The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men...

...often go awry.

OK, so much for bragging about my leisurely Spring Break plans, or lack there of. As I was complacently contemplating a week of bliss and relaxation, I didn't realize what actually lay in store for us this week. ...a new deck.

G and I have been talking about, drawing plans, making lists, etc for a while now for a deck for our back yard. Ever since Ike came through, our once serene shady backyard has become a barren desert of grass and weeds, desperately missing the shade and personality of the 80 yr old pecan tree that became a casualty of the storm. So, some time after we got home from church on Sunday, G and I were talking about the week ahead of us, and somehow we decided that it would be a good idea to begin our deck. It was Sunday, after all, and we had the whole week ahead of us. So, we started by ripping out the old brick patio under our lone oak tree, whose roots have buckled the bricks worse that poorly laid carpet in southern humidity. That chore took all of day 1. On the bright side, G got to enact some of the boys' favorite folk legends....he was John Henry as he swung the sledge hammer to break up the concrete under parts of the patio, and Paul Bunyan as he carried countless 1x6s into the backyard.

After this first day of hard, but productive work, we thought the rest would be downhill. Then, reality set it. The delivery on day 2 came at 5:30pm...almost too late to do much good. Day 3 was interrupted by dr's appts - - total of 6 shots, and most took it like a man :) - - and then day 4 was my day out with friends. Throw in a dentist appointment, two baseball practices, and G's track practice everyday, and time soon became a precious commodity.

So, here we are on Thursday, the deck is about 85% completed, and the week is 90% over. What happened to my rest and leisure?..maybe my sore muscles, broken fingernails, and scrapped shins give away the answer.

I guess I'll just have to spend some time relaxing on the new deck ( when it reaches 100% ) and find that leisure and bliss that I missed this past week. In the meantime, though, I think I have some shopping to do, to make this deck a new source of serentity for our backyard.

Spring Break '09

S -sleeping as late as I want to
P - probably going to the zoo one day
R -realxing at home
I - ice cream eating
N - new clothes shopping
G - going for a pedi and sushi with the girls

B - breakfast at 10:00am
R - reading just for fun
E - eating dinner on the back porch
A - allowing everyone to stay up too late
K -knowing it is only a sample of what is to come in June

ahhhh, I love being a teacher.....for so many reasons :)

Take it Like a Man

I am blessed with healthy kids...we don't catch the flu, rarely have colds, and have, thankfully, outgrown ear infections. So, we rarely go to the doctor. In fact, we have even gotten out of the habit of annual check ups, or well visits. So, being a mom, I figured it must be something we should take care of and made appointments for all three boys...probably mostly to allieve my conscience.

Well, I was telling the boys about their pending medical rendevous, and someone asked if there would be shots involved. Trying to be positive ( because noone here has outgrown their adamant dislike of injections and the pain they cause) I said I wasn't sure, but if we have to get them, we would grin and bear it and "take it like a man." That was last week sometime.

Yesterday in the car, we were discussing our plans for next week, and I reminded them that we had Dr. appts next Wednesday. M, in a kind of small voice from somewhere in the back seat asked "Could you tell them to keep it turned to child, instead of man, until I get just a little older?" I was confused...turn what where? What was he talking about? Then I realized...when I told him he was going to take the shot like a man, his 7 year old brain conjured up a man-sized needle! So, I explained to him what I meant, and that he wouldn't have to take a super-sized shot. Needless to say, he was much relieved.

Now, let's just hope that between the three of them, noone needs a booster shot......but chances are, some one will be taking it (somewhat) like a man when the nurse comes in with the needles and bandaids next Wednesday.