Spring Break- Day 1

Playing on an ipad and watching endless TV can be soooo exhausting.
Spring Break is such hard work.

The Nest

This is her latest hairdo. She wears it just like this almost every day. She runs track early before school. Then, she piles all her sweaty strands in a bunch. To the side, of course. I've started begging her to put decorations in it. My first request was for fuzzy, little bees. Then I brought up the fact that we could put eggs in it for Easter. As of today, she has refused my pleadings.

If your hair is supposed to reflect your personality, what does this nest say about her? Maybe she subconsciously wants to be a bird so that she can fly away from this crazy house. Honestly, who would blame her?

All In A Day

This is Addie. She's hoarding the road tiles. You know, the ones that are used to separate car lanes? Ya, those. After being told she couldn't leave the driveway, she came home with them. I asked her (maybe with my yelling voice) to go put them back. Later I found them precisely lined up along my curb.


Then, Kellie stepped off the bus with this:

Don't you like how her arm is propped up by the sink? I can't imagine why. I questioned her on the reason for the arm graffiti. Her response? "Oh, I got bored in 7th period." I suggested that the next time she should use paper. I doubt she'll remember.

The Never Ending Question

I never thought it would be this hard. Did you? This never ending side of mothering that tends to drain the life out of you. Did everyone else already know this, and somehow I missed that prep class?

Before kids, I had a basic idea. More of a notion, really. But it only included the physical stuff. The long nights, the continual making of meals, the mounds of laundry and constant bottle feeding. I never, ever, not even once considered the mental stamina I am forced to find. That's the hard part.

Difficult children are, well, difficult. In reality, all kids can be difficult. Some just take it to a whole new level. There are families out there that don't have children who stretch them until they snap. Some days, like today, I envy them.

I don't know why it has to be so hard. Why am I constantly feeling that I don't know what to try next, because my current course is always faltering? Maybe that's just the way of life. This mothering life. Maybe there is no middle ground where peace can be found. Maybe, just maybe, this part of my life is more about what I need to learn than what behaviors they need corrected.

The flip side of hard is love. It has to be. Because the stronger the battle often delivers the greatest rewards. So today I shall cling to love, and grip it with fierce determination. In the end, that's all that really matters. It softens the hard and rounds out it's edges. And that makes the hard parts of mothering worth all the effort.

Here We Go Again

Sport seasons tend to bleed together. Cross Country morphed into Basketball which oozed into Track. And you know what's crazy? They all require different shoes. I don't get it.


Today was 47 degrees, slight rain and a whole lot of wind. I was bundled in a coat and the runners wore shorts. These are the moments that I pray for her to switch to an indoor sport. Like knitting. I know I wouldn't worry about her nearly as much if she were knitting.


But then again, that requires new shoes as well. Slippers. I'm pretty sure she's going to stick with sports that make you sweat. I better start praying for better weather.

8 of 40

Yes, I'm riding my 11 yr. old's Rip Rider.

I think I may have pulled something.




1 of 40, 2 of 40, 3 of 40, 4 of 40, 5 of 40, 6 of 40, 7 of 40

Hypothetically Funny

Do you like 'make believe'? You know, like in Mister Roger's? Well, I hope you do, because I've got an awesome pretend, made-up story. Here goes:

Once upon a time, there was a very "different" kind of family. They were special on so many levels. The special parents produced offspring that was really, really special.

Well, one day, Offspring #3 got invited to play at a friend's house. This was a new friend that had just moved into town. The special father parent warned the new friend's mother of all the potential dangers that lay ahead of her once she welcomed Offspring #3 into her home. New friend's mother thought to herself, "I've read the blog of this different family for years. How bad can it really be?" (a mistake she'll never make again)

Once in the car, Offspring #3 informed new friend's mother that she wasn't going to play at her house unless she went directly to Walgreens and bought her Cadbury eggs. Instead of giving in to this proposal, new friend's mother took them to McDonald's. During lunch, Offspring #3 threw french fries at her.

Hours later, Offspring #3 was returned to her special parents. New friend's mother had a nervous giggle as she reported that #3 had spanked her on the bottom at one point during the play date. Special parents stared in horror.

So, hypothetically speaking--if this story were actually a true story, would it be hypothetically funny or hypothetically embarrassing? I can't decide.