The beautiful part of the weekend was when we arrived early for church and all three of my terrific boys were right there with us!  A great mother’s day treat!!  Afterwards, Wray and I took all 8 children to eat at Uncle Julios!!  Good times, great food and even better company!

I am going to be a really good good good grandmother!  But I am going to give everyone fair warning — I may be a little obnoxious about my grandbaby!!  I think I have the greatest boys in the world so I am sure they are going to give me the greatest grandbabies in the world!!!

Check out my grandbaby’s picture!!!!  There will be lots more to come!!

Baby Rives

I usually don’t think it’s so tough to have lots of kids in my house—maybe I’m just getting too old to try to entertain them all day and hope everyone sleeps all night!

It was pretty entertaining though to watch everyone staring at us and wondering what on earth we were doing!!  We got lots of stares at the McDonalds playground, but we did have the best kids in the whole place –must have been jealousy!!!!

Then I sat behind a family at church Sunday where the mother sat and listened to the sermon as her children played video games or listened to ipods.  These were not teenagers who brought the games in their pockets, no she reached in her purse and handed out games and ipods to each child.  I guess she didn’t think they needed to hear what the Psalms had to say.  I remember bringing a “Big Church Bag” for my boys with paper and colors, but they would still listen to the sermon.

Movies in the car — what happened to slug bug, or the ABC game?   Video games in their bedrooms — what about monopoly or cards?  Handheld gaming systems everywhere —whatever happened to cooking together or playing tag?  It is very sad to me to see that we have handed a lot of our familly time over to technology!  Are we raising a generation of people who won’t be able to talk to each other – oh, wait, it’s already here — we don’t talk we text!

My parents at Christmas with their grandchildren

My nieces and nephews are some of the greatest people I know and certainly the very best parts of my brothers and sisters.  I have always been a huge supporter of my nephews and nieces, I have seen them  play just about every sport there is—I have driven many many miles to see them participate in a sport. So I have to say that I get a LITTLE bit upset when someone yells at one of them — especially if they don’t deserve it! (Conner is on the front right in the blue shirt and light khakis)  Such was the case last Saturday at Conner’s basketball game –his coach is an Ass!  I don’t always agree with  coaches but to say that this guy should never be allowed to coach is an understatement.  I don’t have a problem with coaches who are loud as long as they are coaching, but when it’s belittling, then I have a problem.  He called time outs and very loudly screamed at any player who had made a mistake, and usually put them on the bench.  The other team won, not because they were a better team, but because Conner’s team shut down and quite playing together, and started just trying to make it to the end of the game.  It was very obvious as each one got tired of the screaming and just went through the motions.

I asked the parents when they were going to take their children off this team.  They said their kids wanted to play with their friends — my suggestion–find another coach!  It made me sick to sit there and watch those children be treated with such disrespect and those parents watch it happen.  My boys have played for bad coaches, but I could never one this bad.  I know it’s tough when you are in the middle of it, but sometimes we need to speak up on behalf of our kids!  I hope one of those parents will do it before their kids absolutely hate the game of basketball.   Conner is a good basketball player, but sadly, I don’t think he’ll stay with the sport long—why should he when his coach is such a jerk, he can find another sport where he excells and doesn’t have to put up with the crap!!!!  And I’ll be there to cheer for him every step of the way!!

For the past month we have been fostering two infants–cute, sweet, adorable, but lots of work and not much sleep.  How in the world will she do it with eight?  I don’t care how much help she has— that’s just more people in her house and more people that her other children have to adjust to.  I have caseworkers that occassionally drop by and that is an adjustment to our schedule, and I don’t have other children living here.  Just trying to coordinate doctors appointments for two is crazy, how is she going to do that with 14?

I keep hoping for the sake of those children that she is getting wise advice somewhere—she’s going to not only need physical help with those children, but help psychologically to be able to do all that she will need to do.  And that doesn’t even take in to consideration the papparazzi that she has camped outside her door!!!  WHAT A MESS!!!!

Today, Valentines Day, his birthday, I am once again worrying about and praying for him!  Now he’s over 6 feet tall, a senior at Texas A&M, and sweet as can be.  He’s once again heading into a new world, and this one seems to be very cruel and financially bankrupt right now.  He is wanting to work for a while, then travel to see the world. He was fine then, and will be fine now!

One of the great joys of being a mother is watching your helpless babe turn into a confident man!  I have to admit that there were times when I wasn’t sure how he would turn out—he is proof positive that God answers prayer!  Today we spent a couple of hours in College Station with an awesome young man, celebrating his birthday, talking about his future, and just enjoying who he is!  Not to brag, but I did a good job with him!!!!

Before the bragging goes too far, I have to admit a major shortfall —his room is atrocious!  I obviously failed in teaching him cleanliness–I hope he marries well!

Some of the music, movies, and current slang are things I’m not sure I want to learn.  Just like there are things that are not important for your young children to know, I think there are things that an aging mother doesn’t need to know.  I remember when the boys would turn their head or leave the room when I wanted to tell them something, now I find myself doing the same thing when they start talking about things that make me uncomfortable!  We recently passed a car with a hand gesture sticker on it—silly me, I asked what it meant—not a good idea, now I wish I didn’t know!!!

I’m a good student and listen when they try to help me with the technology stuff, but I wish I wasn’t learning all the garbage with it!  Okay—I know I’m getting old!!!

I wrote a quote from one of Oprah’s show in my daytimer many years ago and just came across it recently—”The mother’s primary job is as a teacher, not as a servant.”  Perhaps as we enter this new year we might want to look at what we are teaching our children—good eating habits?  respect for our bodies? being respectful of oneself?  I think at times we don’t realize we are in “the servant” role, because we are not serving our children, we’re just attending to them and their activities.  I can remember spending as much time in my car as in my house when my boys had so many activities, and of course, it is always easier just to drive through for a burger.  I probably wouldn’t have to spend so much time on the treadmill now if I had taken the time to do something a little healthier!

How about we hop on Oprah’s best life coattail and take care of ourselves.  Slip off and take a walk, order that salad instead of fries, relax a little when the stress comes on, and do something just for you.  Make the changes when your children are little, so you won’t have to be like me and Oprah — fifty, fat, and frustrated!