Random Thoughts

I have had the flu for 5 days! What a rotten week. This week was supposed to be the first week of my new fitness plan - eating right and walking every day. It's really depressing that I haven't been able to stick to what I had planned. Oh well. As soon as I feel better, I'll make sure I start.

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I've been reading a lot, lately. Quite a few good books: "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater", "U is For Undertow", "The Search For The Red Dragon" (from the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica), and now I'm reading "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. I've read all of these books since Christmas! Do you ever get into the reading zone? I do. Sometimes I'll go for quite a while and only read one book, and then at other times, I can't put the books down, and I'll go through a ton. This last month has been like that. *Sigh* So many books, so little time!
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As I type, my 3rd son, Alex, is getting reading to do his DBQ in American Studies (honors English and honors History combined class). A DBQ is a Document Based Question - he'll be given a document and then he has a certain amount of time to write a paper, using the document and his knowledge about it and the time period. He was given a "heads up" on what he might have to write on - they gave him 4 questions. He had to study extensively for all 4 questions. Then, at the first of class today, he'll go up and pull a question out of a hat - and that's the one he'll have to write on. Wow. I'm so glad I'm no longer in high school. Aometimes I wonder why the teachers have to to think up the hardest things for kids to do. Why do they have to make the kids so miserable?! I really wish him luck today.

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Speaking of school work, it's the last week of the quarter. I have a love/hate relationship with the last week of each quarter. On one hand, there is always a TON of homework - kids are trying to catch up, and finish late/missing work. I'm going to sound like a mom here - if they would just do it when it's assigned, we wouldn't have such a miserable last week of the quarter! On the other hand, it makes me so happy when that last day comes - and the kids walk in from school. I feel like celebrating - it's kind of like that feeling you get on the last day of the school year. No more stress for a little while. Of course, it's not the last day of the school year, so that feeling doesn't last very long, but it's nice for a minute.

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So, I've experience every mother's nightmare lately - my oldest is talking marriage. Not for a while hopefully, but just the fact that he's thinking about it makes me sad. I'm not saying that I don't love the girl he's met - I do, really - but every mom of a boy knows that she's the number one girl in his heart. Until he meets HER. That, right - HER. Then, Mom is quickly relegated to second place, and will be forever. Sad, huh? I can't help thinking about the past - quite often, too. What a beautiful little boy he was - all the fun we had together, just the two of us, how smart he was through school, how loyal he was to his friends, the talent he showed every time he picked up a musical instrument, etc. How much I missed him when he left on his mission for 2 years to a foreign country. How happy I was when he came home. Everyone says that you don't lose a son, you gain a daughter. Which is something I've always wanted. I've joked for years that I'm going to get my girls after they've gone through those awful teenage years! Haha. But, I can wait. I hope he takes things slowly. Young love is so sweet. But, having him belong to just me for a little longer is much sweeter.

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I've been reading lots of blogs lately - and most of them have New Years Resolutions listed. Hmmm. I guess I'd better list mine too. Maybe that's a good subject for tomorrow's post.