Well it's been six weeks since my last post. And I suppose it's been a little busy. Here's what it's been like 'round here in a nutshell:
- My pumpkin carving was a success. I bought and carved it the night before Halloween and it had begun to rot two days later. Just when you're supposed to throw it away anyway.
- A mild version of the stomach bug passed through our house... twice. It wasn't until the second time around that I realized it was actually some sort of a bug. I then proceeded to bleach every non-porous surface and we've been bug free since then.
- Dean and I each had birthdays. We celebrated Dean's birthday at Shula's for the free birthday entree deal. We were planning on doing the same for mine but due to the aforementioned stomach bug, I threw up moments before we were supposed to leave for the restaurant. Good times.
- We had family pictures taken by the amazing Jennifer Powell. It was my dream come true. Dean, Tommy, and Ty would have rather been, well, anywhere else, but they did it because they love me. And when we got that CD back, we were all really thankful!
- We made the trek to Fort Lauderdale for Thanksgiving with my family. The 7 hour drive there took 11 hours because of multiple potty breaks and crazy traffic. But the boys slept the last 4 hours, so that was good. We had a great time with my family and Tommy got to go to his first UM football game. It took two pretzels and a souvenir drink or two, but he stayed for the whole game.
- The fourth annual Inserra family Christmas decorating party happened the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I made a few pots of chili and about 15 people came by to eat and put an ornament or two on our tree. Very fun tradition. The boys even got to stay up past bedtime to help and hang out.
- I agreed to play piano for four events in an eight day span. Not my wisest move, but so far my "Christmukkah" party went great and Christmas on the Moon was beyond incredible. Tomorrow I'll be the accompanist for Tommy's school Christmas program and then my recital is on Sunday. Whew!
- After attempting to spank Ty for his deliberate hitting and biting and simply being laughed at in return, I decided to give the whole time-out thing another go. It was a miserable failure with Tommy and I swore it would never work on an Inserra child. But not so for Ty. In an act of sheer desperation, I put him in the corner near his bedroom one night after a hitting and biting incident and he sat there. He just cried and looked at me and sat there until I got him up. Then when he attempted to bite Tommy later, I threatened another time out and he stopped and walked away. We have success!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Weekend Musings
- The streak lives. I cannot get through a wedding without crying during the mother/son dance. That started when we attended Todd and Judi Doss's wedding the weekend after we found out Tommy was going to be a boy. That was 5 1/2 years ago. And I don't even have to know the couple getting married! Today Dean performed a wedding and I just met the couple yesterday and yes, I cried during the mother/son dance. I know it's ridiculous.
- I love getting the paper delivered to our house on the weekends. It makes me feel like a grown-up. And I get to play a fun little game with myself where I hurry outside and pick up the paper as fast as I can and hope no other neighbors come outside at the same time so they won't see me in my jammies.
- Thanks to my wonderful in-laws letting the boys have a slumber party at their house last night, I woke up this morning and the sun was up. That's the first time this has happened in many months. And it was everything I dreamed it would be.
- Halloween is on Monday and we haven't had our annual pumpkin carving night, where I spend 2-3 hours painstakingly carving an intricate design on a pumpkin that will most likely rot in the next 48-72 hours. Heck, we didn't even buy a pumpkin! I feel awful about that! But I have to admit it's nice to not have a rotten stinky pumpkin sitting on my doorstep.
- Dean and I have been out on the town quite a bit in the last few weeks. And I still have yet to have my ID checked. I know I'm less than a month away from 30, but seriously??? Please just humor me next time and pretend you're not going to let me in unless I can produce a valid driver's license.
- I love Sundays. I look forward to them all week. I think everyone in my house does, except for Ty who hasn't yet learned to read a calendar. Either way, we all love Sundays because we love our church. And that makes me really happy!
- I love getting the paper delivered to our house on the weekends. It makes me feel like a grown-up. And I get to play a fun little game with myself where I hurry outside and pick up the paper as fast as I can and hope no other neighbors come outside at the same time so they won't see me in my jammies.
- Thanks to my wonderful in-laws letting the boys have a slumber party at their house last night, I woke up this morning and the sun was up. That's the first time this has happened in many months. And it was everything I dreamed it would be.
- Halloween is on Monday and we haven't had our annual pumpkin carving night, where I spend 2-3 hours painstakingly carving an intricate design on a pumpkin that will most likely rot in the next 48-72 hours. Heck, we didn't even buy a pumpkin! I feel awful about that! But I have to admit it's nice to not have a rotten stinky pumpkin sitting on my doorstep.
- Dean and I have been out on the town quite a bit in the last few weeks. And I still have yet to have my ID checked. I know I'm less than a month away from 30, but seriously??? Please just humor me next time and pretend you're not going to let me in unless I can produce a valid driver's license.
- I love Sundays. I look forward to them all week. I think everyone in my house does, except for Ty who hasn't yet learned to read a calendar. Either way, we all love Sundays because we love our church. And that makes me really happy!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Has Anyone Ever Done This?
Yesterday I did something completely irrational and not very me-like. I'd like to blame it on age (I'm less than six weeks from being 30!) or just getting too little sleep. But in reality, I can only blame it on one thing: a complete lack of trust in the God that I follow.
I had just finished teaching a piano lesson. Dean had the boys and they were making their weekly visit to Leon football practice. My next lesson had just cancelled so I had a 30 minute break. At 4:30 I heard my phone buzzing and answered it just a half second too late so I missed the call. I looked at it and realized I'd missed two calls in a row from this person. She is a friend of mine, but we never talk on the phone so missing two calls back to back is certainly odd. That's usually what people do when there's something wrong: keep calling until someone finally answers. I thought about what she might want and then it dawned on me that she lives next door to Leon High School, where Dean and the boys were. And my mind went to the next logical conclusion: something terrible had happened to them.
I called Dean and there was no answer. I hung up and called again. Still no answer (disclaimer: Dean is really good at answering his phone, way better than me, and so if he doesn't answer on the second or third ring, you can assume he's in a ditch somewhere... or that he's left his phone in the car).
At this point I'm feeling physically ill. I'm panicked and praying, asking God to protect my family and tell me what to do while I wait to hear from somebody. I knew the best thing to do was wait and pray. So I did. For about 45 seconds. Keep in mind it was only 4:33 at this point. Only 3 minutes had passed and already I was assuming the worst. Then I decided that it was better for me to just drive to Leon and see for myself what awful thing had happened. So I got in the car, called my next piano lesson and explained that I may be late.
When I explained that I was going to Leon because I felt like something horrible had happened, I realized that this may be a bit irrational. But I kept driving because I guess you could say the mama bear instinct had fully kicked in (and I refused to wait and be patient). And kept calling Dean and Beth (the one who had originally called me). Then I began calling anyone who might have heard from Dean or who would be somewhere around the school and could just look out a window and let me know things were alright. I was planning to tweet "In a total panic because I don't know where my husband and children are! Reply if you know anything about their situation!" at the next stoplight (because I don't text while driving and neither should you!).
Instead, when I got to the next stoplight, my phone rang. It was Dean. I figured he was calling me from the ambulance. Nope, he was calling from the football field. I could hear Tommy and Ty running around near him. He apologized for missing my call and said he kept trying to call me but my phone kept going to voice mail. Perhaps this was because I was in the process of calling everyone I knew. I turned around and headed back home, grateful I had left the house in a panic for nothing. And realizing how much easier the last 20 minutes would have been if I had any faith at all in God. But thankful that He would continue to teach me how to do so.
I had just finished teaching a piano lesson. Dean had the boys and they were making their weekly visit to Leon football practice. My next lesson had just cancelled so I had a 30 minute break. At 4:30 I heard my phone buzzing and answered it just a half second too late so I missed the call. I looked at it and realized I'd missed two calls in a row from this person. She is a friend of mine, but we never talk on the phone so missing two calls back to back is certainly odd. That's usually what people do when there's something wrong: keep calling until someone finally answers. I thought about what she might want and then it dawned on me that she lives next door to Leon High School, where Dean and the boys were. And my mind went to the next logical conclusion: something terrible had happened to them.
I called Dean and there was no answer. I hung up and called again. Still no answer (disclaimer: Dean is really good at answering his phone, way better than me, and so if he doesn't answer on the second or third ring, you can assume he's in a ditch somewhere... or that he's left his phone in the car).
At this point I'm feeling physically ill. I'm panicked and praying, asking God to protect my family and tell me what to do while I wait to hear from somebody. I knew the best thing to do was wait and pray. So I did. For about 45 seconds. Keep in mind it was only 4:33 at this point. Only 3 minutes had passed and already I was assuming the worst. Then I decided that it was better for me to just drive to Leon and see for myself what awful thing had happened. So I got in the car, called my next piano lesson and explained that I may be late.
When I explained that I was going to Leon because I felt like something horrible had happened, I realized that this may be a bit irrational. But I kept driving because I guess you could say the mama bear instinct had fully kicked in (and I refused to wait and be patient). And kept calling Dean and Beth (the one who had originally called me). Then I began calling anyone who might have heard from Dean or who would be somewhere around the school and could just look out a window and let me know things were alright. I was planning to tweet "In a total panic because I don't know where my husband and children are! Reply if you know anything about their situation!" at the next stoplight (because I don't text while driving and neither should you!).
Instead, when I got to the next stoplight, my phone rang. It was Dean. I figured he was calling me from the ambulance. Nope, he was calling from the football field. I could hear Tommy and Ty running around near him. He apologized for missing my call and said he kept trying to call me but my phone kept going to voice mail. Perhaps this was because I was in the process of calling everyone I knew. I turned around and headed back home, grateful I had left the house in a panic for nothing. And realizing how much easier the last 20 minutes would have been if I had any faith at all in God. But thankful that He would continue to teach me how to do so.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Fall Things I'm Looking Forward To
1. The smell of cinnamon everywhere I go
2. Sprinkling cinnamon in my coffee. I know I can do it year round and it's very healthy, but it's so much more fun in fall!
3. Great oatmeal concoctions. A bowl of oatmeal is incredibly boring without lots of fun things in it! Seasonal fruits, nuts, and dried yummy things make it delicious... add a splash of almond milk and it's heaven in a bowl.
4. Leaving the AC off.
5. Football. Contrary to what Dean may say, I actually do enjoy football. Even more so when it's not 95 degrees outside. I just don't feel the need to watch it for 12 hours straight. But believe it or not, I do have ESPN radio on my presets in my car. Just sayin'.
6. Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I actually don't care for them that much but knowing that they're only around for a couple months makes me crave them. Call it peer pressure, I guess.
7. An hour less of daylight makes an early bedtime so much easier.
8. Getting to bust out some fall clothes. I happen to love camel and boots make me smile :).
9. Baking cookies. Need I say more?
10. Christmas is right around the corner!
2. Sprinkling cinnamon in my coffee. I know I can do it year round and it's very healthy, but it's so much more fun in fall!
3. Great oatmeal concoctions. A bowl of oatmeal is incredibly boring without lots of fun things in it! Seasonal fruits, nuts, and dried yummy things make it delicious... add a splash of almond milk and it's heaven in a bowl.
4. Leaving the AC off.
5. Football. Contrary to what Dean may say, I actually do enjoy football. Even more so when it's not 95 degrees outside. I just don't feel the need to watch it for 12 hours straight. But believe it or not, I do have ESPN radio on my presets in my car. Just sayin'.
6. Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I actually don't care for them that much but knowing that they're only around for a couple months makes me crave them. Call it peer pressure, I guess.
7. An hour less of daylight makes an early bedtime so much easier.
8. Getting to bust out some fall clothes. I happen to love camel and boots make me smile :).
9. Baking cookies. Need I say more?
10. Christmas is right around the corner!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Soccer's Here!
While Dean may or may not refer to it as a Communist Sport, Tommy has
officially begun soccer season. And yes, Dean is coaching. We had a
special treat this week as his Aunt Sarah (former soccer superstar...
still a superstar in our book) was the guest coach! Here are some of
the finer moments.
 |
| They all ran in a big pack wherever the ball went. Gotta love the girl in the back running the other way. |
 |
| No game is complete without a "Go Lions!" cheer (yes, Dean arranged for our team to be the Lions) |
 |
| Interestingly enough, this is Ty's expression in 98.7% of the pictures we have of him |
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Inserra Family Fun Night
Every Friday night we try to do something fun as a family. It usually involves whatever sport happens to be in season. Last night we took in our first Leon football game of the year. It was also alumni night so they brought back as many former football players and cheerleaders as possible. The boys had a blast at the Leon football field and I had a great time talking to the former hall of fame players and cheerleaders. On a fun note, there were two cheerleaders there who were from the class of 1937! Holy moly!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Raising a World Changer
I've shared with many of my friends (and maybe even on this blog) that I happen to be raising a strong-willed child. This is no easy task and as one who is more on the compliant and easy-going side, it's particularly exhausting. I just can't figure out why he won't simply listen and obey. It's so much easier!! But as Dean has said to me before, he definitely has a "world changing personality". The trick is to harness that and keep him from getting in too much trouble in the meantime.
As Tommy has gotten older, it has become more challenging to shape that spirit, but it's also gotten slightly easier because he is able to communicate so much better. We've had our good days and we've certainly had our bad days, but here are a few things I've learned along the way
1. Prayer: I cannot say enough about the importance of this. I am constantly praying for my family, and when it comes to my children, I'm praying for huge amounts of wisdom on my end and sometimes I'm just praying "Lord, please don't let me just lose it right now!" And I notice the calmness that comes over me as I pray in the midst of a scuffle.
2. Never Waste an Opportunity: Tommy is a pastor's kid, so hopefully he's at least been exposed to the Gospel. That should be said of every child growing up in a Christian home. We've read his children's Bible together. We talk about the truths of forgiveness and repentance and mercy and grace. The key is Deut. 6:7 "Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." We try to turn everything into an discussion on a biblical truth (without overdoing it and making him hate the Bible because it says he can't have a cookie because his body is God's temple and God doesn't want too many chocolate chips in his temple).
The other day I had a couple conversations with Tommy that completely blew me away. We had just had a very large "battle of the wills", if you will, and Tommy had been sent to his room for "freaking out" (one of our house rules is "no freak-outs"). He came out after I told him he could and he told me through his just-dried tears "Mommy, when I was in my room just now, I prayed for God to let Jesus die on the cross for my sins."
Well that about made me cry and so we talked about the fact that Jesus only needed to die once, even for the sin that he just did, even for the sins he'd do the next day and next year and everything. I was thrilled with that conversation, thinking we'd just turned a big corner. Then he came home from school and basically spent the entire afternoon in his room (as a punishment, not because he was being reclusive). I was a little disappointed, to say the least. But the next morning he came out and asked me, "Mommy, why do I keep freaking out like this?" and I said, "Honey, I have no idea." His response was "Well, I feel like I have God on one side and Satan on the other side and it's going Satan, God, Satan God, Satan, God", as he was doing a tug-of-war motion. I explained that he was exactly right and in the Bible it talks about a spiritual battle (he loves battles) and how Satan's the bad guy and God's the good guy and God always wins in the end, but it's important to not listen to the bad guy and let him win the little battles. He seemed to get that and it's opened the door to more conversations like that.
This is an awesome part of parenting, but I admit to know I'll do this all over again with Ty is a bit of an exhausting thought. But at the same time, I can't wait. There's nothing like it.
As Tommy has gotten older, it has become more challenging to shape that spirit, but it's also gotten slightly easier because he is able to communicate so much better. We've had our good days and we've certainly had our bad days, but here are a few things I've learned along the way
1. Prayer: I cannot say enough about the importance of this. I am constantly praying for my family, and when it comes to my children, I'm praying for huge amounts of wisdom on my end and sometimes I'm just praying "Lord, please don't let me just lose it right now!" And I notice the calmness that comes over me as I pray in the midst of a scuffle.
2. Never Waste an Opportunity: Tommy is a pastor's kid, so hopefully he's at least been exposed to the Gospel. That should be said of every child growing up in a Christian home. We've read his children's Bible together. We talk about the truths of forgiveness and repentance and mercy and grace. The key is Deut. 6:7 "Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." We try to turn everything into an discussion on a biblical truth (without overdoing it and making him hate the Bible because it says he can't have a cookie because his body is God's temple and God doesn't want too many chocolate chips in his temple).
The other day I had a couple conversations with Tommy that completely blew me away. We had just had a very large "battle of the wills", if you will, and Tommy had been sent to his room for "freaking out" (one of our house rules is "no freak-outs"). He came out after I told him he could and he told me through his just-dried tears "Mommy, when I was in my room just now, I prayed for God to let Jesus die on the cross for my sins."
Well that about made me cry and so we talked about the fact that Jesus only needed to die once, even for the sin that he just did, even for the sins he'd do the next day and next year and everything. I was thrilled with that conversation, thinking we'd just turned a big corner. Then he came home from school and basically spent the entire afternoon in his room (as a punishment, not because he was being reclusive). I was a little disappointed, to say the least. But the next morning he came out and asked me, "Mommy, why do I keep freaking out like this?" and I said, "Honey, I have no idea." His response was "Well, I feel like I have God on one side and Satan on the other side and it's going Satan, God, Satan God, Satan, God", as he was doing a tug-of-war motion. I explained that he was exactly right and in the Bible it talks about a spiritual battle (he loves battles) and how Satan's the bad guy and God's the good guy and God always wins in the end, but it's important to not listen to the bad guy and let him win the little battles. He seemed to get that and it's opened the door to more conversations like that.
This is an awesome part of parenting, but I admit to know I'll do this all over again with Ty is a bit of an exhausting thought. But at the same time, I can't wait. There's nothing like it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)