Prayer Request

Today was the day I was to pack Gavin's room. This is a huge mountain for me to climb. Gavin is a pack rat. I am a minimalist. There were bound to be a few issues we had to hurdle. To put it mildly, I was feeling a little stressed. Plus, I had the added bonus of three helpers who do not know how to read my mind, thus, can inadvertently add to the stress levels of the day.

It will come as no surprise to anyone that I became a tad bit snappy in response to the million and one questions thrown my way while trying to make some headway into the depths of Gavin's junk...uh, I mean room. It was apparent to all that Mommy was not happy. That situation is not allowed in this house. Everyone pitched in and gave their best effort to the cause of 'Make Mommy Happy Again'.

Gavin decided saying "I love you" every 3 minutes was what I needed. He can't function, apparently, when I'm upset. Chloe just stayed away (smart move). And Bennett tells me nonchalantly, "Mom, I just prayed. I'm waiting for it to kick in."

I was so frustrated that I didn't even see the humor in what he said, I just replied, "Me too, Buddy, me too." But when I actually stopped and assessed the situation...saw my frustration being handled wrong and the kids bending over backwards to try to make me happy again, I realized that's just what I needed...Bennett's prayer to 'kick in' so I could get back on track and stop focusing on the mess and enjoy doing it with the kids instead.

I left the house for a bit. Came back refreshed. Laughed my head off at Bennett's response. And thanked God that it finally kicked in. Got home, made apologies. All is well in our world again.

And, as an added bonus...Gavin's room is completely packed...and I'm still happy.

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction

*not actual pig in our yard - image found on internet (photo credit Raul Romero Jr)

I was out running an errand today when I received this call from Gavin,

"Hi Mom. How are you? Um....I was just calling to tell you that I, uh, just saw a pink pig in our yard."

"Uh...excuse me? Did you just say a pig?"

"Ya."

"Is this a joke Honey?"

"No. I was just laying here reading and then I heard Ninja bark so I looked out the window and there was a little pink pig in our front garden."

"Seriously? A pink pig?"

"Yep."

"Where is it now?"

"I don't know."

"Hurry! Run and find it and take a picture! I've GOT to see this!"

"Okay. Goodbye Mom."

Chloe and Bennett were with me and heard only my end of the conversation. Chloe asks, "What was that?" I told her, "Your brother saw a little piggy in front of our house. I told him to go take a picture."

Are you really ever prepared for when someone tells you they saw a pig in your yard? How are you supposed to react?

We zoom home in hopes of seeing the piggy but were met with no such luck. We even went on a search and rescue mission enabling the help of our dear Ninja, but still couldn't find the little pink pig. Bummer.

Then about an hour later, my neighbor texts me, "Get this...my husband was driving past your house and saw a pig next to it...yes, I just said a pig." I'm sure she wasn't expecting me to say, "Ya, I know."

Our greatest fear is upon us. The national geographic channel's prophecy is coming true, we are finally under attack by the feral hog. In our case, the pink piggy.

It's rather hard to know what to expect to happen next at this house, isn't it?!

We're On TV!

I'm thinking that maybe we've been watching a bit too much Food Network lately. Let me tell you how I know. My beloved off-spring have decided to make their own cooking show and narrate it as they are making their own lunches - EVERY SINGLE DAY! This is how I know. This is pure craziness I tell you. Where do these people come up with this?

Everyday before lunch, Chloe asks, "Boys, do you want to do our cooking shows while we're getting lunch today?" To which they both reply with equal vigor, "YES!" Let the good times begin. Today I decided to stop what I was doing and document this event. I'm not sure how long this stint will last, so I wanted to make sure and capture every crazy minute of it.

In the first kitchen we have Chloe. Her show is titled: "The Perfect Lunch". The entire premise of her show is how to set things pretty, like on the table and on your plate (in her own words). She is meticulous about cutting everything and placing it in the exact right position on her plate. Because you know, there is a wrong and a right way to do everything and she is only going to do the right way. She slices, she dices, she arranges...with her, it's all about the presentation. If she didn't learn anything from her mother, she at least learned that!

In the second kitchen we have Bennett. His show is called: "What To Do In Case Of An Explosion". The premise of this ramshackle event is, "don't put a fork in the microwave cuz there will be an explosion", spoken like a true narrator. He says the best part of the show is "you get to watch me chomp". These are apparently important soundbites for the show. Lastly, he has one final important part - eating the burnt food that no one else wants.

In the third kitchen we have Gavin. He calls his show: "Hubert's Happy Bar". He tells me that it's about how to make identical, 30 minute meals for 2 months in a row and then watch him eat the same thing over and over and over on every show. Lot's of originality going on here.

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And last but not least...me. This is all taking part in my kitchen, under my roof. Not that I have my own show or anything - but the kids would just love it if I did. They keep telling me, "Mom, you have to go on the Food Network with this recipe - everyone will love it." That's when I expose the biggest scam of my entire life...everything I cook is borrowed from someone else. I don't do anything original. I'm a fake. I don't smile while I'm chopping onions like dear Giada. She doesn't trip over the dog while she's cooking. She also doesn't run out of ingredients in the middle of a show and have to run to the store (like I so often do). She never tastes something after she's done cooking it and says, "Oooo gross...you guys are so not going to like that. Don't make that recipe at home."

Welcome to my world. Here, food is under and over cooked often. I forget ingredients, I can't get everything done and on the table at the same time. At least one person at the table hates at least one food item on the table at every meal. Giada's hair is always perfect, her clothes never wrinkled and her make-up is on. Therefore, you can assume that rarely is my hair done, my make-up on and I'm usually in jeans and a t-shirt. But the one thing we do have in common is - I am so going to make that table look good! Something about this meal will look good - I'm determined about that! That's my show - "Real Life Cooking with Mommy". I have a feeling it's much more attainable for the rest of the population.

Bennett's Change of Plans

This morning, as soon as I woke up, Bennett informed me that he's had a change of plans for his future profession. He announces, "Mom, there are several reasons I don't want to be a pro-football player anymore when I grow up:

1. I'd have to spend too much time away from my family

2. I don't want to wake up every morning with a sore back

3. It will be hard to do the budget with so much money to worry about

4. The taxes on my house will be too high.

But then, now I don't know what I want to be when I grow up?"

After a while of talking about his favorite thing in the world, animals, his face lights up, "I know, I could do a student exchange program and go down to Australia in college cuz they have a falcon rescue operation there!"

Perfect!