Gratitude and Such
I am grateful that Karl started his job today! Hurray!!!! Forward motion! He didn't pass his driving test yesterday - and that was probably good for his ego. I don't think he was taking it very seriously... and now he's got a failure on the books as well as having to inconvenience himself on his day off next week. Learning experiences are good for the soul. Hopefully he'll have his permit by next week, though, and that will be more forward progress.
I am thinking that I'm going to get a sort of "life kit" together for each of the kids as part of Yule. I won't go too crazy. I already got Karl two different gadgets that help with opening jars and bottles to put in his stocking. What I'm thinking about doing for both of them, though, is getting an accordion file or maybe one of the Rubbermaid file boxes and then setting it up with a few pre-made folders - like "Important Papers" and "Job Search" and "Pay Stubs" and "Taxes" or something like that... they are both at the point where they really need to start handling their own paperwork. Yet, I doubt either of them would think to spend the money on something to help them with that. I remember when I was Karl's age, I asked for a file cabinet for Christmas. Ha. I was more motivated to be independent, though.
At any rate - forward progress is good stuff.
We had our last Tuesday class for the year the night before last. Pete and I attended Merry Meet yesterday to hear about the OTO - which was really interesting and sparked a lot of thought and conversation between Pete and I afterward. We managed to get to bed mostly on time, which is good. Tonight is the second-to-last class for the Thursday night class, although I have a couple of other obligations next week in regard to all of that. In between now and next week, I need to prepare a key for the test that they'll be receiving today. For the most part, I tend to know the answers off the top of my head, but lately, I've been trying to "do the homework" that we give out so that I know for SURE I have well-formulated and articulate answers to the questions that are being asked. It just helps me feel truly prepared. So, I want to do that with the test as well... and that's going to take a minute. Fortunately, we have a relatively slow weekend for once. Pete and I are going to go to Holiday Market together on one of the days. Next weekend, we'll have both Britta and Nick again - and then Britta will be here until she leaves for California. So, even though I won't have as much "going out in the evening" stuff to do - I'll still have obligations. It should be OK, though - especially since both Pete and Karl will be working, so it won't be as if the entire house is full of people all day long.
It isn't even December yet, and I already feel like I'm lagging behind for the holidays. But - I need to recognize that as the myth that it is and remain calm. Perhaps I'll decorate the house this weekend while there aren't extra people here trying to watch TV. I'd like to make a new Yule wreath. Maybe Britta would like to help with that when she gets home. Maybe I'll just do it myself.
Primarily, I resolve to remain grateful that I'm so abundant that I can even fret about things at this level. I am grateful for my family (even when they are all in the house at the same time). We are pretty darn fortunate, and I don't want to lose sight of that. Life is a little complicated - but that's primarily because we're all growing and changing. Next year, there will be a little baby toddling about under the Yule tree.
My mom has been on my mind... I've been wishing I had her here to talk to. The events of the past week have really shed new light on a lot of things that she would have some insight into. I often wish I had access to her as a guide. I'm very sad that by the time I really began to need that - she was already gone. I'll just have to wing it - which is what I suspect she was often doing, too.
I am thinking that I'm going to get a sort of "life kit" together for each of the kids as part of Yule. I won't go too crazy. I already got Karl two different gadgets that help with opening jars and bottles to put in his stocking. What I'm thinking about doing for both of them, though, is getting an accordion file or maybe one of the Rubbermaid file boxes and then setting it up with a few pre-made folders - like "Important Papers" and "Job Search" and "Pay Stubs" and "Taxes" or something like that... they are both at the point where they really need to start handling their own paperwork. Yet, I doubt either of them would think to spend the money on something to help them with that. I remember when I was Karl's age, I asked for a file cabinet for Christmas. Ha. I was more motivated to be independent, though.
At any rate - forward progress is good stuff.
We had our last Tuesday class for the year the night before last. Pete and I attended Merry Meet yesterday to hear about the OTO - which was really interesting and sparked a lot of thought and conversation between Pete and I afterward. We managed to get to bed mostly on time, which is good. Tonight is the second-to-last class for the Thursday night class, although I have a couple of other obligations next week in regard to all of that. In between now and next week, I need to prepare a key for the test that they'll be receiving today. For the most part, I tend to know the answers off the top of my head, but lately, I've been trying to "do the homework" that we give out so that I know for SURE I have well-formulated and articulate answers to the questions that are being asked. It just helps me feel truly prepared. So, I want to do that with the test as well... and that's going to take a minute. Fortunately, we have a relatively slow weekend for once. Pete and I are going to go to Holiday Market together on one of the days. Next weekend, we'll have both Britta and Nick again - and then Britta will be here until she leaves for California. So, even though I won't have as much "going out in the evening" stuff to do - I'll still have obligations. It should be OK, though - especially since both Pete and Karl will be working, so it won't be as if the entire house is full of people all day long.
It isn't even December yet, and I already feel like I'm lagging behind for the holidays. But - I need to recognize that as the myth that it is and remain calm. Perhaps I'll decorate the house this weekend while there aren't extra people here trying to watch TV. I'd like to make a new Yule wreath. Maybe Britta would like to help with that when she gets home. Maybe I'll just do it myself.
Primarily, I resolve to remain grateful that I'm so abundant that I can even fret about things at this level. I am grateful for my family (even when they are all in the house at the same time). We are pretty darn fortunate, and I don't want to lose sight of that. Life is a little complicated - but that's primarily because we're all growing and changing. Next year, there will be a little baby toddling about under the Yule tree.
My mom has been on my mind... I've been wishing I had her here to talk to. The events of the past week have really shed new light on a lot of things that she would have some insight into. I often wish I had access to her as a guide. I'm very sad that by the time I really began to need that - she was already gone. I'll just have to wing it - which is what I suspect she was often doing, too.