Tag

Life is absolutely crazy right now.

It is as if my husband and I are involved in this giant game of tag. We have so many activities going on, that we are to the point of tagging each other when it is time to shift the responsibility.

The Referee was on travel of his job for 5 days last week. It was only suppose to be 4 days, but snowy weather canceled many air travel schedules, and he was stranded an extra day. I held down the home-front. I am not meant to be a single parent. I require more sleep than that. My husband arrived home late in the evening on Friday. We managed to eat dinner and put the kids to bed, before we both dropped into bed ourselves, from sheer exhaustion.

We were up early Saturday morning. That was the day of the last basketball games of this season. We were signed up to bring snacks for Jersey #2's team, so I was up early to pack snack goody bags, pack the diaper bag, set out clothes for the kids, and write out checks for the bills. We loaded the family up in the van and headed out early, so we could stop off at the bank and pay the mortgage.

The Referee was the referee for Jersey #2's game, as well as the 3 games that followed, that day. He literally ran up and down a basketball court for 4 hours! I got to watch half of Jersey #2's game before I had to load up the remaining 4 children and shuttle Jersey #1 to her game. I dropped her off in the care of her coach, and drove back to the first gym to pick up Jersey #2. I arrived just in time for the team Mom to announce plans for an end-of-season party, and her desire to collect money for the coach's gift. I ran out to the van to grab some cash out of my wallet for the gift, and ran back into the gym. I checked in with The Referee, and let him know I was taking Jersey #2 with me, and was now responsible for all of our children.

Tag....I'm it!

I drove over to the gym where Jersey #1 was playing her final game. I arrived at half-time. Since I am the team Mom for her team, I then helped the coach give out awards, and reminded the team (and their parents) about the end-of-season party I had planned. I gathered all 5 of my kids and headed out to the van.

While the Referee was busy being the referee for 2 more games, I took the kids with me to Jiffy Lube to get the oil changed in the van. They were quick and they had popcorn for the kids to snack on while we waited.

We returned to the gym to watch the last half of the final game. The kids swarmed The Referee when the game was over. We loaded back up in the van and drove to Dollar Tree to let the kids spend their Valentine's dollars from their grandparents.

The Referee received a call that he was needed to drive a run for that shuttle side-job he has. He decided to eat and take a nap, so he would be rested for the late night driving. I had the kids help me straighten the house and complete some light cleaning, while The Referee napped. He hugged and kissed us good-bye and went to work. I fed the kids and got them ready for bed.

The Referee made it home Sunday morning with just enough time to shower and help me load up the kids in the van for church. I think we spent more time together sitting next to each other in the pew at Sunday school than we had been able to spend together all week! That time was cut short when The Referee worked the audio/visual booth during the morning church service. Just before he went up to the booth, he informed me that we could not doddle after church, because his side-job duties ran earlier than anticipated.

We returned home after church, whipped up a quick lunch, and The Referee was off to work again, with another shuttle run. Jersey #1 had a friend over for the afternoon, to get ready to spend the night at her house that evening. I took care of the kids and balanced the monthly budget.

The Referee returned home just before bedtime and helped me put the kids to bed. I had to set the alarm to wake me up early, because I had to report for jury duty first thing this morning!

Tag....He's it!

The Referee spent the day home with the kids, while I spend the day at the courthouse, serving on the grand jury. He was concerned about checking in at work, since he had been away all last week. On my lunch break, we ran over to his workplace, so he could make a brief appearance and check the status of a few things. He had driven me to the courthouse this morning, because I when I went to back out of the driveway in his car, the rear view mirror fell off into my hand and we did not have time to fix it just then. His chauffeuring me worked out great, because I could stay in the van with the kids while he ran into work for a few minutes.

When The Referee picked me up from court at the end of the day, the first thing he told me was that he has no idea how I ever manage to get anything else done while taking care of the kids all day! He never found the time to shower.

Court let out late, so we only had 2 hours before The Referee had to go drive for another shuttle run. We decided to race through 2 stores to complete our grocery shopping. We spoiled the kids with a candy at the end, because they were such troopers and behaved so well through it all. We returned home and unloaded the groceries. The Referee jumped into the shower while I put groceries away.

I corralled the younger kids into the bathtub while he changed the light bulb in the playroom. Then, he was off to work again, driving a shuttle run. I got the kids into their PJs and let them watch a Veggie Tales DVD while I ate a very late dinner.

The Referee will be home late tonight. He has to set an alarm to get himself up early tomorrow to return to his regular job. He has to work 10-hours a day for the next 4 days, to make up for the fact that he was home with the kids today, so I could report for jury duty.

I return to homeschooling, home-making, and childcare tomorrow. Plus, I am hosting Jersey #1's basketball team party. This whole week is filled with activities. I would say that things should mellow out by next Sunday, but we've been told that the shuttle business is booming right now, and the week is full. So, The Referee will probably be going strong next weekend too. So, as far as the home-front is concerned.....

Tag....I'm it!

Bob Who?

My husband and I struggle with communication. We have a classic "He said/She said" problem. I am convinced that my husband begins conversations in his head, and then shares them out loud when he is part-way through. I am guessing that he names the nouns during the time the conversation begins in his head. It is for sure that I never know who or what he is talking about by the time he starts verbalizing this thoughts. I am usually left asking him to define "that," "the one," and many other non-specified subjects of his conversations. I've grown tired of nagging him about this habit, so I recently started listing out a series of subject possibilities, so he can see just how unclear things are to me. My new method is not helping him learn a thing, but it is certainly making the problem more entertaining for me.

We had one such communication last night that had us rolling in laughter. We were in the mist of a conversation about career goals. My husband explains to me that eventually, he would like to have a career situation like Bob.

Like I know which Bob he is referring to. I know a zillion guys named Bob.

So, I asked him, Bob who?

Then, I immediately start listing Bobs.....Bob the Tomato? Bob the Builder? Bob, our friend from high school? Bob, as in Mr. Incredible? Bob, from the movie What About Bob? Bob Marley?

I would have gone on and on, except that the suggestion of Bob the Tomato made my husband laugh so hard he was gasping for air, and interrupted my stream of Bobs.

He answered me, Yes, he would like a career like Bob the Tomato when he grows up!

That sent me laughing so hard I was crying. I'm having to wipe the tears away right now, just to see the screen while I try to type this. That was funny!

It turns out that he was actually speaking of a man named Bob, who he used to work with a few years ago, who was very accomplished in his career goals. I will admit that it has been so long since I've heard that man's name, that he did not even make the first page of my list of Bobs.

So, I informed my husband that if he was going to be Bob the Tomato, then I want to be Madame Blueberry!

Cucumber Teeth

Jersey #3, lost another tooth this weekend. Our son. Our 4-year-old son. He is now missing 3 teeth. All are missing from the top front of his smile. This is SO not normal.

Normal would be a kindergarten/1st grade child losing a tooth. A 5 or 6 year old losing a first tooth. A bottom tooth. Bottom teeth first, along the same pattern that they grow in to begin with.

Normal would be a baby tooth being pushed out by the permanent tooth attempting to grow into its place. The baby tooth becomes loose, wiggles, and falls out. That is the way it is suppose to go.

Instead of normal, we get the experience of a 4-year-old boy wrecking on his bicycle last summer, and knocking his top front teeth loose. They could have firmed back up on their own. Should have. Would have. Could have.....IF he had left them alone. Instead, we have a son who just cannot stand the sensation of loose teeth in his mouth. His tongue wiggled them constantly. We would catch him wiggling them with his fingers while watching TV. Reminding him to leave his teeth alone has only delayed the inevitable. Over the course of the last 5 months, he has wiggled 3 of the original 4 loose teeth right out of his mouth.

Normal children would be self-conscious about their smile. The public comments, "Oh My! What happened to your teeth?" would be embarrassing. They would be concerned that their teeth did not look similar to their friends and peers.

Instead of the normal response, Jersey #3 is thrilled! He smiles for everyone and shows off his progress in wiggling out his teeth. He is proud of his bicycle story. He is proud of his smile. With only 1 top tooth in center remaining, he says that now he looks like Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales.

He ran immediately to dress up in the Larry Costume to show us.

There is a part of me that feels bad that my child will have this toothless smile for at least a couple years (because the permanent teeth on top do not grow in until around age 7). It is a little shocking to see so many missing teeth on such a young child, so he will continue to draw attention and comments. It is just not normal.

And then I look at that silly, toothless smile and it makes me smile. I see his eyes light up as he beams with pride, and I giggle. This is the child who humbles me. Just when I think I know what I am doing as a Mom, he throws me for a loop. He makes me question every priority I have. He brings me to my knees.....

Dear God, please give me the strength to raise this boy. Please give me the grace to not judge him as flawed. Please give me just a piece of his joy, so that I may see Larry the Cucumber in all the holes in my life!

I am blessed to be this child's Mom. God made him special...and He loves him very much!