The Candle

The candle of my life.

I'm burnin' this candle at both ends.

Too much to do, not enough time.

The kids have had boatloads of homework this week - and they have all needed help late into the night. And I have to get up by around 6:00. Beauty sleep is a luxury that I cannot afford right now.

We are deep into the college search for TE. We visited our primary choice last week (Missouri University of Science and Technology). Next week, we visit SouthEast Missouri State, Mizzou, and Purdue. We are busy filling out applications, requesting transcripts, checking into all kinds of things, looking for scholarships, etc, etc, etc.

And the homeschool graduation committee has begun.

And my house is spiraling into squalor.

And Cupcake has been having lots of anxiety/attachment issues. She wakes up every morning and says, "I'm the baby." That's a loaded statement. You have no idea. Maybe I'll blog about that when things slow down...IF things slow down.

And then there's the normal we're busy every night activities.

On the bright side, TE got his driver's license Tuesday! On Wednesday, I took 6 less trips than I normally do on Wednesdays (30 less miles)! YEAH ME! YEAH TE!

On the down side, we had to add him to our insurance. But that's okay, because I AM A FREE WOMAN! I have HOURS at a time on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. I'm hoping to use that time to catch up on EVERYTHING.

Sorry my post is so random. I'm nearly comatose. :-)

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Growth Chart

Here we are May of 2008:


Here we are January of 2009:


Here we are September of 2009:

At this rate, Cupcake will pass me up in less than 3 years! YIKES!

It's amazing what a little food and love will do for a kid!

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Be a Hero

As I reflect on 9/11/01, I remember details of the day in slow motion.

Stunned.

Fearful.

Overwhelming grief.

Uncertainty.

Anger.

I cried and hugged my kids and called my husband.



Like you, that day changed me forever.



As the stories and pictures came out in the days following, amid the grief and fear, I was overwhelmed with gratefulness for the heroes.

I would tear up at the sight of a Firefighter or a Marine.

While the emotions, for me, have quieted, the gratefulness remains.


I have a better understanding of what a hero is and does now.




A hero runs into a burning building when other are running out.

A hero holds everyone else as more important than himself.

A hero sees the need and rushes to meet it.

A hero knows the risks, and yet, continues to rescue or serve.

A hero doesn't discriminate based on where you live or what you look like.

A hero is moved to action in the face of dire consequences.

A hero cries for those he cannot rescue.



How do we honor those heroes - those who gave their lives that day and those who risk their lives today?

For me, the most fitting tribute to these brave men and women is to:

Be a hero.
See a need.
Take a risk.
Move to action.


Every one of us is designed for a greater purpose.

Every one of us has experiences that can be used to help someone else.

Every one of us can do something.



So... do something.




I want to be a hero.

Don't you?



Blessings to you,
Mamita

Miracles

I have TWO MIRACLES to report to you.

NUMBER ONE ... drum roll, please...



This little girl is actually coming home!!!!!!!

God answers prayer...just not on our timetable.

She has her embassy appointment on Wednesday!!!

Congratulations to J and L and family! I am so happy for you! You finally made it!!!

You can click on over to their blog for a beautiful and poignant slideshow of the wait they have endured.





NUMBER TWO ...This little guy is a whole new kid...







Here's a sneek peek...but really, go click on Troy and Tara's blog and feast your eyes on a miracle. You won't believe your eyes.

Thank you, Jesus, for these two miracles. There are so many hurting children, Lord. Love on them all. In Your Precious Name, I pray. Amen.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Losing My Marbles

Well, I guess it looks like this may be a regular feature here at Life With Mamita.

The other day, I was doing the Wii Fit. I chose the short run.

As you run, other people (Mii's) run through the park. Some pass you, and some are running in the opposite direction. There are also Mii's that are standing along the trail, cheering you on.

So, there I am running along in the privacy of my family room. I look up, and there is Jesus cheering me on! How cool is that?!?! So I say, "That was cool! Jesus was cheering me on!"

Sugar was surprised, because she had never seen the Jesus Mii in the park.

So the next time I ran, Sugar watched.

"There He is! It's Jesus cheering me on!"

Sugar rolled her eyes. "M-O-M, that's Weird Al."

"Oh..."



Our Weird Al wears a long white robe and has long, dark curly hair - similar to this one, but not so kooky looking.


I like the idea of Jesus cheering me on better. In my mind, I'm just going to pretend...

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Lost Marbles Report :-).

Sorry I did not report back sooner, but my plan seems to have worked. I woke up the next morning after a fitful night of sleep with no clue as to where the missing gift could be. But...in a moment of lucidity, I did think of one more hiding place to check....

Lo and behold, the package was there! I guess you could say that I started my Christmas shopping early. :-)

Lest you think my marbles are all found...

The same day I found the gift, more marbles fell out. :-)

Now, in my defense, I have been spending ALL DAY Monday/Wednesday/Friday driving TE to and from his classes at various nearby universities. I literally alternate between 20 minute trips and 30-40 minutes at home - ALL DAY LONG. So, this week, I arranged for a friend of his, who has a class at the same time, to give TE a ride to the other university after the first hour class. That freed up so much time that I now have more than 2 hours at home all in a row. YEAH ME! I drop TE off after breakfast and pick him up right before lunch.

So, mid-morning, I look up at the clock, and exclaim, "Oh! I gotta go pick up TE!"

I jump in the van and high-tail it on over to the campus. I'm sitting in the lot and I see one of TE's friends. I usually see this guy walking out of class the same time as TE. But this time...he's walking into the building. Hmmm....that's strange... That's when I looked down at the clock and realized I was a WHOLE HOUR EARLY to pick up TE!

GOOD GRIEF!

If I didn't laugh at myself, I'd cry.

How about you? Are you losing your marbles. Tell me about it. We can all laugh together.

PS. This weekend, I'll be working on a scheduling system.

Blessings to you,
Mamita

Losing My Marbles

Okay, so here it is, 5 days after Sugar's birthday.

I walked in to Bath and Body Works this afternoon, and the smell reminded me of something I'd forgotten...

I ordered something for Sugar's birthday online about a month ago.

I vaguely remember getting the package ... I think.

I vaguely remember grabbing the package to hide it ... I think.


I searched high and low tonight in all my normal hiding places ... nothing.

I have absolutely no recollection of what the package looked like.

I checked the tracking number ... It was delivered.

I'm just going to go to bed and hope my brain cranks all night in my sleep. Maybe I'll remember tomorrow.

Go ahead and laugh.

Blessings to you,
Mamita