Life in the Fast Lane...

Life in the fast lane...but surely not the one like the Eagles sang about!  This has nothing to do with drugs and alcohol, but more about breaking up sibling fights, making lunch that is quick and semi-healthy, playing taxi cab going through carpool lines, to dance lessons, and picking up groceries all while making phone calls and mental notes on what to get accomplished as soon as you get back inside the front door.  That just may have been a run-on sentence, but then again, it is a run-on life of a Momma of two and Nanny to three :)  However, I must say this rainy cool day was a welcome relief to me, since at least I didn't have to watch out for the numerous extra neighborhood friends.  Today was not as wild and crazy as yesterday, but I am here to say...how in the world do parents of multiples, or more than 3 or 4 kids possibly survive?  It's a nonstop whirlwind of "I'm hungry, can I go outside, I'm bored, she's looking at me, why do I have to do it, and he doesn't" with very little if any break.  One thing is for certain, this chick is not bored. And although I like to rattle on about it, it makes me feel as if I have a purpose for getting my lazy bottom out of the bed!  Because life really isn't much of a life if it lacks purpose!

Are you in the business of needing something to give you back your purpose?  Let offer a few suggestions if I might.  I feel pretty sure that just about any and every organization could use good volunteers these days.  Pick something you have a passion for, whether it be babies, young kids, college students, or the elderly.  Then look up organizations in your area and give them a call.  You just might be surprised at how there is the perfect thing for you to do that will make you feel needed.  It might only be for an hour a week, or even every other week, but you as well as those you serve will benefit greatly.  I have never heard anyone give of their time to help others and complain it was a waste of time.  There is something about helping those in need that affects your heart like little else can.

And if volunteering isn't your cup of tea, then look for something else that will get you going in a positive way.  Maybe it is beginning a new sport, taking lessons of some sort, trying your hand at art class, making a career change, or anything within reason of course.  Whatever it may be, just make it be something.  You will feel energized, alive, and an integral part of society who is important!  I would be willing to bet you will be ready to smile and just move on in an exciting direction in no time :)

I'm Sending out an S. O. S.

You ever feel like, WOW, what a whirlwind day; then look back upon it and realize you got little accomplished? Yes, that was today for sure. Although I was in full Nanny mode, plus a few neighborhood kids added in for good measure, it was all I could do to keep afloat today. And the hardest part was watching my daughter flirt with the boy down the street and show off to impress him! Here we go, I whispered to myself :) I remember being that age and sitting for hours watching the boys play basketball outside, and sometimes playing a game of horse...but I was terrible, so for sure a better spectator anyway.  And as I watched the two of them chatting away, and I saw that giddy look on her face...I wasn't sure if I was happy for her, or scared to death for me.

I got behind on things, so I will be brief in order to hit the hay at a reasonable hour. (I'm a girl who needs her 8 hours beauty sleep.) But I would like to ask if you remember when you were twelve years old and noticing the opposite sex for  the first time? I know we all had crushes, and I can remember looking for a particular boy across church during Mass at school, just to catch a glimpse.  And I KNOW I am not alone on this one, its naturally how we progress toward dating and then marriage. But being the parent now, well that's a whole different ball game :/  Guess I will have to go out and get myself a rifle so Momma can be cleaning that baby at the kitchen table right next to that homemade pie when her boyfriends stop by! What else can I possibly do other than stop time?  And since I don't have that ability, I suppose I will smile and just move on ;)

Dare to Dream...

What makes us so scared to try out our hand at making our dreams come true?  Fear we will fail? Worry over what others may think or say?  Constantly looking to the safe but boring or miserable...instead of the desire of our hearts? Now, not all people are like this, as there are those who would stop at nothing to accomplish their dreams.  People such as Michael Phelps, Carrie Underwood, or Bill Gates to name a few didn't let the odds against them deter effort and eventual success!  It seems as if we are full of dreams as children, and as adults we have been beat down; thus letting the dreaming part of who we are slip away.  WHY??!!!

Part of me feels it is because often dreams cost money.  Money that either we don't have dispensable or don't think our dream is worth the risk of some of our hard earned cash.  I suppose we don't have faith in our own dreams...how very sad!!! Life is so short, and we are given gifts that we often shove aside for practical reasons, causing us to not fill fulfilled.  It is a shame when you think about it.  What if Carrie Underwood had never been discovered via American Idol?  She has a voice like an angel, and I am certain there are others out there never to be found because they can't or don't follow their dreams.  I know there are also very talented artist, writers, athletes, musicians, and the list goes on and on...never to have the opportunity to do what they love, and love what they do! And only a select few of us, myself included, get to pursue our dreams in our forty's and beyond.  We are often set in our ways; stuck in a J-O-B that we can't leave because of such things as retirement, 401K, insurance, and so on.  So much talent wasted, and the world is missing out.

I am lucky and fortunate enough to have a second chance at my dream.  And to tell the truth, I don't know I would have been ready to write until now.  My life lived so far has changed and molded me into the person I am today; which affects my writing and thoughts.  What I can tell you though; is following your dream make you so excited, so alive, so fulfilled you can't hardly contain it.  It gives you the sense of purpose not just for yourself, but also those around you.  It is almost like becoming who you were all along but you just didn't know it.  So tonight, I challenge you to do what you can, within reason of course, to work toward following your hearts desire, pray for guidance from the Lord, and move forward.  Dare to dream, almost with a child like mentality, not allowing negativing to overwhelm you or pull you back from pursuing what you know you were born to do.  And if you fail, oh well, but if you succeed... wowzers, you will surely smile and just move on...a very happy clam ;)