Dogs Are Like Blankets

Where the heck have we been???  Most days I can't even figure out where my time goes.  I'm a mom.  Who stays at home.  How am I this busy?  All I know is that when I used to stare blankly at moms who had kids in school all day and claimed to be busy while I struggled to just brush my teeth without a kid crying at me or hanging on me, I really had no clue that they were not the big fat liars I thought they were.  It is a different kind of busy.  I do have time for myself--lately not spent blogging obviously, but I also do a lot of things throughout the day for the kids and for the house and for the family.  I don't know how a mom who works can do all of this.  And sleep.  I figure moms who work give up a lot of sleep and that time for themselves thing.  I have a lot of guilt.  Stay at home mom guilt.  I feel guilty every time I microwave anything and call it "dinner".  I feel guilty when a kid asks for something to wear that is dirty (even though in this house it was most likely worn yesterday if it is dirty--I am my mother's daughter).  I feel guilty when I forget something at the store.  I feel guilty that I am this busy.  I feel guilty that I don't say yes every time I'm asked to volunteer.  I feel guilty for being overwhelmed by what I've already volunteered to do.  This isn't all self-inflicted.  I can't even count the number of times in the last few meetings I've been to that other moms have used phrases like, "If no one steps up..." or "Someone needs to step up..."  or "We all work full time and we have stepped up..."  Not easy to hear when I don't work full time--or any time, actually.

But I am busy.  I promise.  I'm sitting in the office surrounded by piles of stuff.  Stuff for the Daisy Troop I have just agreed to lead (with three other very helpful moms--who all work, by the way).  Stuff for the school directory that I am 50% responsible with another mom--who also works now.  Stuff for a school fund raiser in which I and another mom are responsible for organizing entertainment.  Receipts.  Bills.  School projects.  A very daunting application for a nursing license in New Jersey.  Pictures.  And most recently, plans for another child's birthday party.  She's turning 9!  What!?

I was about to call it our first birthday party in New Jersey, but I kinda skipped right over the last one.  (Should I even mention that I never posted about the Chuck E Cheese party in Michigan before we moved almost 9 months ago?)

Our resident middle schooler turned 11 in August.  He had the motley crew pictured above over for pizza, a swim, and some sports.

I eighty-sixed the girls for some shopping while Dad manned the party solo.  They were great.  It was low key.  Easy.  

I last posted about some rough stuff we went through this summer.  Head lights.  Lost loveys.  Sadly, the Head Lights have struck again.  The only positive in this situation, is that we can never again be blind sided by them.  I feel like we know what we're doing, but I also feel like we're fighting a losing battle.  It is a long drawn out drama I would rather not document here.  Suffice it to say, we are not done because they are not eradicated.  There is no vaccine and unless I home school and make us all live like hermits, I have to let go and accept that my life now includes combs and shampoo/spray that smells like rosemary and citronella.

Heffalump has now become Heffalumps thanks to eBay.  A friend commented that if she loses these two, she might get four.  Funny guy.  Honestly neither of these two are exact replicas of the original and I have heard rumblings that Santa might be asked next.  I mean, when mom and dad let you down, who do you turn to?  Santa.  I hear he's pretty busy too though.

I've missed so much by not posting post-Head Lights. I'll try to cover a few of the highlights: Our lover of horses was able to attend horse camp for a week this summer.  She was in heaven.

We had a visit from Mimaw and Yehyeh in which we celebrated the actual birthday of 11 year old--at Outback of course.

We celebrated the 36 year old's birthday party with more Tses at the home of some of the Long Island Tses--aka Tylers.

Another thrill for Hannah--they have a pig.  A pig that lives in their home.

A pig and a dog.

And a lizard.  

There were lots of other kids and swimming.  Dad's birthday party was the best.

Some time in August our lives were invaded by football.  For the first time, football involving helmets and pads.

Then there was cheer.  And a pep rally.

More Jersey Shore.

More bestie visits and Teen Beach Movie.

Another bestie visit and more subway rides.

The boys celebrated their birthdays at a pre-season Giant's game.  Before they were 1-6.  Yikes.

Middle School started.

As did 1st and 3rd grades.

More cheer leading.

Soccer.

More football--#20.

Somewhere along the way, fall crept in.

We haven't squeezed in as much fall fun as we did in Michigan.  Finding the right fall fun takes time.

Somehow we managed to squeeze in a weekend in San Fran sans kids.  And sans head lights.  Yes, we left the head lights behind in New Jersey.  Their second appearance had the most unfortunate timing.   Sigh.

In spite of a lapse in government, we managed to have a really nice time.

More Tses--including the newest member--Erin.  Technically a Hui.

San Fran didn't disappoint.

Neither did Aunt Sophie's view.

Kids had fun while we were gone.  We did not leave head lights behind for everyone, we're not those people.

We came back to some Friday night lights-Jersey style.

Some inclement weather and surprisingly weak trees.

Which leads me to this morning...a beautiful one.  fall at the bus stop.  The pool has been closed for about a month.  The leaves are turning and falling.  Dad has his work cut out for him.  We had the heater serviced this morning and just in time based on the chilly night time forecast.  

This guy is out of the box.  Gas cans are filled.  The electrician has been here.  Should this Halloween be anything like the last two, we are as prepared as we can be.  Hopefully our preparation will be all for nothing.

And lastly, why dogs are like blankets...

Over waffles for breakfast, the girls commented about the little compartments full of syrup and how they looked like little swimming pools.  For some reason, I mentioned a book I either once owned or just heard about, but clearly did not ever read, "Men are Like Waffles/Women are Like Spaghetti".  I was trying to remember which was which as I talked about the title.  Hannah said something about how Men must be the spaghetti because they are "messy and all over the place" and women are "organized like waffles".  Then I googled it (because that is my answer to everything I can't remember) and told Hannah that it was about how women's brains were more all over the place like spaghetti and without me finishing my sentence, she said, "Oh, and men just do one thing at a time!"  She gets it.

Sarah, who never likes to be left out, but wasn't exactly following our convo piped up:  "And dogs are like blankets.  They are warm and they just lie there".

Well, not everyone's dog is like a blanket, but for sure ours has become more and more like one these last 13 years.

But man, he's a cutie.