Bug Bites, Bruises and Curtain Closings

September is upon us- another summer just about gone.  Boy, I remember when I was little, summer was such a gift-3 long months to indulge in sleeping in, staying up late and endless trips to the pool and library.  I do think my kids enjoy the summer time they have, but I realized that our summer is quite like the rest of the year.  Since we do summer school- a lighter version of regular school- there is little escape from school.  Trips to the library continue all year around and pool time morphs into snow play (it's all water).  But, there are a few things I think we are anxious to wave goodbye to that come with summer. . . 

Bug bites.  There are times in the summer where my kids look like they have chicken pox due to the multiple bites they've incurred.  I can't help but wonder why it is we never feel these little pests until after their duty is done.  If we were bombarded by a herd of elephants- not a doubt we'd feel it.  If we were overrun by a pack of dogs, we'd run like a bunch of scared girls-screams included!  If we happened to run across an army of frogs, there would be more screaming than before- and that would be from just me.  A swarm of bees- I trust we would find our legs pumping to escape.  Why there is certain times when we can even feel 1 hair out of place on our heads.  So, I am absolutely baffled that 20 to 30 mosquitoes can search, swarm and suck on the fruits of our obviously good tasting blood and we don't feel a thing until after they are gone and we are left with more spots than a dot to dot book. 
Thank God for hydrocortisone!  Dousing this out has become my part time summer job.  The pay is terrible and the applications can be worse- bugs have a way of finding obscure body parts to bite!  The poor Baby Boy- he must have sweeeet blood.  He had so many bites this summer.  One in particular was in his underarm and due to his constant attention of scratching, it grew to the size of a small country- well at least to the size of a well defined bicep- too bad he couldn't show that off as a muscle- especially since he has just now come to acceptance of wearing muscle shirts.  Jane Austen Wanna be assured him daily that he had a tumor growing there.  He would just respond by more scratching. 
Happily, we wave goodbye to summer bug bites!

Bruises.  I know, this is seriously something that is a year round occurrence.  However, my kids are a bit more daring during the summer.  I'm sure it has something to do with the freedom in less layers of clothes, barefoot running and fried brain cells due to high summer temperatures.  This last summer,  The Cute one who Gets Everything Free at Garage Sales,  The Boy and The Baby Boy took it upon themselves to learn how to do front flips on the trampoline.  I keep looking at the warning sign on the side of the trampoline that shows a stick figure with a neck broke in half.  Scary!  I don't think I was ever more relieved when the older of the three had "brain block" all of the sudden and couldn't remember how to do it any longer.  I put on my best "Awwwww, too bad" face and then danced the   "Whooo-Hooo" dance behind their back!  And being the baby, The Baby Boy has decided to copy his older siblings and "forget" how to roll on the trampoline too. 

Other toys like bikes and skateboards are summer time fun and bring a barrage of scrapes and bang-ups with them.  We do like spending time outside playing with the multitude of yard toys, so it is inevitable that in just about 2 days my children have dawned the "knee socks" of brown and purple bruises.  The boys wear them proudly and love to capture any one's ear to relate all the stories that earned them their badges, which surprisingly always involves pirates and sharks, not to mention guns and sailing through the air.  Have to love the imagination! 

The Boy has just learned to ride his bike without training wheels- no easy feat for a 4 year old, but he was majorly determined and encouraged by the older sisters he took off.  I can't help but beam when my kids catch on to bike riding, it amazes me that the same child who can't walk across the room without knocking into chairs, couches or other siblings can manage balancing on 2 wheels and glide somewhat smoothly down the driveway.  And now the bruise stories can be a bit  more thrilling- for as everyone knows, escaping from a shark riding pirate is always more fun on a motorcycle than on foot!

Closing the curtains.  Sigh.  The sad part of summer ending is the curtains close a bit earlier each night.  With the daylight growing shorter, it feels as if we are somehow robbed of time and often we find ourselves wondering where the hours went and we scurry to get everything done.  The winter solstice and return of a bit longer light is celebrated like Christmas for us.  The moment we are sitting around the supper table and all of the sudden realize we can still clearly see outside is call for a hoopla. 

While I'll quote my mother in saying "God made the bugs for a purpose!"  I'm happily envisioning Heaven shy of bugs therefore free of bites!  Sadly, for boys, the bruises fade, so I'm assuming Heaven full of bruise stories that mirror the fish stories of "the one that got away" - lacking proof to impress.  And joyfully I'm banking on my Heavenly mansion with curtains always thrown wide open letting the glory of God shine on my supper table each and every night!

Contentedly surviving myself,
Mary

Loosening the Apron Strings

Can someone tell me the secret to slowing time?  I'm pretty sure summer just started, and yet here it is school time again.  I do remember some individual days here and there, but maybe they are all jumbled in with the "I'm bored, what can I do?" days and the "It's so hot-I'm melting!" months. 

Regardless of the reasons, I'm staring at the front end of September as it is peeking around the corner.  (Yes, I am one of the dying breed who waits until after Labor Day to start school.  Okay, well not totally- as the Jane Austen Wanna Be, Bookworm and Clown would testify since they started doing some of next year's schoolwork already.  But, I really got tired of them having too much time loafing around and couldn't get them to do more housework so I could loaf around!)  But, this summer I was wanting to put the brakes on, just a bit.  I'm surrendering the Jane Austen Wanna Be to college classes this year.  And, I truly am proud like a strutting rooster, but I'm also apprehensive like a mother hen.  (By the way, did you ever notice apprehensive has the word "hen" in it?  Of course it also has the word "app" in it, which will be what the Jane Austen Wanna Be will be wishing she would have - an app for "reassuring mom that I am doing okay.") 

I did have in mind building some neat memories for the family this summer since we are entering a new chapter in life.  Somehow between high gas prices and the oldest off to various babysitting jobs, I lost track of time.  I didn't even get in a good stay-cation! 

Wait, before I start throwing a pity party, I did get a lot of laughs in this summer and since you've hung in reading this far, I'm going to share my latest.  Don't stop reading now, it is a cute, little laugh.

As the Jane Austen Wanna Be, Bookworm and I were driving to the gym, we were listening to one of our favorite, okay only, NPR radio shows,  Car Talk.  This show, Click and Clack were listing the top 5 professions that have the most car wrecks.  Our minds were flying trying to see if we could guess the correct answers- and some of them we had correct.  The top profession that has car wrecks is students (Who said this is a profession?!?  I must have missed many years of paychecks when I was in school!)  The number 2 profession is medical doctors (Sure glad the operate better than they drive!)  Number 3 is lawyers (insert your own joke here_____________________).  Number 5 is real estate agents- makes sense- eyes on the houses, not the road. 

Yes, I know, I skipped number 4- here is where the joke on me comes in.  I mentioned in the last blog how the sense of hearing has been slipping- and hitting 45, I mean 40, is probably not going to help this.  Anyway, the 4th profession for having the most accidents is "Unknown."  Yet, deaf me hears "A Gnome."  As I swerve to avoid the ditch, due to my laughing and wondering "Gnomes?!? - of course they would have car accidents- can't see over the steering wheel!"  My kids, suddenly aware of the importance of seat belts,  inform me of the real category- which, by they way is not, N-O-T as funny as gnomes!

How does this tie into apron strings?  We'll I'm unloosing the Jane Austen Wanna Be to make the drive to the community college (60 miles round trip) all by herself.  You parents know- it's not the child you don't trust, it's everyone else's driving that concerns you!  No, really, she'll be fine; I've already made sure she knows the route and have sent her on various errands with guinea pig siblings to get the new driver impulses under her belt.  BUT, it is really about me coming to accept that my baby is growing up.  And I'm not sure how it slipped by me so quickly.  Was it the endless days of changing diapers to tying shoes to glasses, to braces, to schooling, schooling, schooling. . . ?  Sigh.
Why didn't someone tell me to just stop more often and forget about what I thought was so pressing and important to finish and just enjoy?  Pause time?  Breathe it all in?  Hold it in my heart?

Believe me, experiencing these feelings with the oldest one will make me appreciate and enjoy the time I have with the other ones- of course they probably will get tired of Mom giving them a "goofy- I love you look" and they probably won't welcome the bricks I'm going to place on their heads to slow growth- Oh, who said I was going to accept all this easily?  But they will know that their mother is treasuring them and thanking God for the blessing He gave me in choosing me to be their mother. 

So, the knot in the apron is starting to slip a little.  And next week I'll put on my happy face while I send my baby off to school (One thing I LOVE about homeschooling- I was able to put off the separation of the first day of school from age 5 to age 16!!) and then I'll retreat back to the house, go down on my knees and pray that my heavenly Father will protect my child's body, heart, and soul~  
Oh, and that He will also keep all the gnomes off the road!!

Painfully Surviving Myself,
Mary

Tech Post

GUEST POST ALERT: 

 Hi everyone! Jane Austen Wanna-be here. I wanted to share with you gals and guys about some of the technical stuff on the blog.
   I'm sitting here enjoying my starbursts (a little treat mom got me for fixing the computer. Did I mention she got me the BIG pack? I work for peanuts...OK, candy.) Hmmmm....what's Mom trying to do? She's just insuring the fact that I'll always have a reason to stick with her on the Supreme 90 exercise program.
   Between a broken computer router and the Bookworm's new Nook, I have been playing Geek Squad for the past few days...I'm such a social reject. No offense to readers who are members of the Geek Squad - I love you! I had to have you fix my laptop (that I broke) for free!! (did I mention this incident involved an 8 month old baby! That one wasn't my fault!)
   I am watching Mom's visitors on the stat counter go higher and higher - but we are still left with 1 follower...Thank you Mrs. Butcher!! So, here are the steps to become a follower:
1.  Under the section "followers" click the tab that says "Join This Site."
2.  Sign in with either Google, Yahoo, or Twitter. (or create an account with either of these 3)

Here are the steps to comment:
1. On the end of each post there is a section that says "0 comments."
2. Click that.
3. Type in your comment.
4. Select a account to post your comment as
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Here are the steps to subscribe to the blog through your e-mail so that you can get posts sent directly to your e-mail.
1. At the top of the blog there is a section that looks like a search engine.
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Hope this was helpful! Comment if you like the blog!
Jane Austen Wanna-be.