Birthday Song

Do you know what the number one song was on the day you were born??

It was "American Woman" by The Guess Who for me.

Go here: http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm if you want to find out!!

Out my window

I'm looking out my window while waiting for my mop bucket to fill. Here is what I saw.

Its 75 degrees outside my theremometer says. Its HUMID however and stuffy. No breeze and cloudy.

My neighbors are on vacation. My neighbor sister is watching their house, and comes over every afternoon. There are towels drying all over the back end of her truck now....she is up to something and my guess that her sister will have a happy surprise to come home too.

I live in a very diverse town. Cultural difference in raising children do apply. A group of children who parents were most likely born in Mexcio just rode by. I know some of them by name but all of them by face. The kids are allowed to go much further then I'm comfortable in letting my kids go (which bums them out considerably) BUT what I love to see with this group of kids is how they watch out for each other with fierceness. Case in point today, the oldest girl has her brother or cousin who is still riding a tricycle tethered to her bike so she can help pull him along and he can keep up with the pack. Dangerous I know. Yes they are on the street. The little one DID have a helmet on, unusual. But so sweet too. I have seen time and again the sad faces of my little girls when the big kids take off with out them. I can only imagine how their faces would light up if I were to allow their sibs to do the same. I'm not going to though. Sorry girls.

Down just a bit further someone is pacing while talking on the phone in front of the house where my neighbor passed away this week. He was only 55. I did not really know him other then he was friendly enough neighbor. Someone to wave too when bringing in the trash can, that sort of thing. It was totally unexpected collapsed in his house. He and his wife lost a teen son 12 years ago. They have another son who is married and two teens at home. Say a prayer for them today if you think of it. This has quite an effect on me this week. Time is so precious. Kiss your spouse and your kids today. A lot.

My bucket is full.

Stuff

How did it get to be this late in July already???

I think when you live in the midwest you have to stuff as much as possible into these summer days befor old man winter wakes up again. So we run around doing everything a person can outdoors until we are sick to death of everything you can do outdoors!

Soooo...we have been busy going to parks, ball games, swimming, camping, bike riding, fishing, sandbox playing, bubble blowing, fort building and today for fun....garage cleaning!! lol The garage needed to be mucked out as we are having a party here Friday to celebrate our first year with the new business! We're still going strong. Very proud of that hubby of mine.

Speaking of proud. My 3 year old learned to ride a two wheeler this past weekend!! Apparently while I was at the showerhouse while camping she and Daddy had a talk and took them off....3 steps later with Dad and she was GONE! I came out and she whizzed by me grinning ear to ear. And yes, in these pics she has no helmet. Keeping kids in bike helmets while at a campground really is a losing battle. She does where it most of the time.....so no lectures please.

this and that

Overheard conversation

H - S, what do panda's eat?

S - french fries and ketchup

H - no....they eat bamboo!

S- ew ew ew ew (make this a sing song with emphasis type ew)



Busy days around here!!

We went down south to visit my Grandma....and ended up taking my Mom to the ER. She was later admitted with C-diff. Look it up if you'd like a scare. She has a severe form but thankfully not viral. She is out of the hosptial after 8 days and home again on the slow road to recovery. Never did make it to see my Grandma so will have to try again here later this month.

In happy news, my sister became engaged to a wonderful guy the weekend before the 4th. We are all very excited to start thinking wedding bells and a little family vacation for next year. Any ideas on what a family with mostly young children should think about stopping to do between Minnesota and Ohio?

The following week took the crew with hubby in tow camping over the fourth. Who knew fun could just about kill ya? We have been dragging around here again for two days recovering. G at 19 months now slept over 13 hours last night and STILL took a 2 hour nap today.

We are about caught up and ready to resume life as normal again....camping laundry is done. God sent a lovely rainstorm tonight so I don't need to water anything and at the moment....all is peaceful!

Happy Birthday!!

My oldest daughter turned 8 yesterday. We had a family day of fun at her request choosen over a party with friends. Its great to know we still "rate". It really was a great day and one to store in the mind memory. These 8 years have gone fast, cliche as it sounds. At the same time I can't hardly remember what it was like not to have her in our lives. H came to us quickly, born on a Friday, we were choosen Monday, she came home Tuesday. Over that weekend and before we knew about her at all we decided to take a new job and move across the country. It was such a crazy nutty time. She was exactly what I didn't know I needed during that time of preparing to sell a house, selling it, moving, building a new house, living in a basement. Such a crazy time. My soul needed every one of her snuggles and cuddles she so profusely offered. I needed to have that break that a newborn demands to keep my sanity. I called her the light of my day and night.

H is such a dear sweet soul. I love her to pieces. She is the least like me probably and leaves me scratching my head often. Which again is probably exactly what I didn't know I needed.


What I do know is that I love you babe with every inch of my heart.

death

How's the for an attention grabber?

My 86 year old Grandmother has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This particular cancer is almost always a death sentence and at her age and state of health, it is for sure. The doctor gives her up to a year at most because as yet the cancer hasn't moved. Somehow my Grandmother got it in her head that she has 2-3 years left. Go ahead and just TRY to tell her differently. I'm of a mind to think, hey! maybe she knows something we don't. Anyway.

What we have lately is the flurry of "activity" that seems to occur when you hear someone is going to die. Lots of advice. Lots of visiting. Lots of you should really do's. I am finding all of this really annoying. Really. Where the heck have the advice givers BEEN the last 20 years??? Cheez.

My Grandmother is many things, like most of us are. One trait of hers that has probably impacted me the most was her stubborness. Lets start at the beginning. I was NOT the Grandchild she invisioned. I had colic. I had reflux. I did NOT want her to hold me. So, it wasn't love at first sight. BUT this woman was determined to love me. Her given nature is to love more easily "needy" types. I never filled the bill. But I also never for one minute thought she didn't love me.

Her memory hasn't been the best lets just say over the last 10 years. This is where you start to be able to sort out the ambulance chasers and the ones who have been with her consistently as ever. To know her is to know that she usually mixes up the facts and holds to her version with the stubborness of a mother bear. Those in the consistant box take every thing she says with a grain of salt. Those who aren't so consistant, but have come out of the woodwork since the diagnoses don't. Because of this, one of the ambulance chasers sent out an email last week that was, well, weak in the facts mam! I had to respond to it mostly cause it had mis information in it about my own Mother. (my Mother would just suck it up and let it go) Because I have a big mouth, I couldn't let this one go. I apologize for getting of track here

My point is. WHY does this have to happen??? My Grandmother is 86. She has been given a fatal diagnoses. Shouldn't she be allowed to think she has 2-3 years left? Shouldn't she get to decide what she wants to do with the time she has left? WHY should she be encouraged to go through her things if she doesn't want to? Does it matter if she skips a doctors appt? Does it matter if she eats jello and grapes for dinner? If she doesn't get to do what she wants to with the time she has left now, when will she?

I hope it doesn't sound terrible here, but I've read enough about this disease to hope that she keeps going hard and long so much so she drops right in her tracks, right on her way to heaven. She's been stubborn about that too. I can imagine that she and God have had more then one row in her lifetime. But, once she decides something it really does take an act of God to get it undecided. She loves God, and has done her best always to be his child.

Now I just wish the "you should be doing's....." would let the woman seriuosly die in peace.

I love you Grandma.

Popcorn

I am officially to old to have popcorn only for lunch.

Yesterday was my afternoon off and I took myself to a movie. Its been months and months since I've been to one and I had forgotten how nice it was to totally relax and get all the way into a movie.....instead of folding laundry getting up to get things for the kids, answering the phone....and so it goes. I really can't remember the last time I sat and watched an entire movie. Anyway....had a big bag of popcorn for lunch to go with it. It was delicious. And I was so not feeling good after. Perhaps I should have had something more to eat that day then yougurt. LOL.

Regardless, Mom's afternoon off has been a wonderful addition to our summer calendar. It gives me a guaranteed break each week that my mental health really needs and I'm learning the kids look forward to it too!

So, all you Mom's out there...find away to give youself a few hours a week. I promise it is a good thing.