Visit with the Queen Mommy

Sep

My mom has been here for 3 days this week – cooking up a STORM and filling my freezer with cooked meat and a few meals.

One of my food aversions during pregnancy has always been raw meat. Can’t stand the sight, smell, or feel of it. GAG! So she has been cooking up all kinds of chicken and beef and getting my freezer stocked. We can start eating more than PB & J or fruit smoothies for supper!

YAY!

Both girls have loved all their time with Nana and its been nice to be able to put my feet up when I need to and she’ll go check on the girls and the loud racket upstairs…

We also got to sort through the girls’ clothes and get rid of the “too small” and replace them with the “growing into”. Except for Curly who has grown out of almost EVERYTHING. It’s a blessing she has uniforms for school, cuz now we’ve got to get her a few more casual outfits to wear on the weekends through fall into winter. Hopefully “Santa” can help replenish her wardrobe, too. lol

My energy level is coming and going. That’s better than being entirely GONE, but still hard to keep up with the girls most days. They are quite energetic, and on a good day I’m chasing them around – but between my age and their ages & energy level – it’s been pretty exhausting all in all.

I am feeling pretty good otherwise. As the heat diminishes, the nausea I feel (mostly in the afternoons when it’s just unbearably hot) is also diminishing. THAT is a relief! I’ve not been sick like I was with the girls – but it has kept me immobile at times, so I’m looking forward to some cooler weather and maybe even getting out and enjoying the days more!

This is Curly’s first FULL week of regular school and she’s been pretty tired. She’s making new friends and reviewing things she’s learned at Mommys Day Out and Pre-K. Yesterday, she missed “mommy” – and that made me feel good, although I don’t want her to miss me too much so she can enjoy school!

Georgie & I are starting to enjoy some one on one time together. Its been so nice. She’s such a funny kid – if demanding at times – and I think we’re already bonding in a new way – that feels really great.

We’ve got some shopping to do today and then Nana will head home. But we get to have Chicken Enchiladas alá Nana for supper tonight. YUMMO!!! And all I have to do is turn the oven on. NICE!

Category: Family, blogging Leave a Comment

Aug

Yes, It IS true!

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The rabbit died.

There is a bun in the oven.

I’m Pregnant!!!

12 weeks and counting…

Category: Announcements 3 Comments

Aug

How I Became The Queen Mommy

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I always wonder what people think when they hear “The Queen Mommy.” What does that mean exactly and how did I come by that title?

Honestly, it’s one I gave myself.

My name – Debbie – means “honeybee” or “the bee”… I’m the oldest of 3 kids, and the only girl, lending to a VERY bossy existence…

So, “honeybee” quickly became “Queen Bee” for me… I’m a take charge – run the show – kind of gal. I’ve had various friends and boyfriends even call me by that because basically – I know what I like and what I don’t like. I’m not usually afraid to voice my thoughts. And I’m still bossy. Really.

It’s a gift called Administration! (look it up in the Bible if you need to…)

And then while I was dating Roy (for the 3 months we actually dated), he sent me an email and wrote “You are my Queen Bee” and said it in such an endearing, affectionate away (and not the teasing, sarcastic you’re-too-bossy way), that I became proud of that moniker.

And when I became a mom, it just transformed into The Queen Mommy.

I’ve always loved royalty and queens & kings, princes & princesses. When I was in Junior High and High School I read every biography I could get my hands on about British & U.K. royalty – they just fascinated me. I couldn’t be the Queen Mother – cuz, well, that is what they called Queen Elizabeth’s mother and I wasn’t willing to steal that name. I couldn’t be The Queen Mum because, well, I’m not British. Since I’ve always thought of myself in much higher terms than one should probably think, when I was looking for a name to blog under, to adopt The Queen Mommy.

And THAT, my dear readers, is how I became The Queen Mommy.

It helps that my grandfather always called my grandmother his Polish Princess (for she was 100% Polish – and one of the sharpest gals I’ve ever known) – so maybe my affinity for royalty is not so far-fetched…

P.S. – FYI – the logo included in this post is actually a motivational poster that was used during WWII in Britain, as a means to encourage and raise the morale of the British people in case of invasion by the Nazis. I really like it. The crown insignia is lovely, and since I tend a little towards “type-A”, it’s an appropriate reminder for me. You’ll see this logo again in future posts – I’ll be sharing something really COOL soon!

Category: The Queen, blogging One Comment

Aug

All About Kindergarten

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Oh it was a BIG day! Curly’s first day of Kindergarten.

We all walked her into her classroom, found her desk and she sat right down. It was a bit hectic in the room, as you can imagine, and she just sat right down in a new class full of faces she doesn’t know yet. I kissed her and said goodbye, and then Roy kissed her and said goodbye. She turned around and smiled at us and watched us leave.

What? Is she okay? Does she need me? I thought panicked-ly as I looked at her grown-up face, but Roy said, “she’s all right” so we kept going.

And then I bawled when I got into the van. Like a baby. My baby isn’t a baby and I can’t stand it.

Once I got myself together, I looked at Roy and he was choked up too. We’re just a big mess…

Roy, Georgie, & I spent the morning together. With Roy counting down the hours to pick up. I couldn’t stand it – made me nervous. I was trying not to watch the clock – but it was hard.

We made a little trip around town – but she wasn’t outside. bummer.

Roy’s parents said they saw her outside in a line – probably coming in from recess. Whew!

How’d she look, we asked?

She looked taller than any of the other kids, they said.

And then it was time to pick her up. I went in and stood with the other (anxious) parents and then the door open and she came out for a hug.

How was your day? we asked.

Fine. she said…

Eventually we found out a few things:

She can’t remember any of the names of her classmates. Not one.

But a boy shared a ball with her at recess.

Her white tennis shoes with glittery silver stars are especially for “Kindergarten Girls”.

And she likes eating lunch at school. Probably because she got to drink pink milk.

And they did NOT pray to Mary, they prayed to Jesus. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy OF Spirit.

And when you wash your hands, did you know you’re supposed to wash them for SIX HOURS!?!

Okay, she needs a little help paying attention to details, but all in all – we survived. And today won’t be so hard.

P. S. – since she is going to a Catholic school, and we are not Catholic, I explained to her one day last week that at school she might hear about praying to Mary and see that some people might pray to Mary. But we believe in praying to Jesus. Mary died a long time ago, but we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, so He is the only one we pray to. So we’ve had a few discussions since then. She feels it is necessary to tell her teacher that we should NOT pray to Mary, and so I said she should NOT argue with her teacher. She assured me, while talking with her hands, that she would not argue with her teacher, but would tell her so “gently”… It is going to be an interesting school year!

Category: Parenting, School 4 Comments

Aug

School Days

queenmommy

I saw this picture back from my school days on Facebook. I can remember when this picture was taken. I was a member of the track team. Seriously. I laugh about it now cuz I HATE. TO. RUN. I mostly did hurdles and jumps, although I was a member of a couple of relay teams. I was always the 3rd runner. The slow one.

Can you pick me out in this picture?

When this picture was taken, I was in Junior High school on the JV squad. Like the 80′s hairstyles? I did. I loved all the hair and all the fluff I had… My hair is much less than it used to be, so that is one thing I’d like to take back.

Something came to my mind when I looked at this picture. I can remember feeling SO FAT at this age. Look at me. I’m not fat. I’m not even chubby. I’d had a growth spurt and had 2 little stretch marks on one of my thighs. I knew stretch marks came from pregnancy and gaining weight. I didn’t know that they came from growth spurts.

I wrongly assumed that I was a humongous elephant compared to the rest of the girls I knew.

And there it is. That NASTY word: Compared.

I held myself up to the unreasonable standard of looking like everybody else. I had not only developed really early, which made me stand out in the class, but now I assumed that I was some kind of gargantuan girl and that my differences were horrible detractions from my attractiveness. I still had friends – I still had good friends – but rather than realizing my differences were just part of who I am, I saw them as disfigurements.

Body Image is not something to ignore. I didn’t tell anyone I felt that way – it was too humiliating. Saying it out loud would have only validated the point in my head. And I carried the idea around for a really long time, sadly.

Now that I’m almost twice that size, I have a much healthier body image, and a less healthier body. But it’s something I can work on because my inner voice is clearer and wiser…

Oh, and I’m the one in the back row, 2nd from the right… Yep, that’s me in the middle back there…

Category: Food Addiction, Queen Size Mommy 3 Comments

Aug

Getting Ready…

queenmommy

School is getting into full swing around here. Some schools in the state started last week – and most in our area are starting today and tomorrow.

Curly is a “Kindergarten Girl” and she is ALL. KINDS. OF. EXCITED!

We pulled her out of the Christian school (for a variety of reasons) and she’ll be starting at a local Catholic school. The great thing about this school is that it’s only a couple of blocks away and she gets to go more than 3 hours a day! She is very excited about getting started – she’s quite the social butterfly. We are not Catholic, so we will address our faith with her at home, but the education is really excellent and having her so close is going to be really great.

Georgie – may be starting Preschool. She is my free spirited – don’t put me in a box – kind of girl. Think Anne of Avonlea… She is very bright, but keeping her still is a real challenge, and she’s going to need a good teacher who can capture her attention and work with her learning style. Which is – I’ll dance around while you talk and be able to recite the answers verbatim… sigh.

Since I haven’t been sleeping extremely well of late, I am dreaming of a few morning naps to come. LOL… And a LOT of SERIOUS cleaning out.

My theme this summer & fall is: SIMPLIFY. It’s not just a theme, it’s like a directive from God. He’s been calling me to get rid of a lot of the extraneous stuff – and for good reason. When life rocks your boat, you figure out what is most important and that’s what you cling to. It’ll be easier to get rid of the myriad of toys that never get played with – and to unload the flotsam and jetsam…

Category: Kids, School One Comment

Aug

Impossible is NOTHING to God

queenmommy

While addiction brings with it Chaos, Devastation, Ruin, and eventually Death, there is HOPE. Not just because other people have recovered from addiction. Not just because of medical and scientific advances in understanding and treating addiction.

Frankly, those things don’t always work. There’s no guarantee.

HOPE lies in the fact that GOD is the GOD OF IMPOSSIBLE.

NOTHING is impossible to God. Not one darn little thing. Luke 1:37 – For with God nothing will be impossible.

Hungry lions in a den? Piece of cake…

A 9 foot giant against a young shepherd boy? Just a stone’s throw…

A fiery furnace that killed the guards who got to close? A walk on the beach…

A dead man on a Cross, badly beaten and bruised, giving His life for the sake of love? If he was just a man, it would just be another sad story.

But you see, this man was God in the Flesh – EMMANUEL – God with us.

And this man did not stay dead. He took the keys to Hell and Death and walked right out of the grave.

The reason there is HOPE in the face of anything – including addiction – is that GOD is greater than any challenge we can face. HE not only holds the keys to hell and death – but to Freedom itself.