Lesson 257: Let It Go

It's the blessed weekend, Readers!

Thank the Lord!

I sure did have a fun summer with my kids.  I enjoyed every wonderfully wet, buggy hot, sweet sticky moment of it.  The school bell has rung and it's time to let go of the summer and my babies once again.

We entered the 2013-2014 school year with a five day week.  The kids and I are T-I-R-E-D tonight.

But they all arrived home for the weekend with smiles on their faces, which is really what any parent wants most.  We want our kids to like school.  Thank you teachers for making that happen!  Your hard work and preparation does not go unnoticed.

Even Mr. Academic changed his tune.  He loves his teacher and earned this sticker on the second day!  

Getting off to school on the first day is a family affair.  I live next door to my parents.  I told a friend this week that my life is like a Ray Romano episode.  For example, here is Sam waiting for the bus on the first day of school.  Natalie is silently sticking it to him like she does.  She wore her SUMMER FUN shirt because she had one more day of summer vacation than he did.  (She's a stinker.  Don't let Natalie fool you!)

The handsome gentleman bending over picking up sticks in the background is my father.

Grandpa is always around in the morning to offer some words of encouragement.

"Behave or they'll put 'ya in juvey, Sam!" hollered Grandpa.

 Sam wanted to be a big boy and wait for the bus at the end of the driveway by himself.  Grandma wasn't quite sold on that.  She hid in her tree branch that happened to fall on my driveway.

 Grandma was around for Ellen, too.  Ellen was probably the most nervous because she started Junior High School this year.  There's Grandma again in the background.

You can see the origins of my coffee addiction.  Look at what is in both of their hands.

Ellen was so nerved out about starting school, she wrote a blog about it the night prior.  You can find it HERE in case you missed it.  In the blog she writes about what has been known as The Twinkie Episode.  

To set the record straight, Ellen did buy the Twinkies with her own money.  I told her I wasn't buying them, but if she wanted them so badly, she could (never thinking my cheapskate would buck up).  

My children have to ask for permission to eat when it is not mealtime.  When Ellen arose just shy of noon one day this summer and asked for a Twinkie for breakfast, I did say no.  Me and "my workout group" as Ellen stated, do not think comfort foods are "evil."  We just choose not to eat them or only do in moderation. Over time, you really do lose your taste for sugar.  This is the message I am trying to get across to my family.

Thanks to the person who left this on my doorstep for Ellen.  They welcomed her home after her first day of school.

I think I'll just let that random act of kindness go.

I did come across this great blog about talking to your daughter about healthy food relationships and good body image.  My friend Kristen sent it out via facebook.  It would be good to read if you have a daughter or influence young girls.  

For Good Girl Advice CLICK HERE


My kids can have a Twinkie now and then, as long as they enjoy some produce from my little garden.  It's a dinky little 8 x 8 thing I mess around with every year.

I don't plant much, but I am known for growing really good tomatoes.  

I raise the tomatoes, my husband makes the sauce.  It's a pretty good deal.

This year, the summer wasn't warm enough.  It rained heavily at the end of May, delaying the planting.  The summer lacked sunshine for many days.  My poor little garden simply didn't get enough light.  My tomatoes are still green!

I had to accept that the circumstances were beyond my control.  It's not like I could make the sun shine.  I had to let it go.  Instead, I've been looking for some fried green tomato recipes to try this weekend.  I've heard they are good.  If you have a good one, Readers, send it to me.

Until then, I had to borrow a tomato from a buddy of mine.  Thanks!

Another thing I have to let go of this school year are these:

I love these shoes AND I CANNOT WEAR THEM ANY MORE!!!!

Eloise has some tricky toes that are causing a great deal of pain.  I cannot bear weight on my foot without feeling like the bones are splintering.  Doc is working on them hard every week, and I am seeing some improvement.  

Still, I must heed Doc's advice---my footwear is causing the problem and it is time to let go of my love of high heels.  With consistent chiropractic treatment, I may be able to sport some to your wedding if you invite me.  If not, I'll show up wearing a pair of these with my little black dress.  Eloise always wanted to be a trend setter.

The lucky recipients of my Awesome Shoes are my friend Rockette and her daughter Junior.  I really want to nickname the daughter Mini Me, because she looks so much like her mother, but that is hard to do when both women and 6 feet tall.   Who better to give three inch heels to than 6 foot tall women?  I was never much for practicality.  Look for the Awesome Shoes on your doorstep this weekend, Girls.

Since I'm back in school mode, I decide to create a little Back To School Vocabulary Test for you, Readers!  Let's see how well you do on the top quality words that Minion used in her Fionnula Flanigan letters.

Name:  (nicknames preferred)

Date:  Tell me if you had a hot one this weekend

Directions:  choose the best definition for the given word

1.  Divulge

a.  Something Kenyan does with hot scoop

b.  Pig out on something gooey and chocolatey

c.  To make sensitive information known to the world

2.  Reveal

a.  Kenyan's bikini

b.  To cook lamb again

c.  To give away information

3.  Quest

a.  The daily hunt for my car keys

b.  Pronunciation of "kissed" by a kid with a lisp

c.  The long and arduous search for something

4.  Dawdle

a.  Forward motion of my father

b.  Cross breed of dachshund, weimaraner, & poodle

c.  To linger or be slow with movement

5.  Gaffe

a.  Miniature giraffe

b.  A whoopsie

c.  An unintentional act or remark causing embarrassment to its originator

6.  Repertoire

a.  Items in Kenyan's clothes closet

b.  A fancy, French toilet

c.  A collection of songs or plays

7.  Surmise

a.  Sunrise in Suriname

b.  Eloise is 5'11" tall (ok, ok, with the heels)

c.  Suppose that something is true without evidence to support it

8.  Impostor

a.  Posterboard used for presentations

b.  Frank Abagnale

c.  A person who pretends to be someone else

9.  Faux pas

a.  Lucky rabbit's foot

b.  My husband in a crowd of people he doesn't know well

c.  An embarrassing or tactless remark

10.  Sleuth

a.  Pronunciation of "tooth" by a kid missing front teeth

b.  a detective

c.  What the Minion will have to be in order to find her 40th birthday present

Answer Key:

That's easy!  The third choice is always correct.

Have a great weekend, Readers.  Reap your harvest if your tomatoes ripened.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO for more pictures from the week.  Fittingly, they are set to Zac Brown Band's Let It Go.  And in case you didn't hear, Erieites, Zac Brown and his band are coming to Erie on December 13th!  It will be an awesome show!

Last advice for the week from Eloise:

XOXOXO,

Eloise