A typical conversation with Helene

Ring, ring, ring, and what does one do when the cell phone rings, one picks up the phone. So I answer, especially when I see the caller ID is from home. Why am I being summoned now? Well ofcourse, this is really important, Helene wants to know what she is allowed to have for snack. It didn't really matter that I had already told the children that they could have an apple or some of the cookies that are on the counter, she had to get the information first hand.

Because I believe part of being a good parent is to be consistent, I repeat to Helene that she may have an apple or some cookies. She asks me why she can't have cereal. I explain that I have already given her two options, and cereal is not among them. She, true to character, wants to know how I can refuse her cereal. So, I explain that if I allow them to have cereal for snack, then there won't be cereal left for the morning and that is why I have given her other choices. But she tells me that there is half a bowl of dry cereal, left from Luke's breakfast, sitting on the table.

That is it, my patience is gone and I have lost my ability to continue to answer in a calm and even manner. I want to understand why she calls me, takes me through a five minute conversation to try and lead me to give her the answer she wanted. I asked her why she asks my opinion when she is only going to do whatever she wants to do anyway.

Now, from there I go and work out. I work up a good sweat and calm down, I even smiled at the thought of the irony of the conversation after having vented to my mother. Then I went home and what did I find? All three of my children were eating their snack (why it took them an additional hour to actually have the snack they were negotiating over, I am not sure). Imagine my surprize when I saw that they were all eating yogourt! Was that, at any point, a part of my conversation with her. I am exasperated and so looking forward to the emotional fireworks that will be part of our daily routing over the next several years.

God bless y'all. Yeah to Corey and Angela for their little Noah, born yesterday on Jean-Jacques birthday. More good news, Penny and Brian are expecting a baby in October!!!
More craziness to come for sure.

Now I really am Forty!

After being able to reflect on things I thought that maybe I should give everyone an update, lest you think that I have died of old age! It has really been a pretty cool week.

Sunday I got a surprize birthday party, organized by my husband. Praise God for Luke who was a little too revealing with some information just before church, or I would have welcomed everyone in an unshowered condition, wearing grungy sweats. As it was, I was clean and properly dressed (both for mass and the afternoon) and the weather cooperated. It was a glorious day and very emotional to see my husband's efforts and my friends coming together for me! I got great phone calls from friends in France, even Antoine's parents. It was awesome.

Monday evening my family presented me with even more presents! The kids had made some candles and Helene painted a picture frame, but Jack got me my coveted MP3 player. Even more special, he put music on it for me. I feel like I am pretty cool now, until ofcourse I have it on and I don't know how to do simple things like volume control or on/off functions!

On Tuesday, before traveling to the worlds most exciting town, Lima Ohio (where every girl wants to spend her 40th birthday, in a Holiday Inn in Lima), I weighed in and found out that I lost over six pounds. It was like scoring bonus points. Oh yeah, despite aging, which really isn't so bad, this is a really good week. I even got more phone calls from France and a rare call from my brother Richard, which resulted in a half an hour conversation.

Now it's Friday and my birthday week is coming to a close. (Have you noticed how I have birthday weeks and not days? I am such an egomaniac.) I went to lunch with my colleagues and am getting ready to go work out with my mom, then home to the kiddies, and I am thinking that even without winning 100 million dollars in the Mega Millions, I am a very lucky lady. This certainly is a change from my vent of the day blog. I really do feel blessed and awed by how great my life is.

Everyone say a little prayer that the Holy Spirit stay really present in Rome as the Cardinals get ready for the conclave and the ambitious job of naming our next church leader. And while your praying, you can say a prayer for a women that works out with us at Curves, and her husband, who got the West Nile Virus last year and is still struggling to overcome it's effects, and for our friend Becky.

Love to all.