Watch Out It’s Messy In Here

This morning I had planned on going to an open water swim with the tri club.  I was very much looking forward to it.  Two days ago when I found out my oldest had soccer practice at 8, I told him I would have to drop him off at 7:15, because I had to be at the beach, half an hour from the school, by 7:45.  He was okay with that.  Even arranged for someone to come meet him to shoot goals for extra practice.  Oh, wait, I have two sons.  What about Bubba?  I could bring him to the beach, and he could sit there and play while I swam.   But, I couldn't ask people who don't know him, and he doesn't know, to keep an eye on him while I swam a mile.  The boy is painfully shy.  He would never go for that.   I could ask my parents, but he gets up early, and they don't.  They deserve to sleep in on a Saturday.   they did say it was okay, so I was all set to go. As of last night when I went to bed, I was going to the ...

Is there anything as powerful as Mommy Guilt? Has anything ever happened with your kids that you just can't let go of that shoulda, coulda, woulda? My oldest is 14. He has been in Halloween Costume parades since he was barely more than a month old. Starting in day care. I have made it to every single one. Except the year he was 9 and in 4th grade. It was easy when he was a baby. I worked at his day care. Then when he was three, and I had gotten a job somewhere else, I made it a point to take the time off from work to go. When he started kindergarten, I started back to college, so it was easy to make it. When he was in 4th grade, I started my current job. In fact, my first day of work was on Halloween. There was no way I would make it to the costume parade. He was a little saddened by that fact, as was I. But this was going to be our new reality. Mommy was working again full time now and couldn't make it to all the school functions anymore. After school, the Big O...