Hold Me

I had a good week. It was relaxing and peaceful and it was nice to not have any kids to worry about at all. I took a break from the internet and actually enjoyed it a lot. However, now that the kids are back at the house there's more stuff going on. And I'm very frustrated at the moment. I'm finally realizing that I have 3 weeks to find an internship and as of right now I've got no leads. Noone is calling me back, or answering my emails, and I can't find any more opportunities out there. I finally emailed my advisor for connections on her end, so we'll see what happens. I also realized that in a month I'll be living in an apartment and I'm gonna have to pay rent. Which means I'm gonna need a steady income. Which means I'm gonna need a job which is something else that I don't have and need to find. But with the job market nowadays?? It's gonna be ridiculous. I've also been in a strange mood today. Usually I'm super excited to have the kids but I was frankly quite annoyed with them all this evening. I kept wanting to go lock myself up in a room or bathroom and be by myself. I would've gone for a walk but when it's 110 degrees at 5pm...ugh.

I'm also quite jealous of some people. And I'm feeling lonely. The family has plans to go to the water park and Chuck E. Cheese this week but as of right now I'm not wanting to go to either of those places. I know I'll most likely end up going cuz it's good to get out of the house, but right now I just wanna crawl into a hole, curl up and die...or cry. or both. I just need someone to hold me and assure me everything's gonna be ok and it'll all work out in time. Right now is the time when I wish I could literally feel God's arm around my shoulders and his hand on mine, and feel him kissing my forehead and comforting me.

That's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin
Joshua 1:9

Good Life

Today was amazing. It was so nice to be with the entire family again. I laughed so much!!! haha my cheeks still hurt :) we spent the entire day at the pool and i've got the sunburn to prove it hahaha. And I've decided to officially proclaim Sarah as my mini-me. I could hang out with that girl all day every day and never get tired of her. We have the same sense of humor, we think similarly, we both laugh at absolutely everything, we're both easily entertained...it's great. I love this girl. Don't tell anyone, but I secretly think she's my favorite. I know, that's terrible. I shouldn't have favorites! But the way I see it is, they're not my flesh and blood so I can have favorites if I want!! :)

As chaotic as it can be, and as loud and dramatic as it often gets, I would take all 5 of these kids over having just the one ANY day. I love the laughter, I love the random comments, I love the ideas they come up with, I love their personalities, and I love their love for each other. It makes me happy.

And life is really really good through the eyes of a banana munchkin :) :)

Dance, Dance, Dance

Yaaaaayyyyyy!!!!! I AM OFFICIALLY DONE WITH NANNYING BECCA ALL BY MYSELF!!! I can't believe that 2 weeks have already gone by. In some ways it feels like the time went by fast, but I think it feels more like it's been a lot longer. I've slowly learned to be more patient and control myself cuz this was a very hard and trying experience.

Anyways, I'm glad I went through this and could help out the family, but I'm never doing this ever again. Haha...and now I just wanna dance the night away to celebrate the fact that I survived!!! :)

And that's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin. Good night!! :)

Think Good Thoughts

Today is my last day alone with Becca. Woot woot!! I'm excited. But it's kinda crazy to think that two weeks have come and past. And so fast, too!! There were definitely days that I thought dragged on and made me think I'd die before getting to this point, but I made it! And I'm trying to keep a bright and optimistic outlook on today. Even if there are tough moments (which I'm sure there will be), I'm gonna do my best to stay calm and not overreact cuz...today is my last day!! Hahaha. I can't believe it :) I'm so ready to be done and so happy about it that I started out my day by going for a 4-mile uphill run at 6 am. Of course, first I had to readjust my shoelaces on my running shoes cuz the cat got ahold of one of them and it ripped as I was tying it. And now, after having a banana and 2 cups of water, I'm listening to Colbie Caillat -- which I got from my sister yesterday -- and sipping coffee. And thinking that I need more than a banana and liquids for breakfast haha.

Ouch, my abs and obliques are sore...I was too tired to go to the gym yesterday morning at 5 am, so I slept for another hour and a half and did the P90X stretching workout which felt soooo good. And then last night I decided to do the ab ripper. And, I gotta tell ya, that thing makes your core work!! Unfortunately, though, my tailbone is pretty much rubbed raw so it hurts to sit in certain positions. Haha that's probably more information than you needed to know, but I have no shame, friends!! :)

So, I'm thinking good thoughts cuz it's my last day. And then next week is my week to relax. And sleep in. And read a book!! And do whatever else I want...I'll play it by ear :)

And that's life through the eyes of a very happy, tired, good-thoughts-thinking banana munchkin. :)

Ob La Di, Ob La Da

Life is indeed going on...brah! Hahaha ah geez. I'm a fan of the Beatles. They make life enjoyable and happy. And I'm pretty sure they were high when they wrote and probably sang many of their songs hahaha. Oh well. Still entertaining!

So today was a great day until about 5 minutes ago. I woke up before the sun did and went to the gym. And it felt fantastic!! I ran 5 miles in about 45 minutes...maybe less. But unfortunately around mile 4 I accidentally bumped the STOP button with my wrist and had to quickly restart before I lost my groove. Anyways, Becca played by herself all day, went outside for a large portion of it every so often which was nice. And she likes going up to her room and playing with her pillow and hitting the door.

So now for the bad news...I didn't get the internship I was hoping for :( And now I'm extremely sad. and frustrated and i know i'm gonna stress out soon too cuz I have to find one by the time I get back to school. That's one month. Please keep me in your prayers as I try to find an internship, which at this point looks like it won't happen...ugh. If I wasn't staying away from ice cream I'd go indulge myself.

That's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

At Last

Today started out great. I had a great workout at the gym, Becca was in a good mood, my Disney music was shaking the entire house, I got some sunshine and read Psalms while Becca napped, and we even took the dog for a walk together. And then 3:00 pm rolled around. And she started to get grabby. And fussy. And she wouldn't stop crying for a while. I don't know what's gotten into her! I honestly think that she just misses her family a lot. After all, she hasn't seen them for almost 2 weeks! That's gotta be lonely and depressing for her. And I do what I can to help, but most of the time nothing works. She went up to her room so many times today and every time she did, she would close the door behind her. Well, the problem is that they have a thing on her doorknob so that she can't open her door when she's in the room. So she'd be in there for about 5 minutes and then start crying and pounding on the door. So I'd go up and open it and tell her to come down. Most of the time she didn't. She'd close the door again and be fine but then 5 minutes later, lo and behold! she'd by crying and banging the door again! Oy vey...but she eventually came down and was happy spinning in circles for a while or sitting outside. And she went to bed without fussing, and that's always a plus.

So then I thought to myself "At last, some peace and quiet! I'm gonna get me a starbucks drink!" so I went to the only starbucks I know of that is closer than 20 minutes away, but it was CLOSED!!! What kind of starbucks closes before 9pm? I don't get it. So I was sad. And I still am. But I'll just get one when I go to pick up Becca (momma Becca) from the airport on Thursday. Cuz that's the only other SBux I know of...20 minutes away, on the way to the airport. So, that's that. Oh, and today just confirmed to me that I am indeed lactose intolerant. More sad news. Oh well! C'est la vie!!

That's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin, who's desperate for a yummy starbucks iced mocha...or something.

Hakuna Matata

I'd say today has been pretty fantasmic so far. Yes, fantasmic. Not fantastic. I'm in a Disney mood and I think it has to do with this past weekend and how difficult and trying it was. After not being to fall asleep for a couple of hours last night and waking up this morning with my eyelids feeling like they were glued shut, I decided I should probably get some more sleep instead of going to the gym. So I did. I woke up and fed the animals, took the dog out, and brushed my teeth when I heard Becca crying upstairs. And all I could think was "God, please help me get through another difficult day." I don't know why, but she's just been upset for the past few days, and I don't know why! I tried everything I could to get her to calm down, but nothing worked. Except taking her on a bike ride yesterday. But as soon as we got back she was sad again. And she was sad again this morning. So I fed her and changed her and played with her while I ate a toaster strudel without the frosting, and then I took her on a nice long walk. About a half hour into it, however, she started to cry!! I don't get it. So I brought her back and gave her her 2nd feeding and she went upstairs after a few minutes and shut her door. So she's been napping for almost an hour, which I'm so grateful for. I'm thinking she's just overly exhausted cuz she hasn't napped all weekend and she never sleeps in. And after she wakes up I think we'll go for a bike ride at some point, and later we'll walk to the pool. I figure if she's out of the house and doing stuff she's better off than just sitting around the house.

anyways, Disney music has helped bring my mood back up to positive. I figured that and reading through many of the Psalms this morning have helped me start the day out with an optimistic point of view. And i'm hoping it'll get me through the next few days as well. The Bible and Disney music are my saving grace at this point!! Hahaha...oh man. and to think that some people actually believe Disney music is from the devil. Psshh, puh-lease people!! Ridiculous...

I wish you all a very FANTASMIC day and remember... hakuna matata!!! :)
That's life through the eyes of an optimistic banana munchkin.

Oh and one last thing. I'd just like to say that I think it's ridiculous that many people nowadays can't spell. It's sad, but entertaining at the same time. Shouldn't school teach you things like that? BAhaha...oh well.

Seize the Day peeps!! :)

I wonder

about a lot of things. Like, why does time seem to fly by one day, but drag on the next? Why do I seem to understand a person one day, but can't seem to get why they do certain things or act a certain way any other day? Do people actually miss you when they say they do? I know that I don't tell people I miss them unless I actually do. I don't want them thinking that I do. But I know for a fact that some people will agree that they missed the person they're talking to, even though they really didn't. I wonder if it's like the "courteous" thing to do? And sometimes I even wonder what my life would be like if I had decided to go to Houghton College instead of SDCC...or if I actually did transfer and go to UCSD or some other state university and studied anthropology?

Today I've just been thinking about a lot of stuff. There's so much going through my mind right now, sometimes I wonder how it's even possible for thoughts to travel so fast. Or for me to go from thinking one thing to all of a sudden wondering about something completely different and not related in any way. I know there's a myth saying that we only use 10% of our brain...pretty sure that's not true. Cuz if it was, I definitely wouldn't be having as many thoughts as I do. I was also wondering why I decided to come out to Texas instead of starting a job in San Diego so I could continue it throughout the school year. And then I realized that it's cuz I knew this would most likely be my last summer where I could be a nanny. The last summer that I could just go anywhere to get a job instead of worrying about a family or what not...I don't know. I'm in a weird mood is all. Melancholy, some like to call it. I wish I was in Tucson right now so I could celebrate my sister's birthday with her and her fun family...and then I'd go to Phoenix to see my family, too. Soon enough, I guess.

That's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

Happy birthday Seester!!! :) I love you!!!

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

Zip-a-dee-day...my oh my, what an interesting day. I had a nice morning at the gym :) I realized that I can run for quite a while. And I could've kept going! But if I had then it would've been way too late by the time I got back to the house. And I finished both of my papers!! FINALLY!!! The first one was rather easy...just a course reflection answering some questions and that's pretty much it. The other was a bit harder and more in-depth. It was a critique on a book and....yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah. Noone wants to hear about that hahaha. And I don't wanna talk about it! All that matters is that it's over! Hallelujah praise the Lord! I'm finally finally FINALLY done with my summer classes!! That'll take a load off of my shoulders.

Anyways, the day was interesting, like I said. I've discovered that I might possibly be lactose intolerant. I'm gonna do a little experiment over the next few days, or possibly week, to see whether I actually am or not. I'm hoping I'm not, but I guess it wouldn't be the worst food intolerance to have. Better than being gluten intolerant! That would suck big time. And I was planning on going to church today too. So I looked up directions, wrote them down and off I went. Buuuuut guess what? Google maps was wrong. They told me to turn right instead of left and I ended up going 15 minutes away from the church. By the time I realized it, turned around, and found the church, it was more than halfway through the service. Which means that the pastor would've already started speaking. And I don't like walking into services late like that. So I drove back to the house. And that's probably a good thing, too, cuz Becca ended up having a very gross poop and I just threw her in the tub for 45 minutes or so to have a break haha. She loved it though :) I'm glad she likes baths. Always makes my last couple of hours of the day an easy time.

Well, I've got nothing else to talk about. My life isn't all that exciting. And right now I'm glad it's not cuz I'd be so overwhelmed and stressed out that I'd probably die. But at the same time I'd rather have more stuff going on and NOT be nannying right now...kids just tire me out. I don't know if I could work with them full-time.

Anyways, that's life through the eyes of an exhausted, overwhelmed, and often frustrated banana munchkin who just wants the summer to end. Nighty night!!


"Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
            ~Matthew 11:28

One of those days

I am not motivated to do anything today. I have two huge papers to write by Sunday. They're the last things I have to do and then I'll be done with my summer classes. You'd think that I'd be so excited that I'd just get down to work and get it done! But no. I'm so tired and over these topics that I just wanna give up and let it be what it is. But at the same time I know that I'll beat myself up over and over and over cuz I'll know I didn't do my best. But how can I do my best when I have no motivation?? *sigh* I just don't know anymore. And it's not like I'm distracted or busy with Becca, cuz she's been napping almost all morning, so I really have no excuse. I just can't seem to start writing. It's days like these when I wish I was in San Diego, sitting in the Living Room Cafe with a small coffee (or iced coffee since it's so hot) with my Pandora station playing in the background. I'm able to get a lot more done when I'm out and about as opposed to being in my house (or a house I'm currently living in). Is there a quick remedy for senioritis? Is there a pill I can take or something I can eat or drink that will make me motivated enough to write these papers?? Oy vey...I need help!!!! Waaahhhh!!!!!

And that is woidjnjndsoighsdfioj...life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

What A Miracle

I've survived one full week with Becca. And it went by faster than I thought it would. The days go by slowly, but the week goes by fast. Thank God for that!! Becca's nails are getting long and she doesn't know how to control herself so I've got some scratch marks on my hands and arms. It's ok though cuz I know she doesn't do it on purpose. However, she does like to scrape at her right arm with her left hand. It started worrying me at one point cuz she kept hitting her arm with her nails and now there are red marks on her shoulder :( poor thing. But she doesn't mind. I just don't want people thinking i abuse her! That'd be bad. I'd cut them, but I don't know how short they usually cut her nails and I don't feel comfortable doing that...Plus, they told me not to worry about it cuz they'd do it when they got back. So that's another reason why I'm not gonna do it haha.

Today was a good day, though. I woke up early and went to the gym (something I'd like to do more often from now on). then when I got back I did quite a bit of homework which made me really glad. I still have a lot to do, but not as much as I did before today. I just can't seem to find the time to do that...Or enough time. one of these days I'll just have to stay up late to finish everything and then I'll just make sure to nap when Becca naps. It won't be so terrible...hopefully. I'm looking forward to the week after next, cuz I'll be off duty all week! It'll be nice...no kids for an entire week :) relaxation time. And then it's the kids again for a couple more weeks and then before you know it I'll be back in Phoenix and then back in San Diego. This summer is going by much faster than I thought it would and I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not.

Well, friends, I'm exhausted. So i'm off to bed! Early, yes, but I'm gonna work out again in the early morning...before the sun comes up. Yeah, I'm crazy. It'll be worth it though...always is.

And that is life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

At This Moment

...I'm very exhausted. I don't even know why, cuz I got plenty of sleep last night and I really didn't do all that much today. But nevertheless I'm pooped. I was planning on going for a run this morning but when my alarm went off I couldn't even open my eyes. So then I thought it was ok that I didn't go cuz I went last night after putting Becca to bed. So I decided to sleep for another hour or so but ended up sleeping til 8:30. WOW!!! I didn't think I was that tired. And then I proceeded with the usual stuff that I do every morning. But today, of all days, Becca didn't wanna nap. Usually after I give her her 2nd feeding she's out for like 3 or 4 hours cuz of the meds that I put in it. But not today! She didn't nap at all actually. Every time she'd lay down on the ground or the couch, she'd be back up within 5 minutes and playing or going outside...sheesh! And then I had my interview so I put her in her room, cuz I didn't want her terrorizing the house and I figured she'd fall asleep, right? WRONG! After my interview (which went really well so thank you all for your prayers and good thoughts!) I went up to get her and she was butt naked sitting on the floor. Aaaaand her sheets were covered in poop. yup, that's right! Poop. Luckily none of it got on the carpet, but she was covered in it and her clothes were covered in it. So I took everything outside and hosed it off (her included!) and then threw it all in the wash after putting some fresh clothes on her. I realized part of the reason why she was naked is cuz I put her in shorts that didn't have a drawstring, so they're easy to take off. And I also hadn't changed her before my interview, so it's partly my fault for poop going everywhere. I took her on a couple of walks today and I took Fenn out a few times as well, and I even did a half hour of P90X Plyometrics to make up for not running today. I would've done the whole thing but Becca had been in the tub for almost 45 minutes by the time I was halfway through the workout, so I paused it and then by the time I got her in bed and cleaned up her mess I was too exhausted to do anything else. So, I decided that I'm gonna either run or hit the gym tomorrow morning before waking her up. So going to bed this early is gonna pay off! Yay! And I'm sure I'll have no problem falling asleep tonight. I'm absolutely exhausted!!!

I hear back from Ryan Rogers (the guy who interviewed me) sometime next week. They're finishing up all their interviews this week so that they can make a decision soon. It's nice cuz if I don't get it I can look elsewhere, but if I do then I can finally stop looking! Yay! This place seems amazing. I really want this internship, but the competition seems fierce. He made it sound like there are a lot of people applying and he asked a lot of questions that were training-related and my expertise and stuff, so we'll see what happens. I was honest and he was easy to talk to and I wasn't nervous once the introductions started, so maybe he'll see that I really want it and they'll hire me. But I don't know. He didn't say anything that made it sound like I would get it, but he didn't say anything that made it seem like I wouldn't either. So, my fingers are crossed and I'm constantly praying that this is the place. He's a guy I can definitely see myself working with, I agree with all of their core values and their mission statement, AND they're supported by under armour which I think is really cool :) So I can advertise their stuff! Haha, like I don't already? :)

Well folks, that's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin. Nighty night!!




10 more days!!

Pray

Please pray for me! I just got an email this morning from Ryan Rogers, who is a supervising personal trainer at Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego. I had emailed him a week or two ago about possible internship positions at their studio and he asked me if I could skype tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday the 13th) at 1pm Pacific Time. Eeek!!! I'm so excited. I don't wanna get my hopes up or anything, but he's the second person who's responded to my emails and phone calls and what not, but the other place isn't even sure if they'll have a spot open by the time I get back to SD. So, if all goes well, I may become an intern at Fitness Quest 10 next semester! I'm really nervous, because I've never had an interview via Skype before, but I guess in some ways it won't be as nerve-wrenching as a face-to-face interview, right? Anyways, I'm really excited because this place seems to be really good and I completely agree with their mission and core values.

So, friends, if you wouldn't mind, please be praying for me tomorrow at 1 pm, because this interview is happening and it's the only lead I have for an internship.

And that's life right now through the eyes (and of course the rest of the body) of a banana munchkin! :)

Please Be My Strength

Ever since one of the bands at school sang a song by 'Gungor', I've loved listening to his album. He has such a unique voice and he sings words filled with truth and vulnerability. He's very open, it seems, about his feelings toward God. And this song just struck a chord in me (no pun intended haha). Although he is referring to his faith and needing God to strengthen it, I'm sure everyone can relate to it in some way or another.

Today was a hard day for me. I should've known it was gonna be difficult when Becca broke a casserole dish around 9 in the morning, shortly after I'd fed her and had to make some more formula. She took advantage of my back being turned and reached in for some kind of plastic placemat, which was underneath a whole bunch of dishes and luckily, luckily, only one broke. And then she decided to strip off her clothes twice. Not once, but twice!! and she tried to do it another time but I caught her and stopped her. She was really grabby and needy today, though, and that made it a hard and tiring day. I yelled a couple of times, something I'm not proud of at all. But it was more directed towards myself cuz I was just so frustrated. I didn't know what she wanted and she kept going upstairs to try and get naked or grabbing at stuff or shoving blankets and scarves into my hands wanting me to hold them up for her. She's really not all that much work, but it gets old after a while. I finally took her for a bike ride towards the end of the day, which I thought would help with her behavior. And it did, for a while at least. And then she was needy again. And the dog gets up and follows me every time I do something, even if it's just to refill my water glass, or go to the bathroom. And that gets annoying after a while, too.

12 MORE DAYS

I can definitely tell that my patience, my confidence in myself, and my faith are all being tested. I had a minor breakdown today, when Becca kept doing something that I kept telling her not to do, when the dog kept pawing at me, when the cat kept meowing for whatever reason (I never figured out what it was) and I was trying to fix up some formula/feeding for Becca I think. I wanted to give up. I wanted to call Matt or call his ex-wife LeAnn and tell either of them that I couldn't do this. That I can't handle being with one kid 24/7 and having to live the life of a non-working single parent for two weeks. And then a wise friend reminded me that God never puts us in situations that we can't handle. They may be situations that will push us right to our limit, situations that will stretch and pull is in various directions at the same time, but whatever those situations may be, we can handle them. And this is one of those situations for me. So, thank you friend, and you know who you are. And momma, thanks for the phone call. It was nice to hear your voice and be able to talk to someone who actually responds to me when I speak to them :)

I was reading Job today. And I just realized that I should've been thinking about that when I thought I was having such a hard time with Becca and the pets! Honestly, now that I think about it, Job is probably one of my favorite characters in the Bible. He's and inspiration. He loved and praised God even in spite of everything he went through. So, Job and Gungor have both spoken to me today, though I didn't realize it until just now pretty much.

And that's life through the eyes of a drained and exhausted banana munchkin.

Gungor: "Please Be My Strength"
So please be my strength
Please be my strength
'Cause I don't have any more
I don't have any more

I'm looking for a place
Where I can plant my faith
One thing I know for sure

I cannot create it
And I cannot sustain it
It's Your love
That's keeping me

Who's Crying Now

Seriously!! I feel like there's someone whimpering or crying or whining or being super needy for attention at least half of the time. If it's not Becca who's sad that she threw her blanket over the railing and I didn't jump up to retrieve it for her, then it's the dog cuz I closed the bathroom door so I could pee! Or it's the cat cuz she wants food (again!) or maybe it's Becca cuz I had to run out to the garage real quick. Or cuz I closed the bathroom door to pee. Sheesh! Such cry-babies and needy people in this house. What did I sign myself up for??

Becca sleeping soundly. It's the only time I can
get a good picture of her not moving.

There were good parts of my day though. I decided not to go for a run this morning, partially cuz I said that it's Sunday and that's my day of rest, and partially cuz I could not open my eyes at 6, and also cuz I figured it'd be a long day with Becca and I'd need all my energy. So I didn't run. Instead, I took Becca on a nice long walk at 8:30am and then again at 7pm. It was actually quite a workout! First of all, the neighborhood is built on a hill. So no matter which way I go, I'll always end up walking uphill for at least half the time. Second of all, it's super hot and humid here in Lantana, TX. Right now, at 10pm, it's 93 degrees and 39% humidity. and I think that's NICE!! During the day it gets up to 110 and who knows how humid it is?? And third of all, Becca is 11 years old, about 5 feet tall, and weighs somewhere between 75 and 90 pounds I'd say. So pushing her around in a stroller that was clearly not meant for long, hard walks was quite a task. And in the morning I did it in my flip flops, resulting in blisters on both of my pinky toes :( ouch.

But I think I've devised some plans for the next couple weeks. I'll run in the morning, as usual, do my morning stuff with Becca, and when she starts to get grabby in the late morning/early afternoon I'll take her on a bike ride. And then in the evening, when she gets grabby again, I'll take her for a walk or go to the pool. That'll give us both plenty of outside time, Vitamin D, and keep us both happy and active. And also, at some point, I gotta get to the library to rent the last book of the trilogy I've been reading. I finished the entire book "Red" today. It was so good! And having not watched any TV today, it does not sound appealing to me anymore. So I'm hoping schoolwork keeps me busy this week so I can keep myself distracted, and that books will keep me busy next week so I can be distracted again. I'm not a huge television fan. But the family is, so I'm trying to keep it off as much as possible. Cuz once those kids get back from vacation, SpongeBob SquarePants will be playing every morning and then I'll be the one crying.


That's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

Faith

I've been reading through the Bible, starting in the Old Testament, and reading a chapter of Proverbs every day. And sometimes I'll read something from the new testament as well. Anyways, I'm not in Esther, and I gotta say, she is definitely an inspiration. She was strong, courageous, wise, and had extreme faith. I mean, seriously, who would barge into the king's court, knowing that they'd most likely get killed? That takes guts. And Proverbs is all about wisdom and folly. Esther just seemed to always have the right thing to say. I wish I could be like that. It just shows that there's so much growing I have ahead of me. I just have to remember Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Always something to think about.

Well, the second full day with Becca was nice. She woke up, played, went outside for a bit, took a nap on the couch, woke up and played for a bit longer and went outside again (she just loves the sun and the heat!), went back up and took another nap, and then was downstairs after that. There were moments during the day when time seemed to go by super slowly, but overall the day went by pretty fast. I even took her on a bike ride later in the day, which she loved!! And now my butt hurts. There's something about bicycle seats that just aren't comfortable at all. It was a good day. I got some more sunshine and reading into my day :) These two weeks aren't gonna fly by, but at the same time I don't think they'll drag on either. They'll go by at a nice pace, I'm hoping. Maybe we'll go swimming tomorrow...hmm.

There were a couple times today when my patience was tested, and I know I have some more stuff to work on. And faith is definitely at the top of my list.

That's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

Sunshine on my Shoulders

Day one with just me and Becca = SUCCESS!! :) of course, it helped that she basically slept all day haha. I swear, I was only really with her for about 5 hours. IF that. It was so weird. I heard her at 6 am when I woke up and went for my run. I was gonna get her after I got back and put her in the bath while I took a shower and got ready, but she was fast asleep when I got back. So I kept her door cracked open so I could hear her when she woke up and that wasn't til 9 am. That's so odd for her to sleep in so late! She then came downstairs, I fed her, she played with her blanket, spun around in circles while looking up at the ceiling, and she even went outside and enjoyed the sunshine for a bit. And then she came in, went upstairs, and slept some more. that was 11ish and she slept for a good two hours. Then I went upstairs, changed her, fed her, and she followed me downstairs where she entertained herself for quite a while. But then she went upstairs and played with the shower curtain for a while, came back downstairs and was kinda grabby so I gave her apple sauce and she was fine. I was planning on playing with her til dinner/bedtime, but she went back upstairs and slept...AGAIN! What the heck?? This girl is ridiculous! So, basically, she went to sleep around 5:30 and hasn't been back down since. That's another two hours. This girl never sleeps this much! I hope she wakes up soon so I can feed her and take her on a bike ride. Cuz she's gotta sleep tonight, and I don't know if she'll be able to cuz of all this sleeping she's been doing today. I've decided that she either misses her family a whole heck of a lot and is depressed and that's why she's sleeping, or she hasn't been getting enough sleep with all the people here and is getting all caught up. Either way, I hope she's not like this the whole two weeks, otherwise I'll be sad and bored :( Guess I'll find out, huh??


Well, a nice thing about her sleeping all day is that I got some nice outdoor time. The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze, and I was able to read my book for quite a while. The sunshine felt nice, and I'm hoping to get lots of it with Becca these next couple weeks. And after a quiet day, which I thought I'd enjoy, I want Becca to be active and happy and playful again. It makes me smile :)

That's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

One

It's just me and one kid now. I successfully fed her, changed her, and put her to bed. Yay!! Haha, I survived the first 4 hours of just me with her and nobody else. I'm excited for these next couple weeks. And I'm sure I'll have some great days where Becca entertains herself and is happy and chipper all day long, but I'm also positive that I'll have bad days when she's grabby and cranky and needy. So, I'm trying to prepare myself for the worst. I also found out today that from the 25th until the 1st of August I'll be without kids again. But Matt and Becca will be here (for the most part except for work), so I'll go from one kid to no kids and then on the 1st all of the kids come back, and the boys leave on the 9th, the girls leave on the 10th and then the boys come back around the 13th or 14th of August. And then I leave on the 19th. So really, after these two weeks, the worst will be behind me. I can't really believe how fast this summer is going by! It's pretty crazy.

And I have decided to be super active with Becca these weeks. Since she likes bike rides and swimming, I'll be doing that almost every day, and I'm gonna continue running. and I'll most likely play Wii Just Dance 2 every so often, jump rope, go for walks, and who knows what else? I'm sure I'll have to go grocery shopping at least once cuz I have no fruit except for some mandarins, and I'm running low on lettuce. But I'm excited :) This time with Becca will teach me to be more responsible! Yay!

That's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

The Bare Necessities

Food, water, diaper, wipes...yup, that pretty much covers it! Well, tomorrow is my last day with the family before they leave me for two weeks. Eek!! Today was such a weird day. I'm exhausted! And I didn't even go for a run. I woke up to my alarm and snoozed it but didn't hear it and ended up climbing out of bed at 7. That's over an hour later than what I originally wanted! And I was so sluggish I practically crawled to the bathroom to wash my face. the kids were pretty good though. No huge fights that I had to solve. Becca had her moments today where I just wanted to lock her up in her room and go scream into a pillow. But I restrained myself and it actually all turned out to be ok. Oh! I got the next book of the Ted Dekker trilogy at the library today...Red. I'm excited to read it. These next two weeks are gonna be interesting. I feel like I'm gonna be a temporary single mom cuz I'll have a kid to take care of, I'll have to cook and clean, do my homework, go grocery shopping when needed, keep the kid happy, and oh yeah, make sure she gets fed every day haha. In some ways I think it'll be more relaxing than having all 5 of them, but at the same time I feel like it's gonna be more tiring. Cuz I'll have her 24/7 for two weeks. so 24/14!! Except for when I go to church. She goes to child care. So that's like 3 hours out of the 2 weeks that I won't have her haha.

I'm really excited to be cooking for myself for 2 weeks. Any ideas for what I should eat? I have chicken, noodles, and rice and some salad stuff, but I'm gonna have to run to the store ASAP and get more cuz it's not enough. I've taken a liking to celery lately! Weird right? It doesn't even really have a taste, so I don't know why I like it! But lately I've been craving celery and baby-cut carrots with a little bit of ranch. At least I'm wanting healthy foods right? :)

Well, folks, I'm off to bed. I definitely need to go for a run tmw cuz I didn't go today and I ate ice cream. Which isn't a sin, mind you, but when I was already almost full from lunch, it put me over the edge and made me feel like a bloated toad. You know, the ones that float down the stream? Hahaha I don't know why I said that. Exhaustion is slowly setting in. I have a new appreciation for stay-at-home moms with multiple kids. Ay yay yay! thanks for putting up with us, momma! :)

That's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

One More Chance

That's often the phrase I use with the kids here. Today I actually felt like a real nanny cuz I made one of the boys sit in time-out for 5 minutes. He was not happy. But he got over it after 10 or 15 minutes and he loves me again :) Today was just one of those days where all the kids are tired and cranky and overly dramatic and take things extremely personally. And when I say "the kids" I really only mean one of them haha. I think they just didn't get enough sleep last night cuz they were up so late and got up earlier than I expected them to. There was quite a bit of crying today along with hitting and screaming and "well she/he did this to me" and "but that's cuz you did that to me!" and so on and so forth. I had to raise my voice more than a few times. But Matt and Becca are always very surprised at how well I do (cuz they ask for updates and I tell them everything) which is really encouraging.

DAdadaDAAAA!! It's SUPER NANNY!!!

But even in spite of the arguing and the crying and hitting and everyone trying to make me take a side, I still love the little boogers. God only knows why :) We actually spent most of the day NOT watching TV today. It was weird! But super nice. We played Disney monopoly, Apples to Apples, Sardines, and we went to the pool! It was fantastic!! And after my second day with Becca, I am very confident in how to handle her. She's such a delight, and i'm so thankful that she's been in a good mood lately. I'm still trying to get a picture of her smiling, but she always either moves away or grabs my phone...and I don't want her breaking it, so I try to be discreet. One of these days I'll get a picture of her! I'm determined. Maybe while she's napping...that'd be creepy haha. 


Even though there are times when I regret coming here, I'm enjoying my time and making the best of it. The kids make me happy, and it's a fun last job that I can have before having to find something for longer than 3 months. So, it's pretty good :)


And that's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

Fireworks

I hope everyone's 4th of July was fun and that y'all got to see some spectacular fireworks! We had bought some for tonight, but it turns out they weren't all that great. Luckily, though, with little kids, you don't really need anything magnificent to make them happy. Becca (the mom aka Big Becca) and I sat on chairs on the sidewalk and kinda watched our fireworks, but really for the most part we were looking farther out cuz there were some amazing fireworks being shot off over there. We both agreed that those were way better than ours hahaha. But it was still fun. Matt thought he'd be funny and he said he had a surprise for me, and when I stuck my hand out he gave me a toad. It was a little one. I thought it was kinda cute, but all the kids and Becca and the neighbors were freaking out. Logan told me I was gonna get warts and I asked her if she'd still love me and she thought that was hilarious. Needless to say, I doubt I'll be getting any warts anytime soon :)

I experienced another gross, yellowish, creamy, messy poopy diaper again today haha. It wasn't nearly as bad as yesterday's, and I knew that I'd have no problem cleaning it up, but it was kinda funny. Little Becca was getting into a snatch-grabby mood and was just grabbing everything and making us all frustrated (btw, Matt was at a cafe doing homework and Big Becca was working) so I was gonna take her up to her room to take a nap when Logan noticed some orange-ish stuff on the back of Becca's shorts. So I looked at Becca's booty and lo and behold there was poop that had leaked through!! The kids were so disgusted haha, I couldn't help but laugh and threaten them with it, especially since they were all about to eat lunch which consisted of sandwiches and Mac-n-Cheese. It would've blended in quite nicely ;) And I've come to the conclusion that these 2 weeks really aren't gonna be all that bad. When she's in a snatchy mood it's either a dirty diaper or cuz she's tired or she's hungry. So that's easy to figure out. She entertains herself, she cooperates when she's being changed and bathed, and she doesn't know how to get out of her room so I can get her when I'm ready in the morning and don't have to worry about her wandering about aimlessly and causing trouble. It'll be tiring, don't get me wrong, but it'll be just fine.

I've decided that fireworks make me miss my family and close friends. For some reason, it just seems like those are times that should be spent with those who are closest to you and who matter a lot to you in life. So I was a little bummed tonight, and Sarah could tell and I was actually kinda glad that she did, but I know that next year will be different :) Lord willing!!

And that's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

The Moon Was Yellow

Yup, it really was (and that's a song by Frank Sinatra!). I saw it when I went to Wal Mart and Alamo Fireworks with Sarah tonight. Oh man, that was a fun adventure haha. She's so silly and outgoing and laughs at absolutely everything...kinda reminds me of me sometimes haha. I love it. There are definitely times I can tell she's a jr higher, but there are other times where I swear she's mature enough to be in college. But I don't know if that's cuz a lot of college students are extremely immature, or if that's cuz she has her mature moments. Something I can't seem to figure out.

Today was a good day. I kept waking up every half hour or so from about 6am til 8 and I was still kinda tired but I didn't think I was tired enough to fall asleep, so I just stayed in bed for a while. But I ended up falling asleep and not getting up til 9:30. It was kinda nice to sleep in, but I felt kinda bad. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. Anyways, I ended up reading my Bible for a while downstairs while eating breakfast and playing "Say Yes To The Dress" on TLC. Which, of course, got me into thinking about wedding gowns and what I'd want and what is hideous and all that stuff. But then Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back came on and I had to watch it...so I did :) And I had a moment today when I just knew that these two weeks with Becca weren't going to be all that hard. Tiring, yes, but not un-manageable. She was under my watch cuz Matt wanted to call his boss who's in the hospital. She was outside at the time, but when she came in about 3 minutes later she brought in a really bad smell along with this honey-mustard colored crap all over her clothes and legs. Literally, it was crap. So I took her to the back bathroom and started to take her shorts off and gagged so bad I thought I was gonna puke. But I didn't. I ended up cleaning her off, stripping her of her clothes and putting clean clothes on her. I had to clean her legs, her back, her arms, some of her face, I might as well have given her a bath. It was DIS. GUS. TING!!!! After about 10 minutes or so she was back to clean and we ended up playing with a blanket again. Her favorite thing is chasing me in circles while I have a blanket over my shoulders. It's great cuz it's like exercise but not tiring cuz I just walk really fast in small circles and she absolutely loves it! She laughs and makes her happy noises. I'll have to get a picture of her for y'all cuz she really is adorable. 

"Do not be wise in your own eyes;
 fear the LORD and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones."
Proverbs 3:7-8 NIV.

Anyways, it was a fun day. We didn't do much, but it was entertaining and spent with the family. Including the boys who are finally back from their dad's!! Yay! :) We already did our own versions of American Idol and America's Next Top Model hahaha. The boys love runway walks for some odd reason. It's hilarious! Haha

Well, folks, the moon was yellow tonight (along with a few other things not quite so pleasant!). And looking at the moon is peaceful for me. I think I'll sleep well tonight.

And that's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

Oh btw...

Here are two of the girls I'm spending my summer with. Logan, 8, is on the left and Sarah, 12, in the middle. They're such entertaining, wonderful, silly girls and I love being with them. Every day is an adventure and I never know what to expect.

Wouldn't It Be Nice

If life were easy to understand? So, I went to church today with the family and the message was being "in the wilderness", basically, going through tough times. The pastor, something Morrison, talked about how we view troubles and difficulties in life as a bad thing. The suffering or the hardships we go through are really tough, and we whine, complain, and tell God that if he gets us out of this "wilderness" then we'll do something for him in return. Or we promise we'll do better at something. And I know I'm guilty of it. Definitely. Pastor Morrison also talked about how Satan will find us when we're at our weakest and use things that we find comforting and tempt us away from what we should be doing. Going through the wilderness is just a sign that we're doing the right thing, and we'll come out of it stronger and more proud of ourselves. He said a lot of other things that got me thinking, and I've been in a really melancholy, contemplative mood ever since...

Anyways, it's been a fun day! The weekends are basically my off-duty days, so I have no responsibilities. But it's so hard for me to just sit around and not help out. They keep telling me to go somewhere, or hang out in my room, or ignore the kids, but I can't help it. I'm such a people person. And they're only here for another 5 days or so, and then it's just me and Becca for a while. It'll give me time to think of all the things I learned today, among others, and figure out my life. And if you all wouldn't mind, I need to find an internship for next semester. I've contacted so many places over the past few months, but nobody's gotten back to me yet. Any prayers or advice you can send my way is much appreciated :)

Wouldn't it be nice if life were easy?? That's life through the eyes of a banana munchkin.

HOLD ON!!!!

I almost forgot......congratulations to my wonderful brothers Caleb and Nathan for officially being United States MARINES!!!!! Huah!!! :D I'm so proud of you guys!!!

A Hard Day's Night

*sigh* yesterday was such a tiring day. But it was so fun! It's nice to have the girls around again, cuz they're always in a good mood. They do get kinda crazy and loud about every 5 minutes, but it's something to work on :) And Sarah owed me 25 cents yesterday for saying poop or poopy 25 times. And she actually remembered to pay me! Hahaha....we watched Miss Congeniality 2 last night (didn't end til after 1AM -- what the heck???) and then she walked into her room and came back out and put the quarter in my hand. She actually said it a lot less than I thought she would've :)

So, yeah. My day consisted of playing Monopoly Jr., which I LOST, watching lots of Tom and Jerry, Four Weddings, and other shows on TLC, eating of course, and me holding a blanket or scarf and walking around in circles while Becca chased after me. It was her favorite thing to do! I'd put the blanket across my shoulders, she'd stand behind me and push on my back to get me to start walking and then she'd chase after. So cute. Oh, and turns out I'm gonna have her for 16 days, starting on July 7th. Eeeeeek!! But I'm slowly learning what to do and when to do it or how to keep her calm and happy and all that jazz. So I'm not extremely worried. I just know it's gonna be a looooong couple of weeks. Long and tiring. But I'll make some good come of it.

Well folks, that's life through the eyes of a very tired, yet happy, banana munchkin. Happy weekend!!