This and that

It was a beautiful weekend full of friends and relaxation. Yesterday, a high school buddy of Greg's brought his family down from Dayton for the day. There were five red headed kids running around with our brunette group and it was a blast. Rumor has it three cameras and four iPhones were available but no one thought to take a picture of these two awesome dads with their ten children. I blame the whole, "we lose brain cells with placentas" theory I fall back on when I forget simple things.

It was nice to commiserate with another mother walking a similar path as mine. She is also parenting teens and toddlers; which we both consider proof God has a sense of humor.  It isn't for the weak, for sure. Navigating the turbulent sixteenth year with girls while keeping up with three year old boys leaves a mom depleted. And in need of a good long, uninterrupted conversation now and again.

Saturday, I rode along with Erin in her new car so we could transfer her title and registration. Her graduation cap tassel is hanging by the review mirror. I waver between pride and sadness. On one hand I am ready to watch her soar. On the other, I want to hold onto time.

Kate has always been fascinated by bugs and loves science too....enter the tent caterpillars nesting in our tree line. The babies were discovered today. I now have buckets full of them on the patio. Kate had her trusty sidekicks aiding in her gathering while she filled her journal with sketches and data she researched online. Pulling away from traditional worksheets for the afternoon proved worthwhile.

 

 

 

 

I have my nose in a hard and beautiful book, The Language of Flowers. News from Boston hit the kids' newsfeed last week and classroom discussions commenced the following day.  Our world is full of both good and evil and the girls struggle, like me to find balance in loving and caring with boundaries. I want them to grow up in a world where everyone is kind and goodness is repaid with more goodness but the truth is, I have to equip them to conquer evil as well. Not everyone in their lives will deserve to be there. Not every hurting person will respond to love; some will lash out in pain. They need to be able to discern where to draw the line in their personal lives; much easier said than done.  Reconciling "be nice" with "you can no longer be a part of my life" challenges me. Every good Christian knows we are supposed to "do good unto others" but I also know from experience we are called to serve God, not man, and that line is fuzzy at best.