Welcome to my goofy new blog! I am Lyn, formerly from Maine, newly relocated to Bristol, VA. I married my wonderful husband in 1992 and we have 4 strong sons, and 1 precious daughter.
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I read a great breastfeeding article today. here Please read if you are/or will be breastfeeding in the near future. Provides great info.
Posted at 01:10 pm by lynan
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I decided last night that I did really need a break. Not just due to the Star Wars insanity. I considered as I endeavored to return to sleep after being rudely awakened at 4 AM --just what a break for me means.
I supposed that blowing money at JC Penney on clothing for my daughter would be really fun and the recklessness of such an action would achieve a temporary high. Then I really tried to think of something cheap or free. My frazzled brain landed on how we've been here for over a month and still have not found the LIBRARY. AHHH..... A few good books and a beautiful, quiet afternoon would be JUST the thing to refresh my burned out soul.
Of course, since others were also awake at 4 AM, most of us slept til almost 8. We did not leave in search of the LIBRARY until past 10. We also had groceries to buy.
Our search ended quite tragically. It seems in Bristol the LIBRARY closes not only for Memorial Day, but for the entire weekend. I'm not saying that is a *bad* thing. I realize librarians deserve a long weekend now and again. It was just SO disappointing!
I then had a dazzling thought. Why not check out the Christian Book Warehouse? After giving baby a snack and changing her diaper, we all trooped in. Here I made another discovery. Christian book stores here apparently contain more than the obviously religious form of literature. They also sell books by Stephen King and Danielle Steele. This was somewhat shocking to me. However, I soon found a 50% off shelf of classics. AHHHH....... What a find. I siezed Mansfield Park (Austen), Nicholas Nickely (Dickens), and several other tasty treats not yet adorning my classic shelf.
Any readers of my former blog may remember that I am suffering the loss of all my cookbooks. Well, I am pleased to report that I also bought a milk-free cookbook for less than half of what I paid for the original. So, all in all, the morning was not a loss.
Grocery shopping went fairly well. All, except one particular boy, behaved. I'm thinking I may try shopping alone next time.
So did I get my quiet afternoon? For the most part. I did get at least half an hour alone with my feet up and a good book. I also made bread that is beginning to smell VERY good!
Please keep Lucien in prayer as he has a welding test Tuesday. It seems to be a good position.
Posted at 04:56 pm by lynan
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I became a mom! Yep, my firstborn is now twelve. He's on the brink of young man. (We would rather use the term young man or woman than teenager.) Next year, we are hoping to have a Bar Barakah for him--a Christian Bar Mitzvah (have I spelled that correctly?) If you have not heard of this, please google it--its WAY cool!
Its a little exciting and yet sad too thinking of the next few years. He'll be 18 before I know it! So little time to get in all I want him to know and allow him to direct what he wants to learn as well. It will become so important to review our priorities *often.* Its easy to get bogged down in academia and neglect the eternal qualities. I know that he needs to be strong in math and science in order to achieve his goals, but I also want him to learn the best way to use his gifts for God's glory--to view his career as his vocation--not just a job.
That's a hard thing to 'get' sometimes--we so often hear we need to do this or that to serve God when, in fact, its the seemingly mundane that He wants done to His Glory. I really have a hard time remembering that and used to get bogged down thinking I needed to do *more.* If only I had time to get involved in this or that ministry--I would think. It took me about 8 years to realize that God had placed me in my ministry. Duh.... (*please help me remember this next time I'm up all night with a vomiting child*lol)
Back to my birthday boy.....I've also been concerned lately with wanting badly to be sure my boys can provide well for a wife and children. Now, on the one hand, its a valid concern, yet on the other---I MUST trust God with this! I can do only what God has enabled me to do. ( again--something SO hard to remember!) God has a plan for each of my boys. His plan--not mine.
Posted at 04:16 pm by lynan
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Blackflies, Chicken Pox, and Nascar If you've never had a swarm of blackflies around your head, some stuck in your thick hair, or biting your neck, than you won't understand my inexpressible joy at not having seen any of that type of pestilence in Virgina. You also won't understand how odd it is to be able to enjoy an overcast, spring day outdoors.
I cannot tell you how many times I have been driven back inside by blackflies. Even after spending most of the winter indoors because of extreme cold, or ice. Yes, I am really enjoying Bristol.
Ethan did, indeed, have a very mild case of chicken pox. I am pretty certain it will soon spread to other un-vaccinated members of the family, but I am ready.....sort of. Part of me says "bring it on" and the other part truly hates to see my children ill.
We watched the last half of the race last night. A record number of cautions almost sent me to bed and I did actually fall asleep at one point. What a delight to see Jimmie Johnson pass Bobby Labonte in the last lap! YAY Jimmie!!!! Seriously though, I know how terrible Bobby has been doing so I felt a little bad about it...for a second maybe. LOL
Posted at 11:41 am by lynan
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One night last week, the older boys and I watched 'bonus material' from The Fellowship of the Ring. Something about that has been stuck in the back of my head since then waiting for me to have the time to think about it.
I don't appreciate 'bonus material' on the whole. It destroys the magic for me. Next time I see Frodo seated across the table from Gandalf, I will think --no really they aren't even close to being across from each other. And when I see Merry and Pippin at Bilbo's birthday bash stealing fireworks, I'll remember that actually they are inside a huge building in the middle of the day.
So what's been bothering me about this? I just can't help but wonder how many things in life have fooled me. Perspective.
Posted at 09:55 am by lynan
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I'm in a foul mood today brought on by some ill health. I don't wish to blog about it, but lets say, after what I experienced yesterday afternoon, I'm trying to be more forgiving of those I know who live with chronic pain.
I'm also very bad at asking for help. It isn't that I'm too proud really, but I have been burned in the past. For instance, when extremely ill with baby #3, the help I was offered consisted of someone taking boys #1 and #2 away for a portion of the day so that I might rest. A little hint: when you are too ill to leave the house, the LAST thing you want is to have the ONLY company you have taken away. I allowed that for one day. It was one of THE most miserable mornings I have ever spent.
That said, it is something I need to learn. I need to learn how to offer and accept help. I'm sure I'm not the only one who deals with this. We are brought up in an individualistic society. Everyone fends for themselves. Everyone talks about 'self fulfillment.'
Dream of the Day? hmmmm.... Just a burst of energy and good feeling and since it is raining--a rainbow wouldn't hurt.
Posted at 12:09 pm by lynan
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Update on my foul mood from ill health LOL Well, dh called the ER and found a reasonable place for us to go so that, all told, the visit cost us around $100. Not bad and whole lot better than an ER visit bill.
Still nothing conclusive on what my problem is. I have an infection--likely bladder. If the Rx doesn't fix it (yep antibiotics again this year) than come back. I also had to have a pg test--I guess when they see you with 5 children it simply MUST be ruled out. So I know I am not pg. But then, didn't I tell them I didn't think so? She did mention maybe kidney stones and I guess it could be, but I really thought it was bladder so I'll hope that is all it was.
Thanks for your prayers. I'm so relieved it won't cost us more than it did. Its a little scary with no insurance yet. God takes care of us. Emmanuel, God is with us, All is well.......
Hopefully, I'll feel much better in the morning. This afternoon was hard with the kiddos. I felt terribly weak. And my Miss Mimi is terribly heavy when I feel weak! Please pray tomorrow will go better with them--for them. I feel so bad when all I feel like doing is lying around. They've had a lot of that when I am pg (which I am not currently).
Posted at 09:28 pm by lynan
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Confessions of a Sick Mind I'm disappointed today. See, I had somewhat figured on the whole infection business and was trying an experiment of sorts to see if I could beat the whole thing. I managed to make it through the crampy pain, but when the weakness and fever set in....I just couldn't do it. I suppose if I had time and, say maybe a cook and a maid, I could've brought my experiment to the end and possibly won the war. After all, antibiotics haven't been around forever--people must've had to do without at one time. You understand, then, that I would rather save $100 and suffer and that I do have a rather sick mind.
The other conclusion I have is one I have had before. If you are a breastfeeding mom, you can not--I repeat--CAN NOT--allow yourself to be on the go continually for an extended amount of time. It will catch you. It always catches me.
The phone man is here again. Yep, the phone went dead again yesterday. Lucien wants me to suggest they run in one new line to the easiest room and leave it at that. This is getting ridiculous.
Dream of the Day: To meet Emma Thompson and convince her that Shirley by Charlotte Bronte would make a very good BBC mini-series and to see what she could do about that.
Posted at 10:28 am by lynan
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In Case You are Wondering..... I may be AWOL for a few days. I expected more chicken pox on/around Tuesday and yesterday my older 2 started acting a bit ill. They spent the day lying around. This morning seemed well enough for church, but oldest started saying at church that his belly was hurting again. This afternoon he and the 4th boy began getting spots. I don't know why #2 boy still has yet to break out. He is one of the vax'ed ones so maybe he won't?
Baby is still quite well. I'd like to skip it altogether with her for now. Honestly, getting chicken pox was never on the moving to Virginia and settling in agenda LOL.
Lucien starts work in the morning. We are very thankful.
I am feeling almost back to normal. God was very good to me with timing on this. I can't imagine if they all started being ill on Thursday!
I am reading Nicholas Nickleby by Dickens. It is 750 pages long. Its a paperback edition and some of the pages are not attached. Makes for tricky reading. I hate to lose pages. Its a pretty good read. Have had to skim some parts which seemed terribly unimportant to me (part of my secret to reading many books is that I really skim quite a bit. If a book takes me more than one afternoon, I know its either a. especially long or b. especially good. Mansfield Park took me more than an afternoon, but I was ill so I am not sure which reasons apply here.) I do wish the uncle, Ralph Nickleby, were not so very mean! But I suppose there wouldn't be much of a story then. Maybe that is my difficulty in writing myself. I find it hard to write about the mean things people are capable of.
Which brings me to my latest EBAY purchase. The woman claimed the lot of 2t girl clothes were in 'good used condition.' No mention of staining or even of mixing of boys' clothing. Out of the 19 articles, I would say 7 were usable. They were mostly very used, some stainage, 2 boys', and some absolutely ANCIENT. They were shipped in a taped up paper bag. When I wrote to the woman asking for comment regarding the blatant deception in the condition of what was sent, her reply was something like--did I expect NEW clothing? and I knew what I was getting. and MANY people have shipped to her in paper bags. OHHH and I didn't pay much for the lot anyway, so I shouldn't complain. Well, now. My reply was that, being short of funds of late, I would much rather have put the money toward purchasing a better lot and that most people, I have found, are honest enough to point out stainage and to call a lot a play clothing lot. UGH. Most Ebayers I have dealt with have been very kind so I suppose I am blessed that this was the first such episode.
If you don't hear from me again soon, send calamine! ha ha
Posted at 07:44 pm by lynan
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Still Here! Chicken Pox and All. Baby is not doing well today. We were up rocking several times last night and she lost 2 feedings this morning. She is quite fussy. I used LaNel's Oatmeal Bath hint ( www.momys.com message board) and it worked SO well. You turn a work sock of your husband's inside out and fill it with oatmeal (uncooked of course) and throw it into a tubful of warm water. Baby loved it. Boy#4 didn't last long. Not sure if it was her constant splashing or that he really just wants to lie down and watch PBS.
A short story: Last year on August 6 (I believe), when baby was around a week old, I sent my men to an afternoon treat. A mime at the local community center. Something fun and free and to get them out of the house. I was excited for them. They came home. I asked how it went. Usual male response--it was fun. That's the last I remember hearing about it.
Fast forward to last FRIDAY! Hey mom! Remember when we went to see the mime guy and he..... So after almost a year, I heard how the mime was.
Moral? You never know when or what they'll say or ask. If I were a working mom, I woulda missed that enjoyable story.
Posted at 12:05 pm by lynan
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