Finished!

I finally finished a project using actual instructions! (Well, mostly...I thought it needed handles and a little interest in the stripes)

Take Time

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It is Memorial Day weekend. Time to crack out the BBQ, open the pool, hang out with friends in the back yard. All these things are part of what make this a great holiday, but what makes this an AWESOME holiday is that we can celebrate the ones who put their lives on the line so that we can have the freedom to have this weekend. Do me a favor, before you go out on the boat or pull out the lawn chair, find someone who sacrificed time for you and thank them. Right now, while you are enjoying a beautiful start to summer, there is a soldier somewhere in this World attempting to gain entry into a dilapidated shack in to eradicate an insurgent who wants nothing else but to destroy our way of life, uncertain of what he/she might find on the other side of the door.  Remember, it is not just the brave soldier who sacrificed, it was his/her family that kept the home front for them while they were away.

“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion;
respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.


Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
even a stranger, when in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people and grovel to none.


When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.


Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.


When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled
with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep
and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”


-Chief Tecumseh

I Love My Men, BUT...

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First things first...I love Mr. Incredible. Like truly, deeply, passionately love that man. BUT there are things about men that are just not cute, and for those of you not keeping count, I live with four of them. Today I list the top ten things I do not understand even after all these years of living with them.

1. Why do I have to specify that when I say, “Please go take a shower.” I also mean I want you to use soap...and shampoo?

2. What is the aversion to pants? Boxers are not shorts. Yes, they cover all the important parts, but that does not make them appropriate. Would you like it if I came in the door and took off my shirt? Okay, Mr. Incredible would vote for this, but I think the boys would be seriously grossed out.

3. I understand you like rocks and dirt and all things creepy and crawly, but why do you think they need to live in the pockets of your pants? (That you take off when you come in the door anyway.)

4. Are there magnets imbedded in your bodies that make it impossible to pass each other without “love tapping”, pushing, or running into one another?

5. When you are sick, why does the world have to stop? I have set you up with a comfortable bed, your favorite movies, Gatorade, crackers, soup, and anything else you desire AND YET you want me to sit in wait by your bed side. When I am sick, I just want to be left alone.

6. Swamp People, Duck Dynasty, Storage Wars, American Pickers, How it’s Made, Overdrive...Is it too much to ask that we watch a show with a plot and storyline every once and awhile?

7. Gas is just not funny after awhile. Like fish, it just smells gross.

8. Why is shaving such a bit deal. You have like 1/6th the area to shave that I do, how hard can it be to run a razor over your face a couple of times a week? That stuff you have on your face is not sexy, it is fuzzy and scraggly.

9. Wheels...you notice them, I do not.

10. Lawn Tractor racing...really this falls into the category of needing to race EVERYTHING. If it moves, it can be raced....but WHY?

Simple Gifts

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It would be so easy to only write about all the things going sideways in my life right now. There is MUCH to choose from. However, I am finding out that when we are going through rough seasons, it gives us a chance to stop and really look for the positives that have been in our lives all along, but we were too busy, occupied, or having too much fun to take notice.

One of those things I have failed to recognize is that I have friends. No really, I do. Now most of you may have friends and have always known you have friends, but I tend to be a bit of a reserved introvert. I have also been blessed with a wonderful family that I am very close to and they have to like me because we are family. This combination makes it very easy to stay in my own bubble and not reach out to others.

This week, due to some rough waters, everyone that I would normally turn to, (Mr. Incredible, my mom, my dad) were all unavailable for me to unload and process with. As I sat on the couch, feeling very alone and starting to get bitter, I looked up and saw a card a friend had sent me over the weekend. It basically says she is here for me and that we will get through this season together. It was a little late, I didn’t want to inconvenience her, but I was at a breaking point. I picked up my cell and called her. Yes, she was getting ready for bed, but was truly happy I called. I only needed ten minutes of her time, but it was a very important ten minutes for me. It was ten minutes that someone who didn’t HAVE to gave me as a gift and made the difference of me going to bed feeling very alone, worried, and afraid, or at peace knowing that I was surrounded by people who care.

Tough times are...well...tough, but they are temporary and they are giving me gifts that will last forever.

It's a Gamble

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Parenting Teens. I went to a seminar on this subject at church today. I know what you are thinking...

”Why Brenda, why on EARTH would you need to go to a seminar on parenting, your skill in this area is awesome as displayed by your three well mannered, fine, upstanding boys.”

HA, HA, HA, HO, HO, HO, HEE, HEE, HEE. Let’s all take a moment to catch our breath after that. Laughter is good medicine you know!

I love my boys. They each make me proud to be their mom in their own separate ways. BUT I am not fool enough or blind enough to think that they are poster children for teenagers of the year. So I felt like if someone was willing to guide me in the ways of parenting that would guarantee my children’s future success, I needed to jump on that train and get as much information as I could. Guess what I found out.

Parenting is a crap shoot.

Yes, there are things you can do to make your children feel loved, ways to guide them to make well thought out, responsible decisions, teach them how to survive in the world, but in the end, they are their own beings that have to make choices on their own and learn to live with the consequences of those choices, both good and bad.

They are their own person...go figure.

Honestly, this really was a great workshop with great ideas and wonderful counsel, but the best thing that came out of it was the realization that I was not alone. Even the “best of us” have struggled in the parenting arena. So when are we going to drop the act that we have it all together, that our kids are perfect, and that bad things and bad choices don’t happen to good parents and start helping and supporting one another?

“Hello, my name is Brenda, and I am the parent of teens that sometimes make bad choices.”

Now if you will excuse me, it is time for me to make my weekly phone call to my parents to say “I’m sorry. I’m just so sorry. I had no idea how hard your life was when I was a teen.”

And then my mom will LAUGH!

Zena

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Today my mom goes into battle. She has donned her armor, drawn her sword, and done as much strategic planning as she can. She is a warrior. she has always been a warrior. She may have been a stay-at-home mom, but June Cleaver was not her role model, Zena Warrior Princess would be more like it. So this is not a new role for her. Like Zena, her battles have never been about herself. She is the (as cliche as this is) true Mama Bear. She fights for her children (both natural and “adopted”), her husband, her family, her friends, and the underdog. Like any mama bear, she can be quite scary at times, I would HIGHLY recommend that you do NOT mess with any of those she loves. What is new is that today she goes into battle for herself. As I was driving home from the hospital yesterday, my heart was aching, it finally hit home that she really was going to have to fight this fight and, as much as I want to be able to take this from her, this is a battle she has to lead for herself.

(Warning: this part is not meant to be offensive. I am a Christ-follower, so to ignore or pretend that the Bible or God is not a huge part of guiding me through this time would be dishonest. If this will offend or upset you, just skip this paragraph :-). )

I am a visual person. I see things in pictures. I would give anything to be an artistic person so that I could put these pictures on paper, but I somehow do not believe that stick figures would do them justice. Back to the point. As I was driving, I was hit with a picture of Moses standing on a hill, overlooking a valley where a battle raged on. As long as his arms were raised with his staff, the Israelites were winning, if he let them fall, they would lose ground. (No big deal, right? Take a moment and stick your arms up. Now hold them there and see how long it is until you get uncomfortable. I won’t tell how long it took for me, let’s just say it is very clear it is time for me to hit the gym again. Back to Moses.) As he stood there, arms getting weak and tired, Aaron and Hur stood beside him and let him lean on them, supporting his arms. I know that these men love Moses and would have taken the staff and held it for him, but that was not their job. Moses, and Moses alone, had to be the one with the fate of the battle on his shoulders. (Thank you Lauren and Kim for indulging my OCD and verifying that this really was a Biblical scene and not just a crack smoking dream)

Today my mom goes into battle, and the fate of this battle rests on her shoulders, but I hope she knows that she has an entire army of people she has fought for that will stand by her, letting her lean on them and supporting her. If you are willing to be an Aaron or Hur, please drop her a line letting her know you are there. Remind her that she is strong and courageous, and to fight as hard for herself as she did when she fought for you. She is a Warrior Princess, I love her, I respect her, and I support her.

Facebook: Barbara Trent Hobson
Email: hobsong@centurytel.net
Address: 1285 Duello Rd, Wentzville, MO  63367