Article Contributed on: 8/24/2009 3:17:30 PM
Hey Peeps-
It's been almost two weeks since I last blogged, and I figure I better give an update before I get forgotten. It's been a busy two weeks, so be prepared. This may get a little wordy.
We survived our camping experience two weekends ago. We went up by Nederland, with some friends who are much more experienced campers than we are. They even have an Excel spreadsheet, with a bin system for food and supplies. Here was my list: 1. Tent 2. Golden Oreos and other snacks like that.
We didn't get rained on, thank goodness, but our sleeping quarters were less than ideal. Did you know when you sleep in a tent, you are essentially sleeping ON THE GROUND? Not to mention our tent is a 4 man tent. There's five of us in the family-you do the math. It was a tight squeeze, but we survived. Billy had to get some things done for work the next evening, so we only stayed one night. I was thrilled to go home due to the bathroom situation. As soon as we arrived at the campground on Friday night, I began dehydrating myself and the kids, so we could avoid it as much as possible. On our drive home Saturday afternoon, I re-introduced fluids into our systems and everyone was happy about that.
This past weekend my 6 year old daughter Faith and I attended a Girl Scout Camp. Faith has looked forward to this event all summer. I only had about a week to get geared up for it. My friend Marybel called me when another mom dropped out due to legitimate reasons. Apparently I was about the 4 th person she called, and later I found out I was her "second choice". Marybel is from New York City, so she speaks truthfully, which I appreciate. I like to know where I stand with someone, even if it's second place. After the three other mom's told her "no thanks" , she got a "sure, why not" from me. Faith was thrilled I was going to go, and I was happy to get another weekend up in the mountains.
Our list was more detailed for this camp trip, since someone else made it for us, so we had all the proper gear. Or so I thought. As soon as Marybel saw Faith's whistle, she said, "Faith, I have a better whistle for you". Apparently the crap one I had was not going to be good enough to alert the troops to a bear or some other kind of emergency. Her new one was all shiny and made out of metal with a fancy little rope and everything. Whatever.
I had never spent a weekend with Girl Scouts so I was excited to be immersed into the culture. They sure sing a lot. But they are kind and respectful, and I felt that gave me the freedom to boss them around a bit. So I enjoyed that.
Unfortunately, while I was having the little ones moisturize my feet, Billy was having a bit of a crisis on the homefront. I didn't have a cell signal up at the camp, so on Saturday morning, I drove a few miles to check in at home. Don't worry, I had permission from the Boss of the Girl Scouts-in fact she said something like, "Please, go, take as long as you need," and I could swear there was a hint of a snotty little tone in her voice. Anyway, when I got down the hill a bit, I was able to get through to Billy.
"Hi honey! I miss you guys so much! How's it going at home?"
"Well, ( long pause ) Annie is shooting red fluids all over the pink bathroom".
I should tell you now, or maybe before now, that Annie is our cat. You may recall from a blog I posted in June that she "got busy under the juniper bush". So we were fairly certain she was going to have kittens sometime in August. Please don't go all Bob Barker on me. This is a good learning experience for the children. And Billy.
Anyway, I replied, "Oh yay! She's about to have the babies. Just don't worry. She'll know what to do. You guys just give her space, and let her know you are there to support her".
Then I heard a weird sound from Billy, kinda like gagging, and quietly he said, "I think she just lost her mucous plug."
After that he needed to go, so I told him he was doing a great job, and I'd call him later. When we spoke again, one baby had been born, and Billy was certain the rest were dead inside of her. I reminded him that the birthing process for cats may take hours, and not to worry. He responded sarcastically, "I didn't know you were into kitty husbandry". I decided to let him have his moment, since he was under a lot of stress, and all I was doing was helping girls achieve a positive image, and self-confidence while honoring God and their country.
Two more babies came after a while, and the boys handled the whole situation very well. Don't ask Jack to describe how the second one arrived though. If you think I'm graphic, trust me, he's way worse. I am so excited that Jack was there with Annie. He's nine, and loves cats so much. He is now referring to himself as "the kitty whisperer" and checking on them every five minutes.
We've also come to the conclusion that it's time to give Jack "the talk". He sure has been asking a lot about the kittens and seems to want the details. Billy and I were discussing it quietly and how to go about it. My take on it, much like my mother's is: give as little detail as possible. I think Billy agrees. Jack must have overheard us talking about this because just this morning at the dentist, Jack was telling the whole room full of dental assistants about the kittens. He said, "We have three new kittens... And now my parent's think it's time for me to have "the talk".
I crawled under the chairs and rocked myself to sleep.
Anyway, life is always full over here. I can't complain, although I do.
I begin a new semester tonight, about which I am excited and nervous. I really should be memorizing the endocrine system right now, but mostly I want to nap, and then play Monopoly with the kids. They start school on Wednesday, and while I'm ready for them to go back, I will miss our days out in the yard, and our late nights watching movies together. It's been a really good summer.
Life goes on...