Bathroom Defense

I just got my bell rung by my 12 year old son.

(It was an accident! The story is just too funny not to tell.)

I had heard Niklaus in the bathroom at about 5am. He poked his head into my bedroom door and said that he wasn't feeling good and that he felt like throwing up. I took note and tried to go back to sleep. I had to go to the bathroom and I was just about to stand up when he came to the door and said, "Mom! I have to puke!"

Uh, uh, uh...

I hurriedly stood and was halfway through pulling up my pants when he busted in, swooped me out of the way, one-arm, football tackle-style. I tumbled into the corner whirlpool bathtub, trying to figure out how I ended up there, while he threw up in the waste paper basket, and all over everything.

Poor guy! He finished and kept saying "I'm sorry, Mom!" But I just couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous I must have looked: pants, all bunched up, sprawling arms and legs, laying in the tub with a confused look on my face.

As silly as it was, and as unfortunate as it is that he didn't feel well...I actually kind of admired his skills in getting a big body out of the way with such expedient efficiency!

STMA football is going to really get a treasure next year! 7th grade football coaches and Middle School West: You're welcome!

Tommy's Altar

This was something else...

I was helping to feed the fish and settle the kids to bed tonight. I heard Thomas say "That's what I use to pray at night, when I'm scared." He was showing the kids how he uses his little art "desk" as an "altar", in front of these old pictures that I found in the attic at the old farmhouse, and had set in this out-of-the-way corner of the boys' bedroom, while I painted the entryway (still haven't finished) months ago.

Since I don't homeschool the boys anymore (they go to a local charter school), his religious education is mostly that I pray with Tommy on the way to school every morning and he makes me read Bible stories to him almost every night. He and the other kids have watched The Bible series over and over on Netflix. Despite all of this, I thought that he wasn't quite ready for his FHC. He had started to resist going to church and had a bad attitude about morning and prayers. He waffled about attending First Communion classes last Fall and  had been having a really sour attitude lately about prayer, church, and pretty much everything else! All of this confirmed to me that he just wasn't ready. Now? I'm not so sure! He explained to the kids, "Don't move it! I go like this (kneels down and folds his hands) then I close my eyes and I pray and I don't feel so scared." I was shocked. I showed him that there was a Jesus picture behind the Mary one and he was so pleasantly surprised, it was as if I had given him an extra scoop of ice cream!

 

I told him that it was a super great idea to make a special place for prayer, and that he could help me set up a home altar (we have never had one) in the house someplace, and that we could use those pictures. Oh my goodness. I underestimate these kids all of the time. I was just yelling at him for turning his headphones up way too loudly. I told him to turn the volume down, or I would take them away. He whispershouted "NEVER!", so the headphones got taken away and the butts got scooted upstairs to go to bed. That kid...