A Letter to my Son

Dear Max,
I wanted to take a minute to address the sock problem.  Please take note of the lists below.

Places your socks go after wearing them:
the hamper.

Places your socks do not go after wearing them:
the family room
under the piano
in the toy box
the tupperware cupboard
the stairs
the backyard
the frontyard
the car
the comfy chair
your bed
the garage
anyplace that is not your hamper

I would appreciate your getting a handle on this sock issue at your most earliest convenience.
Love,
Mom

Aloha

A few days ago I got a text from a friend who was in Hawaii on business (tough gig, right?).  Her text said "I'm in heaven" and was accompanied by a picture of her lying on the beach. 

While she had been lying on the beach, I had been driving an hour to trade in the loaner minivan for my newly fixed Acadia.  I had had an hour of silence, and had another awaiting me on my return trip home.  I was in heaven!  Being alone in my car, or alone in my house or even alone in the bathroom, is a rare treat for me.  And besides the lack of noise, my favorite part about silence is that I get to hear myself think.

When it's quiet, I usually start off thinking about how much I love the quiet.  How nice it is to have a break.  To get away.  But then my thoughts turn to who I'm "getting away" from.  And that leads me to thinking about my kids.  Sophie, who is eternally happy and eager to please.  Max, who is funny in a smart way and smart in an even smarter way.  And Lily, who, at the grocery store earlier that day said "Thank you, mama," for every item I put in the cart.  Including the spinach.

That got me to thinking about my husband and the home we have made for our family.  I thought about my house, and how much I love living here.  In this house with this yard, but also in this neighborhood with our friends.  I love that we know our neighbors.  And we like them!   And we have so many other wonderful friends from college, church, work and many other parts of our lives.  We are so blessed.

I texted my friend back with a picture of me, alone in my car, with the words, "Me, too."  I'm sure she didn't understand what I was saying.  But it just so happened that as I got her message, surrounded by silence but rushing back to the loving chaos of my life, I felt like I was in heaven, too. 

Caught Up

My kids are still sleeping.  This makes me so happy I want to run around the house screaming, but that would wake them up, so I decided to sit down and write. 

I haven't written in a while.  I haven't felt that I had anything to say.  You've heard it all before...all the other times I stopped writing.  And then started again.  My neighbor said I need to start a new challenge.  She's right.  I'm shooting for 3 posts a week through the end of the year.  Challenge on!

So, here's what you've missed:
We got a new roof.
We're getting new siding.
Lily learned to say the word "butt."
Sophie loves school.
Max hates school.
I am taking over the bookfair.
I became a Norwex consultant.
I started teaching Sunday School
I am organizing Sophie's second grade fall party (not allowed to say Halloween, not sure why).
I haven't been sleeping well.
I have been losing my mind a little bit each day.
My husband and I celebrated 10 years of mostly wedded bliss.
I am secretly looking forward to the first snowfall so I can use my fireplace.
Once it snows I plan to complain constantly until it has melted (next July).
My cat has gone deaf.
My dog puked up her dinner on my new carpet last night.
The kids started skating lessons.
I've been driving a minivan for the past week and I kind of like it.

There.  I think that's everything.  And my kids are totally still sleeping!

Things I've Learned in the Last Decade

 1.)  I feel too young to have been married for ten years.
2.)  If you wait long enough, your husband will change the baby's poopy diaper.
3.)  My husband stops snoring when I elbow him in the side...this has taken me years to perfect.
4.)  My husband thinks I'm sexy...even in sweatpants.
5.)  The best reason to get flowers is for no reason at all.
6.)  If I could be married to anyone, the vast majority of the time I would choose my husband.
7.)  Watching my husband play with our kids is the sexiest thing in the world.  
8.)  I'm not always that easy to live with.
9.)  In the center of our marriage is our love for God.  And for Chipotle. 
10.)  10 years goes by really, really fast.

Happy Anniversary, Wade!

Sick Day

I want to start by saying that I realize how blessed I am to be able to stay at home with my kids.  I know that there are many parents who would like to have that option, but don't.  I know I am lucky that I get to put my two-year-old down for a nap and then watch Young and the Restless while I fold laundry.  I know that most working parents don't get to wear sweatpants all day.  I get to see my kids' first steps, hear their first words and rejoice when they finally go on the potty.  I like that I can hang out with my friends and call it a playdate for our kids.  My meetings involve building Lego starships and playing Pretty Pretty Princess.  I know all of this.  And I really do feel blessed.

Except when I'm sick. 

When I'm sick I just want to curl up in my bed and sleep.  I want to watch TV all day long with no interruptions.  I'd watch things I would never normally take the time to watch, like the Kardashians and Bridezillas.  I want to feel sorry for myself and mope around the house.  I want to eat soup and not share it with anyone.  I want to sit.  Just sit.

Staying at home means there are no sick days.  There is no PTO.  No vacation accrued each month.  I'm not sick enough to ask my husband to stay home from work.  And even if I were, it's awfully hard to ask him to give up one of his precious days off to cover for me. 

So, there will be no curling up in bed.  There will be no soup.  There will be no sitting.  There might watching TV all day (although, instead of trashy TV, it will be Clifford the Big Red Dog and Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That).  And there will be plenty of feeling sorry for myself.  But just for today. 

Bad Mood

Today I woke up in a bad mood.  It might have been the weather.  It might have been that I knew we were out of eggs. Or it might have been the fact that the two previous mornings I was able to wake up to a quiet house, drink my coffee in peace, and eat my eggs without having to share with a two-year-old, but now my kids were back.  

For the second time this summer my parents took all three of my kids up to the lake for a few days.  I feel so blessed that my parents are able to do that.  The kids love it and my parents, while exhausted and probably completely overwhelmed by the constant noise, love it.  And, if I'm being completely honest, I love it, too.  I miss my kids when they are gone.  And missing them is a nice feeling.  I don't experience that very often, so it's a nice reminder that I actually do like my kids.

I called the lake a couple of times and heard Lily's little voice over the phone lines.  Sophie told me all about a boat rescue and Max asked what I did all day while they were gone.  And I got a ton of stuff done around the house. 

I was so happy to see them when they got home last night.  I really was.  There may have been a little tiny part of me that knew my extended quiet time was over, but mostly, like 97.6% of me, was overjoyed to have them home.  The house was too still while they were gone.  Too quiet. 

And then I woke up this morning in a bad mood.  I realized, while I felt lost without them for most of the day, I really had enjoyed my mornings.  I liked getting up and being the only one downstairs.  I liked sipping my coffee without having to make someone else's breakfast.  I liked just sitting and watching the sky lighten as the sun came up.  This morning when I came downstairs Sophie and Max had iCarly blaring on the TV.  This was pre-coffee and I had already decided I was in a bad mood, so the first words out of my mouth were "Turn that down.  NOW!  I had this house all to my self for three whole days and it was wonderful and quiet and clean and no one asked me for snacks or pooped their pants or left their shoes in my way and now you're back and you're ruining everything.  EVERYTHING!"  Okay, I didn't really say the last part.  But I wanted to.

The day has gotten better.  And now Lily is napping and the kids are outside playing and I'm going to make myself a pot of coffee and pretend it's morning.  And enjoy the quiet. 

Things it Takes 3Days to Learn

Sole Inspiration - Jill, me, Sara G, Becky

This was my fourth 3Day for the Cure.  My plan is to continue walking this event until there is a cure, or my legs won't carry me anymore.  Whichever comes first.  There is no way to accurately explain what the 3Day experience is really like, but I'm going to try.

                         

Things it Takes 3Days to Learn

1)  After walking 20 miles, showering in the back of a semi-trailer feels a lot like heaven.

2)  Using the first few Porta-Potties, it feels strange to not flush a toilet.

3)  After the 3Day, it feels strange TO flush a toilet.

4) It takes about twenty-four hours
to start referring to your little pink tent as "home." 

5) Becky's long legs make her a perfect pace car! 

6)  No matter what, at some point during the 60 mile walk you're going to talk about farting.

7)  Sara G has a doctorate in blisters.

8)  It looks like fun to carry one of the remembrance flags.  It is not.

9)  It seems cruel that the miles we walk around the huge campsite don't count towards the 60. 

10) Air mattresses are a good idea.  In theory.

11)  It's entertaining to see the creative ways people decorate their tents.  And useful when trying to find your own (ie: my tent is across from the one that looks like a piece of watermelon).

12)  Jill can't say the word anonymity.

13) The men who walk the 3Day are rockstars (or "walk"stars - Ha! Ha!)...and treated as such!

14)  Of all the team names we saw, my favorite was These Boobs Were Made for Walking.

15)  After walking 60 miles and sleeping on the ground, with blistered feet and tired legs, you're still going to have plenty of energy for a dance party during closing ceremonies.