Retreat talks, "occults" and substitute teachers

Sleep is eluding me... too much soda too late in the evening. So, I finally got up out of bed to email and blog. Hopefully, I'll get some things off my mind and then I can sleep!

I finished one of my talks for Women's Retreat. It is so different than any other talk I've given. This one is born out of a journal-write basically and is more or less the story of where I am right now spiritually speaking. It is candid, honest, open and leaves me pretty vulnerable. But, it is definetely what I've been led to say and so I will say it. I read it to Layth tonight finally. He said it was "perfect, right on" and that it was probably the best talk he's heard me give yet. I have one more talk to prepare. I've got about 8 pages of notes - talks I've started or ideas. I'm not sure if I'll go with one of those or go with something totally different. The theme for this year's retreat is God Turns our Trash into Treasure. For weeks now I have been consumed with the topic as I struggle to come up with material to teach on!

It's been a normal week around here except that I've been sick with a pretty bad cold. Not fun and I haven't been to the gym in a week and a half now. I'm anxious to get back there, especially since Layth and I have vacation in a little over two weeks. I want to look good. BUT, I want to be healthy for the trip even worse, so I stay home and lay low and take a nap every day.

Soren had his first substitute teacher at school yesterday. He got in the car and said it was "a very, very mixed up day" and that he had to "remind the new teacher of so many things that he almost gave up." He went on to explain that she didn't know about the line-leader and so he had to tell her about that, and she had the library person hold the door (can you believe it?) and so he had to tell her about who was the door holder and how that worked... Layth just shook his head and said "oh my, that was soooo me as a kid! I would totally take control of the class."

And, Soren is afraid that he's getting an "occult". Yes, his throat tickles sometimes and he's tired a lot so he's "probably getting an occult." It was so cute to hear him talk about it tonight (at first I didn't get what he was talking about) that I haven't corrected him yet. Next time it comes up I will. It was just too much fun listening to him talk about it.

Keiton has reverted in his potty-training. I don't think frustrated is a strong enough word for this mother! It is beyond... Ugh. I HATE POTTY TRAINING! Which is why I waited so long to start, thinking that if I started later perhaps he would get it sooner. I guess not! We'll keep plugging away at it. I hate it enough that I want it over and done with!

A Salem weekend is just around the corner, complete with pictures of all the kids! I'm really looking forward to it. I've not been back since everything reconciled in my mind and so I'm looking forward to a healthy, fun weekend with friends!

Well, it's after midnight now and I don't have anything left to say (not that I've said much up to this point!) so I'm going to go try and sleep again.

Later...