Giddyap!

As if clamming weren't enough excitement for one day, the girls, Grandpa, and Daddy went for an hour-long horse ride on the beach! It is something that the girls have always wanted to do, and the stars aligned - and the weather cooperated - enough to go for it this time. 

It was Daddy's first time to ride a horse.
Ask him what he learned about trotting!

They might have been able to cross "horseback riding" off their 

"Things I Want to Do" list, 

but it just got rewritten near the top of their 

"Things I Cannot Wait to Do Again" list!

Thank you, Gramma & Grandpa, for such FUN first-time experiences!

Can You Dig It?

My parents have long maintained that grandchildren are the reward for allowing your teenagers to live, and this past weekend cemented that belief, I think. You see, it was CLAM SEASON on the coast where my parents live (where they went clamming before work all 5 consecutive days,
since it was open), and my children had never been before, so we loaded up the "guns" and donned our finest raingear...

In case you've ever wondered, wet sand is really, really strong stuff.

MareBear quickly dug her limit (15), and only dug 2 or 3 holes where the digger escaped her powerful clam gun, thus solidly sealing her spot as
#1 Grandchild. (It used to just mean that she was born first)

Not to be outdone, Lainybug quickly proved that just because she was outweighed didn't mean she couldn't dig, too. I had to run back to the car for a bag for her, as we hadn't even thought she'd be able to get any by herself (state law says kids gotta do it all themselves).

Never underestimate the power of the Little Sister!

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I gotta hand it to these girls. Not only were they First Time Master Clam Diggers, but they did it in an impressive bit of rain without a single murmur. Obviously I married well, since they are their father's children, and not mine. :)

Maybe it's the boots, but this family has some serious clam diggin skills. Well, except for me. I didn't have a license, so I just wore the cute boots.
And helped Mom clean & gut the buggers. That counts, right?

Miss J

I subbed for a third grade class today. Most of them greeted me with a smile, but one boy loudly announced his disappointment, "Oh, man! Mrs. N said we would probably have Mrs. J as a sub today!" I was happy to tell him, "You know what?! I AM a Ms J, too! Before I was married, guess what my name was?! It was Miss J!" (yes, her married name & my maiden name are the same). I told them, "So, I betcha that there's a part of me that's still used to being Miss J, so if you want, you can call me that instead of Mrs. R today." We had a chuckle and I thought we moved on, but nope, there were 2 kids that straight-faced called me Miss J all day.

And I responded without missing a beat every time.

An Official Mother Hen

Sometimes stepping out of routine makes you realize how much you take for granted. Tonight, M had a class from 6-8pm in a town about 30 min from here, so I made arrangements for E to go home w/a friend after school, which meant we picked her up at 8:30pm.

I put her on the bus at 8:40am, so we were essentially apart for 12 hours today, which is very unusual. I missed her, but at the same time it was nice to have such a huge chunk of time for just M and me. We made dinner together and even made a quick Marshall's run (trying to lighten up her Sunday wardrobe choices as we head into spring...so many dark colors in her closet!) before heading to class. I completely enjoyed my time with her, and knew that E was having a great time at her friend's house, but my heart still ached for her.

I learned a few things about myself as a mom today. 1) I am so grateful that I'm not a mom who routinely has to drop her child off in the am and pick her up again 12 hours later. 2) I am officially a mother hen who needs her chicks under her wing to feel complete. 3) That saying about roots and wings...way harder to do than to say!

The Downside of Sheltering

I believe in using good, clean, positive language. "Shut up" is not even allowed in our house, and "hate" is saved for really special occasions. But maybe I should've eased up somewhere along the way. Today in the car afterschool, M was recounting her day and asked what a certain word that starts with a "j" meant. I told her "a really dumb jerk. Why do you ask?"

"Well, we were playing the ABC game and it was the first word I thought of. I said it and my teacher talked to me and she realized I didn't know what it meant or anything but I was embarrassed and I felt bad about it."

I assured her that it was an honest mistake (we still aren't sure where she's heard it. Shrek, maybe, or perhaps it's popped up in a book?) and I recounted a time when I was in middle school & repeated a phrase I'd heard my friends say. A teacher took me aside & asked if I knew what it meant. I guessed, "That you're really mad?" She filled me in & I don't think I've repeated it since (except in my head.)

I was oddly grateful to have had a similar experience to share with her, and at the same time, it left me wondering if I'm really doing the girls a favor by keeping such clean language around here? Just kidding. I think I'll stay the course. Because I really hate - excuse me, I mean - I really dislike rude language.

This is Maren speaking.

Hi

Mouth of Babes...

At dinner, E was sharing that the new neighbor kids had to go home b/c they were heading over to their dad's for a few days. She explained to me that their parents are divorced and that they don't even have to take their toothbrushes when they go over to their dad's b/c he already has everything they need. She then asked, "Why do moms & dads get divorced, anyway?"

I said, "Well, there are lots of reasons. Sometimes it's because they fight all the time and can't be nice to each other. Sometimes it's because one of them has an addiction to something like drugs or alcohol." She interrupted here and said, "Or, to, ummmm, wait a minute, what's that called? Ummm, it's like Chuck E. Cheese's...oh yeah, gambling!"

Why she connects CEC to gambling I have no idea, but since we've never been there (and I don't intend to start) I didn't clarify.

I continued, "Or sometimes it's because the mom or the dad goes out and gets a girlfriend or boyfriend, and you can't do that if you're married." M burst into laughter. When I asked what was so funny she said, "Daddy could NEVER get a girlfriend!" I said, "Oh, and do you think I could get a boyfriend?" "No way, Mom! You're too OLD!"

I tried to salvage the discussion by assuring them that they are forever stuck with two parents who have every intention of being together always, but I think I lost them...