Oh! to be patient...
/If I had a dollar for every time I've heard it, I could probably sendmy ninth child to college. "All those children! You must be so patient." It's as if people think that hospitals infuse patience after delivery. Or maybe they think that only people naturally gifted with patience are able to conceive more than twice. Or maybe they think that being in the presence of lots of children automatically results in patience. In reality, patience is a highly valued virtue in a home with many children and we all work to cultivate it. Some days, patience is much more abundant than others.Read the rest here.
Note to Self
/Don't ever write anything as foolish as this again:
Towards a real eduction::
::a complete, uninterrupted, unexceptional week stretches ahead of us. I'm so glad.
I have pneumonia.
Whatever.
Small Successes
/
It's been awhile since I've listed my small successes. This week (since last Thursday) feels like a month; surely I can come up with three things.
1. I took seven kids to Virginia Beach for a soccer tournament. Twelve games. Everyone was on time to everything. And I returned home to Northern Virginia with 10 kids. I'm sure there's some sort of gold star in that.
2. On Sunday night, I was starting to feel like just putting one foot in front of the other was more effort than I could muster. Then I remembered the promise to fall in love again. I went for a long hand-in-hand walk on the beach with Mike. I think it might be the highlight of this fall. No, I'm sure it is.
3. Despite feeling exhausted and achy, I dragged skipped along with those children through Colonial Williamsburg on the way home on Monday. The "extras" had never been, save a trip to the candy store on a fourth grade trip to Jamestown. They wanted to know what was up with all the people dressed like Pilgrims. I firmly pried their fingers from their iPhones and shoved some living history down their throats. Speaking of throats, by the time I got home, it was clear I had the flu. Or something.
And now, I'm returning to my sheets, my tea, and my general crankiness. What are your small successes this week? Share them here.
Fall In Love Again this Weekend
/Moments from now, I am on my way to the beach. I've packed half the household and left detailed instructions for what's left behind to the able folks staying here. I have cried and complained through the last two days because no one moved fast enough or worked hard enough. I'm tense and tired and grumpy.
And a dear friend challenges me to fall in love again this weekend.
Really? With all these kids around (ours and a few more we've gathered along the way)? With twelve soccer games on the schedule? With a drive down and back that requires each of us to take a vehicle in order to get everyone there? With six kids bringing nebulizers and inhalers?
Well, there is that house on the ocean he rented, the love of my life who really does try to capture my heart. There is the promise of moments of peace in front of the sea.
And there is this simple "Rule of Four."
Falling in love.
Sounds like a great thing to do this weekend.
