thoughtful thursday

each of these thoughts could garner their own posts but people- i am blogging on borrowed time here.
so i'm here in a purely functional way.  i must share these thoughts with someone before the swirling they are doing in my head creates a maelstrom. 

1.  i signed the kids up for homeschool soccer today.  i had to drive 40 minutes one way but here's the beautiful part.  it's during school hours on a thursday so no traffic AND, the VERY BEST part...
weekends still belong to God and family.  amen. 
oh, and i get to hang out with some friends from ican. :)

2.  we gave up songs with words for lent as a family.  the kids have gotten snared by the top 40 dragon and for lent i just needed some quiet.  but, i feel like we are cheating a bit when "don't stop believin'" by the dallas string quartet comes on pandora.  or, "smooth criminal" by 2cellos.  i mean, the words are there in my mind even if they aren't being pumped out of the speakers.

3.  i'm thinking about making a toddler straightjacket for john to wear when he nurses.  no nursing toy, necklace, or doohickey distracts him from pinching, scratching, or slicing my midsection with his razor sharp finger nails.  it probably won't be a straightjacket.  that's too mean, right?  i was thinking more of a shrug with sleeves that don't have openings for the hands.  like idiot mittens(if you ever listened to bill cosby you know what these are)except really long ones that come up to his shoulders and attach behind his back with some velcro or something. 

4.  we've adopted a cardinal.   paulo cardinal sardi is ours.  we got him today and will be saying the Holy Spirit prayer for him daily during the next few days or weeks or months, however long the conclave lasts.  http://www.adoptacardinal.org/

5.  the best way to divert a helicopter parent from trying to helicopter parent your kids is by putting them in gender confusing clothes.  a lady at the park last week got all huffy and was sort of tattling on john being across the park from my motherly eye(nevermind he was with samantha).  "did you know, she was ALLLLLL the way over there while you were here talking?"
"wait, who?"
"SHE" she said, pointing to john in his orange and pink shirt and basket ball shorts covering his kaidangku, "was ALL the way over there" pointing to the hill where kids were happily grass sledding.
"oh, HE was over there?  oh, that's ok.  HE was with HIS sister."  drippingly sweet smile. 
"uh, hm,  harumph"