Category Archives: Family Talk

Ditch Digging Update YET Again

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 7 April, 2014 None comments

Oh my goodness! Yes, this is my third update for our dug-up yard the last three months! And the saga continues….

Headed on our family excursion…

Yesterday my husband spent the day, the entire day working on our collapsed pipe and replacing the cement connection pipe. We took our family trip to Home Depot first thing in the morning and then he went straight to work. The problem within replacing the pipe is this pipe is our main sewer line which has traces of feces and we DO NOT want my husband to get sick. He bought a respirator and body suite!

Of course…too small

While he was out there, he needed me to me to run back to Home Depot as one of the fittings was too small. As a approached Home Depot I had a feeling they wouldn’t have the part we needed. Unfortunately, my feeling was beyond accurate but little did I know that on weekends most plumbing stores are CLOSED. So I had to drive an additional 20 minutes across town to find this part. I walked in to find that you need to “take a number” and wait for them to call you. They were extremely busy, it was almost as if I stumbled upon DMV. When I finally got help, I bought three different sizes because I was determined NOT to drive back if I got the wrong size. I head home and luckily the middle size was perfect.

I head in to check on my sleeping babe as my husband remained outside the whole time I was gone because he was covered in mud or feces, I’m not too sure which. I peek out the window now and again to see him hidden deep within the hole and other times see him frustrated at life. I knew he wanted to quick long ago, yet we currently had no running water and wouldn’t have running water until it was fixed. Finally, 5 hours later and after MANY complications, he got the pipe connected. He added a cleanout as this has been a major problem that it would be easier to access with a cleanout readily accessible. Once it was connected (minus the cleanout) we had me flush both toilets.

Plugged!!!

AYI YI YI….to our dismay we now had complete blockage of the pipes….the furry raised in the two of us as the problem was clearly marked out before the digging even began. If my husband spent all that time to not have addressed to proper issue, we were not going to be happy. Too many hours and too many dollars spent thus far.

Michael has a snake and tried to snake it out but we had NO success. I finally had a brilliant idea to call Roto-Rooter and ask for a complimentary snake as the issue clearly wasn’t where they had told us. While we waited my husband showered because he was covered from head to toe in feces. It was the most rancid smell to date and he was covered in it! (praying he doesn’t get sick) The supervisor on call came out with a team mate and was beyond nice! They did three different things to help clean out our pipe and took a camera down as well. We have two LARGE tree roots taking over our pipe. So much so that “junk” easily attaches itself to the roots causing our pipes to back up quickly.

We were given two options: 1. Keep digging and replace more piping for another 10 feet… or 2. Keep digging and replace more piping. :) Okay so we went with neither of those options and decided we would fill the current hole back up with dirt and buy some products that helps kills the roots over time and wash them away. We have to products to purchase and continue to treat for the next 4 months and then once a month after that. This will buy us some time as we are not going to tackle this ourselves and continue to risk my husbands health.

The men that came out were soooooo nice and gracious to us that the job was completely free and they gave us a lot of feedback and help to solve our issues. We had a couple “old faithful’s” take place in the midst of the cleanout and Cooper was so excited to watch this all take place. The smell was horrific and because it was so blocked my husband unfortunately had to deal first hand with it, literally. :)

BUT needless to say, the problem is fixed, cleaned and hopefully taken care of. We will begin treating the roots this week and double flushing, dishwashing and doing lots of laundry as the extra water will help flush any blockage of toilet paper that begins to take place. Being fully aware of the situation is extremely helpful and having a game plan is also beyond beneficial. I was avoiding sending more water down the drain to avoid a backup, but now that it’s clean, that’s the best thing we can do. YAY!!!

Who would have thought that our “situation” could be so extensive, time consuming and hazardous? Thankful that our pipes are healed for the most part with a couple big boo-boos that we will treat with a few Band-Aids. :)

Moment of Truth: Both my husband and I put our fair share into this “situation” and have a new appreciation for plumbers!!! They deserve our respect and support!

*Ditch-Digging-Never-Ending

**Ditch-Digging-Update

The New Do

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 5 April, 2014 None comments

The New Do…

My husband and I have been blessed with a tiny little man who has had a full head of hair since the moment he was born. We has received 10 haircuts by his first birthday. Since than we lost track! He has had 2 salon haircuts and the first was pretty cute and shaggy. I wasn’t ready to rid the baby in him yet. We kept it long but cute and he still looked like my little baby!

First Salon Cut…

Since then, his hair continues to grow extremely healthfully and keeps the thick, long shag going on. My husband keeps telling me he needs a haircut but I knew deep down, this hair cut would forever rid the little baby look, so I postponed taking him in. Did he look handsome, of course because he is my son. BUT did it look good, honestly, it started to look like he was kind of homely and needed a good whack of the hair. :) Even the lady at the salon was commenting how cute he is BUT how much cuter he would be if we chopped it. I knew the moment she said that, I had begun to overlook beyond what everyone else could see….a sweet little mess of hair!

The Before Product! :)

So….we took the liberty and made my son have the cutest haircut to date! :) I was thrilled and so was he, he received a lollipop while receiving the buzz cut AND she gave him another one once he finished!

The Finished Product…

My handsome man couldn’t possibly get any more adorable, yet he does!! It constantly amazes me how sweet and tiny this precious little man is and most of all the biggest surprise….. he is MY son!

I love you Cooper John!!!

Concert of the Year!!!

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 4 April, 2014 None comments

Last night my sweet hubby and I went to a concert for a belated birthday present. My husband enjoys Kings of Leon so we took the opportunity to spend some time together and head out for some good music.

Neither of us have been to a concert for quite a few years. It was fascinating to me the whole essence of what a concert actually is. The thoughts raced through my head as we set in the perfect section overlooking the audience without anything blocking our view. We were on the edge of the second section that keeps us perched a smidgen higher giving us a our space with no one next to us.

As we got there a little late for the opening act it was incredible to me how many people hung out in the bars. Let me start by saying, I don’t think there is anything wrong with going to concerts and yes even going to concerts that aren’t Christian. I believe good music is good music. So with that, we walked in, found our seats and enjoyed the opening act. They turned the lights on between the two acts and we sat there for a good 45 minutes having a great conversation and people watching. We looked down upon a section that was very fascinating to me to watch. We immediately found a group that was beyond belligerent and were curious how the remaining time was going to play out. In particular, there was a gentleman that was roughly 6’4″, 250 pounds and extremely drunk, swaying from side to side, spilling his beer all over and stumbled to his seat now and again. His eyes remained closed most of the concert trying to stay awake.

Our neighbors to our right were a cute little family with two sons who sat in the row in front of mom and dad. They were probably in high school and the dad and mom tried to act interested with the music. It was pretty cute to see this family support their sons musical interests by getting separate seats but able to watch them and keep them from mischief. I told Michael we would do the same; it was a great idea.

A little bit higher than us was a couple that was on their first date. We had a calm section where the people acted in a way that was more “responsible” than the section below us. I use that term lightly but definitely could tell the difference between our “date-night” section and the party section below us.

While my husband and I people watched and enjoyed conversation before the main act came out to serenade us with their music we were fascinated by the reality of what a concert truly is. A large crowd joins together while a couple people sing for an hour and a half and play musical instruments. The concept was almost humorous to me reminding me of what life is and the pleasures people enjoy. Good music is always an enjoyment but I found it so fascinating that a group travels around to simply set up, sing, take down, travel to next location, repeat.

Even after all the fascination of people watching what really caught my attention was the amount of alcohol served at events such as this. As the night progressed we watched people become absolutely obliterated by this substance cementing to me that they will NOT remember the concert the following morning. I began to smell another substance floating through the air, the same section below decided to sneak-smoke marijuana which would in turn float up directly to myself and my husband. The occasional lighting up of this substance gave me an incredible headache. So, this very man who is 6’4″, 250 pounds, falling to the floor a couple times is now engaged in this substance. The couple directly behind him, was incredibly angry as I’m sure this is not what they purchased their tickets for.

As the night progressed my husband and I had a great time together! It was really fun and a good change in scenery. Although I am not that old, I am married with a child and these two people are my highest priorities in life. I struggle watching people try and escape life even in a environment that people are enjoying they still need the escape. The fact that people have to get drunk or high was a complete eye opener for me, not because I haven’t known this or seen this previously, but because I am now a mom and a wife living my life for Christ and not a substance.

Moment of Truth: My goal is to raise my son to the best of my ability with my husbands help to prevent my son from making stupid choices such as these later in life. Emphasizing the importance to not make bad decisions as life is incredibly short. Live life to the fullest! Seek peace, seek happiness and seek the Lord.

Family Time

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 2 April, 2014 None comments

With the sun out and the little munchkin loving outside, we took a family stroll to get coffee and treats. My little man didn’t have lunch but sure did chow down on his cake pop and vanilla milk from Starbucks.

We enjoyed the sun, watched the water, and had good husband/wife conversations. My little man rolled in the grass, chased the ducks and simply laughed his little giggles away.

Michael happy for a ray of sunshine!

We enjoy the family time and great weather knowing it’s ultimately all that matters at the days end.
Concentrating on the fact that he can see himself in the camera!

Chasing the ducks!

Waving bye-bye as we head home. He enjoyed the ride to and from as this was the first time he has sat forward facing in the car seat! So much more to see!

Mama Made a Boo-Boo

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 30 March, 2014 None comments

Boo-Boo time came last night and not only was it sad, but it was mother inflicted! :(

I was putting his jammies on and my thumb made quite the mark on his sweet little chin. It bled a bit but is holding up well. He’s a tough man!

Sometimes I wish he would cry longer as its okay to be hurt and cry. He’s so quick to recover from his little injuries, often I don’t know he hurt himself till I find bruises on his little legs during bath time. He’s so tough he barely makes a peep! Poor child!

Sweet baby!

Ditch Digging Update

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 28 March, 2014 None comments

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!

Woo-hoo updating with good news. I officially stopped digging. I officially hired someone to dig. And he officially found the problem. YAY!

Two weeks later the problem has been found- not solved, but found! Our pipe collapsed at the break between the plastic pipe and cement. This is good news all around. No major problem but a collapsed pipe that doesn’t require any further digging or any further snaking. It’s going to get resolved within the next couple days. Our nice young man who has been digging even helped temporarily fix the problem to get us through the next couple days until it is officially fixed this weekend.

6 feet long 4 1/2 feet deep

The temporary fix

Yay! The problem still lies ahead as my husband will be doing the plumbing fix to save us thousands of dollars so the prayer is that he can figure it out and fix it properly. BUT I am happy to report that from here on out should be easier than we had previously expected!

Sweet Dreams Little One

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 19 March, 2014 None comments

There is something so powerful that happens for me as a mother to watch my little man sleep.

The precious breathing, beautiful face, calm presence and perfection lying before my eyes. His sweet little body snuggled so tightly to his blanket while his mommy rubs the small of his back. Longing to capture that moment as if my eyes could take pictures. Pictures that only a moment can describe. A picture truly is worth a thousand words, yet that same picture holds no depth that that current moment so intently held.

“Look Mommy a Kitty”

I can’t capture the deep love I have for my son in words. I must honestly and humbly say, I think only a mother truly understands. The deep protection, longing and heartache that follows a mother is only the beginning of what raising a child is all about. The precious moments, the moments you take for granted, the frustration of discipline, the joys of laughter, the snuggle time, the cute little language developing, the precious kisses and hugs, the beauty of reading and holding your child is just a small portion of all the emotions that encapsulate being a mother.

“Truck, Truck” while on a coffee date with Mommy

Sometimes when the craziness of life sets in, I begin to regret the moments I didn’t soak in as I know he is growing up and will only be my little man for so long. One day I wont be able to kiss him anytime and all the time, I wont be able to hug and snuggle him, pick him up and hold him tightly. These are moments that will pass and before they do, my goal is to try and hug and kiss him beyond measure that I get so sick of it (this will be impossible and that’s exactly my point). Not letting wasted time pass, but enjoying the present and not wishing it away!

Baby Powder that caught his attention while daddy snooped for ice cream!

I love you more than life Cooper John and can’t believe you are almost two in 3 months!

Moment of Truth: Relish in the present even when life becomes chaotic and you wish all your kids could take a nap at the exact time so you could clean the house or feed your tummy. Delight in your children, they are blessings!

Ditch Digging….NEVER ENDING!

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 16 March, 2014 None comments

Little did I know that digging ditches was a part of my future. I was really uptight about digging our French drain and having done so I have come to realize that was easy as pie compared to the new ditch I’ve been hacking at. I say “hacking” as digging seems to be limited while trying to hack at the rocks or shall I say boulders and the massive trees that are growing underground.

The picture below if from digging our French drain a couple weeks ago….

Let me explain: When I mentioned our pipes had been clogged and we had a pipe to fix, I wasn’t quite sure that fixing the pipe was our issue, the real issue is the 6×4 feet of dirt that needs to be eliminated. Do you hear me, this is a four foot cave I’ve been trying to dig. I honestly feel as I enter the center of the earth I’ve come to believe lava and volcanic fluids do NOT reside down there. The farther you dig, the harder the dirt becomes and the more roots you bump into.

Day 1:

I spent three hours digging four feet down. Yes, I dug four feet down! It was brutal and this is what I call backbreaking; all seriousness in the word backbreaking. I had every neighbor on the block watching this miraculous hole get deeper and deeper with a tall, gangly girl holding a shovel. When I realized I found a pipe or another cement block I stopped for the day. Hot, sweaty and longing for an iced coffee I went and showered and did not receive the iced coffee.

Here’s the first small tree I ran into with the very first pull of the shovel….

I got my creative juices and decided since I was extremely too weak to lift a 2×2 foot of grass and dirt, I would shove two shovels on each side and jump on them. This helped get it out of the ground so I could lay it on it’s side. It worked, but I must say the neighbors were probably extremely confused by my shovel jumping exercise.

Here are just a couple of the many rocks/boulders I ran into….

Another look at another tree underground…

My four foot hole…

The long attempted rocky, rooted ditch

Oh…just another tree….

Day 2:

The second day approaches. I head to bible study and come home to only begin this nightmare of a job to only find more and more roots hindering my ability to saw through and eliminate them. My hands blistered, sore and back throbbing only led me to deep anger for this “situation.” I threw the shovel down and sent my husband an email stating very clearly that this is absurd and I’m not cut out for this job. “We WILL hire someone to continue this project!” Though he previously told me we should hire someone and I blindly ignored him as I thought it was Ludacris and how hard would it actually be to do it ourselves. Well little did I know day 2 I would be begging for a laboer to come and take over.

As I was already incredibly muddy, I continued to fill up our yard debris bin as this seemed like paradise compared to what I had just been dealing with. This time, iced coffee in my blistered hands, I was able to appreciate the warm day knowing I was done with this project!

Day 3:

We had a gentleman come over yesterday to continue the work and I must say the “situation” has turned extremely confusing and we are unsure what and where to tackle the “real” issue. The pipe is found, ditch being dug, but where is the problem and do we dare break open the pipe to find something larger than what we had expected? The frustration is never ending with our house! I pray this is the last of the issues and that it is less complicated when the pipe is revealed. :)

Day 4:

The job is still in process. We will have our workers come back out on Monday and finish the digging and continue this project. Pipes have yet to back up…pray they continue to last!

Moment of Truth: The ditch digging is never ending, but this gal has ended. I choose to no longer partake in backbreaking work. This is not my duty as a mother, wife or a woman. :)

Juice Detox…

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 8 March, 2014 None comments

The juice detox began and ended. I had mentioned a couple of days ago about our date night cheating episode. I must say Michael did okay but I killed the detox, I placed a knife directly in the middle of it and said “forget this!” :)

We went to Mexican food and I order a wet chimichanga. There is absolutely no positive health factor in this dish. (basically a wet chimichanga is a deep fried burrito but with delicious cream sauce lathered on top) I stuffed myself on chips and salsa as I always do because I am starved by the time I reach the restaurant that it’s almost pointless to order a meal. Michael on the other hand ordered fajitas but ate it without the tortillas. Pretty much no carbohydrates in this meal but he joined me pretty heavily on the chips and salsa.

By the end of the meal Michael thought he was going to throw up. I say this not to gross you out but because he realized how the 20 minutes of pleasure leads to 24 hours of pain. The exciting reality of going out to eat is all roses until after the meal when your tummy begins to hurt. The fruit and vegetables has been a huge eye opener for us. He honestly looks healthier and hasn’t craved the sweets he used to crave; the fruit fulfills that craving. He also mentioned that his energy has sustained him throughout the day instead of hitting the afternoon slump.

We decided we would stick pretty much to fruits, vegetables and healthy eating throughout the week and then come the weekend we will eat in moderation what we desire. :)

Moment of Truth: If you do a detox do NOT go out to eat when you decide to cheat. Ease yourself into the garbage you are craving. :)

Bad mom moment

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 6 March, 2014 None comments

Attention! Attention! Calling all bad moms, yes calling all bad moms.

I had a moment last night where my son fell and hit his head numerous times and kept crying and crying. It was so sad, his little feet would whip out below him and he would fall so hard on his little back. Rushing to his aid I would cradle him and hold him tightly and say “it’s going to be okay, mommy’s here!” Where is the bad mom moment, well here it comes…

Here’s a little back-end of the story, earlier in the day I had polished our floors. Not only did I polish them but I swept, vacuumed, mopped and then I proceeded to polish our wood floors. Our entire house is wood floor except for the bedrooms. Our floors were desperately needing a good solid hands and knee scrub. It was a lot of work and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment….. until now. I placed my son in his little jammies getting him ready for bed with plenty of play time still ahead in the evening but I wanted him all ready for bed when Daddy arrived home from work.

This little man and his little jammies were in such a battle with our freshly polished wood floors. The bottom of his feet would whip out from below him. Causing him to fall on his back and ultimately his head. His little feet could not grab on, he had absolutely no control. He wiped out probably 6 to 7 times, yes I am a bad mom for even allowing that many falls. Finally I began to hold him but that didn’t work he wanted down, he wanted to run, he wanted to play, he wanted to get all of his little wiggles out before he laid his head down for the night. The very last time he slipped, he looked like Bambi on ice trying to walk for the first time. It was slow motion, his legs bouncing back and forth, back and forth and finally he falls, feet so high in the air he hit his head first. I ran to his side swooped him up in my arms, began to cuddle and hold him dear…. okay hold it… I wish that’s what happened! Although it did happen the previous 7 times unfortunately this time I swooped him up with a belly roar of laughter.

At that moment last night of snuggling and cuddling the 7 times he fell, it was so sad yet there was nothing I could do….I couldn’t make it stop. But the last time, I hysterically started laughing, laughing so uncontrollably hard I was crying myself. The very thought of trying not to laugh only made me laugh harder! It was that deep belly roar of a laugh, the tears were flowing and poor little Cooper being held in my arms crying big crocodile tears couldn’t understand, he would stop in the middle of a deep cry and look at me utterly confused and broken. This poor boy needed compassion and sensitivity as this was not the first fall of the evening. I handed him to his father who was in the other room and had no clue what had just happened; his son crying and wife hysterically laughing her head off.

thanks to someecards.com

Have you ever had a particular moment such as this? A moment where you have no control but something is so funny at that particular time that all you can do is deep belly roar? Do you ever have those moments looking back feeling like a failure of a mother? Where was that compassion and sensitivity that you always have?

HA! Been there, done that! But I must say it still gives me a good chuckle thinking back on it. There was no rhyme or reason as to why this was funny to me, it just was at the moment in time.

Lesson Learned: