School is out for Summer

Yep, it has happened in our neighborhood. The school year has ended! Final exams have been completed, awards presented, and report cards have been filled in and distributed. We have three kids moving on to the next grade. Two with straight A's and one A & B honor roll. (Applause, these are grades I didn't see often as a kid.)

Congratulations to the kids and Lieber for all of the hard work for the year. When the report cards came in Lieber was all excited because she works hard to make sure the kids are prepared for school. She has taught them all how to prepare and study. I always joke that going through the grades the second or third time through each child makes the work easier! This draws a laugh and a look.

I asked the kids their plans for the summer. Having some fun I asked about Math Camp, the reading lists that would be consumed, what would be done too keep the mental muscles in tone over the summer. The responses were both fun and a learning experience for me. Our eldest wants to travel and go places. Boodles just wants to hang out and my son really does want to go to Math camp. He likes Math so much he wants to study it, alot, even on Summer vacation! (Where did these kids come from? I love them and wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. But, study math on summer vacation?

I'm thinking let the sleeping in begin. You would think?! But, nope. The same kids that can't get out of bed in the morning to get ready for school and catch the bus without some prompting....are up at the butt crack of dawn. (This I do understand. I use to do the same thing.)

There will be summer program, a neat session held by the schools to encourage kids life long learning. This runs for a couple of weeks. For each day the kids don't miss at the end of the week they are paid $5.00. Then at the end of the program they have a chance to win bigger prizes. Where was this when I was a kid?

There will be travels, friends, Vacation Bible School, and sporting events. In between all of this we will try and squeeze in some family time and relaxation. But, yes, School is out for the summer! (Starting next week we will begin counting the days till it starts again!)

Happy Mother's Day

This is a great day when we honor our Mother's. (That's my Mom on the right) The ladies that gave us life, love, band-aids, wiped our noses, and regions further south, and worked with us on homework and loved us through the stages of life.

We can't survive without them and life just wouldn't be the same.

I am very lucky, today we will celebrate my Mom of 40 plus years, my Wife's mom, my wife's mothership, an adopted grandmother, and the mothership of two of my wife's grandmothers. My 6 sister-in-laws, my two sisters, and a number of friends who are Mom's, the fellow bloggers who read this who have a Mom or are a Mom. That's alot of Mothering. (I wonder how many times they said, sit down, play nice, flush and wash,and I love you over their time of mothering. I can't imagine the volume of laughter, worry, hugs, looks, prayers and that sound that Mom's make when they are happy with what you do....you know the one, I'm not sure how to spell it. But, it starts with AAAAhhhhhhhh. Then they do the head tilt. Do you see your Mom doing it?


We will do our best to honor our Mother's today with cards, projects, drawings, phone calls, e-mails and gifts. Breakfast in bed, lunch, pampering, more gifts, hugs, comments about "Happy Mother's Day", more hugs, prayers, and stories. This is like trying to thank whoever invented air. You know it is very important, you do your best on this one day to show appreciation, but there is no way to possibly approach the level of appreciation and gratitude to match the contribution. We know we should show more appreciation and thanks everyday. Today is just a continuation.

Since my dad was in the Army I am use to seeing medals and awards given for valor, courage, going above and beyond. In the Military it is version of your resume right on your chest so your peers know your accomplishments. Could you imagine what your Mom would look like with all of the ribbons, if they gave them for things like, completed Johnnie's school project on time, and made the bus? First, the Mom's couldn't wear all of those to the Airport, the TSA, people would go crazy due to the volume. Second, there would have to be so many desciptions to explain the role of Mom. WoW!

I have seen the award presented by fellow Mom's to each other. It is that look they give each other to recognize those in the special Fraternal Order of Motherhod. They pass it to each other in stores, church, the playground, the hospital,at little league, and just when they are getting together. The number of kids one or 16, it doesn't matter. They are all Mothers.

So, from those of us outside the Fraternal Order of Motherhood we say thank you to you for all the work, love, (fill in the attributes), pampering, nurturing, guidance, encouragement, you give. We love you, we appreciate you, and the world is a better place because of you.
Happy Mother's Day!