Conversations

Conversation with Brady in the grocery store today!

Brady: I think I want to buy Poppa a new chainsaw for christmas.
Me: What is Poppa going to do with a chainsaw in his condo? (maintenance free mind you)
Brady: Cut his meat!

Apparently Brady thought the electric knife that Poppa used to cut the turkey with on Thanksgiving Day was a chainsaw.

Day 25 - My day as a SAHM!

I sleep in until about 10 or 11, wake up and eat breakfast.  Curl up on the couch with some bon-bons and my DVR'd soap operas and...what?!? Isn't that what people assume SAHMs do all day???

Here is my day:

5:15am - wake up and pump (sorry for the TMI, but that's what I do)

5:30am - start making breakfast and lunches for the kids

6:00am - wake up Kinley to feed her (Abbey and Brady are getting up and dressed at this time too).

6:45am - get dressed and ready to take kids to school

7:00am - out the door and in the truck

7:45am - back home from taking the kids to school (if I didn't have to "work" at the school).  Change

diaper dress Itty Bitty and give her medicine (still on Zantac for acid reflux).

8:00am - Kinley plays on the floor while I clean up kitchen, make bed fix myself some breakfast, eat and check emails. Sometimes I give Kinley a bath at this time, sometimes after she eats her cereal.

9:00am - feed Kinley cereal.

9:30am - playtime for Kinley (might be on the floor or the walker or reading books in the rocking chair with Momma).

10:00am - nurse Kinley

11:00am - Kinley down for a nap.  I try to get a few things done around the house at this time (doesn't always go as plan).  Eat lunch.

1:00pm - nurse Kinley

2:00pm - leave to pick kids up from school.

3:00pm - return home.  Help kids with homework, start getting dinner ready (when I actually make dinner).

4:00pm - nurse Kinley

5:00pm - finish working on dinner.  Big kids are in the bathtub/shower.

5:30-6:00ish - sit down to eat.

6:30-7:00ish - get up from the table, kids finish up homework if not already done.

7:00 until 8:00 - family time! We either watch Family Fued/Jeopardy together, play the wii, or play a board game.

8:00pm - Abbey and Brady in bed, Kinley takes her last feed.

9:00pm - Kinley in bed.  Veg-out time or computer time or school volunteer stuff

10ish - in bed, but may watch a little bit of tv to unwind, usually whatever sports game is on or the news.

Good Night, ready to start the day again!

Now understand, there are some days when this schedule is nowhere near what my day is like.  For instance, if I have errands to run, that's usually done when Kinley would be napping.  Some days I'm volunteering at the school for a while.  And then there are some days like today when Kinley refuses to take a nap so our whole schedule is thrown out the window! And then there is the weekend, where we just kinda go with the flow!

Day 24- Where I Live

I decided instead of showing pictures of my house, I thought I'd give a little history lesson on Lakeland.  I was born and raised in Tampa and moved to Lakeland in 1994 when Matthew and I got married.  I have fallen in love with the small town atmosphere and consider this my home.  I love raising my children in a town, where the big news is that the City Commissioners are fighting a lawsuit so they can continue to open meetings with prayer.  I love raising my children in a town where we rarely go out without running into someone we know.  So here is a little bit about Lakeland, from the city's website.

Lakeland, Florida was incorporated January 1, 1885. The town was founded by Abraham Munn, who purchased 80 acres of land in what is now downtown Lakeland in 1882 and platted the land for the town in 1884. Munn was a resident of Louisville, Kentucky. Among the names considered (and rejected) for the town by its residents were Munnville, Red Bug and Rome City. It is reassuring that farsightedness prevailed in the selection of the name.

For a short time, Lakeland had a rival on the south side of Lake Parker, the largest lake in the city. That town was Acton. It had a church before Lakeland did, and more importantly, a railroad depot. Under mysterious circumstances the depot burned, and shortly thereafter a larger, modern structure was built in Lakeland. Acton began to decline and was gone by 1906. By the mid-1890’s some 25 trains were stopping in Lakeland each day. Because of the excellent railroad service, progressive outlook, attractive location and elevation (227 feet), the community grew and prospered.

In 1885 the Tremont Hotel, said to have been the best hotel in South Florida at that time, was built by Munn. It remained Lakeland's finest hostelry for years. It was moved in 1923 to make way for the construction of the Terrace Hotel, which still stands today.

City fathers knew how to deal with crime. In 1886 they passed an ordinance prohibiting "straggling around" the town. The mayor's report for the second quarter of that year shows 36 arrests; offenses included fighting, gambling, boisterous cursing and swearing, public drinking, lewd conduct, discharging firearms, sanitary violation, petty larceny and peddling without a license. The first jail was called the McDermott House -- named after its first occupant.

In 1887 nursery owner Ed Tison claimed to have originated the Marsh Seedless Grapefruit from cuttings on a tree growing on property of J. H. Hancock, north of Lakeland. About the same time he perfected this fruit, he sold his nurseries to C .M. Marsh, who gave his name to the new variety of the citrus family.

In the winter of 1888, H .S. Galloway demonstrated the profitable character of the strawberry crop and its adaptation to this area by netting over $600 from a single acre of strawberries, thus originating the strawberry industry in this county. By 1894 Lakeland was shipping more strawberries than any other place in the state.

The Lakeland Light and Power Company erected a light plant at the corner of Cedar Street and Massachusetts Avenue in 1891. In May of that year plant manager Harry C. Sloan threw the switch which turned on the current, and Lakeland was lighted by electricity for the first time. It was the only town in Florida besides Jacksonville and Tampa to have electric lights.

In the summer of 1898 some 9,000 troops were quartered in Lakeland, awaiting embarkation for Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Regiments camped on Lakes Wire and Morton. Lakeland's steady growth continued during the early 1900's. The town's first bond election in 1901 secured $110,000 for a school building. In that same year Park Trammell, who had been practicing law locally since 1899, was elected mayor. Later he served as governor of Florida and then U. S. senator.

The city's first telephone exchange was built in 1902, the first fire department was organized in 1908, free mail delivery was inaugurated in 1912, and in 1913, the city government changed from the aldermanic to the commission form. In 1916 the cornerstone of the first hospital was laid, and in 1921 Florida Southern College moved here from Sutherland.

The Florida boom resulted in the construction of many significant structures in Lakeland, a number of which are today listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This list includes the Terrace Hotel, New Florida Hotel (Regency Towers), Polk Theatre, Park Trammell Building (formerly the Lakeland Public Library and today the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce), and others. This was Lakeland's golden age. The Cleveland Indians held spring training here from 1923 to 1927. Cleveland Heights subdivision was developed and the Carpenters and Joiners Retirement Home was constructed.

During this same time two Lakeland residents nearly made aviation history as the first man and woman to fly across the Atlantic. Shortly after Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, George Haldeman and Ruth Elder attempted to duplicate the feat. Taking off from New York, the couple developed engine trouble a few hundred miles off the coast of Spain and ditched their plane in the ocean. They were rescued by a Dutch tanker which took them to Europe, where they were received with much fanfare.

The "boom" period went "bust" quickly, and years passed before the city recovered. Part of the re-emergence was due to the arrival of the Detroit Tigers in 1934 for spring training. (The team continues to train here.) The development of the Lakeland Municipal Airport as a major facility in central Florida transportation was another factor. The 1930’s also featured the arrival of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1938 he came to Lakeland at the request of Florida Southern College President Ludd Spivey to design a "great education temple in Florida." For 20 years Wright worked on his "true American campus" creation. He planned 18 structures, 12 of which were completed and six left on the drawing board. He called his project "A Child of the Sun," so named from the architect’s own description of being "out of the ground, into the light, a child of the sun." It is the largest on-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the world.

The Lodwick School of Aeronautics, owned by aviation pioneer Al Lodwick, opened in 1940 and trained several thousand men to fly for the U.S. Army Air Corps. At the same time Food Machinery Company was researching and developing amphibious tanks. Drane Field, in southwest Lakeland, was the site on which B-24 bomber crews trained. The Women’s Civil Defense League was also active. The community was solidly behind the war effort.

After the war, George Jenkins rapidly expanded his Publix supermarket chain and installed his corporate headquarters in Lakeland. Today, Breed Technologies and Discount Auto Parts, based locally, trade on the New York Stock Exchange. The citrus and phosphate industries, though not within the city limits, contribute significantly to Lakeland's economy. Seventy percent of the phosphate produced in the U.S. is extracted and processed within 25 miles of this city. Citrus growth and production have made this area the "World's Citrus Center." Through the 1980's Lakeland and its surroundings produced 25 percent of the nation's citrus. The Florida Department of Citrus and Florida Citrus Mutual are located here.

With a current population of 77,000+ Lakeland continues to grow. It has been designated a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area by the U.S. Census Bureau for over 20 years. With tourist attractions such as Disney World, Busch Gardens, Cypress Gardens and Bok Tower all within half an hour's drive, Lakeland is capitalizing on its ideal central Florida location. With its commitment to downtown development, redevelopment and historical preservation, and keen insight into its past and present, it is a model for other cities. Its future is bright... and secure.

Compiled by Hal Hubener. Last revised 6-27-97

My Prayers!

There aren't many things more humbling than praying for your own children.  As I pray for Abbey, Brady and Kinley to possess the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control), it kind of comes full circle. More than anything I need Him to change me, to soften my heart, to instill in me the fruits of the spirit, and to give me wisdom so that I can be an appropriate model for my children.

I realize that I will fail miserably. Probably on a daily basis. That is a very blunt and honest statement, I admit, but it's true. I will mess up.

“But God…” Isn’t that a powerful statement and one I am so thankful for.

I have a Savior who has already covered me. He alone will be the one to capture their hearts and bring them to Himself. He alone carries their future, and He alone will be the one to cover everything that I cannot.

And so as I pray for my precious children, I pray for myself (and Matthew) that God would work in me and through me. That He would grant me grace and that He would grant me mercy.  But most importantly, that He would grant me wisdom in all situations.