Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted
according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or
slow to do the humble work.

- Mother Teresa

About Me

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Sunny Florida, United States
I am the proud mom to 6 kids: Natasha, 24, Nikolai, 20, Reese, 20, Maylee, 14, Erik, 10 and Violet, 7. The kids come from Russia, Ukraine and China; I'm so proud of my family sometimes I think I'll burst and I needed an outlet for it - so I've created this weblog. :o)
If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
- Mother Teresa

Motivation for Moms

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One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.
Mother Teresa

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Saturday, October 3, 2009
Wow! I don't know if I've been this busy in my life!! (Wait-college plus 2 jobs was busy. But I was young, then!!) I have wanted to keep my blog very updated, but it has just been impossible. I couldn't stretch my patients over a 6 day period this week because I had to take Erik to Orlando to see the ENT and get a hearing test, so I've had to work longer days, and then with supper, groceries, Mark and the boys and the dogs, and all the care Erik needs (he can't walk alone, feed himself, or much of anything) I've been extremely busy. TOO busy. But it won't last forever. Next week will be similar (probably worse!) as I'll have to squeeze my patients into another 5 day work week as we are going to watch my daughter graduate from Marine Corps Basic Training up in SC, so next week will even be worse, but then hopefully, I can go back to easier 6-day work weeks (I say "easier" because instead of having 6 patients every day for 5 days, I only have 5 patients a day for 6 - or thereabouts). I try every day to get home in time to feed Erik and get him ready for his nap, but it has been impossible and I've had to rely on Mark and Reese to get this done. I feel guilty about it, but they've been good about it and haven't complained at all (and Reese likes getting babysitting money!).

I'm not really complaining. I'm just plumb tuckered out. Erik really is a very easy kid, happy most of the time, easily entertaining himself with anything that's near (a strap on his stroller suffices just fine). It's just hard sometimes when I'm tired because he really can't do anything for himself at all. And days when I don't feel good or I feel overwhelmed, I really wish he could. At least feed himself, maybe. I wish my mom lived closer. She's the perfect "helper" for things like this. She'd come over, smiling, cheerful as always, ready to dive in and help out. She and Joe hope to retire here in a year or so, and if I can get Mark to agree to live here that much longer, it'll be great!! (He wants to go back up north.)

I think I'm just in a complaining mood. I hope you don't mind. It's hard to be sunny and cheerful ALL of the time, and sometimes I just want to whine. I'm pretty good at whining, actually. I've had years of experience at it. But I really don't have reason to whine. I have a wonderful, loving husband who thinks I'm made of gold, I have two great teenage sons who help out a lot around the house, a daughter who has really turned her life around and is graduating as a Marine next week, a new little boy who is cheerful and loving and fun, and 2 dogs that I just adore and who bring so much light into the house. I think I'm just tired. Not getting enough sleep, and here I am, needing some cheese to go with my whine to share with the whole world. ...or, at least, those who care to read my blog.

Here are some pictures, and maybe by posting them, I'll perk up a little. You know how I love pictures...!!! :o)
This is one of Erik's favorite moments in life - sitting in his seat at the table, waiting for me to bring some food to him!!


Isn't this sweet? Erik has become such a snuggler lately!!! We love it!!

I TOLD myself I wouldn't put any more gross-out food pictures on here, but his expression in this one is so adorable, I couldn't help it!!

Here are Mark, Reese and you-know-who watching Bugs Bunny cartoons on NetFlix Online. They had such a good time!

This one cracks me up!
Erik: "How could you DO that, Daisy?!?!?"
Daisy: "I can't believe I did that... I'm sooooo sorry...!"

2 comments:

ArtworkByRuth said...

I love the pics, and it's okay to feel down and complain at times. Keeps us human to the others who aspire to be like us...LOL! (I want a vacation from my whiny self sometimes but I keep following me!)Keeping pictures of your kids with PURE JOY on their face reminds us that it is all worth it!

Milena said...

How I just love the hugging photo + the last one with Eric and the little dog! Totally adorable! (And of course the others are cute too, but those too were just too sweet!)

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If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.
- Chinese proverb
It is not the will of your Father that any one of these little ones should perish. Matt. 18:14

Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. Matt. 18:5

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

My family

My family
Nikolai, Mark, Missy, Reese, and Erik

Nikolai, 19

Nikolai, 19

Reese, 19

Reese, 19

Erik, 9

Erik, 9

Daisy

Daisy

Mary

Mary

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