Who's That Guy?

Two out of five children surveyed are taller than me now! When did that happen? It is a very strange feeling to be telling them off by looking up at them. They might even wise up and realize that they're bigger than me -- oh no! Just a few years ago when I still had two at home and two in elementary school I thought this day would never come, I would always be a young mom, but what a difference five years makes. The strangest thing of all is Charles. He has changed so much just in a few months and I can hardly keep up with it. We were having piano lessons a few days ago and I looked down at his hands and they have changed so much. He used to have little chubby baby hands, and now they are big with long fingers. The most disconcerting thing is his voice. One day all the kids sounded the same with their little kids voices and now I am always wondering who is in my house! It happens almost every day! I will be upstairs and hear some MAN talking downstairs and think, "Who in the world could that be?" And he also has a deep hearty laugh. It will just take some time for me to adjust. Or I could just jump a foot every time he talks. Whichever.

The kids are back to school again. We had such a nice, unexpected January break last week with three snow days and then MLK day yesterday. Since it was so cold we really did just stay inside and enjoy each other's company. We played games, watched movies, and talked a lot. I had just gone to the library so we had "Into the Woods." My friend had just mentioned it in her blog so I saw it there and thought my kids would like it. I saw it originally at the Sundance outdoor theater with Neil Hughes of all people, but I didn't really remember it. It is so well done and when it was through I asked them what they thought the moral was -- "Be careful what you wish for" they all chorused! We are having a little of that as we go through a basement overhaul. Our life was fine and now it is in complete upheaval. Everything costs more and is far more disruptive than you ever think it will be. I suppose with computers now I think that if I want a change in the house all it will take is a click of the mouse, but no, no, no. It will be nice someday. I hope.

Yesterday driving to the store we were listening to the "Writer's Almanac" with Garrison Keillor and he quoted an author saying, "The key to happiness is being happy already." I thought to myself that that was quite nice, but Charles went off on a tangent about how people try to sound so deep and said with his favorite British accent, "The key to being hungry is to be hungry already and I am so smart." So there you go. A philosophy which you can apply to anything at all. The key to sleeping..., the key to love..., the key to organization..., the key to beauty... I hope that you all use this gift wisely.