Boys Have That, Too?

Since I have abandoned my faithful readers for so long I will make a confession. OK so it's more like a public humiliation type thing, but entertaining. My family was at the public pool about a month ago. We were standing in line waiting to get in. One of my sons, ever so innocently asked, "boys have that thing too?" I was like, "Huh? What are you talking about?" He pointed down at the man's feet. His heels were cracked. I am pretty certain I turned several shades of red. Don't worry, I didn't take a picture of my feet for you.


I did, however, take some pictures from the awesome weekend our family had. Here is just one.



Can you forgive me for not being crafty? I will have something creative on Monday for you.

Have a fabulous weekend!
Sheri

The Proof Is In The Picture!

So I went to upload some pictures from my camera a few days ago and there was like 78 pictures. I knew I had only taken about 10, and as far as I knew nobody else had touched my camera. I guess I need to tell my four year old if he is going to take pictures without asking he might not want to include self portraits. There were several pictures of himself and a picture of a picture of himself that I had in a frame on a table. There were many angles of my couch, TV, his toys and the entry way. I was cracking up the whole time I watched the slide show.

These other pictures are of my six year old on Mommy Make Over day. The Friday before Mother's day his class invited the mom's for makeovers. There were several stations that included make-up applied, fingernails painted, toenails painted, hair styled, presents presented, and snack time. It was fun, and didn't he make my hair fabulous? I can't wait to show him when he is a teenager.

I have a group of helpers for VBS. We have put in many hours this week and have made lots of progress. I keep forgetting my camera. I have it packed and ready for tomorrow, so look for some new pictures tomorrow night or Saturday morning.

Tell someone you love how much you love them today!
Sheri

Happy Mother's Day!

May all the mothers out there have the kind of the day that makes you feel a little extra special today. I don't yet have any pictures or creations to share, but I loved this writing that has circulated the internet. I hope you enjoy it too. Sheri

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England ... Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees. 'In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.' I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.' As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. Great Job, MOM!

Out Of The Mouth Of Babes!

My kids make me laugh on a regular basis, however, yesterday was a little extra funny. Of course, I can't always let them know that I am laughing at them. My four year old is so stinkin' funny. What makes him even funnier is that he so matter of fact. Let me give you a little background. He could be sitting there playing a game (electronic), and I would be fussing at one of the other boys. He would be very nonchalant and quietly say something like, "it sounds like (insert brother here) needs to go to his room." Thankfully, the fussee usually doesn't hear his brother or it would most definitely exacerbate the situation. He is always trying to start something with his dad too. It's quite humorous. Anyway, he answered the door and I didn't want him to because I had just gotten out of the shower and because I hadn't looked to see who it was yet. So after the company left I was explaining to him why he couldn't answer the door and asked him what would happen if someone he didn't know was there and tried to hurt him. He replied very confidently that he would kill him. Intrigued, I asked him how. Without hesitation he replied, "with my moves". The situation of course is serious, but the answer made me laugh (not in front of him).

There were two other funnies that happened that I want to share. We were working on writing his name and I asked him if he was excited to start kindergarten. He said, "yes, and now you can go shopping by yourself!" He doesn't miss a thing! Whenever people ask me what I'm going to do when all the kids are in school my generic response is grocery shop without kids. I better make sure I throw in how much I'm going to miss him since I know he is intently listening. Then I was making dinner and he is my big helper so he was on his chair "helping" and I was fussing at my oldest because although he had just washed his hands they didn't meet my standards with the gray hue and smell of dirt lingering. My four year old pipes in, "he's getting the business and I'm not!" It was so funny! I wish you all could hear his inflection and tone.

Then, right before bed look what else came out of the mouth of one of my babes. No, not the toy, the front tooth. He has been working on that one for quite a while. The one next to it will be gone soon as well.

I will should have something creative to share tomorrow. Have the kind of day that makes you smile!

Sheri