Juggling

I really should have studied juggling at sometime in my past. It honestly would have been the best skill for being a wife, parent, teacher, cleaner, chauffer, chef, a teen counselor, career counselor, architectural drafter, etc.

All are jobs in and of themselves, but we all play multiple parts sometime in our lives. Sometimes all the parts at the same time.

I'm afraid I'm not doing any of them well. 

I remember as a mom of littles, asking a mom of olders that desperate question, "Does it get easier?" They would look at me, take a breathe, and reply, "Well, it's just a different hard." I didn't understand what they meant back then. What do you mean, "different hard?" They sleep through the night; they can get dressed by themselves; they are potty-trained, etc... What's hard after all those are taken care of? Well...plenty as I'm finding out. Interests in the opposite sex; moody teenagers; working teenagers. Not only do you need to teach them how to get dressed and wipe themselves, you also need to give them a solid education in reading, writing, and arithmetic, you have to teach them about managing their finances, planning for the future, managing their time wisely, staying safe while on the internet, dating with integrity, pursing God to please Him and follow His straight paths, and help them figure out what they "want to do with the rest of their lives". It's a bit overwhelming.

On top of thinking of the huge unknown future for my big kids, I still have the littles to keep teaching and training the basics. I ordered Kindergarten for Zac. There's a part of me that wants to hold on and make his Kindergarten experience the best ever. And then there's the other part of me that just hopes he learns his letters and picks up this reading thing quickly so that we can move on. I know he's the last and I know I'll wish I had spent more time with him, whether it's teaching or just simply playing "imagination" - his favorite. I know I'm going to have regrets about not spending more time just being with him. But how do I let go of all the other responsibilities that need to get done? Finding the balance is key. 

Enough whining and musing. So that I don't forget what we were doing these days, here's what's been going on around here:

We've opened our Airbnb up again. It's a little more laid back because I have it set to give me a day between each guest instead of four hours. Jon is helping me clean (Ben tried a couple of times; not a good fit). Jon takes care of wiping everything down, doing the laundry, sweeping and mopping the floor, etc. while I make the beds. I'm barely able to make the bunkbeds - seriously it is hard to make a bunk bed in a trailer!

My little side drafting business, nicknamed Me & My House, has had a few more jobs. It's a fun way to use my design and drafting skills. I still get nervous about the structural end of things. For the most part I can figure out how to build something, but my lack of real-world building practice makes me nervous every time a plan goes in for review. One of the funnest jobs so far is drawing up addition plans for our own house. If we get to build it, we would have a master bedroom without Legos on the floor, two boy bedrooms, one game room, and an over-sized garage with a two-bedroom apartment on top for an Airbnb or grown kids. We just signed papers today for the loan to make it happen. Pray with us that we can get it done.

Tom's job seems to be a bit hard-hit from Covid and then managing practices in his company. He hasn't been getting as many patients as he would like and that is very stressful. He's been praying hard that God would show him the next step - stay put? new career? what new career? No clear path yet. Keep praying. Aside from the job stresses, it seems like everything and everyone needs Dad's attention: the truck's water pump busted, the fishing net is busted, the trailer's awning busted...And then there's figuring out how to parent teens - full time job in and of itself.

Livvy has had a busy summer completing ENG102 and working 20+ hours a week at Chick-fil-A. She loves her job - the busy, the juggling, the people. All right up her alley. She's not really enjoying ENG102 even though she's doing great! Right now she's trying to finish her research paper so she can turn it in for peer review. Her paper is about the perceived or misperceived offenses in package labeling and teams sports. 

Before school ended, Livvy went to our local homeschool groups' prom. Because a boy asked her out, we had to appropriately greet him when he showed up to get her. Prom was a blast (I got to chaperone)! These kids are absolutely amazing - so fun to be around, kind, goofy, - no yucky stuff whatsoever. Super fun! 

Sam had a relatively full summer so far. He has a part-time job working for Heritage Woodworks doing finish carpentry. He has really enjoyed the work which is HUGE! Unfortunately his boss, our friend, is moving to Prescott, so he'll have to find someone else he can apprentice with. He is playing AYSO soccer and a summer basketball league for a local charter school, NPA. He is hoping to play soccer, basketball and then track & field with NPA through the school year. Oh it's going to be a busy school year!

Oh, and we fostered a mam cat and her four kittens. They were a Siamese mix so we named them: Mama Junebug Jones, JuJu Bee, Jilly Boo, Jezebel (Jezzy for short and to not reference the evil queen from the Bible) and SkippyJohn Jones. If you don't recognize those names, go read a SkippyJohn Jones book - they are the best!

Ben just turned 13!! He had been working at any little odd job he could find to save money for a dirt bike. Last week he finally had enough saved (with a little loan from Dad) to buy a Kawasaki something something dirt bike. He's thrilled! Tonight he and Tom have been working really hard to change the tire because coming home from a job weeding, he ran over a nail. Bummer! 

All three teens are highly social! There's ultimate frisbee on Mondays, volleyball on Tuesdays, youth group on Wednesdays, Bible study on Mondays for Sam and Tuesday for Livvy, swing dancing on Sundays for Livvy... We finally made a rule that they had to be home for dinner at least 3 nights a week or we would never see them. Even though they are gone a lot, I really like the group of kids that they're hanging out with and I love watching them sprout some wings. 

Jon, Danner and Zac, my three littles (though Jon doesn't like to be called that anymore - he's 10), have been fairly easy this summer. Most mornings are filled with playing with Legos or outside playing with the neighbors. Jon and Danner are playing AYSO soccer this summer (Ben is not because he has Osgood Schlatter's in his right knee). Thankfully Danner's practice overlaps with one of Jon's two practices (Sam's two practices are on the opposite evenings, of course). Saturday mornings are filled with watching soccer games. Even though it's a little hectic, it's been fun watching each of them play hard, gain new skills, or just make some really fun improvements.

Dakota is officially ours! We're so thrilled!! Her original owners had moved to Sweden or Finland (I can never remember which one) in November of 2019 leaving Dakota with friends and then family. Their plan was to stay for a year and then come back, but Covid hit. They've been stuck overseas and aren't able to come back - job situation and flying 24hrs with four children (the youngest 2yrs old) masked have made it virtually impossible. I received a text from them a couple of months ago asking if we would adopt her - we, of course, said yes! She's the perfect addition to our family - even though she just got skunked for the third time this summer - ugh! 

That's what we've been juggling this summer. I am thankful that I still have several weeks before we get back to school. I think August is going to be a little more laid back. We'll see. There always seems to be something.