Compassion

The day after Thanksgiving, Eric threw his back out while playing football with the boys (Kevin, Mark & CJ, my 5th child who is really a bonus because I don't have to feed him or find a way to pay for college for him - really like that).  Anyway, he made it into the house, ate dinner with us, got around slowly all evening and went to bed.  In the morning when he got up it became apparent that things had worsened over night.  He took two steps away from the bed and collapsed onto the floor in excrutiating pain.  So, 911, ambulance, ER, lots of drugs (sadly, none for me), x-ray, and 3 hours later we arrive home.

First, Eric gets out of the car and makes it halfway to the house and is again gripped and yelling in pain.  I react by screaming "Do NOT go down to the ground! I will NOT be able to get you up!"  Hmmm.  OK, so Florence Nightengale I'm not.  But practical, right?  We made it to the hood of my car and neighbors (CJ and his dad) ran over to help and managed to get Eric into the house.

Next up...Brooke.  After Fred & CJ pretty much carry/drag her pained father into the house and carefully put him on the family room couch, she looks at me with a look of terror in her eyes and says, "He can't stay there, Mom! Joey is coming over later and we're watching movies!"  I guess the idea of watching Christmas movies with your boyfriend with your father on the other end of the couch looking like death warmed over because of all the pain meds he's been given is less than appealing, but really.  I need to work with her on her timing.  And, of course, her compassion.  That's it.  We need to work on her compassion.  But, maybe Eric is the better parent to teach that lesson.

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Honesty

Eric and I went to the PHS playoff football game on Friday night and Daniel decided at the last minute that he wanted to go.  As we were walking to the ticket booth, Eric told Daniel that he was going to be 5 for tonght (I guess he thought that was a fair guess at a potential free kid age).  So, he walks up to the booth and says, "Two adults and a 5 year old." And Daniel says, "I'm seven!"  Dammit! Can he not keep his yap shut! To save face for Eric, me, being the kind, considerate wife that I am, said to Daniel, "Yeah! You wish!" LOL!  Anyway, all that and there was no free child age anyway.  He could have been 3 and they would have charged us. Oh, and the child price was only $2. Yup. An epic fail for us.

And just earlier in the day I had been looking at Brooke's text messages on her phone while she was upstairs and Daniel hollered, "Brooke! Mom's looking at your cell phone!"  He's getting to be more trouble than he's worth.  I mean, really!  What's with this new honesty kick of his??  God knows he didn't learn that from his father!

The uni-brow...as described by a seven year old

Daniel was talking to my mom yesterday and telling her about "A", the girl who now sits next to him in first grade.  He told her that she has strange eyebrows.  Mom asked him what was strange about them and he said, "Well, they start over here where mine do (pointing to the outer part of his own right eyebrow) and then go across but there is only a puny little space before the next one starts."  Too funny!  I laughed so hard.  In the words of my sister-in-law..."Get that girl to a spa for an eyebrow waxing."  Who knew that a 1st grade girl could have a uni-brow??  Poor thing.

This kind of sums it up

OK. So, tonight I was on my way out of my house headed for my car when I noticed a man, who I had not seen before, walking across my lawn from my neighbor's in the direction of Kevin.  I walked over and the guy said "Are you his mother?", nodding toward Kevin. Despite the fact that I had no idea what was coming, and I was reasonably certain that he wasn't going to praise me for the fine job I had done raising such a nice young man, I said "Yes, I am."

Well, it seems that there had been an altercation between Kevin and "E" from next door.  This guy told me that he had seen it and that "E" had been the aggressor and was completely to blame, but that "E" had told him that Kevin had been saying bad things about his brother and mother all summer long.

I had a moment of panic, knowing that some not very kind things are said about our neighbors by me in our home that Kevin undoubtedly overhears.  However, when I asked Kevin if he had ever said anything bad about "E"'s mother he replied with, "I don't even know which one is his mother!"

For anyone reading this who knows the situation at my neighbors (9 adults, 9 children with a combined 3 mothers and 6 fathers), this is pretty funny.

It must be hereditary

So many of my stories are about my kids and their silly antics...and everyone knows that they have inherited their "blonde" from me.  But, here is a story to show that it goes back at least one more generation.

My parents live in an over-55 community in Cranbury. Both are very active and have very busy lives. Recently Mom went to a craft fair with a friend. Dad did his own thing and was sitting in the family room watching TV when he heard the garage door open. He assumed Mom was home. Then the garage door went down. Then up again. Then down. Then up.

Meanwhile, IN THE NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY,  Mom is sitting in her car wondering why the garage door opener isn't working. When she got out of the car to use the key pad and realized there was not a key pad the lightbulb went on and she looked around to see that she had pulled into the wrong driveway.  Genious!

Her justification is that her neighbor's husband has a car very similar to my dad's that was parked in the driveway.  Not a strong arguement in my opinion. Kind of makes me wonder if she should be driving at all!