*S-C-H-O-O-L*

Or...How One Mommy Spells Relief!

I just to have to make a disclaimer here. I LOVE MY CHILDREN! I really do. They're very smart, funny, loving, beautiful kids. I'm not just saying that so they'll give me five minutes of silence either. I am Mom. I chose it, I became it. I don't know that I have any other identity anymore. If I raise my kids to be kind, honest, upstanding people in the world, I'll have done my job well and it will be worth every pay raise, benefit and vacation day I gave up lo those many years ago when I went into labor at work never to return again.

Now, almost 13yrs later I don't mind saying that there are definately times when I wish I was working again. I miss communicating with adults on a regular basis (thank goodness for email which helps keep me sane! LOL), I miss coffee breaks, lunch dates and cocktails after work. I miss my independance and the ability to go, do and see who I want, when I want, where I want and not have to answer for it. Oh and buying what I want with my own money, never to include things for the under 18 set was a sweet perk too. LOL Believe it or not, I miss deadlines, projects and the feeling that what I did actually meant something to people. Oh sure, don't get me wrong, my kids NOTICE if I don't have a meal ready in time or if their favorite tshirt isn't clean to wear 5mins after they tear their rooms apart looking for it. (laundry doesn't clean itself Kids).

So when school vacation comes it should be the prime opportunity for me to show my value to these chosen ones under my roof right? Express in umpteen-hundred ways how valuable I am to this "company" we call a family. Right? :::::::::HONK:::::::::: WRONG ANSWER!! No winkie button, no booby prize (that's reserved for the baby). For 8 long weeks I get the daily grind of listening to bickering, sighs of boredom and whines of "how long till school starts?". Ahhhh what a trade off! We could fly to Disney World and all the planets and I still think they'd find a reason to be bored and file a complaint.

Well, finally today the Complaint Dept. is closed for the season. School is back in session! Back to never being bored as teachers keep them busy and I get MY vacation of sorts. Back to enjoying leisurely breakfasts and Sesame Street with my toddlers and more snuggles, giggles and fun than I could find in any "real" job. Yes, I did make the right career choice.

Pretty In Pink....Giving Back

I've been married. I've birthed 4 children. I've had 4 showers. All hosted by one wonderful woman. The one I call my best friend,but she's really more like a sister to me. As her mother says, for as long as she can remember we think alike, act alike sometimes and finish eachother's sentences. About 26yrs ago, two shy pre-teens met at a mutual friend's summer pool party and as they say, the rest is history. Lucy & Ethel, Betty & Wilma, Lisa & Paige, we have made our mark. LOL
This weekend, I had the privilege of co-hosting a baby shower for Lisa. This has been a loonnnggg time coming and I was so happy to finally have HER day. She's having a little girl and what a lucky little girl she will be. Lisa will be a wonderful mother, everyone says so. Call it practice (with her sister's kids and mine), call it instinct,but whatever it is, she has the magic touch. God finally said, "yes" and made her wish come true. Here's a photo from the shower and as you can see, without any knowledge of it, we even managed to dress in the same color. Some things never change.