The Recital

Saturday was dance day. The dance recital went on and on... and on... and oooooonnnnn. There were a total of 38 numbers- that's right 38 and I agree, what the heck were they thinking?! Ridiculously too long for little kids and for most everyone in the audience who were dying from the a/c being off (it was crazy hot in there). Way too many solo dances (it went one group number followed by one solo number the whole night). Sadie did great but they were right towards the end of the program at #26, we left before the final bow. There were 10 more numbers to go and it had already been almost 2 hours long at that point. It was crazy and my husband and son were in agony the whole entire time- too much pink. I have to say, seeing my little princess feel proud of herself was worth it for me!

Miracle of spray paint...

Before- the garbage picked Chair was white.
After- black. I like it much better.
Improvement? I hope so!

Training

Going on a 6 mile run. Gotta beat my time from Monday which was 75:48 (actually one of my better times on a cooler day). That's just under 13 minutes each mile. Keep in mind I am running up a mountain and down it again then I do an extra 2 miles. I'll post my time tonight. It looks like another storm is moving in and I hope it rains on me, just spare me the lightning, thunder and hail.

Tonight's time was... 73:37, not too bad, at least I knocked a couple minutes off.

It was hot. Not a drop of rain. I was dripping the whole time and fairly nauseous which both are unusual. Only saw 3 people, 3 dogs, lots of little lizards, a dead toad, and a couple nasty biting flies got my dang knees again. They love my knees and ankles. Stretching and showering quick!

I THINK I am training for a race in Michigan this summer at the National Cherry Festival in July (that's if I have the guts to do it). They have a 13K (what the freak is that- like 9 miserable miles?) or a 5K which I've done before. Not sure I have the guts or the cookies to do 9 miles. I hope I can talk my husband into doing it with me.

Fathers Day Crafts

I've been racking my brain trying to come up with a fathers day craft that the kids at church can give to their dads. It was much easier dealing with mothers day. Here are the things I came up with...





If I don't use this one for Fathers Day, I am definitely using it for another occasion- easy idea. It says...."Dad- hope your day is filled with sweet surprises" and it's filled with candy (I used taffy).









This one is a little harder. I didn't quite understand the folding directions (brain cells not firing so well lately) so I did the best I could. Slipped a candy bar in there and called it good. Have also seen them with Pop Rocks slipped inside.








And the winner is... the easy one! All Star Dad. I think these look like sparklers or fireworks a little. Just taffy on a skewer and glue a little topper over the pointy part (which I have decided must be cut off before the kids impale each other or dear old dad). In this picture it is missing the crazy wired foil star garland that you decorate presents with (I'm out right now but I know the dollar store has them).





There just aren't a lot of original idea's out there so this is my offering. Not all of mine are original either but a creative challenge always gets me excited!

The Music of the Night

My kids both did very well at their piano recital last week but until now I haven't thought to post the footage. I think my daughter would mind it less that I was posting the recital video so I might spare my dear boy this time and just post hers. I am so proud them and so mad I never learned to play when I was younger. They practiced like crazy even though they were both so busy that last week of school and have always struggled with nerves at the recitals. (The teacher -the blondie- turned the pages- something like 8 pages total. It's a long video and has taken forever to upload, I hope it works).

Memorial

Glimpses into our touching Memorial day...

Father in law reciting "Flanders Fields"









Chloe holding her flag (we were so HOT and found some shade)










Corynn's face painting work of art

My handsome guys (listening to the program)

Sadie admiring the flowers she found that had blown off the bouquets in the cemetery.













I am the biggest patriotic cry baby. I always feel so blessed when I hear the music, listen to the tragedies of war one has lived through, or as I watch the greatest generation disappear one by one. The group here of veterans is smaller each year. The thing that really gets this cry baby going is when those tough old guys themselves shed tears as they remember losing their buddies in battle and leaving their homes to protect this land we live in. They felt pain every day along with fear, duty, and love. Their tears are absolutely justified and they send me into the Kleenex dive (I usually come prepared). Bless all of our veterans. They inspire courage in me to face my daily battles. Bless the troops in action today with an enemy that is not in uniform and has no rules of war. Oh, and may God, please bless America.

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

One Mans Trash

I garbage picked this chair. I did. I dumpster dived. It's so much fun- I recommend it and wonder why I never did it before! We went on a walk the night before trash pick up and saw these legs sticking out of a trash can. I told my son (who is bigger and stronger than me) to yank it out and we would see if it's intact. It was dirty, scratched, and had some stickers on it, other than that- PERFECT! Hey, solid wood is solid wood! I know, it's painted those country colors but that is completely changeable. It will soon be painted and polished up and I will have a little extra seating. I'm so excited! I am going to spray paint it- probably black to match my house. I love free crafts! I've been hankerin' for some creative outlet. My life has been far too much working, running around, and no fun lately! I am so excited. I will have to post an after shot when it's done. If I don't... well, then will you know I complete screwed it up. I like the challenge. It was free so no biggie, but I am ready to do some making over around here!

Cute= Sideways

"I love you mommy my heart". Just thought I'd interpret. Someday I might even figure out how to flip a video or to not record it so it's not so sideways so messed up.

eeewwwww....

There are gruesome creatures here in the southwest. I, the midwestern girl transplant am freaked out. Last night I learned about...

The Tarantula Hawk Wasp: a species of spider wasp, which hunts tarantulas as food for their larvae. These suckers have a blue body and red wings- they are actually really beautiful but scary and huge. We didn't have these in Michigan! We have normal bugs there like mosquitoes and ants.
Oh, and the best part is why they are called what they are...they capture, sting, and paralyze tarantulas, then they either drag the spider back into her own burrow or transport their prey to a specially prepared nest where a single egg is laid on the spider’s body, and the entrance is covered. The wasp larva, upon hatching, begins to suck the juices from the still-living spider. Yum! Did I mention that they have the most painful bite in the insect world?


Just the fact that we have tarantulas here (I HATE spiders) is disturbing enough. Yes, I have seen quite a few of them also, one in my garage, one in our backyard, others crawling around in various places, yuck. It's all fascinatingly freaky to me.

Here are a couple of my other favorites...

**The Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket. Yeah, these are nasty looking, little alien bugs.

***The Scorpion- ewww...

And I'm sure there are much more waiting to be discovered. Creepy.

Father and Son Campout

Yes, you know they couldn't resist jumping down into the water with their clothes on.

Christian and his buddy Ben.

Isn't that log cool? It looks like a dinosaur.

Tony climbing up to a cave.

Hanging out in the back of a truck with the boys.

Of course this outing occurred right during the "big paint". Good for my husband for not being too tired to take time out of painting and go sleep in the back of his pick up- cozy. Tony took Christian anyway, along with a friend of Christians. It was beautiful weather but my boys were dang tired. I was home with the girls having hamster memorial services (2 posts below). I'm glad the weekend has closed it's weary eyes and we now can look forward to the last week of school, if I can muster up some excitement about that somehow.

We're Done

The Eagle project (aka the painting job of the century) is DONE! Woot! I almost cried as we were pulling away but I was too tired. It was a long week. Check out these action shots... I'll only post of few, it's all I can bare to handle. The paint that was provided was eggshell and didn't cover well. Let me just say how sore my arms are, I can only hope they are one step closer to being toned for summer.

Pie Anyone?

I had fun making little pies today. I got the idea from the June Better Homes and Gardens magazine that I just got in the mail (Page 174). See Picture. It's so fun and pretty simple. Check out this link for the recipe. I love how they serve them in the cute cups with the spoon tied on. Adorable.

Okay, so mine didn't turn out as nice (see below) but they were still good. I did it simple with just refrigerated pie crusts and a can of pie filling. Before baking them at 400 degrees poke them with a fork and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them. Bake til filling bubbles and cool on the parchment lined pan. It's messy but a good twist on boring pie. It reminds me of the McDonald pies a little. I made apple and cherry today (cherry were the favorite). By the way, just ignore the messy filling all over, they oozed a little but it was finger licking good.

RIP

Saturday, we had a death in family and said goodbye to... the hamster. Poor Teddy (or "Tety" as it is spelled on his gravestone). Our other hammy "Chuck" remains alive. We aren't sure why the Teddy died, no blood, no outward signs, they just don't live very long. It was a rite of passage, part of growing up for my daughter who cried all day. I felt so bad for her, I remember well when I had animals die when I was a kid and it hurts.

My younger girls wanted her to feel better so they helped me bury the little guy in a child's shoe box and Chloe said a sweet prayer for it. One corner of our yard is becoming a grave yard, doesn't every yard have that with kids around? We have funerals for every dead bird that flies into the window or that the cat leaves mangled on our doorstep. I know, it's grewsome. That is life with kids... it's not for the weak.



During the good old days...




The grave...




The sweet picture of Teddy that Chloe made to make Corynn feel better. So sweet.

Books and Fun...

Just wanted to include with my other post some books with some fun idea's that don't include food but are fun follow up activities to a story. These are just some that we like to use...

Casey at the Bat (Christopher Bing)= Play Ball, catch, bat

Paper Airplanes (Emery J Kelly)= Make Airplanes

Metamorphosis (Luise Woelflein)= Go search for bugs

The Bremen Town Musicians (Ilse Plume)= Make instruments, Noise becomes music

The Tiny Seed (Eric Carle) or How a Seed Grows (Helene J Jordan)= Plant seeds

My many colored days (Dr Seuss)= Search for things of each color at home

My World of Color (Margaret Wise Brown)= Search for colors outside

Good Night Moon (Margaret Wise Brown)= Put them down for a nap

The Napping House (Don & Audrey Wood)= Count the people, Sing them lullabyes or try some other good ideas here for this book

Three Little Kittens (Paul Galdone)= Color Mitten Pictures (design them), Try to pick things up with mittens, get them dirty, wash them, and hang them up to dry (eat pie after!)

We're Going On A Bear Hunt (Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbry)= Go on a bear Hunt outside

Teddy Bear Picnic (Jimmy Kennedy)= Have a Picnic with a Teddy Bear under a tree

Froggy Learns to Swim (Jonathon London)= Go Swimming

Blackbeard, Pirate for Hire (Matthew McElligott)= Pretend to be Pirates

Corduroy (Don Freeman)= Teach kids how to sew on a button

Most importantly: just enjoy your kids. Be creative. Keep their days full of fun childhood memories.

For some other idea's check try HERE.

Books and Treats that Teach...

One of my kids favorite things to do is to read a book and follow it up with an activity that correlates with something in the story. It's no stretch to say that they love it most when they get to make a treat that goes along with it. I thought since I am trying to plan my summer a little, I would post some of the books that I know of and the treats (make them together or buy them pre-made) that would go along with them.

Sometimes summer days drag a little and these little activities are great fun for them and keep them busy and excited. I like to surprise them with the treat idea after the book is read or that is all they'll want- who could blame them. Also, it is a great way to get your kid interested in eating things they may not think they like or that they have never tasted before (like artichokes or asparagus).

I haven't read or tried all these books yet and if you know of any others let me know!

*If you give a mouse a muffin (by Laura Joffe Numeroff) = Muffins

*The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Hungry Bear (by Don Wood)= Strawberries or make them into anything

*If you give a pig a pancake (by Laura Joffe Numeroff)= Pancakes

*Little Black Sambo (by Helen Bannerman )= Pancakes (this is an unusual book but my kids LOVE it, very old and was my moms favorite as a child)

*Pancakes, Pancakes! (by Eric Carle)= Pancakes

*Curious George Makes Pancakes (by Margaret & H.A. Rey)= Pancakes

*Blueberries for Sal (by Robert McCloskey)= Blueberries or make into anything

*On top of Spaghetti (by Paul Brett Johnson)= Spaghetti (includes recipe)

*Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (by Judith Barrett)= Spaghetti w/meatballs

*Walter the Baker (by Eric Carle)= Cinnamon Rolls

*Sun Bread (by Elisa Kleven)= Bread (includes recipe)

*Artichoke Boy (by Scott Mickelson)= Artichokes

*Pumpkin Soup (by Helen Cooper)= Pumpkin Soup (includes recipe)

*Green Eggs and Ham (by Dr. Seuss)= Eggs, Ham

*Bread and Jam for Frances (by Russell Hoban)= Bread, Jam

*Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza (by Philemon Sturges)= Pizza

*The Little Red Hen (Any Version)= Wheat Bread

*The Mighty Asparagus (by Vladimir Radunsky)= Asparagus

*Stone Soup (Any Version)= Soup

*The Gingerbread Man (Any Version)= Gingerbread, Gingersnaps

*The Magic School Bus Gets Baked in a Cake (By Scholastic)= Cake

*The Poky Little Puppy (Little Golden Book)= Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Custard, Rice Pudding

Have a Nice Day

Let a smile be your umbrella.
Smile though your heart is breaking.
Smile that frown away.
Don't worry, be happy.
"Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles."
You are not fully dressed until you wear a smile.
"Smile! If you can't lift the corners, let the middle sag."
"A SMILE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND!"
"A smile is the curve that sets all things straight" ~ Phyllis Diller
Smile and the world smiles with you. Cry and you cry alone.


Just woke up to a beautiful spring day and it made me smile. I hope your day is filled with happiness and, yes I do, smiles! No deep thoughts today, just keeping it really simple. I'm smiling today although I am dragging and not even sure I'm looking forward to the weekend business that is on the docket around here. Just smiling through today and hoping that you will also. Let me know if you can think of a smile saying I missed!

Time...

Where does it go?
Why don't I have the time to do the things I need to do, should be doing, and occasionally want to do? I'm an organized person. I budget my time. I put the kids first. I put the have to do list next. Yet, it ticks away and I often head to bed discouraged and defeated.

I need more time to...
Hug my kids, read with them, play with them
Clean and organize my house
Dabble in decorating it
Do more than just a pony tail everyday
Time to shave my legs properly
More time to run off stress
More time to take care of my other family members
More time to volunteer
More time to sew
More time to keep in touch with friends
More time to travel
More time to make money
More time to worship and give gratitude
More time to teach
Time to wash my car
Time to get unfinished projects done
Time to help kids study
Just MORE time!!!!!!!!!!!!

For now...
I have learned to pick my battles.
To put first things first.
To Simplify.
To Delegate work.
To Breath.
To just do it.
To blow it off.
To just do the best I can because that is all I can really do.

Time keeps on ticking, ticking, ticking, into the future...

As much as I wish I could slow it down, I can't. So today I am putting up the white flag of surrender. Getting things done is stupid (as my kids say). Letting time fly by without seeing any beauty in my days, only work is stupid also. Letting my kids grow up with a distracted mom is even stupider yet. I have just decided I will, I WILL just enjoy the journey, come what may... accomplish what I can't... and love it!

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Community Service 101

For the last few weeks and continuing into this week, we have been doing my sons Eagle service project. NOW I understand why this is such a big deal. The project was to paint the inside of a Museum in Pine Valley (45 minutes from here) so that they can open on Memorial Weekend. As painting goes, there have been complications. First, on Saturday when we had a big crew of boys and dads up there, by the time they taped and tarped most of our day was gone. However the boys banged out 3 coats of paint on the walls with hard work (and it will need one more since the paint is so thin and crappy). Second, they didn't finish that day as planned. We went up there again to work on things yesterday evening just as a family. Can't stop til the job is done and is done right.

Basically, what this has taught him from what I can see is a promise is a promise, get it done, no matter how much you hate it! He will have gained a few skills from this including organizing people, hard work, how to paint, and following through on a commitment. I can see from how he talks and how hard he is working that this has changed him quite a bit. He has had to deal one on one with adults he doesn't know in the forest service and be professional and I am impressed. He knows he can get anything done now and MOST IMPORTANT how to serve the community and not expect payment. Do a good turn! Now I get why it's so important why we have Eagle scouts.

Teacher Appreciation or Going Overboard??

I appreciate that we have a week at school that teachers are acknowledged. They tolerate snotty, sneezy, germy children all day. They keep things moving in an organized manner probably better than things here at home go along. My daughter has a great teacher- Mrs Carlson. The kids in my daughters 2nd grade class are supposed to bring something each day for their teacher...
Monday- the teachers favorite candy (snickers)that means 24 candy bars
Tuesday- something blue (the teachers favorite color)how much of that will she really like?
Wednesday- a school supply like dry erase markers (those are pricey!)
Thursday- something homemade (card, etc) Now that's more like it!
Friday- money for a class gift. (yikes)
Wow. That is more effort and appreciation than I felt on Mothers Day I believe. Although, Mothering I do for free because I want to- no paycheck involved, no union, no 3 months off in the summertime, no mom appreciation WEEK. It's all fine and dandy and my daughter can barely contain her excitement and has things picked out for each day to bring the teacher already. I confess that no matter how they treat the teacher this week, I am really the lucky one- I get the girl tucked in bed at the end of the day in all her precious glory.

Thank you to all of the other teachers in my kids lives! You all teach mostly good, but the bad is part of learning that we are free to choose how we are and what we will be...

Husband
Grandma & Grandpa
Nana & Papa
Siblings
Uncles, Aunts, Cousins
Sunday school teachers
Church Leadership
Friends, friends siblings, friends parents
Neighbors
School administrators
Police officers
Medical professionals
Government of city and state and country
Military Servicemen and women
News reporters and other media (yes, we are picking through your BS already w/our kids)
School mates
Peer pressure- you teach with your cruel dissapointments.

The list goes on and on. It's scary to think about all that teaches my monkeys. I'm just glad I'm here to help them sort through the muck and see true beauty.

Happy Mothers Day!!

The card that my hopelessly romantic husband placed on the flowers read:"What a mom! I'm so grateful for a wife who has it all together! Happy Mothers Day!" Hmmmm.... I tried not to laugh, I just thought that was so funny! Having it together first of all- nope. (Then there's this thought...Honey, I love you but I know there's something more romantic in that creative head of yours!)

What a weekend. It was good, bad, exhausting, busy, exhausting, hot, and crazy. I spent Saturday raking pine needles and pine cones up, helping boys paint, and preparing for company. My aching back- and I thought I was in pretty good shape physically, I am humbled.

Sunday, as usual, I was the first one up, last one in the shower, and last one out the door to church. Same old thing. Then we had a meal after church with my brother in law and his wife which my husband "cooked" with my assistance as I saved the gravy and rolls from burning. Pretty comical. The important thing was when company left, I got on the phone with my mom and my husband got a Mothers Day nap. Isn't that sweet?!! (EErrrrrgggg).

All in all I am grateful for my mom today...
For her courage.
For overcoming eyesight struggles and doing the impossible things.
For amazing the doctors.
For raising four kids so I feel like maybe I can do it also.
For all she has sacrificed for me.
For crying with me.
For celebrating with me.
For asking me what I think.
For letting me care for her.
For teaching me what mothers do.
For allowing me to fail, to learn, and to pick me up when I fell.
For tolerating my stubbornness.
For wanting better for me than I often wanted for myself.
For being MY mother- for loving me always.
I love you MOM!!!

Grosgrain: Milk Weed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Milk Weed Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Mom's and Muffins

Today at my daughters school it was "Mom's and Muffins" day which means I got to go to school with her and have breakfast (muffins). Then we went to her classroom and she made me this cute frame for Mothers Day, awwwww. After that the girls were ready to go wild on the playground. It was a fun morning with my sweet lil muffins!

Fun with Chocolate

I've been having fun today with melted chocolates. Melting it is fun but so is licking it off my fingers, my counters, my kids faces (well, maybe not so much the dirty faces). Yum. I found the cutest recipe for mini cupcake pops! Love the look of these little guys(at least the experienced ladies cupcakes, mine are amateur). Yum anyway. It took me a while to perfect them so many of the first ones look like children made them (note the first picture). It's all good though since they are for the kids at church to hand to their moms on Mothers Day. Yum. They taste a lot like fudge. Did I mention...Yum?

Just an update... these went over in a big way! I highly recommend them but my advice to you wanting to make them is
1-to keep them cold when the chocolate goes on
2- make sure the tops are flat or they roll over and get chocolate everywhere
3- the chocolate coats better when it has cooled slightly and won't drip off as much.
Have fun!

Why I have a blog...

This came out of my sons mouth last night...

"I don't agree with a word you said but I would fight to the death to defend your right to say it".

(I don't know who to quote here and neither does he, but I love it and it says it all!)

Strength- Thought for the Day

I found this little poem in my daughters room wadded up on the floor. Of course, at 12 years of age, you don't appreciate words of inspiration yet. It made my day. Sometimes I find the best things on my kids floors, junk to them and treasures to me. Maybe I just have great kids (yep, I sure do)!

Like the story below, I feel like sometimes life is nothing but one stormy season, one wind gust after another with occasional (painful) hail. Yet again, sometimes its a warm sunny day and smooth sailing. Today I am thankful for it all. If it makes me taller, stronger, and better bring it on... (in moderation please)

Good Timber
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil
Who never had to win his share
OF sun and sky and light and air
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease
The stronger wind, the stronger trees
The further sky, the greater length
The more the storm the more the strength
By sun and cold, by rain and snow
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife
This is the common law of life.
(Douglas Malloch as quoted by Sterling W. Sill, Making the Most of Yourself)

Once my mom and I were talking, in one of our deep conversations that happen from time to time. She said how sometimes she feels picked on by being given one problem after another, and how unfair that was since her friends seem to not have that happen in their lives. (Sometimes, I think this is why we have children, the way we all help keep each other on the right track). She needed a little redirection and a little hug.
My response to her was:
1- That she didn't know all the battles that they were fighting, only the ones they told her about. She also didn't know all the battles that they came through in years before she knew them, battles won and some battles lost.
2- The battles we face and how we handle them prove ourselves to God. They make us women of substance. (If I had known about this poem I could of told her how we are becoming GOOD timber)! Trials give us the experience that we are here on earth to get. All the tests on earth are not standardized, they are personalized. No one said it would be easy, only that it would be worth it!

I am a runner, or at least I try to be. My favorite thing to do is to run up the mountain nearby called Webb Hill. It's a steep 1 1/2 miles from the base to the top but it is the best challenge. It took me a year of trying to run up it before I achieved the goal. I picked landmarks each time that I would run to and would not give up no matter how tired or painful.

The flat parts, or not so steep parts, are what I call recovery. I can run sloppy there, breathe, until the next climb where I have to watch my feet with every step. It always helps to see people on that hill on their own journeys.

Sometimes they are encouraging to me telling me good job, your almost there. Sometimes they are in front of me and they are my "rabbit" that I am chasing like a greyhound, keeping me focused on the push. I love to see people. If not people, please give me a headwind! Something to dry to sweat a little- natures a/c! Why do I do it? Because the view from the top is worth it. All in all, it's a great feeling of accomplishment.

Someday, as I'm sure we all do, I'd like to hear the words after my push to the summit of life is achieved "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21). May we all be found "good timber" and agree that it was all indeed absolutely worth it!

15 days

Fifteeen days until school is out.
Fifteen days to organize my summer.
Fifteen days to stock my cupboards.
Fifteen days to get rid of clutter before more comes.
Fifteen days to have some occasional "me" time.
Fifteen days til I am taxi driver.
Fifteen days til my wallet is constantly sucked dry dime by dime.
Fifteen days til the house is Grand Central Station.
Fifteen days til I am a full time life guard in the back yard, thus giving me 15 days to fit into a swimming suit.
Fifteen days to run around town doing errands with ONLY one tag along child.
Fifteen days left on my computer before it's taken over.
Fifteen days til laundry quadruples.
Fifteen days til I hear crying and fighting a bit more often unfortunately.
Fifteen days to read the books piled next to my bed.
Fifteen days til I have every neighbor and friend showing up here at the worst possible times.
Fifteen days til the wild ride begins.
Only fifteen days...

I love summertime, I really do. I love my kids with all my heart. I love sleeping "in", which to me means a kid wakes me up and not an alarm clock. I love late nights, no deadlines, no report cards. I have a size 9 1/2 shoe and it is coming DOWN if life starts spinning to fast.

Fifteen days, to prepare mentally for what is to come...3 months of blessed chaos.
Is it like that for you too or am I needing to get on some anxiety medication?

Let's look at it like this now...
15 days til my babies are under MY influence rather than that of mean kids.
15 days until I get to do fun things with my kids instead of reports and projects.
15 days til I have help cleaning the house (yeah, wishful thinking).
15 days til I have babysitters at home.
15 days to remind my kids that they have a family and it must come first.
15 days til I have shopping partners.
15 days til I have exercise partners.
15 days til we are done fighting about piano practicing.
15 days til dance is over.
15 days til Christian retires his trumpet.
15 days til Corynn gets her braces off.
15 days til we have major trail explorations.
15 days til we are once again together, safe in our home. The best part.

Cars

I married a man who designs cars for a living. Sure, it was kind of cool at the time but over the last 17 years it's become a little bit of a challenge. Should I ever admit that I could care less about good looking cars and am happy with one we all fit in that runs? Should I ever admit to him that I actually do not know what rims are factory and which are aftermarket? When we are driving along and he says "who designed that front end" should I admit that I don't even know which car he is talking about? I am such a car dud- the poor man.

Yet... I have been to more car shows over these years and manage tolerance and excitement like a supportive, dutiful wife. (How would he feel coming to a craft show?) It might have something to do with the fact that my dad worked on the production lines at car companies all my life and I saw him go through a lot all in the name of cars... layoffs, plant closings, etc.. not pretty.

Currently, the economy is not our friend in this industry, but lucky for me my man is muli-talented and is able to support our family. I am developing the talent of thrift. You would think that this has been a big challenge for us, yes it has and is, but the current problem of dread is... drivers ed.

I have a 15 1/2 year old son, dying to take drivers ed. I am dreading it! This is the kid who forgets his homework in the bathroom and the one who leaves his cell phone in his jeans so I wash it regularly. Does my husband feel the same anxiety as me about the whole responsibility thing? Oh no, he is DYING to buy him a car. He cannot WAIT. He is looking everywhere and trying to make that "first car" a special, happy deal. Male bonding I guess?

We went to a car show in town today and they were in car heaven. Me? I was looking for a snack the whole time with my girls and pretended to be into it. I know, I'm BAD!!! The thought of the whole thing becoming reality stresses me out. I guess it's better that it stay in the hands of the men.

My special first car experiences...
Learned to drive in a full sized bright red van- humiliating.
Then shared my parents Chrysler K car- heap.
Then bought my first car which was a Ford Tempo- trash.
I might have some drivers ed trauma in their somewhere, I didn't take it til I was 17. I failed my first road test while attempting to get my license- doing what you ask? Parking. Major humiliation.

So, today I realized that I might have car issues, what do you think?