Birthday Assessment

I decided that, today, for my thirty-fifth , (Gasp!  I know, I know.  You never would have guessed it.)  my gift to myself is to MAKE the time to blog.  I don’t actually have time today, this being our busiest day of every week, but I am going to make it.  I mean, really, what’s a little more rushing around like a crazy woman?  Will anyone actually notice that I’m further behind than normal?  Or crazier than normal?  Probably not.

I had to pause for a moment while my boys sang to me and gave me their sweet cards.  Here are the three main ideas of the cards.  See if you can guess who wrote each one.

“I love you moer than gold and silver.”

”Roses are red, violets are blue.  You’re getting old, and Dad is too!”

 “I love you around the world and back.”

Nothing beats homemade birthday cards and a serenade by three handsome young men.   

So, as I think about my age, my gray hair, my accumulated life-wisdom… where do I stand in comparison to where I thought I would be?  Pretty much where I would expect my thirty-five-year-old self to be, I guess.   I’m still deficient in many areas, but I hope to have another thirty-five or more years to complete my journey. 

Age is always a state of mind.  That’s cliché, I know, but, I really do still feel so young!   I’m terribly intimidated by teenagers, because I don’t feel any older than them.  Not MY teenager, of course.  We all know I can still pin him (though, barely) in the living room floor if he questions my physical strength, and I make sure to remind him of that often.   

I have more gray hair than I’d like, but less than I probably should, considering the break-neck pace at which a homeschooling mother of three boys operates.  (I have to put in ‘homeschooling’ there, because it emphasizes the fact that they are with me all the time.  THAT can definitely accelerate one’s transition to a hoary head.) 

My wisdom… that’s a hard one to gauge.  I could sit and compare myself to others, and get many different answers, but that would be a very UNwise thing to do.  I will compare myself to the Proverbs 31 woman and realize that I have a long way to go.  And, I will  compare myself to where I was 5, 10, even 15 years ago, and be thankful for what I have gained.  I think I’ll just take the average of both and be content with steady progress.

I think my greatest accomplishments in these few short years are the sweet, stinky boys that are currently working quietly on their schoolwork (YES!  HAPPY Birthday to me!), and daily commitment to a blessed marriage and wonderful Honey.  Without Honey encouraging  me to grow and challenge myself, while at the same time reigning me in and keeping me on the path we chose, I would be a total mess.  Okay, more of a total mess.   He makes sure I maintain a clinical sanity, at least, and keeps my drive to conquer the world in check.  The Lord knew what kind of man I needed to love and lead me, and gave him a lot of patience and understanding.  And a good sense of humor!

As a final thought, I’m going to make a list of some things I need to work on.  This is the short list, of course… only the things I’m willing to share.  The others are on a list in my closet.  In a safe.  Buried in a hole I dug with a flip-flop. 

Okay, they’re just in my head, but locked up just as tightly.

1.       Family Foot Health – When Honey and I got married, I had just graduated from beauty school and I kept our toenails in pristine condition.  Even when the boys were young, I regularly filed their nails and pushed back their cuticles.  Now, we just buy new shoes when our toenails get too long.  (See #5) I really need to dedicate some time to our feet again. 

2.      Thinking Ahead – I have a bad habit of climbing into the bathtub, then remembering that I need soap, shampoo, conditioner, and a razor, so I holler for Honey to pleeeeease come get them.  He hates that.  Then when he leaves, I remember that I need a towel and holler again.  It’s only my sweet, innocent smile that makes him forgive me.  I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I’m in my birthday suit.

3.      Planning Meals - I rarely know what we’re going to have for dinner until about 4:00 pm.  That gives me just enough time to quick-thaw some meat in a bowl of hot water, finish everything else I have to do, check Facebook before Honey gets home, and have dinner on the table between 8 & 8:30.  (Or warm up leftover leftovers, or make nachos…with leftovers.) That’s still too late if you want to watch Hulu after the kids are in bed and be able to get up at 5 am to work out.   SO, we don’t get up to work out, all because of poor meal planning.

4.      Working Out – (See #3)  Getting up at 5 am really stinks until you do it for a couple weeks and realize how good you feel when you work out every morning.  But, if I take a break, even for just a week, starting over is SO hard.  I’m still trying to get started again after a week-long break for camping...  in June.

5.      Thrift Shopping – It doesn’t matter how many reasons I have NOT to go in… the lure of finding a treasure gets me every time.  This year, I found a grain mill for $5 (so I can have one for wheat and one for GF grains and beans), a three-room intercom system for $9 (I hit the call button to sound an annoying alarm that wakes everyone up in the morning without having to go up the stairs (See #4)), a Cuisinart ice cream maker (like new) for $7 (because with TWO you can make TWO quarts of ice cream at a time instead of just one),  and so many other things that I never expected.  Of course I didn’t need most of those things, or at least didn’t know I needed them, but there is always something I do need that gives me a reason to go in and hunt for the real treasures.  It’s just so exciting!  The thing is, Jake and I usually come out with an armful of books, when what we really need are more bookshelves, more space in which to PUT bookshelves, and more time to READ all our books.  I haven’t found all three of those together yet… but I’ll keep looking.

I’m going to stop there.  If we hurry, we might have time to run into Goodwill before chorus.  Just kidding, I’m going to go work out.  REALLY just kidding!  I’m going to file my nails because I already know we’re eating out for dinner.  I planned ahead.