I Want My Summer Back

We didn't even have our a/c on today.

It's technically still August, so we should be sweltering.

We should turn into a puddle of goo as soon as we crack open the door.

It should take at least 20 minutes to be able to even sit in your vehicle after it's been sitting in the sun.

The pool should be in use every minute of every day.

Instead, we can leave our windows open and not even turn on the a/c.

Our pool has been sorely underutilized this year.

I want a do-over.

Today I Ordered Her 13th Birthday Cake

5 is so Very Interesting

Sometimes I wish I could figure out how her mind works. Other times I'm glad I can't.

We've been having discussions about Jesus. Guaranteed to make your head hurt and/or your eye twitch uncontrollably. Blood may even squirt out your ears.

I'm just sayin'.

This is how it usually goes:

Grace: "Jesus lives at our house, right?"
Me: "Yep. Jesus lives at our house."
Grace: "I don't think Jesus lives at our house."
Me: "Well, he does."
Grace: "Where is He? Is He a good hider?"
Me: "Yes, Grace, He's a very good hider."
Grace: "He's a good hider 'cause we can't see Him. What does Jesus wear?"
Me: "What do you think Jesus wears?"
Grace: "Why can't we see Him?"
Me: "It's time to do school now, Grace."

Why doesn't her dad ever get to have these conversations?

The Teens Are Hard on Everyone

Miracle because she's trying to figure out how to be one.

Mike and me because we're trying to figure out Miracle.

Grace because she's trying to learn how to recognize them.

School has been moving along very well this year. Miracle is more than a third of the way through her math and science for the year. She's almost finished with composition for the year. When she's finished with all her eighth grade stuff when can begin ninth grade. I asked her to please wait at least until she's 16 to graduate.

Grace has successfully printed all the upper case letters. We'll begin the review tomorrow, then it's on to lower case. Her cutting skills are improving. She can find her way through mazes like nobody's business. She's learning how to make her numbers.

Numbers just might be our Waterloo. She can count, no problems there. But number recognition is a whole 'nother story. She especially gets bogged down in the teens. She looks at them as if she's never before seen them. She wrinkles up her nose and pronounces, "I don't know what that one."

Today I made flash cards (1-100), and mixed up the order. Right now we're only focusing on 1-20. Maybe that will help get past this.

Any other suggestions?

"A Life Lived Loving the Lord"

I (surprisingly) made it to first service Sunday morning. Our pastor has begun a series on "Why We Do the Things We Do." He has a page of fill-in-the-blank notes prepared for us every week. He has scriptural and practical applications for each things he talks about.

This past Sunday was no exception. He was totally prepared. Except God had other plans.

Don't you just love it when God does that? You think you've got it all figured out and then Whammo! God does something unexpected.

That's what happened to Aaron this past Sunday. God decided Aaron was going to talk about the sixth chapter of Matthew. You know, the one where it talks about Him knowing when a sparrow falls. If He keeps track of the birds, do we really think He's unaware of what's going on in our lives? And so Aaron calls out, "Come on. Tell me what God's given you. What's He done?" The answers started out generic in nature.

"Peace."

"Joy."

"Love."

"No, no. Get specific. Tell me what he's done for you."

Hands flew up all over the congregation.

"I'm really bad in English and He helped me get an 'A.'"

"My daughter in Pittsburgh has needed a job. She interviewed for one she wasn't completely qualified for and she got it anyway."

"He made provision for me. Tires for my car, and new radiator, and my rent!"

"I passed my test and I'm a certified EMT."

"My mom made it through the night and the doctors say she's going to be alright."

"My kids' father had stage four lung cancer. At his last x-ray there was no sign of it."

At a break in the service, I ducked out for a moment. One of the ladies from our homegroup followed me out. She hugged me, almost in tears. "I wish I had known." I reassured her that everything had happened so fast it left us spinning.

Another lady from homegroup came out also, headed for her office. She said to me, "That's the evidence of a life lived loving the Lord."

And that has stuck with me.

Mom has been faithful to God through a lot of stuff. She lost both parents, siblings, babies of her own. She's had broken bones and heart problems. She's said goodbye to her son-in-law much too soon. She's raised a family and guided them through so much stuff it would make your head swim.

She has lived a life that was faithful to God. And in return, God has been faithful to her.

I pray people will be saying that about me when I'm 81.

Wouldn't It Be Nice if These Would Be Answered Honestly?

Ten Questions Politicians Won’t Answer

While I have confidence in the American people to come up with their own probing questions, let me suggest a few questions that my own colleagues have been loath to answer:

1. Why do we need to increase spending on health care by at least $1.6 trillion and steal prosperity from our children and grandchildren when we spend nearly twice per person what other industrialized nations spend on health care?

In my view, any bill that increases spending is a failure and not serious reform. The problem is not that we don’t spend enough on health care, but that we don’t allocate resources efficiently and get value for what we pay.
2. What programs will you cut and whose taxes will you raise to pay for health-care reform?

Any politician — Republican or Democrat — who refuses to answer this question or avoids the topic by deferring to the committees of jurisdiction doesn’t deserve to be in office.

3. What earmarks or pet projects that you have sponsored will you sacrifice to help finance the cost of health-care reform?

It is immoral, in my view, to ask taxpayers to make more sacrifices while politicians practice business-as-usual pork-barrel politics.

4. Will you vote for a public option that requires taxpayer-funded abortion?

The current version of the so-called reform bill requires taxpayer-funded abortion. In the House, this fact prompted 19 pro-life Democrats to send a letter of protest to Speaker Pelosi. In the Senate, an amendment by Barbara Mikulski (D., Md.) that would require taxpayer-funded abortion passed in committee. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) objected and voted no, saying, “The way it [the Mikulski amendment] is written could be interpreted down the road to include something like abortion.” Are these Democrats also part of the right-wing scare-tactic conspiracy?

5. If the public option is so wonderful, will you lead by example and vote for a plan to enroll you and your family in the public option?

I offered an amendment in committee to force members of Congress to enroll in the public option. Nine out of eleven Democrats on the health committee who back the public option refused. If the politicians creating the public option don’t have confidence in it, neither should the American people.

6. Will you vote for a plan that will allow a board of politicians and bureaucrats to override decisions made by you and your doctor?

Both the Senate and House bills set up a government-run “comparative effectiveness” board that will make final decisions about treatment and care. In committee, I gave senators several opportunities to accept language that would forbid this board from denying care. All of my amendments were rejected, which suggests that the intent is to set up a board that will ration care, as is done in the United Kingdom.

7. If you support a “comparative effectiveness” board, what qualifies you, as a politician, to practice medicine? Have you delivered health care to a single person, much less entire classes of people you claim to represent, such as the poor, the uninsured, or children?

I’m one of two physicians in the Senate, along with John Barrasso of Wyoming. I know for a fact that very few leaders in this debate have any firsthand experience or knowledge of health care, which is disturbing.

8. How will a government-run public option perform better than other failing government programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Indian Health Care?

Forty percent of doctors refuse to accept Medicaid patients because the program is broken. Access to a government program — such as the public option — does not guarantee access to health care.

9. If increasing spending on health care was the solution, why hasn’t it worked yet?

The public-option “reform” is not new at all but an extension of 1960s-era public policies that say a little more government spending and intervention is always the answer.

0. Are you more committed to doing reform right or quickly? Would you consider backing a thoughtful alternative to the public option? If so, which one?

I’ve introduced a bill along with Sen. Richard Burr (R., N.C.) and Reps. Paul Ryan (R., Wisc.) and Devin Nunes (R., Calif.) called the Patient’s Choice Act that guarantees coverage and choice for every American without raising taxes or increasing spending. In fact, our bill will save taxpayers at least $70 billion. Many other members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, are working on alternatives that don’t herd the American people into a government-run program.

The choice is not between the public option and nothing. The choice is between the public option and an option that can win the support of the public. The future of health care truly is up to you.

— Dr. Tom Coburn (R.) is a United States senator from Oklahoma.

My mom

I OWE MY MOTHER

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'

2. My mother taught me RELIGION. 'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'

4. My mother taught me LOGIC . 'Because I said so. That's why.'

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'

7. My mother taught me IRONY. 'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS . 'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTION. 'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA. 'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER. 'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. 'If I told you once, I've told you a million times: Don't exaggerate!'

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. 'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. 'Stop acting like your father!'

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. 'Just wait until we get home.'

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING. 'You are going to get it when you get home!'

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way.'

19. My mother taught me ESP. 'Put your sweater on. Don't you think I know when you are cold?'

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
'When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.'

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'

22. My mother taught me GENETICS. 'You're just like your father.'

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'

24. My mother taught me WISDOM. 'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.'

Okay, I joke about my mom a lot. I call her "Scrawny Woman" and "Old Woman" and just generally insult her. I tell her she's aggravating and contrary ( and she really is) and that I'm going to stick her in a nursing home and leave her there.

But I love my mom. I love her very much. She was my best friend growing up, and she's still one of the most important people in my life.

Mom is getting on in years and she had a huge problem with her balance. She tends to fall down, and when she falls down, she hurts herself.

This past Saturday she fell out in the yard. Saturday at 6:05 pm she was taken into emergency surgery because her brain was starting to swell. If they didn't operate, she would die. Over four hours later we were allowed to see her. She was still unconscious, but she was alive. The doctor wouldn't make any promises about her prognosis. He said they next 24 hours would be critical. She would be in ICU at least through the weekend.

When Mike and I went to see her yesterday, she was being moved to a step-down unit. If everything went well, she could maybe go home in a week. Today, she's sitting up in a chair (granted, she's sleeping in it, but come on! She just had brain surgery!), and she's expecting to go home before Friday. (No word yet on the doctor's expectation.)

Her head is completely shaved. She has staples in her skull. She bruised heaven only knows where all. She has a broken wrist. But she's alive. She's going to be okay.

My mom.

What Do They Have in Common?

Pretty in Pink

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Sixteen Candles

Uncle Buck

The Breakfast Club

Ferris Beuller's Day Off

John Hughes directed them all. For someone my age, some of the best films you ever watched were directed by John Hughes. He died unexpectedly in NYC this week.

What was your favorite John Hughes movie?

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

We love, love, love the Laura Numeroff books here at our house. Here's one for the moms.

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
So she'll pour herself some.
The coffee will get spilled by her three year old.
She'll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she will find some dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do some laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some snow boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper for tonight.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook. (101 Things To Make With a Pound of
Hamburger.)
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill which is due tomorrow.
She will look for the checkbook.

The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two year old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old.
While she is changing the two year old the phone will ring. (Of course!)
Her five year old will answer it and hang up.

She remembers that she wants to phone a friend to come over for coffee on
Friday.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
She will pour herself some.
And chances are,
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Written by Kathy Fictorie

Based on If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

The Perfect Birthday

• Wearing a cute skirt and a pink tank top.
• Eating Cookie Crisp in the living room and watching tv during breakfast.
• Bologna and Pasta Roni for lunch followed by cheese balls.
• Teen Titans
• Inheriting your older sister's collection of Barbie paraphernalia and Polly Pocket stuff.

Happy 5th Birthday Grace!

Is It Really August Already?

Where in the world did the summer go?

It can't be August already. There are too many things we were going to do this year, and I think the only one we accomplished was "Be as lazy as possible." In retrospect, that's the important one, so never mind. We're good.

Grace's party was a definite success. It was the first time she wanted to invite friends instead of just a few family members. She was thrilled with the balloons, the cake, the PRESENTS. She got Barbies and Polly Pockets, bubbles and PlaDoh, so what else was needed? Oh yeah, hair stuff and cold, hard cash. Plus, a new book.











Unfortunately, Grace got a little over-stimulated. Plus it was way past her nap time. So she had a melt down. It was actually a mini one. I managed to get her into the house and into bed before any one really noticed. Most of them didn't even realize she was gone. (Yes, there were that many children running around our back yard.)

Miracle's 13th birthday is next month.

Let's just take a moment and think about that.

Miracle's 13th birthday is next month.

I can remember finding out I was pregnant with her. I can remember her being a tiny baby. I remember her eating cereal for the first time, learning to walk in mom's kitchen, her first birthday.

And now she's almost 13.

I may need to start drinking something harder than Coke.

Perfect Weather

It couldn't have been more perfect today. The sky was blue with a few big fluffy clouds (no rain!), it was in the low eighties (no rain!), and, oh yeah, NO RAIN!!!!!!


We were able to have Grace's party here in the backyard. The water was soooooo cold, but they splashed around in it anyway. We had a princess cake from Lindsey's, cookies and cream ice cream, and lots of friends to share it with.

It was a great day.