The Fuzzball Chronicles: the Life and Times of Curly Mommy

I could not ask for a better Thanksgiving. We spent time with family and cherished friends. It was wonderful. What am I thankful for? The amazing renewal God is doing in my life God's faithfulness to me even when I wasn't faithful to Him My husband, Yardboy My daughter, Tater My son, Little Man My parents My brother, Cabbagehead My extended family (including in-laws) My friends Good health for my family and myself Our church My husband's job Being a stay-at-home mom The right to be a Christian The right to homeschool The Cat To Yardboy for financing my college education Breastfeeding My home, which is much nicer than I need All of the stuff (that I trip over) in my home My paid-for 2001 Honda Accord My frizzy hair Good teeth Our multicultural, multiracial neighborhood Mild southern winters Good health insurance LASIK surgery (not covered by said insurance) High speed internet Our computer, thanks to Yardboy's dad Blog therapy

Two years ago I went with K to my first Third Day concert. I was pregnant, queasy, and miserable, but I was also hooked! I couldn't wait to see them again. They came back to our city earlier this month as a part of the Wherever You Are Tour. I ordered our tickets within minutes of them going on sale. Good seats too. Not on the floor, though. I'm only 5'1" and floor seats would mean that I would have a terrific view of big heads. My brother, Cabbagehead, suggested seats straight in front of the stage but in the first set of risers off the floor. Yardboy and I took Cabbagehead to the show for his 25th birthday. My friend K and her husband went too, but they bought their own tickets. Just as Cabbagehead said, the seats were perfect. We were right behind the sound booth, so the we were in the best location for quality sound. The concert was wonderful! We even enjoyed the opening acts, Hyper Static Union and the David Crowder Band . My name is Fuzzball Gomer .

I'm still here. Things are going fine, just crazy busy. Last weekend we went to a Third Day concert (more about that later). Then we went to my baby brother's 25th birthday party. Today we are off to Georgia for a wedding. I am looking forward to seeing lots of childhood friends there. Next week we will be camping at my parent's house for Thanksgiving. Yardboy and I are really excited and so is Tater. This is her first camping trip. This will be pretty primitive camping, complete with a latrine! Woo hoo. We are going to have Thanksgiving dinner out in the woods. I'm not sure how many people will be there, but I know it will be a bunch. My good friend W and her family are coming. I think it will be so much fun. Should we wear Pilgrim hats?

We sang this song in Worship today. I first heard it when I was pregnant with Little Man and it meant so much to me then. Today, I am taking it as a challenge. I Dare You to Move by Switchfoot Welcome to the planet Welcome to existence Everyone's here Everyone's here Everybody's watching you now Everybody waits for you now What happens next? What happens next? I dare you to move I dare you to move I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor I dare you to move I dare you to move Like today never happened Today never happened before Welcome to the fallout Welcome to resistance The tension is here The tension is here Between who you are and who you could be Between how it is and how it should be I dare you to move I dare you to move I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor I dare you to move I dare you to move Like today never happened Today never happened Maybe redemption has stories to tell Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell Where can you run to escape from yours...

I got the idea for an interactive blog from fellow blogger, Cheri . The questions are extremely easy. Butter or Margerine? Sweet Tea or Unsweet Tea? White or Whole Wheat? Veggies or Meat? Here are my answers: butter or flax oil, sweet tea (sometimes with Splenda), whole wheat, veggies and meat. I know. It is kind of lame, but humor me. I want to know who reads. If you read, please answer. That means you too, Yardboy.

After the kids go to bed Yardboy and I will drink creamy sweet decaf coffee and eat the leftover candy corn cake I made for Halloween. Yummy. Yardboy and I love coffee any time of day. I devised a plan this evening to deal with overindulgence of coffee and the cream and sugar necessary to drink the stuff. I am taking my free coffee maker out of the kitchen and placing it in the garage. No maker, no coffee. Right? We are going to switch to tea, which we also love. We don't need loads of cream and sugar to enjoy tea. We can even stick our pinky fingers out and feel extra snooty. Tomorrow we get serious about eating healthy . We are usually very good, at least compared to the average American. However, we have been slipping lately. Wish me luck. I may have to stop by Starbucks for a fix.

The telephone is the lifeline of stay-at-home moms. It is the singlemost important tool that we use to fight loneliness, frustration, and depression. It helps us stay connected to the adult world. The telephone can also be a trap, a gossip trap. I am ashamed to say that I have fallen into this trap on countless occasions. I am now clawing my way out and I don't want to fall back in. No more gossip. I must stop. Friends, I am telling you in hopes that you will help keep me accountable. Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. I wanted to find a couple of verses about gossip, but my search yielded 49 verses . Wow. It looks like God has a lot to say about gossip.

This evening Tater again said that Little Man was being "a little p****." This time we realized that she was saying "prissy" and and not the other P word. Now, usually parents aren't too thrilled to hear their little boy described as being prissy, but in this case it is a relief. Tater isn't a potty mouth. She just can't say her R's.

I called our pediatrician to get Little Man's lab results. First of all, it took me about 20 minutes of non-stop calling to finally get a person. When I finally got the receptionist, she put me on hold for the nurse. I have been on hold for an hour now! In that time I have read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel aloud, helped Tater do a writing worksheet, a reading worksheet, and write her name three times. I also responded to an email, took a third grade geography test and read two blogs. Oh man, I am still on hold. Do I hang up and lose my spot in line? Did they forget me? I have a kink in my neck from holding the phone with my shoulder. Answer, please!

It seems that I draw hurting people to me. That doesn't bother me. Maybe that is why I became a nurse. I enjoy helping people. I like influence them in a good way and to see them get better. Internalizing their problems is not fine, and that is what I do. I take their problems on and make them my own. I really want to fix them. It just kills me not to be able to make it all better. I think about them constantly. No, maybe obsess is a better word. I obsess about my friends' pain. Then their problems invade my sleep. I wake up frequently in the night and instantly think of them. I even dream about their problems. Boy do I get up tired after a night like that. Sometimes I even need to take a sleeping pill to get a good night's sleep. When I internalize others' issues it is hard to keep the black cloud of depression and anxiety away. The obsessive thoughts, restless nights, anxiety and depression have now been joined by stomach pain. That is a miserable cycle. I think about...

Today Tater and Little Man were playing in a huge pile of clean laundry. They were laughing and having fun. Then I heard it. What did she say? No, surely not. Yep. She was calling her little brother "P****." "Come here P****." "You're a little P****" I composed myself and calmly asked, "Tater, what did you call your brother?" "P****." "What does that mean?" "I don't know, I just made it up." "I see, but don't call him that anymore. It doesn't sound very nice." "Okay Mommy." I wonder if she heard that word on the playground this morning. Maybe she really did make it up. I am hoping the word doesn't pop up again at some inopportune time, like Sunday School.

Everybody knows about me. I really don't have many secrets. For the most part, I am an open book. I guess that is why It infuriates me to learn that some truth has been kept from me. I feel betrayed. I feel that I have a right to know. I feel lied to. Then I lose control and my words hurt the ones I love. "Why didn't you tell me?" "It hurts me that you kept this from me." "If you kept this from me, what else are you hiding?" "I don't know you." "Who are you?" Ugh! That's stupid! They finally confide in me and I put a guilt trip on them. Maybe I need to just expect secrets. Everybody has something to hide. Right? People keep secrets to protect themselves and the ones they love. I have to learn not to take it personally. It isn't about me. It is about keeping hurt, guilt, shame, and anger at bay. If any of you have shared a secret with me and I reacted badly, I am truly sorry. If any of you want to confide in me in the...

Some of you are going to freak out! Are you ready? Here it is. Tuesday was Tater's last day at preschool. We have decided to homeschool! The most common reaction to this news is the open mouth stare/gasp. So, I am assuming that you readers will have the same reaction. Resume breathing and close your mouth. This has not been a quick or easy decision to make. We have been praying about homeschooling for some time now. Last weekend I finally got peace about it, so we did it. Our city is a huge homeschooling community. We will have plenty of support. We are going to join a local support group and possibly a local co-op. I am looking to them for advise on curriculums, field trips... Ah, yes. What about socialization? Tater will still attend Sunday School, Kid's Church, ballet lessons, MOPS meetings, La Leche League meetings, birthday parties, and playdates. I am thinking about some sort of music class. I need to discuss that with yardboy $$$. This week has been fun. We worked on let...

It has always been difficult for me to talk about my relationship with God. I tend to get very self-conscious. I wonder if I am offending the listener. What if they don't believe? What if I embarass myself? I have to get over this, so here it is. I have been on my journey with Jesus since I asked him to be my savior at six years old. Sometimes the road was as smooth as silk. Other times it was it was very rough. I've had times when I sought God with all of my heart, and times when I all but denounced Him. I found that I was a miserable woman when I wasn't living for God. I know things may not always be great, but I also know that God can get me through anything life (or death) throws at me. I have to be a believer. I don't have a choice. Without God I am a pitiful excuse for a woman. Friday and Saturday I went to a women's conference at a local church. The praise and worship was amazing. The speakers delivered inspired messages. God did amazing things in me. Extrava...

My parents and brother gave me a Bible for my 29th birthday. It is side by side New International Version and The Message. I read this today and it was amazing! Matthew 5:1-12 (New International Version) The Beatitudes 1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying: 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of...

Yardboy helped me put the video of his theme song on my blog. Thanks.

Last night Yardboy and I took Tater to the ballet. My dear friend gave her a kid membership to our local ballet company. Tater's ticket was free and we got our tickets at a discounted price. Thanks W. Tater was so excited. She got to wear her new dress, shoes, socks, and hair bows. She really enjoyed getting all dressed up. I pulled her hair up and she pranced around asking, "How do I look." When we told her that she looked great she said, "Gracias." We forgot to say "De Nada" sot she reminded us. Grammy came over and cared for Little Man while we were out. Thanks, Mom. We sat in the very middle of the front row, so nothing obstructed Tater's view. I am pretty sure she flashed the musicians in the pit a few times. We had a great time. I think this experience has really peaked Tater's interest in ballet class. We are looking forward to seeing The Nutcracker with W and her family this December.

Little Man is feeling so much better! All of his spots are gone and he is a much happier camper. Whew, one more childhood illness out of the way. His tests all came back normal. We have to repeat the CBC in one month, but I didn't ask why. He goes back to the doctor for his 18 month checkup in November.

Little Man's last few days have been rough. Friday I took him to the doctor for his 15 month checkup. Dr. M said that he looks wonderfully healthy and is developing normally. He is just really small, below the 3rd percentile for weight and height, as he has been for quite some time now. He weighs 17 pounds 5 ounces. After taking Tater's lunch to preschool and paying for her to stay late, Little Man and I went to get blood drawn and have a bone age x-ray done. He was so brave! The lab tech that drew his blood was a pro, and she was so nice. Little Man didn't even flinch. Thanks for praying, everyone. We had to wait FOREVER in the radiologist's office. Thank goodness they have a great kids' play area. Little Man did a great job for that too. On the way back to pick up Tater, Little Man crashed for a nice long car nap. Such hard work. Our evening was pretty uneventful. We played, ate dinner, took a bath, and went to bed. In the wee hours of Saturday morning Little Man ...

I have been sitting here for 30 minutes and I can't think of anything intelligent to say. This is pretty sad. Writer's block already. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.