When life hands you lemons...

Make lemonade, right? Right.

That isn't what this post is about. At all.

My baby is teething. My world has stopped. I hold, I comfort, I wipe off yellow snot, I rub gums for hours, I feed popsicles, and goldfish, and applesauce, and yogurt, and whatever my son wants to eat to him. I rock...and rock...and rock...and rock.

Now please excuse me while I put a shirt on that is decent enough to go out in. Thank you. Oh, just one more thing. Next time you see me...please don't tell me it gets better. Thank you.

Lynne

A car thought...

My post isn't entirely relevant to the one over at Rocks In My Dryer, but I was inspired to write about a child experience. Growing up, for the longest time, my family only had one car. A Saab. It's just fun to say. Say it with me...a SAAAAAAAAAAAAB. It was a standard transmission, two-door, silver Saab. No idea what model. I learned how to shift with my mom driving...the ceiling lining hung down around us, and we managed to cram three kids in the back seat. Maybe four...can't remember. It was wonderful. :)

My dad took it to work most days, and we only got it one or two days a week to run errands, going to the grocery with bags crowded around us and in the back hatch. I think at some point we closed it with a bungee cord, because we bought extra food that week.

When we didn't have a car, we rode our bikes *everywhere*...we went to the local Eckerd, where we perused the clearance section at least twice a week. We went to the grocery, loading up the kid trailer with the latest toddler and the aforementioned groceries. We went to the library, carrying books in our backpacks.

It is amazing how times have changed, isn't it? These days, people don't want to walk or ride bikes short distances. I heard recently that a neighbor that lives about 7 or 8 houses down from the neighborhood pool drives her car to swim practice every day. That's less than a quarter mile, I think.

These are fond memories for me...the stop and go, the local Jack in the Box, the fire station, the Willie's, the Bank of America, the local hair salon...

I don't remember the last time I biked somewhere far away...maybe I should.

In the quiet...

Have you ever stepped back and realized that you just learned something about yourself as a person? About your personality? About the nitty-gritty secret stuff that no one knows...but you?

I have had one such-like experience here lately...I'm discovering that I'm not really a big people person, unless I'm really comfortable with those people. I'm non-confrontational, private, and usually pretty quiet. There are exceptions, oh yes...trust me...but on the whole...I can get peopled out pretty quickly. Then I like to hide. But we don't have to go into that right now.

Today, after a crazy weekend of lots of people, I was feeling pretty peopled out. After church (with lots of people), I knew James had plans for part of the afternoon at church. My brain had registered that he would be busy from 3-6. So at 1 pm, when he looked at me and said "See ya, babe!"...I was not happy. I was not gleeful, or cheerful, or any other kind of -ful. In fact...I was a bit miffed. Say what now, buddy? You're not going to be home all afternoon AND evening?

There's more to the story...like the part where I had agreed and even suggested that I drop him off and pick him up later, and the part where he called and invited me to dinner...but that's a different part of the story. I'm still miffed at this point.

Then I got home. My little home, with my little boy...what were our plans for the afternoon, son? Well, Mama...I don't know. Let's play!

And we did. We rolled on the ground. We nibbled things from the fridge while sitting in front of it together. We took a long nap, snuggled in each other's arms. We sat on the front lawn, and played in the grass. I read (part of) a book. We experimented with blowing water out of straws to make pretty patterns on the concrete. And I laid on my stomach in the grass, and watched my son do the same on the concrete and track an ant's progress across the warm pavement. For 20 minutes. My 10-month old stayed still for 20 minutes and watched this huge ant trek across about a foot of concrete. And I watched him do it.

I was reminded of all that the Lord has provided, and I was grateful to Him for gently restoring my peaceful soul with quiet. He told me, in a warm voice, that it was good to retreat from the world and to experience His God-given quiet.

My husband enjoyed his afternoon, and I enjoyed mine.

Thank you Jesus...for ants.

I love my dustbuster...

I LOVE my dustbuster. I really do. I use it all day long. Ask Jonathan. Or Melissa. Or Dane. Or James. Or Isaac. They all know. I *love* my dustbuster.

My dustbuster, or "Old Faithful", as he is sometimes called is used for everything from dust bunnies to the most recent batch of Froot Loops that has been tossed on the floor. *sigh* Such is the more recent frontier of motherhood. I don't scrub grass stains out yet, or lament the fact that I've allowed one of the kids to get a hamster, but by golly...I'll dustbust behind you all day long.

It works for me. Now I want two. One for at the store, and one at home. Maybe one in the car too. So that's three.

I don't have a problem. :)

My favorite words!

I have a new favorite word. This. Is. A. Great. Day. I have a new favorite word! haHA!

Pfffffffffffffffffft. (The thing is...it looks a lot cooler in print than it does when said out loud. Go on. Say it. See?)

I also am partial to: Pshaw! Toodlepip! Pipsqueak!

Do ya'll have any favorite words?

I'm a wordy. Dane has a special word for that, but I don't know it. So for now...I'm a wordy. A wordie. I'm not wordy myself...I don't think. I'm A wordy.

Shutting up.

Toodeloo!

Tire Stores are fun places!

 

YAY!