Stampede

This mom delights in a good kiss.

My boys know so... very well.

Sometimes I smell them as I do it. Sometimes I exaggerate a tad and make silly noises as I do it. Sometimes I squeeze the pickles out of them as I do it. Sometimes I start doing it and I can't stop doing it.  Sometimes I leave a mark when I do it.

This is called a stamp... and it's when I'm wearing my lipstick or gloss. I ask them if they want one when I know the answer. I will sneak one in if I notice I could get away with it. I send them a picture of one when I don't have them around. And when they are sleeping I leave a whopper of one, if I can.

Can you believe they try to wipe it off?

This flares a fire in my soul and this is what happens to them:

I may have bribed them a little bit for this as I coached them about the stamp. The stamp is a reflection of your Mother's immense love that I have for each of you. It is not private and I want everyone to know that I care about you so much I certainly will burst and leave my powerful mark. And now... you will forever have pictorial proof.

PS- Don't resist the kiss.

Hi-Yah!

My dear boys have went from trotting down an avenue of watching WWE wrestling to clearing rooms with their faked ring moves in play. They seriously are emptying out bedrooms for their stage. Those two are dragging me into this with them, unwillingly. I wrapped rope around some chairs in the living room to make them a setting once. I have cut underwear to make wrestling suits... yes.

The Sergeant's wrestling name is "RIP". He says it stands for "Rest in Pieces". It displays just that very phrase on the butt of his cut underwear. He drew it on by himself with supervised permanent marker lettering. Benny's wrestling name is "One of Me". He likes a more clothed look and didn't cut anything up, but rather wrote "Republic" on the thigh of his suit in patriotic colors. I will spare them any sort of embarrassment and not post pictures.

I bought them each a theme song as they walk in a personalized manner to before their matches they like to play out. It has gotten quite heated I might say . The play starts off harmless, and actually they are using their giant stuffed bears and not even eachother to fight with. Then, one child does something a little more aggressive than the other prefers. They both toss the bears out of the way and it creeps to a new level. Then they go at it but with 'fake' moves until somebody doesn't 'fake' it. At this point the bottom row of teeth on each son of mine is clenched over the top row and exposed at each other with looks of destruction aimed at one another. Mom has to intervene and quarantine them each in their own room for a bit.

Benny and the Sergeant have expressed some interest in Karate recently. I'm all over that one. It channels this whole physical aggression in a positive way. Gives it some structure and added components of character building. Self-control, self-discipline, and respect... yes please.

They tried it out one day and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Begged mom for sign-up. The boys have their best friend there as a supporter and an added topper... this coordinates well with our inconsistent family schedule. Were in!

Recalibrating

A portion of my units at work have been closed for a massive makeover... yipee! This has allowed me to use accrued hours for my own personal upgrades... double yipee!! I think everyone should take a month off of every year from whatever they do in life. This isn't an option for many, but adjusting what you do differently to keep from floating in the smelly pool of stagnation allowing a refocus and avoid burning out... is a must. Those fresh waters are healthy. So lets swim a lap into my retreats.

I still worked enough to stay plugged into my dutiful roles of employment. I find that there is always something to do as a Mother and Nurse. I love all my jobs... and want to keep it that way. Taking a wonderful vacation with my two sons was a terrific start. The things that travel towards the bottom from the top of my priority sifter get put on a list. I tackled those post-it note projects with finesse and a warm weathered smile during these days.

I sewed. Patched and Painted. Hung some things up. Organized my pictures in albums. Got a bigger craft box.Wrote. Read, some serious and silly. Swam. Baked some new goodies. Shampooed carpets. Napped. Sorted through my garage. Got rid of some things. Made some overdue technological changes to my home. Sent out cards just because. Got my children properly ready and off to school. Shopped. Got a massage drenched in coconut oil. Watched movies... fell asleep during some then woke up to pick up where it left off at. Made Benny clean up his fun collections in his closet and under his bed. Continued education. Planned a few upcoming fun sports outings. Scheduled. Assessed where I am at spiritually. Assessed where I am at.

I truly believe that things are not coincidental, yet orchestrated in a beautiful symphony by our Creator. It is up to us to live on that path and be the very best we know how, to bear the sweetest of fruit. Seek wisdom and ask for guidance. Stay humble. Recognize and learn from mistakes. Remember that patience is a virtue. Value the people that are purposefully placed into our lives. Try not to understand the turns and twists of life, but enjoy them because they were routed for a reason. A reason you may or may not ever know, but know that out of love the most magnificent was planned for you.

So of course... I did some reflection, one of my favorite things...

Sit/Lay/Shake

Happy Monday