A Day in the Life of Ralene

Last week, we discussed the steps anyone who wants to be a writer should take. One of the suggestions was to make time in your schedule to write. After all, how will you ever be a writer if you don't get to write?

Now, I know in this day and age we have so much to keep us busy. If you're anything like me, you have everything from work to family to house to writing. Oy! It all adds up!

People keep asking me, both on the blog and in real life, how I do it all. Honestly, I'm bewildered because I definitely don't think I have it all together. There are days when I am stressed beyond belief. Still, I thought I'd give you a peak at "A Day in the Life of Ralene". Then, on Wednesday, I'll offer tips and tricks for carving out a schedule that works for YOU (not me, YOU).


A Day in the Life of Ralene:

5:45-Alarm goes off

5:45-6:45-Quiet time and morning rountine

6:45-8:00-Emails/Blogs/Social Media
7:00-Wake up kids (if they aren't already)
7:30-Breakfast (yes, I'm a horrible mother, I check my emails during breakfast)

8:00-9:00-Misc, sometimes I clean, sometimes I finish up emails, sometimes I help the kids get ready for the day

9:00-11:30-School
9:00-Baby goes down for nap

11:30-1:00-Lunch and cleaning

1:00-3:00-Kids rest time, me writing blogs/reviews

3:00-5:00-Free time to hang with kids/watch a TV show/read

5:00-Start on dinner, we usually eat about 5:45/6

7:00-Hubby takes over with kids, writing for me

8:00-Bedtime for kids

10:00-Reading

10:30-Lights out for me


For me, this is a good balance. It offers time for the things that need to be done (housework, school) with the things I like to do (writing, spend time with family).

Of course, this is an ideal day. I have to keep myself flexible for the needs of those in my life--family, friends, church family. Sometimes I'll have a week that needs to be more writing focused (like when I am prepping for a contest), or one that is more family dependant (like when I have a sick kid or there's a holiday).

The first thing that suffers if things get out of whack is the houskeeping. It's my least favorite, so I have absolutely no qualms with putting off dusting until tomorrow...or the next day, or the next. If that goes on for too long though, I go into cleaning overdrive!

So, that's a glimpse at my day and what goes on. Stay tuned because on Wednesday, I'll offer tips and tricks for making your schedule work for you.

In the meantime, what about you? What do you do to get it all done?

Boxes, Boxes...What's a Tsunami?

Okay, contrary to the title, I do know what a tsunami is. It's that thing that drowned New York in the move "The Day After Tomorrow". It's also the thing that hit Hawaii really early this morning. Guess what?

I slept through it.

I know, it's bad to say, but I did. We're far enough inland and up high enough that we were unaffected by the waves. The coastal areas were hit, but so far no major damage...at least not compared to the coast of Japan.

I awoke this morning, not thinking about much. I set the kids up with some cartoons and turn on the computer. I started to contemplate breakfast as I pulled up Facebook. Voila...a bunch of posts on my wall expressing concern and prayers. Um...did I miss something? Oh wait, there was supposed to be a tsunami last night. (Yes, sometimes I'm a little slow in the morning)I rushed to find my phone--sure enough, voicemails and texts. Oy! Darn that time difference!

First thing I did after that was call my mom.

Since then, I've been trying to update everyone. I hate that I made everyone worry so much. I wish I had been up earlier so that I could have assured everyone I was okay.

Now, though, my prayers go up for all the people in Japan who suffered, not only a earthquake with hours of aftershocks, but also a 23-foot tsunami.

At some point, I'll get back to unpacking. :)

Boxes, Boxes...Where'd the Baby Go?

Just kidding!

We didn't lose the baby. I don't think. Wait...where'd he go? *big grin*

So, yes, today we are knee-deep in boxes, well, more like chest-deep. They are stacked in every corner, by every piece of furniture. Whereever you turn...there they are. I'm imagining a Stephen King novel called "Attack of the Cardboard Boxes". Yeah, pretty scary stuff.

For now, NO ONE is allowed to touch them. No one but ME! That's right. I prefer to do the unpacking all by myself. That way everything goes where it needs to go and not just thrown around. Hubby doesn't argue because he hates moving/unpacking. He takes the kids to the park, to the store, out for dinner...and I get set up house. LOVE IT!

It's amazing to me that our whole lives are packed into all these boxes. Each one a small snapshot of our lives. From a vox of DVDs to a tub of toys, what do they say about us? I'm sure I'm being too philisophical for a mid-week blog post, and it's probably because I'm too tired. Maybe once the insanity recides, I can see more clearly and turn this paragraph into a more formal post.

I'll keep this short for now. These boxes aren't going to unpack themselves. Although, how cool would that be? In the meantime, how do you feel about moving--love it, hate it? Any good moving stories out there? Let's dish!

Anticipation

The long awaited day arrives tomorrow.

My family finally gets to move into our very own house!

I cannot tell you how we have counted down the days, hours, and minutes. It has been a long, frustrating road. Let me give you just a peek at the past few months.

On December 6th, 2010, movers came to pack our stuff up and haul it off to be shipped to Hawaii.

On December 13th, hubby and I dropped the van off in St. Louis for it's long trip overseas. Then proceeded to take our 30 day vacation (a little less than 30 days).

On January 9th, we began the 14 hour trip from St. Louis, to LAX, and finally to our home state for the next few years...Hawaii. We check into the nice little inn on post.

February 8th was our original move in date, but due to circumstances beyond our control, we lost the house. A new move-in date was set for a different house--March 4th. Did that happen? Nope.

Here it is--tomorrow is March 8th and we'll finally be in our new digs.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




On just as happy of a note, my youngest daughter celebrates her 4th birthday today! Unfortunately, we don't get to celebrate quite as fully as we normally like to, as we are hurriedly packing up the room so we can move tomorrow. However, we plan to throw a family party on Tuesday evening.

Four years ago, I lay in hospital room surrounded by my mom and two sisters (husband was deployed at the time...he has a knack for arranging that when I'm pregnant). Labor was induced at about 8 in the morning, and Kyra arrived 8 1/2 hours later with only a few issues.

Today, she is a excitable drama queen with lots of energy. She's rarely without a smile and she loves to be the center of attention. Her favorite color is pink and she is obsessed with princesses. That's what she is...our lil' princess.

Happy Birthday, darling!

A Small Hop to Hawaii

My how time flies when you’re moving! I can’t believe it’s the new year already—and we’re in Hawaii. If you’ve never moved over the holidays (or with the Army), let me tell you, it’s quite the experience. I’ve never done an “overseas” move with the military before, and there’s a lot that goes with it—from figuring out how to get your vehicle to where you’re going, to planning the best way for you and your family to get there in one piece (i.e. not throwing your hubby out of the plane at 28,000 feet).

Our entire journey was quite the…um…yeah.

As you all know, we took thirty days to visit our families before we made the little hop to Hawaii. Originally, our plan was to fly out of Virginia after visiting with my family—but the Army wouldn’t pay for that, and if we paid for the tickets and got reimbursed, we would have been out a thousand bucks. So…we had to make our way back to St. Louis. There was this whole vehicle situation b/c our van was already on its way to Hawaii, so all we had was our car, which my sister in Virginia was buying. With a little give and take, we ended up taking our car to my in-laws, who then followed us to St. Louis with the plan to take the car back with them and meet up with my sister at a later date.

So, we get to St. Louis on Saturday to stay the night because our flight left at 10:25 on Sunday. At about 12:45 in the morning, my husband gets a automated phone call saying that our connecting flight to Dallas was canceled. What!? (Side note: We had to get to Hawaii on Sunday because hubby had to be at work Monday morning) We spent the next hour on the phone trying to reach American Airlines—only to find that their computers were down. Call back later.

The next morning we call again. The nice agent was able to get us on a flight to LAX and then on to Hawaii. Great! Problem? It leaves in two hours—and we’re not packed (nor have we had breakfast). Rush, rush, rush—we make it to the gate with twenty minutes to spare.

This is the first flight for all my children. They survived the four and a half hour trip to LAX with little trouble. Some fighting there at toward the end, but nothing too major. Well, except for the constant complaining about being hungry, but who could blame them. We didn’t have breakfast. Did you know that American Airlines does not serve complimentary snacks? Not even peanuts! Grrr…

When we got up above the clouds though, Kyra asked me, “Are those clouds?”

“Yes.”

A big smile crossed her face. “Where’s God?”

Then we had a five hour layover at LAX. Oh boy… During this time I discovered a huge whole in my pants, and I’m not kidding when I say huge. I was so embarrassed I wore my jacket tied around my waist. Yeah. The girls were getting antsy having to wait all that time. We made a few trips to the restroom, but mostly, while our gate was empty, I let them run around. May not have been very proper of me, but I know how energetic my kids are.

The second flight, the girls slept most of the way. Connor, however, was just fussy, fussy, fussy. I think he was getting tired of being cooped up all day. Car seat, stroller, car seat again… So everyone got to sleep, except for me. Again, they didn’t have any complimentary snacks as we flew over dinnertime. I don’t think I’m so much a fan of American Airlines.

At last, we make our decent into Hawaii and it’s dark out. How’s that for fun? We spend about an hour waiting on our ride, and finally arrive at the inn where we’re staying at like 11:30. This is when we find out that, instead of a suite like we hoped, we’re staying in an hotel room. A hotel room for up to 60 days—with 3 kids, 3 energetic kids. Yes, I’m counting Connor because he’s crawling and getting into everything.

Anyway, hubby goes to the convenience store to get us some dinner (finally!) Just as he returns to the room, the electricity on like half the island goes out. Did I ever mention my girls are afraid of the dark? *sigh* Everyone to bed…

When the electricity went out, all the lights were on, as well as the TV. Three hours later, when everyone was asleep, the power came back on—along with everything else. Yeah…I needed the whole next day to recover.

Then it rained. And rained. And rained. Rained so much at one point, the hotel started to flood and they put sandbags in front of our door. Luckily, we’ve had an afternoon or two of sun to let the kids get out a bit, and on Saturday it was just gorgeous. We got out and did some exploring. Next? The beach…if the weather holds out.

On a completely different subject. You have to check out the new blog I'm writing for with one of my blogging friends. It's a website for women about getting back to the basics of life and remembering who we are as women beyond what society says.

Encourage. Empower. Extend.

Let's Share! -- Thanksgiving Traditions

As a child, I always looked forward to Thanksgiving. Most years my family headed out to my grandmothers for the weekend. Now, this may not sound too exciting, but you'd have to know my family. Here are some important stats:

1. My grandmother had 9 kids--all married--all with at least 2 kids of their own. Talk about a full house!

2. My family is VERY big on board/card games, and people are always bringing new games to try out.

3. One of the favorite things for the kids was BINGO. The parents collected little prizes throughout the year and put them in a big box. Yay!

4. BIG family means LOTS of food. I mean TONS! (And not just for the actual Thanksgiving Day event)

5. My grandmother lives in the middle of nowhere. This means all kinds of things for kids to do outside. Dig holes. Play ball. Walk the creek. Go deer hunting. Play with electric cattle fences.

6. Nothing compares to the wonderful feeling of togetherness when surrounded by family.

Now that most of the grandkids are grown and having kids of their own, Thanksgiving isn't quite the same. Not everyone makes it out anymore. A lot of the family has diabetes, so the food has changed as well. Still, I retain those fond memories from childhood of a true Thanksgiving complete with all the trimmings of family.

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions? Memories?

Love Begins at Home

“You are the bows from which your children, as living arrows, are sent forth.” --Kahlil Gibran

We often wonder how we are supposed to raise our children in this era, when there are so many demands on our time and our energy. After all, we’re not superhuman. So how do we instill our children with good things…love, compassion, patience, perseverance?

It begins with a decision.

What are your priorities? Where do your children fall in your life?

Children are a blessing from God, and we are entrusted with their care and their rendering. Below our relationship with God, our family should be the most important thing in our life, whether male or female.

So the first step is to decide to put your family first. This decision naturally leads into the second step.

Make time.

For a typical day, right down everything that you do—anything requirements on your time. As a busy mom myself, I understand that much of this list cannot be shaved any shorter than it already is. However, you can work in time with your children.

- Car ride to and from school/sports/activities

- Nightly dinners

- Have children help with cleaning, talk while you work together

- Family Night

- Take a half an hour to do something with them—help them with their homework, read them a bedtime story, paint a girl’s fingernails or help a boy with a model car.

- The overall idea is to show the children that they are important enough to devote your precious time to.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

This quote sums up the next step. If you want to teach your children the type of people to be, model these traits yourself. Of course, no one is perfect, we’re going to mess up. We will lose our temper instead of exercising patience. We will give in at times when we should hold our ground. We will say things out of hurt or anger, instead of out of love. But if we make the conscious effort to be the person we want our children to be, they will take notice, even if they don’t seem to.

When we get our priorities straight, spend time with our children, and exemplify the traits we want to teach our children, we’ve taken three major steps to raising good and loving children. Of course, they won’t always model good behavior or make the right choices, but that’s part of learning. They still look to us and trust our guidance. If we show them from the beginning that we are there for them, that trust will remain and grow. Before we know it, the loving and compassionate adults we have raised become parents themselves.

Love begins at home.