Mommy of Many®

Change and the unknown paralyze me. Sometimes literally. I can sit with the proposal of something new and become completely stuck and immobile over it. Sometimes it simply takes a few minutes or a few hours to get my head around it and move forward, but there are times where I will become so completely stuck over the fear of the unknown and the fact that an idea is new for YEARS. And sometimes, I’ll sit and think about it and then walk away from it completely.

What?! But I’m Jen Lang-Mommy of Many. The woman who can organize my household, keep all the kids’ schedules straight, blog, podcast, post my cooking videos to Youtube, drive and park a 15-passenger van like it’s a 2-seater sports car, breastfeed a baby while pushing 2 other children in a jogger, move houses with 6 small children and a deployed husband…how in the world could I EVER be afraid of change and the unknown?!

All true. And yes, I DO conquer new things all the time, but it doesn’t change what happens inside me EACH time. Here’s the story of how 1 small stumbling block turned into a 2-year detour from which I finally exited, today;

A little more than 2 years ago I changed doctors. We had to leave the clinic on base because they would not allow us to enroll our youngest child. So instead of juggling multiple Drs for the kids, the decision was made to pick a Dr in town. I asked friends about the Drs they used and decided to go with one nearby. It so happened that there was a primary care physician in the same complex that could take me. So I started seeing her for routine appointments. After about 6 months, I became so frustrated with her that I grabbed my shoes, mid exam, asked for my records and told her I would no longer be seeing her. I left her office, my record in-hand and started asking friends what Dr they saw. I got a few referrals and made a few phone calls, but, for various reasons, none of the suggestions ever ended up in me seeing a new Dr.

Time started to go by. Little things would come up-a cough here, an upset stomach there, but never anything important enough for me to actually pursue a new Dr. As more time started going by the idea of a new Dr got scary to me. I found reasons that it was going to be difficult to find one and reasons that made me unsure of being able to find one-Clay was going to retire, what would the new benefits be? I will have to move, why start with a new Dr when I’ll just have to find another one? What if it’s too expensive to find a Dr? What if this cough has gone on so long that now I’m REALLY sick? What if now that I’m really sick, a new Dr won’t take me? What if the new insurance doesn’t cover me being really sick (which btw-I’m not, but I let it build in my head this way). I worked myself into a frenzy of reasons why I couldn’t possibly take the time or spend the $ to get a new Dr. Finally I got an idea to TRY. “Just try”, I told myself. “Just go to the Tricare office-the one you’ve seen signs for-and just ask the question”. “Yes, I know you will probably be told that you’ve waited too long past retirement or that you can’t be seen at that particular facility or that your pants are the wrong length and they don’t see brunettes, but JUST GO ASK”. I told myself “ok”. Then I pondered it for 2 more weeks and finally, FINALLY today I drove straight over there after work and tried not to think of any reasons not to. I followed the signs, got lost and thought of leaving. Then I poked my head into an office and asked where I should go. The lady smiled and directed me down the hall. I walked in and announced that I had 2 questions and guess what! 24 minutes later, I had a new Dr, a scheduled appointment and was back in my car. That’s it! All that build up. All that fear!

I can’t tell you how often this happens to me. This is how I move through life-pushing myself through 1 unknown only to realize that there was nothing to fear and that it wasn’t going to be too hard and that I should remember that for the next time.

Today was a success and I decided to talk about it because maybe if I do when the next “new” thing comes up you can all remind me that it probably isn’t so scary and that I’m probably more than capable of figuring it out.

Doing the Dance of Life, One Challenge At-A-Time~

See?! Good things!

Today the 1st of my recipe videos was posted. Mommy of Many is getting more user friendly and fun. Be on the lookout for more new tabs. I’m excited to share it all with you!

Please check out the video and let me know what you think. I’d love your suggestions and to hear what you’d like. More quick, easy and yummy recipes are coming soon!

Doing the Dance of the Children and Sharing Some Good Stuff~

~sigh~
Did you hear that?

It’s the sound of peace. The only sounds in the house right now are the washer and dryer going, the hum of the bathroom fan (to mask the clicking of my keyboard so the little ones won’t wake) and the even, easy breathing of 7 sleeping kiddos. It sounds like peace to me!

Reason #3 that I start my day at 4am is that I need my quiet time. It’s not a matter of just needing some uninterrupted time to get some things done. Really, I could make lunches and put dinner in the crock pot around the kids, but it’s the absolute quiet, the fact that I don’t even have to speak to anyone and that my brain can work on whatever it needs to, that gets me going this early.

It’s also the fact that I feel like a better, more prepared, mom if I’m ready for the day when my kids wake up. If I were groggy and blurry-eyed when I begin the day with the kids, I’d be sure to forget what needed to happen to make the day successful. I’m sure papers would go unsigned, things would be left at home, little kiddos’ hair wouldn’t get fixed, teeth may go unbrushed…all because I wasn’t ready to take on the load that a mom with several children needs to be prepared for each day.

For me, it just cuts down anxiety about being forgetful. Please understand that I’m not saying that any mom who isn’t up and ready before her kids can’t amply be prepared for the day. I don’t believe that at all! I just know that for me, this is what works best, helps me be clear-headed and feel in control of the day. Seriously, name another time of the day I can feel in control of my thoughts and revel in the silence? I have 7 kiddos at home full-time and I’m a preschool aide!

Reason #3 that I start my day at 4am-M.O.M. needs a little clear-headed quiet time to be her best

After being asked a million times why I get up at 4am, I decided to break it down and share the various reasons I think it’s the best idea for me and my family to start my day a couple of hours before I have to get my kids going.

Reason #2-Dinner
My family has this annoying little habit of eating dinner EVERY SINGLE night and they expect me to be the one to make and serve that dinner-no matter soccer, soft ball, water polo, tennis, flute lessons or various Dr. appointments. So I’ve had to get creative with my preparation and delivery of these dinners. Last year, when I started working, I realized that there were going to be a lot of nights that dinner wasn’t going to happen if I didn’t have it in the crock pot or amply prepared before I left for work in the morning. To put it bluntly, the crock pot has become the best friend of my families dinners. Together with my rice pot and a salad, it’s what makes dinner happen!

Chicken breasts with butternut squash sauce

Basmati Rice Medley

There’s nothing better than getting home with lots of tired, hungry kiddos and knowing that dinner is waiting for us!

Reason #2 that I start my day at 4am-Dinner.

Doing the Dance of the Children~

I’m always asked why I get up so early. Here’s reason #1-Lunches, 7 or more of them, everyday.

Fruit, veggies, crackers and a fruit snack for each of the kids heading to school (except no fruit for Mariah b/c I only have oranges today and she won’t eat cut oranges) and yogurts for Gabi and Lex b/c Gabi requested it for her snack and Lex will either eat it at his lunch or when we’re running errands before it’s time to pick everyone else up from school.

Food to keep M.O.M. going during the workday.

Mini bagels for today’s sandwiches, 9 of them. 7 for kiddo lunches, 1 for M.O.M. and 1 for Kateri and her road trip (she’s heading out to see a friend a few hours away).

Done! All with turkey and cheese, some with mustard, 1 with mayo, 3 with spicy pepper jack cheese.

Packed and ready to go! 2 of the kiddos have misplaced their lunch boxes, so it’s lots of bags this morning.

There you have it. 9 lunches. It takes about an hour to get it all done and packed.
Reason #1 that I start my day at 4am.

Doing the Dance of the Children~

This is the motto I’ve had to adopt if I’m going to be any sort of kind, caring, giving mother. I have 3 teenage daughters in the house and a host of little ones with sticky fingers. I’ve had to learn that if something is REALLY important to me  I have to find a safe hiding place for it, carry it with me or let it go. Nothing is safe!

This morning I went to grab my camera off of my desk to snap pictures of my birthday boy opening presents and discovered it was missing, only to be told that it was probably left on the floor of my 16 yr olds friend’s car. Of course it was! I knew I was getting lax by leaving it on my desk instead of keeping it in my purse. This in only 1 example. I’ve spent the last 2 weeks creatively trimming up my eyebrows to keep from looking like Chubaka’s sister because my tweezers “disappeared”. Then there’s the eyeshadow that the girls asked if they could use for Homecoming that’s been sucked into the void of “I don’t know where it is”. Should I tell you about my Clinique products? The eye makeup remover that seems to disappear at a rate that’s 4x faster than it should be? The face lotion that is constantly needing to be refilled? And how ’bout my laptop that was constantly borrowed to “do a paper for school” but was always being found on the floor of my daughters’ rooms? Can you believe there have even been times I’ve taken the cord from my desktop computer and kept it with me so that my computer wasn’t messed with?!  And people wonder why I carry a bag the size of a small apartment!

I’ve had to really think about all these things and decide what’s important to me. I guess I can share my facial products without too much grumbling, but when I’m losing items that I purchase to make my life easier or keep things the way I’d like them, it makes me angry. I want my kids to remember me as a mother who was giving of herself and who taught them to be kind and to share, but where’s the line? Do I REALLY need to put a safe in my bathroom to lock up my extra change, make-up, “beauty” tools and pieces of technology that are important to me?

Unfortunately it looks like we’re moving in that direction!

Doing the Dance of the Children and Feeling Like a Miser~

What a day!

I wanted to share my thoughts even though they don’t seem to have a common thread-

What amazing people I have in my life! People who take time and give of themselves simply because it makes life easier for others and “why not” share what you can. Each day I give thanks for the beautiful example of such people, who help me see the ease of giving of one’s self.
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I don’t the know the plan for this hectic, busy and very full life of mine, but I trust that there IS a plan and that I only need to focus on today and leave the rest up to each day and what God has laid out.
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Sitting at Costa Brava with my sister and my oldest son is a really, really great way to spend an hour or two!
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I LOVED meeting Bonnie of The Shape of a Mother and sharing in an afternoon with her and some other great ladies! May all meetings with new people feel so comfortable!
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I’m pretty sure I made some new friends tonight when I handed over the rest of my pitcher of sangria. I felt done and really didn’t want it to go to waste. The table next to me promised it wouldn’t
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The kiddos and I are enjoying this video so much! I hope you do too~

Doing the Dance of the Children…With My Hands~

Yesterday was such a beautiful and relaxed day! I took many little pieces of it and tucked them into my Heart Envelope. That little envelope is becoming full and cushiony and I love to place things into it and revisit what’s in there. I believe everyone should be conscience of their Heart Envelope and fill it up bit by bit. You know, that little place inside your heart where you store the bits of Good Stuff that you draw from in the times of life when nothing seems to be going right. Deciding to grab those good things and save them has been a key tool for me.

Yesterday I put in a relaxed conversation with friendly companions, the smell of the ocean (though this one was already in there. I like to have some duplicates), the feel of the ocean breeze (another duplicate), a bike ride with one of my daughters and a laugh over a silly one-liner. From time to time I go open that envelope and check on the contents-A rock thrown at a window from an admirer when I was a teenager, the zing of holding a crushes’ hand for the first time, a drive near the water in a convertible, a ride on the back of a motorcycle, standing on an overlook with the kids and watching Clay vertrep, riding a bike with no hands, being at a Rod Stewart concert, doing an interview, holding my newborn babies, the pure joy of my lil one when he wakes up to my voice, listening to and watching the pure joy of the St. Greg’s guys after graduation while they sang their hearts out, spending the night alone in a hotel room, etc. etc.

These are the important pieces that keep me from sinking low in the times when life gets hard. I’m always able to peek inside that envelope and remember that the tough times are just mere snippets in this life that’s been cushioned with the contents of that Heart Envelope.

Don’t forget to grab your moments and tuck them away. I promise you’ll find a reason to smile whenever you open your Heart Envelope up!

Here’s to the beauty that life gives us and to holding onto and drawing from it~

I’m normally an early riser but on the weekends I usually let myself stay in bed until 5:30 or 6. But this morning, my body woke me up at 4 and told me I wanted to get up, think and stretch. An odd thing for me. But I didn’t fight it. I got up, brushed my teeth, made the coffee and went to the living room to stretch my body and listen to my thoughts. Huh. This led into a feeling of peacefulness. Huh. So I walked through the house, listening to the quiet of everyone sleeping while I drank my coffee. I sat down at my computer and read and continued to feel peaceful.

Then I let my”self” get in the way. I started to think, “I must DO something with all this wonderful peacefulness”. “I shouldn’t  just waste this great feeling of peace by sitting in it”. I’m trying to tell my”self” to shhhhh and just “be”.  Not an easy task for a woman who’s been in constant motion for most of my 39 years on this earth.

So now, I’ll start the regular day and I’ll keep a piece of this morning tucked inside me to draw from as I move through the busyness of my daily life. I’m not sure what my mind and body were telling me this morning, but I had an hour of it before I let my inability to just “be” get in the way. Not bad!

A peaceful Sunday to each of you~

For the last 7 or so years, I’ve been gathering up the kiddos and taking them to Oma’s Pumpkin Patch on the Van Ommering Dairy Farm. We are particularly partial to this pumpkin patch because it was introduced to us by a neighbor who knows the Van Ommering family. Every year the kids look forward to the cotton seed slide, the baby animal petting area and the hay ride.

I love Fall and I love little traditions! You can bet there will be plenty of pictures to share!

Doing the Dance of the Children and Looking Forward to a Day of Fall Fun~

Burn the Floor!

From beginning to end, this was a great, fast paced, smooth flowing show! The dancers were fantastic! Watching their energy and incredible dancing had me wanting to leave the show and find the first place I could sign up for swing dancing lessons. Admittedly, my 2 favorite parts of the show were the jive, swing, boogie portion and when they performed to Proud Mary. Let me say here, that Vonzell (you may remember her as the 2nd runner up in the 4th season of American Idol) rocked Proud Mary in a way that would make Tina Turner proud! Her rich, soulful voice was a pleasure to hear throughout the show.

I suppose I need to admit that Proud Mary was my favorite portion. I was stunned by Mary Murphy’s high-energy, booty-shakin’ part in the whole thing. Don’t get me wrong, she came out and gracefully showed off her ballroom talents on several occassions, but she brought a smile to my face with the way she pulled it out for Proud Mary!

The whole show was fantastic! Music, vocals, dancing, costumes, choreography-all made for a fun evening! If you get the chance to go, DO!  The Show is in San Diego through Oct. 17th!  I took my 16 yr old with me and she enjoyed it just as much as I did. As a matter-of-fact, she was on YouTube looking up all the dancers and clips from the show. I think that speaks volumes!

Doing the Dance of the Children and Humming Proud Mary While I Have Visions of Swing Dancing to All That Great Music~

Here are 3 reasons I think I should buy a Lottery ticket-

1) Last week my business card was pulled from a large glass container that sits on the counter at Champagne, in the Del Mar Highlands, as the winner of a pastry basket. Today it was delivered to my door by Janel, their Catering Coordinator.

All 12 of those yummy pastries were promptly gobbled up by my family. I tried a bit of 2 of them and they were GOOD!

Thanks Champagne and Janel! We will be sure to visit you again soon!

2) Last week I ALSO won a gift basket from Popcornopolis! It should be arriving in the next day or two and I can’t wait to share it! (ok, that’s a lie. I’d rather hide it and eat the entire thing myself, but I know I will enjoy watching my family and coworkers enjoy all the delicious popcorn that will be in there and have DECIDED that I will share). Since several people were helpful in my winning of this contest, I am looking forward to letting some of them enjoy the spoils too . If you’re not *Lucky* enough to win a gift basket from them, you can still try their delicious popcorn by visiting their website, being adventurous with the flavors and ordering some!

I don’t know exactly what my gift basket will include, but I know it’s going to be good!

3) Tomorrow night I get to attend the San Diego opening night of Burn the Floor! I’m taking my 16 yr old, Mariah, with me and looking forward to the evening with her! Not only have I been invited to see the show and write a review, but I was able to share the fun with YOU and now one of my readers and her daughter also get to enjoy the evening! Good Stuff!

If those 3 reasons aren’t enough to be feelin’ lucky, I’m not sure what are!

Doing the Dance of the Children and Thinking of Buying a Quick Pick~

JJ, Clayton-as his school friends know him, has been gone since the beginning of August and has been on one adventure after another. He left in August for France to work with a family for about 3 weeks. From there he headed to Portugal where he spent about 3 more weeks visiting and sightseeing with my sister, Bridget, who lives there. His plan from there was to head to Rome, but one morning I received a text from Bridget asking if he had made it to Chicago alright. Chicago?! Apparently he had changed his plans and was heading back to the states. He made his way back to St. Gregory’s Academy, where he’s been working, working out with the soccer team and enjoying the camaraderie that is found there. I know he has some plans to roam around a little more before he ends up back in San Diego, but I don’t know exactly what they are. He will surely be back before the end of November when Clay is retiring (we will talk more about that at another time). But for now, he’s happily enjoying some time to just BE.
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OTHER UPDATES

Gabi-her arm is fine. Lex pushed her off the trampoline and she complained about the arm for a couple of days, but it’s just sore, no breaks.

Mariah-She hasn’t had any more scary episodes of fainting. She will be seeing the neurologist on the 15th for a follow-up.
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Heck, I might as well give an update on each of the kiddos

Kateri-She’s back at school, working and has been singing for masses. She is truly a Starving Student and your prayers for her to meet all of her financial needs without too much stress are appreciated.

Arianna-is playing tennis and loving her Freshman year. She’s really become a wonderful student and I’m so impressed with how on top of her schedule she is!

Maddi-is enjoying her Freshman year and has started to voice her dislike of babysitting her siblings.

Tristan-is in 5th grade and looking forward to joining the school band and is an excellent student.

Max-is in 2nd grade and isn’t hating school as much as he did last year. His teacher is wonderful and is working hard with him. He’s got all of the ability and none of the drive.

Lex-is in 4yr old preschool and doing well. He’s still, very much, my baby and has pledged to sleep in my bed for the rest of his life. Truly the baby!

Well, that’s it from around here. Yes, we have some other big things coming up, but we can talk about them as they come.

Doing the Dance of the Children, One Day at a Time~

I am so excited to have the chance to see and review this show! And I’m even more excited that I get the chance to share it with you! One lucky reader will win a pair of tickets to Burn The Floor opening night, Oct 12th. at the San Diego Civic Theater.

Enter to win by reposting this post and emailing me at Jen@MommyofMany.com to let me know. You MUST email me to be entered! The winner will be chosen at random tomorrow evening. I’ll post the winner’s name before bed tomorrow.

Whoo Hoo! Let’s go Burn the Floor! (if you haven’t seen the video and wanna see what all the excitement is about, check it out here).

Good luck!

On this day, where things seem all outta whack, I’m choosing to find something that lifts my spirits and reminds me to focus on all things good. I’m thinking of the fact that my son is traveling safely and enjoying this time in his life. I’m thinking that the schools my children have been attending are filled with a solid education, faith and many beautiful people. I’m thinking that I have running vehicles and 2 refrigerators full of food. I thinking that my loved ones are alive and safe. I’m thinking that I’ve been able to live near the ocean for many years and have gotten to smell the ocean air and feel the ocean breeze while watching it’s vast and untamed waters. I’m thinking that even on crazy days, life really is good.

While I focus on all these thoughts I’m going to fill my house with music that I love, roll up my sleeves and clean.

Always take a moment to breathe deeply and find your blessings.

Doing the Dance of the Children and Believing in all my Blessings~