busy crazy house...

It's quiet here...quiet because six of the kids left at 7:30, Paul left a few minutes ago (he's grilling for the event Emily's company is catering today)...he went on a run this morning with Suri, and Duke followed, so both dogs are sound asleep, exhausted. The princesses are still sleeping, or in their beds reading.

That leaves me. I was washing dishes, having already worked on the pool (just backwashing the filter, putting in a new chlorine tablet), watering some flowers, puttering around folding towels, ect...then I realized that it was QUIET. I can do dishes later, I want to sit down and think straight in that rare commodity of quietness.

And ahh, it does feel nice...stretching my legs out in my comfy chair, sipping coffee, hearing the birds sing and the branches rustle in the breeze. It's looking like rain, which would be nice for our poor brown grass, all the rain lately has gone north or south of us.

Today, I am going to my newphew's wedding, with Evelyn. Paul does not like weddings. He does not like events where he has to dress up and be inside. I have missed more things through the years because he simply didn't want to go, now I just go by myself or take someone else with me. It's better to go with someone else than have to endure Paul being ready to leave after the first hour...me avoiding even looking in his direction, because I know he's giving me the "can we leave" look. He's fine with me going, and I'm kind of fine going without him. Of course I would love it if he would be thrilled to go, simply to be with me, no matter the event, but as long as we're dreaming, I would love to be fifty pounds lighter, and a millionaire too.

Don't get me wrong. I know him well enough to not take it personally, not TOO personally anyway, ha. I still love him. I think you don't have to absolutely love each and everything about someone to love them, love covers a multitude of sins, and to give each other freedom is good too.

I can't even imagine how many things he has had to overlook with me, ha.

But here's the thing: he's making bonebroth again. It's awful. He gets these beef bones and simmers them with vegetables, like broccoli and cauliflower, simmers it for a few days...the whole house smells like soup, you walk in the door, and it's like the hallway of an apartment complex with no ventilation. He says it's really healthy, it's good for your joints, good for your bones, he sips it, and puts it in French onion soup. It's probably all true, but I am Miss Picky, and just cannot make myself sip bonebroth.

So here's the other thing: tomorrow's my birthday. So Paul stopped at the store yesterday and bought me flowers, donuts, and light beer. Donuts? Why did you do this to me? Wegman's donuts, no less...they are scrumptious. And, there were two chocolate peanut ones in there. He said, "The kids love donuts." Well duh. And so do I. And because I hadn't eaten in a while, and my resolve was weakened, because I reasoned that it was close to my birthday, and so on, so I broke off a few pieces of that chocolate peanut donut, and oh dear, yum. Lydia was here so we let her choose one just to be funny, it was hilarious. She chose the chocolate glazed, so we let her eat some little bites of it standing at the coffee table. She was like Cookie Monster, only about 10% of it actually went down the hatch, the rest was flying everywhere and the clean up was totally worth seeing her joy.

And the light beer...I only drink beer very occasionally, and since I don't like to consume lots of calories, I choose light beer...I mean a half of one every once in a while when I'm grilling dinner...so he bought me some really nice stuff...after getting home from food prep last night, I sat down and drank a whole one...it felt so un-feminine, but I glugged it...it was too good.

And surprise surprise, the scale was the lowest yet since vacation, almost back to where I was before I left.

Summertime...I love it. Barefeet and spontaneity at it's best. On Monday, we are having a little pool party for the kids...they can invite friends over for corn dogs and snow cones, and run around the yard and go swimming. Just planning it gives the little girls something fun to do.

We are going to Lake George sometime this summer, to the amusement park (free tickets homeschooling program). Ben and Ashley and Anya are coming for another visit:)! Margaret and Abigail are coming home from Norway...and Paul and I may be going on a little trip...too much fun.

All of this fun is in the midst of raising all these girls...and Jon, of course. (My other boys are already raised, ha, but Samuel will be moving back home next year when he's done with the Army, at least until he figures out what he'll be doing, police academy or college or whatever). But teenage girls, oh they're interesting. I had this thought last night: I am so sick and tired of being patient with these girls. ha. I come to the end of my rope with them. They're so vibrant and funny and lively and full of good ideas and sometimes they are so full of life the house can barely contain them. They break out in song, then sisters join in, and we have our own chorus. But they can also be snappy and argue-y and moody and unpredictable. And I'm human, I can be snappy too, but God is good, he has bigger plans for me, and I am so thankful when I can see that tendency in myself, and go beyond what I feel capable of. I would rather suffer and be good than to just give in to temptation and be miserable.

It's a huge responsibility to be a parent. I don't want to dish out punishments because I feel irritated. That's not right. Just because I happen to be the mom, and I get the last word, because I'm the mom. I don't want to be like that. Not at all. Blessed are the merciful, they will obtain mercy. Let patience have it's perfect work. Humble yourself, and you will be exalted.
I find that parenting is more that I work on my own salvation, fight my own sin, then everything else falls into place.

Lydia is coming over again this afternoon. She was too much fun yesterday. Evelyn put her in the walker and gave her a popsicle, which she loved until she hated it, it was too cold...she went for a dip in the pool, and loved that too. We had to take everything off the coffee table because she pulls herself up and likes to grab everything and throw it on the floor. She's busy and quick, a challenge to Grammy here, but she's so cute, Grammy's willing to try to keep up with her.

Anyway. Life is good.