Exhaustion

I'm gettin' too old for this. Well, no, that is a lie. The truth is, I'm too out of shape for this!


THIS? What is "this" you ask?


THIS, is Ray and I building a "treehouse" that is actually something that needs its own address, as our friend Tom said.


Neither of us knows a thing about construction, though Ray IS an engineer. I'm weak and wimpy and can barely lift the damn framing nailer with one hand. Much less repeatedly. Over my head. While dangling from a ladder. Did I mention I'm afraid of heights? Did I mention that said "treehouse" is 12 feet off the ground AND 12 feet tall?


Have you ever seen how long it takes to peel dried construction adheisive off your body? At least a week. Gross.


Have you ever tried to carry an 8 x 8 roofing panel that is made from TIRES up a ladder? And I got the easy jobs. Poor Ray was on top of the roof, dangling from a collapsable ladder that was jack-knifed over the peak, strapped on to the eave (with me hanging from it for extra counter balance).


We're not calling this multi-act show the Glynn Circus for nothing!


I'm sure it'll all be worth it in the end. We'll be able to host a small yoga class on the deck (Kelli - want the job?), a poker party in the main house, and the proposed zip line will bring hours of fun and enjoyment.


I sure hope the kids appreciate all these bruises, cuts, sore muscles and smears of baby poop colored construction adhesive stuck to my arms!

Gratitude

I recently got to find my Angle of Repose. It's been a while.

It was Mother's Day and I actually was given (after a delicious breakfast in bed) a relaxing morning to myself where I didn't have to get up, feed the masses, rush off to some sporting event, or madly clean the house on my one day at home. A dear friend (thanks, Lynnie!) sent me a beautiful book that got me in a reflective mood. I started thinking about all it means to be a parent, how many opportunities we have to teach our kids, and how many opportunities we have, ourselves, to learn from each other. I haven't read a lot of child rearing books, but instead rely on my "village" and make a lot of observations. I've realized that I am grateful to a whole lot of people in helping me to raise my children.

Each and every one of you has helped me in so many ways:

• Thank you - you've been my confidant and therapist. You've listened to me complain and brag and offered up advice and observations that I always try to take seriously.
• Thank you for inviting my children into your home. You've given them an opportunity to see that I'm not the only mom who tries to make them pick up after themselves, eat their vegetables, and be kind to siblings (always with varying degrees of success). They've had opportunities to see things and do things that we haven't done because you included them with your family. I am grateful and hope that I can return the favor.
• You have been a great example of parenthood. I admire your children and respect all you have done to help them on their way. Your kids have been great role models and mentors for mine, as you are for me.
• I appreciate that you help to "co-parent" my kids. Whether you have any of your own or not, I appreciate you taking a role in my children's life. I'm glad you exert authority, show love, have expectations and give of yourself. My children are richer for having you in their lives.
• Thank you for trusting me with your child. It is always a joy to have my children's friends spend time with us and I hope they feel welcome and comfortable in our home.
• You've shared your anxieties and challenges with me. I thank you, because this helps me to remember that nobody has the "perfect" household or the "perfect" life. I remember that my life is generally no harder and no easier than anyone else's. Thank you for trusting me.
• Thank you for coaching my child. My children have been lucky to have many different kinds of coaches and to find their own way to balance their personal desire for improvement and success with fun and teamwork. Your guidance and encouragement and ability to "get" my child have helped them to do their best, every time. It is never easy for a parent to teach or coach their own child, and I am grateful that you are doing such a good job.
• You are an awesome teacher for my child. Thank you for figuring out the little ways to keep my kids motivated and learning and loving education. Thank you for involving me in the process and putting up with me!
• Thank you for sharing with me, agreeing with me, crying with me and laughing with me over all the little absurdities of LIFE WITH KIDS. It can be crazy sometimes, and I'm glad you think so too!

I am grateful to you all. This job is the hardest, most important thing I've ever done in my life and I truly could not have done it without your contribution. THANK YOU!

Should I be Voted off the Island?

Most of you know I am a Survivor Junkie. Haven't missed an episode since it started. The following occasionally makes the rounds on the Internet. I have to laugh, because my husband would pass, but I think I would get voted off the island. I've highlighted the "challenges" that I would certainly lose....

_______________________________________________


THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.

Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.

There is no fast food.

Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.

In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.

Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing.

Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment.

He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.

He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.

Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.

The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.

The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed.

During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.

They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.

They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am.

A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.

The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right to be called Mother!

______________________________________________________

Help! Somebody PLEASE vote me off this island! ;-)

Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!

Raising Big Brother

Big Brother as in 1984 George Orwell.

Now, you KNOW I am not all about The Rules. I'm the first one to go through a "Do Not Enter" sign, just because nobody is ever really there to keep you out. I often believe in asking for forgiveness rather than permission.

What happened to my kids?????

Both of these conversations happened in the same day:

Aidan: (After seeing a "Weight Limit" sign on a narrow country road) "There ought to be LAWS against being fat!" I tell him that some people can't help it, and he says "Well, then register them or something!" I ask what about me, as I am (ahem) pleasingly plump as my husband says. He's taken aback. "Um. You're not THAT fat."

Gee. Glad to know I won't be affected by THAT law.


Bridget: "When you buy a product, they should put a label on it with your name, address and phone number. THAT way, if you put it in the garbage (instead of the recycling), they can trace it back to you and you would get in trouble."


What household did THESE kids grow up in?




Scary. Pat Belzer Pearson could have taught them a thing or two....

Independence

My Aidan, my little baby boy, is growing up.

It's been a big couple of months for him in terms of independence and he has really stepped up to the challenge.

Over spring break, he accompanied Lynn & Steve to Washington DC for 6 days. Longest time ever that he's been away from his ol' mom and dad. He didn't seem to miss us a bit!

Last weekend, he went camping with his boy scout troop all on his own. Neither Ray nor Aidan's buddy's dad went along. Plus, the scoutmaster is pretty fanatical about keeping the boys separated from any pesky parents who DO accompany them. They had to pitch their own tent, cook their own food, and even prepare for a severe weather alert that hit them Saturday night. I was home watching the radar, wishing he had a cell phone just so I could call him. Silly mommy.

Next month, he will travel with his swim team to compete in a meet in Corpus Christi. I've elected to let him do this solo. He'll stay in a hotel without me, make all his food choices with no Pesky Mom reminding him he has a meet and needs to eat well. He'll also have to get himself to bed on time, and up early for the meet. I am completely sure he can handle all this.

Also, in June, he'll go to Boy Scout Camp for a week. Longest time away from us, ever. Cooking for himself, keeping his gear organized (THAT worries me), and remembering to change his underwear and brush his teeth. Ha! I'll probably have to hose him off when he returns.

Lately, the kids come home to an empty house after school now and then when Ray isn't working from home. I always call them when I know they're off the bus to check in. I get the feeling I'm annoying them. One day, the phone system was out. I called my neighbor on her cell phone and asked her if she'd pop over there to check on them and offer them the use of her cell phone to call me. She called me back saying, "They're fine, they didn't want to call you!" Sniff, sniff...

He will graduate from elementary school in a few short weeks and be off to Big Bad Middle School. Well, it isn't so bad these days... every kid I "interview" about middle school seems to like it, so I don't think there are any of the horrors that existed during my tenure at Centerville Junior High.

He's more than half way done with being a kid. I really only get him for another 7 years! While that thought makes me sad, I am proud that he is on his way.

Now, if I can just get him to pick up after himself!

Too crazy/tragic....

Nothing much to post, but didn't want y'all to think I'd died or something.....

Aidan's had a couple of baseball games this week, so Ray drops him at the field, returns home to manage Bridget's schedule, and I head to baseball directly from the office. Don't get home until late. Haven't had dinner with my family or time with them in days it feels like.

POSITIVE THOUGHTS..... Must think positive thoughts.....

• Um... I'm earning money?
• The kids seem to be surviving without me. Sad, in a way, but I guess it also means I've done my other job reasonably well.
• I have to shower more frequently?

Help me out here people. Anyone?

Bridget's Big Date

Well, it's not ALL about Bridget.... first of all, I must lead off by saying "Nice home run, Aidan!" He ripped it to the big hole in left field and if he wasn't such a speedy guy, probably wouldn't have made it all the way home. It was great to see!

On to The Event of the Weekend..... The Father-Daughter Prom.

Oh my goodness.... they are just so cute and sweet at this age and I know it will all change someday (not too soon, please!). How much longer will she get so excited about a date with Dad?

We started the evening with a "Pre-Prom Cocktail Party" with several friends.

Once everyone arrived, Aidan got a very distressed look on his face and headed off to the woods just to get away from the giggles and frills. After cocktails and photo ops, the men and girls headed off to the Hilton, and the Mommy Brigade settled in with soup, salad, wine and a LOT of good conversation. Thanks, ladies!



After a fun-filled evening of conga lines, the chicken dance, macarena, hula-hoop contests (Bridget won!), this is what came home.

crazy tragic sometimes almost magic awful beautiful life

I guess my days (or weeks!) and the items that stick in my mind fall into one of two categories:

Angle of Repose

-or-

I love this crazy tragic sometimes almost magic awful beautiful life

If this makes no sense to you, scroll down and read my first blog post.



This week was definitely in the "crazy/tragic" category.



I've recently started working again and had to spend most of this week in New York. Between my trip, and Ray's adventures back home with the kids, there was a lot of crazy/tragic.



Ray's adventures included the repeated escape antics of Scamp. He has a girlfriend down at the neighbor's (Scamp, not Ray) and sometimes just decides she's worth it to endure the jolt of his shock collar as he leaves our property. We've noticed he does this a LOT more often when I am away. Hmmm.... does that mean that I am his mate and Sadie (neighbor dog) is his mistress? Who knows. Anyway, as Ray was chasing Scamp down High Road, he managed (long story) to break our neighbor's lock on their pasture gate (with the car - told you, long story). So, a trip to the store is in order to replace her pasture lock. He also had another neighbor send up an SOS for Kids Needing Ride To School. Another neighbor SOS for Car Won't Start, and another neighbor SOS for Stuck at Work, Can You Watch My Kids? Add in two nights of (more) Severe Weather with kids cowering in his bed (equals Lack of Sleep), the usual sports practices, Bridget having a Project due at school, Aidan's baseball game (our turn to bring snack - Red Bull, anyone?), and Ray's week to drive the Boy Scout Carpool. And he still managed to have the house clean and a nice dinner waiting for me when I got home last night. Love that man!


My week was far less crazy (maybe there is something to this Working thing after all?). It was a Damage Control trip as far as work was concerned, so while stressful, I love a good scary project. The bonus was I got to spend 2 great evenings at the (lovely) home of Ray's sister, Regina and her husband Rob. FINALLY got to meet my two little nieces there, Kailey and Lindsey. What fun!


Got stuck in the Great American Airlines MD80 Snafu on the way home but Continental stepped up to the challenge admirably and it was all accomplished with only about 7 phone calls and visits to 3 different airline counters at the airport, so I consider myself luckier than most. SOMEhow in that process (multiple flight changes, maybe?) I became a "security risk" and got the dreaded SSSS on my ticket. My favorite part of THAT whole process of the Confirming Of The Underwire Bra.


Note to self... no more underwire bras while flying.

Spring Weekend.....

The much anticipated nice weather is here! What an excellent weekend.....

I did NOT get a chance to go for a walk and take photos of all the amazing flowers up and down the road. I took ONE snap while picking Bridget up from a playdate. It's a field down the road from my house. It's for sale, if anyone has 7.5 million dollars.

Friday, after Bridget's soccer practice and Aidan's baseball practice, a few families gathered at a friend's (thanks Cathie!) to plan a baby shower for the horse trainer who is expecting twins. Always fun to get together with friends and share a few bottles of wine.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny. But the Soccer Gods felt the fields were still too wet so Bridget's game was cancelled. The Baseball Gods are much hardier I guess, because Aidan's game was still on. He plays mostly catcher and first base and it was a good game and a tough loss for his team, but Aidan played really well and had a couple of key plays so he can feel good about his own performance. The best was when he was trying to steal 3rd and got caught in a "pickle." I could see him drawing the 3rd baseman further and further off and gauging his speed and finally deciding he could outrun him and he did!

Another nice evening spent in the company of neighbors (thanks, Manley family!) and another bottle of our "house wine" (Axis cab) shared with friends. We're runnin' low and probably ought to stock up again.

Today was Horse Show Day.

Bridget's been working with a new pony (Tiara) and was a little nervous about using this horse in a show for the first time. If you know horses, you know they can spot a nervous little girl a mile away. Tiara had her number and it wasn't a good day for Bridget, but it was a great learning experience if nothing else. She had a little redemption in the competitions that were only on the flat (no jumps) and beat the pants off several older, more experienced riders, so we know there's hope!

The boys spent the afternoon working on clubhouse stuff and found a friendly neighborhood copperhead in the woodpile. Ray pinned it down with a piece of wood and chopped it's head off with a shovel. I won't show you the photo of THAT.

Texas Weather

"If you don't like the weather in (insert location here), just wait, it'll change!"

This holds true for Texas, for sure!

While thunder and lightening are a pretty regular occurrence, last night's storm was a cut above. 3am found all 4 of us crammed in our bed, with a laptop showing the latest radar pictures. That big, ugly, dark spot was right over our heads and boy! was that thunder loud!

Bridget was shaking under the covers, Reba was going insane out in her crate. Reba hates storms. She goes completely psycho, poor thing.

Then, the hail started. 'Bout the size of ping-pong balls. Car-damaging size, unfortunately. Noisy, too.

Next, came the sirens. I need to correct the kids thinking.... they believe these are tornado sirens. They are, simply, severe weather sirens and usually start up just after the storm cell has passed beyond us. Thanks for the warning.

I don't think I told y'all (love that word!) about our blizzard a few weeks back? Two of 'em, actually. The first was on a Monday night and getting Aidan home from swim practice was quite a trial. The last 7-8 miles to our house is a one-lane road with ditches on either side and no streetlights. It was VERY dark, with my car lights ONLY illuminating the snowflakes. The center line and sides of the road were completely obscured. Made it home safe and sound and the kids stayed up late out back building a snow man and making snow angel.

(would insert cute late-night snow photo here if the camera hadn't been (ahem) dropped that night and is now in the repair shop)

The next storm was just a few days later and it was a true blizzard. At least 6 inches of snow in just a few hours. On a community that is completely unprepared, that is crippling.

The kids had quite an adventure. That 7-8 mile stretch of one-lane road? So many cars were wrecked in all manner (into each other, into the ditch, etc.) that the school bus couldn't get to our neighborhood. The driver pulled over and had all the kids share the 4-5 cell phones that were on the bus and call any available adult to come retrieve them. Kids wound up going with the first known adult who showed up, but couldn't get back home so wound up at houses all over the place. Ray got smart and headed towards the lake where he knew of a road that got real close to a trail that backs up to our neighborhood. Abandoned the car back there and hiked the kids the rest of the way home through the woods.

A few days later, it was sunny and 80 degrees.

Texas weather sure keeps life interesting!