Career Counseling

Little Squirt asked me this morning what profession he should pursue when he grows up. He still has one week left of the first grade, so I admire his ambition to vision-cast his future at the tender age of 7.

I encouraged him to think of his dreams and passions, and consider following them.

“What are passions?” he asked.

“Passions are things that you really love. What do you really, really love?” I asked him.

“Well,” he said, after thinking deeply, “I love toys and I love candy.”

You gotta love a man who is real about the pinings of his heart. May God bless my little boy's endeavors to pursue a field of candyland dreams! Or toyland ambitions! And knowing of Little Squirt’s Midas touch, it’ll be an incredible ride.

Hello Again

And I’m back, with a little pop quiz.
And here it is:
I took a little break in blogosphere because I
A) wanted to experience life without writing about it.
B) spent time outdoors in the lilac-scented breezes rather than indoors on my laptop.
C) was in an uncharacteristically private mood.
D) All of the above.
If you guessed D, you are correct and I give you an A+. Be proud. If you guessed any other letter, you are partly correct, so I’ll give you an A for effort because I am nice like that. But be less proud.

But let’s play Catch-Up on a few of my May highlights:
I celebrated Super Hubs’ birthday by serving his favorite Italian beef sandwiches to a few old and dear friends who gave him verbal cards, speaking love and affirmation into his heart.

I went to a 3 day retreat that was so spiritual and meaningful that I struggle to even put words to it. Let’s just say that it’s given me a paradigm shift in how I will do ministry from here on out.

I’ve lavished spending time with Butterfly while the boys are in school; talking, doing yoga, talking about doing yoga, and sharing favorite books. It’s been so good.

I’ve nursed a sick Little Squirt for several days, who demanded little but sprite and marathon Nickelodeon. He seemed to improve over the weekend, and I sent him to school today to enjoy the annual Olympic Day races. Imagine my surprise when his pediatrician’s office called this morning with a positive strep report, forcing me to hunt him down among a sea of blue t-shirts at his school’s Olympic fields. I thought he’d be heart-broken that I dragged him home before lunch, but he was okay with missing Olympic Day when I promised popsicles and more Nickelodeon.

So that’s my May in a nutshell. Throw in some bi-polar weather and the ending of my favorite LOST, and you’ve pretty much got the complete picture. Except for the parts that I’m being private about. (See letter C of pop quiz.)

Singing The New Phone Blues

(Cue guitar cords.) I’ve got the New Phone Blues.......do do do do.

I loathe learning new technology, as I posted here. I know it’s inevitable and good for me to keep current, but I don’t have to like it. Right?

A truck dropped off a box this morning containing some scary new gizmos. My daughter handed me a pink one, and said it was my new cell. If I hadn’t known for a fact that she’d picked it out for me, I wouldn’t believe it. This doo-dad looks like it could launch a spaceship if I push the wrong button. I’m not kidding. I’m kinda scared.

When Super Hubs discussed buying new phone last week, I chose not to be part of the Family Cell Phone Discussion. I said that Family Cell Phone Discussions were not interesting to me. And, besides, I was trying to catch up on some episodes of LOST. So I opted out of the Family Cell Phone Discussion and trusted my Teens to pick out a good one for me, and now look at the hot water I’m in! I’ve got a scary-looking phone with a bunch of teeny buttons I cannot read and options I don’t understand. And now I’m going to have to break out the tutorial and actually read it if I want to be texting my friends anytime soon. And LOST is on tonight. Dang.

Kung Fu Kelly To The Rescue

Mothers of America- It’s our day! Let’s own our Motherhood with pride, put our feet up on the couch and expect to be waited on hand-and-foot. We’ve earned it, for Heaven’s sake! This is especially true for the Single Mothers. They are the true heroines, and I hold them in high regard.

Motherhood is my most worthy calling, and I’ve loved almost every minute of the past 19 years. I didn’t enjoy middle-of-the-night feedings, or public tantrums or teenage drama. But the mothering moments that stretched me to my physical and emotional limits are overshadowed by the millions of snapshots that gave me unadulterated joy. There are so many of those, thank you, God.

I often wonder how my children will remember me when I’m gone. What will they say about me to their children? And on my worst days, I wish I could enter their minds with a big fat eraser.

But I got a glimpse of Little Squirt’s heart at his school’s Academic Night last week. There was a Super Parents Wall in his classroom, in which the children renamed their parents, and gave them Super Powers. There, in the center of the wall, was a hand-drawn picture by Little Squirt, of a blond lady wearing pink, standing in a pose that would make the most agile stork jealous. She stood on one leg, the other stretched out in the air in a perfect L. Her name was Kung Fu Kelly, and her Super Power was “Doing Yoga.” (Has my child seen my embarrassing rendition of Warrior II??)

But I will be Kung Fu Kelly for my children any day, fighting off the world’s evil with my Super Power Yoga! If that’s what it takes to keep my babies safe, you bet that I will.

Ms. Bossy Pants

Little Squirt has a nemesis in his classroom named Anna*. (*Name changed to protect the innocent nemesis.) Anna has been the bane of his existence for the past few weeks. Little Squirt is in a multi-age classroom, and she is the 2nd grader his 1st grade self has been partnered with. He can’t stand her. Every day after school, I get an earful on the car ride home about Anna, whom he calls, “Ms. Bossy Pants.” He says she’s always telling him what to do in a domineering tone of voice. He says she completely ruins his day every day.(I’m thinking he and Anna will someday marry.)

Yesterday, Little Squirt told me yet another story in the continuing saga of Ms. Bossy Pants. She had apparently criticized his hand-writing, told him not to speak so loudly, and ordered him to get in the lunch-line quicker.

“Little Squirt,” I said. “The next time Anna tries to tell you what to do, just say, ‘Talk to the hand, ‘cause the ears ain’t listening.’”

My 7yo son stared at me with an embarrassed look on his face.
“Mom,” he said “You are way too old to be saying things like that.”

And She's Home!

Just as I began to adjust to a testosterone-heavy house, my daughter came home again. She finished her first year of college already. It’s crazy how quickly that happened! One day late last summer, we dropped her off, and then I cried for the month of September, and now she’s home. And in between those months, I parented two boys, applied for a job I didn’t really want and then turned down, buried my father-in-law, went to FL, took in a cat and returned the cat, ran many miles on my treadmill, and ate a lot of tapioca lunch pudding. I did other stuff, too, but those were the highlights.

My husband, my youngest and I made the marathon drive to OH and back to reclaim Butterfly last week. Super Hubs was a Man On A Mission, and the mission did not include rest stops. But I needed sweet tea, and fortification, and then subsequent stops because of the sweet tea. And Little Squirt cannot sit in a car for 6 straight hours without a break lest he’d climb the ceiling. So the Driving Nazi allowed me 7 minutes per rest stop breaks, and Little Squirt and I had to scramble in and get our business done promptly. Whew. The pressure!

We made it to OH, and Butterfly blessedly had all her gear packed up. We loaded the van with some help from The Boyfriend and The Friends, and we were back on the road in 45 minutes. Fourteen hours from when we left our home in the morning, we pulled into our driveway. We were home with our daughter!

I am thrilled to have her back with her myriad of hair supplies, and friends who call day and night. She adds a lot of energy to the household. And she is adjusting to living within the family structure again, as we figure out curfews and boundaries. She may be leaving again soon for a job in OH, so I’m holding her being here loosely. But in the meantime, it’s wonderful having all three of my babies sleep under the same roof.