Sizzlin' Summer Sale

I have 5 FABULOUS kids for sale.  If you act in the next 10 minutes, I will throw in a husband absolutely FREE!  Supplies are limited, so call now.  As an added bonus, if you purchase before August, you get to pay their tuition, outfit them in uniforms and buy their school supplies!

Fine Print:

Husband works from home.  He hates that and so will you.
Children will ask 1,497,346 questions EVERY day.  At least 500,000 of these will pertain to the NFL and Saints in particular, so check up on your stats before purchase.
Be prepared to ward off thirst, hunger and boredom every minute of every day.
Children will pretend to be cute to get their way.  Don't fall for it.
Husband doesn't bother with the cute part.
You will be required to pick up 378 Legos per day or risk being buried alive.
Bedtime stories are required.
ALL SALES FINAL

Really Fine Print:

I thought my whining would be more bearable if cleverly disguised in an amusing ad.  Hope it worked.  Sorry.  It was just one of those days.  Must be the heat.  Wait...no...it actually IS the kids and the husband.  Either way, I feel better already.
Dina

Seventeen Years

Seventeen years ago today I married Mark.  From the very beginning, our life has been an adventure.  We have had our share of ups and downs but I couldn't imagine going through life with anyone else. 

Last weekend, we went to my cousin's daughter's wedding.  My mom is one of eight and I have always enjoyed being part of that BIG family.  They are funny, loud and crazy but especially loving and supportive.  Like every family, we cry at the losses and celebrate the joyous occasions.  Needless to say, I have been to my share of family weddings.  This wedding, however, was special.

In a time when people want out of marriage the minute it gets hard, my cousin and her husband have stayed together.  Watching him walk his daughter down the aisle you could see the mixture of emotions- the pride, the happiness and the sorrow.  The ceremony was meaningful.  Unlike many who just go through the motions, here were two young people aware of the responsibility of pledging their lives to one another.  Here were two young people who hadn't spent even one night together.  It was special to share in their excitement and joy.

I cried many tears that day.  Tears of sorrow, tears of joy.  Witnessing a wedding that was all it should be, made me mourn for what society has lost over the years.  The loss of innocence.  The loss of faith. The loss of responsibility and perseverance.

I thanked my cousin's husband, Billy for being a wonderful husband and father and a blessing to our family.  I told Brittany and Chris that their marriage is more than just the two of them and I know it will be a blessing to our family as well.

Today, especially, I am thankful for my marriage.  I am thankful for the beautiful examples of faith and love both of our parents' marriages continue to be.  I am thankful that there are still people willing to live life thoughtfully, according to God's plan.  Brittany and Chris, I wish you many happy years together.  Thank you for shining a radiant light into this world.

Cheers!
Dina

Slipping into Summer...AT LAST!

The transition from the school year into summer has always been difficult for me as a mom.  The fact that I stay home and am a former teacher only enhances the difficulty.  I start thinking about it in early May and begin to hyperventilate.  This is my golden opportunity.  I must orchestrate every moment to be an optimum experience.  Each one should be stimulating, whether physically or intellectually, with a perfect balance between the two.  I imagine all the ways we will grow closer as a family, frolicking in the summer sun.  We will be the quintessential picture of the lazy days of summer and by golly, we will work hard at painting that perfect lazy picture.

The first few weeks, I am miserable.  I have obviously set unrealistic goals and it takes several weeks of reality, served in healthy doses by my children, for me to surrender.  Somehow, eventually, I am able to find the perfect summer amid the imperfections.  I swim upstream long enough to wear myself out then before I know it, I am floating along with the current and the ride becomes easy and pleasant.  That is where I am now, floating along.  We have settled into a routine of non-routine.  Later mornings and later evenings.  More mess around the house.  My breathing has returned to normal. 

Two favorite activities we have managed to incorporate are baking and reading.  The baking was sparked by Sam going to camp in Rhode Island for a few weeks and our visit to a friend's blueberry farm.  With my nut allergic son out of the house and fresh blueberries in hand, I was inspired.  We made blueberry coffee cake sprinkled with nuts and chocolate chip cookies with pecans.  What a treat!  I am reading Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder aloud to William and Annie.  It has sparked fun discussions about how things have changed such as farming, food preparation and education yet some things remain the same.  Almanzo, the main charcter, fights with his siblings and gets just as excited about Christmas.

We got to spend a week at the beach with Mark's entire family, including the newest addition, Jack (his brother Kale's five-month-old).  We spent some time with friends at their lake house in Franklinton which allows our city-slicker kids to go crazy with jet-skis, four-wheelers, fireworks and such.  I teased that surely the evening would end with the kids being allowed to run around the edge of the lake with knives and scissors.  I try to be calm but it is a little stressful for this mom.  We enjoyed being on the swim team at our club and we went to THREE weddings.  That about sums up the summer until now.

As I write this, life is EASY!  We only have three kids.  Sam is still in Rhode Island and Mary Elizabeth is in Dallas visiting my sister.  This week, at one point, our family will be in five different states.  Obviously, Rhode Island and Texas, as well as Mark being in DC.  William and Elise will stay in Louisiana while Anne and I go with my mother-in-law to get Sam.  We are hoping to make stops in DC and NYC and maybe even fit in a day in Nantucket.  Whew!  By the time we are all home again, July will practically be over.  Once August starts, we will be sliding in to home plate and summer is done.

Then it will be time to hyperventilate about the new school year, which we will be starting in New Orleans.  Oh, sorry, been meaning to mention, we are staying put for now.  In changing our minds, we are keeping things the same.  For now, amid all the imperfections, this is the perfect place to be!

Dina

Summer Means...

 

Sofa bed sleepovers

Hand-picked blueberries

Water balloon fights

Swim Team

(Divisional Backstroke Champ!)

Hope you are having a great summer.

Dina

Finally!

I know you weren't holding your breath but...here it is!  My first knitted creation.  I can't believe I finished him.  I made this cute little elephant for my nephew Jack.  Of course, I was stitching on the eyes and ears at 11 pm the night before I gave it to him.  Lumpy, as I named him, had a cute braided tail but you can't see it in the photo.  I am really enjoying learning to knit and I want to do an afghan next.

Obviously, my commitment to writing once a week went out the window since it is summer.  That's not an excuse, just the reason.  As with seeing the elephant, I know you aren't holding your breath, waiting for me to post but I will keep writing because I LOVE to write and I NEED to write.  I am sitting at this computer right now because I couldn't sleep.  I was posting in my head like I do ALL THE TIME.  I finally gave in and here I am.  Nothing much to say.  I am too tired to string together many words but as always the getting back to it is the hardest part, jumping in.  I must say I am glad I did.  The water feels great.  I'll be back for another dip soon.

Dina