Blink

Have you ever played that game where you stare at another person until someone blinks? I don't recall the name of the game, but it is really funny to watch as people contort their faces just to keep from blinking. If you don't know what I am talking about, go ahead and try it; just focus on a word on this page and try not to blink.

Go ahead, I'll wait....

It's not long after starting the staring contest that you feel your eyes start to burn, and no amount of squinting, eye widening or mouth twisting will ease the discomfort. Then it happens, someone blinks and losses the game, and immediately the pressure is gone and faces go back to normal.

This happened to me the other day, but it wasn't because I was playing a game, it was in response to a question that took me by surprise.

Let me set the scene for you:

We have this little common area that is about 200 feet from our house that has trees, large rocks and tall grass. Isaiah and Caleb love it, and can easily spend the entire day there, climbing trees, swinging from branches, jumping off rocks and exploring the area looking for treasures.

It was during one of our trips to the common area last week where I met a woman whose daughter wanted to play with the other kids. Out of the blue and with a hint of disgust, she asked me "is it boring being a stay at home mom?"

Blink

After a few seconds of blinking ferociously, I said, "I wish boredom was my problem."

Instead, my day has been filled with: making breakfast, get kids out of bed, look for shoes, wash dishes, deal with whining, wipe a three year old's bottom, search for homework and library book, get Isaiah to the bus stop, grocery shopping, make snacks, put away groceries, three loads of laundry, play monster trucks with Caleb, pick up Isaiah from the bus stop, make lunch, plant potatoes, water the garden, wash dishes, help Isaiah with homework, fold laundry, break up a fight, chop vegetables for dinner, blog, play at the park, unclog a toilet, wipe a three year old's bottom, deal with whining, fold more laundry, pay bills, make snacks, clean up spilled juice, make dinner, deal with whining, eat dinner, clean up spilled milk, wash dishes, check e-mail, answer some phone calls, break up a fight, sweep floors, get boys in the shower, make another snack, brush their teeth, read a story...light's out....and it's only Monday!

Yeah, boredom sounds pretty good right about now.

And just to keep me on my toes, I was informed by our caseworker that Russia is now asking families to provide an in-summary document of our (already completed, notarized, apostilled and translated) Verification of Residence and Warranty Deed. This document must be generated from the county assessor's office, but because this is a new requirement and most likely something they have not been asked to do before, it could be very difficult to get.

So, sometime this week, I get to try to convince our county assessor to write a document that does not coincide with their government issued documents.

Blink