no award for me today

First of all, let me start by saying that I've been on blogger hiatus for such a long time that I'm not sure there is anyone even reading this. I almost titled this post "helloooooooo, anyone out there?" But, for what it's worth, I'm back. At least for today. Probably tomorrow and the next few days too. I am having dental surgery tomorrow and will pretty much be laying (or is it lying? that is one verb I can never get right) around all weekend so I should have plenty of time to get some cute Caleb photos up here as well as recap some of what's been going on around our home.

I had a moment today that was worth posting. I needed to run to the store and my list was random enough to warrant not going to the grocery but to my favorite-of-all-time-but-ends-up-costing-me-10-times-more-than-I-should-be-spending-store Target. I rarely go there anymore b/c my list of 10 things usually ends up becoming a cart full of 50 things that I didn't even realize that I needed until that very moment. And the bill is never less than shockingly "too much". But today was different. I needed things like light bulbs, food, paper products, and b-day gifts for friends of the girls. Bottom line: I ended up at Target and was thoroughly enjoying it. Well, as much as one can w/4 kids in tow. Anyway, toward the end I was getting a bit grumpy b/c I couldn't find several of my "must have" items on my list and I was going to have to make another stop at a "real" grocery store and my purpose for even going to Target was to get all my things at one place. Mission not accomplished.

So I am standing in line. The nice lady at the check-out says, "Oh, is school out today? I've seen a lot of kids lately." I'm a bit grumpy b/c I'm thinking about having to stand in line again at the grocery store across the street so I am not exactly in my happy/friendly place and answer w/a fairly short, "No. They're not." Silence. So I add, "We homeschool." And she says, in a really friendly kind of way, "Oh, do you make shopping into a school experience?!" And, fortunately, what I am thinking stays in my head and I simply say, "No. We just needed to go the store." I wasn't in the mood for hanging out and talking homeschool talk at that moment. Just wasn't. Usually I'm nice like that but not then. So she says something to the effect of, "Well, sometimes when I take my nephew to the store we make it all fun and I have him tally up the cost of everything and guess how much the bill will be. There are so many lessons in shopping." I just swipe my card and look down. Cause I'm really thinking, "Hey, lady. I just needed paper towels and light bulbs, ok? Nothing homeschooling about it. I mean, I guess if I wanted Homeschool Mom of The Year I might do that. But today, I'm just a mom needing toilet paper."

By the time I get to the parking lot and start unloading my things into the van I just started laughing and I asked the kids if they heard it all. They did. And I burst out laughing. There was a time in my life when I would have been all about promoting the homeschool family and making sure that the nice lady knew that my kids had, indeed, done school in the morning and we were just taking a break but it was back to school when they got home and how lovely it is to share these moments together and how wonderful it is that we can spend leisure time together during the days AND in the evenings b/c we finish school in record time and have no homework and la, la, la, la. But today I'm the mom who secretly wishes I could go to Target BY MY SELF during the day like all the other moms that I run into there. So, definitely no Homeschool Mom Award for me today. Or ever probably. But I'm fine w/it. Awards just get dusty on a shelf and end up getting thrown away anyway, right?

Oh, and as we were all in grocery store #2 a few minutes later, there was a large display of Bugle corn chips on sale for a dollar. I LOVE those things and say, "Look, kids! Kara, pick one up." Kara gets giddy and says, "Oh! Bu(insert short "u" symbol here)gles!." And I start laughing and say, "BUUUUgles, Kara, Bugles. Not Buggggles." And then I tell her that we COULD, just COULD make a phonics lesson out of it since we ARE a homeschool family. And all of us start laughing. Except, of course, Caleb. He is oblivious to any of it and is still asking if he can open his valentine stickers that I bought him back at Target.

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This is the organization that works in Caleb's orphanage as well as others throughout China. They could be working in every orphanage in China if they win this. So go and vote!