Hump Day

You know it's not a good day when going to the dentist is the high point -- and that includes a half day off! But we all have days like that and we get through them. And tend to appreciate the days that are a little more steady, with a few less highs and lows.

Hubby and I had the morning off to go to a dreaded meeting at the courthouse. Things have gotten pretty serious where son no. 2 and his lack of school attendance are concerned. We hope that what the judge said sinks in and he will get the picture. But we aren't holding our breath. We know you can't really change a 16-year-old's attitude but now there a some people who will be laying on some heavy persuasion. So while we are gravely disappointed about the situation on one hand, we are cautiously (very cautiously) optimistic on the other. We'll just keep praying.

We got to work before noon and put in a very busy, stressed 4 hours. I realize the less time we have to work on something, the more focused we are getting it done. But I'm not a fan of the stress level. Plus, I had to miss Zumba (the one form of exercise I actually enjoy!). On the bright side, someone did come to my rescue today with chocolate -- mint chocolate even! (A gold star for Katie!)

We lit out at 4 so I could get to the dentist. You can see why I was looking forward to just laying in the chair, feeling no pain. It was a nice reprieve. I was not thinking about the truant. I was not thinking about deadlines. I was just concentrating on keeping my mouth open (and really, we all know that's not hard for me to do!)

Carter called my cell and let me know that the teacher made an example out of him today. But in a good way. He is ahead of the class in his math objectives for the year. He apparently said to the teacher, "I don't mean to brag, but I reached number 100 today." The teacher said, "Well I'll brag for you!" And so she did. Actually in a nice way so Carter wouldn't be embarrassed. She just shared what Carter accomplished and told the class that it is possible to reach that goal if you work at it.

So to treat our good student and lift hubby's spirits, I stopped at KFC on the way home so the guys could "eat like kings" for supper. That's their feelings on KFC. My mouth was still numb so I enjoyed the mashed potatoes and tried not to bite my cheek or tongue with chewing on my cornbread muffin!

The guys were happy and I was smiling (somewhat lopsided) because Jim also tried to lift my spirits after our trying day by buying me flowers. Let me hear you say "awwww."

Seeing pretty yellow flowers on the counter next to the container of leftover Christmas cookies is sort of odd. But it reminds me winter won't last forever and spring is only like 3 months away. So, too, our stressors of today won't be around forever. Someday we'll look back on this time and see how much those challenges helped us bloom and grow as people, as parents.

In the meantime, though, we could use some plant food here. Sunshine would be nice, too...