View from the Parking Lot

Sitting outside my children’s school.  Apparently there was some sort of stranger situation during the after school program yesterday.  My kids don’t go to the after care program... but oddly, I am not the only parent here, working away on a laptop and watching as the kids skitter and jump and generally goof around. 

I bought an outfit for the baby today.  Little, yellow, simple.  Probably not a big deal, really.  It was on super-clearance at Gymboree.  But now I don’t know where to put it.  What few things I had stored away for Andrew are tucked among my socks in my top dresser drawer, but it seems odd to put his things with the new baby’s things.  All of his pictures and hospital bands and the cards we were sent are in a box in the top of my closet.  I guess it makes sense to let the new baby use her (or his) brother’s things, right?  I don’t know.  Are there rules for this sort of thing?

In other news, I scheduled J’s first college visit.  COLLEGE.  She’s almost 15.  I know we have time, but I also know my daughter.  She’s not one to warm quickly to things, so the idea of college and dorms and the responsibility that comes with all of it will take her a very long tim to wrap her head around.  She wants to go into theatrical engineering.  And at almost-15, I think that’s a great thing to aspire to.  She knows she needs to be a strong math student to go into any sort of engineering and given that she’s carrying a 97 in freshman algebra, I think she’s got that in the bag... for now.  

K served at the 7:00 Mass last night.  I had to work, so I snuck in late.  I was just in time to hear the priest talk a bit about listening for God in the silence.  I have to find the silence first, though... because nothing is my life exists without noise.  I’m working on reducing the noise - the visual noise on my calendar as well as the clutter and chaos that surrounds me.  Is there a 12-step program for that?

The kids are getting lined up and ready to hop in the van.  I have to steel myself against the noise of a second grader who needs at least 20 minutes of chaos to unwind after a full day of school.  Too bad I can’t find God amongst the insanity... if I could, He and I would talk nonstop.