Going Home

Okay I am counting the days. We are going home. Isn't that funny? It is actually not home , where I grew up , but it is the last home where I have had family like home. And I am sure that my kids definitely feel like Richmond is home. That's where they grew up for God's sake. We are going to Carolyn and Steve's for Memorial Day, I am so excited. It isn't very often that we all get together these days. And we got kids coming home! And to have them all together at once is pretty cool.How often does that happen? We have children that are very good friends.

I can't wait. It will be so fun to have the kids together. There is some kind of chemistry when they all are together. I can't explain it. Is it that they spent so many years together? Or that I love them like they are my own,or that I know so much of their little lives growing up,or just that I have lived their lives through their parents eyes. Whatever the reason, I can't wait to be with these young'uns just as much as I want be with their parents.

Best Gifts

There has been so much advertising the last two weeks about Mother's Day gifts. I even thought Mother's Day was last Sunday for all the hype, radio and TV commercials have been bombarding the airwaves with buy this get that. And I was thinking about what gifts a mother really wants. Of course top on the list is that your children are healthy. Then you want them to be happy. Last but not least you want them to be so rich and successful that they take care of you for the rest of all your lives. I
My very favorite gift from Robby was a mouse that he had gotten from school. I think it was around Christmas. Each kid in his class had gotten a little stuffed animal. Robby wrapped his up for me. It was a little mouse. That was sweet enough that he had given me a gift that was meant for him, but he told me that he had gotten another animal,a cat or a dog....and he traded with someone to get a mouse.(cause I collect mice, I know it's queer, whatever , I do okay). Isn't that sweet? I couldn't believe he did that.
My Brianne always gets me the best cards. Oh my God. You would not believe the ones she finds.I have them saved for years. And if I ever need a boost I dig out my box of Bri cards and read.I really am a card nut. I could spend hours in Hallmark. I swear the Hallmark in Richmond closed cause we moved.I have cards for each person I know...in my drawer right now piled high for the next occasion. I know , do you know anyone that sends as many St. Patrick Day cards as Christmas cards? Yes you do. It's me.I have to buy them when I see them. Brianne got that gene from me. My favorite gift from her was the video she made for our 25th. Anniversary. It had the Almost Famous format, very creative.Loved the music. It was so sweet, and she and Jake really surprised us. Although they soon will be topping that gift in a few months with when Pinenut arrives.(Goes without saying)Have I been annoying enough about this baby yet? Too bad, I'm just getting started people.
Right up there with the best gifts ever is when Carolyn and Debbie started my garden for me.Shutup! No, I am not kidding. These ladies know everything about gardening and love to talk
about it. I was clueless. Still am. Well I know a little more now. Anywho,they came over, and actually, I think it was a Mother's Day weekend ,they weeded my backyard and planted. And it was feaking cold too. It turned out beauteous. And I even managed to keep some of the flowers alive... for awhile, and learned as I went. And then I could talk gardening too. Isn't that cool? ( Or maybe they were just sick of looking at my ole' weedy sad backyard.) No, they just decided to give me a really great gift.
Big Daddy always surprises me. Just last Mother's Day Carolyn and Steve were visiting, I thought Johnny B was going to surprise his mother, later that night here comes Robby. That was a good one. Over the years Rob has pulled off some pretty good ones. Now I'm not gonna talk about the blue plastic napkin holder, or any of the blue plastic items I had collected over the years.He has made up for those little setbacks many times over.
I think the best thing you could do for your mother on Mother's Day is let her sleep in, cook for her,do the dishes, and tell her how young she looks.I hope everyone has a chance to be with their Mothers if not physically ,then in spirit.Sometimes for me a good phone call can be just as special as being with that person. Ask Rob....he knows how I love the phone.So I will add , and she can stay on the phone as long as she wants.
By the way Rob brought home an ironing board and said happy mother's day....I am sure he was kidding.And what the hell am I supposed to do with that anyway?

A Mother's Day Story

The young women I work with have such funny stories about their kids. I listen and laugh and it brings back memories of my kids growing up. Having only two kids does not seem like such a big deal to me now, but at the time it was a handful. And these young women all have three or more and work full time!
One of the young ladies, Karen, had three at once. It is so interesting to listen to her morning routine. She's up at 4:00 A.M. to eat breakfat herself.(good idea, may be the last time you eat sitting down). Then wake each little one, feeds and dresses them, one by one. She lets her husband sleep because he stays up at night with them, so Mama can sleep. She takes them to daycare by herslf. Wow!All three of them. And her makeup and hair is very cute....And she has a great disposition at work. Imagine that!
Let me tell you about this young lady. I know there are more multiple births these days, due to women waiting longer to have kids, and using fertility drugs. She seemed awefully young to have that as an option. I didn't have to ask. These ladies are so open. They all think of each other as family. This young lady had a brain tumor when she was 25. Her boyfriend at the time couldn't handle that whole ordeal. He left her. She went through all the treatment and brain surgery. Met her current husband during therapy, fell in love got married.Due to the chemo, the doctors were worried that her ovaries would be damaged, so they needed to try fertility drugs. They were not sure she could ever get pregnant. They were looking into adoption, due to her illness, that would have been a tough way to go too.When she did get pregnant, Karen had to spend her last three months of her pregnancy in bed. Bottom line, she has the cutest two little girls and baby boy. She is an amazing person. She has been through more in her young life than most have folks ever.
She had to fight through her illness, and fight to have those babies. She truly is thankful to have the opportunity to have her triplets. Those little ones don't know it yet,they have a very special Mommy. This is a real life Mommy and a real life hero. It is very cool to see it up close and personal.

Happy Jillmore in Jasper

Okay, I got golf clubs a year ago for Christmas. I suck . I don't even know the difference between a wood and a driver. They could be the same thing for all I know. And if they are called woods , why aren't they freak'in made of wood. Who made this game? Who made the equipment ,and why amI doing this? It had to be a man. Not only do you have to stand correctly, hold the club the right way, keep your head down, but your feet planted and your knees bent! Here's what I like. It's addicting. Out of the 1000 bad shots. You make one awesome shot. It really gets you hooked. You don't know exactly what you did different or why it happened, but you made a shot that everyone loved. Then you are hooked. It's like gambling. You loose ,you loose,you loose, one time you win. You are hooked.It could be five bucks ,but you won. Next time it could be more.
Here is what I like. It is great being outside enjoying a day rather than a smokey tavern. The exercise is actually minimal, but you aren't some place eating and drinking.(that comes later) And it is actually fun. I haven't really kept score, but some day I think that will be important to me. It really is to other people, important, I mean, I don't care. The carts are way fun too. And if you get with a crazy driver, it can be like the Wild Cat at Idora Park. It's fun to be the driver too, and I am not even a crazy driver. I haven't even touched on fashion. There are the cutest golf clothes ever. A new reason to shop. Need I say more.

Babies R Us

I had a quickie visit to Indy on Monday just to check out my children and of course to do a baby check on Pinenut. Bri and I had the Babies R Us visit. I have never been in that store in my life. I could not believe this joint. Do you know that this place is color coded as to what your needs are? And they have everything from the very most basic necessities to extravagargounchua needs of that new little one.
All I remember worrying about was, how was I gonna wash two dozen diapers every other day and what kind of detergent was not going to give my baby a rash. I just may be behind the times, but there are electronic breast pumps, there are baby monitors,video and audio. There are strollers for jogging, walking and hiking. I had a fold up stroller that I duct taped an umbrella on to. I was in total shock and amazement. How did my babies survive the archaic days of the late 70's and early 80's?. We had car seats, but none of us knew how to install them correctly in a car. So in all actuality they were probably more dangerous than safe.Car seats are like astonaut chairs now, and the kid has to stay in them till they are over 4'9", which means I would be in a car seat till I was 16 years old. They not only have swings that go sideways, but back and forth too. There are vibrating seats for the colicky kid. How cool is that? The basic things like bottles and nipples are just too many varieties to make an intelligent choice. EEEEE! I'm not smart enough to have a baby today,There's a reason why God made it so that old ladies couldn't get pregnant.I never thought I would say this but good thing I'm going through menopause.Then talk about disposable diapers. There is this thing that you dispose the diapers in. Rob just put the dirty diapers in our bathtub, so I could wash them when I got home. With Brianne we only used disposables for VERY special occasions, like trips. By the time Robby arrived the cloth diapers were being used as dust rags and he got them all the time, praise Playtex.
I gotta admit , it was actually very interesting, like going to a museum or some kind of fair that you see all the new inventions that are out.
I'm almost afraid of what is to come in the next couple of years. I can't even get straight how to turn on my DVD player. Just give me a good old Rocking Chair and the kid, I think I can handle that the best.