Lemons, Planning and Dreams

You know that good old saying . . .

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Well, I have been thinking about that a lot, and it has got me thinking. Lemons and lemonade I am very familiar with. If I was given a lemon, I would know just what to do with it, add some sugar, some water and tada . . . you got yourself some pretty dang good juice.

But what happens when you get something you are unfamiliar with and it just doesn't seem like anything good can come from it?
What if you just don't have the right stuff to make something great out of it?
What if you just don't have the stregthen to put in the extra effort to make it something worth while?

I am a dreamer. My mind often wonders to places of what it could be like, or what I'd do if. But even as a dreamer, I have a good sense of reality. I know that a dream can only be a dream unless you do something about it. You need to have a plan with set steps of how to make your dream become a reality, and then your dream is no longer a dream, but a goal. And since I am both a dreamer and a realist, I therefore am a planner.

I love to plan, organize and create spread sheets. I am a nicer person when there is order around me. Just tonight, Jon said to me, "Tomorrow you'll be a happy girl cause the house is clean and you'll have nothing to worry about." He is a funny guy, if only my worries laid within a clean house. I can always find a way to add more organization and planning to my life.

So, I bet at this point you are starting to wonder where I am going with all this. Lemons, planning and a choatic blogging. Well, let just get to the point already Caitlin!!

For the past several years or so, I have been trying to make my dream a goal, but I just don't know how. It is so frustrating because I love to goal set and plan. But life just has given me some sort of mind-bloggling ingredient to work with, and it seems that no matter how many times I sit down trying to finally figure it out, I come up with nothing. Zip. Nada. Zlich.

It seems that I really don't have the right tools or right ingredients to mix with what life has dealt me, or prehaps I just am looking at it all the wrong way. After making list, after list, after list of how to approach my dream, I just keep on coming up short on how to make it a goal. As a planner, this is the ULTIMATE FRUSTRATION!!!

So, instead, I just keep telling myself that it is what it is, and I'm just doing my best. Prehaps one day, my dreams will come true, just like Cinderella. Maybe I just need some friendly mice to help me along.

give me FREEDOM

I was once given a book by a friend called Mitten Strings for God. I thought, how nice then put it down and forgot about it. Years later I finally decided to pick it up and read it because it look like an easy read and nothing else looked good. It has changed my life.

It is a book written by a mother with little tid-bits about parenting. One that really changed my perspective was about simplicity. The quote in her book is now my favorite quote.

"In simplicity there is freedom, freedom to enjoy more and do less."

When I read this I thought 'This is what I want.' For the past four years I have worked my butt off. In fact it is almost incomprehensible the amount of stuff I have accomplished. Not like anything is really that big of a milestone, but man sometimes I wonder how I have gotten by with so little sleep. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but seriously I'm a borderline work-aholic, and Jon might question the borderlineness of that statement.

In these years I have found out that I have become a slave to my work. I have this obnoxious habit of over doing everything. I always want everything to come out perfect, so everything thing I do I try to give 110%. Not that that is bad, but when you bite off more than you can chew and you want everything to be perfect that = little rest + lots of stress.

I have found that all these commitments I have made that once were so much fun just aren't fun anymore and I am now their slave. So I have been re-evaluating my life and trying to only committee to a handful of task so I have freedom. I have a lot more years ahead of me and a lot more work. I don't have to accomplish everything today, tomorrow is another day.

Since I have been down-sizing my workload I can finally get the enjoyment in the activities again. Ahhh . . . simplicity. If I only knew earlier the wisdom in it.

The moral of this story is;

If someone gives you a book, it is generally something they thought might benefit your life. Read it, it just might.

Turn your Blog into a Journal

Hey I found this link to turn your blog into a journal and had to save the info somewhere, what better place than my blog.

http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

I have always had this goal to keep a electronic journal that could one day be printed, I guess I found my solution. Now to the part of actually keep the journal. That will be interesting.

Jocelyn the Super Suelth

I found this very funny, and thought I would share. Jocelyn has taken a keen interest into the Boxcar Children series. As most of you know, she is a true enterpreneur, and is always looking for ways to bring in some extra cash.

She has decided to open her own detective business, and has made a sign-up on her white board in our office. She has even posted hours that work with her schedule. Wednesday's are closed because that is the day we usually spend with her cousins, she cannot be distracted with work then.

Well, if any of you have a mystery, you know where to go, she is dying for something to solve. I have already given her two mysteries to solve, which have now been solved. She now has some experience in her belt.

If you have a case feel free to contact Jocelyn.

Nate's a Swimmer

May 16th was a milestone for our little two and a half water-child. Nate (as was I) were determined enough with the 100 degree weather to take on the task of swimming. Although it is a bit spastic, and uncoordinated, he is nonetheless SWIMMING!

It's funny to think that kids all learn different important life skills at all ranges of age, and why some learn one thing earlier, while another later. Is it determination, brain readiness, exposure, a matter of gender or a combination of all these factors and others? Jocelyn at 2 and a half was far more advance intellectually than her brother. But physically he has surpassed her by years.

My sister and I were talking about the range of age that is put in child development books and other literature that determines when is the appropriate ages for young children to master certain milestones by. She read recently that kids should be able to correctly identify something like 6 colors by age 5. Not sure who determined that, it seems a bit old, but that kid might be far more advance in other areas, at least one would hope.

Maybe one day I will have a better understanding of why Nate learned to swim at two years old, but it Jocelyn at five. But all that really matters is that Jon and I can sleep a little better now knowing that Nate is a little safer even with the pool ten steps from our back door. Aren't we all a bit relieved??

Can't Touch This!

Also, speaking of Nate's milestones, NATE IS POTTY TRAINED at last!! Jocelyn beat Nate here, that is for-sure!

And to think, I want to do this two more times. I see lots more diapers in my future. You know you're all jealous of all the diaper changing I will be doing over the years:)

Also, for those of you that are in the process of teaching your little ones to use the potty, sticker charts mixed with bribery does wonders. I strongly recommend it.

The Power of Influence

in-flu-ence n. the capacity or power of persons or things to produce effects on others by intangible or indirect means.

I was recently listening to a man speaking about the power of influence. He said, "Everything we do has some sort of influence on the people around us, whether it be good or bad." This really got me to thinking of my influence on all those lives I come into contact with. I had always known this to some extent, but I had never thought of what power I really had on those around me.

I have always had a deep desire to help and to give. One of my favorite stories about my childhood is one of me wrapping a ton of phone books my dad had got for his office and then I proceeded to deliver the wrapped books throughout our neighborhood. Also, one of my favorite songs is called, "Because I have been given much." To give is one of the most satisfying feelings that I believe there is.

I know that the power of our influence is strongest within our family life. These are the people we come into contact most frequently, these are the people that depend most on us for help and these are the people we hope will find happiness in their lives.

The power of influence is probably greatest in an uplifting way when we serve others. I know that when I receive a gift from someone, whether it is tangible or intangible, when it is given for no reason other than to receive the satisfaction of giving, that gift means so much more. And the influence, that much greater.

At one point I thought that the only way to give was to go out and serve in our community. I now know the importance of serving within our home. This is the basics of society, the stronger home we build for our families, the stronger our communities are. And if we serve our family and teach them the importance of serving, we are not only serving them, but countless others that might be touched by the lives they serve.

I remember once when Jon and I were fighting, and to tell you the truth, I can't remember what we were fighting about, I just remember that I was being very unpleasant. It was almost time for bed, and I had already gone up to our room to get ready to go to sleep. Jon came up with a cup of ice cold water and set it on my nightstand.

Now to many, that doesn't mean much, but to me, in that point in time meant the world. Every night I take a cup of ice water to bed with me, and a lot of the time I will ask Jon to get it for me. For him to get me a glass of water in the middle of an argument where I knew I was being a little unreasonable was an act of kindness that was not deserved. His influence changed the atmosphere of our home that night from one that was hurtful and unpleasant to one of love and peace.

As I have thought more and more about my influence and whether or not it is one that is uplifting, or one that brings others down, I realize how important it is to let the little things go, and to build on each others strengths and let others sometimes find their own answers.

We are in a constant battle between doing right and doing wrong. Sometimes it is hard to see which is the correct choice, but if we keep our minds focused on what is important, our families and our long term happiness, we will be sure to choose the right overall.

It is my hope that I can keep the big picture in mind, and keep the influence I have on others to be one that helps and uplifts.