Sweet murmurings.

2:43 am.

My 10-year old calls out:  "Mom??!"

Me (sound asleep):  "Yes?"

10-year old:  "Are you okay?"

Me:  "Yes, why?"

10-year old:  "Because I just love you so much."

Life of the Party

My husband has no problem entertaining himself.  He just received  a new blackberry with camera capabilities.  When he was away on business, my e-mail was flooded with pictures from his trip.  Here's my favorite.

Shots in the 'hood

I woke up this morning to gun shots.  Scary huh?  Upon further investigation I found out that a car and a deer collided and the police were putting the injured deer down.  It got me thinking how scary it would be to live in an area where guns shots are not for injured animals, but a fact of life. Awhile ago I read an article about a family living in a bad neighborhood in LA.  Every night the little girl went to sleep not in her bed, but in the bathtub to protect her from drive-by shootings. What about in Iraq?  Could you imagine hearing the constant gunfire?  Imagine not letting your kids go outside to play.  Being afraid to walk to the market?  Here I am worried about my children's plastic water bottles while there are mothers in other parts of the country and world who worry about life and death on an hour by hour basis.

I am truly thankful.

HAPPY MAY DAY

May 1st is one of my favorite days of the year.  I love to deliver flowers to dear friends.  For those of you who aren't in my delivery radius, here's a flower for you!  Happy May Day!

Not the insult he intended.

WARNING: FOR ADULT'S ONLY!!!!!!

So my 10-year old came home from school yesterday and reported that a fellow fourth grader made a rude remark to him. I asked my son how did he respond? My ten year old: "I told X: 'Oh yeah? Well, you have a big d*ck.'"

I didn't have the heart to tell him that his response may not be the insult that he intended. Instead, I told him that he shouldn't have said what he did and that it is never okay to make rude remarks about other people's bodies.  I did all of this without laughing, and trust me, that was very difficult!

Dreams shattered?

My 8 year old has been counting down the years until she can try out for American Idol. I informed her yesterday that I heard this season may be the last year of AI. Her eyes welled up in tears. In case the show is indeed cancelled, here is a sneak peak of what America might have missed. You may need to turn your sound up, as I was being sneaky filming her. This is her version of "You've had a bad day."

Following in line.

Do you ever wonder WHY? Why do we feel like we need to live in the best school district? Why does my husband have to work 50+ hours a week? Why do I feel I have to a perfectly clean house (which I don't)? Why so much pressure? I often fantasize of moving my family to some remote spot and living off the land. I have never had a vegetable garden, but I think I would love it. I have never canned, but I CAN imagine that I would find great satisfaction out of it. So what if my kids aren't in the top district? Maybe they play in a "C" soccer league? Maybe having their father around more often would make up the difference. What will help my kids out the most in the long run? How do you teach a child daily responsibility? Isn't that our goal? Make each child accountable for their actions. Help them be independent. Be a good person. I don't want my children to become selfish or self-centered. You are complaining of being BORED? How do you think Laura Ingalls felt? She would be astonished at what you have. You're not receiving oranges in your Christmas stocking.


This isn't new for me. I have been pondering these questions for many years. Out of fear I don't act. How do I know what is right? If a fairy could grant me one wish, it would be to live a happy life in the country. My fear hinders me. So I will continue on this path ...until I muster enough guts to say "Enough is enough!"

Aloha.

We are back from our trip to Maui. We had a wonderful and relaxing time. The condo we rented was perfect for us...CLEAN, nice pool, pretty view of the ocean, and not too fancy that we couldn't drink Budweiser from cans pool-side.

We went Whale Watching and saw many pairs of moms and their babies. Brian and I enjoyed it way more than the kids.

We all tried snorkeling. The waves were pretty strong a couple of days. Perfect for playing in the waves, not so great for snorkeling. The snorkel mask made me feel claustrophobic. Brian had a close encounter with a sea turtle. The turtle swam up to him and got about three feet away. Brian had an underwater camera and was able to take some pictures, but he's worried his finger was over the lens.

We found a fun park with lots of low-branched trees. The kids (and I) thoroughly enjoyed climbing. I of course had to recite, "Hi! I'm Billy. I've been climbing trees all my life, but not trees near overhead lines. Because if you touch one of those lines, or your weight makes a branch touch a line...." For those of you who grew up in KC, you'll know what I'm talking about.

All in all, it was a great family vacation. I really enjoyed the laid back feel of Maui. We all thought it was fun how the locals would flash you the HANG LOOSE sign when you did something nice, like let them merge, etc. I definitely want to go back.

Maloha.

A hard way to learn the truth.

Ever since 1979, Easter has been a bittersweet holiday for me. Yes, the Easter Bunny arrives bringing foil chocolate eggs and jelly beans, but the last time I saw my mom alive, was the night before Easter. She went into the hospital that night and because of hospital rules, I was never able to visit her and thus, I never saw her again. 29 years ago. 29 years and I still remember seeing her as she walked down my grandmother's hall, heading to the hospital. 29 years and I still remember how I called out and she stopped by the room where I had been sleeping. 29 years and I still remember jumping out of bed and running down the stairs to catch up with her, but was too late. 29 years and I still remember seeing the Easter baskets already laid out. 29 years, but I still remember how I felt in my little six year old mind. I had been told that the Easter Bunny only arrived once everyone in the house was asleep. My parents hadn't gone to sleep yet, this much I knew. Quite a hard way to learn the truth.

Shades of style.

Okay. Here's the 70's maroon picture. Go ahead and laugh. Even though I had the dress dry cleaned, I still smelled like a Grandmother's Basement. I tried to keep my distance from people.