It's Not About You Anymore

     I have always told my kids that the minute you are expecting a baby it's not about you anymore. As a parent, especially a mother, your whole life if dedicated to making sure that child has everything they need from food and diapers to the love and emotional support they need to grow up to be the best person they can.
     Once you are a parent, it doesn't matter how old your child gets, you worry about them. Are they happy, are they healthy, are they doing what's right? When they marry, you just take on another person to worry about. Then when they have kids it starts all over.
     This leads to hours and hours of worry and concern. And, of course, the more kids you have the more you worry.
     Yesterday my youngest fell off his scooter and hurt his wrist. He really didn't cry that much and it didn't look swollen so I told him he would be fine and he and his brother went to the Clearfield Aquatic Center for several hours. After dinner he was complaining about his wrist hurting and when I looked at it I saw that it was swollen. I knew it was broken. I had that sick feeling in my stomach you get when one of your kids is hurt and you haven't paid it enough attention and you feel like a really bad mom. In my defense this is the kid that thinks he needs to go the ER when he gets an eye lash in his eye.
    Off to the urgent care we went and after the Dr. looked at it and X-ray's sure enough it's broken. The cast goes on next week, after the swelling goes down. On the bright side, he'll have a nice new cast on his arm when he starts school and kids love that.

Camping?????

     I have to admit that I am part Irish, Scots, English and stick-in-the-mud among other things. Especially when it comes to doing things like camping, swimming and taking my life in my hands, for various reasons. The first one, I don't like bugs dive-bombing me while I am trying to sleep. That's one of the reasons I tend to stay in my house from spring until late fall. Not to mention the heat. I am totally in love with air conditioning.
     Swimming is a problem, you actually have to let people see your body while you parade around in fabric that is thin and clingy. For someone who's puffy, that can be very traumatic. And I think once you become a mother you start rethinking all those crazy things you do when you are young because you have children to take care of and what would happen to them if you got hurt or, heaven forbid, died. Roller coasters suddenly lose there allure.
     That is why I think I deserve a special high five from everyone on the plant. I went camping with the fam and not only did I sleep in a tent with no A/C, I put on a swim suit and went jet skiing. I have pictures to prove it. Which my daughter kindly put on Facebook for all the world to see. Yes, that is me on the back of a jet ski with the hubby. Yes the life jacket makes you look twenty pounds heavier. And yes I really am that white. What do expect from a person who has avoided showing her legs to anyone since she was seventeen.
     I even endured the pit toilets....and they where AWFUL!!! I almost barfed when I went in there the first night. And I have changed more diapers in my lifetime than just about anyone you know. To make it worse the smell would drift on the breeze and come through our campsite every so often.
     I think I might go camping again someday, but not unless there are flush toilets.
     I will try to post the pic later since I can't figure out how to snag it off of FB.
     I hope you all will still respect me in the morning.

Stressed Spelled Backwards is Desserts.

      The pressure is on. I have to have everything ready for our family camping trip when the hubby comes home tomorrow. That means grocery shopping, packing and laundry. I have so much to do and not enough time to do it in.
     I know that is the lament of every mother on earth. What if we could do all the things we want to do everyday instead of all the things we have to do. How would you fill your time? Naps? Reading? Watching anything but the Disney Channel?
     It's not like I don't like soccer, I do. I just don't want to dedicate my life to it, but that is a mom's duty in life. Finding the soccer stuff because they didn't take it off and put it in the laundry like they were supposed to and now they are going to be late for practice and it's everyone's fault but their own!
     Can you tell I've been down this road a few thousand time?
     I think I need to make a list so nothing gets forgotten. I can't take this pressure. I think I need Coldstone to help me get through the day.     

Feeling the Back to School Hunger

     Have you seen that pin on Pinterest that says, "Cleaning the house with the kids at home is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreo's" I'm there. They have been home all summer and because of the heat have been inside most of the time. Now I am finding myself wanting to do a deep cleaning of the house but there are too many bodies here to work around.
     I need school to start so the kitchen can get a deep cleaning and the floor can get mopped. As it stands now, I feel like I'm just smearing the dirt around. There are perpetual finger prints on the walls and windows and socks everywhere, courtesy of our dog Koda, who loves to chew on dirty socks. Gross! Have you ever smelled the socks of preteen boys? I just can't wrap my mind around the attraction he has for them.
     When your kids go back to school do you do a deep cleaning? Do you clean all summer and then relax? I'm always curious how other moms do it because after all these years I still haven't found the right system.
    

Camping, not for the Feint of Heart.

     We're going to buy camping stuff today. I guess this is really going to happen. It's kind of like watching a car accident in slow motion. You see it coming, but there is not a darn thing you can do about it.
      The hubby is making lists. That's always a dangerous thing. I can feel the tension already. This may be one of those trips where, even before we leave, we are all at each others throats. What fun.
      Of course next week when we are supposed to go the weather is going to be changing on us. Let's hope we don't get rain and really cool temperatures while we are sleeping in tents. It won't be much fun at the beach is its too cool.
      I hope this doesn't come across as having a bad attitude about our trip. I'm not normally a negative person, but I have been here before and I know the signs.
     

Thank You, Thank You and Again Thank You

     I want to take a moment to say thank you to all of you who supported me by buying my book on book bomb day and who have since mentioned it to friends and family. The response has been so much more than I hoped for. Everyday the sales seem to get higher.
     This morning my ranking on Amazon was 12,557. This is amazing! I know it's because of all of you and I don't forget that for one minute. Digital publishing is word of mouth and reviews since very little marketing is done, so I want you all to know how much I appreciate it. For those of you who have taken the time to Like it or review it on Amazon, thank you so much.
     Your kind words have really touched my heart. I am blessed to have so many friends and friends of friends who have gone over and above to make a writer's dream come true.
     Thanks again from the bottom of my heart.      

A Busy Time

     Just when you think life can't be any busier than it already is it gets busier. We had to be a doctors appointment at 8:45am this morning. That means up early, shower and out the door by 8:15am. Even though I'm usually awake at this time I like to do my own thing during the summer and stay in my jammies until, well, until I feel like a total bum and I hit the shower. Because my day can't really begin until I shower.
     I wish I was one of those moms who can put her hair in a ponytail and go but I'm not and I never have been. I've really been enjoying summer for the freedom it gives me in the mornings. (If it wasn't for the heat it would be a good season.)
     Now the countdown to back to school has begun, not to be confused with the countdown to September. I do a lot of counting down. It occupies my mind. Then we will be back into the rhythm of up in the morning and off to school, and homework, and soccer and all the rest. There are advantages though, I can go to lunch with the hubby without taking along three extra kids. Yippee!
     Is back to school something you're looking forward to or are you dreading it?