Independent 11-year-old

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/11026

This is good stuff.  I can't stop giggling, which is good, because today is poopy.  I already have 45 calls, which is a little crazy.

I won't spend all day telling you how frustrating the morning has been.  I choose to focus instead on last night.

I ran errands after work and got contacts (Yay!) and jeans that fit AND are long enough!  What the hell!?!?  Even crazier, I found them at Wal-Mart!  I am so relieved!  Thanks for researching that for me, Ma!

I went to the music store to buy Ant a drum book for school- he's going to be the kid at the back playing percussion!  How fun is that?  Ant told me the name of the book was "Essential Questions."  Now, sounds a lot more like a philosophy class to me, but he swore that was it.  I went in and asked for "Essential Questions" and got exactly the look I expected.  It's actually "Essential Elements."  Yeah.  Just like how the other day Ron came up and Ant told him to get off the freeway at Exit 73.  Ron called back, lost of course, and Ant's on the phone trying to give him more directions.  Exit 73... good grief.

So after my errands I drove home and found the trash can and recycle out front.  No reminders necessary!  Inside, I greeted the boys and we had dinner early.  Cold baked chicken, fresh french bread, and green beans, with mini cupcakes for dessert.  Gotta love those things, only about 15 carbs apiece and full cupcake taste.  Mmm.  Then I dragged the boys and the dogs across the street to go play.  I got a Wiffle bat and balls for their Easter baskets and it was the perfect day for it.  Ant wanted to skate, but Chris told him no.  We played for a long time in the grass, trading off as batter, pitcher, and fielder.  Jasmine chased her monster and Riley barked at the Wiffle bat and both of them got lot of exercise from running around.  We were out there for so long that the girls gave up and laid in the grass.  She stayed close to me for a while, then wandered over to the fence for a pee break.  The next thing I know, I am missing a dog.  We started calling her and Ant said she probably went home.  I told Ant to run home to see if she was there and we grabbed our stuff and followed him.  He yelled from the house that she was there.  I guess she just got tired.  She's an old lady now.  When Ant walks her, she often escapes her collar and runs straight home, ignoring his calls.  She's never left me behind before.  I mean- in her 11 1/2 years on this earth, she has never left me behind on a walk.

When we got home, Riley ran to me like she does every time she sees me.  I tried to scold her, but she looked at me like I was overreacting.  It's like Ant- as if she's saying, "Whatever, I know where I live.  I can go home if I want."  I am careful when I walk them to cross the street at the crosswalk, so I'm pretty confident that's where she went, but that isn't much of a comfort.  What was funny was that she must have been on the porch when the sprinklers came on because she was sprinkled and not amused about it.  But this reminded me of years ago in Leesburg when Chris went to work and forgot that the dogs were out back.  A HUGE storm hit and Riley got out through a hole in the fence.  A neighbor was watching the storm and saw a white plastic bag flying down the sidewalk and then realized it was a dog.  She was staying on the sidewalk- even while terrified.

I've got to watch out for her more now, because she gets tired faster and apparently, she'll just go home.

Anyway, it was really nice to be outside at sunset when the clouds turn pink, playing Wiffle ball with my boys.  We all had fun and for once outlasted the dogs' energy.

So that's what I'm thinking about as I sit here counting the hours... today will at least be a walk.  Maybe some more Wiffle ball this weekend.  Happy thoughts.