Raging Hormones

My hormones are raging today. Big heavy sigh. The kids know to duck and cover when I'm like this. It doesn't help when everything starts breaking down. In the last week:

1) Vacuum cleaner hose -- a bent nail got stuck in it, plugging up the fuzzy carpet stuff so that nothing could get through. After about an hour, thankfully, Kathleen and I got it unplugged. I was really worried that we'd lost it for good this time.

2) The cleaning fluid bottle came off the tank of The Indispensable Steam Cleaner. That's the tank the reads: DO NOT REMOVE CLEANING FLUID BOTTLE. The steam cleaner still works, but not with the cleaner. BIG BUMMER.

3) Konner decided it would be great fun to let Kody chew on my broom. My broom is now half a broom and Konner is lucky he's still alive to tell the tale.

4) Grandma Johnson's lamp -- It used to sit in a cute little cubby over the fireplace at our house in Los Angeles, and now it's in our living room here. I finally had to replace the lampshade, but the cord finally gave way. It's still a cute lamp, but now it's a non-functioning cute lamp.

5) I took pictures of all the above next to my poor end table that Kristofer tried to put together earlier this year. He glued it together, but not quite right. I really need to just let it go to "glory" and find something else instead of trying to prop it up next to the recliners.

When hormones start raging, it is wise to make sure everyone (especially myself) is getting enough sleep. On our way to the library yesterday, the kids wanted to get a movie there and have a movie night. I said that would be fine as long as we had dinner by about 5:00 and started the movie about 6:00, then everyone would be in bed by 8:00 and all would be well.

Reality: Dinner at about 6:15 (not bad, really) except there was a huge altercation about whether they would watch James and the Giant Peach or The Indian in the Cupboard. I decided to let them watch both -- stupid, stupid, stupid. Why am I so into immediate gratification? Why couldn't I just decide on one and let them enjoy the second one the next night? I don't know! Gurrr!

So, I had them all raise their right hands and repeat after me, "I (state your name) do solemnly promise to not be grumpy tomorrow!"

They all made their solemn vows and guess what! Not only did I have my own hormone attack, but each and every one of the younger set were as grumpy as could be today. Did I learn my lesson? YES! We will not do a movie night past bedtime on a school night again!

On the cute side of home life at the Johnson house . . .

Kathleen, honing her culinary skills, decided to make Koolaide on her own. She put in the packet of Koolaide, added water and stirred, but -- strangely enough -- it tasted quite bitter, so she added ANOTHER packet of Koolaide. Still was bitter, so she gave up and poured it out. I told her that next time she needs to add sugar.

Keri Lynn came downstairs this afternoon from her studies to inform me that she saw what she thought was a stick moving in the backyard, but, of course, it was a SNAKE! Ick! Gross! I hate snakes, probably worse than just about anything else.

Kade and Konner, upon hearing that news, said in tandem, "AWESOME!"

Then Kade looked at me funny, "Mom, I thought you hated mice?"

"I do hate mice, but I think I hate snakes more. (Me and Indianan Jones.) The only good thing about snakes is that they eat mice!"

Then I launched into a lecture about not touching snakes, especially the pretty colorful ones.

"Yeah!" the boys chorused in anticipation.



On a teary note, since I'm into song lyrics right now and I'm a mother, I really appreciate this song by Mark Schultz. It doesn't seem that my kids would ever be old enough to go off to war, let alone leave home. But then again, I never thought I'd ever be a mother of two teenagers either. Really weird.

Letters from Home

She walked to the mailbox
On that bright summer's day
Found a letter from her son
In a war far away

He spoke of the weather
And good friends that he'd made
Said I'd been thinking 'bout dad
And the life that he had
That's why I'm here today
And at the end he said
You are what I'm fighting for
It was the first of the letters from war

She started writing
You're good and you're brave
What a father that you'll be someday
make it home
make it safe

She wrote every night as she prayed

Late in December
A day she'll not forget
Oh her tears stained the paper
With every word that she read

It said "I was up on a hill
I was out there alone
When the shots all rang out
And bombs were exploding
And that's when I saw him
He came back for me
And though he was captured
A man set me free
And that man was your son
He asked me to write to you
I told him I would, oh I swore"
It was the last of the letters from war

And she prayed he was living
Kept on believing
And wrote every night just to say

You are good
And you're brave
What a father that you'll be someday
Make it home
Make it safe
Still she kept writing each day

Then two years later
Autumn leaves all around
A car pulled in the driveway
And she fell to the ground
And out stepped a captain
Where her boy used to stand

He said "Mom, I'm following orders
From all of your letters
And I've come home again",
He ran into hold her
And dropped all his bags on the floor
Holding all of her letters from war

Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home