Never Say Never

Never Say Never

So that last post got me thinking (ironically as I was running this morning) about all those things I said I would NEVER do (and now do or did-like running) or things that I thought I WOULD do and didn’t or don’t, and just for the fun of it, I thought I’d make a list.  So here it is in no particular order.

·         I don’t know if I ever SAID it, but I certainly THOUGHT that I would NEVER have to visit a principal’s/dean’s office or get a failing notice in the mail, and although I didn’t have to do this personally, my first child obligingly provided me with these experiences.  (Someday I’ll blog about Dallin-but for now just know that he is an awesome kid who is brilliant, but somehow didn’t see the need to “prove” his brilliance through school work, and sometimes was mischievous-not bad-just mischievous-like his dad who I did marry, but didn’t want to raise.)

·         After my 6 years of girls’ camp as a  youth, I thought I would NEVER have to camp again-I see no point in sleeping on the ground, cooking over a fire, and being dirty, when I have a perfectly good bed, stove/microwave, and shower- However,  since being married, I have been the camp director twice, YW’s president, and in the YW’s organization numerous times, and as the wife of the bishop and a bishopric member have been to camp more times as an adult than I was a youth.  (Another disclaimer-I do admit that girls’ camp is AWESOME-if we could just get rid of the camping part J)

·         I was going to marry someone with dark hair and eyes cause I thought dark haired/eyed children are so cute.  I married a blond blue-eyed hunk, and my children are all blond (except one), and they are the most beautiful/handsome children in the world.  (And I’m not biased at ALL!)

·         I always thought it was a little “unstylish” that my mom wore a watch with a stretchy band.  Guess what’s on my arm right now? -that’s right-a stretchy band watch.  But do you know how CONVENIENT those things are?!   You can just push them up out of the way (rather than take them off) when you are doing dishes or bathing a child, and they are really FAST to slip on and off, no trying to do/undo a buckle with one hand.

·         Ok so that last one got me thinking about my mom some more.  And I don’t know if I ever thought I would NEVER do this, but my running shoes often (usually) have holes in the toes.  I remember that my mom always wore “Keds,” and more often than not there were holes in the toes of her Keds.  So I think I must have feet built like hers or walk like she does or something because literally within a few weeks of having a brand new pair of running shoes, my toes come “poking through” (and all my running socks have holes in the toes too-sometimes after the FIRST time I wear them.)  Of interest (or not): I tried buying a brand of running shoes that has leather across most the of the toe, but I didn’t like the way they felt, so I’m back to my Asics with holes in the toes.  Sigh.  And ….I really don’t know what this item has to do with my list of “never say never” items but I was thinking about it, and I certainly don’t think I PLANNED to (although I’m not sure I said I would never) wear holey shoes.

·         Back to the subject at hand:  I always said that I would NEVER home-school any of my children.  How could I give them as much time and attention and have as much access to resources and supplies as someone who was being paid to do the job full-time with training, supplies, and no interruptions (like other children, phone calls, laundry, etc.)? And don’t even get me started on the social pitfalls of pulling kids out of public schools. But guess what?  I ended up home-schooling three of my 6 kids when they were each in 7^th grade, and it was AWESOME.  (Someday I’ll blog about how the decision to do this came about.)  I took all three of them through an entire 9^th grade Algebra course, and when they went back to public school, math was sooo easy for them. One of my 7^th graders read the entire Work and the Glory Series as well as all the Jules Verne and Jane Austin books.  In 7^th grade folks!  Also how great was it to have built in babysitters for the younger kids if I needed to run someplace during the day and to have help with projects (We repainted the entire house-me and my home-schooled 7^th grader- one year.) And I got to use scripture reading and journal writing as part of the curriculum.  This was PERFECT for me-who LOVES school work and is somewhat of a control freak.  I got to teach and have COMPLETE CONTROL over the curriculum. (Although my 3^rd child to be home-schooled often teases me that homeschooled kids are “weird.”  When I remind her that she was home-schooled, she replies, “Yes, and I’m just now recovering.”  She is 18 and graduating on Friday-As Valedictorian I might add.)

·         Well, this post is long enough.  There are more things to add, and there may be a “Never Say Never” part II, but for now I’ll end with something I really though I would NEVER do!  I would NEVER have a baby at home.  (In fact the thought was so ludicrous to me that I don’t think I ever even SAID it-it was just a given.) I live too far from medical help.  There are too many things that could go wrong.  And well, it is just too scary.  But…baby # 6 was born at home, with Dad as the “delivery man.”  (His birth WAS a “planned” home birth, but the mid-wife didn’t make it in time.)  He is now ten with no ill-effects suffered from having Dad “catch” him as opposed to a doctor/mid-wife, and I count his birth as one of the coolest experiences of my life.  (Again, at some future day, I may blog his birth story, and how someone as adamantly opposed to home-births as me, decided to deliver at home.)  But for now, this post is long enough.

However, since I haven’t mentioned Corinne (my BFF and this inspiration for this blog) for a long time, and since she commented once that she was “taking a beating” in my blog, I will close with a “Never Say Never” example from her life.  Corinne, who only has one sister, always told me that she was going to marry someone with LOTS of brothers and sisters so her kids could have plenty of cousins.   And…..She married an only child.  But he is awesome.  He is a great dad and good provider and is currently serving as the stake president of our stake.  (I hope that doesn’t sound like another “blog beating” Corinne-it was meant as a compliment. Someday soon, I’ll blog some really GOOD stuff about you and me-there is lots and lots.) 

So the moral of the story-be careful what you say!

Some pictures from the above:

Lynae and Kay at girls' camp-my 2nd go-around as camp director

Home-schooled Kaylee-helps re-paint the living room and has some graffiti fun in the process

Baby Luke with "Doctor Dad" a few hours after his birth