Summer@Home: Day 6 — Stranded at Publix

Day 6
Have you ever been stranded somewhere? It's a pretty helpless feeling. To have somewhere to go, but no way to get there?

Yesterday, Day 6 of my Summer@Home, I got stranded at Publix. Not on purpose, but kind of out of necessity. You see, grocery shopping these days is a "do it when you have the opportunity" kind of thing. The trips are not always planned. Sometimes the opportunity just kind of  pops up, and you  run with it.

Summer@Home Day 3: UPS Drivers, Beware!

Day 3

My friends are coming to my rescue in various ways during my Summer@Home. My dear friend Cathy invited Joshua and Jordan to join her boys for tennis lessons and do all the driving. [Shout out to Cathy! Lifesaver! Doin' the happy dance!]

Yesterday, I was able to break from work and go watch, which was a treat. I'd never seen either of them play. I was surprised at how naturally it came to them. They were doing quite well, and it was just their second lesson. And I got to sit in the shade, sip iced tea, and chat with other moms. Heaven...

But when we got home, I almost died laughing. And I soooo wish I'd taken a picture. But outside our garage door, it looked something like this:

Summer@Home - Day 1

Day 1
My summer at home has officially begun. School let out five days ago, so most people might consider that the official beginning of summer. But for me, summer began today — the day my husband went back to work in the office and I stayed home.

If you don't know me, you may not realize the significance of this. I have not driven since February 9, 2013. On February 10 I had the first of a series of fainting and dizzy spells that occurred multiple times a day for a month until my doctors were able to get a partial diagnosis and find medicines that would help. I passed out for the last time on March 13, so I am not allowed to drive again until I have gone six months without an episode. September 13 is my magic date.

So with school out, and my husband back at work, I'm starting a new — albeit short — phase of my life. At home. All day. Every day. All...summer...long.

Showing His divine sense of humor, and just in case I was thinking about cheating, God decided to call my car home a couple of weeks ago. So even if I wanted to, I couldn't hop in my car and take an illicit jaunt to the grocery store or ice cream stand.

I am truly stuck.

Kill me.

RIP Thelma

I'm not a car person. I don't really care that much about what I drive. I've only bought one new car in my life that I really cared about: a 2000 VW Passat Wagon. I was a single mom, and it was the first car I'd ever bought on my own, with my own money, without having to check in with anyone. I loved that car in a way that was not entirely natural.

I traded in my beloved Passat in 2005 to get a 2000 Suburban with 66,000 miles on it. Herb and I were expecting Jordan — boy #4 — so a third row became a necessity. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make. But I cried a little.

It's Official. I'm Old.

Confession: I'm 41 years old.

But in my mind, I'm somewhere in the 16 - 20 range.

I can go to the grocery store, walk out with several bags of groceries that I paid for with a piece of plastic, and marvel that they let me do it. I feel like I've gotten away with something.

I look at these little mini-me's, and cannot believe that God thinks I am responsible enough to raise them. That anyone thinks I'm responsible enough to raise them. I can't keep a plant alive for a month, much less children for 20+ years.

I remember what my sister said about the moment she realized she was old. I was driving my car to the mechanic's, and she was following behind me to bring me home. She said that when she looked through her windshield at me, be-bopping along to some music on the cassette player (her words, not mine) she decided that she was old. If she was in sixth grade when I was born ... and I was now driving my own car ... that would make her ... oh, never mind. In her mind, she was old.

That moment just hit me on Friday.

Meet Bumpy

This is Bumpy

[Note: I wrote this when it happened back in October, but never posted it.]

Mothering boys is an adventure. Life is bigger, louder, faster, and messier than I ever thought it could be. But every now and again, things get very quiet, very small, and very slow ... even if only for an afternoon. That happened to us last Tuesday.

On Monday, we discovered that a woodpecker had gotten stuck in our garage. He kept flying from vertical perch to vertical perch as close to the ceiling as he could get, and each time he crossed the garage he bumped his head on the ceiling. So my boys started calling him Bumpy.

Life's Little Interruptions

Working from home can be interesting. Particularly on days when the kids are home from school. My husband was supposed to be home from a business trip last night and take off today, but the trip was unexpectedly extended. I didn't send the kids to a friend's house for babysitting because Joshua was too tired this morning.

What now?

Well, deadlines don't change because of business trips and tired kids, so I press on. I thought I would keep a list today of the little things that interrupted my work day. I've never done this before, so it could be interesting. Or boring. Or funny. Or depressing. But you never know until you start.

Ready.
Set.
Go!