With a flip of the page …

As a child, I remember reading The Little House on the Prairie series and being so drawn into them that I would stay up late to read. I would read and read and read, flipping the pages just eating up Laura's adventures. My mom would call up, "Finish the chapter and turn out the lights!" Read, flip, read, flip, I would become completely absorbed in the story. Then I would flip the page and there would be just one lone paragraph left in the chapter. I would be caught off guard. The chapter had gone by so very quickly.

I often see my life as a book. Chapters breaking up the stages of my life with titles such as; Finding Mr. Right, My Life as a Bridezilla, Throwing Up For Nine Months, on and on the chapters unfold. For the past five years I have been contently wrapped in a chapter entitled "Mommy and Me." My life has followed the pattern of a stay at home mom with two little girls. Morning play groups or Mommy and Me class, home for lunch, afternoon nap, play, run errands, get ready for dinner. That has been the rhythm of my days.

Last Monday afternoon, I went to the science museum with my sister and her children. As I was driving around the parking lot, waiting for a spot, I watched moms with young toddlers leaving the museum. They left in pairs and small groups, pushing their toddlers in strollers. A few were pregnant with baby number two. Watching those women, I was suddenly very aware that I'm not them anymore. I was rather surprised to realize it. When had that happened? How many days in the last few years have I done the 10 am at the museum play date? 75, 162, 724? But when had I done it recently? Hum… I can't remember. With Sarah getting ready to head to kindergarten and Emily in programs 3 days a week, that's just not our life anymore. Last week, I accepted a part time position at my church. It is the first time I have worked outside of the house in 5 years. I am excited about the position, but it too brings changes to our life.

Sitting in the museum parking lot, I flipped the page in my own life story, and saw a lone lingering paragraph. The Mommy and Me chapter is coming to a close. I can't be purely cliché or stoic, I am excited about our next chapter but I am sad to see this one end. It was a sweet chapter, that passed all too quickly.

Things people shouldn’t say …

Four years ago, my friend Fara was at an ice cream shop when a woman came up to her and asked her when she was due. She wasn't pregnant. Her husband found this humorous of course, but Fara was totally traumatized. Needless to say, when it was time to order her ice cream, she had lost her appetite. Since then Fara has coined the phrase, "If you don't know, don't say it!" Don't rub women's pudgy bellies, don't ask about due dates, don't ask people if they are really sick or very tired. Just don't say it!

A few weeks ago, we had an insurance adjuster at our house looking into a roof leak. I introduced him to Sarah and Emily, who quickly became his little shadows as he walked around our house. My husband Pete came out of his office and the adjuster said, "Oh this must be your son?" Pete and I looked at him and cracked up, assuming it was just a slip of the tongue. Pete made some joke calling me Mama. The adjuster just stood there confused. To my horror, I realized that he actually thought Pete was my son! Pete found this hysterical – for weeks actually. I suggested we switch insurance agents.

This afternoon, the girls and I were out shopping and a woman in line in front of us turned around and asked if the girls were my grandchildren! What! I'm not even sure it's mathematically possible! When I got over my shock, I replied, "No, I am their mother." The women replied, "Oh, I didn't know." Please lady, dig your hole a little deeper, and make me feel even better.

So this is my public plea to follow Fara's sage advice "If you don't know, don't say it!" And since I am feeling like I apparently need a makeover, or something, I want to hear your stories of moronic comments – because you know, misery loves company.

Family Lent Project…

One of the new traditions that Pete and I want to start this Easter is to have a family giving project. We want the girls to focus on giving to others as we get ready to celebrate our Savior who gave his life for us. Thursday night we sat down and did our devotion and then talk about what we want our project to be. Pete and I had spoken earlier in the day about it. I wanted to have a plan that we steered Sarah toward. Pete thought that we should just see what she wanted to do. Such a nice dad - such a control freak mommy. I had a pen and paper and we brainstormed who we wanted to help, what we had to give and how we wanted to give it.

For who we wanted to help, we wrote down; our neighbors, the elderly, and kids who need toys. Sarah's suggestion was the last one, so we went with that. Then we talked about what we had to give, we wrote down; toys and clothes we no longer use, money, Sarah can sing to people, Emily and Sarah can draw pictures, Mommy can make yummy food, Daddy can fix computers. Putting all our ideas together we decided to help an organization called Warren Village. Several of my friends have been involved in this organization, including my friend Betsy's company Camp Experience. Warren Village's website has a list of needed items. We blocked a March 1^st off on our calendar to spend the day cleaning out our closet and the garage of extra items. We blocked off March 8^th to deliver our items. We are also going to try to adopt a family through Warren Village, who we can provide Easter gifts for the kids and a monetary gift to the parent. I think that will be a good way to make it personal and real for Sarah. I want her to be able to pick out gifts for a child whose name we actually know.

God was so amazingly present in our planning. We came up with the amount of $100 we wanted to collect to give to the family we adopt. Pete suggested we go around the house and pick up all the change and lose money we had laying around. It came to $27! Then Pete suggested that he and Sarah donate the coins they have been rolling and saving. The new total was $85! We discussed how we can save another $15 to use and decided as a family to forgo going out for lunch after church. Voile! We are at $100 and we are only 3 days into it. I can not imagine what our total will be in a few weeks. Another great thing was that two summers ago Pete over bought sandbox sand by – and I mean WAY over bought. The bags have been sitting in our garage and annoying us since then. Well guess what the first item on Warren Village's wish list is? You got it, sandbox sand! Well they will get lots! I love that. I'll keep you posted as our project continues.

Little update on little Emily's academic career: Yes, she did get in to two days of preschool next year, as I had hoped. So my tardiness in showing up for registration at 6 am will not scar her academic progress. Thanks for all your e-mails and concern. J