Running in Circles

We've already established that the weekend flew by for me. This week seems to be a little slower (probably because I am waiting in impatient excitement for news about an impending visit from someone I really want to see). It probably doesn't help that I am spending the week cleaning and reorganizing my house. We all know that that isn't on the top of my favorite things to do list.

Friday night Bug & I attended Friday Night Supper Club where we discussed my 101 List point by point. They helped me to come up with a few more items to add to my list. When we got done eating and discussing we ventured over to Perfect Games so that Bug could wear off a little energy and the guys could challenge each other to air hockey.

Saturday morning I woke up to beautiful sunshine. It wasn't overly hot and seemed a perfect day to tackle a few of my house projects.

I had lost a few boards off the front steps over the winter, so this seemed the ideal day to play with my new circular saw again.

I trimmed down my closet door as well, but don't have a picture of that yet as I still need to purchase and install a latch to keep it closed.

Saturday night Sis felt the urge for some family time. This mama can never pass up the oportunity to spend a little fun time with my kids, especially when the teenager is trying to spread her wings and doesn't always want me so close.

We loaded up in the truck and drove to Madrid for some Cosmic (Laser) bowling. Obviously this is where we took last week's challenge photos at.

Sis got a little pouty when she threw a string of gutter balls.

Concentrating on my form, I guess?

Sis had had enough.

I don't have any pictures from Sunday because I forgot my camera at home. Bug and I went with the Cub Scouts on a clean-up hike. The goal was to pick up trash littered along the bike trails at Seven Oaks. That one and a half hour hike reminded me how sorely I've gotten out of shape during the winter. Looks like I will need to step it up before we go hiking in Yellowstone!

The hike was considered a success but not in the way we planned it to be. The trails were actually fairly clean, good job mountain bikers at keeping nature as pristine as possible! With not much work to do we did manage to lose three scouts.

No, literally.

We lost them. Or I should say they lost us. After repeated warnings to stay within sight of the rest of the group three of the boys decided to explore on their own. They took off in a dead sprint ahead of us, laughing when we told them to stop. Then they jumped a few paths that wind close to each other. The next thing you know they are no where to be seen and couldn't hear our calls.

I took my group of three well behaved Scouts and six stow away ticks and made our way out of the woods. Forty minutes later the missing boys emerged from the woods with the search party leaders. Whew!

Boys were fine, leaders and parents lectured and used them as an example to the rest of the group. I chalk it up to a learning experience for our next outing.

I spent the rest of the evening keeping a vigilant eye open for more ticks and enjoying the first of my "alphabet" movies from my 101 list. Eating ice cream and watching Avatar with the kiddos was a perfect ending to my busy weekend.

Leading Lines

I'm back from my mini mental /artistic sabbatical! This week's Random Photo Challenge theme was Leading Lines.

I even managed to post this week's theme poem over at Impassioned Versifier. I considered quite a few options on where to take my poem, but this week it demanded to be directed in an art imitates life sort of way.

Be sure to check out the rest of this week's awesome challenge photos at Photography139.

Disarray

Most days if you ask me how being a single mom is going I'll tell you it's great. Very, very great!

I love the fact that I now have the freedom to decide what gets cleaned when, to budget so that the kids and I can enjoy the activities that we want to do, and to enjoy a routine that actually works for our family. I love the fact that Ex and I can get along for the good of the kids now. I also love the fact that I have freedom now to spend time with my friends.

I always try to look at the bright side of being a single parent family.

But every once in awhile....

4 loads of laundry hiding my beautiful Buffet that has been passed down 3 generations so far.

Sometimes it does fall apart. I came home tonight feeling a little overwhelmed. There were two loads of dishes scattered throughout the house. Four loads of laundry needed folding. I need to dust and vacuum and I should probably change the litter box and maybe clean the windows before I put plastic up. Oh, and the kitchen is driving me nuts, I really need to reorganize the cupboards.

My house didn't seem so unorganized last night. I suppose a lot of it is just my mood.

Usually I can count on Sis and Bug to help keep things flowing. I'm too tired to unload the dishwasher tonight? That's OK, the kids can do it after school tomorrow.

Only Sis has been sick on and off for 6 weeks now. She has missed 9 days of school so far.

I want her to rest and stay caught up on homework, so I haven't been pushing on chores.

Yesterday I took her to the Doctor. I sort of figured it would be something simple, like undiagnosed allergies. She of course was fine while we were there, bubbly and full of energy. We tossed around the idea of slight sinus infections or an allergy to dust. The Doctor wasn't quite satisfied though, so he ordered a few blood tests.

We are patiently waiting for two weeks to find out if she has some sort of immune deficiency. I of course spent some time looking up immune disease on the Internet last night. Scary Stuff.


This morning she woke up complaining of a sore throat. By 11:30 the school had called for me to pick her up. She was running a low grade fever by then & complaining of dizziness.

I brought her home and gave her an allergy pill. I documented her symptoms for the Doctor and went back to work.

The allergy pill didn't help and she excused herself to bed early tonight. Poor Sis.

This weekend I have few commitments, so I will be cleaning house top to bottom just in case there is some mysterious trigger here. Until then the dishes are done and the laundry can wait.

I am officially off duty for the night.

Getting a Clue

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER

by Erma Bombeck

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.

"There would have been more "I love yous"..

more "I'm sorrys"..

but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute.......

look at it and really see it..

live it..

and never give it back.

Don't forget to stop and smell the roses today!

Take time to tell a loved one how much you love them, do something nice for yourself, and stop to give God thanks for all of it.

I've never been one to keep an immaculate house anyway. I have always told myself that there would be time for housekeeping when I'm either finally able to be a stay at home mom or retired. This late in the game retired is probably more likely (and I will still have terrible cleaning habits).

That's not to say I don't keep a clean house, but because of watching my dear Mom fight illness my whole childhood, I have learned the value of taking an evening off. Even if it drives my type A tendencies nuts.

So tonight while Sis was at youth group I allowed myself the evening off to play a game of Clue with Bug. He won :)