Random Confessions

• Jason was on a business trip for two days last week and on another one for three days this week.  Between that and having my kids in different parts of the state the last two weeks, we’ve been a really disconnected family.  I’m ready to be all together again.
• In those 5 days of his absence, I managed to use my stove only 3 times—twice to make a big pot of mac & cheese and once to make a big pot of popcorn.
• I’ve discovered my kids are willing to split a Jimmy John’s sandwich if I promise them a Little Debbie Swiss Cake Roll for dessert—the whole package.
• I’ve discovered my kids are willing to split a Craft 2 meal at Q’doba if I promise them a Little Debbie Swiss Cake Roll for dessert—the whole package.
• I’m thankful I stocked up on Little Debbie snacks when they were on sale last week.
• I’ve learned that a Chinese Dinner for 4 from the Hy-Vee deli will feed the four of us for 3 meals.
• I’m thankful that my kids think a package of beef jerky, a half package of Combos and a cup of dried cherries split among us is a great dinner to have at the park.
• I bought Samuel an Erector set on clearance yesterday, then proceeded to brush off Ellie’s requests to sew so I could help him build a helicopter.  It was much more fun.
• I’ve been able to overcome my lack of desire to sew today to help Ellie complete her first sewing project for 4-H—a tote bag.  She did a very good job on it.  I had prepped her before we started for the possibility that she might have to rip out a seam or two and redo them.  That must have been the motivation for her to make sure she sewed every seam just right.
• Abby, on the other hand, subscribes to the “that’s good enough” philosophy.  I’m sure that attitude will serve her well at times.  It does not serve her well when it comes to 4-H judges.  I explained that to her, and she’s fine with it.
• My lack of enthusiasm (and lack of attention to detail) led Ellie to sew her tote bag wrong side out.  By the time I discovered it, she was almost finished with it.  She decided she liked the side we used better anyway.  It’s a plain-colored twill, so that fact would only be noticed by someone with enough experience with fabric to know. 
• I imagine someone asked to judge 4-H sewing projects has enough experience to know what the wrong side of a twill looks like.
• I read some appalling statistics about soy the other day.  After hours of research in the wee hours of the morning, I made the decision to cut Ellie off cold turkey from her beloved soy milk.  There were many tears shed at that announcement.
• I stay up way too late when Jason’s not home.
• Now I feel guilty about the tote bag, about giving her soy milk all these years, and about taking it away from her.  And that’s just one kid.
• At 2:30 this afternoon, I finally admitted to myself that I wasn’t going to take a shower today.  Then I decided I should at least brush my teeth.
• Having the Fourth of July on a Sunday had been a big downer for me this year.  I feel like we’re losing half of our usual celebration.
• In spite of that, I’m looking forward to the weekend.  My family will all be back together, we’ll be celebrating this wonderful country we live in, and I won’t have to cook.
• But I still need to decide what food I should contribute to our cookout.  Little Debbies?

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Since this post is so random, I thought I’d share a random photo from a couple of weeks ago—my  kids at the Nebraska History Museum.