The Puddles

It seems that today the world seems particularly rough.  The world seems full of sadness today.  Chris says that most days are full of sadness for someone somewhere but I am only seeing it today.  Thank goodness that I don’t see it every day!  When the sadness is caused by something that I have no control over, it is even more disturbing.  My general way of dealing with it is to try to take in the sadness for every one.  No one should suffer.  Everyone should be happy.  I have broad shoulders.  Let me carry the burden.  I try to redouble my efforts to help others. That always makes me feel better and the world to seem brighter.  In the end I realize that I cannot carry the load alone and I must give some to the Man upstairs.  He is much better at it than I.  So today I am making an effort to not only spread some positive in the world to counter all of the negative but to also give back to God with prayers of thankfulness and strength.  Especially strength.

After picking the kids up from school and running twenty errands, it was finally time to head home.  The kids have been periodically complaining that they were hungry and asking what’s for dinner while we ran errands, but when we turned the corner into the neighborhood the voices became louder as they begged for dinner details.  I told them it would be tasty (that’s my general evasive maneuver when I don’t really know what I am going to fix).  When that didn’t work, I told them I was fixing rutabaga.  They asked what rutabaga was.  I told them it was a delicious vegetable.  They complained. I told them that Ms. Shirley agrees with you and told me that I shouldn’t give you rutabaga.  Madie said that Ms. Shirley was right and that rutabaga shouldn’t be given to children.  I told them that they should try and get Mr. Larry and Ms. Shirley to let them become a Finke because that was the only way that they were going to avoid rutabaga.

Just at that moment Ms. Shirley’s suburban drives by (the TOL sticker in the rear window is always a clear indicator as to whom the car belongs).  Unbeknown to us Ms. Shirley is on her way home at that moment (of course, I play dumb and pretend I don’t see the car but, doggone it, the children spotted it immediately).  The children start to chant “Save us, Ms. Shirley!”  “Please”  “Don’t make us eat rutabaga!” “You are our only hope!” (that one was Ainsley).  We are nearing our house.  Ms. Shirley’s brake lights come on.  Madie shouts, “Thank you, Ms. Shirley.  She will save us.”  But then her suburban moves on (the car in front of her must of slowed down).  There is a collective groan from the three children.  And Ainsley says very sad and pathetic, “I guess we have to eat rutabaga now.”   Poor Ms. Shirley.  She had no idea the life and death struggle my children felt like they were dealing with in the car and the pivotal role that she was playing in the outcome.

Please note that I as their mother do not routinely buy odd vegetables to serve them.   Although I am a huge fan of all normal vegetables unlike my sister who doesn’t like red fruits or green vegetables (Poor Gordon!) But I stick to the basics.  When Chris’s grandma moved out of her house, she sent her pantry to our house.  Included in the gift was canned rutabaga.  I see this as an opportunity to try something new.  My children (and others apparently) see this as a means of cruel and unusual punishment.

This is my proof that I actually own a can of rutabagas.

I have promised my children no rutabaga tonight, but I have assured them at some point in the near future rutabaga will be on the dinner menu.  In the end, I . . . will . . . win. (insert evil laughter here.)

Update:

I called Ms. Shirley to share the story and ask permission to put her on my blog.  She granted permission with the caveat that I NOT feed my children rutabaga.  Fudge Brownies (the words we use in this family in lue of cussing)!  If it wasn’t such a cute story to share, I wouldn’t have agreed to the deal.  But in the end I must feed the blog 😉

That is a direct quote from Madie.  Tonight at bedtime Madie informed me that she felt like her life was zooming by.  One minute she is loosing her first tooth and the next minute she is in second grade reading chapter books.  She is shocked.  She doesn’t want it to go by so fast.  Slow it down, Mom.

Poor thing.  If this point is the highlight of her life cycle, then we are all is sorry shape.  Not to worry Madie.  Life does get even better.  Just wait until you have your own daughter.  That is when life gets good!

All about chores.  Yes. That’s right. Chores.  I don’t know if anyone knows this but I am the only parent on the block, in the neighborhood, in this town, in this state, or in this universe that assigns her children chores. No one. And I mean NO ONE has chores but my children.  All we ever do is clean.  Of course, this entire scenario is based on my conversation with Madie.  Who, by the way,  hates her mother at this moment. I assure her that most children should have chores and if they don’t then I promised Madie that I would have a conversation with that child’s parent and convince them of the benefits of having chores.  Boy did that set her off even more!  She crying upstairs while she cleans the bathroom.  But at least she is cleaning the bathroom!

My children are beautiful delightful creatures of God’s handiwork who can become (at the exact moment that I want to take a nice picture of them) truly the spawns of Satan!  Are they truly trying to spoil my one true desire to have a nice photo of them in the bluebonnets?  Maybe it is because they are not native Texans.  Do the bluebonnets compel all those non-natives to be devious while amongst the state flower?  I don’t get it.  I explained to Ben and Ainsley that taking pictures in the bluebonnets was what Mommy wanted most in life.  If they did this nicely, it would be the greatest gift that they could give to Mommy.  Didn’t they want to give Mommy a gift?  Yes, of course they all replied.  My foot!  They had no desire to be helpful to me.  None.  Hardly a smile crossed their lips.    Instead I heard . . . “I’m hungry.  I’m thirsty. Bugs! Dirt!  They won’t share the blanket.  I don’t like these flowers.  He’s touching me.  She’s touching me.  Get off me!  Mom, are we done?  Can I leave?  etc. etc. etc.”

Did I mention that Chris refuses to go with me?  He said something about how he would rather have Jeffrey Dahlmer move in with him than go take pictures in the bluebonnets with me? Second time I asked him, he said, “Did hell freeze over?”  Third time I asked him, he asked me if I needed a body limb because he would rather donate one to me than come with me to the bluebonnets.  Ok.  I get your point.  Thanks, dear.  I think that I may consider “Photo shopping” my children into the bluebonnets next year instead.

Mom saw my blog and let me know that in 1970 the checklist was similar but for her generation it was . . .

• buy a house
• buy a station wagon
• own a dog
• have children

But so much was similar.  I am just glad to know that I made the list!!  Oh what a different time that was! Nothing has changed but everything has changed.

I missed Ben and Madie’s  games today.  I had other obligations and I truly missed my babies today.  They had so much fun.

Thank you, Uncle David for taking pictures!!!!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/david91973/sets/72157623702590357/show/with/4509300048/

Thank you, Daddy for making a video!!!!

My mommy guilt is eating at me a little bit, but my children were in good hands.  Papa Grace came up in the hoopty car (a.k.a. blue corvette) and took Madie to the game.  Uncle David,Aunt Debra, and Gordon were also part of the cheering section for Ben and Madie.  It was awesome.  My kids were so well taken care of.  Madie got to play goalie today and Ben played catcher and he hit a ball.  It was a good day.  I feel terrible about not being here.  I was coming home and on my way out when I talked to Chris who tells me not to come home.  Not come home?  He says take your time.  “The kids are just watching a movie,” he says.  “The games are over. So just drive around.”  He thought I would be gone longer and would have more time for myself before coming home.  Awesome that I have a husband who wants to give me time for myself (even if he can’t do it very often).  So I took a slow route home.  Scouting places to take the kids tomorrow for bluebonnet photos.  Oh, my!  I can’t wait.  I enjoyed looking at all of the beautiful scenery, but it made for a lonely day without the joyful voices of my children arguing in the back seat.  It was time to go home.  So I stopped by church to pick up my Sunday school material for tomorrow and headed home to a glorious welcome from my four amigos.  I love them.  I am glad to be home.

Ainsley looked adorable.  She and Madie insisted that she wore her Nebraska shirt to the practice (Madie wanted everyone to know that Ainsley is a cornhusker).  She was cute!!!  She is on the Dynamos!  I was late to the practice (Daddy took her on time).  When I came up to the field, I thought that she was playing goalie.  No.  She was just standing there looking at all of the kids kick balls around.  She kept turning around to Chris and I with her hands on her hips and this look on her face “what the h— are these people doing?”  It was hilarious.  There was much emotion involved.  Poor baby.  But she was adorable while doing it!!!!

First time in Texas we have the egg hunt and Easter dinner at our house.  Awesome.  Nice. Relaxing. It took a week to finally put everything away.