Tuesday Brain Dump

 Well.

Can you hear me sighing?

I haven't been blogging much lately because HELLO!  SUNSHINE!  Yes, we've had several days with consistent sightings of our nearest star, and life as we know it nearly came to a screeching halt.  More about that momentarily.

Also, frankly, the last few weeks have seemed busier than usual, but a fairly mundane kind of busy, as opposed to blog-worthy busy.  (Yes, well, I did blog about The Day of Nine Errands, and that's about as mundane as it gets, so what am I saying, really?)  Maybe that I don't want this little corner of the interwebs to turn into a big whine-and-cheese-fest, y'know?  Still, life is messy, so here ya go.

1.  For all my whining about HOW MUCH RAIN we get, I'm actually kind of glad for a few wet days this week.  I mean, how else would we get anything done?  You folks from drier climates may not understand this, but here's the thing: because it does rain so much, when the sun actually comes out there's this enormous pressure to DROP EVERYTHING AND GO OUTSIDE AND DO SOMETHING, making it difficult to focus on schoolwork, housework, etc.  Yes, some of us actually feel guilty if we're inside on a nice day.  And, you know, what we homeschool moms really need is more guilt and pressure.  This eases up as summer comes and the sunny days are more frequent.  I just thought you should know.

2.  I've already chased two deer away from my plants, which they were nibbling, and out of the yard.  They didn't even run, just gave me an insolent glare and trotted out of reach.  Tate came around the other side of the house, though, and I think he hit one with his slingshot.  Yay, Tate.

3.  Two boys were doing their language and math work this morning, while another boy was on a little detour.  He was writing Hebrews 13:17 a few times for me before he got to move on to his regular work.

Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.  They keep watch over you as men (or moms) who must give an account.  Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. 

Will see how that goes.  (eyes roll)

4.  We had a baby shower for my SIL on Saturday, and my gifts to her are the projects I've promised photos of, but I can't load them at the moment.  Blogger says my memory is full (HA!  They don't know the half of it!), but that's happened before and a day or so later I can load photos again.  No, I don't understand that, but whatever.

I can show you ONE gift I gave her...

Didn't make it myself, but could not resist ;D

5.  There is just something about this month that's like pushing rope uphill.  No one thing is overwhelming, but there seems to be a lot of it.  Have you read much John Grisham?   I've only read some (my favorite is probably Skipping Christmas), but something has always stuck with me from The Testament.  And that's the despachante.  Which he describes as:

a Portuguese term for a personal dispatcher, expediter, buyer, or runner. No official document is obtained in Brazil without waiting in long lines. A despachante knows the city clerks, the courthouse crowd, the politicians, and the customs agents. He knows the system and how to grease it to get things done. The job requires a quick tongue, patience, and a lot of brass. For a small fee, a despachante will obtain permits and passports or do your voting, banking, and mailing - the list has no end. No bureaucratic obstacle is too intimidating.

Of course, he's describing more of a business application, but wouldn't you like a personal despachante?  I know I would!

And the first job I would put my despachante on:

6.  The insurance mess.  I've spent another hour or so on the phone sorting out the boys' insurance, finding the documentation they've added to the list of things they want, copying all that, trying and failing to fax it to them (they gave me two fax numbers - one doesn't work and the other is perpetually busy - so very helpful), and then having Kerry scan the documents in as a PDF file and extorting begging an email address from an employee to send them to.  Because why would they want to make it easy for me to submit our information?  The information they requested.

Meanwhile,

7.  Tate's surgery is in 8 DAYS.

So, no, in case you're wondering, I'm not just a litte bit stressed or anything. 


8.  What is it about three boys that can make it so grueling to keep the fridge full and the laundry empty?!   ;-P

Happy Tuesday to you!