I'll Never List (Created 1997)

I'll Never.....

1. Go to the grocery store without make-up on.

2. Let my kids eat in the car.

3. Feed my kids spaghetti for breakfast.

4. Let my kids wear clothes that are dirty.

5. Leave dishes in the sink.

6. Have a dog.

7. Bribe my children.

8. Snap my fingers at my kids.

9. Have breakfast for dinner.

10. Let my gas light in my car turn on.

11. Forget to brush my teeth.

12. Find myself singing to a kids' CD even when they aren't in the car.

13. Burp out loud in front of my children.

14. Not play with my kids when they ask.

15. Yell at my kids - especially in public.

16. Let my kids wear their Halloween costume in August.

In 1998, I had my first son...

Now I say, "I'll NEVER say I'll never!"

Manners Please

I grew up with a mother who had very high expectations of me. She appreciated (expected) impeccable manners at all times. I too want my boys to know when to say please and thank you, open doors for ladies, say excuse me, and be polite.

BUT....when our family goes out to eat, I want to know that the experience we are having is full of the manners, but also filled with fun.

Today as I ate out for lunch I sat and watched a couple with kids who did not say one word to each other. From here on out, our restaurant manners include:

Stories from everyone in the family that include roaring laughter.

The go ahead to blowing the wrapper off the straw at either mom or dad.

The ability to play a game of penny hockey with forks on the laminate restaurant table.

Being able to try a bite off of everyone's plate.  

Draw on  all paper napkins - and definitely play a game of tic tac toe and hangman.

Make a math lesson about what kind of tip to leave.  (At least 20%)

Manners - yes, please.

Enjoyable experience for all - YES, PLEASE!

3 Questions From 3 Boys....

Can police dogs get through cement?

When dogs and guinea pigs are excited, they poop. Why don't we?

Can I turn myself black? Why not, Michael Jackson turned himself white?

The Bag Baby

When all of my boys were babies, I loved taking them out and about. After having the twins, it was quite remarkable how many people would literally step in front of the stroller so I had to stop. They'd ask me all about the boys, how old they were, if they were fraternal or identical, and how it was being a mom of twins. I knew that if I was having a hard day, I could put the twins in the double wide stroller and have my older son push it, and I would be sure to have conversation with someone - and really quite quickly.

I enjoyed hear, "Ohhh, they are so cute." Having those conversations became part of me. They lifted me up; they set a tone for my relationships outside of my family and made me feel part of something bigger than myself.

Deep pause - story switch...

I got this new purse for the summer, and I absolutely love it. It is a giraffe print that has a great wallet that matches. Almost every day someone comments on my bag, what they like about it, they ask where I got it, and I've realized that it is a real conversation starter.

I am not sure what happened today, but I realized, my bag has become my baby...

I much preferred being three babies mama....

Blame it on the Hairspray

Over the fourth of July weekend our family went camping for four fun filled days.

With our dirty fingernails, greasy hair, and loads of dirty clothes, we returned.  Right when we got home, I knew that I needed to go up and take a shower to wipe off all of the grime.  With that done, I was feeling quite good, until I noticed that I was all out of hairspray...really didn't need it that night, but for some reason, that little squirt does something lifty and shiny to my hair.

The doorbell rang.  The neighbor across the street was there.  "Um, well, while you were away, my daughter's boyfriend hit your car."  Right - it was hit - and we are now in the process of replacing our 1993 Camry....the car that gets forty or more miles per gallon....

Later that night....I go down in the basement and smell a little funk.  I come upstairs and ask hubby to take a sniff.  Not 3 seconds after going down he yells, "Sara, are you kidding me?"

Actually no, I wasn't kidding....I thought there was a smell.  I rush down to see...a little water accident.  Our air conditioner leaked quite a lot of water all over and everything looked a "little" terrible.  The guys came today and drilled holes in the wall, have fans, and a water de-humidifier (is that a word?) down there.  Carpet, baseboards, and a wall or two might need to be replaced.

When I have accidents, they happen in threes...

So...if I blame the start of these accidents on the hair spray, I am done and finished.  The End.

Stop and Readjust

My brother, who is my best friend and business partner just got back from taking a class in Canada. I've only had about 15 minutes to catch up with him, but he was telling me a little bit about something he learned.

The analogy he provided was this....when going on a trip, there are all kinds of things to do in order to prepare for vacation....make travel arrangements, pack, get gas, buy food, etc. After all of that - the trip can begin. Going on a trip is like life - there is an end destination in mind, but often it takes more than one step to get there.

How often do I think -

I want to have well behaved positive boys.

I want to have a thriving business.

I want to surround myself by powerful women.

I want to have a fun and loving marriage that continues to grow.

I want...I want...I want....

It is definitely o.k. to want all of these things....they are who make me who I am.....and I do have all of those things...but do I take the time to stop and readjust when something could be done better or more efficiently or effectively? It takes more than one day or one conversation to have it ALL...

Today - I stop to adjust....

What's working? What's not?

If I'm shooting for the moon, can I get there by car? No, but maybe some of those pieces will help build the rocket.

An Unwelcome Farewell

My boys go to year around school, so they started back to school this week. I'm always so sad to see them go back, and I can never believe when our summer time is over. The twins are in second grade this year, and our older son is in 5th grade.

As always, we had picked out the first day of school wear the night before, I was preparing a better than normal morning breakfast feast, the lunches were packed, and the batteries in the camera were ready for some snapping. As tradition has it, each first day of school there must be a picture taken by the front door. (This is something that my mother did for me.)

Older son, "Bye, Mom, see you later...," running, without looking back.

"Hey, wait. We need to take the before you start school picture."

"Awww.....mom."

The only excited person in the house to have their picture taken was the dog.....(him thinking he is a boy is a whole other story.)

After this was done, older son quickly made his way to the garage. He is now old enough to scooter to school. He stopped me at the door and said, "Mom, really, you're not even thinking about coming out in the garage with me - are you?"

Really? Really?

We teach them to grow up, but then when they do, it feels like it happened overnight.

So - from inside the house, without peeking out, I yell, "Love you!" (Hoping I'm loud enough for him to hear....)