Friday Night Blues.

I think I am going to start all my posts with song titles. I bet Dave can tell me who sings them all.

This song is one of my favorites. It takes me back.... to a good friend, Mad Dog, and lots of tears. But, never mind. That is a different story for another day..

Dave and I were going to be alone tonight. All night long. Ha ha! I kill myself!!!

Well, the short story is that Tripp ended up coming home from his sleepover with Lochlan, Emma stayed with Alexandra, and Eli is still at the church retreat.

Two out of three ain't bad. whoo hoo! ok, I am quitting.

I was so excited, yet I am just as excited to see my little Tripper Do.

I am thankful for my kids and I am thankful for Dave. So, so much.

I am on spring break next week. I am so thankful not to have homework. I just finished an all day mid term. It was from Satan. I literally worked on it all day. It was so hard.

Tomorrow is my dad's suprise birthday party. He has had a bad week with his blood pressure and he doesn't feel good at all. He scares me so bad sometimes. He came in the office yesterday afternoon and he was all red and pretty confused. And he was very confused this afternoon. I am also thankful to still have him here with me.

I guess this post is going nowhere.

I got to spend time with my "little" brother tonight. I am thankful for the relationship I have with him, also. And, I am thankful for his lovely wife and that sweet little boy of his.

I got an email from a lady in our congregation today. It made me cry. It was so nice. I am thankful for her.

Well, this is a thankful post, I guess.

Here is a picture of emma and tripp eating breakfast on the porch last spring. They are giving thanks. Dave took this picture and they did not know it.

I'm not worth much at all.

I came home for lunch today. As I stopped and checked the mail, I scanned thru the assorted envelopes to see if we had won a million dollars, or if anyone had mailed us a huge check. What I found was a letter from the Social Security Administration. While tearing it open, I had visions in my head of what I was going to do with all the money they were returning after mistakenly taking it from me over the years.

What I found out was that I am pretty much worthless.

I have been a stay at home mom for the last 9'ish years. Oh, I may have worked a "real" job on and off... I spent 4 years at the Y watching other people's children. I gave birth - twice in under two years, mind you. I have rocked my babies, cleaned vomit, wiped noses, sat up all night with a crying child who had a 105 degree fever. I have cleaned butts, listened to sob stories, fixed breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner. I changed 1,209,863 diapers. I hugged, I kissed, I tickled and I sang. But, that is not a real job.


These tasks are not considered to be worth any money. See, I found out today that IF I met an untimely death, my sweet husband would only get $583 a month. He couldn't even feed these kids with that. And, IF I so happen to make it to age 62, my retirement will be a whopping $210 a month. I will be age 62 in the year 2037. Imagine the economy. That is going to be a tank of gas. Or a Big Mac.

So, I am not really worth anything. But, someone tell me this. Why couldn't I get retirement on mothering? Should I not get any retirement for choosing to stay at home and raising productive citizens? How about a quarter a diaper? Or a dollar bonus for every doctors visit?

Isn't mothering the most important - and most difficult - job in the universe? It sure is, but it will not get you retirement. All I get is a paper in the mail that says that when I am old, I will be broke. I guess that is why my kids better be productive. I am going to have to live with them.

Look at what happens when a boy crashes out.

After staying up ALL night, inhaling junk food,

and P A R T Y I N G all night long, Eli went down.

This was waaayyy after lunch.
Matthew gave him a stuffed pig to sleep with.

And shaving creamed his nose, for good measure.


Then, he got his toes painted a lovely shade of purple,

courtesy of Grandma.

Dad thought he would be great with a bucket on his head.

And lots of baby shampoo, too.

Grandma thought he would look better with a

custom Amish bonnet to adorn his head.

Matthew thought that he looked better with a few more pigs.

We woke him up, hoping he would cry. He didn't.

He went right back to sleep. All that for nothing.

Happy 13th Birthday, Eli. Sorry we enjoy torturing you..

But it is so much fun. You scream like a girl.

Love, Your Momma.