Remember to breathe

Today I spent just about my whole afternoon sitting and chatting with my mom online. I miss my mom tons. It's cold where she lives right now and I got to see the snow on the ground today. My dad went and took some pictures of a house we are hoping to purchase soon. I miss the snow and the cold days that I can just sit inside and crochet with my mom. Picking on my little brother, who actually isn't so little, he is in his twenties. But still he is younger than me and I just can't resist the urge sometimes. I miss cooking with him. He is a great cook and I always thought he should become a chef. He has sort of a natural talent for it. I think he is the only one I know personally who can follow the directions for making those pretty vegetable flowers and they come out looking just like the picture. He can even turn a box of "no name" macaroni and cheese into something that tastes better than the name brand.

My other brother works with handicapped people. I admire him for that because it is not easy work and he has been doing it since he was 16. He does have a degree in Archaeology but chose to help others instead. Admirable in my opinion. He has a little girl that was born to early, 4 or 5 months before it was time to be exact, and through everything that she had to go through she made it and will be 2 in May. She is a cutie. I can not wait to see her on our trip to the states.

I also have 3 other brothers but unfortunately I am not in contact with them as I should be. They have busy lives and because they all live in different states, the distance just sorta got bigger.

One is an ex-Marine and does well for himself with his own construction company. He has 2 girls and a boy. My nephew turned into quite the cutie and he has a following of girls. I will get their pictures up soon.

Another brother is still in the Air Force and has a boy and a girl and is doing well the last I heard.

And the 5th and final brother works for a computer company and has a little boy.

The days seem to be going so fast it's almost as if I blinked only one time and everyone grew up.

Now at the end of another year and what have I accomplished? I look back and have to think, well, I survived my first full year plus in Lebanon. Actually lived through a war that I won't soon be forgetting. Ventured to Iraq, a safe part of course, also made a trip to Syria. Adapted somewhat to a completely new culture, yet is has similarities to those of my hispanic background. I learned to make Lebanese food even better than before and am picking up bits and pieces of Arabic.

My husbands job takes him to many different destinations and when possible, we either visit or try to live there with him. It is not easy having a husband that travels alot and a mom really has to be a superhero to hold it all together. Though trying at times, in the end it is all rewarding and so worth it. Being Mom and Dad at the same time? Well, it's challenging for sure.

I keep trudging along just like everyone else and find those little things in the day that make me smile. Like the looks on my sons faces when they come home from school and how excited, and of course hungry, they are. I look forward to asking my older son about his day and what he learned. And I really like that he is learning Arabic and speaks the new words he learns slow enough so that I may learn it too. Then after my brief moment of enjoying them enter the house, I come back to the other tasks at hand which would consist of, breaking up a fight over cars or Spiderman, no hot water and them begging to take a bath, the power going out because we have one to many things running at the same time. Having to watch cartoons for a little bit and then that oh so favorite movie that must be ready to break at any moment by either the movie machine or by me accidentally stepping on it because it was on the floor.

Oh so many things and so little time.

Overall, I would say I have a fulfilling life and realize that it is all these little things that make it all so worthwhile because one day, there won't be any movies on the floor or noses to wipe or baths to give.

And as I get older, I cherish it and hold it close. My mom is right, when you get older, some things just don't seem to matter as much as they used to. Like, letting the dishes sit for an extra hour or two because I had to go play cars or read a book or again watch that same movie. Letting the tasks, that will obviously still be there after an hour or two, just wait. Because they won't ask us to read to them or play with them or watch a movie with them forever.

Well, that is just all what I felt like writing about today. I guess it is a reflection of feelings. Feelings that sometimes get hidden beneath the rush of everyday life. Just like a reminder to myself of why I should stop and take a breath once in a while and forget about the busy world outside. Slowing down and enjoying the little people in my life is actually alot more fun than doing a load of laundry. And for sure taking my daughter out on a date, just her and me, to go window shopping is way more fun than mopping the floors. So don't forget to take that breath and slow down a bit and maybe put their little hand in yours and remember it won't be little and soft forever. I hope you all have a wonderful day!