The Mom

This week the "mom" side has come out in full force. I'm not really sure if I should call this aspect of myself "mom" or "warden". This week, I think the kids would vote for "warden", if they could vote..... which they can't since I don't run my household as a democracy for the under 5' tall group.

First we had the grape issue. They had grapes at lunch one day. I did NOT have grapes or lunch that day. However, a grape mysteriously appeared under the table following this lunch. General consensus of the kids is that this grape did not come from any of them. ....... which leaves me to wonder, did it grow little feet of it's own and simply sneak off their plates and make a break for a hiding spot under the table in order to avoid an untimely death at the mouths of babes?

Once we had managed to establish amongst ourselves that it was unlikely this grape got under the table on it's own, we then debated the issue of who's job it is to pick up this grape. Not mine certainly, since I didn't even HAVE any grapes, therefore it could NOT have been me that "lost" this one. Finally the littlest child crawled under the table and picked up the wayward grape if for no other reason than to shut his mother up already.

Whew! You'd think we're on the right track now...... but no. Now they head off to their own little corner of the world and start to fight. Why? because someone has someone else's lego or some equally major infraction. So what's a mom to do? I don't know, but here's what I did.

My husband and I sat them down in our office in a semi-circle. We simply wanted to get to the bottom of the lego issue, but were soon drawn into the saga and now it became an ultimate quest for truth and justice! Ah.... the American way at work right in our own house. We sat in a group for nearly an hour passing blame back and forth amongst all interested parties. We moved on to trying to define the moment and person that caused the whole ball to get rolling in the wrong direction. In the end, we came up with nothing, solved nothing and still had an unresolved issue. So.... we went out to the shop and played dodgeball. We used the soft nerf balls of course, but still, there is just nothing better than throwing things at eachother when all else has failed!

I like to laugh

Laughing shouldn't be reserved for kids. What purpose would that serve? Why not go out and act like an idiot once in awhile and do something spontaneously just because at the moment the thought of it made you giggle? More power to you if you've got someone who will go along with you on that adventure. My best memories don't come from days I spent wearing smart clothes and playing the professional. They come from days I did what felt good at the moment and forgot about propriety.

Tough Girl

I've learned in my life to do things that maybe aren't so "ladylike". My mom probably wouldn't be proud. These are the sides of me that generally only my husband and co-workers see. Yes, I can run a chainsaw, yes I can carry concrete bags, I overcame my fear of heights and can now go on rooftops carrying bundles of shingles (if really really needed). If something scares me, or seems impossible, I whine and bitch, then I grudgingly give it a half-hearted try, and eventually I'm doing it like it's been second nature my whole life.

I've met a lot of people in the "trades" that I'm very glad to have known. Next time, before you judge that sweated up carpenter to be just menial labor, stop and realize what you may be looking at........ I'm actually very intelligent and can figure out most complex math problems if given a piece of paper and a pencil.... these guys do it daily in mid-air, suspended 2 stories above concrete hanging by only a boot while cutting the specific dimension at the precise angle to fit the place they need to move said boot to next. Usually they're also singing along to whatever song is currently blaring from their satellite radio. Why? I'm sure for everyone it's a different reason. I'm there because I like it.... and I like them.

Where I've come to

Sometimes I'm crabby. Really, really crabby. I have a hard time understanding a lot of things that happen in this world. I don't understand the intolerance, irresponsibility and hypocrisy that is so acceptable in our society....... and honestly, I don't want to. I can be a total idiot and do some really dumb things. I'm the first to admit that. I don't "conform" or "behave" the way I'm expected to a lot of the time. I tend to do things because I feel they are right for me. If they aren't right for the "group", then tough. This isn't done out of some sense of superiority or anything like that..... it's simply that I have learned in my life that you cannot possibly please everyone and to be honest...... I'm tired of trying. I'm me. Either you like that or you don't, but I'm not going to change who I am to fit anyone else's perception of who I should be. I've played that game.... didn't like it.

Jola's other sides?

Yes, I have many personalities..... if we're honest, I think most of us do. I have my professional side, my wife/mom side, my good daughter side, my black sheep persona, my kick-butt attitude, my charitable side, my sexy side and even my philosophical side.

<--momma to this one

wife to this one ------>

What can I say? I'm a lucky woman when it comes to my family. They are pretty awesome people. They all know how to laugh even in the face of adversity, they all know how to accept even if it's not their view and they all know how to love...... although considering I'm the only female I'm probably the only one who would voice that from the mountaintops.