following the red thread: How did I get here?

I finally remembered today that I have a blog and that I like to post things on it. I also remembered that people have asked for pictures, so those will follow. First you have to put up with my ramblings, or skip all that and get to the good part of the post.

So if you're still with me here and have not skipped to the pictures, I wanted to talk "briefly" (because there are pictures waiting) about some observations I have made lately. The sad thing here is that I don't even remember what got me thinking about what my life was like PC (pre-children) and how I got to where I am today (okay, no you don't have to explain to me how it is that I had children. I kind of got that part down.). It's just that my PC life was so markedly different from my IM (insane mother) life. Just look at the differences in the following categories:

What I wore:

Then - I got clothes from Nordstrom, nice clothes.

Now - Today I wore a full glass of ice water that the male WT tried to hand me, but succeeded in spilling the entire contents down the front of me. It was really cold.

Music:

Then - I love musicals (Wicked, Les Miz, Phantom, etc.) and movie soundtracks (ever listen to YoYo Ma's work in "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"?)

Now - I found myself singing these profoundly moving lyrics " If you like to talk to tomatoes,

If a squash can make you smile, If you like to waltz with potatoes, Up and down the produce aisle..."

Although I must say that the WTs (and the sibs) love "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" M asked for it today by saying, "We haven't listened to ' Joseph and the raincoat' in a while."

Pasttimes:

Then - I liked to sew, scrapbook, read, do crafts, etc.

Now - laundry (Okay, I do read still, but if it's a really good book, it's not allowed to come out of the bathroom. Otherwise, my children would not eat, school would not get done, etc. Bathroom breaks might be a little longer...sorry, too much info there. I do recommend "John Adams" by David McCullough...excellent book.)

Conversation:

Then - When I was attending Grace School of Theology, I might have a discussion with someone about infralapsarianism, supralapsarianism, and sublapsarianism.

Now - I'm having a discussion with K about how she should put the horse "Shadow" in the corner if it continues to say "stinky." (Just a little background here...K has been using the word "stinky" a lot as an insult and has been told to stop saying it. She is now blaming Shadow for saying it so she still gets to say it.). By the way, M got into the conversation by saying, "I would give Shadow grace, but he will say it again, so I will put him in the corner. He will come out and say it again, so I will discipline him."

Completing tasks:

Then - I could complete tasks uninterrupted before midnight.

Now - I was trying to sweep the floor today when I was interrupted by K, the "dancing queen." I had just asked her two minutes before she went outside if she had to go to the bathroom. "No," she says. Flashforward two minutes later, and there she is at the backdoor doing the potty dance.

Number of children :

Then - Two

Now - Hmmmmm, good question.....

Okay, so that wasn't so brief. Yes, my life is very different now than it was. Would I change it? Well, yes, maybe just for an hour or so if I could. Come on, this is an honest blog, not a Hallmark card! Do I love my life? Yes. Now here are the pictures:

Headware pictures

She's really using her brain...

Parlez-vous francais?

The following are shots from the Lone Photographer who got caught this time

The guilty party

Incriminating himself (it is a video)

Some artsy shots

Apparently he had an accomplice. I do need to point out that this shot and the one above it were taken when the two of them were underneath the couch cover.

Future occupations