Blessings

The Brain made me cry for the second time in two days. You see, my 11YO son has become almost a stranger to me. He has terrible mood swings. One minute, he is pleasant and happy, and the next he is disrespectful and full of disdain.

Yesterday, a beautiful bike ride turned into a bitter experience as the Brain ignored safety rules and and became frustrated with me as I corrected him. He despised me for "treating [him] like a baby." I listened to him rant and then calmly explained that in this case, he didn't have a choice. He MUST follow rules to keep both himself and others safe. He seemed to tune me out, refusing to listen and pretending he had no reason to apologize.

Where has my sweet little boy gone?

This morning, instead of singing in the church choir, I chose to sit by this stranger-boy's side during the worship service. And God chose to bless my socks off. This bitter, angry, hateful, disrespectful boy of yesterday, who normally doesn't even stand, let alone sing, during church, stood next to me and sang with a voice so strong and pure:

Bless the Lord, o my soul.

O my soul, worship His holy name. 

Sing like never before, o my soul. 

I will worship his holy name.

And the tears flowed as he sang:

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

May God continue to give me these peaceful, joyful glimpses of my child.

Least favorite actors

I was watching the third Sarah, Plain and Tall movie on the Hallmark Channel today. I mentioned to Pinky that two of my least favorite actors in the whole, wide world are in that movie: Jack Palance and Christopher Walken. And she says to me, "All you need is Woody Harrelson." HA! She knows me so well!

A little humiliation doesn't hurt

You should read this article, or at least see the pictures, because Pinky agrees and said, "The best form of punishment for a child is humiliation."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2418397/Dad-wears-embarrassing-Daisy-Dukes-family-outing-teach-short-shorts-loving-daughter-lesson.html

With SuperD as her father, she may someday regret having said that.

Pinky's funny

Pinky to SuperD: Dad, are you going to want to make me some waffles in a few minutes?

Obviously, she has her dad wrapped around her little finger.

Do bad things happen in threes?

Maybe. Since we have lived here, I have been late or nearly late for the first day of school twice. The first time, I was on my way to Walmart in the early morning to buy my daughter an umbrella for the bus stop when a man blew through a stop light that was blinking because of the storm. He hit the passenger side of my van and totaled it. Then last year, my son and I left for school, and we had to return home so that he could attend VomitFest.

I was surprised to make it to school in one piece yesterday, although I did only get there with 10 minutes to spare. I was halfway to the school when I discovered that I had my husband's insulin in my purse. Since he needed it, I had to turn back and take it to him. That was the worst of it though. No vomit. No airbags. And the rest of the day was fantastic!

But you can bet I'll be anxious again next year!

Bonding Time

Pinky and I did a little bonding recently when I found out that she has a tiny fan girl thing for Tom Cruise. She thinks he's pretty good looking for an old guy. She said he doesn't seem to age. She didn't even know I had this poster on my wall when I was a teenager:

Happy National Watermelon Day!

A fun surprise festival at our local farmer's market this morning. FREE watermelon!

 

The Brain competed in a seed spitting contest. Unfortunately, a 5YO girl beat him.