I sleep like a baby

Oh, you might say with a smile.  How lovely, that this gal with five children gets to sleep like a baby!  You might be happy for me, or depending on what you're going through with little ones yourself, you might be envious of my sleeping habits.

Let me set you all straight.

The phrase "sleeping like a baby" and all the visions of deep slumber with a peaceful smile it conjures up is hooey.  Completely preposterous.  As most of you know, babies don't sleep for long periods and wake up refreshed, ready to tackle their to-do list!  No, they sleep for small amounts of time, wake up and demand attention.

That's me, except I don't demand the attention, I must provide the attention.  To one sweet baby K, who is almost three and not really a baby anymore.  Ssshhhh - don't tell her - she doesn't know yet.  She still thinks it is perfectly acceptable to demand mommy be present no matter the hour.  She is unaware that sleeping alone in one's beautiful princess bed in one's beautiful princess room could bring untold joy.  She thinks that sleeping on the floor or chair, getting up repeatedly throughout the night and crying when she needs to go potty is the stuff of life!  Sleeping for 10 hours straight?  Where's the fun in that, people?

Well, her father and I disagree, and the gauntlet has been thrown.  It's do-or-die around here, with the end result being K sleeping in her bed the whole night.

I'll keep you posted, dear readers.  In the mean time, get some sleep.  Like a grown-up.  Just not this grown-up.

I almost forgot. . .

Two more things about SOM (as we lovingly referred to The Sound of Music around here) that I neglected to mention in my last post.

Have you been looking for an effective diet plan?  Look no further!  Simply land a role in a production whose theater seats almost 1700 people, get a scratchy throat, and commence the no-eating-out-of abject-fear-diet!  It worked quite well for several days, as I ate barely anything!  Results will vary.  Turns out over here the results lasted only until after the show.  Sigh.

And also, I have to share this funny, provided by my 7 year old son.  My family sat in the second row of the mezzanine when they came to SOM.  My husband had bought me a large bouquet of roses (see previous post, re: rock star).  During the show, my son asked him, quite seriously, "Dad, are you gonna throw the roses on the stage to mom?"

Life as the Reverend Mother

Well, I have taken my sweet, sweet time to blog about The Sound of Music.  I'm not sure why, but it may be fear of getting the words out right.  Of expressing just how amazing the weekend was.  Of not doing it justice.

To put it simply, being in the show was incredible.  Oh, don't you worry, for those of you who know me well, it was also scary.  Terrifying at times!  But in the end, it was incredible.  A few things I have to say about the whole thing:

1.  My husband is a rock star.  He encouraged me from the get-go to try out for the show.  I dragged my feet out of fear, guilt, habit, you name it.  Still, he patiently encouraged me to go for it.  "What if the kids get sick?"  I said.  "What if I can't do it and ruin the show?"  Go for it, he said.  We will make it a priority.   And a priority it was.  Just prior to the show I was gone about 10 nights straight, and he was out of town for two of those nights!  But when he was home, he was all about making my life easier.  He insisted I sleep in almost every morning of show week, made all the kids' lunches, told me to rest whenever possible, and just generally was awesome.  I can't tell you how much I appreciated all he did.

2.  About a week before the first performance, my voice started to get hoarse.  I think it was from overuse, combined with stress.  Regardless, I sang a high note the Sunday night before opening weekend that was not all that good.  And it paralyzed me.  Monday I was a jumbled ball of nerves.  I was petrified I was going to be hoarse for the show and sing terribly, ruin the show, embarrass myself and everyone would pity me (my family and friends) or hate me (people in the show).  Once again, my husband stepped up to the plate, talking me down and encouraging me to go to the doctor/rest my voice.  By Tuesday I was calmer, though still hoarse.  I grew less hysterical as the week progressed.

3.  My family and friends were humbling.  I was overwhelmed with the number of people who came to the show (some from several hours away!).  Everyone was so kind and full of love - I didn't know what to say!  I received flowers every night, and felt covered in love.

4.  We took a million pictures, including this gem below.  It caused a lot of talk!

5.  Being in such a well-done production was oh-so-rewarding.  The caliber of people I was working with was top-notch - I couldn't have asked for a better situation to make my grand entrance (ha!) back into theater.  I hope to try my hand at acting again sometime in the future, and look forward to working with all of these talented people in another production.

Those voiceless kernels

I was tooling around Target the other day with my little gal in the seat of the cart.  I stopped perusing the shelves when I heard:

"Say cheese, popcorn!"

And saw her snap this picture with my phone.

"Did the popcorn say 'cheese'?  I asked.

"No, Mommy", she said matter-of-factly.  "He can't talk."

true love

My husband loves me.

Not a great revelation, you say?  Perhaps not, but how often do I take it for granted?  This morning I was pondering how blessed I am to have his love.  So, indulge me for a moment, while I consider the the ways he shows me he loves me.


He encourages me to try new things.

He does an elaborate bedtime routine with the kids (one I quickly lose patience with) without complaining.

He is always dreaming of vacations with just the two of us (and often making them happen).

He listens to me.

He would never complain, demean or belittle me to others, no matter how much I might deserve it!!

He has shouldered more of the family burden so I can do The Sound of Music.

He prays for me and our children daily, fervently.

He is driving 7 hours today (round trip) for a doctor's appointment for one of our children, since this is such a crazy time for me right now.

He loves my extended family.

He provides for us capably, and loves his vocation.


What a blessing his love is to me and our family!  Thank you God for this gift!

The hills are alive!

So.

I have been cast as the Reverend Mother in our community theater's production of The Sound of Music.

Opening night is only 2.5 weeks away and I haven't quite had the courage yet to blog about it all, though it is quite the big deal in our house.

I can't exactly say why I haven't blogged about it yet, but here are my best guesses:

• I am freaked out about not doing well.
• Because I am in The Sound of Music, I have little free time to do anything else, such as blog (and dust my living room.  Okay, fine.  That might have nothing to do with the show).
• I am freaked out about messing up and letting everyone down.  Oh - did I already mention that?

I tried out to be a nun in the chorus and was asked to play the Reverend Mother.  Aside from the fact that she is WAY OLD and I am but a mere spring chicken, I was honored and shocked (and possibly in shock the day I got the cast list).   I debated about saying no, no, I can't possibly do that role, thankyouverymuch. I have five kids, a busy husband, and have I mentioned I haven't acted since high school?  I said as much to my husband, who told me I was crazy (in a very loving way, of course).  "Why wouldn't you go for this?  Why wouldn't you try it?"  he reasoned in his very reasonable way.

So, as you already read, I went for it.

And I have to say, it's a lot of fun.  I have actually memorized the lines and songs, and am praying fervently they will not escape me when we perform.  I am acting with some amazing people, and our director is great with lots of encouraging advice.  The vocal coach has been oh-so-helpful in teaching this old dog new tricks, since it has been in the ballpark of twenty years since I had a voice lesson.

Might I suggest you follow every rainbow, till you find your dream?  I'm kinda living one right now.

Forty is FINE!

April 12th marked my husband's 40th birthday.  To celebrate, the kids and I gave him:

• a small baggie filled with rocks and sign that said "40 ROCKS!"
• 40 words to describe him in a word collage from wordle (which I highly recommend - go check it out!)
• 40 beers for 40 years. I know.  Hokey title.  I had to call a friend to help me with the beer selection. I think my dear hubby is set for awhile now in the beer department.  And also we are broke.
• a fire pit, which has nothing to do with 40 years, but hopefully will be enjoyed (for 40 fires?)

My husband took the day off and he and I went to two wineries for the afternoon.  We ate gourmet food, we lounged outside in the sun, we finished our sentences, we drank fine wine, we enjoyed a rich dessert,  we took a long leisurely walk through the vineyards, we had a marvelous time together.  

If this is what being 40 is like, I can't wait till I join him in the 40 club - one year from today!