Happy Friday the 13th!

Are you the superstitious type? While I'd like to thing I'm 'above' that, there's a reason I'm blogging now instead of sitting on an airplane. I'll admit to scheduling my trip (a long "girls weekend" with my mom in Washington, DC) for next week in order to avoid flying on [insert theme from Twilight Zone here] Friday the 13th.

I should point out that if airfare was substantially cheaper on the 13th, I would've jumped at it. Which goes to show you that:

1. I am a little teensy bit superstitious (I have no problem driving my car on Friday the 13th, though), and
2. I'm even cheaper than I am superstitious.

According to The Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, NC, "It's been estimated that [U.S] $800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day because people will not fly or do business they would normally do." So, apparently Friday the 13th is "unlucky" for someone.

So tell me, does Friday the 13th have any special meaning for you? Are you superstitious about today? Do you follow any other superstitions?

Weight Watchers Wednesday

It's been a while since I posted one of these - primarily because I've been battling the same pound. Here one day, gone the next...and back again. ARRRGGGGHHHHH!

I skipped WW last week (it was closed on Wed. July 4th). I don't like evening meetings - evenings are very busy for me. I'm not much of a morning person so the early meetings are out. Wednesday has a 10:30 meeting which is about the earliest I can get myself and three boys out of the house. I know. Excuses, excuses.

Today, however, I was down 2.2 pounds, for a grand total of 18.8. (Be gone silly pound, and take your friend with you!)

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Well, he's not exactly a baby anymore, but...

Monday evening Son #1 and took a drive to Lowe's to buy some soil mix for the tree we're planting in the front yard. Sons #2 & #3 stayed home with Dear Hubby who was busily digging the hole for said tree.

Anyway, I'll occasionally come up with a random question in order to draw my kids into conversation and the first one to pop into my head was the following:

If you could change anything about your life, what would it be?

He didn't hesitate at all:

"I'd like to be a better person."

Wow. Not the answer I was expecting. For a moment I was struck speechless. He turned 12 a couple of weeks ago. First of all, I'm impressed that his answer didn't involve "stuff." Second, I'm all for self-improvement.

Of course, I did run through a few moments of self-doubting my parenting skills ("Uh oh, did I ever say or do anything to make him feel like he's not good enough?" etc.). However, we ended up having a good conversation - okay, so at this point, I was doing most of the conversing - about how God created each of us in his own image, how He loves us despite our sometimes poor choices, and how we honor God by being the very best [insert name here: Mom, Son #1, etc.] we can be. We all make mistakes - some whoppers, some less so - and we should learn from these mistakes but not obsess over them. Thanks to the stain of Original Sin, the human species is unworthy, yet our Creator never gives up on us. Neither should we.

And I looked at him in the rearview mirror and thought... Wow. I'm speechless again.

A Quiet Weekend

This was the first weekend in a very long time where we didn't have something scheduled. Now that baseball is over, we will have a few more lazy weekends in our future. To recap, Son #2's 10-year old baseball team started off their season with a slump. Six straight losses. The finally found their mojo and ended winning all but two of the next ten games (one loss, one tie). His team was ranked 5th out of 10 going into the single-elimination tournament. They lost the final tournament game by one run, but still received a 2nd place trophy. It was a fun season. Great coaches, involved parents (but not too involved, if you know what I mean).

June was a busy month all of us except Dear Hubby volunteering for the weeklong Cub Scout Day Camp. Also is June was Son #1's trip to Boy Scout Camp in Tennessee. Dear Hubby also attended. It was a long week for me since Son #2 and Son #3 bicker more when Son #1 is absent.

The day after they returned from camp, we celebrated Son #1 and Son #2 birthday with a party.

Other than a barbecue/sister-in-law's party on July 4th and a short trip to visit my mother in Washington, DC (a long "girls" weekend of shopping and dining out), we have no plans. Zero. Zip. Nada. I'm sure things will pop up, but for now I'm liking this freedom (even if it turns out to be only an illusion).