New Years Seven Quick Takes

One

Clearly from the whining alone, its time for this lovely Christmas break to be over and for us to go back to school next week.
Gladys: But Moooommmmmmyyyyyy, I wanted to pick out my own shirt. But Mooooooommmmmyyyyy, Romulus is hurting my feelings. Etc. Etc.

Two

The lone exception to all the whining is the baby who is so good natured, cheerful and funny we are having an increasingly hard time understanding how she came to be in our family. However, I'm sure when baby #6 comes along she will gain the full measure of bitterness, sarcasm and angst that all the other children have.

Three

Elphine took her own money to the book store and bought a book about Helen Keller and then proceeded to read it herself (HUGE breakthrough) and then, to the delight of me, go around the house for a whole day with her eyes closed, crashing into things and then collapsing in laughter at herself.

Four

Matt bought me a fancy little flip video camera for Christmas. Its so clever and cute and I'm SURE now I'll keep careful track of all the things going on in our lives (ha). He just videoed his "morning commute". What a trial it is for him to get to work in the morning.

Five

The children are all going to play with their favorite person at church today and then their favorite babysitter is coming (early early ) this evening so we can go out to dinner, leaving an entire day where Matt and I will stare blankly at each other and contemplate the new year, or something. The sensible thing would be to wildly clean the house and take on some big organizing project. However, I think it would be psychologically healthier to go sit in a coffee shop and gaze out a window. Or something.

Six

I'm not making any resolutions this year, other than to just try to get through it. Isn't that holy and grand. Of course I'd like to pray more and get skinny and be a better person, but none of those things are going to happen by me just resolving to do them. The only way I can get skinny is by first giving birth (something I have very little control over). The only way I can pray more is if I get enough sleep so that I can stay awake long enough to say something more than "O dear God" (again, hinges on giving birth and then getting the new baby to sleep herself).  And the only way I can be a better person is if I....get enough sleep which hinges on....oh never mind.

Seven

Rather than making resolutions, I took a few minutes to review 2009 which was given meaning, definition and purpose by "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good" and 2010 which can be summed up in "God's strength is made perfect in my weakness" (of which there was much). I don't know what God is planning for 2011, but if he's looking for advice from me, I'd like it to be something like "And their numbers were added to daily" without a lifting of a finger from Anne who was allowed to sleep in every day and eat bonbons and watch Nigella every Saturday night on the fabulous TV.

Happy New Year! Go check out Jen.