My intention when I started this blog was to share the shenanigans that my family was always involved in or creating.  Then I had some thoughtful and serious messages that I felt were worthy of a share.  So this post about last night is typical of what happenes in this house on a somewhat regular basis.

We went to a friends to watch commercials last night, I mean a sporting event.  My family is so not into sports, so we really liked the commercials last night.

Once we got home the boys went to bed and I was in bed by about 9:20pm and probably asleep by 9:22pm.  I was beyond tired and ate way too much junk!

So picture this… around 1:00am or 1:40am (all the clocks in our house are WRONG) we are awakened by the sound of someone throwing up.  Awesome!  Middle of the night!  You know that moment when you are suddenly woken up and it takes you a moment to get your bearings?  That was me in the middle of the night.  Was it a kid or a dog?  It was coming from the bathroom.  Part of me was hoping it was a kid, because chances are they would make it to the toilet. Especially since they were already in the bathroom. But if it was a dog, at least no one would have to stay home from school. However, that would mean cleaning up something nasty in the middle of the night.

So Jason and I both stagger to the bathroom half-asleep to see who it is. It’s a dog. Whew, right! All over the bathroom rug. It would have been pretty easy to wipe it up from the tile floor, but no, all over the rug.

Jason scoops the rug up and throws it in the bathtub.  He says we will deal with that in the morning.  What?  He just threw a rug full of puke in the shower I will be using in about 5 hours!  Who is going to deal with it then?  I get Sailor outside and get her calmed down.  It’s raining outside at this point too.

I come back in with wet hair and crawl back into bed.  Jason is already snoring.  Awesome!

About an hour passes and I hear something crash.  Something fall that sounded like a shampoo bottle hitting the bathtub.  Who’s in the bathroom now?  Go in and the shower curtain is already pulled back and I find another dog in the bathtub eating someone else’s throw-up!  Are you kidding me??  It’s now about 2:45am or 3:20am, who really knows!  I get the dog and the rug and go outside again.  This time it’s really raining.  I mean pouring down rain.  I’m standing in my driveway shaking a rug, yelling at a dog and thinking about crying.  I often wonder what the neighbors really think about us.

It is a glorious day!  My youngest son was baptized this morning at church.  Even though he is only 7, I have no doubt in my mind that he understands baptism unites him now as a believer with Jesus.  I’m beyond proud of him!

However, I would be remised if I didn’t mention the bittersweetness of today.  My Great-Aunt Norma went home to be with the Lord just a few days ago and is being laid to rest today.  I was not able to travel to her funeral this weekend since my son was being baptized.

I’ve suddenly found myself at that place in life where my family will be getting smaller before it gets bigger again.  As a child you have cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents and the extended family.  Then you get a bit older and the cousins get married and start having kids.  You are in the “growth” stage of family.  Family get togethers are so much fun and they happened often.  We would play for hours and knew every nook and cranny in everyones houses.  I’m not the oldest cousin, but of all the cousins in my generation I am one of the older ones.  I recall the babies who are now married and even have their own kids.  It was such a treat for the cousins to come from across the county to land for a few days at the Crossroads of America.  I have a lot of fond memories.

I reflect now on this stage of life.  There are only 2 people still living in my family who are of the greatest generation, the generation of my grandparents.  Family is important to me and I want to raise my kids to share those values.  How do I do that?  Worship together, eat meals together, talk to our kids.  Let them know we love them.  Jason and I need to be the Christian example for our kids to look to.  As parents we are shaping the future of our children and the values they will one day hold.

Our family will start growing again one day with my children’s generation.  But I have to wonder, without the ties that held us together at times, our grandparents generation, will we still stay in touch to see that growth?  Will my generation go across the country to weddings or baby showers or even baptisms?  Will my cousins come to see those milestones of my kids?

Life is always changing and brining me back to last weeks post from the Bible in Haggai 1: 5 & 7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.”  What are our priorities in life.  With baptism and death recently, it brings this value of family close to the front of my mind.

Love your family.

In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.  Proverbs 12:28

Yes, mud has a smell.  Especially winter mud.  It’s the cold, red, North Carolina clay soil mixed with the cold rain water.  It smells like cold, organic bacteria.  I like the smell of summer mud a little bit.  But, not winter mud.

I like the smell of winter mud even less when I smell it in my house, on a wet dog.  I know rain is good, it gives life to so much of our world.  But, I’m over, muddy, wet dogs every time they go outside.

Piper and Ellie go outside today and both come in with mud in various places of their bodies.  Ellie had mud on the back of her head and neck, but no where else.  I found that to be odd.  Even if she rubbed her neck in something, she would at least have it on her feet and maybe even the side of her neck.

Then Piper comes in.  It’s no longer a mystery how Ellie got mud where she did.  Piper is covered in mud and I can tell that she probably wiped her face on the top of Ellie’s head.  That’s great.

Then Tanner tells us he dug a hole in the yard today.  Why?  We ask.  He was looking  for worms and not too worry, he has knife and knows how to use it.

So as I’m typing this, I hear paper being crumbled.  I get up to go find the puppy, because everyone else is in this room.  We find the title to Jason’s truck eaten, but we still can’t find the dog.  We finally find her laying on Warren’s bed with a shredded box of Thin Mints and a shredded box of Peanut Butter Patties.

I need to find a hotel for myself for the night,  I need a break!

The end of the day is approaching and I’ve had 95 views on this blog already.  That tells me you all do want to read about our crazy shenanigans.  I’ll do my best to keep up.

Random thought.  If I was on the receiving end of a group text where I was going somewhere with the other people I would want to know who they were, right?  I would probably do a reply all and say something like I don’t have all your numbers in my phone, can you let me know who you are.

Well, my husband is going somewhere tomorrow with several guys.  They’ve been group texting for a couple of days now and he doesn’t know who 5 of them are!  I asked him how he knew who he was meeting?  He said it’s a guy thing and he’d be ok.  What?

Can you relate?

Ever hear this in your house? Probably. Saturday’s are basketball days in our house. Both boys play and my husband coaches. Last night I asked all three of them if all their basketball gear was clean and ready for tomorrow. I got 3 yes’s!

There are 168 hours in a week, I work on average of 45 hours per week, and do at the minimum 14 loads of laundry per week which is about 28 hours worth give or take. I sleep a good 56 hours per week, so this leaves me about 5.57 free (using that word loosely) hours a day. I shuttle the kids from school to tutoring to basketball practice to church, make stops at Target and the drive thru at the grocery. I might even make a stop at the gym. I’m not going those “free” hours to put your clean clothes where they go.

So let’s talk about the laundry. It’s excessive in my house. I will wash, dry and fold and probably even carry it to your room. But I’m also trying to teach my boys how to be responsible young men. So they are going to put that mess away. In my dreams right!

They don’t put it away! They might even put the full stack of clean clothes right back in the laundry basket. Add a couple of days of stank clothes on top and I’ve got to put nicely folded stinky clothes right back in the washing machine. When they tell me they can’t find their shirt or socks, I’m like so what. I washed it, dried it, folded it and put it in your room. What you do with it after that is your problem.

So here we are, Saturday morning. One kid can’t find his shirt for basketball (and recall last night they told me they had “all” their gear ready). We find it in the dirty clothes. Oh well, he is 7 and doesn’t stink that bad yet. He wears it and all is right in his world.

Then there is Jason! If you saw him on the bench at basketball this morning you would notice he did not have his coaches shirt on. Where was it? Not in the dirty clothes! I do a minimum of 2 loads of laundry per day and that shirt never made its way to the laundry area this week.

I know I keep Tide, Downy and Clorox in business! I’m practically in a relationship with the Unstoppables I love them so much! How did my laundry ever smell so good before.

If I can’t find my shirt, I have no one to ask? Maybe I’ll start asking them where my stuff is and laugh at the bewildered looks that will be on their faces.

I’ve been saying it for years. I need to write a blog. I start, then stop. I need to really capture these memories for later on in life when I won’t be able to recall the details.

I will turn 40 this year! 4-0! I know, it’s only a number and many of you are seeing it in the rearview mirror saying it’s no big deal. But, I feel like it’s a milestone in life. An earned milestone! I’m healthy and strong, have a great (wild at times, ok all the time) family and have a great love for the Lord. I’m pretty happy. Being a mom who works full-time while also participating in multiple community activities can prove to be quite challenging at times.

So here’s my plan: I’m going to start blogging on being a career woman, raising a family and being a wife! Jason said he will gladly donate his Go-Pro videos to my blog. You’ve been warned! Here we go…