Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Mom, I need to tell you something!

I know those words seem innocent enough. But, when they come out of Ryan's mouth and they are coming out right after school, it's usually not a good thing. Yesterday's was particularly enjoyable:

"Mom, I need to tell you something."
"Yes, Ryan."
"Well, I kind of got in trouble today."
"Oh yeah. What happened?"
"I don't know. I was just smiling and I lost 15 minutes of recess."

Poor kid. He was just smiling. And he lost 15 minutes of recess. He must think I was born yesterday.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Pasta!

So, I recently downloaded a few of my favorite 70s songs to my IPOD and I have been listening to them alot lately, since, you know, I clean my house alot lately, with it being up for sale and all. One of them is a Donna Summer classic, Hot Stuff. One of my children says to me: "Boy, this lady singing sure is hungry." "What do you mean?" I ask. "Well, she really wants some pasta." The kid thought she was saying "pasta" instead of "hot stuff" :)

Lookin for some pasta baby this evening.
I want some pasta baby tonight.
Gonna get some pasta baby this evening.
something something
I need pasta. I need pasta.


Come to think of it, I relate much better to that version.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Prejudice

There's been a lot of talk lately in the news about prejudice and whether or not certain candidates can win the presidency. I don't know, I could be wrong, but I don't think either democratic candidate can win. Because, sadly, despite our happy faces and our holding hands, too many of us carry too many prejudices.

Jaden played on a mainstream basketball team this year. It was a church league. The teams played on 1/3 of a basketball court, so it wasn't like "real" basketball. BUt, Jaden had such a wonderful time. Jonathan was his wheelchair handler and it was so special to see them work together to achieve something for Jaden. But, then, it came to my attention that one of the dads on his team anonymously wrote in that he was upset that his kid had to play with the handicapped kid. Something about the whole season being ruined for their team and his son because of the handicapped kid. Talk about prejudice! For two days, I was so livid it was all I could think of. Of course, since this "man" sent his comments anonymously, there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

I learned a couple of things, though:
1) We still, as a people, have a lot pf prejudices and a lot of mixed up priorities. When a person would rather exclude someone than have their son maybe lose a few non-basketball games, I think that's a problem.
2) I was watching a documentary on the Little Rock 9-those children who were the first black students to go to an all white school after the Brown v. the Board of Education ruling. It never dawned on me before that those kids were kids and that they had moms whose hearts were probably torn in two hearing the things ignorant people said about their children.
3) God is no stranger to feeling the sting of people dismissing a child for something they cannot help. In church around Easter, we read the words about Jesus from Isaiah 53. Things like "men turned their face from him. We rejected him and esteemed him not, he was considered afflicted by God." Yes, God does know how I feel when people do not see the beauty in my son.

Jaden was telling me a story of something that happened it church. They were putting on a little skit and Jaden was chosen to play Jesus. Some kid yelled out, "He can't play Jesus, he's in a wheelchair!". I asked Jaden how that made him feel. He said, "I just felt bad for him. He doesn't know that kids in wheelchairs can do anything.". I'm glad Jaden, somehow, has picked up a good attitude. I pray he keeps it. I think he's going to have a lot of educating to do in his life.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Half-Way Point

Today marks about 6.5 years of wedded bliss for Rob and I. We've been married 15 years today, just 6.5 were blissful. When we got married, we decided that it would be for 30 years or death whichever would come first. So, we are halfway to the end of our commitment. Thing is, I'm thinking about renegotiating. 30 years doesn't seem quite long enough. Maybe I'll contact Ben Roethlisberger's agent. He seems to do a good job with negotiations.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The Caboose

I heard this term on a mothering board I am on. It refers to the last child, but specifically, the last child that comes maybe unexpectedly, maybe not, but certainly a number of years after having a clump of children. I have a caboose (no comments here about my backside necessary!) and I love having her. By the time the caboose comes a long, a mom has learned a thing or two, a mom has calmed down a notch or two.

I remember when the triplets were two I thought to myself, "If I knew they wwere going to actually stick dirt in their mouths when they were two, I wouldn't have spent so much time boiling nipples when they were babies." I know this now. I know that they aren't always going to want to snuggle with me. In fact, there will be a time when they won't even fit in my lap. I know that I can't control every little aspect of their life. Oh, it seems so easy when they are babies. I can control what she eats, when she sleeps, where she sleeps. But, that period of total control is long gone from the lives of my other children now. They will one day sleep through the night, they will one day use the bathroom on their own and get their own food. I will one day be able to go to the store without packing a million and one things in a diaper bag. In fact, I'll be able to go to the store without them at all. And, I know most of all, that when those things are gone, I am going to miss them terribly.

And, so with my caboose, I relax and enjoy. I enjoy every snuggle, I let her sleep in bed with me or worse yet, right in my arms. I let her enjoy lots of foods just for the thrill of seeing her experience them. Because I know that food battles are bound to come and I know that my children have still managed to grow OK. I enjoy temper tantrums because I know that there are many more confusing character qualities yet for her to develop. I even enjoy every bump and bruise she gets, because these physical wounds are so much easier to deal with than the emotional ones that I know are in her future.

I am thankful for my engine kids...the ones who are first in line and keep things moving and pave the way. Together we experience the new challenges and joys of life. I am thankful for the middle car, too. There's always a lot of activity going on in the middle cars...laughter, comraderie, and that drive not to be forgotten or overlooked by the others. (as if we could!). But, that caboose...I think everyone should have one. BTW, mine is 8 months old!!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Dating...Jonathan Style

I overheard an interesting conversation in the back of the car while driving. I find it's best not to interrupt these things, but instead to listen in and see what I can learn. Jonathan is telling Trisha about what it will be like when they start dating next year at the Intermediate School. (Let's just for the moment overlook the silliness of the premise.)

Jonathan tells Trisha that if he is lucky, he'll probably only have one, maybe two girlfriends next year. Because, he says, girls are so hard to get. He says, "I mean really all a girl has to do is bat her eyelashes and say 'I want a boyfriend' as she gets one. Not us boys. Girls are so hard to get." I wonder if Jonathan knows how wise about the ways of women he really is.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

These are not mine...

But they are too, too funny. I first saw them on www.noelheikkinen.com and then he referenced some other place, that referenced some other place and so on and so on.
Forget, Foerber, Sears, Spock, etc.






Sunday, March 02, 2008

Are they all yours?

If only I had a dime for every time I've been asked that question. People see me with 5 kids in tow and they just can't help themselves. They have to ask.

It always strikes me as curious. I mean, would I really take all of these children to WalMart if I had any other choice available to me? Do you think I drive around the neighborhood and pick up kids just so I can take them all to the doctor's office? Yes, they are all mine. And, I like them all. Every last one of them.

I guess I forget that we are a big family. Most of the time. We took the kids for a quick overnight to a hotel with an indoor pool. My five kids made 9 total kids in the pool. There were three other families there. Our one family had more kids than the three other families there combined. I guess we are quite a spectacle. But, I wouldn't trade any of them for the world!