Get dressed.
Load everyone into the car.
And LEAVE THE HOUSE.
I've been slacking lately, which isn't anything particularly new. But I haven't really cared that I've been slacking, either. That's new. And if I'd cared to give it any thought beyond, "Huh, that's strange." I may have recognized it a little sooner and headed it off at the pass. But I didn't care to, and so I wallowed in it a bit before really deciding to tackle it.
Jess affirmed today my suspicion that a little St. John's Wart and a day trip around town might do wonders. I love having friends who only laugh at me mildly when I do something truly goofy like this. :-)
So we hit BAM, leaving poor Zorak out of it, and had a delightful time. The boys stocked up on a little science, some history, a book of maps, and some fiction. I snagged a few things for Smidge, and some workbooks just for fun. Yes, my child actually did a happy dance when he saw the title, "Decimals, Fractions & Percents" in the basket. I don't get it, but I'm not about to question it, either. I did manage to walk straight out of there without the ONE book I really wanted to pick up: Andrew Lang's The Blue Fairy Book. Guess that means we'll have to go back, right? But the boys had fun, Miss Emily talked to everyone who would make eye contact, and I mentally rolled around in the grassy knowledge that my love of books has been inherited by my children. Happy Mommy!
Tonight we dined at home (forecast called for severe storms until midnight, and I just wasn't up for traversing the bridge in the dark in a storm - call me a weenie, that's fine, but we stayed home). ANYWAY, we enjoyed homemade hot wings, fried potatoes, steamed broccoli and sweet tea. (See? We're beginning to blend!) I made a peach cobbler for dessert. The boys really went to town on it. Zorak was too stuffed right after supper, and I was busy getting Miss Emily down, so we haven't tried it. But it does look lovely, so perhaps I'll go give it a taste test in a bit and see how it is.
And to answer the million dollar question: no, I'm not forty. Yet. (Who knew that would be the thing folks caught? *wink*) But it's coming. I suppose I was fortunate enough to turn around early on and realize that it's just flying by. When forty does come, it won't be a shock. Even if it does have a small "brace yourself" factor, it still won't be nearly the shock that some other things have been. And it hasn't been about me in a long, long time. I picked forty intentionally, for two reasons, mostly. One, I know that most young mothers (early 20's?) don't realize how quickly the next twenty years are going to pass - you do turn around and *poof*, the years have gone. But mostly, because in my mind, as opposed to turning 30, it carries with it a sense of being centered; taking the time to pause, reflect, recollect, and then get back with the program. I often think we, as women in our society, don't develop the sense to do that properly before forty. So it was a nod to wisdom and grace, and I raise my coffee cup in a toast: may we all turn around and be forty!
Kiss those babies!
~Dy
8 comments:
Oh thank heavens you're not 40. I was hyperventilating today because my whole excuse for why our home reno is such a sorry excuse compared to YOUR home reno - the whole thing is based on the fact that we're OLD and you're so young. Man, I remember how much energy I had 10, hell, even 5 years ago. If you were 40, well, then, it would be clear that we're miserable lazy bums.
Forty is a year away for me & apart from the fact that I now fall asleep anytime, anywhere (a bizarre twist on the Canadian breastfeeding promotion theme - that's what happens to lactation consultants as they age....), you're right - for me, it's definitely a time of being centered. The grace and wisdom is a bit more elusive, but I think we're heading in the right direction.
mwah!
What? I missed the Roger Rabbit dance. Which one was that?
Hmm... the lunging one? Or the one where he's kind of running/hopping in place and turning arounnd?
I'm with Hornblower on being grateful that you are not 40 because I can tell myself that it is your youth that allows you to renovate a house, care for four littles and a husband, and homeschool, while I scramble about trying to care for two kids and keep the dirty dishes from piling up too high.
I turned 40 last birthday, and it turned out that it was no big deal. Having become a mommy in my 30's rather than 20's probably makes it a bit different, since my kiddos are still little. Back in my 20's and early 30's, 40 loomed as the depressing end of youth. By the time I got there, it just didn't bother me. My focus isn't on my looks (sometimes to Ed's and Travis's dismay, as they would like to see me a bit spiffier), and it was sort of a relief to "get it over with."
Have a wonderful day!
Cordially,
Melora
Okay, you've inspired me to take the boys and girl to the park today. Your posts lately have been great...and Emily is just adorable! Happy Sixteen Weeks!
mere
I wish that I had Jess' fantabulous photo shop powers because I would put you back in that hippie van with you wearing the caftan!! The mental image you gave me with the first three lines brought that back!!
Laney
p.s. I loved your previous post!
Ah yes, getting out of the house occasionally is good. I had a hard time with that the first time around, but now that I live in this little condo (and thanks to fish oil too, I think *grin*) I don't find it too hard to get out at all. I really liked your previous post, thank you for that. Very well put. Several blogs I've read have posted some very encouraging things recently, and I think I needed that more than I realized. :-)
Turning 40 seems very remote and strange at this point. I really hope I can handle it with more grace and less hyperventilating than I am currently experiencing with the thought of turning 30. Strange to think that at 40 I'll have a 15 yr old and a 10 yr old... and who knows how many others! :-D
Amber,
I'm glad that you, and others, have found encouragement in the previous post. It was inspired by someone who needed a little encouragement and seemed was getting a little needling (imho) - but I don't pick fights on others' front porches, so I just thought I'd encourage here a bit.
Can I share a secret? The 30's are amazing! They are wonderful and full and rich. You'll find yourself feeling smarter, sexier and more capable than you ever did in your 20's. It's a good time to be a woman and really enjoy slipping into your own skin in new ways. I think you'll like it, and I think you'll enjoy hitting 32 and realizing, Hey, cool - you didn't implode or suddenly succumb to gravity or start sucking down the bon-bons and watching Oprah all day long when you turned 30. It's good stuff.
Dy
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