This summer, the big boys (Anthony and Zachary) have started mowing grass for our elderly neighbor, who recently lost her husband. Anthony has been cutting grass for our family for years and this year our neighbor offered to pay Anthony to do her grass too.
Rich talked it over with Anthony and told him that he didn't want him to accept any money from her. Growing up with a single mom (his dad died when he was 9), he decided years ago that as a service to God he wouldn't take money from widows or orphans. That he would do things to help them instead. Rich explained this to Anthony, who got a little disappointed at first, until Rich told him he would pay him for the work he did for Mrs. Smith.
Once a week, Anthony and Zachary cut our grass and then head over to Mrs. Smith's to do hers. And every week, Mrs. Smith tries to give the boys money. They politely tell her to keep it and head back home. On allowance day Rich hands out extra to the two boys for their hard work. It's a system that's been working out so far this summer.
It makes me proud that the boys are turning down her money because they are learning that we are to help our elderly folks - I think Grandma Juliani is smiling down from heaven as she watches over her boys as well. How many kids wouldn't be tempted to take her money and then turn around and take the extra allowance money too?
At any rate, I asked Sarah to sneak a few pics of the boys hard at work. And she literally took the "sneak" word to heart.....here are the pictures she snapped from her hiding place. Do you think they saw her?!
I'm totally giddy about the free paint giveaway that Glidden is doing!! It's only a quart size container, but if you're looking for free paint samples, here's your chance to scoop one up.
I have been on the lookout for the perfect color to paint my livingroom and hallways. I picked a yellow/creamy color which is really pretty, but it just doesn't go with the border and paper that I'm trying to match it to. Maybe if I try this sample thing, I'll be able to find just the right shade. I LOVE free stuff!
If you get confused by all the colors or if you're just not sure you want to pick a color off net, then head to your nearest Home Depot, pick the color and then order it on line.
I try to do nice fun things with her (took her flip flop shopping).
I know I'm hard on her sometimes (I ask for her help alot - but then I do have to work and someone does need to help with the little ones, sometimes).
I try to be nice and let her go places (hang out with her friends, take her to the mall - heck I've had to chauffeur her friends an hour to and from to the mall almost every weekend about a month or so ago).
And yet, I'm public enemy all the time...I merely mention little things that I'm talking out loud and to myself most times and get jumped on - like I need to change the junk mail feature on my email (I wasn't accusing anyone of anything, just simply saying out loud in a normal voice - I need to change the....) and somebody jumped on me and said I DIDN'T TOUCH YOUR STUFF -
Was I talking to you??? What the heck?! Where did my sweet little girl go???
Someone, please tell me when she'll come back! Someone tell Sarah not to grow boobs or ever get hormones!!
Or maybe someone just knock me out for the next however many years until the teen thing is over and I'm not the enemy anymore!!!
I love the dynamics children have with their parents. Sometimes you see some pretty awesome stuff. I think for me, I'm constantly watching and wanting to learn new things. I want to be the perfect parent, and I feel the failure on a daily basis. It's hard being a parent and a role model. Any parent is a role model in their child's eyes (at least at one point or another). Sure, I realize that my 16 year old daughter has more resentment than love towards me at this point in her life. Does that make me sad? Of course it does. I sure didn't think when I gave birth to that beautiful redheaded wonder that she would one day think I'm the meanest person on the planet.
There are so many different stages a parent/child relationship goes through. For me, it's difficult, because I don't have the best feelings towards my mother at this point in my life. I DO resent alot of things she did. It doesn't mean that I don't have great memories as a child growing up with my mom. It just means that now I realize where the problems came from. And I have been trying so hard not to be like that with my own children. And in doing that, I've created more problems than I know what to do with.
My point in saying this (and forgive me for getting long winded and off course a bit) is that I really hope that my children will remember the great times they had growing up and that the moments of resentfulness don't make the most or longest lasting memories. That they remember more of the fun things and less of the rockier times we've gone through. I love this new song (Watching You), the first time I heard it was when Rich and I had gone somewhere with Nathan. And when the song came on I turned around to see Nathan wearing Rich's baseball cap and it made me smile that Nathan wanted to wear his daddy's sweaty hat.
When Anthony was about 2 years old, he followed Rich everywhere and wanted to do all the things his daddy did. Once when Rich was fixing the roof on our house, Anthony followed Rich up the ladder. Rich heard Anthony say "Hey Dad you need some help" and turned around to see Anthony standing right there on the roof!! One other time, when Rich was babysitting he heard some pounding coming from the room he was remodeling. He went to investigate and found Anthony pounding nails into the floor. Anthony was so proud that he was "helping" his Dad.
Zachary went about another form of imitation. While Rich was working at the jail, he had to wear a tie to work (during the winter months). For months on end, Zachary wanted to wear ties everywhere he went. It didn't matter if he was wearing a nice button up shirt or a tee shirt, he had to wear a tie just like his Dad.
Nicholas also followed suit with clothing. During winter months, Rich will often wear two shirts (a Henley shirt with a long sleeve button up shirt over it), he gets cold easily since he has all that metal in his back. Nicholas went through a stage a year or two ago where all he wanted to do was wear two shirts as well.
Now it's interesting to see Nathan watching Rich. He likes to do all the things Rich does. He likes to drink soda, and eat pudding with "cream" (cool whip) on top. He likes to "steal" Rich's hats and wear them around the house. He doesn't like wearing his own cap or his brother's - he wants to wear his dad's. He likes to sing along to the music in the car.
It's fun to watch these things. Kids idolize their parents in one way or another, at some point in their lives. It's usually when they are little and before the parents turn into meanies. But, I guess the lesson is that you should never let your guard down, because you never know who is watching or listening to you....they see and hear it all - the bad stuff and the good.
