Potpourri

Once again, it's that time of year when we're limping to the finish line, folks.  School projects, making lunches, math homework, extracurricular activities. . .they all feel like they take superhuman strength to accomplish.  Only 8.5 days for my boys, and fewer for the girls and me.  We can do it, we can do it, we can do it!  This year is bittersweet for me, for the first time in a long time.  I am anxious for summer and relaxation and family time, but as the last day is approaching, I am realizing just how much I am going to miss my little students!  Most I will get to see next year across the hall, but a few I won't.  And they will be missed!

So here are a few jumbled up thoughts from my tired, May-brain:

First, a few quotes from the people who live with me:

• One of my children's teachers sent home an email, discussing some deep conversations they had had in class.  She quoted one of the students as saying "The only thing we deserve is death!"  Immediately I knew this as my child.  Sure enough, I was right!  That's my black and white boy! Praise God He doesn't give us what we deserve!
• My two younger boys have been asking about jobs lately, and how much certain jobs pay versus others.  They have been quite shocked that some of the best jobs they can think of (Game Stop cashier, Culver's worker etc.) aren't high on the pay scale.  We were discussing how a good education might lead to a higher paying job.  "But remember, boys," I said.  "Money isn't everything.  Daddy and I chose careers that were not especially lucrative (pause to explain that word), but were ones that we loved doing.  It's important to choose a job that will be rewarding and make you enjoy working."  Long pause from one of the boys.  "Mom," he said, "I'm gonna admit I'm one of the ones who's gonna do it for the money."

Shadow.  You remember him, maybe?  Our new dog?  Shadow, the amazing non-shedding dog?  Well, let me introduce you to his evil twin who has taken up residence in our humble abode.  His name is Shadow:  the amazing, non-shedding, SHEDDING dog.  Yep!  The dog that we took pains to ensure would not shed, definitely sheds.  Tumbleweeds of dog hair on the hardwoods if I don't sweep 24/7.  Dog hair on the stove, the fridge, the toilet(!). . .it's ridiculous.  I'm hoping that it is perhaps due to the season, since we didn't notice such shedding in the winter time.  He probably also needs a fluff and buff (as my mother-in-law calls grooming), which perhaps would help.  In the meantime, we are loving him through this bait-and-switch situation.  Luckily he has ingratiated himself into our hearts and keep him we shall, shedding and all. 

My kids make their own lunches each night (and one in particular reports that I am the ONLY MOM who makes their kids do so - he knows no one else who has such a mean mother).  I check them over, either as they are making them, or in the morning.  Recently, I found this situation in the aforementioned child's lunchbox, his idea of a healthy lunch:

Did you notice, as I did, that there is a preponderance of empty orange carbs? Three servings of the food group: junk.  He did make efforts to balance out the empty calories, though.  On our morning list (what to add in the morning to our lunches/backpacks), he had written:  fresh fruit.  

Our kids say individual prayers each night, after Bible story.  Sometimes they are rapid-fire, with little attention to what they are praying for.  But on other nights, they are heartfelt affairs, prayers with genuine concern.  One of my sons has taken to praying for those he knows who don't believe in Jesus (or maybe he is unsure if they do or not).  He includes family members, neighbors, and family members of his friends.  It warms my heart each time I hear him pray for these people, adults and children, by name.  May God answer his prayers with a resounding yes!