photo books

Hubby spent some time over the weekend going through the photo files he had on his computer. It was time to organize them and make sure I had all the photos he had so we can begin the next photo book. Last year we put together an album for the oldest as part of her graduation present. We'd like to do the same for the middle kid. Of course, looking through all those pictures gave us plenty of time to think about the last 22 years.

We will be married 22 years on Saturday.

It is funny how memory works. April 6, 1991. I can remember getting my  hair done. Going to the grocery store with my mom to buy odds and ends that she needed. I can remember waiting for the photographer to arrive at the church.  It is like a hodge-podge mish-mash of images and scraps of conversation.  Some of it is just a blur.

I'd really like to put more of these photo books together so we would have nice albums of all the pictures that are just sitting inside my computer. It helps you remember. They are fun to look through.

We had a lot of laughs just going through the few files we tackled. And of course, it reinforced just how quickly the last 22 years have gone by and how close we truly are to having one more baby leave the nest.

I think we are both feeling it. This part of the parenting journey, the next chapter in our lives, a big chapter in their lives is happening while we are busy with the mundane, daily tasks of living.

Yep. I need to make more photo books.

cuddles

My middle kid sat down next to me last night and asked to be cuddled. She's feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the third quarter projects and assignments at school. Plus, soccer is starting to gear up for her and she is working out her place on this new team. She didn't start in the scrimmage on Saturday, first time ever the whistle blew and she was on the side line instead of the field. I could tell it bothered her even though she said she didn't mind. She understands she has to prove herself and earn that spot, but it still hurts.

She snuggled up next to me, being way too big to sit on my lap like she did when she was much younger, and we talked about what was going on with her. We talked about the Biology test Wednesday and the Spanish test on Thursday. We talked about soccer. We talked about English and the Animal Farm project due next week. She does have a lot going on right now.

I listened. I asked open ended questions. I kissed her head and told her it would all be okay. We talked about setting a schedule and working each day on these projects. We talked about how the best way to alleviate those 'stressy' feelings is to work on things and not just sit and think about them.

These cuddle moments will become fewer and far between as she travels further into her teen years. Those quiet moments when the distractions are few and she is really listening are sometimes hard to find.

It was a nice thing that we found that moment last night and that a cuddle from Mommy can still help.

the most important lessons in high school

I don't know why I find it so amazing to see my oldest two learn the true lessons of high school. Maybe because they are becoming so much more aware of the impact of their decisions and their choices.

But all those lessons and choices really come down to one word: Balance.

The happiest people I know are the ones who have balance in their lives. They devote time to work and to play, to family and to friends, to responsibilities and to slacking off. If you procrastinate on a project or studying, the stress levels rise dramatically as your deadline looms.
It is far better to work on little bits of any subject each day than to try and cram weeks worth of new material in your brain the night before a test. Sure, it is fun to laze around on the couch all weekend, but then come Monday morning school begins again and that Chemistry test on Tuesday seems like a request to climb Mt. Everest. If only a few moments had been spent over the weekend reviewing that periodic chart....hmmmm.

Sometimes we have to dictate to them: GO AND STUDY.
Other times I ask them what they have going on over the next couple of days and point out how doing half the vocabulary today will lesson their load so they can do X, Y and Z tomorrow.

Time management skills are priceless and I hope they can get a grasp on that over the next couple of years. Of course, it ties back into the concept of balance.

The most important lessons in high school may not be found between the covers of a text book.