How is your 3 legged stool setting?

 It all started at the church when we took a questionnaire about how balanced our 3 legged stool is setting:

Leg #1- work

Leg #2- home

Leg #3- house of the Lord

For leg #1: work, I answered the questions with my boys and schooling them in mind.

Fast forward a few.

I'm frazzled. The days are escaping me. I'm doing this and that, getting things done, enjoying my boys, but just the bare minimum. Not excelling. Not thriving. Not feeling like I'm doing the best of my ability and focusing on the task at hand.

Enter this week.

I started the day normal. Got up. Showered. Fed S. Checked emails. And then I felt the need to turn the computer off. It was 8am. Just turn it off and focus on the job at hand.

I'll be honest. It was hard to do. It's my escape. My means of being with the outside world. If a thought hits me, I can go and immediately find it, buy it, get lost in it. Hence, the frazzled, lost day.

But you know what? It was very freeing. I'm calmer. My kids are a blessing instead of interrupters. I'm able to focus instead of being and doing whatever pops in my head. 

I've had jobs of all different hours: morning shifts, evening shifts, overnight shifts. And jobs of all different descriptions: baker, stocker, customer service, secretary. For each one, a different thing was required of me. In this season of my life, I have a bare minimum 8am- 5pm job. It's a non-stop run, run, run kind of job. And it requires full focus and my all. I need to balance my 3 legged stool.

So. With that said, with the computer now officially off every week day from 8am to 5pm, this is what happened this week :)

I had the privilege of playing 3 games of Hi Ho Cherry-O with my gentlemen. These weren't just any games, though. This was the first time they did it like "big kids". Focused. Counted their own berries. Did what the arrow said to do. 3 games. This is a mile stone. My boys are growing up (*tear*).

 S has been taking some steps off and on for about a month now. But this week he decided to get serious and is now walking about 1/2 the time.

 We've had these swings for a long time now. But this week, Z figured out how to pump! He is so excited and I have to admit I'm proud and relieved- one less to push :)

 The yard is still under construction, but I have to post a few sneak peeks :) Z going off some sweet jumps:

 J enjoying the first sit on nice green grass:

 and S helping me throw crab grass away :)

the highlights

Zeke: "Mama, my nose hurts" Me: "why?" And then he rattles off some story that I really wasn't understanding. Fast forward a few hours. We're sitting around the dinner table eating & talking about the day & then Zeke says again: "my nose hurts". Charles says: "He was sneezing alot today" (Zeke 'worked' with Char that day) And so I ask again: "why does your nose hurt?" And Zeke answers: "Rock nose".... to which Charles says: "he was playing with some rocks today".... "did you put a rock up your nose?????!" Out comes the baby booger sucker & after a few tries:

Unfortunately, he didn't learn as the next day he also put a corn kernel up his nose which was also taken out by the baby booger sucker...

Zeke posing for Papa right before sticking the rock up his nose...

Yay! Char's 4th & 5th grade worship team started last week... off to a good start!

Jeremiah after enjoying yogurt (bottom half of face) & ketchup (top half of face) at lunch:

Zeke is terrified of the vaccuum and last week I just didn't want to deal with it so I got the little version out for him to use while I did the real deal- he loved it so much he wouldn't give it back.

We are blessed to have friends that cook, clean, & serve at the Good Samaritan Shelter every month and last month we were able to join them for the 3rd time along with our 4th & 5th grade kids from church. It was fun as always =]

A few mornings ago I got Bubba out of his crib & then went back into the kitchen to make breakfast. It had been a while since I'd seen him so I started the search & found him on our bed waiting patiently for Papa to awake:

which happened a few minutes later:

up to speed

I cannot believe it's the end of July! That is so crazy!

• Last Friday night we decided to fight back against the gophers, crabgrass, & the bugs [that killed our tree] & start to regain our front yard back. Scary, I know, but they've had it long enough!

• And then Saturday we waged war against our overfilled home & held a yard sale (sorry, no pics). What a relief!

• My vaccuum died last week so I'm blessed with a new one... and the boys made fun use of the box:
  

• Bubba's a quiet player... he's usually found with a toy in his mouth:
  
  

• and of course we have to have a nap or two:
  
  

• This week was VBS! I manned the snack shop with a few grand ladies & was joined today by Zeke who was more than happy to work with food all morning :) We had a fabulous time!
  
  

• Zeke has been doing awesome this week without his binky! We are finally seeing a touch of 'normalcy' and it's wonderful! (It was really rough for about 9 days- I was wondering if we'd make it out alive!)
• Jeremiah started walking! Just a few steps at a time & nothing that I can anticipate enough to have a camera handy... But so cute none-the-less
• We are teetering when it comes to home buying. There's no denying now is a great time to buy- it's just: Is it time for us? What should we buy? & How much should we spend? So with all these ?'s rolling around in our brains, we are forced into sitting & waiting for God to point the arrow. So we'll see :)