EYE don't think so!

Lately I keep waking up with my eyes so puffy and swollen. After a few hours they look normal again. I keep thinking it's because I am approaching that ever so surreal 50th b.d . I guess, as I sleep everything just DROps and squishes together?? I don't really know! Mr. Petals laughs and suggests I insert hollowed cucumber slices into my reading glasses. This morning my eyes were so swollen, I actually held an ice cube over my eyes a few minutes before heading off to work. My first client ( also 49 yrs. old) wasn't in my door 5 minutes before she looked in the mirror at herself and said.. 'OH These allergies, My eyes are so swollen EVERY day!' I said 'Allergies?? uh.. I have the same problem Kate and I hate to tell you.. I DOn'T think what we're suffering from is allergies!' She was adamant.. "NO it is ! Look how puffy I am!" I just kept laughing at her refusal to admit that It was more likely the natural aging process at work! So for The rest of our conversation, I blamed EVErYthing she complained about On those same damn allergies... When she said she had NO patience for her kids... I said... 'THAT's allergies! They make u so damn cranky'. Later on she was talking about her memory loss... 'Yeah, allergies are a killer on the memory! ' We really had some fun laughs over this, until.. Kates 70 yr. old mom popped in to say hello. She was wearing THE largest Hollywoodish type sunglasses. I told her 'WOW you look like a movie star in those giant glasses'... She took them off and said... 'Well, Look at what these allergies are doing to my eyes! I have to wear them! ' We nearly fell off our chairs in hysterics.

I am sitting here thinking back on all of this and I'm thinking that maybe... just in case... I will try taking an allergy pill before bed (but most likely, tomorrow.. I will be looking through the sunday circulars for a sale on giant sunglasses)

lost

She's lost in eternal grieving, skin chilled

endless hours tick by, unpleasantly filled

the past the present the future rehearsed

unbearable heartache. God she has cursed

a cavern replaces a maternal beating heart

so precious a life was barely given a fair start


A mother afflicted with such unimaginable grief

to completely love and nurture and it be only but brief

devastating pain a lifetime of heartache is only part of the cost

for a parent who bares the unthinkable tragedy of a beloved child... lost.

I originally had something else in mind for the SS prompt, But after reading about Sherrie's friend's tragic loss, i found my mind couldn't wrap around anything else but their horrific circumstance. As a mother I can't even begin to imagine how any one can begin to cope with this type of loss. I also can't stop questioning WHY.
My heart pains and goes out to these dear people. Their staggering tragedy is so terribly sad.

3 word wednesday

Thought I would go for a little humor today with the 3 W W words...
callous
interfere
persistent

A lack of callousness and inspiration
interferes with Mrs. Swartz' plan
for persistent fruitful loving
from her resistant rueful man

(Thank-you to Skittles for that great cartoon!)

stranded on dessert island Meme

Tammy with the Queen sized heart has tagged me with the oddest of memes so far!
Here is the scenario....

“Your ship has sunk. You have, of course, been stranded on a deserted island. You have salvaged a copy of the King James Version of the Bible and a copy of the complete works of Shakespeare. Nothing else.

“The very next day you find one of those Arabian Lamps in the sand. Of course, you rub it and, of course, a rather grumpy Genie appears.

“‘Let’s get this straight - there is a recession going on. There are restrictions on the three wishes now. I don’t do water or air transport now so no boats, planes or magic carpets. As for electronics, forget it. There isn’t the infrastructure on this island.

“‘I can let you have one book and I mean one VOLUME, one essential item and one luxury item. Now hurry up and make your choices, I have to get to those five other islands you are going to nominate.’”

The ONE book I would wish for is-
building small boats!

The ONE essential item I would wish for?

Meet Bill the construction worker! He will build my boat!








AND My ONE Luxury Item.?
The Lounger I will relax on while I read the books instructions aloud to my dessert-Mr. Bill, as I watch him in action!















Thanks for the wacky Meme Tam! I nominate the following shipmates who I like to visit...
simply mel
one gals musings
roseyposey
mimiwrites
momville

Give it to me Hugh!

You Would Win Best Actor / Actress

You are confident and talented. When it's time for you to shine, you step up. You have a strong personality. You love attention, and you can command an audience of any size. You tend to be a bit obsessive. You're the perfect person to immerse yourself in a big role. You're both empathetic and expressive. You understand and communicate well.

What Would You Win an Oscar For?

Looking forward to fast forwarding my dvr through the boring parts of the oscars and enjoying the highlights and of course the view of Hugh! mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm

Trust

Today a client told me she is getting a divorce
She also told me she knows she will find someone
else to marry soon,
because she doesn't like to take out her own trash
or pay the bills herself. ( I managed to conceal my
horrified expression )

Today another client told me that since her husband
died she hasn't been to the gynecologist. Why bother,
If She isn't having sex anymore? (I sensitively gave a 77 yr. old woman
a chat about preventive health care)

Yesterday, a client referred to her landscaper as a 'wetback'
( yeah, even though I felt uncomfortable speaking up, I told her I thought that term was really inappropriate )

Last week, One of my
hammers who is in her early 60's... went on and on about all the F*#@ Buddies she had in her youth while driving her point about HOW attractive she was (later I needed to puke!)

TRUST me! I couldn't make this shit up, if I tried!

killing time in the blue shadows

Feeling a bit down these days. The true colours thurs. color couldn't have fit any better into my current mood. And you say Next week is brown?? Holy Shit! That doesn't bring me much hope for the return of a sunny spirit.

3 word wednesday

Candid
Impulse
Risk

After some candid chatting about the inevitable scary syndrome...
'fat ass'
My friends dragged me with them to an intensely energetic, butt fun Zumba class
The impulse of driving music! Caught up, I risk dancing.. full speed ahead!
This morning I can barely zumba my sore knees and tired butt out of bed

Visit three word wednesday!

Did u ever?

One of my friends had an interesting theory about t.v. adding so much pressure to our lives.
Much more than our pre-t.v. ancestors had.
Of course we all know how much pressure it adds to young girls who feel they have to meet the unrealistic standards of models in ads. But it is pressuring us in other ways too. I never thought about how much till she brought this subject up.
For example, she was saying... Did u ever watch HGtv and then look around at your own house and think ... Damn! this isn't as great as I had thought! So many shows depict top of the line everything and it makes us feel as if we aren't as fortunate as we had thought we were!
Huge mansions, gorgeous backyards, bigger and better... EVERYthing! Mr. petals loves watching that station and I always yell to him... 'Why are you watching this? It's Depressing!!'

Did u ever see those shows that go on and on about the perfect wedding?
The bride and groom pick out the perfect flowers, they have a wedding coordinator. They have to even sample and choose their perfect cake! When we got married, the cake came with the package. i don't even think I asked what filling it would have! So brides today, must compete with all these added details or risk having a wedding that will be considered horrible?? I am so happy I planned my wedding unaware of needing to be so fancy schmancy!
It's also the same with entertaining. Years ago you would put out some wine and cheese and your friends would be happy in No time. Now... martha and the likes of her are making us feel so inferior if we don't create an impressive masterpiece spread. No wonder I hate having company lately! I don't have the time, energy or desire to perform these creative miracles!

I think my friend makes a really smart point... Now, Think about years ago, without tv. The only people they mostly compared themselves with, were their neighbors who were probably in a similar economic status as they were. Any unrealistic ad in a magazine, was just that..Unrealistic. No regular folks can really have a house that expensive, hair so coiffed, clothes so fine.
I was thinking about this as I was watching a tonight show i had taped. Some actress sat there talking to Jay and her legs were so distractingly SHinY! I leaned over to Mr. Petals and said...
Oh great, I guess we're all suppose to have shiny legs now too !? He didn't know what i was talking about. He was half asleep, but I realized that I am so guilty of being made to feel inferior by much of the junk on t.v. How 'bout you?

The Sport of Encouragement

I almost skipped the Sunday Scribblings prompt this week! That would be sad, because it is such a favorite weekly tradition. But, Sports?? I sat thinking, do I talk about How spastic I was during every school year in gym class? Like the sad song seventeen... I was ALWAYS chosen last for volleyball, although it wasn't sad or mean.. the girls just laughed at me knowing I was so spastic and short and said.. OH NO! We got Lu! Then I contemplated talking about how,
In a house FULL of testosterone, you would think I was surrounded by Sports, but Nope.. my husband and three sons are NOT interested in playing sports, talking sports, watching sports or even gambling on sports! I honestly think it is genetic. My father in law could care less for them too. When my kids were small my husband TRIED SO MUCH, to break the mold and get into sports for the sake of the kids. He played basketball with them and baseball. He Tried watching the big football games. Maybe the kids sensed that his heart wasn't truly into it, because they tried a lot, Soccer teams, Basketball teams and baseball teams, but they never graduated past one or two seasons.. they were just not into it. (it is in the blood, I swear!)

What I want to talk about is this....
From what i see out there from all the kids that DO love sports.... I think sports are such a beneficial part of a persons life. The kids that love sports are getting great exercise. They are meeting other kids with the same interest which can lead to lifelong friendships. They are getting fresh air, discipline, sportsmanship and warding off the dangers of boredom. It is also a great way for parents to meet parents. So many of my friends and clients have dear friends that they met through soccer or baseball with their kids. I feel like I was out of that loop and I am regretful. But I was never one to FORCE my kids to do something. Encourage, OH! Absolutely!!
one good example was when i had my youngest enrolled in T-ball. He played that whole season and seemed to really enjoy it... At the end of the season, he looked at me and Said Please don't join me up next year. Next year they THORW the ball at You. So what did silly Mama do? I practiced throwing the ball to him and then...

yep, I joined him up anyway, trying to encourage the love of the game and banish his fear.
The very First day of practice my 6 yr. old son cried and didn't want to go.. Smart little guy with the good memory said.. I told you last time I DON'T want to play this game! There was No way, I would 'make him' go. Many friends told me i should have, but just like I couldn't 'force feed' them foods they gagged on, I wasted the registration fee and let him relinquish his hat and bat...
Never one to give up when My feelings about something are strong... I never gave up hope. I urged and encouraged and I DID manage to get my eldest son to join track in high school and my middle son to join the swim team. Not only did these experiences bring about all the beneficial results I listed above, it was also a wonderful way to become better acquainted with the high school before school began their freshman year. They had to go for practices in the summer and they were able to bond with upperclassmen and form the brotherhood that teams are known for. As positive as an experience as it was for them, that was unfortunately the end of organized sports for this family... (well, SO FAR! I refuse to dismiss the possibility that my future grandkids may escape the spastic gene!)

The sweetest gifts can't be purchased

This year for Valentines day my husband and I decided not to spend on small gifts like flowers or candy for me or a cd or dvd for him. Instead we decided to focus on the gifts we give each other EVERY single day of the year. I decided to go even further and WRite them down! Writing out this list of gifts he gives me everyday of my life... I kind of feel I should forfeit the birthday, anniversary and mothers day gifts as well!

He always compliments me on
my thinking, my kindness, my inner and outer beauty-

He says sweet things like "you're adorable" daily
He is always Attentive

He can always make me laugh...
The other day when I asked him if HE wants to carve the turkey breast
he passionately yet sincerely answered... "I LIVE to carve the turkey"
(this statement has been cracking me up all week!)

He notices and admires even little things like a new polish color,
change of earrings, the house is freshly cleaned

He blows my hair dry almost every morning
(please don't hate me ladies!)

He helps me clean our home or clean up dishes
Insists on washing the big pots every night
He takes over "heavy jobs" like
scrubbing the shower and waxing the floors

He Always insists on opening my car door
Warms it up for me on cold days too

He enjoys helping me shop for clothes
even waits patiently while I take forever in the dressing room

He Loves to buy me gifts for no occasion and 'do lunch'
He insists on carrying all our packages

When I have to pick up our son late at night
even when he is tired, he often says..
Don't go alone, I will take the ride with you

He Never wants me to help him with the "heavy work"
like shoveling snow or raking

Some sundays, he Likes to make me french toast
with the special touches like powdered sugar on top!

He Always listens & understands my worries, fears and problems
He Encourages me to Love myself
He Builds my self esteem
He encourages me to exercise and take good care of myself
He encourages me to get together with my friends more often
He encourages me to relax

He calls me a few times a day to see how I am doing and say I love you

He Gives me the best looking Steak, burger or whatever he is taking off the Barbecue
The kids get the 2nd best, he takes the worst

He rubs my feet when I have a bad day

He sometimes irons my clothes (better than i can)
He often irons his own (probably because he can do them better than i can)

When I can't sleep- He knows what helps and offers to get
out of our warm bed and get me a bowl of cereal

No one knows or understands me better
He is my best friend my lover my heart
happy valentines day sweetheart!

OWOH drum roll please

WE HAVE TWO WINNERS!!!
It was so fun participating in One World One Heart,
I discovered so many new blogs to read as well as nice people
who write them!
The first prize winner who is going to take care of my little bear Polly is Elizabeth! you can visit her blog at thoughts from an evil overlord

Congratulations Elizabeth!! I am sure Polly will be happy in her new home! I hope she will remind you of HOW OVERWORKED all of us women are and inspire you to take more coffee breaks!

and for the second prize.. my husbands whimsical tree...
the winner is...
Michaele! You can visit her blog at kindergardens 3 R's

Congratulations Michaele! I have to tell you, I had a hard time parting with this little painting, but Mr. Petals promised to paint one for me too! Hope you find a great place for the painting and truly enjoy it!

Thanks everyone who entered! I will definitely do this again next year!
Off to email the lucky winners!

A triumphant trip

The 3 word wednesday words are
disarray
rabble
validate

I chaperoned my son's symphonic band class to Carnegie Hall yesterday
Upon it's grand elegant stage they'd been granted the rare chance to play
The day started out quite stressful at school for their poor teacher, Mr. Lee
When one student showed up wearing old sweat pants & a wrinkled up Tee

The teacher began screaming, I saw his veins nearly popping out of his head
over the disarray of a student who looked as if he had just climbed out of bed
After much tension, chaos, phoning parents, dealing with many irksome fusses
We finally got this rubble of 100 dapper high school students onto the three buses.

The bumpy ride into manhattan went off without a pained hitch
(Unless you consider it torture hearing squeaky teen girls sing off pitch)
We Arrived at the hall, a magnificent treasure in the heart of the city!
But the behavior of some of the students! Oy Vey! what a pity!

Some were cursers some were lovers some walked way too slow
that we needed to shake 'em up, wake 'em up and yell "let's GO!"
We did SO much climbing of steep stairs, up up up round and round
(I think I must have HAD to have lost at least 15 pounds!)

Finally the golden performance, the acoustics! the thrill!
The skilled school band played so amazingly well!
Mr. Lee beamed as he conducted then as the applause grew..
One mans fulfilling moment, his life's dream come true

I so hope each child appreciated deep in their very young heart
This unique honor and opportunity to validate their melodic art
my son expressed it was scary upon a stage so awesome and grand
but he felt privileged to play his trumpet at Carnegie Hall,
along with his band

Lather, rinse. DON'T REPEAT!

With the price of running a household out of control, we have been trying to cut back on costs like everyone else in the world. All those phrases that i hated when i was a kid, those phrases that made me look at my mom like she was a wacko, I am using THoSe phrases now! "Close the refrigerator door" "turn off those lights" "lower the heat" and Mr. Petals famous one...
" don't take such long hot showers!" Our kids are really finding this hard to take, especially the showers! The other day my middle son had me hysterically laughing, giving me his account of our crazy household..
Let me explain first...a few months ago our bathroom exhaust fan broke. The kids kept flipping the switch to the on position out of habit, before they showered. ( keep in mind.. busy crazy people think about putting tape over the switch, but don't get around to it!!)
My husband kept yelling.. "WHO put the fan on? DON'T USE THE FAN! You are going to cause a fire!" It took a lot of yelling to remind them that it was broken. Finally one day, my husband decided to fix the darn thing. My middle son who is hardly ever home, has No idea it is fixed. So he keeps showering without the fan, so he DOESN'T cause a fire, which causes so much condensation in there. So he gets out of the shower one day and later hears his dad yelling.. WHose NOT using the fan? Put the fan ON when u shower!!
My son was so confused!! (busy crazy people assumed this kid knew it was fixed now!!) it took a while to get BACK in the habit of using the fan, so the 'reminder yelling' was a constant part of this crazy household. Hearing HIM tell this fan story was just priceless! If the fan confusion wasn't enough, He is SO used to being told to STOP taking SUch LONG showers that one day he gets home from work and we are all sleeping.... he goes into the bathroom to shower and sees this...

a TIMER on top of the shower doors! The kids thinks to himself .... "What the F@#*??? Am I suppose to be TIMING my shower now?? These people are CRAZZZZYY!! He comes into my room and whispers to me...
'Mom, Mom.. wake up... Is DAD expecting me to TIME my showers now?' I have NO idea what he is saying and WHy he is waking me. I am in a coma, I mumble something senseless to him and go back to sleep and don't remember this question until....Last night! When my son had me crying with laughter about this timer... He told me he was telling his friends... 'My dad is CRAZZY, there is a timer in the bathroom .. I think I am suppose to take a shower for like 9 minutes and 43 seconds or something!!!! But No ONe has YeLLEd at me to do this yet! Do I use the timer? do I not use the timer?'
When this son tells a story, it is like listening to a stand up comic... It took me so long due to my hysterical laughter to finally tell him.... 'The timer is there so your brother can time the medicine he is suppose to leave on for his psoriasis!' BUT when Mr. Petals caught the gist of what caused this laugher fit... I saw the expression he had on and KNEW that he was thinking the idea of timing their showers may be genius!

The Art of B.S.

I had a lot of ideas for the Sunday scribblings prompt... ART. However, After the trying day I had at work today, I've decided to talk about the art of bull shit.
Usually, In my profession, no matter how you are feeling or what is going wrong in your life.. If you want to keep your clients coming back, you need to put on a happy face and listen to and respond to all the bullshit that some people need to talk about, with MORE bullshit. Although your head may be pounding or your heart aching or your nerves shattered, you need to make their visit all about them. Lucky for me, I am not faced with this dilemma too often. Most of my clients are well liked and friends as well, and the conversations are really enjoyable, very honest and sincere . A normal exchange of interesting topics, as well as Me sharing my life with them and No bullshit what so ever!

Oh! though those days when I am faced with my most challenging clients.... the B.S., like green mold, just keeps spreading. Today, while covered in mold, I thought... It's peculiar, they never touched on the art of bullshit back in beauty school. They did warn- never talk politics or religion with your clients! But, the art of bullshit, which I think is as essential for any successful hairstylist to know as haircutting, needs to be self-taught. I've developed the art quite well after all my years of experience. What you need is a harmonious blend of courtesy combined with common-sense combined with a Big-Phony-Baloney-sense and a strong stomach too. If I were to establish and teach B.S. 101, it would include daring challenges like .. how to handle self-absorbed, narcissistic, rude people, who will expect you to listen to endless chatter about How difficult it is to get ready for their much needed upcoming trip to the bahamas. I would also hand out garlic and place my students in mock situations, demonstrating how a client may ramble on with pointless bullshit for 45 minutes (With foul breath) about their son in laws relatives being horrible with blow by blow accounts of EVeRy situation with these horrible people. People you've never met, never hope to meet and could really give a shit about! The student hairdresser would be required to stand there (on their secretively tired legs) looking interested, convincingly shaking their head in disbelief or whatever gesture is appropriate and interjecting B.S. expressions like "OH No!" and 'That's terrible of them". Thereby mastering the performance of an attentive, caring listener who can also implement the art of an excellent haircut, all while feeling totally irritated, nauseated by the odor and a longing to sit down. That's what I would call a B.S. Pro!

Thurs. 13

Last night my husband made his usual declaration... I am exhausted! I am going to bed! Then as usual he added... Are u going to bed now honey? And like many nights I said "Yeah, I am exhausted too, I just have to do a few things". So, he brushes his teeth, strips naked and is in bed in 2 minutes. Two minutes later I hear him snoring! As I begin my few things....
1. let our two dogs out
2. Set up the coffee pot for tomorrows breakfast
3. Make my son lunch
4. Put the dirty (nighttime snack) dishes into the dishwasher and run it.
5. Remember to run downstairs and throw the wash into the dryer so it doesn't smell funny
6. lower the thermostats
7. straighten the couch cushions
8. let the dogs in
9. lock up all the doors
10. give the pets fresh water
11. take off makeup/wash my face/ moisturize
12. brush my teeth
13. shut all the lights

Sound familiar ladies?
visit Thurs. 13

Don't mess with Lulu

Crumple
Illicit
Nerve

The Nerve of them! Gall like theirs should be considered illicit comportment!
Boldness! Audacity! Insolence! Alike No one I've ever encountered before!
Asking for favors that totally take advantage of me... feels like harassment!
I will not crumple this time, I'll stand firmly and adamantly announce ..."NO MORE!"!

hope u will visit and consider participating in 3 word wednesday

wordless wednesday

(repeat! but come on! Can u ever get enough?)

Heads or Tails?

This is my first time taking part in Skittles creative weekly prompt Heads or tails. For Heads or Tails this week, skits tells us to pick an older theme and write about that.
I decided to pick Express and then I thought, why not pick an older post where I tried to express my feelings about my recent hurtful relationship change with my sister.


Two souls brought together through a shared blood line
The gift of big sister has made my world shine
No matter the situation, sometimes grave most times great
My Life has been enhanced with my sister soul-mate
Obstacles occur, she's transported many miles away
Nothing discourages our love, visits just become long stays

Raising Children, managing homes, our Lives get crazy
daily stresses, no time, our communication becomes lazy
Less and less honesty, no articulation exchanged
Day by Day the loving bond between sisters is changed
my Abruptness and temperamental impatience
hits the chill of her impassive wall of indifference

Like a sidewalk that cracks we are sadly split apart
I feel like I'm existing with only half my blue heart
attempting to make peace, takes time, feels uncomfortably strange
I wish to turn our clocks back a few years and just prevent this ugly change
I've learned never again to let my feelings fester or my tribulations wait
When we treasure someone we need to honestly, lovingly and timely relate

As usual, after writing this very personal piece, the loving comments from the incredibly supportive bloggers I know, made me feel so comforted and happy that I decided to share my soul. I liked the comments much better than my poetry, if you want to read them. .. here is the original post
we've changed

Happy Birthday!

Today is my sons 22 birthday! Where did those years go?!

It seems like yesterday when I felt those first pangs of labor. I can remember so clearly holding you for the very first time. Inhaling your precious baby scent, feeling your delicate soft skin and melting from your sweet baby sounds. It seems like yesterday that I had to leave you at the hospital due to jaundice and come home feeling like an amputee. It seems like yesterday that you were first placed into your big brothers arms and immediately passed gas which totally delighted big brother. I can still remember your favorite stories during your toddler years that I read to you each night. Goodnight moon, Rupert Penguin, Morris the moose and Harry the dirty dog. I still have the (now dingy) white little lamb that you dragged around the house. The little lamb had come with a blanket and pacifier attached to it's hands. Every time they came loose, I would sew them back on to dry your tears. You couldn't fall asleep without holding the lambs pacifier in your small hands.
I remember so clearly sitting on the floor by the head of your bed and watching you sleep when I was pregnant with J. I softly cried and worried how you would cope with becoming 'the middle child'. It seems like yesterday that I went to parents day at your Kindergarden class and Your teacher had to finally say to you... "YOU must let go of your mothers leg, she has to go home NoW!" Your affection was always intense and your humor and love for fun contagious. You've grown into am amazing young man and I wish for you all the good things you deserve! There are so many things I love about u but the one thing that stands out today, Is how every time you walk into our house you manage to bring it alive with your energy, happiness and love for life.
Where did twenty two years go? Time just fly's when you're having fun! Happy Birthday Sweetheart xox

2 down 1 to go go go

caption reads-
when i let out a blood curdling scream"jesus christ you're going to kill someone!: I'd like you to apply the brakes. ( this is reminiscent of how i taught my kids to drive)
Today my eldest son took my youngest son out for his second driving lesson. Due to my husband and I teaching the older boys years ago, and it being established over and over again, that we are both Tense, Intense,impatient,frustrating, SCARY teachers, My youngest has requested that his older brothers teach him. I started lecturing before hand, in a state of typical driving mode tense panic. I insisted my older son ONLY let him drive in a parking lot, NO Streets yet! 'He has to have many lessons in a safe empty parking lot before he can practice on these crazy roads". My eldest, who is usually so compliant, said.. "mom, no, You trust me to teach him, you need to trust my judgement. It should be left to MY discretion as to whether or not he is ready to venture out on the street. Please trust me, I am an excellent teacher and driver and I need you to trust me to make the right call". Well, he said much more than this, but this is the general gist of what I remember. His point came across respectful and wise and I realized that he is absolutely correct. (and I am absolutely a lunatic) Here is an excellent driver with an excellent track record who is in graduate school to become a teacher, who spends his days doing an amazingly great job helping to teach autistic children. I decided to leave the driving decisions, and the safety of them both, In his very capable hands. As he drove away towards the school parking lot, with my youngest in the passenger seat, I felt less worried than I had ever been with a son learning to drive.

To my surprise, after only ONE hour gone, my YoUnGest son expertly pulled into the driveway, parking perfectly behind my car!
When he came in and excitedly reported about How well he did and how
much he had learned,and How patient and calm his brother was. It was so wonderful & touching. I wasn't sure if I was welling up with tears because my baby is already old enough to be driving, OR because My oldest in such a short time is such a competent,sensible adult.(an adult who is a MUCh more capable,relaxed driving teacher than my husband and I ever were!) Whatever it was, it was a defining moment in the journey of my boys lives. I feel so proud of them all. ( and quite honestly, I am relieved beyond expression, that I won't be going through those F*&#@# frightening driving lessons again!)

here is the new driver when he was 8! :)