Life Lately

Life lately has been too busy.  Just all the things.  And hubs is traveling.  By the end of the day I feel like I have been dog paddling and treading water all day.  Homework, sports, activities, 2 preteens.  One girl preteen.  Need I say more?

It’s that time of year.  It’s not just me, it’s moms everywhere.  I have been craving some time to myself.  It’s not likely to come any time soon.

And that’s OK.  In the midst of the crazy I sat down and poured myself a glass of wine.  Sat down to write.  I thought I needed to vent.  And everything that came out sounded whiny and complain-y.  Yes it’s busy.  Yes it’s noisy.  Yes it’s a struggle sometimes.  Yes it’s easy to lose yourself in the frenzy of it all.  But the busy-ness is proof of active children who like to “do.”  The noise is proof of children who are healthy and happy.  The struggle is proof that my children are trying.  And a reminder that I should too.

I’m blessed for these things.  Truly.  This is what I signed on for.  I can’t lift my littlest one to carry him around anymore and I don’t know when that happened.  I am almost eye-to-eye with my oldest and I don’t know when that happened.  Girls are starting to notice him and I don’t know when that happened.  My daughter is becoming a lovely young lady and I don’t know when that happened.  It can all be gone in the blink of an eye.  It can all change just like that, and honestly, it does.  We have to savor every crazy moment of it.  Every rainy football game.  Every muddy cross country meet.  Every drum video.  Every off-tune song.  Every cheer.  Every handstand.  Every pillow fort.  Every wrong turn.  Every flunked Latin test.  Every math fact.  Every juice box.  Every award.  Every good grade.  Every concert.  Every joke.  Every idea.  Every prank.  Every dream.  Every everything.

Every day.

Life lately?  Crazy.  Good.  Crazy good.

Turns out, all I needed was a reminder.

There's An Egg in My Soda

My children are always on the hunt for soda.  It is rare that we have anything other than ginger ale, and it is equally rare that they are allowed to have it.  Although I admit I do indulge them occasionally – nothing in the world tastes like an ice cold Coke.

This hunt led my youngest to the garage refrigerator this afternoon.  Inside were three glasses: one with milk, one with ginger ale and one with Coke.

Just sitting there.  In the refrigerator.  In the garage.  All in a row.

"Those are your sister's."

There is an egg in all three glasses.  It is my daughter’s science experiment.  You can see the egg in the ginger ale.  You can’t in the other two glasses; however, all glasses are the same.

One might logically conclude, upon opening the door and seeing such a sight, that something is happening here.  They are there for a purpose.  And one very obviously has an egg in it.

Do you just help yourself to the glass of Coke, sitting so neatly there in that row of beverages?  Should I really answer that? 

“Oh my gosh, there’s an egg in this Coke.  Why is there an EGG in the Coke?"

"Because it is a science experiment."

"Can I have this Ginger ale?”

Because it is eggless?


Lesson: you don't help yourself to something just because you want it.  Because it might not be what you think it is.  Some surprises are worse than others, like the time my brother drank a cup of bleach thinking it was water, because it was there and he was thirsty and he wanted it.  A perfect example of a bad (and very dangerous) surprise.

And also, your sister will FREAK THE SHIT OUT on you.  That, alone, should deter you from ever touching anything ever around here that's not yours.  EVER. 

Never one to miss an opportunity like this, he opens his mouth and, knowing what's coming next I shut it down with a "No, you absolutely cannot drink the egg Coke when the project is over, even if your 8-year-old brain finds it hysterical.  Even if you and your brother record it for prosperity.  And no, you may not post the video to YouTube.  Trust me when I tell you, none of this is a good idea."

I fully expect this isn't the last we've seen of the egg in the soda idea.  I know that kid.  Let me know if you see it on YouTube, will ya?