Napless Naptime

My eyes are stinging and I feel very tired this afternoon, but a nap was simply not in the cards. That's one of the tough realities in having this many kiddos. At nap time, in order for mama to get a nap, they ALL have to be quiet. And today, a couple of them weren't.

I tried not to feel too envious of my two year old, who was sleeping peacefully in my bed. As my girlfriends and I always tease one another on trying days, God was wise to make babies so adorably cute.

I think one of the most frustrating things I am dealing with right now is that I am such a poor sleeper, because even when I have the opportunity to sleep, I still regularly struggle to do so. I wake up frequently and have a very hard time going back to sleep, even though I am very, very tired.

Sometimes pain keeps me awake. I stumble to the kitchen to get medicine and then have to wait for it to kick in.

The weather we are having down here in the Southern United States is insane. Call me crazy, but I kind of like the idea of actually having seasons. It is January and eighty degrees outside. And humid. I am trying not to be a big baby but I am already dreading this summer. Summers here are rough. I think I could handle the heat alone, but the humidity does me in year after year. Let me put it this way- my father asked me last summer how come I wasn't used to the weather after having lived here for eight years, and I responded by telling him people don't *get used* to Hell either. He laughed and I was kidding, but really. Blech.

There is something that drives me a little batty about when my husband turns on the air conditioner in January. Does that seem wrong to anyone else???

Meh. Overall, these are minor things.

Been plowing through the Twelve Months of Monastery Soups cookbook and loving it. Haven't had one yet we haven't liked. I've served the soups with various toppings {bacon, croutons, cheese, fresh herbs, etc.} and sometimes with a sandwich or salad, or accompanied by fresh bread. I highly recommend this book if you like soups and want some really good new recipes. There are a lot to choose from.

And thinking ahead, to the {even} warmer seasons, there are recipes for cold soups. There is another book by the same author for salad recipes. I need to start compiling recipes now for the days I know I won't want to turn on the stove. Cold suppers are a saving grace in the South during the summer. I'm thinking cold soups, salads and smoothies are the way to go most days.

I am going to try and savor the time left where I can actually stand hot things to eat and drink. I rarely even drink a hot cup of coffee in the mornings here once summer hits. It's just too unbearable.

In other news, I am getting rid of my facebook page. I don't use it much anymore anyway, and I find that those who I genuinely want to stay in touch with will stay in touch without it. It's not that there isn't good that can come from facebook, and I certainly don't judge any one who has it. Just, for me, it is more of a time zapper. It takes more than it gives. I can only do so many things well in any given day, and more and more it has become apparent to me that this is something that I should drop.

The only thing I think I will really miss about it is the ability to share blog posts and articles I find interesting. So, I have decided that I will just do that here, maybe on Fridays. I can link up the posts and articles I find through out the week that my heart wants to share.

And perhaps, those who come here to see them might be more likely to actually read them than if they encountered them amongst all the other clutter on facebook? Time will tell.

Well, napless naptime is about over for the day and I need to gather the kidlets up and run out to the grocery to pick up a couple things for supper.

What's for supper, you ask?

Soup! :)

~amy danielle