You can shake it

Traveling with our kids usually ends one of two ways: I either end up laughing so hard I nearly pee pants, or I cry.

Yesterday was Hoover Christmas. Hoover family events require driving an hour and a half each way. After being loved on and sugared up for four hours, this happened on the drive home:


Morley [after seeing a cow move in a pasture]: That cow's head moved! I thought it was a robot cow!

***


Sarah, Dan and I were having a conversation about someone who we joke can do no wrong. Jonah heard the tail end of it.

Jonah: Who walked on water?
Me: Jesus
Sarah: He also turned water into wine.
Jonah: You know who else did something with water?
[expectant pause]
Dan: Jack Daniels.

****

Riley: People don't have tails.
Jonah: Yes they do. You can't touch it, but you can shake it.

****

Aunt Sarah (who often rides with us to family stuff): Do you like what Santa gave you?
Morley: I told Santa I want Hello Kitty Legos and a Hello Kitty penny bank. He did it wrong. [She got Cinderella Squinkies.]

****

So....no crying on the drive home yesterday. I'm still laughing about Dan's Jack Daniels comment. I love my family so much and I'm so very very grateful that they make me laugh.

No Time

When I was growing up, my mom worked first shift in a factory from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM. My school hours were 8:05 AM to 3:20 PM.  I got home at 3:45, and my mom got home a few minutes later. We ate dinner at 5:00-ish every day. Bedtime was 8:00 until I was a teen. That equaled 4 hours every day mom spent with us.

I work 8:30 to 4:30. I drop Jonah and Riley off at ROCK at 7:40. I drop Morley off at daycare at 8:00. I pick up Morley between 4:45 and 5:00.  I pick up Jonah and Riley between 5:20 and 5:30. I struggle to get dinner on the table by 6:00.  We have to squeeze in homework and a bath before bed. The kids go to bed at 8:00.

I feel like I get no quality time with my children during the week. I feel like the worst mom because I'm always rushed and always stressed. There's not much I can do about this situation, because I have to work. I don't have any answers, only seemingly-unfixable problems.

Quitter's Club

I've had friends in my life that I've grown apart from and lost touch with. It makes me sad to think of some of these lost friendships. Others, in hindsight, I'm better off without.

I worked at the same law firm for 10 of 12 years. (I had a baby, quit, then went back for a while, then quit again.) In those years, I became good friends with 3 of my coworkers, all of whom no longer work there. As these things tend to happen, since we don't see each other every day, we don't see each other much at all. Last night, I had dinner/hanging out time with 2 of these 3 friends, and had a fantastic time. Spending time with EKB and ALS reminded me that I love those women, and need them in my life more regularly. So here's me, committing to seeing my good friends more often.

In the jeans

I've lost weight in the last 6 months. I have no idea how many pounds, but I'm down 2 pants sizes. Which is fantastic. Except I don't have any jeans that fit me. Tonight I was helping the girls with their shower, and my jeans fell off me. Dan suggested that I gain some weight to help keep my pants on. I gave him a dirty look and told him how I really feel.

I'm thrilled that I've lost weight. Now when I look down, my belly doesn't stick out past my chest. For a long time, whenever I looked down, my belly was out further than my chest. And I wasn't pregnant for it. That made me sad. Now when I look down, my chest is out past my belly. That does a lot for my self esteem.

You're welcome.

The other night, Dan and I were watching TV on DVD. (Firefly, since you asked.) He looked at me and said, "Thanks for saying yes." "Thanks for asking," I told him.

The lift and support I need.

I love the internet, and that we can find communities of people that do what we do and have the same joys and frustrations that we do.  My day job is paralegal for a solo practitioner.  I like it, most days.  Like all jobs, some days are better than others.  Once, while searching for paralegal blogs, I found Paralegal Hell.  She's funny, smart, and right on it about the frustrations of this industry.  Recently, she (and her fiance, HSF) started the Purgatory Panel.  I can't say how grateful I am to be a part of this community that really get each other.  Thanks, Paralegal, for getting us all together.

Happy Mother's Day!

It's Mother's Day, and I just want to say thank you to my husband for making it possible for me to celebrate this day. SHMILY.