Books and Reincarnation

I just finished reading "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein. It is a fun and sometimes sad account of a dog and his master, who are both obsessed with cars and racing. The whole book is about the life lessons this dog has learned from the race track, and using them to the best so he can be reincarnated as a human in his next life. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me think and look differently at my dog. Until she passed gas and totally ruined the moment.

But it also reminded me of a conversation I was part of back when I was sassy and single. We were on a big group date, and one of the guys asked what we all thought we would come back as or what we were before. It was a fun question and a pretty good way to break the ice. So what did I choose? I kept going back and forth between a giraffe or ostrich. They both have gorgeous eye lashes like me, are tall, and hate to be cold. I think. The giraffe and I also look pretty graceful until we start moving, and running can kill us. Seriously. Ostriches and I share the same skin color of WHITE and our thighs look the same.

So now I am curious: what will you be or what were you? And what are you reading right now?

The Carnage Continues

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I am waiting for SOMEONE to finish up his turn with the camera, and he is just taking his own sweet time about it. So this will just have to be a regular old post without any pics to liven it up.

You remember how I told you about Nadia's used coupon book? Well, lucky me, there are coupons that go with it! I just got them! As I was looking through to see what kinds of wonderful little gifts awaited me, I noticed a theme: a coupon for cleaning her room, one for practicing piano, several for cleaning up after the dog outside. In other words, they sound exactly like her chores. Hmmm. On the positive side, she also wrote and sang a Mother's Day song for me. So now I know when she is a famous singer/songwriter, not to expect any fancy or expensive gifts. I'll probably get a coupon saying one of her people will be doing her chores instead.

Brandon has freckles on his nose, and they are ADORABLE. There would be a picture here to show you , but we already discussed this problem. And yes, his name is Cliff. Anyway, the summer really brings them out, along with little girls who think he is cute. I am just thankful that he doesn't understand why all the girls chase him during recess yet. And that he is a very fast runner.

Benjamin and I are having a hard time. He has a hard time deciding, and I have a hard time making time stand still while he is deciding. Yesterday, we went to the store to use the rest of his birthday money from Aunt Marlene. He told me he wanted a Gordon train that was smiling. Then he showed me the Gordon smile several times, while saying, "Yike dis, Mama, Gordon need smile yike dis." Once I get the camera back, I will take a picture and show you. We found the Gordon trains only to discover that while they were all smiling, they were all smiling the wrong smile. "No, Mama, not yike dat. Yike dis," and there was Ben's Gordon smile to compare it to. He was right, the two smiles weren't the same. So what did we do? We sat there for half an hour while Ben looked at other trains, and decided they weren't right, either. Thomas and Percy were in the running for less than a minute, but James was right out of competition. Not that I blame Ben for that, James is a little vain and smug for my taste. The rest of the time was spent just sitting there, I think in the hopes that the right Gordon with the right smile would come puffing by at any moment, and say, "Hi there, Benjamin! Sorry I'm late, but here I am! Buy me!" We finally had to leave, and exited the store with the wailing of, "I want my Gordon! I want my toy!" Walmart has very good acoustics, by the way.

There should be another picture right here to go with Caleb's little blurb, as well. He has just found his toes, and you need to see the look on his face when he is watching them. His smile keeps getting bigger and better every week, too.

Well, that was a pretty good recap of the last week or so. I will try to do better about updating and nagging Cliff, so there will be a few more posts on here. That's it for now!

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's how Mother's Day went down at our house. Every gory little detail.

It started the night before with me waking up every time the neighbor's cat meowed in our yard. This cat hates me, and knows that we open the window in the bedroom when it starts to get warmer. Yes, I know some of you are laughing at this sentence, but just remember that "warmer" is relative. Moving on. Every time I hear this cat, I snap to attention, and quickly try to figure out who is crying. Then I realize it is just the cat, and mumble ways to get even with it while I try to fall back asleep. Skipping to the end, I woke up with a monster headache, and Cliff telling me the kids were fed and getting dressed and he needed to go set up chairs for church. I love that man.

So I skipped church and tried to reason with myself that it was okay to take more than 2 tylenol for nasty headaches, but didn't do it, because I am nursing and feel guilty. It was a good thing that I stayed home because Caleb had sour stomach all day, and Brandon wasn't feeling well, either. We stayed in my room and watched a movie, then had quiet time until the others came home.

Oh, the presents. I loved this year's bootie. Or is it booty? This year's haul. How about that.

Nadia made me a used coupon booklet, so I now have a place to store all those coupons I've used at various places. I didn't have the heart to tell her most places keep the coupons so you won't use them again. She also made a mug at school, with a packet of hot chocolate in it. Too bad she forgot to tell the teacher I'm lactose intolerant. Eh, the kids and Cliff enjoyed it, so it worked out just fine.

Brandon made me a recipe card holder. It holds about 5 cards, and he showed me where he wrote his name on it, and how he made it look CRAZY.

Benjamin gave me a flower, and then took it back so he could sweep with it. Yes, it did make a very good broom.

Cliff made me scrambled eggs and toast for lunch and fed the kids. Very sweet. Later, we got a call from my dad that dinner was ready, and headed over to visit with him and my brother who is done with school for the summer. Dad made a lovely beef stew in the crock pot, and my bro made brownies. Then everyone else went for a walk while Caleb and I had some quiet time alone, and then we just visited until it was time to come home.

I loved this Mother's Day. I love being a mom. Even when it means I wake up 7 times a night because of a stupid cat that I think is a crying child, even with sour tummies and cranky toddlers, I love my kids and all the things that being a mother to them entails.

And here's to all the great moms I know who put up with craziness and noise and messes because that's part of the package, and do it with grace and a smile. You are wonderful, and I am glad to know you all and learn from you!