The Emmys, The Grammys, and The Suzies!

Awards Ceremonies, I find these events very interesting. The ones on T.V. are so strange to me. The people who make entertainment for the masses, award themselves on their work. They also promote their own fame and acceptability by awarding their own kind. Then there are the pointless award ceremonies that truly puzzle me, like the one I attended last Spring for school volunteers. Yep, the school district put on a nice BBQ lunch for us volunteers, and then as we sat out in the blazing heat as they proceeded to call out our names so that we could go up to the front of the crowd to receive a certificate of appreciation. I don't know about anyone else in the crowd, but really, I didn't need a piece of paper for all my volunteer work. I volunteered because I wanted to be involved in my child's class. I just really don't get the ceremonies.

I do have to say that if we are going to have these crazy ceremonies when need to make one up to honor women who are caring for others, and could be called the Suzies! I think that these should be local gatherings, among friends. We should give accolades to our own friends and family. We should all dress up, have it at a restaurant (so that no one will have to cook or clean up), and make it a dessert only so there will be no quilt in eating it!
Here are some of the awards that should be given:

Best Woman who travels well with children

Best Supporting Wife

Mother of Multiples

Best Creative Mom

Best Entrepreneur Mom

Best Woman Caring for an Elderly Parent

Best Mother Caring For a Special Needs Child

Best Woman Who Shows Hospitality in a Messy Home

Best Woman Who Cares for the Invisible People

Best Woman Who Is A Single Mom

And I'm sure there are many, many more awards that could be given. Every one should be given an award. These ceremonies should go on annually and different awards given out each time to avoid someone always getting the same award. The actual awards should be something that could be sat on a shelf so that the recipient could see it as a daily reminder that she has been acknowledged! We need to build each other up and praise other women for how they serve and sacrifice!

I want one of these awards!! I want the one for traveling well with children!! We just got back from a road trip. I realized as we were flying down highway 99 that over the past two and a half years we have traveled home by train, plane and automobile! We started out the trip with Devin in sever pain, he has strep throat. He didn't want to be traveling today, but I gave him more pain meds and made him take a throat lozenge. He fell asleep part of the trip. He had his feet up on the dash board and he was leaning back in his chair. It reminded me of when he was a baby in his car seat (same position). Oh, how did the time fly so fast! That was the nice part. Then there was the, "I've gotta go pee," and the, "When is lunch?".
We stopped two times before we were even in Fresno! It's nice to not be in a hurry. Of course Mr. Pig-Pin made a disaster out of the back seat. I had to get the shop vac out and clean up back there. It was a great time away, but it is always great to get home.

Mommy Musings

Can you change the name of your child when he is six years old? I have told Jeff that he is the embodiment of his own mother. This child defines persistent! My mother-in-law would not take no for an answer and would ask you something until she heard you say yes. This is just like my Jake.

And then there is my side of the family. My roots are very humble. My grandfather on my Mom's side could have been part of the story in the novel, The Grapes of Wrath. I want to preface what I'm about to say with a clarification that my side of the family are not pig-slop-slobs, we are just more relaxed about life and know that in good time we will get to what needs doing.

This is where Jake's new name comes in. I think that I should have named him Jethro! That child is a slob, in a "hillbilly" kind of way! Now mind you I'm very relaxed in my style. I let the kids eat in the living room. Partly because the kitchen table is the central working place of our tiny abode, and is often full of projects. If there is a bowl left in the living room, it is Jake's. I looked for something in the car tonight and Jake had left two pairs of shoes and a shirt in there. He cannot get it through his head that the hamper is for dirty clothes. And yes, I repeat this over and over, "If it's clean hang it up, if it's dirty put it in the hamper". I had to have him get his Popsicle stick and water bottle off the front drive tonight. He uses his shirt as a napkin.

It is strange what you get when you mix Dutch blood with Okie blood, it is a mix of formal and tradition with fly by the seat of your pants! I think Jake has more Okie blood running through his veins.

I don't know if being the baby of the family is the reason for his pig like living. Maybe I'm just so sick and tiered of repeating myself to no avail!

I have given up sorting the toys, no one cares if star wars guys are with star wars guy, other than me. Actually when the toys are all mixed up, they get really excited when they discover a new toy at the bottom of the box.

I took this child to go garage sale shopping on Sat. We had a great time. We got doughnuts and milk, we found treasures and just enjoyed time together. He also went grocery shopping with me the same day, and spent the rest of his money on two boxes of fruit roll ups. Yeah, yeah, I know I spoil this little boy.

When he has wanted something in the last few days he tells me that I got stuff for his brothers and not him. Oh, boy, was I quick to remind him of the truth.

So the other day, as we were driving, my little thinker in the back seat was asking me about the girl he was going to marry. He wanted to know if the girl he would marry should be a Christian. I told him that she needed to love Jesus first then him. We have been talking a lot lately about dating and marriage in our house. Devin, my oldest, is nearing 13 years old and I want to have a game plan about "dating".

When talking with another mom, who has two teenage girls, she shared with me her values and views on courting. Oh, how wonderful courting sounds! Courting is about getting to know a gal, when you are near or already at the point in life when you are actually ready to get married. Courting involves the parents, the gal and the guy. It is based on the relationship of the two individuals, who are looking for the right mate in life. I'm not totally against dating, but I spent a lot of time being love lorned when it really didn't amount to much. I have fun memories and have suffered from a broken heart. I really don't want the boys to suffer from a broken heart nor break a heart.

A big goal of courting is purity! I want this for all three of my boys. They are growing up in an immoral sex saturated world and I want them to field the bombs that are set before them.

Devin has some girls at youth group who want to have him over for lunch. Oh boy, I'm going to have to make up some rules. He said that some girl liked him and he told the girls he was talking to about this. He said that he told them he couldn't take the girl out because he had no money and his Mom wouldn't let him. A high school girl who helps in Jr. High and I have befriended said that maybe if she talked to me he could go out with her. I laughed my head off!!!! A 17 year old girl talking me into letting my son "go out" with a girl. For crying out loud he is only 12, why on earth would I want to get that started? Crazy, crazy, crazy!

Drew has always loved girls. I have said that he will need to go to trade school so he can get done and get a job and get married. But he has toned down. He is really into reading right and I love it!! We were waiting for Devin to get out of youth group tonight, and I was just really enjoying his company. He brought up how where we were sitting seemed like a ship, so we started talking and I told him that when he was older we should take a cruse together. I just really love being with Drew, he is very laid back and we can be together and not even talk and be totally at ease!

Argh, I was always boy crazy! I wish my boys were not so much like their mother when it comes to the opposite sex. Why can't they be like their father and just be afraid of girls?