Ten Thoughts Tuesday – Mama edition

1. With the onset of autumn and the impending fall/winter holiday season, my mom duties are resuming again, and I love it!

2. The Boy has a concert this Thursday evening. I didn’t think I’d be able to go, and was sorry to miss any performance of his. Then he found out he won a solo  that I simply cannot miss. It’s two full verses of “Loch Lomond,” in which he also sang the solo for a competition when he was a sophomore in high school. I have a recording of that old performance and absolutely adore it, but he’s always been critical. But I get to hear him do it again, over three years later, when his voice has grown and matured from a clear tenor to a rich, full baritone. This trip will be a solo for me, too – driving three hours down, a night in a hotel by myself, and an early morning drive back. Can’t wait!

3. Attended Middle Sister’s first concert of the year this past Sunday, and as a wonderful bonus the husband was home for the day and able to go. It’s an annual event that our high school attends, as well, so we were able to visit with old friends as well as marveling at our daughter’s voice.

4. Our kids’ high school choir director called Sunday evening after Middle Sister’s concert, just to say hi and check in on how we’re all doing. She and I  worked closely together for four years when our kids were singing for her, and it was wonderful that she cared enough about us to make a call. We have an awesome community.

5. The Boy texted me yesterday to say that he planned to visit an old high school friend this coming weekend over his four-day fall break. But this morning I convinced him to come home instead. My arguments? I like him WAY more than his friend possibly could, and with his father gone all but one day a week I really needed his help with a few projects/repairs around the house. It was an easy sell. I think he was glad to be needed and wanted.

6. Oldest found out she will be able to come home for Thanksgiving. That holiday was up in the air for her, until she was able to sew up the scheduling for her oral qualifying exam for her doctoral program. Thank goodness that all worked out and she’ll be with us. We survived last year without her, but it was certainly a hollow celebration.

7. Last night we also worked out plans for Oldest’s boyfriend to visit us over the Christmas holiday. Things are looking pretty serious between them, and we haven’t seen much of the boyfriend since our daughter completed her undergrad degree and moved to the east coast. He’s a good kid – it will be nice to have him with us.

8. Middle Sister is having some success with improved health since she dropped three credit hours and worked with her doctor to increase her stomach medication. Life is much more peaceful and pleasant at home now. And she took a break yesterday to join me at our library bookstore to pick out children’s/YA books for our Little Free Library!

9. One of the tasks on my project list for The Boy while he’s home is to have him mount the library on its post. Today I’ll put a sign on the post to announce that the library is coming soon. So exciting!

10. Watched “Minority Report” (Tom Cruise, circa 2002) last night with Middle Sister – it was an assignment for a discussion in her “new media” class. My advice: Do not waste two hour of your life on this piece of trash. Ridiculous special effects, over-the-top action scenes, gratuitous grossness, poor plot, lack of development of meaningful themes, misogyny, and the only black character was a fat buffoon. It was truly appalling.

#10 is truly the only negative on this list, and even that was shared with one of my three darlings. It’s an excellent week so far!