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Three Thoughts for Thursday

Three Thoughts for Thursday

Spring fawns, Dolly Parton, and cherry blossoms in this week's 3 thoughts.

  1. Dear Doe, I hope your spring fawn is adorable. Consider having twins to make up for eating the bark off the trunk of the new tree in our yard.
  2. Dear Dolly Parton, On the rare occasions I google my first name, the song you recorded in 1973 pops up. It’s haunted me since my senior year in high school. Perhaps we should consider sharing the royalties. Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
  3. Dear Mother Nature, I would love to see the cherry blossoms this weekend during my trip to DC. Could you arrange it? Your prompt attention to this matter is greatly appreciated.

Need to write a letter to someone? You can leave it in the comment box.

Top Ten Reasons We Know She’s Our Girl

Top Ten Reasons We Know She’s Our Girl

We’re enjoying our visit with our sweet daughter and son-in-law. Though they were far, far away for a year our time together is proof that their year out east didn’t diminish the family traits that show she’s our girl. Here are the top ten ways I know she’s still the person we raised back in the day:

10.   Her eyes sparkle whenever she learns we’re having BLTs and sweet corn for supper. (Minus the T, just like her mom used to eat ’em.)

9.    She asked me to make the family birthday cake, German chocolate, for her birthday this coming Saturday. (A favorite of Dad and Mom’s.)

8.    She and dairy products don’t get along. (Mom’s side of the fam.)

7.    At her PT appointment last week, she was diagnosed with hip displaysia. (Just like her dad.)

6.   She pitches right in (and so does her hubby) when it’s time to wash windows, dust, weed, strip the beds, do laundry, and wash dishes. (Early childhood training by both parents.)

5.   Anne loves to sniff out a good bargain. (We prefer to call this trait, passed along by both parents, “thrifty” rather than “cheap.”)

4.   Anne’s reading her way through the murder mysteries on her mom’s bedside table and is ready to go the library for more tomorrow.

3.   Like her dad, she’s always making stuff.

2.   Like her mom, she’s always writing something.

1.   Our house feels more like home when she and her husband are here.

What family traits do you see in your children? Leave a comment about the ones you’re willing to claim!

 

Supermom Doesn’t Exist

Supermom Doesn’t Exist

In the past two weeks, two young working moms emailed to say they wished they could be more like me. They particularly admired my self-discipline, organization, my mothering, and my cooking ability. This totally freaked me out because as I watch them care for their families, I often wish I could go back and parent like they do – with a little less structure, a little more joy, and more PBJs for supper.

But most of all, I worry about these moms who compare who I am in my present circumstances with who they are in their present circumstances. They have great husbands, great kids, and good jobs and are wifing, parenting, and working their ways through the most jam-packed phase of their lives. Yet the standard they compare themselves to wifes a most patient man, is an empty nester and works at home alone almost every day. Too bad I can’t rewind the movie of my life ten years so they could make a fair comparison.

Instead, to give these women and anyone else laboring under misconceptions about who I am, I have prepared a list to prove that the Supermom you think you see doesn’t exist. Here goes:

  • The reason I’m a good cook is because I’m a picky eater. So I learned to cook so I can eat what I like.
  • Worry defines my days. Right now I’m worried because my son who is 26 and just left a monastery and is learning to live with the remnants of PTSD is job-hunting in a bad economy, has no health insurance, and hasn’t called or emailed in three days. But once all that is taken care of, I’ll worry about my daughter or money. On a very good day, I’ll pray about it, rejoice in the promises of God for a few minutes, and then feel guilty when I start worrying again.
  • I am very impatient. If you want to know more, ask my husband and kids.
  • My husband is very patient about my nagging.
  • I am a drama queen. If you want to know more, ask my sister and brother.
  • My underwear is never folded and most of my unfolded underwear is full of holes.
  • Things fall on top of me when I open my closet drawers.
  • I have a sweet tooth.

As you can see, Supermom doesn’t exist at this house. But if you still don’t believe me, check this post in a few days. By then, some of my family members will have augmented my list with their own juicy tidbits.  I can hardly wait.

Motherhood in the Fast Lane

Motherhood in the Fast Lane

Yes, that is Hiram with hair, me with big glasses and Allen with the shaved head. The picture recently appeared in the May issues of Facets, a women’s magazine put out by the Ames Tribune. For those of you who don’t get the Trib and would like to read the article, please be patient. The new issue hasn’t been posted online yet, but I’ll update the link as soon as it is available.

The article caused a small buzz at the Mary Greeley Cath lab where Hiram works. Once his co-workers quit commenting about how much hair he once had, they shared stories of children they knew, children who endured hospitalization and surgery, too.

I’m pleased to know that Allen’s story gives people, many of them strangers, an opportunity to talk about and process the pain they experienced with their children or as children themselves. Their responses make all the comments about how young we looked in 1982 bearable. They cancels out my previous poor taste in eye wear and eases Hiram’s interest in Rogaine.

But I’m itching to shave Allen bald when we visit him at the monastery next week. He’s got such a sweet face under his beard and long hair.  Maybe Hiram should frisk me for razor blades before we leave for West Virginia.

Better safe than sorry.