Everyday I go to my daughter's blog site and wonder...."Where is everyone?" I know she is busy with four children of her own and babysitting for another...ages 8,6,3, 3, and 1. And I know she is homeschooling, nursing, and trying to do laundry and keep house. But, where is she? The last time she made a blog entry was weeks ago! Then I go to my daughter-in-law's website and wonder....."Where is everyone?" I know she is busy with two very active boys, ages 4 and 2. And I know she just moved into a new house and is trying to get settled in. But, where is she? The last time she made a blog entry was weeks ago! So, today my daughter called me and I called The Busy Bee and talked. They are busy. I know that. Still....I go to their blog sites and wonder. Then...it dawned on me. I have a blog and when was the last time I made an entry? So, here I am. Now, when I get finished I will be writing about everything I have already told my two daughters....but then there may be others out there who are wondering...."Where is everyone?"
We have a family of eight living with us part-time and full-time. The Dad....What did I name him?...and the three oldest children are here all the time. Dad has a new job and the children are going to school. Mom, I called her Eve, is back in the town from which they are moving trying to sell the house, homeschooling the three youngest children, and taking care of the dogs. Now, having just gone through the same kind of senerio with my son and his family....I feel their pain! Eve and the three younger ones come on the weekend and stay through Monday.
Last Monday I had the pleasure of keeping the younger ones while Eve went house hunting. Actually there was very little "keeping" about the whole thing. I was going to be home anyway, mowing and doing everyday stuff and thought the kids would rather stay here with me rather than go looking at houses...and yes they would.... so they did. After I was all through with "my chores" as Thor calls them, and showered. I thought the kiddos might like to go to the park. We have a very nice, very LARGE park not far from the house and they had been so good to play all morning without so much as one little tiff...at least so far as I could tell. These kids are Q_U_I_E_T. You know as in shhhhh. Since there is very little of that around here I am not sure if I would know when they were fighting or not...come to think of it. Anyway...they said they would love to go to the park. I also gave them the option of going to get something to eat, eating here, or taking a picnic lunch with us to the park. Little eight year old Abbie told her brothers, along with me, that they did not need to "go" get something to eat. They could eat here...then go to the park. Something about the exchange made me think that she was echoing something she had been taught or at the very least used to being the one to make these kinds of decisions. Either way neither of the boys protested, but agreed.
After lunch off we went to the park. They had a great time playing...and a great day for it. It was overcast and not too hot. All I did was sit and watch the antics of three children that were used to playing outside and with each other. It was fun watching them, but I will have to admit I wished my own grandchildren were there as well to join in the fun. After an hour or so and with all the running, swinging, sliding, digging, climbing, and a vigorous game of their version of hide-and-go-seek (which had kind of a "tag" twist to it, almost like the kick-the-can games we played as children) they were hot and thirsty. There was a Hawaiian Ice stand sitting on the parking lot and Mason, the 6 yr. old , spotted it the minute we entered the parking lot coming into the park. He had made a comment about it and almost immediately Abbie informed him he did not "need" and icy. So, it was dropped. They tried to get a drink from the fountain...but it did not work. And now they were thirsty and needed some refreshment. And being the grandmother that I am...I thought they "needed" an icy. Sadly...it was closed. So we went to every Hawaiin Ice stand I knew about, only to find them all closed...I guess for the season. So, it was off to the Sonic....and Happy Hour. When I asked what they wanted they asked if they could have any kind they wanted. Of course I said, "Yes." So here came the concoctions. And what about size? Any size. Even LARGE! "Yes." And large it was....all around.
The thing with the drinks reminded me of something that happened when I was a child probably no older than six. We did not get treats out often, but when we did our Daddy would buy us the biggest one we wanted. And "back in the olden days", big WAS big. Our favorite treat to buy was an ice cream cone. Now you have to understand. At our house when you ate a big ice cream cone you did not use napkins...as a matter-of-fact you did not even drip! Daddy taught us how to eat an ice cream cone and it was a point of pride to eat it without one single drip....and no napkins....no matter how big the ice cream cone was! We went to visit our cousins in a nearby town and took one of my brother's friends with us. He announced that on the way back he was going to buy us a treat at the Dairy Queen. Man oh man! We could hardly wait for the trip back. The anticipation of that great big ice cream was hardly more than we could bear. Well, when we got to the Dairy Queen my brother's friend ordered and when we stepped up to get our ice cream we were handed the dinkiest little bit of an ice cream cone you have ever seen. Talk about disappointed, but.... we did not show it or say anything other than "Thank you", and acted like it was the best ice cream ever. It was good, just not "much" good. After we took my brother's friend home our Daddy must have known how disappointed we were because he took us straight to the Dairy Queen and got us a BIG ice cream cone. He told us he was proud of us for not saying anything. That my brother's friend did a nice thing and if we had said anything it would have hurt my brother's friend's feelings and Daddy and Moma would have been disappointed with us. And to show his appreciation for our conduct the ice cream was our reward. I believe it was that day that I learned about how good manners pay off.
These children obviously have been taught not to ask for, or expect people to buy things for them. And coming from a family of six children there may not be many opportunities for treats. But it was fun buying them a treat and allowing them to get what they wanted. And their parents would have been very proud to know that each one of them told me "Thank you for taking us to the park to play...and for the drink!"
That evening as Eve was getting ready to return home and take the three youngest with her, I heard the children say to her. "Mom, can't we stay here? We had fun today. We don't want to go home." Of course they did leave, but at least I know that when they do come back to stay until they find a house to buy here, they will be happy staying here.
Today as I talked with my daughters on the phone I was reminded of how much I miss my family when they are not here. Our house was always busy while our two children were growing up. They were active in school, with band, choir, and church activities. Their friends were always at our house and we really enjoyed it. It was the same during their college years and for three years Lizardbreath and Rock lived with us, like the Waltons, along with the Professor, the Princess, and the Warrior. And since they have moved to Texas they have added another arrow to the quiver and Baby J will be a year old on September 5th! This summer we have had Mr. Golden Curls and the Lil' Spitfire quite a bit while the Bohemian and The Busy Bee were trying to sell their house or at least rent it, get packed and moved to Hot Springs. This summer has been a swirl of activity and while the activity has not slowed much, our two children and their families both now live five hours away, in opposite directions and we just don't get to see them as often as we would like. Having these other children in our home has made me homesick for my own children and grandchildren while allowing me to relive moments of the past with school and activities.
So when I say, "Where is everyone?", what I mean is, I love you, I miss you, and I wish you were here. But since you can't be....make a blog entry! And I will try to do better as well.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
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CHA-CHING!
For those of you who are too young to remember....this is all Doogie Houser's fault...all this blogging! Doogie Houser was young doctor, just a boy really. He graduated from High School at too young an age and then attended medical school graduating at the top of his class. But genius had nothing to do with how he related to the world socially so he suffered the same things that "normal" teenagers did. He would come home from his work at the hospitol and put his words to computer keys and keep track of his daily thoughts and happenings much like most teenagers did in diaries or journals. So...here we are.
I have been contemplating this blog thing for awhile, but just today finally decided to make it a reality.
Much of life is changing right now, so why not try some new things along with all the other changes.
I don't really like change very much. They say that becomes more common the older you get, and I suppose it is true. I like routine, status quo, the way things used to be. And yet, one of my favorite quotes is, "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got!" That means if you don't want what you always got....you have to change!
So, change we do. Right now, Thor, the love of my life, is going through change on his job. What he is doing he has done before, but not for almost a decade. At first, when he told me he felt like an old dinosaur and would have to learn "how to" all over again I thought he was being silly. Until I was interviewing for jobs after 16 years and had to learn "how to" all over again. He was not being silly at all. He was being honest. There is a great deal of difference in approaching a task when you are fresh out of college and ready to take on the world idealistically and doing so when you are aware of reality. But...I am happy to say, Thor has come through with flying colors, as I knew he would, and doing a great job...at his "new" old job!
Our son, the Bohemian, has just taken a new job assignment in a new town. He has been struggling with living without his family until they can sell their house or at least rent it and move to his new location with him. It has been difficult and is getting really tiresome after five months. But, there does seem to be some parting of the clouds. The Bohemian, the Busy Bee, Mr. Golden Curls, and the Lil' Spitfire are all looking forward to the one change that will bring them all under one roof!
Our daughter, Lizardbreath, and her husband, the Rock have just returned home after being gone for nearly a month attending a business convention in Nevada and visiting Thor and I in Oklahoma. Today they are having a Princess Birthday Party for The Princess. She will be six on Tuesday! That does not seem possible. And yet another change is occuring....we are not able to be there! This is the first birthday we have missed for any of our 6 grandchildren....and I hope it will be the last. But gas prices and the fact that I will be leaving for Colorado with Tickle Sister on Tuesday made the trip impractical, especially since they were just here last week. But, we called her today and the Princess said it was alright, she got the present we sent her.
Well, time for another change. I must leave this computer and go keep Thor company....I know he is just waiting for me to add conversation and comments to his television viewing pleasure.....What?!
I have been contemplating this blog thing for awhile, but just today finally decided to make it a reality.
Much of life is changing right now, so why not try some new things along with all the other changes.
I don't really like change very much. They say that becomes more common the older you get, and I suppose it is true. I like routine, status quo, the way things used to be. And yet, one of my favorite quotes is, "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got!" That means if you don't want what you always got....you have to change!
So, change we do. Right now, Thor, the love of my life, is going through change on his job. What he is doing he has done before, but not for almost a decade. At first, when he told me he felt like an old dinosaur and would have to learn "how to" all over again I thought he was being silly. Until I was interviewing for jobs after 16 years and had to learn "how to" all over again. He was not being silly at all. He was being honest. There is a great deal of difference in approaching a task when you are fresh out of college and ready to take on the world idealistically and doing so when you are aware of reality. But...I am happy to say, Thor has come through with flying colors, as I knew he would, and doing a great job...at his "new" old job!
Our son, the Bohemian, has just taken a new job assignment in a new town. He has been struggling with living without his family until they can sell their house or at least rent it and move to his new location with him. It has been difficult and is getting really tiresome after five months. But, there does seem to be some parting of the clouds. The Bohemian, the Busy Bee, Mr. Golden Curls, and the Lil' Spitfire are all looking forward to the one change that will bring them all under one roof!
Our daughter, Lizardbreath, and her husband, the Rock have just returned home after being gone for nearly a month attending a business convention in Nevada and visiting Thor and I in Oklahoma. Today they are having a Princess Birthday Party for The Princess. She will be six on Tuesday! That does not seem possible. And yet another change is occuring....we are not able to be there! This is the first birthday we have missed for any of our 6 grandchildren....and I hope it will be the last. But gas prices and the fact that I will be leaving for Colorado with Tickle Sister on Tuesday made the trip impractical, especially since they were just here last week. But, we called her today and the Princess said it was alright, she got the present we sent her.
Well, time for another change. I must leave this computer and go keep Thor company....I know he is just waiting for me to add conversation and comments to his television viewing pleasure.....What?!
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