Fibber McGee

I admit it - I'm a Fibber McGee. We use the term affectionately around here when we catch someone in a white lie. Whatever that means.

Despite having sworn off any new posts just a short month ago, I had to post a video for family. Friends are welcome, as always, because honestly, mostly I like you better. And I'm sure I'll pay for that sentence. Oh well.

So, how are things in your neck-o-the-woods, 'cause let me tell ya', it's been hellishly hot in Alabama and it's not yet even August.

How hot is hellishly hot? Here's a visual for you:



Please note THE TIME on the clock....

That's PM! (although it was actually only 4:30 - cheap batteries.)

What in the H.E. (fill in your choice)?!?

Under such harsh conditions and with four of my own and three of their friends sleeping over for three nights, I only had one choice...throw them ALL in the pool, ALL DAY. The pool water felt just slightly less refreshing than bath water in HADES.

So, boredom struck after spending five or six hours in the pool, (not really thaaat long, Mom...crossing my fingers behind my back ;] ) the kids had a grand idea and I just "happened" to have my camera handy. The grand idea kept them content for another hour, at which point we emptied a popsicle box for the fifth time this week, then went inside for some Hannaaahhh Montanaaaa. Woo! What? ME? A CYNIC? I'm not a cynic, palease.

Watch this cool video and stay COOL wherever you are. :0)

Signing Off

About nineteen months ago, Five Kids and A Life jumped through a portal, entering the blog-o-sphere.

The time has come to jump back through.

For me, Five Kids and A Life was a therapist, a journal, a second look, a mentor, a lifeline.

It was double espressos and it was valleys of lavender. It was rush hour and it was Calgon.

It was great.

Thank you.

Save Me From Me

A few weeks back, I mentioned a book that I was reading, Lord, Save Us From Your Followers. I just finished the last page and it was eye-opening, heart-wrenching, guilt-inducing. There are a few issues I am still deciding just how I feel about but for the most part, I think the author is right-on.

I about fell out of bed when I discovered that the book was just the tip of the iceberg. The author of the book is a filmmaker as well, and spent two years filming a documentary of the same name. It's coming to select theatres in June but I'm thinking about ordering a live-streaming video of it right now - at 3:30 in the morning. Take a preview; see if you aren't highly intrigued.

Spaghetti Anyone?

For several weeks now, there has been a contest encouraging parent attendance at the Academy's State of the School event. Whichever class averaged the highest, received the honor of "spaghetti-ing" their particular principal, as well as, G. The initial event was canceled due to tornadic weather and the administrators breathed a sigh of relief until they found out the dreaded pasta party was able to be re-scheduled.

Saturday dawned, the deal went down and it stunk...all the way home and despite a shower - twice. Cleaning Ragu out of my husband's ears was not in our vows (no, "for worse" does NOT cover voluntary acts of stupidity). Gross does not even begin to convey what I was thinking as I was dry heaving. I'll never look at his ears the same way again.

Today I washed the sheets - call me what you like, but I prefer the scent of lavender over parmesan.

One Thing I've Learned

Do you have those people in your life that can make you feel about *yay* tall?

Yeah, you know.

I have two of them and they both hit me two days apart this week--nice timing. They seem to think that my life revolves completely around theirs or that maybe I don't really have a life at all. Or maybe, it's just that the things I do as a SAHM are not so important that they can't be dropped on a whim for the sake of their whim, worry or whine. They'll say they don't think that way about me and my life but their actions SHOUT differently.

Sorry, but I don't play that game though I played it for many, many years. Through alot of pain and loneliness and soul-searching, I've grown up and come to realize within that past four years or so, that my life revolves around whom I decide it does at any given moment. I've also learned that if I don't take time for myself to do the things that I really enjoy, I die a slow death everyday and life's too short for that. Sometimes that infringes on other people's expectations of who or what I should be to them, specifically the expectation that I should be everything to all people at all times because, after all, that's what moms do - right? Proverbs 31 I am not. I have my own interpretation of that passage anyway and it has nothing at all to do with being a perfect woman, wife, daughter and mother. That's another blog for another l-o-n-g day - summer solstice wouldn't be long enough a day.

So when these two people that I love passionately decide that I haven't measured up to their standards, yeah, they can still make me feel *yay* tall but I've learned to overcome, keep right on putting one foot in front of the other and posting a blog about it. :0) I'm not perfect and I've learned to live with that; now they just need to learn to deal with that.

Thanks for listening.