Snow and Children

Cleaning the house while the children are growing is like shoveling snow while it's still snowing. Erma Bombeck

 

Yep, we've tried both.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Autumn Tradition and Growing Up

She sits there all teenager-ish on the wagon ride, sipping her hot chocolate, and I am distinctly aware that they're all seeming a lot older than usual. We visit this place almost yearly but this time all my children sit quietly, bumping along, arms resting on the rails, pointing out pumpkins and brilliant leaves shining in the sunlight. This time there were no tantrums in the corn maze, or crying because of the cold temperatures, or falling from the hay bales. There was only one bathroom break and one moment of begging for a treat. It's not until I'm at a location that I frequent only once every few seasons that the disparity between who they were last fall and who they are now is obvious.

I stand at the opening of the corn maze and in one minute they all race out exclaiming this is way too easy now and how the riding toys are too little. We just may be out-growing this place but I still savour the aroma of the freshly baked pies, choosing pumpkins and apples and taking photos in the crisp air. And as we load up our goodies and pile into the truck at the end of the afternoon, one by one they call out, "Thank you, Mommy for taking us!". I pull out of the driveway of this nostalgic farm and I'm thinking about how much they're growing up but also, how much this autumn tradition is still a sweet thing.

Stuck Is A Good Thing

Stuck stinks. Here we were, ready to leave our campsite, my husband sweaty and tired from working on leveling the trailer--again, and we got stuck in the mud. We had a notion it might happen since we've been in this situation before. Last year, we had endured the same frustration so this year, we came prepared. We brought boards and other devices that would help us pull that hunk of metal out of the mud (in case of last day rain), but to no avail. We were spinning tires again. My husband wearily rolled his eyes as he climbed into the truck to go look for the maintenance guy with the tractor. He had planned the day out wisely so we would be home at a decent hour and now, we would be off schedule--something we deemed important at the end of our vacation. He returned a few minutes later and said the maintenance staff could come right away. We were relieved but still impatient.

Upon the tractor's arrival, we noticed something that turned our attention away from the negativity of the situation. Our son was beside himself excited that a huge, green machine with a long, thick chain was rescuing our trailer out of the muck. It dawned on me that just as I had soothed him to sleep that week with stories of tractor rescues, he was getting to witness such an event in reality! He was thrilled beyond measure. My husband and I smiled and retreated from our annoyance and gazed upon this little boy who was reminding us to find something positive in our circumstance. Instead of being anxious to keep our plans perfectly lined up, we enjoyed a moment we would have otherwise missed. We shared a memory with our son and learned that day that sometimes, stuck is a good thing.