Strength

As I sit here, I am struggling with my own strength.  Fighting a diet and wishing I could be without temptation.  Our home teacher showed up last night with home baked cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing (my favorite) and I broke down and yelled out "I QUIT! GIVE ME ONE!"  Eric, of course, held me away and refused to let me give in, knowing I would regret it.  Even threatened to call my mother who is doing the diet with me long distance.  I spent the rest of the night having my own pity party, sobbing several times about how hard this was.  Then this morning came and I got on here to read the updates on my friends blogs.
Two of my friends are going through breast cancer right now.  Reading their blogs humbled me and chastised me for being such a wuss!  The strength I find in these two wonderful ladies and their families is so remarkable.  I am made humble by the fact that my struggles with fitting back into my clothes are nothing compared to the struggles that they are forced to endure.  I am doing this by choice.  They are doing this to spare their lives.
I am so grateful that both of them are so far, faring well and have a good chance of beating their ugly foe.  The blessing of the Lord are great.  The little miracles every day are proof of His love and kindness.  The perspective it has given to all of us that surround them is a blessing as well.
Be grateful.  Share love.  Worry about what matters.  Let go of what doesn't.  Trust in the Lord.
THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH.
Once again, the Lord is teaching me to get outside of myself.  If I am focusing more of my time on serving others I will have less time to think about hunger and temptation.

A Kindred Soul

As I recently sat watching a docudrama about my personal domestic situation, (A Denis the Menace Christmas), my heart found a kindred soul in Mrs. Mitchell (Denis' mother) as she introduced herself to a support group, and so I echo to people everywhere; "Hello, My name is Marla Schmitt, and I am the mother of a Spirited Child.... x 4!"  (All of whom are beautiful and well-intentioned boys- no matter the calamity that follows in every footstep!)

A feeling of gratitude

Wow!  Have I been negligent of my blog!  Thanks to my mother who decided to start her own blog that I have thought about mine!

Just wanted to say, it is Christmas time, my favorite time of the year.  I am so blessed this year.  I love my family.  We have had a wonderful season and the kids are being kinder and more serving to one another, and life is good at the Schmitt home.  This momma is happy.  I love the Spirit which dwells among men on earth this time of year and wish it was all year long, but will sapp up all that I can for now!

Merry CHRISTmas to all!  God bless us, everyone!

Could I have this dance?

I had some Southern Gospel music playing this morning while I was doing my ironing and my little Dylan came and wanted to dance with me.  Moments like these are so good!

Another Trip to Branson

My parents came to see Daniel in the State Championships and then took the boys back home with them for a couple weeks. During this time I began the daunting task of painting the house.

From Another Trip to Branson

After 8 years of white builder's grade paint on the walls, now covered with fingerprints and custom art from the boys, I couldn't stand it any longer and had to repaint! Although I did not get it completed before we had to go pick up the boys from Mom and Dad's, I did make great headway.
Headed back out to Missouri in the RV, Eric and I stayed with Rob and Angela Colt and boys in Wichita the first night then on to Branson.

From Another Trip to Branson

It was conference weekend so we all huddled to watch conference,

From Another Trip to Branson

celebrated Easter and Dylan's birthday which were on the same day, and then spent a few days playing in the beautiful spring weather, with blossoms and sunshine at Wallens Bluff

From Another Trip to Branson

and at Rock Creek, Silver Dollar City

From Another Trip to Branson

(We went down in the Marvel Cave that started the whole theme park),

From Another Trip to Branson

and a couple shows.  We also trekked Wilson's Creek Battlefield just north of Branson which was a premier site of the Civil War.

From Another Trip to Branson

We enjoyed eating at Lambert's Cafe (Home of the throwed rolls) where we were awed by Nana's attempt at a light meal when she ordered the salad (see picture and you will be awed as well!) 

From Another Trip to Branson

One little drawback came when Joshua got into who knows what (poison ivy?) and ended up in the ER.

From Another Trip to Branson

We came back through Wichita for another night so the boys could all play together. Back we came to snow....snow....snow....lovely Colorado who doesn't know what it means to be SPRINGTIME!

An Amazing Athlete

So, Daniel decided last spring that baseball wasn't his thing.  He began gymnastics.  In a few months time he accellerated 4 levels and prepared for his first competition.  During this time we see a tremendous change in Daniel.  His self-esteem skyrockets, his muscles grow, and he becomes a star in his brothers' eyes.   His debut was at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs!  He did a great job for his first meet and was able to meet several actual Olympic gymnasts.  Only competing in 4 total meets  for season, Daniel quickly learns what competition is about and drastically improved his techniques.  Culminating with the Colorado State competition, Daniel impressively competed and placed 7th in the State of Colorado in his age/level category!!  Way to go, Daniel!

Return to blogging....

After a long winter's nap, I have returned to my blog and commit to writing a little about what has been going on over the past few months....
We will start with Christmas.  We loaded up the RV and headed to Branson, Missouri to spend Christmas at my parents and with my sister and her family who live just half hour north of there.  We had a grand time.

Not wanting to waste time and energy on decorating the house for Christmas, since we wouldn't be here, I decided to decorate the RV.  In the end it looked like Christmas threw up all over our RV.  Eric said we looked like National Lampoon's and should put a sign on the back saying, "Redneck Christmas Express."  We didn't care because the kids absolutely loved it and it was entertaining to see reactions from those sharing the roadways with us, especially at night when we had the inside lights twinkling and strobing and flashing as we drove down the highway!  It ended up making a wonderful Christmas memory and I wouldn't have changed it for any touch of style in the world!

We had a great time in Branson.  Last year, they were boating on Table Rock Lake.  This year, we were cuddled up inside during a very unusual weather occurrence of snow for Christmas.  And not just a little snow.....we had enough to go sledding!  Thank you Colton, who prayed and prayed, against all odds, for snow for Christmas!  We woke up Christmas morning to the most beautiful snow cover.  So anyway, we were unable to enjoy the outdoor activities we had planned but had lots of fun all together as a family, playing games and baking cookies, etc.  We did get to go see a great Nativity show and also take in the beautiful decorations and lighting at Silver Dollar City.
It was a very Merry Christmas!

The funny things kids say.....

So, we went to the Museum of Nature and Science today.  Grandma came along.  It was fun.  My favorite part was looking at the animal dioramas with Dylan.  We were in front of the polar bear exhibit when I asked him, "Where do the polar bears live?"  He just looked at them and then up at me and said, "Right here."  Duh!
We are home now.  I am heading to bed because I am getting a headache.  Dylan just said he had a headache, too.  I asked him where it hurt.  He said, "It hurts in my stomach" as he pointed to his throat.  That is quite the headache, huh?
Times like these make me love being a mom!

I need professional help!

So, writing is my least favorite subject. It is my biggest weakness as a homeschool mom. Fortunately for me, I have friends! Today, my friend Ashley Sorensen came to help the boys with some of their writing assignments. So glad she came! She has been a high school English teacher, but took the year off because she is pregnant with her first baby. It's good to have friends!

Pain in the ..............heads!

My kids have been home for 15 days now!  I have had a headache on all but 3 of those days!  REALLY?!  I don't need more pain killers.  A tazer would probably do the trick!

Politics

"It is fast approaching the point where I don't want to elect anyone stupid enough to want the job." ~~~Erma Bombeck

Erma Bombeck

A friend of mine asked me who Erma Bombeck was. My simple answer is "My hero." A housewife, mother and humorist author, she makes me laugh at disasters (especially other peoples) and realize that I am not alone in this crazy life of motherhood. (Funny, I became a fan as a teenager.)  She past away in April 1996 (when I was pregnant with my first child) of kidney cancer. I remember that being a very dark day in my life and I cried. I didn't know how I would survive motherhood without her. Luckily, she left a legacy of wisdom and laughter behind.  I have decided to try and post quotes from Erma Bombeck on a regular basis.  Here is the first one.

"Housework is a treadmill from futility to oblivion with stop offs at tedium and counter productivity." ~~~Erma Bombeck

"They're baaa-aaaak!"

Yes, I feel almost like I am in the movie Polergeist!  I have been overtaken by less than angelic spirits and I don't know where to run and hide!  The boys have been back a week now.  I spent all last week fighting a very long migraine!  Spent one night on the floor by the toilet, vomiting my guts up and wishing that I was just a speck of dust!  Of course, they behaved wonderfully for Nana and she had very little problems with them.  Why are kids always a treat for everyone else and a trick for the parents?  Afterall, I gave them life!  Although I did just about rescind that blessing a few days ago!
We have busily been trying to get back into a routine.  Schoolwork is not all caught up yet, house is back to looking like.........I am already exhausted of all the rest and relaxation that I took in while they were away.
General Conference this weekend was a nice little spark of sweetness in our home, but alas, it is over and the boys have forgotten any sense of charity towards one another.  I was able to escape to the Temple this morning with a friend and do sealings.  How precious are the moments one can spend in the House of the Lord.  If only I could have stayed there!  At least I was helping those beyond the veil to have celestial family opportunities!
As I write this, they are playing a game of baseball in the backyard (PE class) and one of them came running into the house with door slamming open and another in chase, yelling and screaming about rules of the game!  Uggghh!  Where is the little girl who wants to quietly play dolls with me?  Calgon!  Take me far, far, far away!

Missing my kids

Ok. So it has finally happened! They have been gone since September 2nd, and I am ready to admit that I am kinda missing my kids. Not all the noise and mess and contention that comes along with them, but the sweet moments that make your heart leap with joy and make you smile. Here was one of those moments. This is a picture I took just a few weeks ago of Dylan. We had gotten home late from somewhere and he was sound asleep. Of course I insisted that he use the potty before I put him to bed. Who needs a bed? Not him apparently! I came back to tuck him in a while later and here he was, still using the potty....sound asleep. You just have to laugh. That's the part of my kids I am missing right now. They get home in two more days.

More snow!

How I wish we were somewhere like Tennessee!  I am so tired of this snow in September!  It is reported that we, here in Castle Rock, may get 2-10 inches of snow today!  What is up with that?  It is truly bumming me out!  Anyway, not much to blog as the kids are still in Missouri.  Just to note that I heard from Colton this morning that he lost a tooth while attending the Andy Williams Show.  Two kids losing teeth this week.  Keeping that tooth fairy busy, I suppose!

First Snow of the Season

It happened yesterday.  I can hardly believe that such a beautiful day on Saturday (in the 80's) could disappear so quickly and turn to snow on Monday (30's)!  I am too sad about the summer being gone!  On the bright side, Joshua lost his very first tooth on Sunday.  An event that has been most awaited for!  A happy phone call reached me as I was leaving church.  Yea for Joshua!

A Happy Birthday!

Yesterday I turned 36.  I don't feel 36.  Where did the time go?
I got to sleep in and then Eric took me to brunch at Le Peep's for my favorite, Eggs Benedict.  We then went to Superior, Colorado for Eric to play in a baseball tournament in honor of young man who was killed in an auto accident.  It was an all day tourney, so I consider myself a pretty nice wife for letting my husband play on my birthday, however, I really enjoyed it as I sat in my lounge chair and listened to "Northanger Abbey" by Jane Austen on CD under the shade of a tree.  It was quiet, relaxing, and enjoyable and the perfect weather.  On the way home, Eric picked up some bbq to take home.  We cuddled and watched a movie.  I am very fortunate to have a best friend like him.  It never ceases to amaze me at how much I love spending time just being with him.  He was concerned that my day was nothing special and there really was no pomp and circumstance, but I assured him that just being with him made it the perfect day.  It truly was a happy birthday.

The little things in life

I realized yesterday how the little things in life can make such a difference.  For instance, Eric and I have been home without the kids for 5 days now and I have yet to take out the trash in the kitchen (usually once daily if not twice!) and I have yet to run a load of dishes (usually twice daily), I did the initial laundry from out trip and tidied up the house and have not touched it again!  I do hope my children understand how much I love them, but love the thought of empty nesting!  I promise that when they have their own families, I will come visit AT THEIR HOMES as often as possible!

Time to blog

I have wanted to start a blog for a long time now, but have lacked the time it takes to set one up.  I have finally found some!  Eric and I just got back from a wonderful trip to Aruba where we did 11 scuba dives.  We had a fantastic time and made some good friends.  The boys were picked up by my dad right before we left and wisked off to Branson, Missouri to stay with them.  They are still there!!!  Alas!  I have some time to myself!  After all these years of having the boys around 24/7/365 (downfall of homeschooling), I am finally able to have time to blog, scrapbook, sleep, read, watch chick flicks.....the list goes on and on!  So far, I am enjoying every minute of it!  The peace and quiet is heavenly!