I don’t know if this would be applicable to you or anybody else here, but lately, as I have been overwhelmed & discouraged (often to the point of depression), I keep “hearing” this from God – “Ride it out.” The impression that comes along with that is like I’m on a runaway stagecoach or a rickety old roller coaster, & I need to hang on & wait for the ride to be over.
Part of the hanging on is to keep doing “the next right thing” that needs to be done, & don’t worry about the stuff that’s not getting done.
As for today, I think I have that virus, but it seems God has been merciful to let me only get a milder version of it. (Chrissy texted that she got it last night.) My tummy hurts, I feel quite nauseated, & my intestines are not happy, but I haven’t thrown up, at least not yet. I do feel quite weak, & moving around causes the nausea to get much worse, so I’m just gonna sit around & rest today.
With both Chrissy & I out of commission, & R in Boston for training for his new job, Emily is scrambling to find someone to watch Forrest this evening while she’s is classes. It’s finals week, so she can’t miss them. Please pray either Forrest’s other grandmother or a local friend Emily used to work with at the daycare can watch him tonight. Thanks.
In the meantime, Emily has studying to do, so Forrest is hanging out in the living room with me. I would love to snuggle into the couch & watch a movie, but that’s not gonna happen, at least not for a while.
Lee is home (his day off) but he is on his computer in our bedroom, working on his orders. When he is finally finished with those, he is going to take Forrest with him on some errands. God bless that man!
Forrest’s other grandmother will not babysit tonight. She gets up early to go to the gym before work, & wants to get to bed early. I guess skipping the gym & sleeping in a bit is not an option she will entertain. 😦 (This isn’t the first time she hasn’t helped us out of a bind.)
Karen, I know you and Emily want Forrest’s father to pay for child support. Otherwise, it seems to me that the less you and Forrest have to do with these people, the better off you, Emily and Forrest will be. I see, from your posts, no indication that they care about any of you, including Forrest.
I just hop[e Emily isn’t getting connected to another loser.
Chas – In general, R’s mom & step-dad are nice people, I like them, but his mom can be selfish about not doing anything she doesn’t want to do if it seems too difficult. Forrest loves them very much, & they love him, too.
A big part of the problem, as I see it, is that as an atheist (the step-dad) & some generic kind of New Agey “spiritual” (R’s mom), they lack the Christian virtues, so “doing what’s best for you” seems wise to them. 😦 I pray for their salvation every day.
It turns out I will have to babysit Forrest from about 4:15 to 10:30 tonight. Emily has finals tonight, & cannot miss them, & she can’t find anyone else to help out.
And he had a nap this afternoon in the car, running errands with his Papa, which means he won’t be going to sleep until quite late – maybe not even until his Mommy gets home.
Karen,
I agree with Chas. I would cut off all contact with these people. If they are interested they can contact you. I would GLADLY give up going to the gym to keep either of Paul’s two grandchildren if we lived nearer. I cannot imagine saying that to anyone, “No, I cannot help you, I have to go to the gym.” Now, I am all about boundaries and saying it isn’t possible for me to help you out this time, but these people never can.
One day and I promise you this, Forrest will know who was there for him day in and day out and who wasn’t. I understand that it wears you out but you will never regret it and those people will….or perhaps they won’t but that says more about them than about you.
And another thing….there is no possible way to hog the Prayer Thread. It is why it is here and sometimes it is the best therapy any of us can get.
So sorry, Karen. Praying you have the patience and strength you need this evening. It is difficult to care for an active child, when you feel so sick yourself. Remember how fast the time will past before he is in school and activities with little left over for you. Praying you have the energy and wisdom to use this time together, even though it is a strain.
Praying for you KarenO. I too have no one near when I am ill to care for my 3 year old. I generally bring a blanket to the couch and try to doze while he plays. Not really the ideal, but it works. Praying you will feel better quickly. May God give you an extra portion of strength and encouragement to get through this difficult time. Also praying that Emily will ace her finals.
Emily brought down his jammies (Lee is going to get him ready for bed before he goes to bed), a pillow, a comfy afghan he likes. & some favorite toys. She also put together some food that he can grab for himself when he’s hungry. We’ll probably have some kid shows playing in the background (on Netflix or DVDs). He seems to realize that he really needs to cooperate & be good.
Please continue to pray that Lee won’t get this. Owning this route means there is no room for sick days. 😦 He can’t wait to sell it (there have been a couple guys expressing interest), & is trusting God for what comes after that.
I was just going to say, Karen, that when I was in your situation, also in Connecticut, I took my advice from the Mother’s Almanac: “Somedays, you just have to give in. Tell the kids you’re sick, put on movies, lay on the couch and veg. They usually will get the message and may even want to take care of you.”
It worked for me one dreadful snowy February when my husband, of course, was out to sea and all my sea widow friends also were sick. If it hadn’t been Cary Grant week on TV I’m not sure any of us would have survived.
Young children are quite intuitive when things are different than usual. I was babysitting for two young and rambunctious boys, not quite ages 1 1/2 and 3 1/2, who knew me quite well, when one of my grandmothers called me to say that my other grandmother had just died.
When I got off the phone, I sat down in the stairway, on the middle of the bottom step, and started crying.
Those two little guys sat down next to me, one on each side, and just sat. Didn’t move. Didn’t say a word. Just looked at me through those baby blue eyes with utter solemnity.
And even after I stopped crying, and simply sat in silence, they lingered quietly, taking it all in.
It’s been almost thirty years, and I remember it like it was yesterday. One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed, and such a wonderful reminder of the gift of compassion our Lord builds into His little ones.
Praying that you and Forrest will both have special memories of your time together tonight, Karen.
I feel like there is a wrong-headed focus here. Forrest is the responsibility of EMILY and RYAN and it’s very easy for them to let Karen take the brunt of it as long as she is willing to take it. If Karen were to say, “no, sorry, not tonight” I bet one of them would find a solution. And then if Ryan’s mother puts the gym first, let THEM be mad at her and Karen can stay out of it.
Don’t bet on Ryan taking responsibility, Linda. Some people are irresponsible by nature.
You can usually discern that long before wedding vows are made.
These people usually live off other people’s largess.
Wandering Views 
Just feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
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I’m sorry, Kim. 😦
I don’t know if this would be applicable to you or anybody else here, but lately, as I have been overwhelmed & discouraged (often to the point of depression), I keep “hearing” this from God – “Ride it out.” The impression that comes along with that is like I’m on a runaway stagecoach or a rickety old roller coaster, & I need to hang on & wait for the ride to be over.
Part of the hanging on is to keep doing “the next right thing” that needs to be done, & don’t worry about the stuff that’s not getting done.
As for today, I think I have that virus, but it seems God has been merciful to let me only get a milder version of it. (Chrissy texted that she got it last night.) My tummy hurts, I feel quite nauseated, & my intestines are not happy, but I haven’t thrown up, at least not yet. I do feel quite weak, & moving around causes the nausea to get much worse, so I’m just gonna sit around & rest today.
With both Chrissy & I out of commission, & R in Boston for training for his new job, Emily is scrambling to find someone to watch Forrest this evening while she’s is classes. It’s finals week, so she can’t miss them. Please pray either Forrest’s other grandmother or a local friend Emily used to work with at the daycare can watch him tonight. Thanks.
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In the meantime, Emily has studying to do, so Forrest is hanging out in the living room with me. I would love to snuggle into the couch & watch a movie, but that’s not gonna happen, at least not for a while.
Lee is home (his day off) but he is on his computer in our bedroom, working on his orders. When he is finally finished with those, he is going to take Forrest with him on some errands. God bless that man!
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Forrest’s other grandmother will not babysit tonight. She gets up early to go to the gym before work, & wants to get to bed early. I guess skipping the gym & sleeping in a bit is not an option she will entertain. 😦 (This isn’t the first time she hasn’t helped us out of a bind.)
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Well, I’m not escaping the throwing up after all. 😦 (But it still doesn’t seem as bad as when Emily had it.)
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Karen, I know you and Emily want Forrest’s father to pay for child support. Otherwise, it seems to me that the less you and Forrest have to do with these people, the better off you, Emily and Forrest will be. I see, from your posts, no indication that they care about any of you, including Forrest.
I just hop[e Emily isn’t getting connected to another loser.
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Praying for both of you today, Kim & Karen, in addition to Ajisuun and The Gambia.
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Chas – In general, R’s mom & step-dad are nice people, I like them, but his mom can be selfish about not doing anything she doesn’t want to do if it seems too difficult. Forrest loves them very much, & they love him, too.
A big part of the problem, as I see it, is that as an atheist (the step-dad) & some generic kind of New Agey “spiritual” (R’s mom), they lack the Christian virtues, so “doing what’s best for you” seems wise to them. 😦 I pray for their salvation every day.
And no, they don’t see Forrest all that often.
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Now I’m upset.
It turns out I will have to babysit Forrest from about 4:15 to 10:30 tonight. Emily has finals tonight, & cannot miss them, & she can’t find anyone else to help out.
And he had a nap this afternoon in the car, running errands with his Papa, which means he won’t be going to sleep until quite late – maybe not even until his Mommy gets home.
Sometimes it feels we are in this alone.
Prayers appreciated!
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Sorry for hogging the prayer thread today. Thanks for the prayers.
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Karen,
I agree with Chas. I would cut off all contact with these people. If they are interested they can contact you. I would GLADLY give up going to the gym to keep either of Paul’s two grandchildren if we lived nearer. I cannot imagine saying that to anyone, “No, I cannot help you, I have to go to the gym.” Now, I am all about boundaries and saying it isn’t possible for me to help you out this time, but these people never can.
One day and I promise you this, Forrest will know who was there for him day in and day out and who wasn’t. I understand that it wears you out but you will never regret it and those people will….or perhaps they won’t but that says more about them than about you.
And another thing….there is no possible way to hog the Prayer Thread. It is why it is here and sometimes it is the best therapy any of us can get.
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So sorry, Karen. Praying you have the patience and strength you need this evening. It is difficult to care for an active child, when you feel so sick yourself. Remember how fast the time will past before he is in school and activities with little left over for you. Praying you have the energy and wisdom to use this time together, even though it is a strain.
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Praying for you KarenO. I too have no one near when I am ill to care for my 3 year old. I generally bring a blanket to the couch and try to doze while he plays. Not really the ideal, but it works. Praying you will feel better quickly. May God give you an extra portion of strength and encouragement to get through this difficult time. Also praying that Emily will ace her finals.
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Emily brought down his jammies (Lee is going to get him ready for bed before he goes to bed), a pillow, a comfy afghan he likes. & some favorite toys. She also put together some food that he can grab for himself when he’s hungry. We’ll probably have some kid shows playing in the background (on Netflix or DVDs). He seems to realize that he really needs to cooperate & be good.
Please continue to pray that Lee won’t get this. Owning this route means there is no room for sick days. 😦 He can’t wait to sell it (there have been a couple guys expressing interest), & is trusting God for what comes after that.
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Praying for ya’ll today…Karen I do pray this crud makes a hasty exit…so blessed to know your little guy is aware and cooperative… ❤
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I was just going to say, Karen, that when I was in your situation, also in Connecticut, I took my advice from the Mother’s Almanac: “Somedays, you just have to give in. Tell the kids you’re sick, put on movies, lay on the couch and veg. They usually will get the message and may even want to take care of you.”
It worked for me one dreadful snowy February when my husband, of course, was out to sea and all my sea widow friends also were sick. If it hadn’t been Cary Grant week on TV I’m not sure any of us would have survived.
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Young children are quite intuitive when things are different than usual. I was babysitting for two young and rambunctious boys, not quite ages 1 1/2 and 3 1/2, who knew me quite well, when one of my grandmothers called me to say that my other grandmother had just died.
When I got off the phone, I sat down in the stairway, on the middle of the bottom step, and started crying.
Those two little guys sat down next to me, one on each side, and just sat. Didn’t move. Didn’t say a word. Just looked at me through those baby blue eyes with utter solemnity.
And even after I stopped crying, and simply sat in silence, they lingered quietly, taking it all in.
It’s been almost thirty years, and I remember it like it was yesterday. One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed, and such a wonderful reminder of the gift of compassion our Lord builds into His little ones.
Praying that you and Forrest will both have special memories of your time together tonight, Karen.
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I feel like there is a wrong-headed focus here. Forrest is the responsibility of EMILY and RYAN and it’s very easy for them to let Karen take the brunt of it as long as she is willing to take it. If Karen were to say, “no, sorry, not tonight” I bet one of them would find a solution. And then if Ryan’s mother puts the gym first, let THEM be mad at her and Karen can stay out of it.
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Don’t bet on Ryan taking responsibility, Linda. Some people are irresponsible by nature.
You can usually discern that long before wedding vows are made.
These people usually live off other people’s largess.
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