Friday, April 18, 2008

Surprised by...a tiny bit of JOY

Well, I can't say I've totally bounced back from the the run of emotions of the last month, but I am on the mend for sure. Yesterday, I was surprised by some joy in my life. I took the day off to spend with the kids and to go on an interview which went tremendously well! It took all of 18 minutes to figure out that I was a fit and could do the job with no problem. I am not sure I'll be taking the job, however, as I am really seeking God's guidance, and I'm not sure all of the pieces will fall together as He would like them to. My priorities have to be a little different than they were before:

I need to enjoy the work.
My kids need to have as much of my time as possible.
A desireable school district needs to be close to my job to allow for as little daycare as possible.
Hours need to allow me to have my kids in sports and lessons of some sort to enrich their lives.
And, lastly the pay needs to be right.

This job met 2 of the criteria. I am still praying about it though. I am told that I should feel God loving on me when something right comes my way. I think I'll understand where He leads. I've gone so long making my choices independent of Him, that it's weird to actually stop and think.

Please excuse the nature of this comment, but Zack is the "big" man on campus partially because he is new and partially because he dresses cool (an addiction), but mostly because he can do things physically that kids much bigger than he is cannot do. Even with his height, he has beat some third graders at tether ball. He's feeling good about himself which is nice. However, he is struggling in school. He writes his numbers backwards. He uses all capitals. He cannot read the little books they send home well. But, he can read one syllable words. It will prove to be a long summer of tutoring to get him ready for first grade! His teacher did, however, say he is bright and catches on quickly.

Sophia had her Clancy testing today. For $45.00, they tested her in various areas after which they will provide me with a report and activities to do with her to improve on any weak areas. I checked with her teacher this morning to see if she is having any behavior trouble in class, and she said, "not at all". The teacher (who has taught preschool for about 15 years) said the tantrums I have seen at home are common with a huge change in life such as going from being with me all day to school and then on some nights a sitter. So, I'm told she needs more of me. OMW - How much more can she get? :) Anyhow, some cuddling and holding are in store. We'll see how much more cuddling it will take! I think she'd rather play soccer at the park or ride her scooter so we'll start there! This in addition to her new sticker chart should do the trick.

Some of you know that Sophia was getting a little bit of a lazy eye. Surprisingly, playing the Gameboy has helped as she uses more rapid eye movement. She and Zack play the DS's for about 30 minutes a day and then Zack gets bit of time on his XBox 360 after his responsibilities are handled. Seems like I have two video game junkies! I'll have to help them to learn to prioritize just to ensure that they keep games in their rightful place. I think Zack's wife might be thankful for that. Everything in moderation is key, and I'm working on giving them more decisions day by day. This is something that I need to do better. I tend , to go overboard wanting the kidlets to have the most functional childhood possible, but I'm realizing that functional should include them doing a lot of choosing. So, I asked Zack, "How do you want your hair"? He responds very quickly, "I want a mohawk, and a motorcycle, and a tattoo"!!! YIKES! The old me cringes. The new me thinks there could be worse things to have to worry about than my son becoming a tough biker dude with a mohawk and a tatt that might say, "Mom". As long as the kidlets understand Jesus' love, we're all good! And, for that to happen, this mom needs to get a good grasp of it herself!

Still praying. Still discontent. But, God understands.

Pics tonight.

No comments: