Category Archives: Family

monday, monday

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Taking annual leave during the school year is almost impossible in my job as an administrative assistant at the local university, so other than a day or two here and there, I save it all for the summer. The thing is, there is rarely money for any long, exciting vacations, so I don’t have much need of my annual leave in the summer either.

Several years ago, my co-worker and I had been doing our usual Monday-morning grousing about how quickly the weekend flew by and we didn’t even remember what we’d done other than the cleaning, and the laundry, and the grocery shopping, and, and, and…

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she “drives” me crazy

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I was busy working the payroll deadline at work last month when I grabbed the phone, groaning out loud as I saw the name on the caller ID. It was my 13-year-old, and I could already guess what she had to say.

“Mom! I’m locked out of the house… Again!” she huffed, without even a “hello.”

I could practically see the eye-roll through the phone. The fact that she was locked out was somehow the fault of her dad and me rather than her own for always forgetting her keys. This type of phone call was becoming a regular occurrence. We’d even gotten one of those outdoor hide-a-keys, now locked inside somewhere, along with her own.

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flashback friday – 5 may 2010

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EACH FRIDAY I HIGHLIGHT OLD FAVORITES FROM MY PREVIOUS BLOG, “FROM THE TOP OF THE STAIRS.” I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE RE-RUNS AS MUCH AS I DO…

It’s hard to believe it’s been 3 years since this happened! I’m now down to just one teenager in the house, and she’s too young to drive yet – thank the Lord. Actually,  I should amend that to say she’s too young to drive LEGALLY, but that’s a blog post for another day ;-)

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Monopoly "Get out of jail free" card“MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH”

Or, “Teenagers are a trip…”

Here’s an appropriate quote I found this week, author unknown.

“It’s difficult to decide whether growing pains are something teenagers have – or are.”

Truer words were never spoken!!!

So here’s the latest story: In our home, we have two teenagers, but only one of them has earned his driver’s license. In mid-February, said teenager was pulled over by police on his way to school one day.

Was he speeding? No. Was he weaving erratically through traffic? No. Was he talking on his cell phone or texting? NO. He was just a teenage boy on his way to school, minding his own business.

However, when the policeman decided to run the plates, just for the fun of it, the vehicle Continue reading →

flashback friday – 23 march 2010

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EACH FRIDAY I HIGHLIGHT OLD FAVORITES FROM MY PREVIOUS BLOG, “FROM THE TOP OF THE STAIRS.” I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE RE-RUNS AS MUCH AS I DO…

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“Where’s Chef Ramsey When You Need Him?”

I am sick to death of all the meals that I serve at home. And by all, I mean the three things that it seems like we eat on a never-ending rotation: spaghetti, pork chops, and spanish rice with hamburger.

Okay, I MAY be exaggerating a little bit, but it really doesn’t seem like it.

In almost 15 years of marriage, I think I have found 2 recipes that the WHOLE family likes. My heaven on earth would be an evening where my quiet, well-behaved children (if you’re going to dream, dream big I always say) ask me what’s for dinner. After I tell them, there would be a total absence of gagging noises, declarations of “I’m not eating!”, or a mad dash for the milk and cereal. When I’m really daydreaming, these angelic children even voluntarily clean the table and do dishes without being forced, shortly before heading off to a quiet evening in their rooms, doing their homework.

Insert happy sigh…

Anyhoo, back to reality!

Because I’m so bored with everything we eat, and because I’m always on the lookout for Continue reading →

pass the geritol, please

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Old people sign

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons. Some rights reserved by schnaars.

The assignment was to do an archival report to find out what was happening in the news on local, national, and international levels on our date of birth. I had a blast going through old newspapers and magazines, and came up with some interesting stuff.

Now in this particular class, we are required to bring in a draft version before the final product is due. We meet individually with the professor as he reads it, then gives us input.

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First, let me back up.

I am what is referred to as a “nontraditional” student, meaning that I am married, have kids, and am older than dirt.  Okay—maybe not that last part, but some days it feels like it.

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a mother always knows

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We lived in a little farmhouse on the outskirts of town. Dad was on the road as a truck driver, so it was mostly just mom, my little brother, and me. Mom’s life was not easy, especially with a constantly squabbling 13-year-old and 5-year-old.

I don’t remember the particulars, but I know my mom was having a Very. Bad. Day. We were unloading groceries, some of us more willingly than others. I’m pretty sure it was Forrest who whined about something – that’s all the kid ever did, in my opinion – when the gallon of milk exploded, slammed down by mom as the last of her patience disappeared.

Milk ran in rivulets off the counter and to the floor, drops cascaded down cabinet doors, plunking the counter before joining the white waterfall, and a light rain of milk drip-dropped from the blades of the ceiling fan.

“GET. OUT. NOW.”  Mom said in that certain mommy-meltdown voice.

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flashback friday – 13 august 2009

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EACH FRIDAY I HIGHLIGHT OLD FAVORITES FROM MY PREVIOUS BLOG, “FROM THE TOP OF THE STAIRS.” I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE RE-RUNS AS MUCH AS I DO…

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“ENTERPRISING YOUNG THING”rocks

This past week, Savannah got bored and decided to set up the stereotypical lemonade stand to make some money. The only problem was that we didn’t have any lemonade, or even kool-aid, so she decided to go with what she had: cups of tap-water.

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flashback friday – 27 july 2009

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EACH FRIDAY I HIGHLIGHT OLD FAVORITES FROM MY NOW-ABANDONED BLOG, “FROM THE TOP OF THE STAIRS.” I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE RE-RUNS AS MUCH AS I DO!

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“THINGS I MISS”dad with a cat

A hairbrush, gray.

Another hairbrush, pink.

Kitchen knives: 20 or more; the latest set less than 3 months old.

Socks.

Shoes.

Headphones.

Cell phones.

Scissors.

Nail clippers.

The door to a kitty carrier.

These are just a few of the things that go “missing” around our house, absconded by my wonderful children (also known as the famous “not me’s”) never to be seen again. But of all of them, it is that last one that I miss the most.

“Why” you ask?  Let me explain…

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flashback friday – 7 july 2009

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EACH FRIDAY I HIGHLIGHT OLD FAVORITES FROM MY NOW-ABANDONED BLOG, “FROM THE TOP OF THE STAIRS.” I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE RE-RUNS AS MUCH AS I DO!

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“MOTHERHOOD IS AN EXPERIENCE”

Several months ago, one of the soccer moms on Savannah’s team asked if I would be interested in having Savannah join 4-H (Head, Heart, Hands, & Health) over the summer.

“Sure!” said I, not realizing what lay ahead.

I figured that it would be a fun thing for her to do and would give her something to look forward to over the long, boooorrrrrrrring summer ahead (at least that’s what she always tells me it is). J explained that it would be a fairly low-key thing with only about 6 girls total in the group. All the moms would take a week to teach some sort of “crafty” or “homey” skill, spending 1-2 hours. Sounds fantastic and easy, doesn’t it? Do not be deceived!

Shortly after, I attended her home for the planning meeting and signed up for a date far, Far, FAR in the future: July 7th. I very carefully wrote the date in a very reliable spot: the back of the envelope on a bill that I had shoved in my purse sometime in the last 5 years. Continue reading →

my kind of morning

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This badger actually looks friendly compared to my daughter this morning. Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons. All rights reserved by marlin harms.

This badger actually looks friendly compared to my daughter this morning. Courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons. All rights reserved by marlin harms.

The recent time change has been a killer here in our house. Add to this some extra doses of stress due to this and that, and none of us seems to be adapting as of yet. It is all I can do to drag myself out of bed each morning, and pushing and prodding my daughter out of hers has become a chore neither of us particularly enjoys.

Because of this, Savannah has been missing her school bus on a fairly regular basis, and this morning was no exception.  Now, when this happens, I have to go about 10-15 minutes out of my way to drop her off, which of course makes me late for work as well. Tom drives right past the school on his way to work, but he leaves later than me, which conveniently makes her miss her first hour class. In an attempt to curb her inability to catch the bus on Continue reading →