The Call

I got the call this morning from Son #1.... "Mom it isn't a gun it's a weapon". Someone hold me back. Sorry Mattie.... You say tomato I say tomaaaaaaato. Of course he is talking about the "weapon" in the last post I did on his basic training bunk. I chuckled because it made me think about the time the school called for Son #2 because he brought a weapon to school in Grade one. DH and I quickly headed off to the elementary school in shock thinking that somehow our precious little lambie had obtained a lethal weapon and could have killed himself or someone else. When we arrived at the school there was our sweet little angel (NOT just looked like one) sitting around a table of three adults with the weapon in question sitting in the middle. An automatic full assault Power Ranger Ray Gun. He borrowed it from a friend. We all know why from my earlier post. He had great fun pretending to annihilate all the girls on the playground until his teacher walked around the corner and became collateral damage. It was a serious offense! I'm not kidding... they were ready to have him psychoanalyzed. They were concerned because when the teacher took the gun that he kicked her. Now I must tell you in all of the years that the kids were in school this lady was a piece of work. Short and stocky with a major knot in her face. Well when she grabbed Son #2 and accosted the weapon from him he kicked her in the shins. She told me this with great delight I'm sure because she thought that Son #2 would be mortally wounded by us. She had this smug look and before I knew it my lips engaged before my brain and well "I told her if she talked to me the way she was now talking to him I would have kicked her too". At this point DH just wanted to get the weapon the boy and the wife and get out of Dodge. After Son #2 and I went to anger management (not really but almost) we took back the very dangerous Power Ranger Ray Gun to the next door neighbour and brought the boy home. I hugged him. Told him not to shoot girls or kick teachers - kissed him on the head....patted him on the behind...told him to go outside and have fun. We are so serious with our kids sometimes. So thanks Matt for making me remember that and yes sirree it is a weapon and not simply a gun and don't point it at anyone, don't chase girls with it and if you were here I'd kiss you on the head and pat you on the behind and tell you how proud I am of you. Ok I wouldn't pat you on the behind...well maybe it's a nice tushie. Sorry Sorry...Mama out.

Gas Masks not Halloween Masks

Not many people know this about me but I am terrified of guns. I won't get into the whole story but let's just say that it involved a rifle, some blanks and my stupid brother. Enough said. Ever since I have been terrified of guns being pointed at me. Now I know your thinking who points guns at you (other than my stupid brother...he knows I love him in spite of it). I mean any gun - plastic or otherwise. So I spent most of my young motherhood banning them from the house. Banning Lego guns, Nintendo guns, video games with guns. Nothing violent. I was absolutely adamant much to the "boys" chagrin! Emily thought it was great to point water pistols at me...they mysteriously disappeared. So now that you know the background you can appreciate the chuckle Son #1 got from sending me his bunk picture from basic training. He thought I would like a picture of his gun and gas mask...oh like any good mother I was happy about the whole toothbrush and deodorant but a GUN! Mercy. They gave him a GUN! Let's just say I'm glad he's there and I'm here. He loves it of course. What other testosterone filled male wouldn't. So there you go you can spend your whole life trying to get your kids to do something and well this is what happens. Good thing I love him loads! Mama ignoring the whole gun thing out!

Apple Picking

We went apple picking a few weeks ago at a U-pick in the Annapolis Valley. It was our first outing in ages with little kids. It's amazing to me how things never change we just get older but a kid is a kid they never change . I love watching Emily when she sees things for the first time like an apple on a tree. So simple. Things we take for granted but children bring wonder back into. Emily was so excited. "One more Apple Mom....One more Apple". We went on a tractor ride. Try squatting on a 2 1/2 inch board when you haven't squatted since you were sixteen. Now try that when you are bumpy, bumpy along the apple orchard. Heaven help us. Wait until we get our next little girl. We should be almost 50. I hope it will keep us young and who cares if we forget we have kids and can't remember their names...that's what Son #1 and Son #2 are for to check in on us periodically. Mama still eating apples out!

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Having eight months ago left a 10 year career to pursue other opportunities that I felt I was to plant myself in over the next half of my life left me today evaluating am I doing what I wanted to be doing. One of those areas was to start a non-profit organization addressing the world's orphan crisis and the other was to have more time with my soon to be three year old daughter and to work with my DH. I turned 44 this year so therefore qualify as a mature mama. The time I expected to have not working away from home full time has not materialized like I thought it would. Surprise, Surprise. I found myself getting frustrated because I wasn't planted where I necessarily wanted to be every day and then I heard this quote. "Bloom where you are planted". What a great saying. Instead of worrying the days I'm home about doing something else I need to bloom with my daughter, son and husband. Isn't that the way we guilt ourselves as mothers or fathers sometimes. We forget that there is no more important job. I can say this because as well as having a three year old I have a seventeen and a nineteen year old. They have bloomed into two incredible young men. Sometimes I kick myself and say don't be too proud but it's hard. I know that things can change in an instant. I am all to aware of that and things that were once well can turn instantly upside down. I think as individuals if we bloomed where we were planted more often we would grow in our faith, our skills, our families, our careers and a myriad of other things. I'm home today with a sick baby and will be all week. I am going to bloom at home this week and love every minute of it. Mama out.

Modesty

A good friend of mine sent me an email today because I have a daughter. I love that it was a guy who sent this to me. I love that this guy and his wife are soon going to have their own daughter and he is thinking about this stuff. Modesty in our young girls. I had a conversation with my boys over the last few months. Separately, but about the same thing. I am one of those Mom's much to the dismay of my sons who asks lots of questions about what they want in a relationship....who likes them, who do they like. Now I have a daughter. Completely different beast. She is a beast too some days. Gotta love her though. I loved the simplicity of these few guidelines that if followed should help any woman young or old to do a modesty check on themselves.

"Four Guidelines for Modesty":
1. If you have trouble getting into it or out of it, it is probably not modest.
2.If you have to be careful when you sit down or bend over, it is probably not modest.
3.If people look at any part of your body before looking at your face, it is probably not modest.
4.If you can see your most private body parts or an outline of those parts under the fabric, it is
probably not modest.

These were taken from Michael Hyatt's blog.

I love the simplicity of them. I love common sense which many in our society today seem to have lost.

"If you think these guidelines are helpful, you might want to pass them along to the young women you know. Evidently, not many are getting the message elsewhere."

Well said and a good place to end. Mama out.

Photo-Deviant Art - LaVolpe

What I Learned Last Week

As a mother who has started all over after the age of 42 with a lovely little girl from China I am sometimes between three worlds. The world of a kid in university, the world of a kid about to finish High School and the world of soon to be trying threes. Last week was well one of "those" weeks. I thought that I would look back on the week and list my lessons learned:

• Snot from a three year old or a seventeen year old is still gross
• You can't be in two places at once well
• If the baby stops drinking bottles don't give them to her just to get some quiet time
• Cartoons aren't like they used to be
• Fox News Rocks don't watch anything else
  
• Sea salt and table salt aren't the same but too much of either is still bad
• Sick kids at any age are draining
• When you stay at your mothers you feel like when you were young and that's OK
• Don't take your mother for granted because when she's sick it doesn't feel good
• Chestnuts hurt when you put them in your pocket before you take them out of their prickly coating
• If your baby falls teeth first on your nose it hurts and it bleeds
• Don't go to a movie if you don't know what it is about you can't stay and watch it
• Write down your commitments no matter what because you WILL forget them
• Don't watch yourself on the Internet
  
• Watch where you are walking because babies put bad stuff on the floor
• Drink more water not more tea

I could go on and on. Thank goodness this is a new week. Mama out