Happenings

Ginger hangs out on her blanket with her best buddy Aaron

Today is a bright and sunshiny day; such a nice change from the gloomy gus days we've been having. There's just something about seeing the sun that puts me in a brighter mood. Cozying up with a warm blanket and a cup of tea can only last for so long. I'm enjoying this.

Aaron's party favor from that fun birthday party on Wednesday

January happenings may not be too exciting. Some are quite mundane. But this is where we're at on the calendar, so this is what I write about. Our everyday lives in January.

I'm not very good at delegating chores. Explain the process to and supervise a careless child, or do it myself? I always choose to do it myself. But that's not teaching them anything. And it's only increasing my workload over time. Thankfully, my husband has stepped up and decided it was high time Braylen learned how to load the dishwasher. He walked him through the entire process, and I must say, it is SO nice to have his help. Braylen does a very good job at loading the dishwasher while Kaleb and Aaron clear the table. I stand back and like what I see. I had to laugh at Braylen on Monday. Here's why:

Me: "come here and empty the dishwasher please."

Braylen: "i just did that yesterday!"

Me: "yep, and now you get to do it again."

Braylen: (counting the clean dishes) "mom, did you really need to use 5 coffee mugs yesterday? how do we use this many dishes in one day?"

2 days after writing about Braylen needing new pants at school, I got a call from the school secretary. This time Kaleb needed new pants! Good grief! And she told me I'd better bring new shoes as well. "He slipped in the mud," is how she put it. There was just one hour left of school, and I was a bit confused. Couldn't he just tough it out for one more hour? Gathering his pants and shoes, I carefully backed out of the garage, and drove to the school. Cars were EVERYWHERE, due to an assembly about to start. Great. I'm going to have to park blocks away to drop off these pants and shoes. But wouldn't you know it--there was an open spot right in front of the door. Yay! Aaron and I walked in the front doors and there stood Kaleb. COVERED in mud. His coat, gloves, pants, and shoes--solid mud with brown grass caked in. I immediately felt bad for doubting the secretary, and could completely understand why he needed new clothes. Even for just one more hour. What a blessing to be able to help my child out like this. What if I'd been working? He'd just have to suck it up and be dirty. As a friend of mine pointed out, I am a M.O.M. I'm constantly on a Mission Of Mercy. I explained to Kaleb that I didn't have to bring him new things. I also don't have to bring a forgotten backpack, coat, or whatever else they forget every now and then. I choose to do this for my children, and by it, they are blessed. Hopefully when someone else needs some extra help, they will think of that other person's needs and show mercy to them too.

Aaron's been pretty crafty lately. We dug through the treasures in our craft drawer and made a very big poster. Ink stamps, paint, stickers, glue, and glitter provided much entertainment one gloomy afternoon. Aaron said his favorite part were the "sprinkles." Also known as glitter. :) We found things in that drawer that haven't seen the light of day in years. I have so many memories with my boys wrapped up in markers, crayons, paints, and stickers.

Aaron made me this necklace at school this week

Last Saturday we played catch in the backyard. Ginger got a little too rowdy after a while, so we put her in the dog pen. Derek, Braylen, and I went inside, while Kaleb and Aaron stayed outside to keep playing. 45 minutes went by and I thought to myself, "Wow, they must be having fun out there. It's getting dark and they haven't come in yet. I'd better go check on them." I found them in the dog pen. Here's what I heard. "Mom, Ginger won't let us out! We've been trapped in here for 2 hours!" Why didn't they just lift the latch? They were afraid Ginger would get out in the yard. Silly boys! Ginger can be in the yard! She was not mean towards them, they were not crying--they simply felt trapped. If my neighbor Jean was still living next door, I'm sure she would've let me know my kids were in the dog pen. :)

I grew up loving the Chicago Bulls. They were THE TEAM of the early 90's, as far as Chicago was concerned. Michael Jordan's image was everywhere. So imagine my surprise and shock when Braylen told me this:

B: "mom, you know that commercial with the guy who looks like Michael Jordan?"

Me: "the hanes commercial?"

B: "yeah, that one."

Me: "that IS michael jordan, silly!"

B: "no, it can't be. michael jordan played basketball in, like, the 1920's or something. he can't be alive still."

Aaaggghhh! I'm so old! My sports hero during high school is from the 20's in my son's eyes! After hearing me tell this story, my brother told me to remind Braylen he was born in the 1900's. Nice one Eric! It may be by only 4 months, but it still counts. Now I have a comeback to make Braylen feel like ancient history some day. :)

The Pinewood Derby race is in a few days. I'm sure that's what my next post will be about. The cars are ready, the boys are excited, and I'm relieved to have a night off from fixing supper! Life keeps moving right along!