We had a large crowd for Thanksgiving and strangely enough, I had gotten everything done early enough that I was able to sit and watch an excellent old Doris Day and Jimmy Stewart movie that morning before everyone arrived.  The hustle and bustle of heating everything up and getting the meal on the table in a timely manner made up for my earlier lack of adrenaline and I spent the next day in a self-proclaimed do-nothing state.  (Eating leftovers, of course.)  One thing led to another and every day of the long weekend turned into a glorious quiet time off.  We didn't attempt to do anything of any value until Sunday, when a little shopping was in order.  And does shopping count?  I think not.  Not when I'm not wrestling Baby and the Bickering Big Boys all by myself.  So it was a fabulous weekend, chock full of peanutbutter pie, mom's cornmeal-giblet gravy, and my sister's french bread stuffing!

Predictably, Monday brought the start of a new diet and exercise program -- thought I'd get a jump on New Years Resolution!  Well, the diet isn't new to me.  But I've reactivated my TeamX participation and have started my "self-motivating" blog on my other site.  You don't need to read it unless you are interested in starting a diet/exercise regime for yourself.  It's sort of embarrassing to need to blog about this, but it is almost a necessity to make a semi-public declaration to keep the effort in gear.

Yesterday was the first day back for our homeschool, and it was met with all the enthusiasm you'd expect after a long weekend.  Zip.  So today, I'm going to have to whip out all the tricks and do a better job of motivating them.

So, I'm off like a herd of turtles to do just that.

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Someone needs to invent a "Clapper" that can be attached to coffee mugs, so I can find mine whenever I'm darting through the house trying to get things done in between trying to get other things done.  Nothing's more discouraging than losing your coffee.  We can call it The Coffee Clapper.

I can see all kinds of other possibilities for it, too:  beverages at cocktail parties, sunglasses, baby shoes (always a crisis when you are trying to get out the door).  I mean, this could make someone a mint.  And we could really have some fun naming the different models while we were at it. 

Because I like all things interactive, on what objects in your life would YOU like to affix a clapper?  And what should the final product be named?

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This is the worst week I've experienced in probably 18 months.  I watched wonderful, well-intentioned people maligned publically, where they weren't able to defend themselves.  I've heard people's voices twisted in anger instead of peacemaking (including my own).  I saw the inevitable rush of people jumping on a bandwagon of false information, the embodiment of poorly curbed human nature -- never even bothering to inquire about the real story. 

I lost many hours of sleep, and many hours that I could have been washed in the sunlight streaming from the smile on my baby's face.  Instead, he cried all week, just wanting my full attention.  My big boys cried out in other ways.  I wasted a week's worth of living my dream of staying at home with my children in my favorite spot here on the hill worrying about what I couldn't change. 

Meanwhile, the tiny buds on all the trees became full-size fresh nearly-neon green leaves.  Just like they did last year.  Other tiny buds became fabulous bouquets of redbuds, dotting the mountainside.  Just like they did last year.  The tiny purple wildflowers that I picked for my mother on Mother's Day as a small child that smell so fragrant emerged en masse in every sunny spot that could be found.  Just like last year. 

As my rocking chair rocks back and forth over this scene, I'm reminded that life will go on.  The seasons pass.  The children grow.  Will I spend my days stressed to the max over things I cannot change?  Or will I grab the brass ring and a few redbuds for the center of my table, and deal some cards for a stimulating game of Solitaire with my children to let them see that Mommy is as constant as the seasons, instead of a fleeting thunderstorm? 

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