Monday, May 18, 2009

Status Report - May

Sitting - at the single bare spot at my kitchen table. My laptop walled in by stacks of paper and boxes. Work I am doing, or more accurately procrastinating doing, for Mr. Crumbs.

Drinking - Coffee with creamer in my favorite Eyeore Coffee Mug.

Holding - A purring, shedding Kelso in my lap.

Reflecting - On a busy, wonderful weekend.

Feeling - Sentimental. I just spent the last twenty minutes catching up on a friend's--if I may be so presumptive as to use that label--blog. I have avoided my reader in the last couple weeks, refusing to feel guilty for real life taking precedence over my virtual one. But on the other side of the words are people I have grown attached to. And I have missed them. If I haven't been to your place lately, I will be soon.

Listening - To the joyful loudness of Boo & Pepper playing with beach balls in the living room.

Certain - That something will end up broken but willing to make the sacrifice for moments of them playing happily together and these moment of peace for me.

Dreading - The day ahead of me. The list sitting next to my computer keeps growing. * Schedule Anne's braces. * Schedule Brando's dermatologist appointment.* Register Brando for Summer school and SATs. * Wash Anne's Chorus uniform for her concert tonight. * Menu plan. * Grocery shop. * Take Boo to "Toy Store Us" to spend his gift certificate. * Go to Lifeway to get the new Bible Study. * Help Boo do thank-you cards. * Push that darn boulder up the hill so I can watch it roll back down again.

Excited - About the beautiful weather today. Will be headed out for my walk soon.

Hoping - I can carve an hour out today to take The Littles to the park. The southern summer heat will be settling in for the duration soon and it seems a crime to waste this windfall of a cool breezy day.

Looking forward to - Anne's performance tonight. She is Glinda the Good witch in their Wizard of Oz Medley. She is the vibrato down perfectly.

Praying - for Brando as he takes his finals today. Please, please, please let him do well and pass all his classes.

Praying - Once again, for balance. To find a way to manage the things I want to do: blogging, the new book I've been dying to read which I finally picked up at Border's last night. And the things that are important: being a caretaker of my home and family.

Thankful - that my life is so simple that this is my prayer. Not food. Or healing. Or heartache. But simply to find a way to balance all the blessings in my life.

Getting up - to put on my walking shoes. It's time to start the day.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Friday Fave 5 (Photos)


As I mentioned in my previous post, it's been quite the eventful week in the Crumbly household. As a result the camera has accompanied us everywhere. Well not everywhere. My friend Chrissy took her camera with her to the doctors office to photograph her daughter getting a cast on her arm. Now she obviously takes her camera everywhere.

So for my Friday Fave I decided to hi-light five of the photos I took this week. Only five! Aren't you relieved.

1. Boo, home from registering for Kindergarten and so proud of himself and his new Kindergarten t-shirt. I would not be exaggerating to say that he has worn this five out of the last seven days. Who am I to squelch that kind of passion for dirty smelly clothes school?
2. Boo and Pepper Love. I am pretty sure Pepper clawed him moments after this shot was taken, but don't they look sweet?
3. A Rare Shot of Anne. She hates it, but I think she is BEE-A-UTIFUL! She has a boyfriend now, by the way. One who is an entire grade level older than her. Completely unacceptable if you ask me. (Why didn't she ask me?)

4. I love, love, love this shot. I am not sure I have ever taken a picture of Pepper that more adequately represents her personality. T.R.O.U.B.L.E. I think they wrote a country music song about her.

5. And lastly, this is a picture of Boo from today...his 5th Birthday! The shot is awful but I love that it shows how excited he is about his gift and about being big enough to carry it "all by myself!"
Happy Birthday Boo! You make me laugh and turn my heart into butter every. single. day. What a blessing it is to be your mama.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

SSSOAM

I used to have a blog. It fizzled and died, partly of my own doing, partly from circumstances out of my control. So I came here, and have made a positively dreadful attempt at a fresh start. I miss blogging, but not acutely. More in a vague nagging kind of way, like a friend you keep meaning to call--really want to call, in fact--but never do. Until finally you can't call because it's been too long and the elapsed time has made conversation awkward and forced.

So what does one write about when it's been two weeks without any words?

Tonight I went to Boo's preschool graduation. Oh, I know the idea of graduating from preschool--as if they had achieved some sort of degree in letter recognition and finger painting--is absurd. They even played Pomp and Circumstance and processed down the church isles wearing little felt graduation hats. This is exactly the sort of hoopla which typically incites one of my "Oh lets celebrate every tiny accomplishment until there is no such thing as an accomplishment and we are all just wonderful and equal and deserving of only perfectly lovely things" spiels. But I have a confession...

I cried.

It's true! Because next year Boo will be in Kindergarten. And while I was adjusting Boo's collar and attempting to conquer his cowlick I realized that at this time next year the boy resenting my grooming attemps will be the one far taller than me. And he will be wearing a real polyester cap-and-gown and graduating from high school. And somehow the steps between those two boys seem pitifully few. Especially in restrospect.

So I guess I should write about the fact that I have become a Sniveling Sentimental Sap of a Mom, (i.e. SSSOAM) this week.

Anne had her 7th grade awards program tonight at the same time as Boo's "graduation" ceremony. We had been notified that she would be receiving some undisclosed type of award and she had also elected to sing at the ceremony. So I was (in the manner consistent with my new role as a SSSOAM) absolutely distraught to not be able to attend both events.

Which did I choose? The faux graduation ceremony with pint-size accoutraments and very loud singing which still somehow manages to be really-stinkin-cute? Or the middle-school awards program with the mystery award which could very well be something absurd like "Bothered to come to school almost every day" but in which my daughter had been asked to sing? Fortunately, duty solved this problem for me. I work at Boo's preschool so I felt it would be in bad taste not to attend his, ahem, commencement ceremonies.

So Mr. Crumbs--instinctually understanding that the best way to deal with a SSSOAM is with complete obedience--attended Anne's ceremony, video camera in hand. And while I was sobbing with the other SSSOAMS at the preschool graduation, he videotaped her receiving what turned out to be quite an impressive award. As well as singing a lovely a capella song. So when I returned home with one very proud Kindergartener-to-be and watched the videotape of my almost-thirteen-year-old daughter standing, vulnerable, in front of her classmates, doing what I never could have done...Well...

I cried again. Obviously.

I would have given a lot for one of Hermione's time turners tonight. To have been able to sit, in-person, at both events. To watch both of my middle children walk an isle to receive an award, inconsequential or not. Because someday, not too far away, the walk and the awards won't be so inconsequential. And now, all I know for certain is that between now and then I don't want to miss a single thing. And now I'm teary again. This SSSOAM thing is already getting old.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009