It's Summer....and Pouring Down Rain.

We are eight days into our summer vacation from school. One whole week was quite warm and on Sam's birthday I had the sprinkler going just to give the kids something to cool off with. Now, into the the second week, it's not just raining outside, but it's raining cats and dogs. The kids are at their dad's, it's late evening, and the sound of the downpour all together make for the perfect recipe of creative juices flowing strongly enough to entice me to pick up my writing again.

Looking back on my blog, I realize that Thanksgiving was my last post! What happened, was life. Between mothering and teaching and the blurry line that exists between the two, the desire to put my thoughts into words lost out to the desire to put my thoughts to rest. The truth is teaching young students takes a LOT out of me creatively and when I got home on a school day, my brain needed to go to sleep. This is why the kids and I live for summertime!

I realize my life is changing rapidly and I am trying to not only figure out how to deal with the changes but to relish them as well. One big change is my oldest, Samuel, has graduated from Eighth Grade at St. Mary's and as I try to figure out where his best option for high school is, I struggle with the idea of,  "What if I make the wrong choice for him?"

On the other end of the spectrum, Cecelia is seven years old now and doesn't need me to help her go to the bathroom in the early morning hours while we are camping anymore. This may seem like a strange thing to some, but it was an eye-opening moment for me when, in the cold morning air, before anyone else was awake, she announced to me that she was going to go to the bathroom. Now, we were tent camping at my sister and brother-in-laws property and the only facilities was the "tent toilet" hole in the ground. I asked if she needed me to go with her (secretly hoping I didn't have to crawl out of my warm sleeping bag) and she said, "No." With that, she was unzipping the tent, zipped it back up after herself, and was gone.

In my half conscience state of morning grogginess, so many past camping trips flashed before my eyes. All the times, of her sleeping with me, waking me up to go to the bathroom not only at the crack of dawn, but all hours of the night. The nights of nursing her to sleep and ever so gently lying her down so I could sneak back to the campfire. The nights of lying her down in our tent and worrying whether or not I would hear her if she woke up. The pictures of her sleeping cuddled up next to her cousin or her sister. The night of her getting sick all over me, all over the bed, all over the trailer. Those days are in the past as she gets more and more independant every day.

I smiled to myself as I heard her zip the tent up behind her. How easy my life was now! I miss my babies, but I want to freeze them in the age they are right now.

After I got up that day we were camping, as we stood around the morning fire to warm ourselves, I mentioned to Cecelia how proud I was of her for being able to take care of herself. That was when I found that she didn't make it to the toilet tent. She thought the tent shed used for sheltering tools to clear the land was the bathroom and popped a squat in there....without toilet paper.  Her older cousin ended up having to burry her waste.

So, yes, my kids are growing up fast, but to my satisfaction they still need my guidance and I hope to always lead them in the right direction...whatever that may be.

My favorite thing is to see my children snuggled together.

Hiking then....

a little later....

Hiking now!

and now with the boys....I'm the one lagging behind.

March Madness and Babble-on!

                                 "Say What?!!"

About a week and a half ago, I had a post perfectly written in my head, but between two baseball practices, three cub scout meetings, a Christian Mother's meeting, chiropractor appointments and work, I couldn't find a moment where my brain was functioning as needed for my words to make enough sense.   Then, I had a moment. The kids went to their dad's last weekend, I got to sleep in, my mind was clear and rested, I sat down to type.... and my bad-from-the-start clearwire modem broke! NO!!

I pouted for about two minutes (hey, when I'm home by myself I can do that) but then I found my secret phone number to the "level 2" tech support (at the risk of sounding prejudice, these are the ones who usually speak clear English). I reached someone in another country who really tried her hardest to speak clearly, but still, I could barely understand her. After asking if I could get a new modem and finding out it would cost me $50 (at least that what I think she said) I told her I wanted to cancel my service. She told me she was sorry and read a scripted deal that she could offer me to get me to stick with them. I honestly couldn't understand what the deal was, but I knew I didn't want it. When I was worried I could be agreeing to something I didn't understand, because I couldn't understand, I asked to speak to someone who spoke English.

A pause, silence...and then the same woman simply spoke louder, and slower! Now I felt like a deaf person with someone screaming at me to get me to hear....it still didn't work.

It took me twenty minutes to cancel my account. I was offered the same "special offer" four times, not just for myself but for a friend also! I wouldn't refer an enemy to this company....okay, maybe an enemy if they were advancing in the middle of battle and I needed time to plan my next strategic move. I'd toss my cell phone at them and say, "Here, this is for you!"

The next day, I called Comcast with one bar of battery power left on my cell phone. I was in a parking lot at a McDonald's and thought I'd call since I was thinking about it. (Yes, having five kids and limited quiet time makes you think and do very odd things). I mentioned my phone could cut us off at any time and he said "No problem". Within five minutes I was all signed up with someone scheduled to arrive at my house the next Tuesday... and 30 seconds of battery life to spare.

That is all I ask for in a company, clear communication and quick and friendly service.

Now I am enjoying one of those moments where you go without something most people take for granted (in this case quick Internet) and then once you get it, you feel like you're sitting in the lap of luxury.

Well, that isn't what I intended to write about tonight at all. I started out with an entirely different topic in mind and then my mind wandered and my fingers followed. In fact, this post has nothing really to do with the whole theme (whatever that is) of my blog.  When I was describing the foreign customer service rep, the Biblical story of Babylon came to mind, but now I realized I was the one who tends to babble on.

Until tomorrow, when I have time to write something more engaging,

Happy Babbling,

Gina


P.S.

How would you like to call your baby,
“Truewilllaughinglifebuckyboomermanifestdestiny

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