Back to the future......

When I go back and read my posts, I think "Hmmm, I should do this regularly so I'll remember what went on in my life." Well tonight, I'm thinking about manners and the lack there-of. Even though I was raised in a small town, my parents did a good job of teaching me and my siblings how to get on in the world. Looking back, for as little exposure as they had to the world at large, they equipped us well. One of the big lessons was that manners get you a long way in this world. It's been a week of being baffled by people with bad manners. When I'm at school, I can certainly tell which kids are taught at home, and which are not. Too bad that it is such a blight on your life to grow up devoid of the most basic knowledge of how to treat others. Rant ended. For now.....

Turn Around Time

Last month I blogged about still being a Mother. Last night I was the child, and my kids (mostly Anne) mothered me. It was a unique experience. I'm not used to being on the receiving end.

I broke my nose at Pat's house. We had all just gotten there to celebrate birthdays. What did I do after being there about 5 minutes? Yep, ran my face into a brick wall. Boy howdy, I'll think twice about ever using that expression again! So after getting me ice, water, a pillow, copious amounts of tissue, everybody decided (with my consent) I needed to be hauled off to the emergency room.

The good thing about it was that I had some one on one time with Annie, which I haven't had since about July 1st (Graham's birthday). It was nice to just visit a little. However next time, I think I'd like to skip the reason that we were together for so long. The emergency room wasn't too busy, so we got in fairly quickly, but still....it's the hospital. What we found out, was yep my nose was broken (Annie called that after the first minute) and I should put ice on it. Thank you, that'll be $1000!!

Then I was driven home, via the pharmacy and La Madeleine for some dinner. Annie wouldn't hear of me taking her home and driving the rest of the way by myself. So I was taken home, then Lizzi took Annie home (our family does the team approach) and I was admonished to call in the morning to make sure I survived the night. I took some Advil, and went to bed "to mend my head".

Instead of complaining about being treated like the child, I should (and am trying to) thank my children (THANK YOU ALL) and realize I taught them how to be the kind of parents they are turning out to be. They are going to use those skills for many years to come. So, nice job kids. (I just have to add that I hope you don't have to play parent for me regularly for a while yet.)

Not to make light of Annie driving me to the hospital and staying with me, I know any one of them could and would have done the same thing. To quote Henry Fonda in Spencer's Mountain "not a throw away in the bunch"! Yep, my kids!

Mother Forever

I'm so much in Grandma mode, that I forget sometimes, that I'm still a Mother. I remembered on Tuesday night, when I got a call from Lizzi. She wondered if she should go get a CAT scan after catching her head in the door of her car. Yep, you heard me right. It took me way back; to cut off fingers, broken collarbones, slashed knees, appendicitises, swallowed rings, etc. Really, with five kids, we weren't really in the emergency room that often. But I digress. Lizzi, CAT scan. She didn't want to spend the money to go, but you know after Natasha Richardson's death from a head injury, I think everyone is a little bit more informed. So she valiantly trooped off to Presbyterian and told me she'd be OK by herself. I thought about letting her do that for about 2 minutes, and off I went to sit with her. Best thing about the night - she's fine. Got a clean scan. Second best, this picture.

Wo-Man Invented the Wheel!

No doubt in my mind. After about the 50th time cave wo-man asked her club-tottin' man to stop watching the footrock game, she decided she'd move that table herself. When he came up for air, and after belching a couple of times, he said "wo- man, how'd you move that all by yerself?? The rest is history.....

Etsy vs. Homemade

Lizzi asked me the other day what it was going to take to get me blogging again. I guess I forgot about it if the truth were known. But today I was thinking about the phrase "homemade sin" and that did it!

I think the term is usually used about a person. "She's as ugly as homemade sin." Not just regular sin, but homemade. Probably when the term was coined, they weren't thinking of Etsy homemade, but normal homemade--put together badly with no redeeming features except utility.

When we were in college, every now and then, we'd ask brother Don to blind date someone. He knew she was a doozy when he heard the dreaded words "she's really nice, she makes all her own clothes, and all the girls on the floor just love her!" I don't think that's really the definition of homemade sin, I just wanted to get that in.....

Today while I was washing dishes, I was thinking about my apartment and how bad it looks. When the "hom.......in" phrase came into my head, I wondered if it could be used for places, and that's what started this very random post. Homemade, or Kathymade, it's bad. I should take a picture, (because blog posts are so much fun with pictures) but don't want it to be recorded for posterity.

Big D, and I Don't Mean Dallas

Is it too late in the Divorce game to say that this has been a very difficult process? Thankfully, it is over, but it was such an anticlimactic ending, that not much seems to have changed. I hope in a year, when I feel some distance, I'll be able to notice a difference in my attitude. This year, and the previous two years have been like a roller coaster; amazing highs, and bottom scraping lows. Really, don't ever do this if you can avoid it. Also, when you are around someone going through a Divorce, realize that they are not themselves. Give them support and cut them a few breaks. If it's ever you, you'll appreciate this advice......

Jack turns 1

Jack came into our lives this time last year. What a little sweetie!! Can't believe it's been a year, but he's walking and infant days are over. I wonder what the toddler years will be like? Luckily for Jack, Stacy is a wonderful Mother and can be with him everyday. What a blessing that is for him, and of course Pat makes that possible. Good job, guys!

It's really interesting to see your kids become parents. It "grows you up" faster that anything else.... huge responsibility, huge reward. Pat started the process, but I hope we're in for a deluge with the rest---Annie, ?, ?, ?.

There are so many times I miss Mom, but I wish I could ask her how she felt when Mike was born. She came to Washington after Mary Isabel had been there for two weeks, because she had to finish her teaching contract. Mike was her second grandchild, and Denise was just 19. So even though she was a Grandmother she was still a parent, too. Actually, she never got out of the child business. She knew kids backwards and forwards and helped me immeasurably. Even though I'd read every book about child rearing available, she really got me on my feet and confident as a mother, with practical advise. I cried when she went home. She was a rock for me. I could, and did, talk anything over with her, and she always had an answer. Maybe not one I liked or followed, but an answer. Jeeze, I still miss her. Jack would be her 3rd great-grandchild, after Oliver and Braden.

So Mister Jack, you're the beginning. I hope to be a big part of your life, and I can't wait to meet your cousins.

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