So... I've seen some things about Gwyneth Paltrow and how she failed at the Food Stamp challenge. I needed a little diversion, so I used Walmart's new online ordering page to make my own $29 menu.
There are a couple of caveats, of course. First of all, Alabama's average payout is $29.66, and the average in the US is actually $30.71, according to KFF.org. So, I'm shooting for the Alabama amounts because I have to pick a zip code for the Walmart prices and I have information about Alabama's sales tax (and yes, it does apply to food).
Next, there's the idea that lots of people on food stamps are not cooking for 1. And I think we all know how difficult it is to cook for 1 on a budget, mainly because the most budget friendly meals are ones that you make with ingredients and you often need to buy in larger portions. For example, I did my weekly shopping today and spent $126, which is just $11 over the average payout for a family of 4. We'll have a different meal every night. But when you want to cook for one, you often have to choose between eating the same thing every single day or going over budget. Since going over budget isn't an option for food stamp recipients, there will be a lot of repetition in our menu here.
To me, this isn't really that big of a problem. I mean, if I were literally depending on the government for my groceries, then I think lack of variety in my foods would be the least of my worries. However, I decided that I do like variety, and I would try to find ways to add in some options.
Another issue that comes when you're talking about families is that while kids are in school, the children are given a free meal (or two if the school provides breakfast, which many do) every week day. So, when you talk about the per person rates, these really are not intended to cover for every single meal unless you're talking about individual adults.
Limited to $29.66, it's hard to get a balance of healthy and cheap. So, what I ended up with is certainly not an ideal diet that we should all follow.
Fortunately, though, there is pretty much no one in the country that is completely dependent on food stamps. There are churches on every corner in America, and they pretty much all have resources for people who are hungry. In all actuality, as soon as someone moves from 1 person of food stamps, I would suggest an organization like One Harvest. They have great prices and good quality foods.
My last disclaimer is that this list is based on a zero-pantry starting point. The next week, however, I wouldn't have to buy bread or peanut butter, so I could add something different in... maybe some tuna, for example.
Regardless, here's my list of food, which adds up to $27.83 (I'm not sure if states are allowed to charge sales tax on food stamps, so for those states that charge sales tax, this could be problematic. Huntsville's sales tax would take this up another $2.50, putting the total at $30.33. I will readily admit that I am having trouble getting it down below that, but I'm also having trouble believing that a person couldn't scrounge up 67 cents a week just by asking the person behind them in line if they had any change. So, we'll call that one even.)
Mahatma Long Grain Rice and Beans w/ Seasoning (2) - 3.28
Weight Watchers Smart Ones Classics (7) - 13.16
1/2 Gallon 2% Milk (1) - 1.88
Frozen Mixed Veggies 32 oz. (1) - 1.98
Bananas (2 lbs) - 1.04
Imperial Margarine (1 lb) - 0.68
Smucker's Natural PB (1) - 2.78
Eggs (1 dozen) - $1.55
Whole Wheat bread (16oz) - $1.48
Here's what a typical day will look like for this person:
Breakfast:
2 eggs scrambled - made with margarine
1 piece of toast with margarine and peanut butter
1 cup milk
Lunch:
Beans, Rice, and mixed veggies
Water
Snack:
Banana
Dinner:
Healthy Choice meal - one of several varieties
Water
Nutritional Info
Calories: 1221
Carbs: 175g
Protein: 64g
Fat: 37g
Fiber: 18g
So, as you can see...
Yes, it's boring; yes, I will be hungry if I eat this and only this; no, it's not the perfect healthy menu, but still it's doable.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
My 3 Things
A couple of weeks ago, my good friend Kara wrote about 5 things that are super meaningful to her. It was at a time when we were just finding out the details of moving to San Francisco, and I knew for sure that I would be going through all my possessions to decide what truly mattered enough to move them across the country.
I was later challenged by a friend as to why we don't just sell everything and start fresh, and I spent a lot of time mulling it over. As many of you know, I'm pretty passionate about simplicity.... I even used to write for the 100 Thing Challenge blog about how fleeting our stuff is and how much deeper meaning we find when we let go of material possessions in order to focus on the lasting impact our lives can make. So, it was a little strange to find myself wrestling so intensely with the concept of that release.
When it comes down to it, I found there were really only a handful of things that I feel deeply connected to. Sure, we'll still keep some of our stuff when we move... mostly because it just takes too much time and energy to start fresh and because the one most meaningful possession that I have isn't something that I can just replace.
I was later challenged by a friend as to why we don't just sell everything and start fresh, and I spent a lot of time mulling it over. As many of you know, I'm pretty passionate about simplicity.... I even used to write for the 100 Thing Challenge blog about how fleeting our stuff is and how much deeper meaning we find when we let go of material possessions in order to focus on the lasting impact our lives can make. So, it was a little strange to find myself wrestling so intensely with the concept of that release.
When it comes down to it, I found there were really only a handful of things that I feel deeply connected to. Sure, we'll still keep some of our stuff when we move... mostly because it just takes too much time and energy to start fresh and because the one most meaningful possession that I have isn't something that I can just replace.
1. My piano
There's a story behind this piano. And perhaps if I didn't use it daily, I could get over the story and move away from keeping a large item simply for sentimental purposes. But the truth is that this piano was meaningful to my mom and it was important to her that one of her children play piano. Fortunately for me, I was the youngest, and therefore, it fell on me after the other two kids wanted to stop taking lessons. I learned to play the piano on this instrument - one that she prayed for as a young mom. Many hours of my young life were seated here with fingers gliding, stumbling, sometimes running across the solid, heavy keys. I learned the famous classical pieces, which I rarely play these days. These days, it's the songs that I wish I'd written - Rich Mullins, Sarah McLachlan, Ben Folds, even Jimmy Eats World... acoustic versions of whatever song pulls on my emotions allowing me a retreat from the stress of existence. I can undoubtedly say that this piano is the sole reason that we are hiring a moving company to go ahead and ship some of our belongings instead of starting from scratch. Smaller things can be mailed. Everything else can be replaced, but there is no substitute for this piano.
2. My pictures
Another, much smaller item that is significant to me is the photo album of my wedding and anniversary photos. Somewhere we might have backups, but if we do, it was at least 3 computers ago, and who knows if they're stuck on the hard drive that I didn't get to clean off before our last machine bit the dust. So, these pictures by Jordan Barclay are incredibly meaningful to me.
3. This portrait
I'm a word person. But sometimes, words aren't enough to really express something. When The Passion of the Christ first came out, it was a burden on my heart. There were a lot of thoughts that went through my mind.... a lot of pain and a lot of gratefulness. And try as I may I couldn't craft a response that did justice for the layers of contemplation happening within me. So, I busted out (and dusted off) the art supplies to create this contour drawing of Jesus. I look at it and remember that there's a God that loves me enough to suffer for my sake, and also that somewhere underneath all the momhood, there's an artist in me.
Friday, February 27, 2015
The Black and White of that Black and Blue Dress - and why it's a metaphor for life
So, before anyone gets upset about my title... Let me say that I was a hardline "white and gold"-er.
When Billy first asked me what color the dress was I had no idea what he was getting at, but I quickly said, "Mustard yellow and white." (Gold is a nicer description, I think.) He responded, "It's black and blue," and I thought "What kind of dumb mind game is he trying to play?" I was instantly annoyed, which for those of you who don't know, is my default emotion. I am a legendary eye-roller.
It took many a website to show either of us that the other wasn't completely insane. One website showed us the original dress on sale, but I was convinced that it was just the same dress in another color scheme and someone out there had a vendetta against me (and all of those like me who understood that the dress was in the shadows of a tent in a very sunny outdoor market). Another site showed up that if you color pick all the colors in the dress, they are shades of brown/tan/yellow and some blue (i.e. white in the shade, hello!!!!). Yet Billy clung to the fact that it was at least blue, even though it was no where near the deep blue he was seeing in the original.
Things were getting tense.
Then Eve walked in and saw black and blue, and Billy smiled, and I felt attacked. (I, apparently, feel attacked quite easily... need to work on this.)
Eventually, I tilted my screen and saw the dress as black and blue. After that, I was able to see it as black and blue with the screen at a normal incline. Well, most of the time.... there were still a few times that my original color scheme came back, and I started feel legitimately crazy that I could see the same photo is two very different, yet reasonable, ways.
But honestly... who cares about a dress or a color scheme or an internet debate? It's fleeting. A crazy thing we'll all move past once the weekend flies by. Except, really, we'll go about our lives doing the exact same thing with pretty much everything else. And I only hope that this lesson on perspective and fact will teach us something about how we treat those we disagree with.
The fact is that the dress was black and blue. But wait! The fact also was that there was no black in the picture and that the lace embellishments were actually tans and browns, aka golds.
The thing is that some of us looked at the colors and corrected for the lace. We saw colors that indicated gold, and corrected the blue to be shaded white. Others corrected for the dress. They saw washed out blue and corrected the browns to be washed out black. We looked at the facts, but saw two different, yet equally reasonable images.
So, where's the life lesson? It's this: If we truly want to move forward and turn disagreements into discussions, we have to be willing to give the benefit of the doubt to our conversation partners and stop assuming that people are crazy for believing something that makes no sense to us personally.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard disagreements devolve into statements such as "That makes no sense at all!" (or worse... "You make no sense at all!")
Could it be that sometimes we enter into discussions with others who may have a completely reasonable way of thinking something? Even if it doesn't make sense to us? Just because something doesn't make sense to me doesn't mean it doesn't make sense at all.
And maybe you're like me and want to say, "Well, but the dress was black and blue!" Yes, I understand that. I admit that I was technically wrong with my conclusion. But all of you blue and blackers out there... can you admit that I was still reasonable?
When Billy first asked me what color the dress was I had no idea what he was getting at, but I quickly said, "Mustard yellow and white." (Gold is a nicer description, I think.) He responded, "It's black and blue," and I thought "What kind of dumb mind game is he trying to play?" I was instantly annoyed, which for those of you who don't know, is my default emotion. I am a legendary eye-roller.
It took many a website to show either of us that the other wasn't completely insane. One website showed us the original dress on sale, but I was convinced that it was just the same dress in another color scheme and someone out there had a vendetta against me (and all of those like me who understood that the dress was in the shadows of a tent in a very sunny outdoor market). Another site showed up that if you color pick all the colors in the dress, they are shades of brown/tan/yellow and some blue (i.e. white in the shade, hello!!!!). Yet Billy clung to the fact that it was at least blue, even though it was no where near the deep blue he was seeing in the original.
Things were getting tense.
Then Eve walked in and saw black and blue, and Billy smiled, and I felt attacked. (I, apparently, feel attacked quite easily... need to work on this.)
Eventually, I tilted my screen and saw the dress as black and blue. After that, I was able to see it as black and blue with the screen at a normal incline. Well, most of the time.... there were still a few times that my original color scheme came back, and I started feel legitimately crazy that I could see the same photo is two very different, yet reasonable, ways.
But honestly... who cares about a dress or a color scheme or an internet debate? It's fleeting. A crazy thing we'll all move past once the weekend flies by. Except, really, we'll go about our lives doing the exact same thing with pretty much everything else. And I only hope that this lesson on perspective and fact will teach us something about how we treat those we disagree with.
The fact is that the dress was black and blue. But wait! The fact also was that there was no black in the picture and that the lace embellishments were actually tans and browns, aka golds.
The thing is that some of us looked at the colors and corrected for the lace. We saw colors that indicated gold, and corrected the blue to be shaded white. Others corrected for the dress. They saw washed out blue and corrected the browns to be washed out black. We looked at the facts, but saw two different, yet equally reasonable images.
So, where's the life lesson? It's this: If we truly want to move forward and turn disagreements into discussions, we have to be willing to give the benefit of the doubt to our conversation partners and stop assuming that people are crazy for believing something that makes no sense to us personally.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard disagreements devolve into statements such as "That makes no sense at all!" (or worse... "You make no sense at all!")
Could it be that sometimes we enter into discussions with others who may have a completely reasonable way of thinking something? Even if it doesn't make sense to us? Just because something doesn't make sense to me doesn't mean it doesn't make sense at all.
And maybe you're like me and want to say, "Well, but the dress was black and blue!" Yes, I understand that. I admit that I was technically wrong with my conclusion. But all of you blue and blackers out there... can you admit that I was still reasonable?
Monday, January 26, 2015
Beliefs, Actions, and Personalities
I'm a sucker for a good facebook quiz. I mean, I have found out what dessert best suits me (pudding, what?), what my super power should be, my most fulfilling job options, and which dominant intelligence I have.
They sometime ask ridiculous questions... something along the lines of "which smiling baby your favorite?" So, when they give me correct results about my personality, I'm always astounded. It's almost magical, really.
Today, I found out that my dominant intelligence is verbal-linguistic (I'm using "found out" loosely here. I think we were all well aware.). My favorite part of the description was this:
But I came across a question that I had a hard time answering. I didn't have a hard time knowing which answer I was drawn to, but I had a hard time actually clicking the submit button on that one.
It wasn't because I doubted one bit what the most important thing was to me in the list, but it was because I was well aware of the hypocrisy in my life that would probably keep others from knowing the most important thing.
And I wondered... what matters more? Whether I believe something or whether I act a certain way? Which one says more about who I am?
I'll be the first one to insist that these are not mutually exclusive ideas. In fact, I have a hard time even using my words to describe the complexity of how they are intertwined, so this post is bound to be simplistic, but it is also not a full exposition of the topic.
But the question here asked me, "What's most important to you?"
I clicked "relationships" immediately. But then I hesitated when I saw "solving problems" because I'm one of those annoying people that can solve everyone's problems (and I'm pretty good at it, too). My first instinct is to solve problems. I'm a guy that way.... seriously, I took tests about it in a Communications class in college. The results told me that I have a masculine brain.
But one of the biggest things I wrote about in the reflective essay that I turned in with that class was that it bothered me to be an instant problem solver. Because while some people (mostly men) lean towards problem solving, nearly all people prefer a listener who is focused on empathizing with a person. (Hey... these are studies; I just couldn't find them on google. But for real, I'm not making this up.)
Yet, here I am... almost 20 years later... still wrestling with being an instant problem solver instead of a natural relationship-focused empathizer. So, I wondered... does this mean that problem solving is in fact the most important thing to me?
I clicked submit on the relationship answer.
The thing is that sometimes, we can get caught up in reflexes and thoughtless actions and assume that this says more about who we are than our intentional thought. There is a widely-held belief that if you put someone in a stressful situation, you will see who they really are.
Mmmmm... I wholeheartedly disagree. You will certainly see how well they handle stress, which is telling in it's own way. But are we really wanting to corner people into their first, thoughtless response?
Are we really wanting to decide that things we haven't yet perfected -- by the course of human history, it's safe to say we will never perfect -- shows the most true version of us?
They sometime ask ridiculous questions... something along the lines of "which smiling baby your favorite?" So, when they give me correct results about my personality, I'm always astounded. It's almost magical, really.
Today, I found out that my dominant intelligence is verbal-linguistic (I'm using "found out" loosely here. I think we were all well aware.). My favorite part of the description was this:
You always notice grammatical mistakes when reading or writing something, and tend to think of appropriate solutions. You most likely have (or want) and book collection, and maybe even a collection of quotes and sayings that you remembered over the years.If you don't understand why that's funny, then we'll just assume you have a different dominant intelligence.
But I came across a question that I had a hard time answering. I didn't have a hard time knowing which answer I was drawn to, but I had a hard time actually clicking the submit button on that one.
It wasn't because I doubted one bit what the most important thing was to me in the list, but it was because I was well aware of the hypocrisy in my life that would probably keep others from knowing the most important thing.
And I wondered... what matters more? Whether I believe something or whether I act a certain way? Which one says more about who I am?
I'll be the first one to insist that these are not mutually exclusive ideas. In fact, I have a hard time even using my words to describe the complexity of how they are intertwined, so this post is bound to be simplistic, but it is also not a full exposition of the topic.
But the question here asked me, "What's most important to you?"
I clicked "relationships" immediately. But then I hesitated when I saw "solving problems" because I'm one of those annoying people that can solve everyone's problems (and I'm pretty good at it, too). My first instinct is to solve problems. I'm a guy that way.... seriously, I took tests about it in a Communications class in college. The results told me that I have a masculine brain.
But one of the biggest things I wrote about in the reflective essay that I turned in with that class was that it bothered me to be an instant problem solver. Because while some people (mostly men) lean towards problem solving, nearly all people prefer a listener who is focused on empathizing with a person. (Hey... these are studies; I just couldn't find them on google. But for real, I'm not making this up.)
Yet, here I am... almost 20 years later... still wrestling with being an instant problem solver instead of a natural relationship-focused empathizer. So, I wondered... does this mean that problem solving is in fact the most important thing to me?
I clicked submit on the relationship answer.
The thing is that sometimes, we can get caught up in reflexes and thoughtless actions and assume that this says more about who we are than our intentional thought. There is a widely-held belief that if you put someone in a stressful situation, you will see who they really are.
Mmmmm... I wholeheartedly disagree. You will certainly see how well they handle stress, which is telling in it's own way. But are we really wanting to corner people into their first, thoughtless response?
Are we really wanting to decide that things we haven't yet perfected -- by the course of human history, it's safe to say we will never perfect -- shows the most true version of us?
Friday, January 23, 2015
Cuba Bound
So, being the good American that I am, I try to pretend like I know what's going on in the world. I read a selection of stories provided to me by Google News. It's hit or miss, honestly, but I do feel a bit more in tune with global issues than I have been in the past, so I guess it's serving its purpose.
One of the stories that I've been following for the last couple of weeks is that of Cuba/America relations. It was in the news again today, and it got into my head a bit. As you may or may not know, mi suegro es de Cuba. Así que tengo un interés más profundo que otros americanos.
That being the situation, coupled with the tenacity of my ninja planning skills, I have begun preparing for our 10th anniversay... which, may I insert here, is just a year away. What!
Planning a trip to Cuba, though, is still a difficult endeavor as all the good online deals originate from Canada. Since it's unclear when travel to Cuba will open more fully, it's hard to say if we'll be able to find the same kind of deals, but seriously... Canadians can fly to Cuba and stay at an all-inclusive for 5 nights for about $500 a person! How is this even possible?
A few years ago, I flew to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the ticket itself just to get there cost more than that. Hmmmm.... Tulsa... Cuba... Tulsa... Cuba.... I love my friends, Amanda and Melissa, who I visited in Tulsa, and I also love that United gave me a free ticket for opening a credit card and then immediately closing it after I cashed in the rewards. But still... how is it possible to fly and stay for that little amount?
I know what you're thinking... the properties are probably pieces of trash, but they have really good reviews and nice pictures. It all seems legit.
So, politics aside... mainly because I'm sure there's someone out there who will feel the need to voice their disagreement with me, I'm pretty excited to be able to travel with husband to the homeland of his father. It should be a fun, affordable, and meaningful time.
One of the stories that I've been following for the last couple of weeks is that of Cuba/America relations. It was in the news again today, and it got into my head a bit. As you may or may not know, mi suegro es de Cuba. Así que tengo un interés más profundo que otros americanos.
That being the situation, coupled with the tenacity of my ninja planning skills, I have begun preparing for our 10th anniversay... which, may I insert here, is just a year away. What!
Planning a trip to Cuba, though, is still a difficult endeavor as all the good online deals originate from Canada. Since it's unclear when travel to Cuba will open more fully, it's hard to say if we'll be able to find the same kind of deals, but seriously... Canadians can fly to Cuba and stay at an all-inclusive for 5 nights for about $500 a person! How is this even possible?
A few years ago, I flew to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the ticket itself just to get there cost more than that. Hmmmm.... Tulsa... Cuba... Tulsa... Cuba.... I love my friends, Amanda and Melissa, who I visited in Tulsa, and I also love that United gave me a free ticket for opening a credit card and then immediately closing it after I cashed in the rewards. But still... how is it possible to fly and stay for that little amount?
I know what you're thinking... the properties are probably pieces of trash, but they have really good reviews and nice pictures. It all seems legit.
So, politics aside... mainly because I'm sure there's someone out there who will feel the need to voice their disagreement with me, I'm pretty excited to be able to travel with husband to the homeland of his father. It should be a fun, affordable, and meaningful time.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
On Intraracial Marriage
When I was in high school, I used to write on my shoes. I grew up in the 90s, so I'm not sure what you expecting from me other than that. They were rust colored Vans with thick white soles screaming for some individualization. Plus, it was the thing to do back then, and didn't I want to conform right alongside the rest of my non-conforming social group?
The messages ranged from silly to profound, but the one that I'm thinking of today was one that drew a bit more surprise and mixed reactions than the others. I said simply and clearly, "I love black men."
One guy I knew once told me I was racist, to which I responded from my arsenal of Seinfeld quotes (it was the 90s, remember... heck Seinfeld quotes are still amazing), "If I like their race, how can that be racist?"
He told me I was racist against whites.
Well, jokes on him cause I married a cracker.
Actually, I married a man with a mixed heritage, but until people get to know us and learn about our family, Billy and I look like the standard white couple. And it bothers me sometimes.
I know... for a fact.... that I am over-analyzing this. But sometimes, I think people might look at me and think that for all the things I say about racial equality and loving diversity, I wasn't willing to put my money where my mouth is when it came to who I married. Which is absolute crap. It just so happens that I fell deeply in love with a "white" man. And, furthermore, why do I even care?
But I recently read a blog post from a man who I really respect named Bryan Loritts and he explains how it is that he, as a black man, married a half Irish/half Mexican woman. The post is amazing, and I really encourage everyone to read it. It's a compelling story of redemption and the journey that he traveled trying to negotiate what it means to be a black man who finds his identity not in acceptance from his race, but in acceptance from his savior, Jesus.
The line that hit me hard, though, and that I'm writing about today was this:
And I realized that, first of all, it's probably all in my head and there probably are very few people concerned with whether I married a white man or not. And second of all, if I am truly to be enjoying diversity regardless of race, then marrying a white man who has a very different personality than myself is a huge step in this same endeavor.
The messages ranged from silly to profound, but the one that I'm thinking of today was one that drew a bit more surprise and mixed reactions than the others. I said simply and clearly, "I love black men."
One guy I knew once told me I was racist, to which I responded from my arsenal of Seinfeld quotes (it was the 90s, remember... heck Seinfeld quotes are still amazing), "If I like their race, how can that be racist?"
He told me I was racist against whites.
Well, jokes on him cause I married a cracker.
Actually, I married a man with a mixed heritage, but until people get to know us and learn about our family, Billy and I look like the standard white couple. And it bothers me sometimes.
I know... for a fact.... that I am over-analyzing this. But sometimes, I think people might look at me and think that for all the things I say about racial equality and loving diversity, I wasn't willing to put my money where my mouth is when it came to who I married. Which is absolute crap. It just so happens that I fell deeply in love with a "white" man. And, furthermore, why do I even care?
But I recently read a blog post from a man who I really respect named Bryan Loritts and he explains how it is that he, as a black man, married a half Irish/half Mexican woman. The post is amazing, and I really encourage everyone to read it. It's a compelling story of redemption and the journey that he traveled trying to negotiate what it means to be a black man who finds his identity not in acceptance from his race, but in acceptance from his savior, Jesus.
The line that hit me hard, though, and that I'm writing about today was this:
We decided that our ethnicities would not be ignored, and at the same time would not become the ultimate focus of our relationship.Later, he says:
On and on we can go, yet we must keep coming back to the essential truth that we don’t hang our ultimate joys or disappointments on the color of our skin, or the ignorance of others. Our lives are hidden in Christ.Finally, he sums it up by saying:
Forgive the bluntness of it, but I’m in love with my wife. I want to be sensitive to you and your feelings, but I will not allow anyone and their aversion to interracial relationships to keep me from enjoying life with my bride.(insert husband for wife, and intraracial relationships for interracial relationships)
And I realized that, first of all, it's probably all in my head and there probably are very few people concerned with whether I married a white man or not. And second of all, if I am truly to be enjoying diversity regardless of race, then marrying a white man who has a very different personality than myself is a huge step in this same endeavor.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Saying Yes
Since our family is on the verge of very big change, I'm had lots of occasion to do some deep soul searching and questioning. Actually, let me rephrase that. I've had many occasions when the concept of needing to do deep soul searching and questioning has come to mind.
The fact is that I still have 3 kids surrounding me day in/day out, and two of those are of the constantly underfoot variety. So, I haven't yet done much of the said searching or questioning.
I did, however, have a couple of conversations recently that have been both very helpful and very sigh-inducing. I tend to be the kind of person who always wants depth. So, a cursory conversation can be encouraging, for sure. But it always raises so much more than it answers.
But this is all just side note to my real point, which is this: it's time to focus.
I've been playing with the idea of what I will do with my time once the kids are in school 7+ hours a day. Since I've never experienced this, I have limited idea of how much I will be able to cram in or if I'll have any energy to cram at all. I'm hoping and praying that, once the kids go to school, my personal stress levels will lower and this will allow me to accomplish more from my personal passion list than I've been able to before.
I've always tried to look at homeschooling as a worthy sacrifice. It was something that I did for the benefit of my kids because I believed it to be the best option for them. But, let's face it, homeschooling 2 kids full time and 1 kid part-time (Little B went to preschool half days) is a job. It's not floating on a cloud and eating bon-bons. Sure, I enjoyed it a lot ... but it is a sacrifice.
So, now, I face the challenge of having so many pent up desires, all of which are worthy. But certainly, I can't accomplish them all. In the next few weeks, I'll be going through my hopes and coming up with a personal grid of what I can say "yes" to. And it means I'll say "no" to other things.
Here's some concrete stuff I'm thinking of. I have thought about...
returning to the freelance world...
and continuing with language learning...
and starting a cooking class for women on food stamps...
and taking art classes...
and continuing with dance...
and joining in organizing a new tutoring program in Title 1 schools nearby...
and volunteering in my own kids' schools...
and going back to counsel women seeking help making important life and death decisions...
and starting a rental company that serves low income families with rent subsidies based on positive life choices...
and working out...
and making more food from scratch...
and raising chickens...
and painting the house...
and resting...
and fostering a healthy spiritual life in myself and my kids...
But c'mon! I only have 7 hours a day while the kids are in school. I can't do it all. Or maybe I could and it would all be done crappily. So, I have a lot of thinking to do about what my priorities and goals are and what I can say "yes" to.
The fact is that I still have 3 kids surrounding me day in/day out, and two of those are of the constantly underfoot variety. So, I haven't yet done much of the said searching or questioning.
I did, however, have a couple of conversations recently that have been both very helpful and very sigh-inducing. I tend to be the kind of person who always wants depth. So, a cursory conversation can be encouraging, for sure. But it always raises so much more than it answers.
But this is all just side note to my real point, which is this: it's time to focus.
I've been playing with the idea of what I will do with my time once the kids are in school 7+ hours a day. Since I've never experienced this, I have limited idea of how much I will be able to cram in or if I'll have any energy to cram at all. I'm hoping and praying that, once the kids go to school, my personal stress levels will lower and this will allow me to accomplish more from my personal passion list than I've been able to before.
I've always tried to look at homeschooling as a worthy sacrifice. It was something that I did for the benefit of my kids because I believed it to be the best option for them. But, let's face it, homeschooling 2 kids full time and 1 kid part-time (Little B went to preschool half days) is a job. It's not floating on a cloud and eating bon-bons. Sure, I enjoyed it a lot ... but it is a sacrifice.
So, now, I face the challenge of having so many pent up desires, all of which are worthy. But certainly, I can't accomplish them all. In the next few weeks, I'll be going through my hopes and coming up with a personal grid of what I can say "yes" to. And it means I'll say "no" to other things.
Here's some concrete stuff I'm thinking of. I have thought about...
returning to the freelance world...
and continuing with language learning...
and starting a cooking class for women on food stamps...
and taking art classes...
and continuing with dance...
and joining in organizing a new tutoring program in Title 1 schools nearby...
and volunteering in my own kids' schools...
and going back to counsel women seeking help making important life and death decisions...
and starting a rental company that serves low income families with rent subsidies based on positive life choices...
and working out...
and making more food from scratch...
and raising chickens...
and painting the house...
and resting...
and fostering a healthy spiritual life in myself and my kids...
But c'mon! I only have 7 hours a day while the kids are in school. I can't do it all. Or maybe I could and it would all be done crappily. So, I have a lot of thinking to do about what my priorities and goals are and what I can say "yes" to.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)