Shannon Yee

On this mostly typical day in Michigan, what I have seen includes:

Sunshine. Rain.

Firefox freeze up twice. Part of dinner burn once.

Thirty-five Arabic women trying to read the question: What did May get for her birthday? Three of them succeeding.

Thirty-five Arabic women trying to answer the question: What did May get for her birthday? Eighteen of them succeeding.

Eila sucking on her toes. Josiah sucking on Eila’s shoes.

Josiah licking a gate. Eila licking Josiah.

Josiah asleep in a shopping cart, falling over. Eila asleep on Josiah in the stroller.

Eila eating yogurt that she previously ate and spit back into her bowl. Josiah spitting out all of his rice cereal and not eating anything.

Eila sucking on a sprinkler that has been in the garden since last spring. Josiah sucking on my chin.

Josiah sleeping peacefully in his crib. Eila saying “stuck!” & laying next to Josiah who was screaming in his crib.

A knife falling on my finger and leaving only a papercut.

Fifteen emails. One instant message. Over twenty websites.

Hard, but necessary. I always like to be right and fight hard to prove that I am even when I really know that I’m not. I tend to believe the lie that if I’m wrong, I’m a failure and deserve to be punished or at the very least not to be loved.

I recently made one of my more obnoxious attempts to be right despite all evidence to the contrary. Eila, however, is just as determined as I am and proved me wrong. She was NOT ready to be done with her pacifier, despite my frustration with her having it. She simply could not adjust to all the changes that have occurred in the past few weeks – moving out of her crib, then into a twin bed and then no pacifier. Losing her pacifier was the straw that broke the camels back. Eila just went right over the edge into crazy, crazy toddler. She couldn’t cope and couldn’t or wouldn’t sleep without her pacifier, so instead she’d just cry. This constant screaming made me crazy as well and this is not a good combination. In the end, I had to apologize to Eila for trying to make her grow up too fast and depriving her of sleep and getting angry at her for not meeting my expectations and demands. Fortunately, she was all too glad to have her pacifier back that she quickly forgave me and said a heartfelt “Thank you” as she climbed under the covers and went straight to sleep.

Just think, if I weren’t so stupid and stubborn, we all could’ve slept lots more in the past two weeks and saved ourselves a lot of irritation! All in the name of being right…

One of my favorite indulgences is cheesecake. Brian made me a fabulous low-fat cheesecake, which is delicious and extremely satisfying. My other favorite sweet snack is chocolate chip cookies, especially with a little peanut butter swirl. For Lent, I gave up cookies and while this might not sound like a great sacrifice to some; for me, it’s a daily challenge. That is a good thing because the purpose of Lenten sacrifices is to remind us of all that Christ gave up for us and cause us to call on him in our need. Each night, I would normally treat myself to a cookie or three and thoroughly enjoy this little feast while watching a little TV, but now I am without my standard nighttime snack and have found myself reading the Bible or praying instead of munching on cookies. It’s a really cool thing.

I enjoy exercise. Most people who know me won’t be surprised at that claim. I really like doing workout videos and the stationary bike as well as lifting weights or attending an aerobics or yoga or dance class. I especially like running or walking or rollerblading or biking outside and with a friend. One of the things I like about exercise is the way that I feel after – not the tired, thirsty, sweaty part, but after the shower and rehydration. I like feeling like I’ve done something good for myself and had fun doing it; I feel like I can do anything and have the energy and stamina to achieve my goals. If I’ve spent that time with a friend, I feel productive and usually loved or cared for as well as hopefully good about sharing life and love with someone else. Probably my favorite part of exercise is the indulgence that I allow myself at the next meal. I really enjoy eating and when I’m exercising I have a better appetite and more fully appreciate and savor my meals (and desserts, occasionally).

My plan was to start running outside again on March 1st after a long hiatus (because of pregnancy & then a cold, snowy winter). Unfortunately, the cold, snowy winter hasn’t ended and seems to be picking up steam. So, I guess I’ll just have to wait. I will run with my kids in the double jogging stroller, so it need to be at least 45ºF before I feel that it’s not cruel and unusual punishment for them. Our first goal is to train for a 5K run in April. If we can get a good start soon, maybe I’ll even try to run the 10K…

I’ve always been able to discipline myself to exercise my body, if only I could stay in shape mentally and spiritually as well… I guess I should take the hint and go read a little to exercise my heart and mind.