Making a liar out of Mama

This morning while I was getting ready for Grandma Mildred's funeral, I was dealing with some other stuff. Jamie came in a bit huffy and asked why I was doing what I was doing because it wasn't my job and I certainly wouldn't get any recognition or credit for doing it. I replied that I don't do very many things for recognition or credit, if I needed that, I certainly wouldn't have jumped onto the Mommy track where I don't get a paycheck, much less engraved hunks of crystal like he gets every year. I figure if the kids are productive members of society and stay out of prison in a few decades, I've done okay. But motherhood isn't exactly for those seeking/needing instant gratification.

A few hours later, we were driving down to Rolla for the funeral and Chase hands me a magazine from the back seat. It was open to an Operation Smile ad. Chase had LOTS of questions about cleft lip/cleft palate. I answered his questions, but was honestly anxious to crank up the iPod again. Just as I was getting ready to do that, his voice came from the backseat. "Mom, will you send them $50 from my DS fund?" I said, "Chase, you only have $100 in there." He said, "I know. Those kids need it more than I do."

So then Jamie looks at me smugly and said, "Yeah--that beats a chunk of engraved crystal any day of the week." It does. But I can't take credit for what's in his heart--that's all Chase.

Interestingly, as much as I hear that he looks like his Daddy, today I saw some pictures of his Grandpa Jim...I've seen lots of pictures of my husband as a child, and I would never confuse those with pictures of Chase. But the pictures of Jim at that age? Like I was looking at my kid. CRAZY!

Jamie's cousin Jerri gave a beautiful eulogy for Grandma Mildred. Mildred was a humble, kind, gentle soul. And an amazing cook--her strawberry pie was amazing. But the thing I will remember most about Jamie's grandmother was how she lived her faith every single day. She loved the Lord and she lived like it. She wasn't superior and didn't put on airs. She was who she was, and who she was was a Godly woman. I am grateful that Jamie shared her with me the last 13 years.  And I truly hope that if I am fortunate enough to have 93 years on this Earth, that my life will be celebrated as hers was today.

An Ordinary Life

I don't think it ever occured to me as an undergraduate overachiever that in less than a decade and a half, I would feel a sense of accomplishment putting all of the laundry away. While the four of us generate quite a bit of laundry, I never really considered that such an ordinary chore could give me such an sense of accomplishment.  Yet every week, as I finish, I think "SUCK IT, LAUNDRY! I WIN AGAIN!" My husband is managing millions of dollars of other people's money and I'm smug about the laundry.

I don't really think I ever considered as an undergrad how much I would enjoy homemaking. I've spent enough time on internet message boards to know that the art of homemaking is no longer considered an art. My (single sex) alma mater dropped its home economics major several years before it went co-ed. I honestly doubt there is a home economics major or minor anywhere in the US these days. It occurs to me that perhaps, in our fight for gender equality, we have done ourselves a great disservice by trivializing a role that very satisfying for some people. I am an intelligent, capable woman. There are many things I could be doing well if I wanted to work outside my home. I have chosen instead to focus my efforts on my family and my home. Many women (far more intelligent, capable, and educated than me) are dropping out of the work force and rediscovering what it means to be a homemaker. They too are finding satisfaction in the mundane tasks of everyday living: putting laundry away, preparing meals, keeping a tidy home. It is not glamourous. It isn't always fun. But I find it immensely satisfying nonetheless.

Chase's Room

I finally got around to updating Chase's "big boy" room. I painted on Thursday (mostly while Cass was at preschool). On Saturday, we went shopping in Dad's basement and took my Mom's old childhood desk off his hands. I stripped the green & black faux finish she applied before I was born, sanded it all, and painted it. Chase picked out new hardware for it at Hobby Lobby. He also picked out fabric and the baseball accessories over the bed. I sewed all day yesterday (love the fringe I found 60% off at Hancock Fabric on a thread run) after church. This morning I made his headboard (that would be spray painted foam core) and put all the pictures on the walls.

I think this will age better than the baby blue & construction/cars/trucks thing he had going. He is THRILLED and so very proud of all my hard work. Mad props to my Dad for his hoarding tendancies. I make fun, but I've benefitted greatly from all my "shopping" at his place. And the desk is sturdy enough that Chase's grandkids may well be using it in 50 years...

I'm reading this book right now. I don't love it as much as The Help, but it's a nice, light read. The fact that I can actually put it down is a good thing--I'm not sleep deprived and the house isn't a hot mess. Jamie appreciates that the laundry is relatively caught up! But it's entertaining enough to keep me engaged. At this point, I'd give it 2 3/4 stars.

Quiet

Much quieter day today! Cassie actually napped during naptime (yes, I checked). I replaced the blinds in the breakfast nook today (Chase broke one last night) and need to pick up one more set for the back door. Matching 6+ year old white blinds is IMPOSSIBLE. I actually like the new ones better than the old ones but replacing all of the blinds in the house is out of the question. I can think of so many things I'd rather spend that money on (shoes, bags, clothes, countertops, new floors). Honestly--I wouldn't do white again, I'd do some sort of woven, dirt and handprint hiding thing. At this point in my life, I'm all about masking the messes in my house. And for every magazine article that extolls the virtues of the color white b/c it is bleachable, I've got 10 handprints or coffee stains or worse to deal with!

I sense a disaster in the making w/Chase knocking down Cassie for hugs. Must go before we wind up at the ER...

Holy SHIT!

So while I was updating the blog and getting caught up on Facebook and generally enjoying my quiet afternoon today, Cassie was upstairs not napping. She was hiding in my bathroom because she made a mess in her pull up (she sleeps in a pull up) and tried to clean it up "herself."

She was messier than the pictures...it was EVERYWHERE! She's got a rip-roaring eczema flare right now, not sure if it was the poop bath or something else. Seriously--never a dull moment around here...

Short Trip

Jamie had a work event at Lake of the Ozarks this weekend, so the kids and I tagged along. It was a super short trip, as we didn't get there until 2pm on Saturday, but we had a ton of fun while we were there.

Cassie fell asleep as we pulled into the hotel and our room wasn't ready anyway, so Chase and I headed to the outlet mall and Jamie stayed in the air conditioned car with Cassie. Despite the fact that he scored two pair of shorts and a new pair of Crocs, Chase was a rather whiney shopping companion. I deposited him back at the car with his father and tried to shop in peace, but didn't find anything I liked. So we headed back to the hotel, checked in, and headed back out for dinner with the over 80 crowd.

We ate at Baxter's, which overlooks the lake. I highly recommend the encrusted grouper & swordfish sandwich. Following dinner, we made like true tourists and boarded a cruise on the Tom Sawyer. I believe I rode this paddlewheel boat when I was about Cassie's age. It was HOT, but the kids loved it!

A storm blew in while we were on the lake, fortunately we made it to the car before the skies opened up on us. The storm blew away our plans for go-carts and ice cream after the boat ride. We settled for a documentary about the current military situation in Afghanistan on the History channel back in our hotel room, which Chase loved!  

Sunday morning, Cassie woke us up EARLY--right as a nearby transformer blew, darkening the entire block on which our hotel sat. No power, no running water, and a smoke detector bleeting every 60 seconds. I got ready in record time and we headed out for an early breakfast. Jamie stayed at the Lake for work and the kids and I headed home.  We took a detour through the Governor's Mansion and State Capitol on our way home. The kids LOVED it and it was a nice way to recover some fun after the disasterous morning. Chase was completely AWED by the Capitol. He told me, "Mom, you need to run for President so you can work here." That earned him a quick lesson about the difference between our state capitol and our nation's capitol and the difference between the President and a Governor.  It's nice to know he's enthusiastic about my future in politics though...