Mom!

As the weekend was entirely enjoyable, today did not start out with that same sense of calm. Of course, we rushed around the house before school began and then made it just before my oldest son could be considered tardy. When we got home, I assumed the day would settle into that nice happy relaxing place that I had experienced just days ago. Oh how naive... I turned on the computer and then opened the nearby curtains in front of the slider that leads to our small deck. I instantly realized that I should have left them closed! You see, our deck space was newly crowned with a canopy and mosquito net to provide shelter from the sun, light rain, and those pesky blood suckers. Today I planned to full enjoy the new feature while quietly working on a project. Now, here's the importance of the word "light" when speaking of rain. Last night, we had a rain storm. This rain was evidently not light. Need I say more? I'm sure you can guess what happened. Yes, my canopy & netting is currently in a tangled wet mess. The slight tear in my beautiful new shelter was just an added bonus. So I'm currently pouting and blogging about it. It will remain a big tangled wet mess until my husband arrives home to help me set it right. I'd fix it myself, but my frustration & shortness (as in my height not my temper) are holding me back. Hopefully the days events improve... and quickly!