Busy Bees

Do you ever feel like life is a contest to determine who is the busiest person in the world?  Lately, I've been noticing how everyone (myself included) is out to prove to everybody else that they are the busier person.  We tell others all about the job, school, house, church, and kid responsibilities we have.  When someone with fewer jobs or less kids complains that they have a lot going on, we scoff and roll our eyes thinking, I can't believe they think they're busier than ME!

Why do we feel the need to prove to people that we have more going on in life than they do?  I think it's our way of preparing others for possible failure in our lives.  If everybody understands how overwhelmed I am, maybe they won't judge me as harshly when I drop the ball or mess something up.  Do you agree?

I know so many of my blog posts here are telling you about how busy I am.  I think it's my way of justifying to you why I don't blog often any more.  I think to myself, If they realize how busy I am, they won't be irritated for my lack of posting.  That's stupid.  If we would all focus less on complaining about how busy we are, maybe we'd have more time to do the things we think we don't have time for!  So that's why I'm sitting down to write a post today instead of focusing on the things that need to get done.  Ha!

OK, that's my big revelation for the day.

Speaking of wasting time, I have finally signed up for Pinterest!  I put it off as long as possible because I knew how big of a time waster it is!  But when my MOM told me about something cute she saw on Pinterest, I felt like I was living in the stone age!  I still don't have a Twitter account, which often makes me feel left out.  So I decided it was either Pinterest or Twitter.  Pinterest won.  Wowzers...there's a lot to see and do on there!  Now I'm wondering if I made the right decision?  I feel an addiction coming on!  This is the first thing I want to make...   (Cupcakes in a Jar!)

I have another photo booth job tonight.  It's going so well and I'm really happy with my new "job!"  The other day, my mom said to me, "You're totally running your own business and I couldn't be more proud of you!"  That comment made my day!  There's nothing quite like your mom telling you she's proud of you, even though my mom says it a lot.  This was special to me because I'm kinda proud of myself too!  One day next week, I have two jobs back to back, a half hour away from one another.  If I get lost (which is a great possibility), I will end up being late for the second job.  I probably need to pack a lunch to eat in the car on the way, since I won't even have time to run through a drive-thru before the second job.  NOT THAT I'M COMPLAINING ABOUT BEING BUSY OR ANYTHING!!!

I only have one more thing to say today.  It's kind of graphic, so feel free to stop reading here if you don't want to risk being offended.

On the phone with Hubby this morning, I said, "You know you're a real mom when you're sitting on the toilet, trying to take a dump, and there's a little person standing in between your knees, rubbing your legs and adjusting your underwear!"  He laughed so hard I thought he was going to wreck his truck!  He told me I should put that on Facebook.  I could never say something like that to people I actually know, so I'll say it to all of you guys instead!  Do you have your mental image yet???

I wish you all an un-busy day with red velvet cupcakes and audience free toilet time!

The Happenings

The Loves of my Life

I got an unexpected night off last night so I thought I would sit down and write a quick blog post.  I actually had somewhere to be, but Baby Girl got sick and I ended up at home.  She handles being sick so well...I'm fortunate.

Our family had a difficult week.  My cousins are expecting their second child, due in February.  They were excited to find out the sex of the baby at the regular ultrasound.  They were given the exciting news and my cousin left his wife and daughter there while he rushed off to an appointment.  His wife waited for the doctor to return to do whatever it is doctors do after ultrasound technicians are done.  The doctor entered and said, "Yes, it's as bad as we thought."  Surprised, my cousin asked what in the world he was referring to.  "Didn't the tech tell you about the brain?"  Nervous about the news she was about to receive, she called her husband and told him to get right back.  As luck would have it, he was stuck on the highway with no way to get off or turn around.  She had to take the news alone, with her 5-year old.

She was told that they couldn't see any brain tissue in the ultrasound.  There was swelling in the brain and not enough (or too much?) space between the brain and skull.  I am still sketchy on the details, but the diagnosis was labeled "serious."  Spina Bifida and Down's Syndrome were mentioned.  As expected, the future parents flipped out.  They talked to their parents and agreed not to tell the rest of the family until they had more news.

We got the news Sunday at church.  The expectant parents were to be named the pastors of the church soon after the arrival of their baby.  Due to unforeseen circumstances, they announced the heart-wrenching news to the congregation.  Special prayer was conducted over the family and we planned on using up a lot of faith in the next few months.

Monday, one set of parents flew in from Florida and they all went to the neonatal center together.  The ultrasound was long, and they were given a counselor who would attend all appointments with them from that point forward.  One thing the doctor said is that brain tissue cannot be seen on an ultrasound.  The person who told them that was sorely mistaken.  My cousins were irate.

They were told that the baby's heart and spine were fine.  There was swelling in the brain that was still labeled as severe.  Yet, the parents were told that if the swelling stays exactly as it is now, they have a 70% chance that the baby will not suffer any serious problems.  That was such a huge relief to us all!  The best case scenario is difficulty learning.  That's something we can deal with, so we're all sitting on pins and needles until she delivers.  At birth, the baby will have minimally invasive brain surgery, but we've got several more months to prepare for that.

It really made me stop and realize how blessed I am.  I've always known that, yet I've taken it for granted.  It's hard to find any fault in your own child when you hear what others so close to you are going through.

So, that's what's been on my plate lately.  Both side businesses are thriving, so Hubby and I are working A LOT.  (Another blessing.)  So, I'm tired and worn out, but sleeping like a baby at night.

Hopefully I can keep you better updated, but only when I have extra time.  I've got to take care of life first.

Thanks for reading.  I think of you all often.