More Fun with ABC's

I took an unexpected break last week. I lead the music for the Primary, which is the children's Sunday school portion of our church time. It's something that I am loving, but it is exhausting. There is a lot of preparation. I lead the singing in 3 groups. There is the nursery, a group of 18 month to 3 year olds, the junior Primary - which is ages 3 to 7, and the senior Primary - ages 8 to 11. So, although we basically sing the same songs, my methods and plans are very different.

When you work with kids, you have to have energy. Your attitude about them and about music is key, in my opinion. Good, positive energy is essential. But, keeping it "up" for almost 2 hours is very draining. Then I get to come home and everyone is hungry, and dinner's not going to get itself, is it?

Anyway, right after dinner, I could not keep my eyes open. Literally COULD NOT KEEP MY EYES OPEN! Boy 2 kept trying to play a game with me and he finally gave up because he kept having to shake me awake.

Lobster took the boys for a drive and when they left I was in a trance, sitting on the couch. An hour later, they came home and I was in exactly the same position. I haven't been that tired, well, I can't ever remember being that exhausted.

So, I kept meaning to get to writing. But, what a week it has been. I won't even go into all the stuff the boys have broken. They have been in rare form, and not in a good way. Boy 2 is especially, um.....challenging, lately. What is that saying (or is it a song, or a nursery rhyme?),

"When she was good, she was very, very good. But when she was bad, she was horrid."

It is Boy 2 to a "T". There is not much middle ground with him. He can be so loving and helpful and he is a hard worker - give him a job to do and he WORKS. He's such a good snuggle-bug and he's really smart. But, boy, if he's not occupied, or if he's too wound up or ticked off, watch out.

This week, it came down to when I was not "on" as a parent, I just wanted to be "off" completely. I've been emotionally drained, physically tired and perpetually pissed off.

Don't you want to come hang out? Really. I'm a barrel of laughs.

Is anyone else ready for school to start? It's less than a month, now.

Let's get on with our ABC's!

I FEAR: much more than I thought I would as an adult. When I was in Elementary school, a teacher gave us a fill-in-the-blank type form. One of the lines read, "I am afraid of_______." My answer was "nothing." Now that I have children, most of my current fears have to do with them and the world in which we live. After talking with my mom and finding that I, indeed had many fears as a child, I know that my answer was mostly bravado, but oh, to feel that way would be fantastic, wouldn't it? 


I'M GRATEFUL: for the life I have. There are a many things that would be great to do or to have, but I really have a good life. I have a husband that loves me, and works really hard to make sure that I can be here, at home, with the boys. And as much as I reminisce about how quiet our house used to be, and how things used to stay nice and unbroken, and how I used to only have to do laundry once a week, and about all the weekends when I could sleep in, and .....oh wait. What was I trying to say?  

But seriously, those two little boys, sleeping in their beds, and their daddy have my heart. It's theirs completely, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I HATE: ants. They make me feel creepy crawly and we must live right on top of multiple ant hills, because we just can't get rid of them. We've used traps, and sprays and natural remedies and they just keep coming back. And the funny thing is that they're not even in the kitchen. They are in our bedrooms and bathroom. It totally creeps me out. 

In general, I like bugs. I think they are cool. Give me a Dragonfly, a Praying Mantis, a worm, or a spider, even (and no, that's not an invitation for them to come into my house, just for the record). But ants  - ugh. Oh, yeah, mosquitoes too. Hate 'em.

I INTENDED: to use a lot more letters, but I got stuck on I. But it is time to go to bed. Morning comes much too early around here. There comes a point when it is really just too late to make any sense. 

Have a great week. Peace.