Monthly Archives: October 2006

Spending Pip’s money

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I’m plodding along with Pip in Great Expectations. It only took 1/4 of the book to get to the real meat of the story. Not that I’m complaining about one of the most celebrated novels ever by one of the greatest writers ever. Humph. Not me. I’m not one to criticize. Ha. Ha.

I like Pip. I’m hoping it all works out for him. He’s off to London to become a gentleman with his new fortune. I wonder what it would be like to suddenly be frighteningly rich? I know what I’d do with extra cash: hire a maid, a cook and a chauffeur. Maybe not the driver. I don’t mind driving. It’s mental downtime. Like washing dishes. Ah! I need to buy a dish washing machine. Don’t have one of those.

Just think of all the books I could read if I didn’t have to do all these household tasks like dusting, vacuuming and grocery shopping. That’s another thing to spend the bucks on: have all the groceries delivered. Luxury.

I’d love another car. Something zippy. And tiny. A little sports car that isn’t big enough for car seats, Happy Meal toys, strollers, cookie crumbs, Game Boy, and beach sand. I’ll keep my current minivan, so the kids can continue to have their way with it. One vehicle for the messiness of life. One for just me and Doc to cruise about in when we go out on the town.

Oh, that’s something else to spend Pip’s money on: a reliable babysitter available anytime the grown-ups need to go off to be with other grown-ups. I’d put her on a yearly salary, with benefits, and a bonus for getting the kids to clean up their rooms before bed.

My children would benefit because I could spend more time homeschooling. O, the goodies I could buy from my favorite home school catalogs. Tons of audio books, every child his or her own computer, microscopes I could leave out all the time ’cause if it gets lost or broken I’ve got pots of money to replace it. (Hey, did you watch last night? Poor Sawyer. I like him better when he’s scowling all the time. Glad that pacemaker problem was quickly resolved.)

I’d spend the day writing and reading while the hired help did all the busy work. I could take everyone to the park for the afternoon. No, better yet, we’d all jet off to foreign lands to experience first hand all the places we’ve studied and read about.

Like London.

Which reminds me, I’ve got a book to read.

Forgive me

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Her name was Megan.

We made it through middle school together, a place where young girls become like animals in their survival. We were alike in many ways. Megan and I didn’t have the trendy Sason jeans. Both of us quiet in class. We each had a sister two years younger.

We hung out at our first school dance together. We sat together at lunch, laughed over her intense dislike of peas and agonized over algebra side-by-side. She shared secrets with me.

And the summer before our freshman year of high school, I decided I no longer wanted her as a friend.

Feeling the pressure of popularity, I suddenly felt Megan weird, nerdy in dress and action. I wanted her cut from my high school social life. I wanted a brand-new beginning as a freshman.

The snub was swift and I never offered a bandage for the open wound. I knew it hurt her. I did it anyway. Never did I offer an explanation why suddenly I wouldn’t talk to her.

Soon after, she told me she was enrolling in a private, Christian school. Megan spat the words at me as she rushed past my homeroom that day. She clutched her books to her chest, her red face hid the freckles, blue eyes angry.

Ironic.

I claimed the name of Christ and yet acted like a Judas. Traitor. I sacrificed her friendship because I wanted popularity. My gold coins. That prize would elude me through high school.

I never saw Megan again.

Junior year, I learned Megan dropped out of school to have a baby.

Megan haunts me. To this day, she haunts me.

Submitted to Carnival of Beauty: Forgiveness

Counting

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A big comfy couch, frivolous TV and no distractions. It’s all mine in 30 minutes.

Doc is at the church men’s ministry meeting, the kids are flopped in front of Fairly Odd Parents. Naturally I’m with the Dell. No dinner cooking for me tonight. For the tribe, it was peanut butter and crackers followed by a big bowl of ice cream for the big kids; Oreo cookies for the toddler. No, I don’t normally feed them this for dinner, only on the days the sofa calls for me. It’s been a long, full day

That’s the benefit of men’s ministry. They get Doc well-fed at the meeting and I can get by with quicky food for the hobbits. I used to like cooking, but all the complaining about food they couldn’t recognize, I just decided to give up on fancy recipes unti they are older.

Once that magic hour of bedtime is here, I’m popping a Stoffer’s French bread pizza in the oven. Stacy and Clinton are my companions at 9 pm. Ah. I love having the TV to myself.

Can you believe Doc doesn’t like What Not to Wear?

As of this afternoon, we are on our second week-long break from home schooling. The first six weeks have gone well; I like my new plan of three weeks on followed by one week off.

Tonight is also the Christian homeschooler’s support group meeting. As of Monday, I was going with all the kids in tow. Then I figured out no babysitting was offered tonight because it’s Family Spelling Bee night. Since I only have one solid speller – and I’m not too keen on public embarrassment – I decided to skip.

So it’s just me and the frozen pizza.

I wonder if anyone has ever live-blogged WNTW before?