friday again already...not that I mind, but slow down, life!

Camille and I on our little outing yesterday...

Okay. Life is going by too fast. I want to stop and enjoy it. Here's one way I have started to to that...in the evenings, when my teenage girls gather in the living room, I put away my phone or my laptop, and look right at them, and talk to them. I hug them when they walk by and tell them they are cute, or sweet, or how much I appreciate them. It's so easy to parent on autopilot, nagging about who left what where. Did you do your homework? Brush your teeth? Leave your clothes in the dryer? Oh, and the orders I can bark out, not even thinking how I would feel if someone wanted me to do something RIGHT NOW.

But to stop a minute, and think about things...to be appreciative of the moments, because this IS LIFE. It isn't all preparing for Christmas, or preparing them for adulthood, or getting things ready for the bazaar. THIS IS LIFE. To live with no regrets isn't living for myself, it's living with an awareness of how I am to people, and being kinder and more patient, maybe even doing nice things for people instead of just thinking of me me me.

We can't seem to keep our dogs off the couch. They have the leather one they are allowed on because it is easy to wipe down...but they like the other couch because they want to be next to their friends. They thrive on being next to peoples. I wash the couch covers a few times a week. And guess what? I am the number one perpetrator, because they look at me with those cute little faces and want to be pet and cuddle.

Anyway. Paul and I are taking some of the younger kids to Florida this winter to visit his mom, and we are so excited about it. We haven't picked the dates yet as it has to be fit in with Paul's travel schedule for work, and we haven't picked which kid can't go yet, as we can only fit seven in the van:), and 8 of us want to go. Can we double buckle for a few thousand miles? Oh dear. Anyway. We're thinking of staying for a day or two at the ocean...oh warm sand and sunshine, I love thee. It's only the beginning of December,and beach weather already seems like a distant memory.

Davian is coming over soon, and I have things to do, and kids to teach, and clothes to wash, and and and...