An Open Letter to the "Lady" in the Car Behind Me

Hello again. You might remember me from this morning. As you entered the parking lot behind me you chose to turn down the first row of parking, even though it was obviously going to be a tight squeeze with the large service vehicle parked in the middle of the lane. I chose to turn down the second row of parking, free from obstruction.

Because of the vehicle blocking your path you had to cut through the parking lot. I saw you coming and assumed you realized that I had the right of way, since I wasn't driving over any of those funny painted stripes that, for those of us with functioning brains, signify parking spaces. However, as your car approached mine, you barely slowed down and then had the audacity to honk at me as if I were in your way.

I have to tell you that I was filled with smug satisfaction when you then had to get behind me in line at the drive-thru. Don't think that I didn't see you glaring at me out your window. How could I miss it? (By the way, that is not a good look for you.) I was tempted to tell the cashier at the window to pass along a message, but I resisted. I didn't think you'd like to hear what I had to say. I also resisted the urge to flip you the bird as I drove off, because I am a lady.

Drive safely!

A Match Made in a Messy Heaven

I decided to color with my kids on Friday afternoon. I was excited to open a brand new box of 48-count Crayolas, which, if I'm being honest, I purchased for myself. I was tired of the old melding pot of free crayons from various restaurants that were broken and had the paper torn off.

"Be soft," I said to the kids. "We don't want to break our new crayons." So after about 1/2 hour of coloring, I snapped a crayon in half. The only casualty to speak of.

Fast-forward to that night. Isaac invited his cousin, Teagan, over for their first sleepover. Both boys were really excited for the evening. I had already decided to make sloppy joes with potato chips and baby carrots. At the last minute I thought it would be fun to make some Kool-Aid since we rarely serve it.

I carefully poured a minute amount of Kool-Aid into 4 small plastic cups for each of the kids at the table. Jeremiah sat down and poured himself an extra tall cup of the sweet drink. Guess who's spilled. That's right. All 4 kids handled their drinks with care and every last drop of it made it into their mouths. Jeremiah's tall cup, however, was spilled all over the table and cascaded over the chair and onto the floor.

We truly were made for each other, don't you think?

I Should Have Roasted Marshmallows

Today I did something I've never done before: I started a fire on my stove top.

I had just put on some rice to cook when I looked down and saw smoke creeping up all around the bottom of the pan. I leaned in close to see what was smoking and saw a small lump just under my drip-pan starting to char and turn red when *WHOOSH* the burner ignited. I turned off the heat and removed the pan from the burner. Then I opened the pantry to find a lid to try and cover it. All my lids are glass so I opted for a saucepan instead. I inverted the saucepan and placed it over the burner before I realized that the flames would still have an oxygen supply from the other 3 burners. Not sure what else to do I just blew on the flames. Luckily this was on one of the small burners so it only took a few deep breaths to extinguish the flames.

I was able to remove the burner and drip pan with a pair of tongs. Under the drip pan was that same little piece of charred whatever. I ran it under some water before dropping it into the garbage. I cleaned off the drip pan - obviously something that was long overdue - and then returned everything to the stove and finished cooking my lunch. It was exciting and uneventful all at the same time.

On a side note, I can't wait for grilling weather!

What Do You Expect With 3 Kids?

Right before Christmas we went through the toys as a family. Each child picked out a few toys that they really wanted to keep and we made sure they all fit into their toy box - a small storage container. The rest we donated.

So a while ago we decided to take down the bed in the guest room so the kids would have a room to play. We figured it would be easier to set up the bed when we had company rather than try to keep the kids from jumping on it the other 99.99% of the time. Since that decision, the guest room seemed to explode with toys. Why bother putting them in the toy box when you can just shut the door, right?

Well last week we had company. Jeremiah had just bought some extra-large storage bins on clearance and put all the toys in one and placed it in the family room. I couldn't believe all the toys piled in there and overflowing! Hadn't we just gone through the toys and scaled down?

"How is it that the toys seem to have multiplied?" I questioned.

Jeremiah looked at me and replied flatly, "They obviously have more free time than we do."

I Hope the Rest of You Enjoyed Your Sleep

Last night was one of those nights where you wish you weren't the parent. Kenley woke up at 1:30 AM with a headache that had her in hysterics. She couldn't calm down, she was restless, she was inconsolable and tired. In short, she was miserable. Which means anyone within earshot was miserable as well.

I didn't realize at first that she didn't feel well. I thought that she was just a little restless so at about 2 this morning I put Aristocats on and left her under a blanket on the couch. I was certain that she would fall asleep watching the movie and that she would just stay the night on the couch. Instead she strolled back into my bedroom some time after 3 and informed that the movie was over. She started to fuss again and complained that her head hurt. After giving her some medicine I tried to put her back in her bed which resulted in copious amounts of tears from my toddler.

We spent all night going back and forth between beds, chairs and couches in search of the perfect position that would allow her to calm down and relax. Kenley finally found the spot this morning at 7:30 as she curled into my lap at the table while I tried to coax Isaac into eating his breakfast.

She's finally feeling better. I threw her in the bathtub against her will. Poor thing protested throughout the entire bath but didn't have the energy to fight me. But after the bath she calmed down and agreed to take some more medicine. It's so hard when they don't feel well and you really don't know how to help them. What's worse is when it's in the middle of the night and you're struggling to be compassionate because you really just want to sleep.

Eh.

I really wish I had something to write about.

The Decision

Before Isaac left for school on Friday, he and I said a prayer that we would have help in making the right choice about school. I took Isaac over to the charter school for a tour and signed enrollment papers. As I was filling them out I had the distinct thought, "This is not right for you." I didn't have a bad feeling about the school itself, just that it was not right for us. Which kind of surprised me. I didn't say anything to Isaac about it, I wanted to see how he felt about it without his opinion being tainted by my own.

Anyway, after we got home Isaac said his own prayer to help him make a decision. I told him that I wouldn't ask him about it anymore but that when he felt like he had his answer he could tell me. That night we all loaded in the car and as we drove I started to tell Jeremiah that we had visited the school. As soon as I said the word "school," Isaac piped in, "Mom, I have my answer. I'll stay." I felt some tears in my eyes as I told him that that was the feeling I'd had too.

But I kept thinking about it. I was pretty confused because once you get an answer from the Holy Ghost you should have peace about it, but it was still on my mind. I brought it up to Jeremiah on Sunday and he said that even though I felt like I had my answer, I should still pray and ask if what I felt was correct. So Isaac and I knelt down again and offered a prayer to that effect. I felt more at peace...until I had a dream where Isaac was in the halls of the charter school.

I've finally concluded that I was battling the answer I received against the answer that I thought I wanted. I know several people who would jump at the chance to send their child(ren) to the charter school, and I think I've let that cloud my judgement. I was leaning toward the charter school, although I don't have any solid reasons.

At any rate, Isaac happily boarded the bus this morning to head off to another day of Kindergarten. He was happy to be seing the same classroom. He told me he didn't want to leave his teacher. I don't think he was afraid of change. I think he was just more open to the Spirit than I was. Once he made his decision, he didn't waver. He probably wondered why I kept bringing up the subject. I just want what's best for him. As long as he's happy, I'm happy.