Let me tell you about what I've been doing...

...but first, what do you think of the colors? And top photo? I changed them because every once in a while, one needs change. And I've had so many changes in my life recently that I thought, "Why not?" [If you think it's ugly, though, just say "Ummm...it's interesting, Cheryl..." and that will suffice.]

Change is inevitable, I know this. And sometimes, I long for change --you know, the good kind. The increased awareness, the repentance of sin; not to mention getting through potty training or a long night of sickness. But recently, I've noticed that the changes in my life are leaving me little time to blog about the day-to-day grind. Let's walk through what I did from 10:30PM last night until now:

I finished my weight loss post and posted it; Brandon was still up doing important financial/paper/whatever-we-gotta-do type stuff. When we finally got into bed just sighing with relief for sleep, #4 decided to cry. I went in to comfort him (he's across the hall from our room). Calmed him down; I went back to bed. Three minutes later, #4 cried again. I gave him some water. Three minutes later, he cried again...and again...and I was so confused. He wasn't sick, he wasn't cold, he wasn't too warm, his binky was in his mouth. I checked his diaper, I checked over his body. Nothing. But every 3-5 minutes, he would cry. I thought perhaps it was a nightmare, but he woke up more than once (fully awake), and it sounded like a pain cry --one that would subside and then swell again. Exhausted, I was tempted just to let him cry, but I sat and thought about it. The next time he cried, I checked his gums --his back molars. Lo and behold, one had come in and the other was very swollen. A-ha! I broke out the Motrin, held him until it kicked in, and he slept the rest of the night.

Brandon was gone by 6AM to play basketball; I got up to do laundry. I know! Doesn't that sound nutso!? Laundry at 6AM?! After a cruddy night? Yeah, well, whilst-a-helpin' #4 throughout the night, I checked #3 for any potty accidents. See, it was his first night without a pull-up. I knew he wasn't ready, but I had forgotten to buy more pull-ups. I discovered, to my non-surprise, that he had wet the bed and hadn't even woken up. But I was too tired to wake him up, pull him out of bed, hose him down, wash the sheets, blah, blah, blah...and he has a plastic sheet on his mattress. So I did what any other tired mother would do with a child who didn't realize he was covered and pee and was sleeping soundly --I let him sleep. But! I knew he had no underwear for the morning (he just peed in his last pair. I'm nothing if I'm not prepared, you know), thus the getting up early to do laundry.

So, I'm up, I do laundry, clean up, get #1's lunch ready, get breakfast ready (cereal and milk take a lot of effort to prepare!), and finish some other tasks. Like blogging. Important stuff! As the children woke up, I fed them, helped them get dressed, made sure #1 finished her homework, had her do some practice tests for the big 1st grade testing next week (stupid testing), gave #3 and #4 (he had to be included) a bath, and did more laundry. Brandon came home in time to fix my Blasted phone lines (that keep going out on me) and do some other technological things for me, but then he was off to work. Then it was socks, shoes, jackets, get-in-the-car! seat belts, and taking #1 to school. Getting back, it was find a "v" picture for #2's preschool, where's-the-back-pack?, put #4 in the back carrier, walk #2 to preschool, come home, clean up breakfast, put #4 down for a nap, shower, help #3 with his snack ("what are you doing on the counter?") and then sit down to change my blog "look." And then write this post.

This is my life. The life I rarely have time to write about anymore because of all the other changes I've made in my life. There was the move, the weight loss, Brandon's new job, and although that looks like a small list, we all know what just "the move" can include. Oh, yes, it includes a lot! I was hoping to be unpacked and stress-free by now, but come on, that's not realistic is it? Nope. It doesn't help that I try to go out and do fun stuff whenever I can, either (go figure). So, I'm trying to breathe and be happy with the stress. The weather is gorgeous, my kids are healthy and happy...what more can I want?

Well, dear reader, there is one more thing I want (okay, there's several things, but this post is already too long). I want to be published! Oh, how I want to be published. So, yesterday, I spent the bulk of afternoon revising my children's stories and finished writing another one. I found some more publishing companies that will accept unsolicited manuscripts, so I'm getting ready to submit again. This is big for me, since I haven't been focused on writing since January. And I've already been rejected twice. Ah, well! To succeed, one must be willing to fail. Wish me luck!