Hi! From the Crazy Place!
Actually I am not now in the Crazy Place. I was there earlier today, but I am on my way back now, driving slowly and enjoying the scenery.
The last few days (or were they weeks?) have been a little, ahem, challenging, from a parenting perspective. And since, as I pointed out some time ago, my children have reached the age where they don't enjoy having their crimes and misdemeanours blogged about in detail, let me just say that those of you who have kids will recognize that "challenging" is code for: "Mommy is calling Social Services, the Gypsies, and the Circus, and whoever gets here first with booster seats in their van can have the two of you."
Today I invited my mom for lunch after church (my dad is out of town) and then, to make it even more fun, I invited Sherry and Aunt Gertie. They are all very good company and they were gracious and pleasant and well-behaved. Which is more than I can say for all the people who live in the house.
Once the company had gone I wanted us to go out for a walk. Yesterday and today we have tumbled into a sort of Indian summer, or something -- totally unseasonal temperatures in the mid-teens with sunny skies and soft southwest breezes. Obviously I didn't want to miss this. But our walk had to be delayed for yet another round of sibling squibbling (Little Sister: "OK, I'm going to dance. But don't anyone laugh at me!" Big Brother: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!" Little Sister: "Aaaiiiiieeeeeeeebooohooohooohoohooo SLAMS DOOR!")
We finally got out through the door with about half an hour to go before sunset. We walked Max to the nearby playground and the kids took their bikes for what I told them would probably be the last bike ride of 2006 (as I am confidently expecting snow any minute now). Then we went out to rent a movie for the kids for later tonight (I succumbed to Sherry's earnest entreaties to abandon my family and go watch Stranger Than Fiction again with her this evening).
We are now back home, the kids are playing quietly (and separately) with no yelling or death-threats. Best of all, Jason is down in the kitchen where he has spontaneously decided to clear the dishwasher and reload it with all the dirty dishes from our lunch today. He does this while listening to his "Jason's 80s" CD at top volume, so I am blogging to the music of Billy Idol (accompanied by Jason) singing "Rebel Yell," with a percussion section of clinking cutlery. What a splendid husband. Rinsing, scraping, putting away dishes: I now know just what Billy Idol was doing that made that girl yell: "More! More! More!"
Ahhh yes, serenity is attainable. For minutes at a time.
The last few days (or were they weeks?) have been a little, ahem, challenging, from a parenting perspective. And since, as I pointed out some time ago, my children have reached the age where they don't enjoy having their crimes and misdemeanours blogged about in detail, let me just say that those of you who have kids will recognize that "challenging" is code for: "Mommy is calling Social Services, the Gypsies, and the Circus, and whoever gets here first with booster seats in their van can have the two of you."
Today I invited my mom for lunch after church (my dad is out of town) and then, to make it even more fun, I invited Sherry and Aunt Gertie. They are all very good company and they were gracious and pleasant and well-behaved. Which is more than I can say for all the people who live in the house.
Once the company had gone I wanted us to go out for a walk. Yesterday and today we have tumbled into a sort of Indian summer, or something -- totally unseasonal temperatures in the mid-teens with sunny skies and soft southwest breezes. Obviously I didn't want to miss this. But our walk had to be delayed for yet another round of sibling squibbling (Little Sister: "OK, I'm going to dance. But don't anyone laugh at me!" Big Brother: "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!" Little Sister: "Aaaiiiiieeeeeeeebooohooohooohoohooo SLAMS DOOR!")
We finally got out through the door with about half an hour to go before sunset. We walked Max to the nearby playground and the kids took their bikes for what I told them would probably be the last bike ride of 2006 (as I am confidently expecting snow any minute now). Then we went out to rent a movie for the kids for later tonight (I succumbed to Sherry's earnest entreaties to abandon my family and go watch Stranger Than Fiction again with her this evening).
We are now back home, the kids are playing quietly (and separately) with no yelling or death-threats. Best of all, Jason is down in the kitchen where he has spontaneously decided to clear the dishwasher and reload it with all the dirty dishes from our lunch today. He does this while listening to his "Jason's 80s" CD at top volume, so I am blogging to the music of Billy Idol (accompanied by Jason) singing "Rebel Yell," with a percussion section of clinking cutlery. What a splendid husband. Rinsing, scraping, putting away dishes: I now know just what Billy Idol was doing that made that girl yell: "More! More! More!"
Ahhh yes, serenity is attainable. For minutes at a time.
posted by TrudyJ | 5:14 PM
2 Comments:
Hello,
Just surfed over to your blog - from where, I don't know. Later I will follow the bread crumbs (aka back button) and hopefully find my way back home.
As an aspiring novelist/writer I'm always so surprised that published writers are gripped by the self doubt that plagues us mere mortals.
Best wishes with NaNoWriMo. I too am in the home stretch: soon my slacker soul will shirk off the guilt of not participating. But there is always 2007. And 2008, I suppose.
My husband is generally a nice guy to have around the house. But this particular Nanowrimo year, he's making Mother Theresa look like a sloth. Truth be told, I dread November ending.
I know you're an ol' pro at this. But still, you're doing FANTASTIC!
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