7 Quick Takes

Well that week went fast, didn't it?   I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who feels like May is one big freight train barreling down the tracks.  Let's all just try to hang on, okay?

One

Francie's Academic Bowl team competed against the other district winners in the diocesan competition this past Sunday.  Since these things are all day affairs, Rob takes her and I stay home with the rest of the barbarians.

As they were leaving, we were joking with Francie, calling her our favorite District 2 Tribute.  Happily, she did not have to answer quiz bowl questions to the death, but Rob did tell me later that it was pretty grueling.    They answered questions for over four hours straight, with only a few minute breaks in between rounds.   They started just after lunch and played through dinnertime.  My brain hurts just thinking about it.

In the end, they came home with second place (Francie cried, but I think more from exhaustion than disappointment), of which we were very proud.  But then this week, we learned that due to scoring changes, we were actually co-champions with another school!

I'm telling you, I read some of the practice questions and all I can say is those kids' brains are amazing.

(Apparently, I am not smarter than a 7th or 8th grader.)

Two

Anther thing I learned from Academic Bowl?  I cannot take the suspense of competition when one of my children is involved.

Rob would text me updates about how the team was doing, but because of the way the room was set up, and because he is a slave to these things called manners, he couldn't just sit there and constantly text me.  So there would be some long intervals where I had no idea what was happening.  I nearly got an ulcer.

I don't know what I'm going to do, people!  I have a lot of kids and they are all going to want me to watch them in their activities, but I get so nervous for them.   I may need some kind of medication.  Or a thermos of booze.

Three

Hey, Mother's Day is on Sunday!  Did you know that?  Haven't the Hallmark commercials running on a constant loop on every television station embedded themselves in your subconscious yet?  

Rob asked me what I want to do for Mother's Day, and I told him I honestly do not care as long as I do not have to prepare food for anyone at all during the entire day.  Not one sandwich, not one dish of strawberries cut into just the right size, not one cup of chocolate milk with just the right chocolate to milk ratio.  Nada.

Dear Kitchen,  It's not you.  It's not me, either.  It's the kids.  I'll be back on the 14th.  Love, Aimee

Four


I can't believe I'm admitting this, but I am completely fascinated by the show "My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding" on TLC (again, my ugly TLC addiction raises its head).  I cannot explain or defend it.

I don't even know if the depiction of the gypsy culture in America is correct, but I do like the way they defend purity and the family.  But having their daughters look for husbands when they are 14 and discontinuing their education?  Oh man, that's not good.



Five

One of the things I really love about our little parish school is it faithfulness to the Church.  It's old fashioned in the really best way.

The kids are busy preparing for their May Procession and Crowning next week, and last night Fiver was humming a song under his breath as he played a video game.  He does it all the time, and it is usually a good window into his music class since his brain is like a tape recorder.  He hears a song once and he's got it.

Rob was sitting next to him and suddenly started singing the verses to the hymn Fiver was humming.  Fiver looked up at his dad and said, "You know this song, Dad?"  Rob had learned it in school years ago for his May Procession.

Then they both sang it together and they had to mop me up off the floor where I had melted into a little puddle.

Six

I'm sure you've all heard about the Time magazine cover that is making the rounds. And no, I'm not linking to it because Time is ridiculous.

All I have to say is get over yourselves.  You think you are being all edgy and pushing the envelope, but you are really being crass.

And you know what?  The moms are on to you.  We know that you don't give a flying fig about how long we breastfeed our children or if they sleep in our bed.  You just want to divide.  You want to sow discord.

We're over it, because we have more important things to do.  Like raise kids who are smarter than the editors at Time.

Seven

Are you girls reading Emily Stimpson?  I am, and I think she's spot on in so many of her pieces.  She writes great, insightful pieces over at CatholicVote and Our Sunday Visitor.   Check her out!


Happy Mother's Day to all you moms, grandmas, godmothers, spiritual mothers, and mothers-in-waiting!  Enjoy the weekend!