Author: Michele Minehart (Page 283 of 311)

nearly a week later

September 14, 2009 / Michele Minehart

what?! last tuesday?! i suck. here i thought i had just skipped through the weekend. turns out 60% of last week is missing, too.

but, if i do say so, i’m not without excuse. it was a busy week last week. tuesday night was grocery night, wednesday we made it to the hardin county fair (chicken gyro, a fried pickle and a bit of rotery ice cream. oh, and fries with vinegar and lots of salt). that was a late and wearing night, but well worth it to see many of our cousins also enjoying the ponies, fried cheese and general socialization of the fair. oh, and can i say why i love the hardin county fair? because i always know where to go for free popcorn. it never moves. gosh i love consistency.

thursday my excuse is more fair food, but this time no fair experience – instead i got together for girls night to fry up anything we could find. i was in charge of corn dogs (which i hate but they love) and pickles, but *real* gyros were there, along with soft pretzels, carmel apples, lemon shake ups and french fries. our hostest made an attempt at funnel cakes and elephant ears, but we had a bit of a stick-age problem on the funnel cakes. we substituted “chinese resturant donuts” (biscuit dough) for elephant ears and all were happy.

friday jj lived up football friday night while i crashed on the couch with a movie. it was so good i can’t even remember the title. but it served its purpose.

so, all of that to say… i’ve been a bit busy to blog. maybe i should be so greatful that i have such wonderful friends and family to spend time with each day. but i was also greatful for the rest. ahhh, to lounge on the couch friday night – and again on saturday night with my mama.

as for today, will you just revel with me, and my friend jill, in the delight of tuna noodle casserole? i’m not sure what our generation will turn out like, having been raised on nothing but “cream of” soups, but i can tell you that i’m one satisfied puppy right now. and i’m lucky to have a wonderful friend who can contribute a few noodles and the cheddar cheese to go on top – and at a short notice. together we raise our forks to the love of everything creamy and comfortable.

another day: recognition

September 8, 2009 / Michele Minehart

today was H’s first visit with the early intervention specialist who will be doing his “speech therapy”. not so much therapy but playing and singing in a way to encourage vocalization and sound recognition. lots of chatter about what H can and cannot do, what our “goals” will be. really, my only goal is that he doesn’t fall significantly behind his peers. playing catch-up is more work, so i just prefer to stay on top of things.

then this evening we were enjoying a wonderful dish of crock pot chicken and i asked him (via sign) if he wanted a drink of milk. guess what the kid did?! he reached for his glass of milk. i nearly fell off the stool. i hadn’t noticed any real signs of him connecting words / signs with real objects and meaning, but he did it! then i called KLM to verbally celebrate and as i was rehashing the not-so-long story, i said “i signed milk” and then henry reached for his cup again. wow, this kid’s on a roll!

i proceeded to tell KLM later that it was wonderful reinforcement – not just for H, but for me. sometimes i seem silly or like an excessively overachieving mom when i sign to him, especially in front of others. but to see him make a recognition – and to know that he wanted milk, not more chicken – is such a delight. we communcate so much in giggles, cries and jumping legs that to begin to see signs of verbal communication was very exciting.

and to top it off, he has been in a great mood all night. he even let me change out some of his clothes in his drawers. can you believe we’re moving into the 12 month stuff?? crazy. but what a sheer delight this kid has been today. (i guess a 3 hour nap will do that to you!)

another day: holiday

September 7, 2009 / Michele Minehart

i missed a few days. not really my fault, we were sans internet at the michigan lakehouse for a few days. it was the weekend, so i don’t feel that bad. but today i all-out celebrated Labor Day to its fullest meaning: i did no sort of labor. this includes getting dressed.

i am so thankful that we still retain a sprinkling of such holidays in our federal calendar. i love the “holiday season” (thanksgiving through new years) but it requires a different type of labor. granted there’s less attendance to your place of employment, but all the family gatherings, holiday parties, shopping, cards, and all those other things involved require effort.

today was effortless. granted, i still tended to my childcare responsibilities (you can’t shirk EVERYTHING) and did minor foodservice (today was the first H had store-bought baby food. he wasn’t a fan). but i wasn’t about to attempt the grocery on such a beautiful gift of Do Nothing Day.

I recently listened to another podcast on sabbath and rest. it’s a concept i really dig (i’ve posted on this before) not because i’m lazy (though i am) but because it’s true. we run ourselves ragged between work, social engagements and the general maintenence of living (grocery, keeping up on the bills, cooking dinner, remembering when the trash goes out, appointments with the speech therepist…). i don’t just believe, but i know that we were not created for such nonstop goings.

for several years in a row i missed memorial day. this is because i was always down sick with the flu. and not just a minor malfunction, but near to sleeping by the toilet. it became evident that the reason was because i had pushed my limits of busyness and my body just couldn’t handle it.

the podcast i heard quoted another source, saying “if you don’t take a sabbath then your illnesses and sicknesses will become your Sabbath.” ugh. that’s not what i really want – to have to be slowed and stopped by puking simply because i didn’t listen to warning signs. for those of you who never struggle with this (because i’m sure i’m the only one), a few comon symptoms:
1. complaining “i’m tired” even after a full nights’ sleep
2. missing out on something you’d really like to do because you have too much to do before / after the event
3. not remembering important things – like when it’s your sister’s birthday or that you owe the IRS a large sum of money.

so today i fully delighted on this wonderful gift of holiday, the fact that i labor all the live-long year and i don’t have to today. what a treat.

Author: Michele Minehart (Page 283 of 311)

nearly a week later

another day: recognition

another day: holiday

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