Monday, April 30, 2012

What one does when avoiding the laundry...

One whopping blog post this whole month?  Wow, that's lame.  Even so, my intentions on the computer tonight had nothing to do with blogging.  Even lamer (is that even a word?).  How I ended up here I don't even know.  In the last thirty minutes on the computer I've:

... checked the weather hour-by-hour for the next two days to see if, in fact, we'll get all three of Trey's baseball games in without being rained out.  Pray that the three year old can endure.  Seriously.

... noted the weather again, not because I'm a complete weather geek (although that is partially true), but because Trey Andrew will wake up tomorrow morning and ask me if he has to wear a jacket to the bus stop.  I like to be confident in my demands, especially to the boy who swears he never needs a jacket.

... emailed a friend to arrange drop-off of a fruit centerpiece for her running-for-state-representative husband's meet-and greet at the library tomorrow night.

... emailed two other friends who are helping with kids and rides this week where we are double-booked.

... Googled "Night Terrors" on behalf of one really sweet, newly turned six year old boy.

... emailed my old neighbor to check on him after his surgery last week.

... popped in on a local Crisis Pregnancy Center's website to get details for this Thursday's fundraiser banquet.

... looked over Tyler's work schedule for May.

... printed off more letters to local businesses to solicit donations for an adoption fundraiser this weekend.

... read up on the chemical processes of rotting apples, thanks to one fourth grader and one Science Fair project due next week (and here's a good one for you:  Why does fruit rot like the speed of lightning when you don't want it to, but never rots fast enough the one time you need it to?  Time to find some fungus around here, which shouldn't be all that hard to do... heh.).  Jealous, aren't you?

... checked my friend's Caring Bridge site to see if there was an update after her double mastectomy today.

... looked up directions for a church where I am speaking at a moms' group brunch this week (How in the world do I get myself into these things anyway?!  Nevertheless... excited!).

... looked up what day Mother's Day is, just so I'm not late.  Again.

... checked the weather again for later in the week, so I could mentally schedule a day to trim the bushes in the front landscaping.  Yes, apparently I need a weather.com intervention.

So that's my Monday night prep-for-the-week computer time impromptu blog summary (otherwise known as my brilliant distraction tactic for "Can I please avoid the laundry just one more day?"), which makes me kind of want to hide behind a houseplant and pretend like no one can see me...

But wait, that spot's already taken by the three year old, who's communicating that she'd rather not take her nap today.  :)  

Never a dull moment.

Wouldn't have it any other way...


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Suit Up. There's a battle going on...

I'm a mom to three boys. You know what that means, don't you? No matter how often I remind them to be gentle and compassionate, they always find a way to remind me that God made them ALL boy. In their world, sticks become swords. Chopsticks become wands. Peanut butter sandwiches become guns. And no one had to teach them how to make those awesome sound effects either. It's like they were born with it. Be warned, friends: if you stop by our house unannounced, there's a pretty high chance you'll walk into a living room full of pushed back furniture to make room for a night of "college wrestling", and it doesn't even have to be the weekend.

Somebody please tell me you can relate. Geesh.

The theme is always the same. There's a dark side and a light side. Good versus evil. And on a good night - if I'm lucky- true heroism shines through, and they rescue their little sister from the bad guys. They've figured out that she can play a pretty good little Tinkerbell when she puts her mind to it.

It's crazy, but they never seem to run out of stories to act out. Even if the bad guys were defeated the night before, another villain inevitably arrives to take the last one's place. But somehow they're ready. They know there will be a struggle, but they're determined to stand their ground. And without fail?

The good guys always win.

There's a huge contrast between those boys and this lone girl of mine. If given the option, she prefers to "mommy" her baby dolls all day, every day. She's a born nurturer, and she doesn't need prompted to love and sway and sing and pat until the cows come home.

But every so often, if the cast needs another player, she puts on her cape and joins forces with the boys. It may not seem as natural to her as playing babies, but she doesn't let that stop her. She's tough and determined and focused when she needs to be, and when summoned, she'll rise to the occasion.

Join me over at Good Morning Girls today where I finish my thoughts on another battle that's currently raging, except for this one's not make-believe...