Call me a Slacker!

Okay, I am cheating because I am such a slacker these days. Life has taken over. Two of my boys are playing soccer, I am going to an exercise class, running, or playing soccer 5 days a week, already making headway on auction plans (are you still in for a quilt Aunt Spicy?)......and the list goes on. So today I am going to make life easy for myself and do Friday Fill-Ins.

And...here we go!

1. I was a teacher before having children.
2. I was rushing to my connecting flight and I left my book on the previous plane.
3. Why do my boys have to fight in the truck?
4. My very pregnant sister was in my thoughts today.
5. One of my father's favorite sayings was "To hell in a hand basket if we don't change our ways".
6. Overwhelmed--I know that feeling!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to vegging in front of the TV, tomorrow my plans include the Cinco de Mayo party and Sunday, I want to kick butt in cardio kickboxing!

Hard To Be a Baby Bird This Time of Year

Today was one of those days where we had soccer practice and wouldn't be home until well after dinner time. Using some foresight I decided to let the kids run amok while I prepared dinner. Trevor comes running in to tell me that Lucky, our cat, has caught a bird. "Come quick, you have to see this Mom!" he tells me. Knowing that Lucky is very much a bird cat I went outside. I was expecting to see an adult bird with puncture wounds. This is what I found:

This is what I found. Lucky had been "toying" with it like it was a mouse or vole. So I rescued it.

And put it in a shoe box on Julia's counter so she could figure out what to do with it.

We think it came from the nest in the picture above. Trevor found another baby bird that was dead just below the nest.

And this? This is our bird cat.....Lucky.

Superwoman Magic

I love how my kids think that I am Superwoman. They seem to think that they can sit 50 feet away from me and that I am able to inspect a wound, bug, speck of dust from that far away. I keep telling them that I don't have super sonic vision. In their mind I DO have super sonic vision. This makes me laugh because I wear contacts every day and glasses at night when I am tired of the contacts.

I truly enjoy how kids believe anything you tell them when they are young. I especially love how they are like a "sponge" and soak everything they see and hear into their brains and beings and learn so much from it. The fun part of being a parent when they are that young and impressionable is that you can pull the wool over their eyes and they don't even know it. When my kids asked me a question that I didn't have an answer to I always reverted to "Magic".....that was my answer, my explanation for the unknown.

Even better is when their brains mature and they get it. "Magic" means mom doesn't know. It was hysterical when Luke discovered that I didn't know the answer to what ever question being asked. He took one look at me with a knowing look and said "Magic, huh?" Had a good laugh with that one.

If I could be a super hero I think Superwoman with a bit of Magic would be the best combo. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

Random Acts of Kindness

This morning I went on a much needed grocery run. Jeff isn't home, so I had to take the boys. I generally wait til they are in school so I can get through much faster and so I don't have to reprimand them while in the store. They feel incredibly comfortable in the grocery store we go to because they have been going with me since birth and just about every sales clerk know who my boys are.

We are going up and down the aisles grabbing the items needed and we get to the meat department. I am looking to see what I want to throw in the cart when Trevor comes over from the pet aisle with a Laser Chase II, you know the kind they point on the ground so cats, dogs, even chickens can chase the little red dot. (All 3 boys have money burning a hole in their pockets). He asks if he has enough to buy it so he can have the cats chase it and ultimately the puppy when we get her. I ask him how much he has and he proceeds to pull ALL change out of his pocket and count it. Mind you, he is on the floor in the meat department counting change while I watch him count and help if needed.

Another older woman is also in the meat department looking to purchase some for her family. She watches Trevor count his change with a smile on her face. After a few minutes of counting and checking with me to see if he is counting right she gets my attention. She asks "Is it okay if I give them some money?" I am hesitant, I don't want the boys to think that people will just hand them money at any given time. Before I even answer she has given each boy $5 to spend as they wish. Wow, that was very nice of her. The boys all said "Thank you" and proceeded to find what they could buy with an extra $5.

I love it when people do Random Acts of Kindness. It is heart warming and shows that there are good people in this world. So when it happens to me or my kids I feel a sense of gratitude, generosity, and compassion. I know it makes me feel good when I do things for others I don't know as well as those I do know.....but I find it more fun to surprise those I don't know and certainly don't expect it.

The most I have done is paid someone's bridge toll as I am paying mine. I do this when I head home from visiting my mom. I don't do it every time, but once in a while.

My question for you is what Random Act of Kindness have you done lately?