Long Winter's Week

This is what happens to little boys that choose not to nap; they cozy up on the couch & fall into a deep and blissful sleep - at 4pm

I guess it's not officially Winter yet (7 more days, for those playing at home), but these fun-filled, short-on-daylight days are taking their toll; those in the Goodwin House are all worn out on this sleepy Thursday eve. Let's look back at our week, shall we?

Monday: Off to work I went, which meant Benjamin-Duty for Dave while his mom continues to recuperate. Post-work workout: 1 hour of spinning. Chicken Tetrazzini tasted especially good, as it was made the night previous... and thus ready to eat when our ravenous crew got home. Hopped on Facebook and became a wee-bit discouraged by all the "look what I did's" that I deactivated my account; a little FB break is oh-so-good for my soul. Oh, GOT SOME BIG NEWS TODAY... more on that Thursday.

Tuesday: Remote Work Day for moi. A case broke open for Dave last week, so he was BUSY BUSY BUSY. Benjamin ran around like crazy, as usual. Quickly devoured the Thyme Chicken, Roasted Squash with Red Potatoes, and Cucumber-Tomato Salad before the Youth's Merry Caroling Adventure whisked Dave away for a few hours.

Wednesday: Laundry, dishes and sweeping, oh my! While I headed to the RS Christmas Meeting to set up, sing, "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" and accompany one of the missionaries, My Men stealthily left on a top secret trip to the Marysville Premium Outlets. Benjamin+Shopping+Christmas Shoppers... have I ever said how much my husband rocks? If not, he does.

Thursday: And now we come to today - the BIG DAY and the BIG NEWS. Today I started cleaning out my office. I'm moving. Moving home. Permanently. (And no, I didn't get fired.) Hospital administrators desperately needed some space and so I most generously offered my stifling-hot office to them and simply said I could work from home - to help them out. Needless to say, they jumped at my offer. Yes, you can call me a Saint... or a Skillful Manipulator, but with the exception of a quick face-to-face each week, I get to work from home. It frees up Dave's mom from childcare duties. It means we don't have to pay for the Montessori school. It means I need to get SUPER ORGANIZED, manage my time like Steven Covey and figure out how in the world to work while a little 2-year-old is begging for attention. It may take a little mountain-moving, but given the opportunity, I'm going to make it happen. Also, I gave away a Book of Mormon to my Volunteer Librarian. Yay for me! To say I was a bit trepidatious would be putting it mildly. But, today was her last day and she's moving across the country; I suppose the fact that I will likely never see her again makes the act a little less courageous. I wrapped it up with the rest of her present and wrote a nice letter about my testimony. She's an awesome, lovely, genuine friend and is looking for "something", so we shall see. Despite my less-than-courageous, give-it-to-her-as-she's-running-out-the-door move, I'll still going to give myself a high five and a little pat on the back. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but this is a BIG deal for me.

With all of that stuff, it's no wonder I'm ready to go to bed at 8!

Goodbye Sunday, Hello Monday

It's funny how Sunday is called a day of rest. Since Dave was called as YM President, his Sundays have been jam-packed. Yesterday was no exception with things planned from morning to night. Here's a glimpse into our yesterday:

8:00am - Dave starts getting ready for the day

9:15 - PEC meeting

9:30 - Michelle & Benjamin prep for church

9:45 - Ward Council

10:55 - Michelle & Benjamin arrive for church and slip into the saved pew with daddy

11:00 - Church begins (Mill Creek building)

12:55pm - Duck out of Sunday School and snatch Benjamin from Nursery singing time

1:00 - Head to Beverly Park ward (Lynnwood Stake Center) - Benjamin conks out in his carseat en route

1:40 - Dave participates in the blessing of Aria Walchli, Chris & Tam's new addition

1:45 - Jump back into car and head back to Mill Creek building

2:10 - PPI with Bishop

3:00 - YM Presidency meeting at our house

4:00 - Priest Quorum meeting at Bishop's house

5:00 - Dinner with my family in Stanwood

5:50 - Actually arrive in Stanwood, because of meetings running long

7:45 - Hugs & kisses to Grandma & Grandpa, then head for home

Somewhere around 8:14/somewhere around north Everett - Benjamin conks out in his carseat for the 2nd time today

8:30 - Kiss and then gingerly place Benjamin into his crib, Sunday clothes still on

9:00 - Hot Fudge & Caramel Sundae Party while watching The X-Factor

9:10 - Dave & Michelle slumped on the couch, in an ice-cream-induced slumber

Even though the day was busy and hectic, I feel blessed that we were able to spend a lot of it together as a family. And, shockingly, I was able to take away some good lessons from church too. As I knelt to say my prayers, I gave thanks for those things.

Despite my best efforts, Monday morning came as swiftly as ever. The buzzing of the 5am alarm was so startling, my heart was beating out of my chest. After getting ready at a little less than warp speed, I packed my gym bag, computer bag, purse, lunch and Benjamin's bag, and then we all hopped in the car.

I managed to catch a bus, but with an especially bad traffic morning, buses were running really late. On the packed 532, with at least 20 people standing in the aisle, someone's bag continually pummelled my shoulder as I read my scriptures and caught up on Facebook. My friend Jeannie's FB status read , "Ugh, Monday - again!" I kind of chuckled & nodded until I read someone's comment: "Just be grateful you are alive and able to experience another beautiful day." It's all about perspective; while I was waxing fairly positive this morning, I desperately needed that shift.

Later, while eating an egg-white omelette, I caught up on a very long list from my Google feed reader. The Nie Nie Dialogues posted about a trip to New York and their interview with Glen Beck. If you have a moment, check it out. The interview made me happy to be a woman, happy in my own skin, happy to be alive; grateful for the Gospel, my faith, my family & friends, my body and my crazy, blessed life.

If that's not a great mindset for a Monday morning, I don't know what is.

Managing the Joyful Madness

EAT, WORK, PLAY, CLEAN, SERVE, SLEEP, REPEAT.

Do you ever wonder how people do it? I sure do. Lately, it seems life has been such a whirlwind that I don't have time to blog... or even shower some days! This week was no exception. Here's a glimpse into a typical week in the life of the Goodwin family (trying to squeeze in a nice summary in the precious minutes I have before General Conference):

MONDAY:

We spent FHE at the gym. Dave did weights, some spinning and then ran - what a machine! I opted for the treadmill, alternating between running and walking at 15% grade. While he showered - I rarely do at the gym - I hopped on the elliptical and logged another 30 minutes to my cardio. Thankfully, we had leftovers in the fridge, so we dined, most ravenously, on beef stroganoff and a green salad with grape tomatoes fresh from our [container] garden. We had a quick read in the scriptures, followed by reading the story of Nephi from "My First Book of Mormon" for Benjamin.

TUESDAY:

Benjamin's first gymnastics class - smashing success! The class, AcroRoos, is a parent-child class, which is crazy smart, seeing as the entire 30 minutes was spent running after runaway kids. Felt very much like herding cats. They did a name game to start off; ran through an obstacle, tumbling course; climbed a ladder; bounced down a long, narrow trampoline into a foam pit; hung out on the uneven bars; and finished with a wild stampede of dancing, running and bouncing on that familiar spring-loaded floor. The teacher asked how soon Benjamin turned 3; apparently, he is a bit more advanced and so she thought he was older than he was. We're staying put because I don't think he can handle a coach-only class yet!

Gym class was followed up by a visit to Dr. Hoing for his 2-year check-up. While waiting, he investigated the office and created some Crayola masterpieces. This kid is growing like a weed, evidenced by his 30 lbs (59%) and 39" tall (off the charts). She kept commenting that he was going to be a handful. I had to kind of laugh at the verb "going" - more like, already was long ago! He was up for his annual flu shot and Hep A; the nurse said she was the best in the clinic, but even she struggled with our busy boy. He was absolutely horrified and upset by the shots, but after grabbing a strawberry sundae at Dairy Queen, he exclaimed, "Oh happy day!" in the car on the ride home.

That evening, Dave got home in time to sit down for a dinner of grilled turkey & cheese sandwiches, and piping hot chicken enchilada soup. Then, he was off to YM/YW game night at the church while Benjamin & I built words with his foam letters in the bathtub. Stayed up in time for dad to join in family prayer, then everyone was off to bed... well, not before indulging in our guilty pleasure - the "Dancing with the Stars" results show.

WEDNESDAY:

My visiting teachers came over and the three of us decided to organize a babysitting trade for date nights. Super excited about that little idea! While grocery shopping that morning, the sister missionaries called to see if I could pick them up for our dinner appointment. "Um, isn't that next Wednesday?", I asked. Well, yes - in fact, we signed up for two weeks in a row; the last week of September and the first week of October. Bring on the madness! Fortunately, a Relief Society planning meeting scheduled for the afternoon was cancelled so I was freed up to do laundry, clean the kitchen and whip up dinner. I opted for a salad bar, and then supplemented with some of my whole-wheat rolls followed with brownie sundaes for dessert.

THURSDAY:

Wow, what a doozy. Benjamin's lack of sleep was epic - and he was unconsolable. I was flummoxed; finally, in a last-ditch effort, at 3:30am I gave him some Ibuprofen. He was out in minutes. This should have been a clue, but I slumped in my bed and prayed I wouldn't pass out at work. Slept in and got to work an hour late - and while I didn't pass out (thank you!), I was less than stellar in the productivity area. Dave picked me up at the bus stop and we headed for home for a quick dinner so I could get to my stake pageant rehearsal. But alas, that would not be. Dave had discovered fluid encrusted inside Benjamin's ear. Ugh. Calls to his pediatrician were useless, as they were booked for the next two days. So, I called the director of the pageant, said I wouldn't be there and then we were off again to Urgent Care, with tuna sandwiches & grapes as our picnic on-the-go. In hindsight, I should have known he was sick. After 90 minutes, the diagnosis was a double, raging ear-infection. With allergies to penicillin, medication options are all crazy expensive, but we do what we have to do. That night, the price tag was priceless - we all slept like babies.

FRIDAY:

Dave was off to work early. After finishing breakfast, Benj & I packed up and met up with my parents at the cancer center in Everett. My mom has chemo every Friday, so it's easier to meet there rather than drive up to Stanwood. We spent the morning at a fun neighborhood park adjacent to the hospital. Benjamin ran around with mom, while I sat and chatted with dad. We rounded out our fun morning with an early lunch at McDonalds. I spent the rest of the day cleaning and folding laundry. I always wonder how we go through so many clothes so quickly! But alas, it's life, so we push on. I had set up a babysitter & a double date with a couple from our old ward for Friday night, but the husband was sent out of town on business. Because we still had a babysitter, we went out. Originally, we headed for the gym, but both of us were worn out from the crazy week, so we settled on burritos at Taco del Mar. Honestly, just getting out was the perfect date night in my book. Benjamin's first experience with Maren was stellar - I was happy to hear how well we did.

So, that's where we are - tired, worn out and very ready to be spiritually fed by the apostles during Conference Weekend. Stay tuned for more fun times ahead...