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Time Keeps on Slippin’, Slippin’, Slippin’

Aug20

I sent my baby boy off for his sophomore year of high school today. He won’t like the fact that I called him my baby boy. Plus, he’s taller than I am now. But it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t read my blog anyway. Sigh. Last night I asked him if he wanted me to get up and say goodbye to him in the morning (which is a BIG sacrifice for me, since he needs to leave the house at 6:45 or so to catch his bus at 6:52). He said no. Then he added, “You can if you want to.” So when I woke up at 6:47 and asked my husband if he had heard him, and he told me he hadn’t, I went to his room to check.

Yep, there he was snoozing away. 5 minutes until the bus arrived at a 3-minute-walk-away bus stop. Wasn’t gonna happen. So, being the kind mother that I am, I drove him. Got him there 3 minutes before the bell for first period. I don’t think he made it. But, I was guessing they were giving grace on the first day of school. But what a way to start.

So, my big, strong Air Force officer wannabe son still needs his momma. Whether he wants to admit it or not.

My desire to hang on, to make sure he has everything he needs for the day, that he hasn’t left anything behind, is hard to break. Last year I stopped myself from checking that he had his athletic shoes for an ROTC field day that he was attending. He had to wear his uniform there, but then change into PT clothes later on. Turns out, he forgot the shoes. The result? Major blisters and torn skin on the soles of his feet for his error. Lesson learned? I think so. But it’s hard to see your children suffer the consequences, isn’t it?

But what’s that saying? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? I bet he won’t be forgetting his shoes again.

When we go to a restaurant, my husband is telling me, let him ask the questions. Don’t baby him. But not asking the right questions can have physical consequences as he is severely allergic to dairy products. And I have more experience knowing what to ask. And what if he doesn’t have his allergy medicine with him? And, and, and.

Let it go. Cut the apron strings. He’s a big boy now.

Wrong. He’s still my baby.

Thankful today for:

561. growing independence

562. a new computer coming

563. approaching fall

The Big Day Has Arrived

Jul21

Today is the day of Hannah and Andy’s wedding. My sister is getting ready to leave for the farm where the wedding will be held, and the rest of us will follow in a couple of hours. It’s always hard to imagine that your kids are old enough to get married and be out on their own. This is the second time my sister has gone through that. Last year, in fact, her eldest took the matrimonial leap. I’m just trying to prepare myself for when my eldest goes on his first date.

I remember Hannah as a baby. I didn’t get to see her or her siblings much, as we lived far away from each other. She’s the only girl between two brothers. The girl cousins are outnumbered in our family, 2 to 1. She and Morgan, I’m told, are a lot alike. I hope Morgan grows up to still be like her. I wish they could know each other better. But there are 14 years and 3,000+ miles between them. But that’s true of all the cousins. None of them live near each other. It’s sad, but that’s the way it is.

We’re very thankful we can be here today to celebrate with sweet Hannah and Andy, whom we hope to be able to get to know someday. We’ll have to depend on future family gatherings. This stay is winding down way too fast. After today, we have two more days until we leave. Sweet times, too soon gone, to be held in our hearts forever.

Thankful today for:

480. wedding celebrations

481. a sunny day

482. more solidified plans

483. flowers

484. hills

485. lots of green

What Would I Do Without You?

May12

Although I haven’t touched them for nearly two years, I am a scrapbooker. Once I began teaching, I just haven’t been able to save any mental space for working on my books. I’ll get back to them some day. But this was a quote I put in one of the early books for my kids:

“You are the trip I did not take;

You are the pearls I cannot buy;

You are my blue Italian lake;

You are my piece of foreign sky.”

This is from a poem by Anne Campbell. It speaks to me.

Motherhood, it seems, is all about sacrifice. Of course there are benefits, but often those don’t come until later. My friend Judy posted a poignant blog about the gifts her children have given her (read it here). I agree with every one of her points, although my life looks vastly different from hers. My kids are all still at home. Every day there is something that goes on that means I have to give up something that I would rather be doing. And yet, in raising my kids, there really is nothing that I would rather be doing.

Do I enjoy the silence in the house when they’re all off to school? Yes. But if the continued silence means I didn’t have the kids, I far prefer the chaos.

Do I wish that for even a day the house could stay clean? Yes. But if cleanliness meant my house was empty, then what’s a few dust bunnies? (OK, more than a few.)

Would I like to look out on a pristine yard? Who wouldn’t? But if nice grass meant no wild sword fights or games of fetch with the dog, then I welcome the lived-in look of the warn path the dog has made madly chasing his beloved ball.

My friend Ronnie once told me a house should be clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy. I have taken that on as my personal slogan.

Do I pester my kids about picking up and quieting down? Yes. But honestly, what would I do without them? They are my true Mother’s Day gift.

But I’m still looking forward to that steak dinner promised to me tomorrow.

Thankful today for:

270. the gift of See’s chocolate from my friend Lynn

271. waking up early on a day I could have slept in

272. 12 more days of school

273. a great first year of high school for my eldest

274. the cardinal couple that occasionally flits through our yard

275. that the alligators decide to wait until after our day in the lake to make their appearance

276. the pitter patter of little feet (and some not so little anymore)

277. family prayer

278. photographs

Missing Mom

Mar26

Tomorrow, my mom would have turned 78. Hard to believe. Wish she could be around to celebrate. But we lost her to pancreatic cancer four and a half years ago.The last time I saw her was a couple of months before she died. We had planned a family trip out to Cali so the kids could see her, but she didn’t know whether she’d make it that long.

Neither did we. But we hoped.

Here she is with my three kids. She came to spend that first Thanksgiving after my dad died with us. That was the last time my kids would see her. She died the next August. Boy, did she love her grandchildren. It was hard to be far away. She sent gifts and came to see us whenever she could, but it’s not the same as being there.

Though my mom and I were never good at heart-to-heart talks, I miss her still. Mostly, I miss what my children will miss by not having her around.

Happy birthday, Mom. I love you.

Thankful today for:

137. Resolve stain remover

138. games with friends

139. playdates for my doggy

140. VeggieTales

141. fulfilled promises

142. my mom

Legoland!

Mar23

Today, we went with nearly all our Trace Academy  families to Legoland. We’d never been there before, mostly because the cost is prohibitive. But this was an optional all-school field trip, and so the deal was unbeatable: four of us got in for less than it would normally cost for one child. I love deals like that. So today, instead of writing much, I’ll show you a part of our day.

First of all, we had to wait until all our families arrived before we could go in. Boy, nobody really wanted to be the last family to arrive. But somebody had to be–half an hour after they were supposed to be there. But by the time we entered, I don’t think anyone even cared that we had to wait that long.

My kids tolerated my taking their picture while we were waiting to enter the park.

I spent most of the day with Morgan, as she didn’t want to go on the rollercoasters her friends were riding.

                                                     Here’s my beautiful girl by a waterfall, not made of Legos.

There were all these mini cities, my favorite of which was San Francisco. It was fun to see my favorite sights, made out of Legos, in the  middle of Florida.

Lots of walking, lots of sweating, lots of standing in lines for a couple of minutes of fun. But, we do it for the kids, right? By the time the place closed down, we were tired but happy.

Thankful today for:
132. my daughter’s good attitude all day
133. people I can trust with my kids
134. laughter