After a rousing grammar lesson involving colons, semi-colons and ellipsis points, Kevin suggested to Victoria that she seriously consider not growing up; that she simply stay the age she is right now. Without missing a beat, she quipped; "I considered that when I was seven."

You know summer is ending when...

...random first names take on great significance. Ana, Bill, Claudette, and Danny.
...checking Wunderground.com 's tropical update becomes a daily occurrence.
...everyone's swim suits develop threadbare spots from too much sun and chlorine. (note to self: check suit for those spots BEFORE going to the Beach Club on Sea Island)
...we are so tired of the heat we beg for relief, and make rash promised to God that if we can just have a bit of cooler weather we will never again complain about the cold weather in January.
...school begins. The cousins have left and so I fear it's going to be back to the books for the Eades kids. The local college starts this week, and since Alyssa is dual enrolling in two classes (College Algebra and English), she jumps into the fray tomorrow. Other than the co-op classes that Kevin, Hannah and Victoria start tomorrow, I wasn't planning to officially begin until next week. But with Patrick out of town and our days free, I may bump our start date to later in this week. Then maybe we'll be back in full swing by next Monday. Yeah, right...full swing. Hey...I can dream, can't I?

Flashback Friday

Sunday, 22 April 2007

Too busy?

If anyone saw me or talked to me on the phone about a week ago, you probably got an earful about an amazing article in the Washington Post. The short version is: The Washington Post asked Joshua Bell, a famous violinist, to do an experiment to see if beauty, greatness in fact, would win out in the midst people's busy schedules. To really appreciate what happened, you will need to listen to Joshua Bell (and if you are like me, will open his website often just to hear the music) and then read the Washington Post article. I can't begin to explain all that happened, so just take the time and read the article. It's totally amazing.

Okay, if you have read the article, what would you have done? I would like to be able to say I would have stopped to listen. I would...really. A musician friend, Fred McKinnon, says he's 99.9% sure he would have stopped...and he probably would have. But I had to ask myself, would I have been too busy to stop even if I had recognized the greatness? I know I would have heard the beauty, but I don't know that I would have had enough "margin" in my morning to have the liberty to linger in the subway station. I admit it...the Eades are usually running a pretty tight schedule. So I have to ask myself, what am I missing in the midst of my business? Would I find more beauty in life if I didn't schedule my days down to the minute? If didn't wait until the last moment to head out the door to barely make the next event on time, would I have time to stop and gaze at the painted buntings in our bird feeder or admire the flowers blooming in the yard?

I'm afraid we are more like the people in the subway station than I would like to admit.

Thanks to the Washington Post for making me think. I have a few more ideas stirring about their "experiment", but I'd best save those for another time.

Flashback Friday

Well, what's the old saying...the road to hell is paved with good intentions? What can I say? I intended to institute Flashback Friday as a way of moving posts from my old blog to here for posterity sake and as a fun reminder of the not so distant past. Summer and it's lack of routine has taken it's toll but I'm determined to just pick up where I left off and begin anew.

Wednesday, 18 April 2007

I Knew She Was in Trouble

Some months back I had one of my better "mom moments". Sometimes I look back over an "incident" that has occurred with the kids and I wish I had been more patient, more understanding, slower to anger. Maybe I should have held my tongue altogether. As I look back on that particular day, I have no regrets. I returned from an errand while the rest of the family stayed at home. I walked into an empty kitchen to find my favorite teapot broken. No guilty party was near. A bit of inquiry brought the truth...Victoria had done it. I can't remember if there were streams of tears as she confessed how the accident had occurred, but then it happened. I calmly and gently told her what my mother vividly taught me many years ago, "Things can be replaced, people can't." She looked at me as if some alien had invaded my body...no lecture, no raised voice, no pointing my finger telling what she should have done differently. In that moment, she needed to know I still loved her even if she had accidentally broken my best teapot. Even if not consciously, she needed to know that our relationship was more important than any "stuff" we have in the house. She needed to know that "Things can be replaced, people can't."

Fast forward to yesterday evening. Victoria tracked me down in the garden, walked up and said, "Do you remember what you told me when I broke your teapot?" I knew she was in trouble...something was broken, but she was wisely preparing me, reminding me of my own words before she confessed. There was no sense of urgency in her voice, so I didn't think there was bleeding involved (besides, I think we already met our April quota for blood shed on Saturday night when Hannah cracked her head open on the cabinet door). She informed me that "just a little" finger nail polish remover had spilled on Alyssa's desk. None got on Alyssa's computer though, and she had wiped up what was on the wood desk....it just left a few marks. So...while this was an accident, it was also disobedience. She is only allowed finger nail polish and remover in very controlled situations with permission. Sitting at Alyssa's desk, with hard wood floor underneath her is NOT one of those controlled environments. So, she will have to make restitution to her sister. Since refinishing the desk is out of the question....maybe Victoria will be buying Alyssa a desk blotter. Any other suggestions for a punishment that fits the crime?

And just in case you were wondering: Victoria did buy her sister a desk blotter to hid the evidence of her misdeeds. Let's all hope she's learned to be more careful with the polish AND the remover.