life with WE

Trying to understand age.

While at Elaine's gymnastics yesterday, Warren ran into his little buddy he plays DS with.  He asked where Warren had been, and W told him how he usually has baseball Wednesday nights, but since it was raining, he was at gymnastics.  They caught up on the game they both play and then the questions started.  I'll refer to his friend as B for boy!

B:  I forget, how old are you?

W:  I'm nine.

B:  I thought you were eight!

W:  I had a birthday in March!

B:  How old is your mom?

(mind you, I am sitting right there.)

W:  My mom is 36.

B:  How old is your dad?

W:  He's 37.

B:  So your dad is one year older than your mom.  Huh.  My dad is 48.

W:  Okay.

B:  And my mom is 40.  Well she was 40, but then she turned 25, I'm not sure how that happened.

W:  giggles

B:  But I'm six.  And I'm going to stay six until I turn seven.  I'm still not sure how my mom went from 40 to 25...

 

Not such a great Good Friday.

On Good Friday, and EF4 tornado touched down in my hometown of Bridgeton, Missouri.

It's where I grew up.  It's where a majority of my relatives still live.  It's where I ran and played as a child.

Luckily, all of my family is fine, and their homes are standing.  Some of them are without power and could be for days.  Most of them have extensive damage to their yards.  But all of them are safe, and still have homes.

This isn't the case for many.  The streets I used to ride my bike through are changed permanently.  Houses have been leveled.  And as with all tornadoes, the destruction doesn't make any sense.   One house stands perfectly fine, while the next is missing shingles and siding, but the one after that?  Well, it's leveled.  Leaving it's occupants homeless.

http://media.trb.com/media/graphic/2011-04/426119780-23083814.jpg

I know there are disasters everywhere, all the time.  And I always feel lucky and blessed to realize that I am safe and my family is safe.  This one touched a little too close to home for me, and once again I am thankful beyond all words for my family's safety.  But I am so very saddened for those who have lost so much.  Who have lost their homes.

If you want to help, you can donate to the St. Louis chapter of the Red Cross here: https://www.redcrossstlstore.org/newdonate.aspx

You can also donate to the United Way's 2-1-1 storm help here: http://www2.stl.unitedway.org/site/TR/Events/General?pxfid=1310&fr_id=1030&pg=fund

And now I tell you a fact.

I've been hesitant to admit this, but I finally told my Grandma last night, so I guess I can tell you.

I sold out.  I've gone to the dark side. 

I bought an e-reader.

collective gasp (I mean, this is life-changing, is it not?)

I said I wouldn't.  "I love to turn pages.  I would never be rid of a real book.  Reading is about texture and touching and feeling the pages.  Authors want their word in print, on paper!  I don't need another electronic device!"  I said all of those things.

And yet?

I bought one.  I'm sick of waiting my turn at the library on neverending reserve lists for newly released books.  And I'm sick of going to the bookstore and spending a ton of money on books.  Surprisingly, e-books are cheaper.  Well duh, because they don't have to print them.  And 2, I don't have to wait if I don't want to.  Instant gratification - which is what the the world is all about today - like it or hate it.  (And I do like it and hate it.)  I didn't want to like it as much as do, but alas, I do.  I actually love it.  It's handy to toss in my purse and take with me when I'm taking my kids and myself a million places.  It's still the size of a book, so it's easy to hold and manage.  And you know how when you're reading a book say while eating lunch, the book tries to close on you repeatedly?  Yeah, that doesn't happen anymore! 

When I finally admitted to Mike that I wanted one, he was surprised I had waited this long.  I love technology as much as he does.  He was fine with it, but I gave him my arguments anyway.  I finished with, "and in a way, it's more green right?  Less trees to kill and such to print books!"  Then he told me how there's a horrible market for tungsten which makes batteries last longer.  Oy vey - one battle at a time, Mike.  One battle at a time.

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Last night I asked my Grammie if she'd read "Water for Elephants".  I thought she would like it. 

G: I haven't read that!  Do you have it so I can read it?

Me: Um, no.  I bought an e-reader, so I don't have it to share.

G: Jen, I don't even know what you are saying, it's like you're talking Chinese.

Me: Grammie, I'm sorry, I'm a sellout.  I didn't want to like it, but it turns out I love it.

My sister Jackie: Grammie, you might like it.  You should check it out sometime.

G: I won't.  I can't read Chinese!

I hope he's always a kind soul.

Yesterday while driving home from the baseball game, Warren wondered aloud about when the legos he ordered woud be in.  You see, he had asked me to order the seasonal lego kit for both he and Elaine.  It makes an Easter basket and eggs, and it's five bucks, and he paid me for both of them.

I informed him that the package had arrived and that I hid it because I didn't know when he wanted to give Elaine hers.

W:  Probably after we find eggs, it'll be the best thing.

Me:  That's great.  But Warren, you know she didn't get you anything.

W:  I know.  The joy is in giving it to her.

People, I almost cried.  Right then and there.  This boy who's been driving me crazy for days has the world's kindest heart sometimes.  And his sister loves him dearly, so very dearly, but she's a kid and quite honestly would not find happiness in W's happiness.  It'd be more about "what's in it for me?"   And that's fine, because she's a kid and she looooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvves deeply - like people, TVs, bushes that we have pulled from the front yard.  I mean she has a heart, just a different one from Warren's.

It's nice to know that I've done a thing or two right in this parenting gig.  And Warren reminded me of it last night.  I love that darn kid!

Oh she's a bug all right!

Here's my Laineybug dressed for her first grade musical last night.

The musical was called Bugz and they all did great!

 

I'm back from Nashville!

Guess what? 

The kids survived without me.

And guess what else?

Mike put down about 4 yards of mulch without me.

Winner winner, chicken dinner! 

I had a great time hanging out with my sisters.  I wish the weather could have been a bit more cooperative, but you take what you can get!  We had a great time relaxing, doing nothing, having deep conversations in the middle of a bar like we were the only four people in the place, napping, shopping, tourist-ing etc.  It was a great recharge for me, other than the fact that I am now rocking the stomach flu.  Boo.

BTW - Elaine had this flu earlier in March.  It was followed by her complaining of stomach pains for weeks after.  Yeah, I get it now - seriously hurts.

 

I totally ruined the night.

Last night you would have thought the world was coming to an end.  Elaine started sobbing about how much she's going to miss me.  I offered her a shirt of mine to sleep in.  She still cried, but took it and immediately put it on. 

I went to tuck Warren in and he burst into tears too.  "I"m going to miss you...." he boo-hoo'd.  I said, "dude, you don't even like me!"  He cried harder then.  My attempt to lighten the mood clearly was not well received.

I swear these kids are indifferent to my existence.  I know they love me and all, but seriously - I'm leaving for the weekend.  Two nights.  For the love of Pete.  And they are staying at their own house with their own dad who will surely buy them pizza and ice cream and is a heck of a lot of fun.

Sure tugs at the heart strings though and makes you want to crawl into bed with them and tell them you'll stay forever. 

I'm going to have to remind myself of how much they liked me and wanted me once when they are teens, slamming their doors and telling me they hate me!

Is it Friday yet?

This weekend I'm going out of town with my sisters.

Nothing fancy, just getting out of town.  With special thanks to Mike's dad and stepmom, we have a free place to stay in Nashville.

Plans?  None.

And at this point I honestly don't care if I just sit in my pjs all day and we order pizza.

I need me some sister time, and some me time, and I need a break.

I can't wait for Friday!

Of course, Mike's in for a weekend of fun as a single parents.  Soccer, soccer, Girl Scout April Showers pickup, some Harry Potter thing Warren wants to do at the library on Saturday, oh and the giant pile of five yards of mulch that will be in the driveway by Thursday afternoon.

Perhaps he'll manage all that and get the mulch spread before my return Sunday?

Ha ha ha ha ha.  Oh that was funny.

Friday.  Is it Friday yet?

It's me, I'm hiding around the corner, avoiding eye contact.

crickets chirping

crickets chirping for a week

...

Yeah, I'm here.  Sorry about the hiatus.  It was not intentional.  Alas, I seem to have overbooked/overscheduled and/or overvolunteered myself leaving me no time to blog last week.

Sure sure, you'll argue that you can make time for things like blogging.  Well, if I was able to make time for blogging then I would have to make time for working out and eating right and meditating and praying and relaxing and reading and blah blah blah.  I would be a lot skinnier, healthier, spiritual-er and relaxed if it was possible to make extra hours in the day.  But look at me.  Clearly NOT possible.

This overextending myself thing is very common.  I like to do it.  And it doesn't stress me out until it's all done and then I have a fit, Mike looks at me funny and BAM, I realize I'm being ridiculous and viola.  It's over.  I'm done with my 'I'm so the busiest person in the universe' sob story and I'm back to life.  (Also, I have no idea where Elaine gets her run-on sentence business from.  No idea.)

So, back to life it is.

Hello, I'm Jenny.  And I'll try and blog a little more regularly.  Okay?  Ooh, and while I was overextending myself, I sold out and bought an e-reader.  And I've read the third installment of "The Girl Who..." series.  I read "The Girl Who Kicked Over The Hornet's Nest".  I enjoy my new e-reader even though I feel like a hypocrite.  "Oh I love books, I could never read on a computer."  "It's so much better to hold a book and read then to hold an electronic device."

I stand corrected.  I dig it.  And as an added bonus, can I consider it environmentally friendly?  I mean I'm not paying money for trees to be killed and turned into paper for books.  It works, right?

And as for that series?  I liked it.  Didn't love it.  I learned to skim and skip over a lot of the names once I realized who wasn't integral to the story.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Monday morning - verbal diarhea, compliments of me. 

You're welcome!