It would have been much the same as I do now. 

Playing with my toddler, Nick Jr. on the television, whilst his big brother was at school, blissfully unaware of the terrifying events that were taking place in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.

My husband called me from work. 

He calmly told me to sit down and put CNN on. 

I hate to say it, but I got a bit stroppy with him about this, I mean after all, my middle son and I were really getting in to the Blue’s Clues episode that was on.  When his tone became pressing, I immediately went through to our master bedroom and turned it on in there. 

Words can’t describe how I felt.  Shock. Disbelief.  Horror. 

After hanging up the phone with my DH, I immediately called my good friend, L, an ex-pat from Birmingham.  She too was completely oblivious until I told  her to turn on the news.  We stayed on that phone to each other for ages, somehow finding comfort in it all even when we lay in silence.

I decided to pick up my kindergartener from school early that day and discovered most parents had done the same.  I remember driving home from the school and looking at my beautiful boys in the rear view mirror, tears running down my face.  My funny, smart, beautiful children laughing and playing innocently behind me. 

What was I going to tell them about this dreadful day? 

How was I going to keep them safe? 

And, it breaks my heart to think that this war is all they know.

Editor’s note: I first published this back in 2008 and decided to update it and publish it again on this the anniversary of that fateful day.

Arounfd this time every year we’ll sit down as a family and write out a list of what we’d like to do over the ensuing, never-ending break that is the summer holidays.  With each of us contributing one thing or another.  

It usually comes pretty easily.

We make the list and some bawk. 

Some shrug.

Some squeal with excitement.

Some dream.

Some cry.

And, some may even smile.

But, this year I realised that I’m dealing with toddlers, tweens and teens.  

Making this year’s list is hard. 

Finding fun and engaging activities that involves all of them is proving a little difficult to say the least.  While one would be more than happy to spend a day at our local beach, one wants to sit in front of the x-box in a vegetative state and the other one wants to ride roller coasters.  I know one-on-one time is important for my boys, but I obviously can’t split myself in to three people to keep them all individually happy.   

So, this year, after much stressing and worrying on my part, we’ve hopefully come up with a creative list that has some fun-filled, safe, inexpensive summer activities we can do collectively as a family.  With each of us contributing one thing or another. 

Some bawked. 

Some shrugged.

Some squealed with excitement.

Some dreamed.

Some cried.

And, some may have even smiled.

And, now I finally think I’m ready for summer.  What about you?

Tickets to see the matinée of Toy Story 3 ….. $28

1 tub of popcorn, 2 root beers, 1 blue raspberry slushy/icee and 1 bottle of water ….. $23

Sobbing your heart out at the end of the movie because it makes you realise all the more just how fast your own babies are growing up ….. Priceless

*****

Parents of teenagers be warned … this movie may cause you to experience periods of immense sadness and future empty nest syndrome.

********************

My middle son loves to hear any and all stories about himself. 

Before you go getting all judgey and think I’m raising some kind of narcissistic child, I actually believe he is this way in part because he is my middle child. 

Aaah.  The middle child, I see you collectively nod in agreement.

Over the past few years I have seen my son develop that typical middle child personality.  He is smart yet secretive, flexible yet sensitive, easy-going yet so very hard on himself.  He’s helpful, but in a laid-back way.  He can also be very indecisive yet I’m seeing him become a good mediator.  Furthermore, he’s begun proclaiming that infamous middle child mantra “it’s not fair” more often than not.

No matter for he’s also developed this lovely, incorrigible thirst for knowledge about his history. His stories.  A yearning to know his place in our family. 

The need to belong is very important to the middle child. 

I should know. 

I’m a middle myself.  I want to tell my son I know exactly how he feels.  I want to tell him I know what it’s like to be there in the middle, waiting for your turn.  I want to tell him I know the whole unfair mantra and that I was there in the forefront of the whole “kids are people too” movement.

These middle child personality traits, both good and bad, will likely follow him in to adulthood and so I find parenting my middle child a little daunting.  I want to do right by him and help him navigate life in the middle.  I try and give him responsibility and opportunities to make valuable contributions to our family.  I offer him easy choices that allow him to be the natural peacemaker that he is.  Moreover, I try as best I can to make sure I’m spending enough one-on-one time with him.  It’s hard when I have the little one, but we make it work.  I find that just taking my middle son with me when I run errands makes him happy. Thankfully, he really enjoys helping plans meals for our family and going to the grocery store.  

And, it’s during these times that I take the extra opportunity to lavish attention on him by telling him stories about himself. 

********************

One of his favourite stories is actually one when I was heavily pregnant with him. 

We had gone out to dinner with my family and had just parked in the restaurant car park.  I got out of our vehicle and went to unbuckle my then three year old from his car seat when I was gripped with agonizing, stinging pain on one of my feet.  Already swollen from that lovely, pregnancy, water retention, I looked down to see it was covered in ants.  And, not just any ants.  Red ants.  Nasty, biting, red ants.  Well, I immediately shrieked, swore and started a strange kicking dance as you do when trying to get rid of a million or so ants that are crawling all over your foot.

I don’t fare well with bug bites of any kind so I expected the worst. 

A horrible allergic reaction. 

A swollen, Shrek-like foot that would surely require some kind of fast medical attention. 

However, just as soon as I’d kicked the last of the ants off me the pain was instantly gone.  I looked at my foot and I could not see one bug bite.  My hubby and I were amazed and the only reason we could find for the miracle was that my unborn baby had somehow protected me.  I had heard that with pregnancy brings a certain amount of immunity and knew that was certainly the case with my encounter with those pesky red ants.

********************

So, when my middle son asks me, “Mum, tell me again about that time you stood in a pile of … ants,” I’m always more than happy to indulge him.  And, I love how his eyes light up and his whole being just beams with pride about how he was able to save his mum from what could have been a horrible disaster.

I ♥ Faces is a photography blog that hosts a weekly photo contest that I’ve participated in only once before.  Why?  Have you seen some of the entries?  They are absolutely amazing.  I mean, how on earth can my very amateurish photography skills compete?

Well, this week I decided to go balls to the wall.  I couldn’t resist putting my photographer’s hat in to the mix and participating again with this week’s theme of celebrating teens.  I chose this photograph that I took of my son on a blustery day at the beach back in April of this year.  I just love all the shades of blue in the shot and the angle of his handsome face coupled with the hint of a mischievous smile.

Ouch.

Anniversary night out is postponed.

Ouch.

Miami is postponed.

Ouch.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Orlando is postponed.

Ouch.

The rest of our summer to do list is postponed.

I am not a very happy mama right now.

If it’s no better by Monday, I expect to be posting my blog from a hospital bed.

And, now if you don’t mind I am off to partake in my own little pity party.

Ouch.

That is all.

The dragonflies soar

High above you while you play

And, I watch the goal

Here’s the big guy waiting for the ceremony to begin … and see those Dr. Martin shoes he’s wearing?  He nicked them from his dad’s closet!

Walking …

Standing head and shoulders over his principal and assistant principal …

Here’s my middle son at his ceremony.  Yeah, about that … he refused to stand and pose under the balloon arch …

My sis, the proud auntie …

And, last but not least here I am with my boy … a very proud mummy indeed.

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Today was just like every other day.

I picked you and your brother up from school at exactly the same time as I have for the past week or so.  It’s just been so hot here.  Too hot for you to walk home in.

But, today I noticed you get in the mini-van with a swagger I’d not quite seen before.  A quiet confidence, if you will. 

You said hi and asked me how my day was.  I replied telling you how your little brother had been uncharacteristically (sarcasm) naughty and asked how yours and your brother’s day was.

And, as your brother started to tell me about his day, you said something at the very same time … that I wasn’t quite ready to hear.

Your brother kept talking. 

He was oblivious to the tug I felt on the invisible umbilical cord that bonds every mother and child as I again heard you say something I wasn’t ready to hear.

You turned and looked at me.  I think, this time to make sure I heard you.  Your eyes were as blue and sweet as the day you were born, but your baby face was gone.  Now slowly being eroded by time and replaced with the strong angular jaw of a young man.

And, then you told me. 

The words I wasn’t quite ready to hear.

Today you told me you had a girlfriend …

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I am beyond thrilled to have made it as a finalist in the first ever UK mummy and daddy blog awards aka the MADS and would be so very honoured and humbled if you could please, please, please vote for me here.  Thank you.

Lost, that is.

Six amazing and dramatic, exciting and somewhat perplexing  seasons all culminating in one of the biggest television events ever.  The Lost season finale.

It truly was mesmerizing.

I cried.  I sobbed.  And, then I cried some more.

But, it didn’t quite tie up all the loose ends did it? 

I mean I get the light and all, but I think I need to go back and watch it again just to make sure I didn’t miss anything.  For example, when exactly did they all die?  If so, was everyone who was in the church at the end all on the original flight that went down?  And, what about the numbers? Did they ever get off the island?

I’m in a word … confused.

*sigh*

Oh well, I do know that I heart Jack and always did … even when it seemed every other female on the planet was gushing over Sawyer. 

*sigh*

So, I shall leave you with today’s Musical Monday post which is obviously dedicated to Lost as I contemplate what an amazing journey this show took me on. 

It’s called I Can’t Believe It’s Over by Bent.