First date for my Last child

MEMO to all you young moms out there:

These are the best days of your lives!

 No, REALLY!!

When the kids are living at home, hanging on your leg, begging for a cookie, smearing sticky kisses on your cheek, coming down with the sniffles, needing a kiss for an "owie", wearing your high heels and lipstick, making mud pies in your garden, and on and on and on; take a moment and savor it! 

  Because it passes too quickly. 

 After my first child was born, and I was sore, confused,  overwhelmed, and felt like I couldn't go anywhere without a luggage carrier, my mom wrote me a letter.

Long story short, she told me that these days would pass before I knew it and to enjoy them as much as I could.

I didn't listen very well. 

 

Not until my 4th child was born did I begin to think about what she had said to me in that note.

And something miraculous happened!

I began to slow down, let the unimportant things go, and enjoy being a mom.  I began to LOVE mornings (instead of dread them) when all the kids would pile into bed with me before the day began.  I would take hikes with them, meet them at the bus stop, go camping with them, take them to the zoo - instead of staying home to clean while Dad did all the fun stuff.

You see...

Children have a naughty little habit of growing up too fast.  Before you know it, the oldest ones have left home and are starting lives of their own, and your youngest is going on her first date.

Rachel and Michael Finch - Sr Ball 2011

 I'm telling ya, 

slow down...

and smell the baby powder.  

It won't be there forever, you know.

Just words....

Blogging is therapeutic.  

I haven't blogged in awhile, and I'm feeling it.  

I need therapy.  

So, a couple of things have hit me lately.  

Like;

Why do we have certain foods that we eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner?  

Who invented that?

Sometimes I want a cheeseburger for breakfast, or pizza.

Or I'd like a bowl of oatmeal for dinner.

Here's another one;

Why do my shoes need to match my outfit??  Does it matter?  And to whom?  

Am I a bad person if I don't match my purse to my clothes?

 Why, in the name of all that makes sense, does ANYTHING need to match or co-ordinate??

Who made these inane rules?

Next ponderous question:

Why do we, as a society, worship youth?  

Holy cow, I cannot for the life of me figure that one out.  Come on, we ALL know that youth is when we make lots of silly or big mistakes.  Youth is when you can be forgiven for being stupid.  We haven't figured things out yet, let alone who we are.  If your life is lived well, learning from your youthful blunders, advanced age means you've gained maturity and wisdom.  You have perspective, patience, and understanding. 

 

I say, "Let's hear it for the oldies but goodies!! 

(cuz that's where I'm headed!)

 Last universal puzzle:

Why do women need to pluck their eyebrows??

I tried to calculate all the minutes and hours I've spent since the age of 15, doing this (often) painful ritual.

It was staggering the time I've thrown away trying to make my eyebrows look less neanderthal.

It is time I will never get back, although the eyebrows are back in full fluffy force! 

Again - WHO decided what an eyebrow should look like?

They say we have come "so far" in our advanced "age of technology".  

I say, "Is that always a good thing?"  or

"Have we really?"

Hmmm...maybe not?

p.s. I miss my big kids who are so far away.