In the previous Blog, I mentioned that, with all the kids' activities (baseball season, specifically), things have been pretty crazy around the household.
To try and keep things together, on the weekends, I sit down with Lexi's colored pens and markers and create a graph detailing what's for dinner every night, what's for snack after school, and who needs to be where and at what time.
Guess what? It is nearly impossible for me to think up dinners that are halfway healthy, budget friendly and quick to make, when put on the spot.
This past weekend, I pulled out some cookbooks that I used to swear by. Either the recipes were unappetizing, or, my kids wouldn't touch it if I paid them, or, they heavily featured cream of whatever soups.
Mentally I was already planning a yard sale with most of my cookbook collection.
Anyhow, Coming up with a menu a week in advance made me realize that I need more imagination, and, to branch out a little. I will start next week.
This week, I made up my graph, figured out who was where and when, which helps with what needs to be easy for the kids, or cooked ahead of time around my work schedule, and then added ingredients to the list as I went. It literally took me two days of playing with it this weekend, in and around everything else.
With the Maple Fest this past weekend and kids scattered all over with obligations to Maple Fest/Talent Show/Boy Scouts etc. we crammed grocery shopping in after Sunday school with all but Joe in tow. Where I immediately spent double my usual grocery budget. I handed over my bank card in resignation after cringing over the total and resolved to figure out a less expensive way to feed the kids somewhat healthy without needing to remortgage the house. Everyone would be happy if we just existed on PB&J, truthfully.
This system is a work in progress.
While on the subject of Sunday School, yesterday was the last official school day before the end of year party next week. I began to write on the whiteboard, things we had learned over the year. I highlighted several things, and even wrote things the kids had done both in and out of Sunday School, so they could see that we did make progress, and that we did learn stuff.
"See, Kids? We did good stuff this year! We talked about kindness and empathy and compassion and helping people and being a good example and we talked about Saints and all sorts of things! We made a blanket for the girl in the Kindergarten Class, when she was in the hospital after a car accident, and made cards for the nursing home. You all donated clothes, baked cookies for the nursing home, helped out with fund raisers! You all did wonderfully! Can anyone think of anything else?"
Up went the hand of "That One"...
"Yes? What can you add?"
"Not to give out your "V Card" till after you're married, and, beating people is bad."
*Thunk* went my head against the white board. "Alright. I'll take it. Thank you for your input."
On the way in that morning, the head of Sunday School pulled me aside.
"Moriah, I have a proposition for you."
"It is entirely too early in the morning to be propositioned."
"Ha. Ha. I want you to teach the next oldest class next year. You're a nurse. You would be perfect for 'Theology of the Body"! I think you really should teach it."
"Ummmmm. Wellll. Ummmmmm. Can I get back to you on this?"
Here's the thing. I hate that class. I hate the curriculum. If it wasn't a teeth gritting necessity for Confirmation, I probably wouldn't send my kids to it. It's a diocese wide thing, and we just have to deal with the program. No. I DON'T want to teach it. I just need to figure out a way to tell the head of the program that. Before she approaches Bearded Man, and he agrees for me. (You know. Like last time.)
Back to Maple Fest weekend in Franklinville. The book sale went smoothly. The old ladies waited nicely, and headed right back to the Harlequin section of the book sale. My girls, after watching in fascination, whispered to me urgently that the old ladies had apps on their smart phones and were scanning the books. I think a lot of them collect them. Someday, their estate is going to have to clear things out, and they will have to deal with thousands of Harlequin books. And then all their frienemies will be hovering around with their scanners, to snap up whichever books they don't already have.
The kids and I scored piles and piles of books, and staggered home with three boxes full of them. It was a very successful book sale.
For a quick recap: Three of the kids marched in the parade. Joe changed out of his parade baseball jersey and into his Boy Scout shirt, and sold (14 different flavors!) of sausage sticks, Kaila helped out with the Strawberry Shortcake booth for 9th graders AND was a contestant in the "Franklinville's Got Talent" show - where she took third place, Lexi and Bearded Man had garbage duty, which is the 6th grade obligation every year, and, I chased George around the Festival until we were both exhausted.
After the Maple Fest, I looked at Joe's fairly new sneakers, and noticed they were falling off his feet in tatters. "Joe! What the heck happened to your shoes??!!!"
"I do not know."
"How long have they been like that?"
"Approximately 2 weeks."
"Alright. Let's go get you new shoes."
At the shoe store and subsequent measuring, it was determined that my 10 year old now wears a men's size 8.5, and we headed to the men's sneaker section. Joe tried on a few pairs. Frowning at most of them, he announced "These make me feel vulnerable."
"Vulnerable. Of course they do, Joseph. How about these ones?"
"They LOOK nice, but, I think they will make me feel vulnerable, too."
"How about we try them on and see."
"I like how they feel. I like how they look...."
"AND they are twenty dollars cheaper than that other pair....."
"...But, I just feel very vulnerable in them."
"Can you explain in a little more detail WHY shoes make you feel vulnerable? What, specifically are you looking for, that would make you feel confident?"
"I need to know that, if I need to lean back, I will not slip. If I have to duck, they will hold me in one place without falling over. If someone attacks me, I need good grip. If the earth cracks under me, I need thick soles and the ability to move fast without worrying about my shoes. If I need to climb mountains, I need a good pair of shoes. All these other ones have flimsy soles. I need the shoes with the good thick soles, so I can be confident I am safe in any situation."
"Well, I suppose you shouldn't need to waste your time worrying over your personal safety, if you don't have the right shoes. Get the ones that don't make you vulnerable, kiddo. Always good to be prepared."
My child can now handle absolutely any situation thrown at him, including attack, earthquakes and mountain climbing.
That is the extent of the current craziness of our household. I think I need to have a dreaded yard sale, to offload most of my cook book collection and thin out my massive book collection. I am running out of shelves to store them. I need to think about that more, first.
Till next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment