Hi friends.
Happy Thursday from the local library that seems a lot warmer and more crowded than I ever remember.
I thought it was time to show up after the "canned goods drive" to pay off our fines seems to have helped our standing here.
At least I don't notice any "wanted" posters, so that's a good sign.
My son DID ask me how to return a book so I'd say it's been a hot minute since we've darkened the door.... which just happens to be right next to the book drop.
I'm half-tempted to grab that copy of Popular Mechanics just over to my left boasting to help me find a mattress they're sure I'll love, but I will "stay the course" and catch-up with you all.
Before driving to the library we hugged and slipped gas money to the college fellas heading back.
A week- the first we've ever had as Spring Break goes- flew and yet hung around a bit too.
Last Friday when the whole crew graced the dinner table and the decibel level hit a "fever pitch" I grabbed the mashed potatoes and whispered to my husband, the founder of the feast, "This is only the FIRST DAY."
I thought for suresies Facebook would be spamming me with commercials for earplugs before bed.
Because they are young adults they had more plans than I had food money and I just sat back and tried to remember that round waffles somehow make them all feel like a million bucks and thankfully they aren't a million bucks... yet.
I'm not gonna lie.
When I calculated that if each of these "oxen" had two kids and brought them all to this "crib" we might be needing said earplugs.
This is when I ponder why God blesses us with hearing loss as we age? Because I firmly believe that the nearsightedness goes to help our spouse not see that one black chin hair and vice versa.
No one needs to head in for a "close-up" and grab a really good look at some nose hair.
Then in the middle of six kids laughing and sharing way too many memes, the Lord gave me a smashingly good idea.
And yes, it was all him.
My Father in law, FIL as I like to call him, has a game that he taunts the grandkids with.
He's sweet like that.
It has to be from the late 70's? and has cards that look EXACTLY like those little slips of paper that came in that adorable plastic bread holder for Bible promises we all used to have.
Remember that?
The game is called, "Bible Tic-Tac Know," and I had the supernatural idea to make our own sort of March Madness Family Brackets.
Because I believe that the phrase "March Madness" was coined by a Mom like myself who had kids home for Spring Break that forgot how to put new toilet paper on the roll for goodness sake.....
Ahem. Sorry...
Anyway, you cannot tell me otherwise.
March Madness was created by Moms who needed to give their kids a healthy way to compete with each other instead of figure out who gave the black active skirt to whom.
So when my oldest grabbed the dry erase markers with a twinkle in his eye I knew we were in business.
I also knew that he would place himself extremely high in the completely UNBIASED RANKINGS.
(smile)
I did make a motion for "double elimination," because who really knew that the longest verse in the Bible was in Esther anyway.
Soon the dishes were cleared, the hype squads appeared, music straight out of "Who wants to be a millionaire"and so did the excitement which was next-level.
It was jumpin'.
If you want to really stretch your Bible knowledge you need to play the "Plants and Animals" section of this game.
And don't get me started with Geography.
Some losses were really hilarious.
Some were difficult and number one son kept creeping up the ranks.
Of course he did.
Of course we used the "Advanced" side of the question. I mean are we the Pastor's family or aren't we?!
And would I have liked the easy side when "Number 4" Mom was in a stand-off with super high ranking son?
YoubetyourBalaamsdonkey I would've.
Did you see what I did there, son?
(#stillbitter #justcallmeMarah)
When the founder and Pastor of us all hit the loser's bracket we all knew we were in trouble!
And important life lessons were learned.
Like, don't draw mean faces over the loser's bracket because you just might be the very first LOSER To take up space there.
(Yes, I am a full-blooded Mom and this still makes me laugh in the best possible way)
We also learned to go with that gut that tells you it was in "Nain"because why on earth would your brain hold onto something like that if not for this very question?
There were laughs, there were time limits given and one even bought new deodorant before heading back to college so trust me when I say this game got tense.
It was good to have the gang and it was my favorite to laugh together over crazy stupid things and family foibles.
And though they leave their rooms a shamble, they still offer to wash their sheets for me and I still want to give them every single treat I can scrape-up before they drive away again.
Our times together as a family of 8 crazy, opinionated, loud people is madness most times.
But it's our own kind of crazy.
We love and argue and tolerate and pick Bubble tea up for each other because we are family.
And I know that these diamond days will only last for a little while longer.
This March madness will give way to new homes and jobs and opportunities that make rounds of Tic-Tac Know harder to come by.
Yes, we will have to finish this bracket via Facetime, but believe you me it will be epic when we do.
Here's to me winning the whole shebang.
