How I Hate Age Six . . .

No, it's not what you're thinking. I LOVE the creativity, and even the energy of a six-year-old boy. I just hate the way that age magically causes them to leave behind thier babyhood. Andrew and I went shopping together today. In the car we were talking. I was teasing him about "girl stuff," you know, Barbies and princesses, and dress up clothes.

He said,"I HATE all those girl kinds of things!"

I asked him,"Aren't you going to get married some day?"

"NO Way!" came the response. He professed even to hating the color pink, a color that was his favorite just yesterday! (Yesterday? Or did I blink and two years flew by?)

Now, he's never getting married. He hates to be hugged and kissed (sometimes!). He loves to go out with mom, then hates that he had to come. We're on that roller coaster, and I've already seen in the other two boys where it leads. I'm finally losing my baby to manhood, and he's only six! And a part of me grieves the loss of having my babies in my arms and their need for only me.

How am I ever going to manage the empty nest?

Another Camping Success

Well, the weekend camping was a success. The oldest, now in real Boy Scouts, went on a camping and canoeing trip to the Okefenokee Swamp. The night before he bacame very sullen, complaining that he should have never signed up for it! He trudged off still a little mad that I wouldn't let him out of the committment of going on Friday. I wondered a little this weekend how he would feel when he came home--it rained quite a bit! But today, he came home all bubbly and chatty (NOT a boy thing!), and couldn't tell me enough about what they did, what they ate, the gators they saw, etc. It was great. I asked him if he planned on the next camping trip, and got,"Yeah. I think so." He's still not interested in going to Scout summer camp. Good thing since the sign-up date has passed!

The other two were delighted to spend the weekend camping in our air conditioned, electronically equipped living room with a bathroom nearby. Stephen, the eight-year-old, would really have prefered to be canoeing with his brother, but was glad to at least spend the weekend in a tent. I even let them leave the tent up last night. Gave me one more night alone in my bed!

My goal for the day yesterday was to sort through piles of stuff as I moved one boy into his own room. I actually planned to get two rooms in order, and while I still have several bins of assorted stuff to sift through and a couple of pieces of furniture to move to yet unknown locations, I am pleased to say that I accomplished my main objective. Good thing too, since I found out today that the bunk beds we loaned out have to go back in one of those rooms this week! Today I got the downstairs back in order and rested--a much needed rest! And I'm going to bed early tonight so I can recover from my busy weekend!

Everybody's Campin' 'Cept Me!

Ahhhh . . . my kind of weekend. All the boys are camping except for me. No, I haven't lost my mind. I am not letting the younger ones out in the back yard unattended. Josh is on a Boy Scout canoe trip, a decision that he started regretting last night (and I think might regret more since rain is supposed to pass through tomorrow). After attending a play tonight, I came home and set up a tent in the living room for the other two. They are down stairs watching Zorro while settled on their campout! My kind of campout. The kind with no bugs . . . no sunscreen . . . no hauling and unlaoding of gear . . . no hours of set up only to know I'll have to get up tomorrow and tear it all down . . . well, you get the idea. The only thing that would make this weekend better for me would be to NOT have to tear through bedrooms to move one kid into a different room. I'd rather be scrapbooking . . . but at least I'm not camping!

Thirty-nine Things I've Learned in Thirty-nine Years

1. God really is faithful.


2. Life definitely isn’t fair.


3. Even though friends let you down, it’s still worth the risk to trust them.


4. Boys really are different than girls.


5. No one loves you like your mom and dad.


6. A five-year-old, left alone for five minutes, can make a mess that will take five days to clean up.


7. The house never does stay clean.


8. Credit card debt increases faster than it decreases.


9. The only way to make progress on a project is to start working on it.


10. Girlfriends are more desirable than deserts! They make life sweet, but don’t make you fat.


11. Things change. They might not always get better, but they rarely stay the same.


12. Doing something God’s way the first time is much easier than trying to clean up the mess.


13. Some things never stop hurting.


14. The things that seem to demand my time are rarely worth spending it on.


15. You can learn a lot about God by having kids.


16. What you watch, listen to, and read, and who you talk to, actually shape who you are and what you believe.


17. Children draw their energy from their parents, and leave their parents exhausted.


18. Things usually cost me twice the expense I imagine they will, and offer half the return.


19. Quiet time with the Lord in the morning really does make a difference in my day.


20. Watching your son becoming a man is an adventure.


21. GET AN ESTIMATE!


22. After you get an estimate, GET ADVICE!


23. Life really isn’t about me.


24. You never have to completely grow up if you surround yourself with kids.


25. Don’t trust what you hear in the news, on TV, or in a movie.


26. Gossip actually hurts everyone, not just the person being talked about.


27. It is possible to deeply love someone without them ever knowing.


28. Giving is a whole lot more fun that receiving.


29. A lifetime warranty isn’t a guarantee that something won’t break.


30. Everybody needs late night friends, but for a night-owl, they are a necessity.


31. Sometimes you have to do what doesn’t make sense.


32. Plans, schedules, and budgets are tools. Not everyone uses every tool for every job, but it’s nice to have them when you need them.


33. When I’m feeling down, I usually need to look up.


34. God’s surprises are always better than my plans.


35. God loves to hear me talk to Him. God even loves for me to ask Him where the watch I lost is (or the keys . . . or the remote . . . or my wallet . . .).


36. There is no such thing as too many books.


37. We can give up and endure a lot more than we think we can


38. Solomon was right. There is nothing new under the sun.


39. Music is essential in life. It soothes the savage beast . . . including my kids!

Again I Ask . . .

. . . what IS this fascination with water that my youngest son has? Last month he left the hose dripping. I think it was days before I found it! (Fortuately my water only went up a little bit) He overflowed the sink for no apparent reason. I think he has started stuffing the whole role of TP down the toilet! What do I do?!?!

Today it goes something like this:

"Mom! You HAVE to come see what is on the floor in the bathroom upstairs! It's brownish and SO GROSS! I think Princess did it!"

I move toward the stairs, picturing a pile in my head. I'm curious.

"AJ, what is it?"
"I don't know. But it's DISGUSTING!"

I move a little faster. I'm worried!

Guess what I found! A toilet overflowed . . . hours before (probably before we left for church) . . . and it had . . . poop! . . . which was all over my bathroom floor . . . and soaked into the towels and clothes left laying on the floor . . . and smelled awful! Gross!

And I ask this only out of fairness to my son: When did the DOG learn to use the toilet?

One thing I hate about being a single mom: I always have to do the gross jobs! But this time, I DID make AJ help me. He's been complaining about still smelling it all evening! I hope it's a while before I see an overflowed toilet again!

Makes Sense to Me!

Tonight AJ was prattling on about his philosophy of life. I did what I usually do when he talks on and on--I mulititasked . . . until I started to catch what he was saying.

"I used to think that boys came from daddies, and girls came from mommies. You know? That was until I learned that boys and girls come from mommies."

Now, aren't you glad I didn't miss that?

Can We Take Another Spring Break?

Our house is in mourning because Spring Break is gone. I am totally frustrated because all the relaxing things I was going to do somehow didn't get done, and all the little projects I was going to get done still loom over me! So I'm left wondering what we did do! I do remember at the beginning of the week going out of town for a Choir Trip. The kids performed twice, slept in the homes of members of the church where we performed, and spent an afternoon at Blue Spring State Park, all exciting but exhausting fun.




After arriving home on Monday, I needed Tuesday to rest and recover, so the boys and I and a friend who spent the night slept late, watched TV, and played on the computer (me!).

On Wednesday we had a birthday party for AJ at a friend's house. He had a wonderful time, and all the kids swam and played for most of the day. Thursday I started getting worried that we weren't going to get anything done, so we did a little housework, but I mostly played on the computer with my new photo and movie editing software. Friday was about the same, and today I worked like mad trying to get assignments graded and lessons planned and getting the house ready for my small group meeting tomorrow.

OK, looking back, it has been a pretty busy week. No wonder I feel tired! I think Spring Break is just a teaser to make you want summer more. And it worked!

Yet Another Difference . . .

. . . between boys and girls! Last night I ended up sitting through King Kong, so tonight I needed my chick-flick fix. I decided a little late this evening to watch You've Got Mail, but I was tired, so we moved upstairs to watch it on my computer. Of course, being TV junkies, the boys didn't particularly care that it was a chick-flick, so they piled in the bed with me to watch it. Wouldn't you know it! By half-hour into the movie, I was dozing off. Of course, the younger ones crashed too, but 'ol reliable Josh was awake right until the end! I woke up to him leaving the room--just before the part where Kathleen discovers that it is really Joe whom she has fallen in love with over the Internet! Can you believe it? HE LEFT AT THE GOOD PART! I, of course, woke up enough to watch that part. Last time I watched the movie I rewound it about six times so I could watch it again and again. But my son had no desire to see the end! Go figure!