I could see the problem. Actually, to be honest, I could smell it. Seeping from my oldest son’s tomb-like room. As if, yes, there might be a corpse inside. I stood at the threshold of the doorway and peered in. He lay, a lump under his sheets, the floor of his room riddled with the debris of his teenage boy existence – old pop cans, bowls of hardened ice cream, decaying socks, his grimy attire for the last week. All of marinating in the brew of young manhood filth. He needed to clean his room. I flicked on the light (hey, it was 9am. ) “I think your room needs some attention.” Somewhere beneath the covers, he grunted. “Seriously, I can’t see your floor.” “It’s there, or you’d be falling […]
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Release the Woobie! Character Change Day 2
Susie writes: My son has a Woobie. Remember the security blanket from Mr. Mom? Yeah, that’s my son. His Woobie is a disgusting denim comforter he sleeps with. It’s ripped in seven places. The stuffing is coming out. If I wash it, it will disintegrate in my washer. I fear the Woobie. So, while he was at school yesterday, I remade his bed. I washed his sheets. And I took the comforter and shoved it in a black plastic bag and hid it in the closet. Hoping, maybe, he wouldn’t…uh, notice? He came home, and we all had a nice dinner (borscht) and watched the debate and then…bedtime. I was reading, peacefully in my own bed when Peter walked in with a distressed look. “Mom, where is my….blanket?” He appeared about three years old. “Uh….” And here’s where I […]
Read the RestThese walls should be red: Character Change Day 1
Susie writes: I finished writing a book this weekend. It’s one I’ve been working on since June, in between my trips to FLA, CA, PA (lots of A’s there). In between writing and travelling, I haven’t had much time to work on my various unfinished remodeling projects. Ie, create a bookshelf in the media room. And paint the family room end wall red. Yes, red. I saw it in a magazine, and then at a girlfriend’s house, and I thought it would be a striking way to backdrop this incredible piece of artwork I received from a friend. So, I sketched out the layout. I got paint samples. I compared them to the picture, and my other furniture. I found the right primer. I moved and covered furniture. Last night I primed…and this morning, before the kids even left for […]
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I love fall. I love the smell of decaying leave, the sound of them crunching under my feet or as they tickle across the lawn, thrown by the wind. I love the colors – the blush reds, the pumpkin oranges, the golden yellows. The touch of frost in my nose in the morning. I can taste winter on the crisp breeze, and I know someday I’ll awake to the fresh grace of snow blanketing my yard. Or, maybe it’s just the change I love, because, well, I love spring too. There’s something exhilarating about change, about the transition from old to new. It’s probably what empowers us Minnesotans to endure the long months of winter (especially as it turns dreary right around March). And probably, it’s that promise of something […]
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