Well, there are only a few more days until we go on vacation. I am so looking forward to it; I need time with my sisters, and my husband, and all the kids.
My husband and kids and I are going to be staying in a rental house in Florida, with my sisters L and J, and husbands and kids. My nephew N and his girlfriend will be there also. The house is large, has an inground pool and hot tub, and a billiards/game room as well. It should be very nice for us all to relax and bond. We are bringing our kayak and picking up L’s kayak as well, so there should be some paddling trips down the channel. I am also anticipating time on the beach, watching my precious girl build sand castles and enjoy herself.
I have been spending the last week or so preparing for the trip. To me, one of the major things I do to prepare for a vacation is to clean my house thoroughly, so that when I get home, I’m coming home to a clean and uncluttered house. It makes it possible to keep the “vacation glow” just a little bit longer. Coming home to chaos and clutter just makes me quickly lose the buzz! This time, I did more than just the general straightening-up I normally do, I really have been deep cleaning the house. When I get home, I am hoping to start fresh with a set routine for myself and the girls this summer. I also have been reviewing and reworking our budget and think I have come up with some ideas to really help us get our spending in order, and increase our savings.
I know, boring, right? Sorry!
What else is going on…hm…the fact that all I can tell you about is home routines and budgets is pretty sad.
Princess is finishing her last week as a sophomore. Next year, she will be a junior and will be driving! We got her a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but it needs a new engine before she can drive it. She and her dad are going to spend this summer repairing the Jeep and getting it up and running. She has to learn a certain list of maintenance tasks for vehicles before her dad will let her get her second level license, and drive on her own. Already, she has changed the oil in my van, along with the air filter. She has to not only do these things, but remember it so she can do it many times. Her dad is making sure she has the practice. The engine building should be excellent bonding time for them and teach her to understand the workings of her car. Then, hopefully, she won’t be easily taken advantage of when she needs repairs on her vehicles when she is an adult.
Lola is gearing up to start kindergarten next fall. I am excited for her, and nervous too. I’m excited because she really needs interaction with kids her own age. I see her loneliness. She has a very active imagination and lives in a pretend world most of the time. She has a LOT of “imaginary” friends. The little kids next door are very antisocial with anyone but their own siblings. It’s quite strange. Lola would love to play with them, but they always seem unavailable. It hurts her feelings. I assure her it is not her fault, but there is this little worry inside me that she is so intense they just don’t like playing with her. I have watched her play with others, and other than a tendency to try to be bossy, I think she is really sweet to other kids. Yesterday, I went to my insurance agent’s office and while I was there, the office assistant took her out to the lobby and was coloring pictures with her, and she was so nice to Lola, and Lola really just opened right up and they were just chattering away. The lady was so good with her, and Lola’s eyes were just sparkling and she was so happy. She didn’t want to leave. I would love for her to have a kindergarten teacher like that. I will not know how she will fare in school until she starts going. I pray that the teacher realizes how loveable and smart she is, and helps us teach her to know when it is appropriate to interject, and not to interrupt and make it all about her. LOL.
Hubby is working really hard lately, lots of overtime, to help me get our finances in order, and to continue to allow me to stay home with the kids. I really want to stay home until Lola is in school all day, which looks to be first grade. When I *do* go back to work, I have absolutely NO idea what I will do. I do not want to go back into an office environment again. It really makes me feel claustrophobic. Right now, I am turning some options around in my mind – either cosmetology school or back to college for another career option. I would like to do something in the health care field, but I have to be careful what I select. I’m not good with seeing injuries, etc. It’s not that I get queasy from blood. I get upset and I get sympathy pains very intensely when I see a wound. I have seen some bad ones and have almost been incapacitated from the pain.
I have been told that I am an “empath” – that I am able to share other’s emotions and feelings, including pain. I believe this is true. I have always been able to tell 99% of the time, when someone is being dishonest to me, even to the point of just withholding information. I can feel when someone is in pain even if they don’t say they are hurting. When someone is angry or upset with me, I get really sick, because I feel my own feelings and I can feel their anger too. I am very sensitive to other people’s feelings and usually, if I really care about them, I try to be very careful about what I say and how I say it. Now, I’m not perfect, and I will sometimes say things that I regret. I have been learning, the hard way, to keep my angry words to myself and give myself time to work through them to see if it is even worth spewing venom at someone else. I have found this to be very effective, I have fewer regrets nowadays than I have for the past actions I took. And it seems that Lola may have inherited this trait from me – she cannot seem to handle seeing other people in pain. She often will look at my mom’s finger, which had been partially amputated but has long-since healed, and she will say, “Oh, it hurts me, mamaw!”
But anyway, like I was saying, I would like to do something in the health care field where I would see less injury and still be able to help others. Possibly as an ultrasound technician, or even an x-ray technician. I do know that sometimes I will see some injuries as an x-ray tech, but maybe they won’t be as gory. And even if they are, it’s not like I throw up or anything. I just get those sympathy pains. Maybe with time I would have them less?
But cosmetology is a big contender. I love doing hair and makeup. I love making someone look beautiful. Especially working with Princess’s friends, I have been able to give some makeup help to a couple of them and really helped them be able to put their best foot forward in the world. I love seeing the boost of confidence they have gotten from what I taught them. I just feel at peace when I am styling someone’s hair. I wanted to take cosmetology in vocational school when I was in high school, but the class was filled, and so I took secretarial courses instead. It was my first inclination, and I still like the thought of doing it. So maybe I should give it a chance!
Well, my little Lola just woke up. We have some errands to run this morning. Gotta get those done before Princess gets home. She’s bringing her boyfriend home to study for the physics exam tomorrow, and they need babysitting! hee hee
Well, everyone, if anyone, who might be reading this, I hope you have a wonderful day!
P.S. “By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach.” – Winston Churchill
Songs to blog by:
Somewhere Only We Know – Keane
We’re In This Love Together – Al Jarreau
Girls – Beastie Boys
No Sleep Til Brooklyn – Beastie Boys
The Longest Time – Billy Joel
Beautiful – Gordon Lightfoot