I’ve been sharing stories with Hillary over at The Other Mama. (Note – Hillary is adorable. I want to be her.) Anyhoo, we were sharing advice about how to clean crayon marks off of walls and out of dryers, and the Toad Tale was recalled.

Since I’ve already been tossing around ideas in my head to keep myslef diligent about posting to the blog (“Flashback Friday” is one of those ideas!) I’ll dive right in and share a Moment in Parenting Four Fab Kids.

Ahem. The Toad Story in all Its Gory Detail….don’t read if you’re squeamish.

My youngest son has always had a propensity for stashing stuff in his pockets. From the time he was big enough to stuff those chubby little fingers into a pocket, his pockets have been an unending source of unusual things – sprockets, odd inkpen parts, legos, nuts, bolts, acorns, matchbox cars, pieces of string, contraband gum and candy, snacks for later, dogfood kibble, screwdrivers and wrenches, sunglasses, homework, spare shirts, balls, transformers, trading cards…all the trappings of little-boyhood. The fact that I thought cargo pants with those big patchy pockets were just too cute when he was little didn’t help with the pocket stuffing situation.

My youngest son also liked bugs and creepy crawlies, and tended to stuff THOSE in his pockets as well, regardless of their willingness to be carried along. I’ve found geckos, lizards, mice, snakes and innumerable unidentified insects in his pockets as I’ve prepped clothing for the wash cycle over the years. Three summers ago, there was toad in the cargo pocket, and I missed it on the way into the washing machine. Toads are definitely not wash and wear. The poor thing probably made it through the wash cycle, since we have a front loader that uses a minimum amount of water. The spin cycle, however, proved to be too much for his warty little self, and all his innards sort of came out his mouth. Gross. Youngest son and his older brother were amazed and impressed with the array of toad organs, and spent a long time examining them while I tried to be nonchalant, pretending that I was not actually allowing my sons to poke around in toad guts. (Honestly, how ofen do little boys get an opportunity to see the inside of a toad out side of high school biology lab?)

We buried Mr. Toad in the back yard, and I washed the clothes all over again.

…barely. It’s been eons since I’ve posted. Well, perhaps not an actual eon; not even a decade. It’s been a mental eon, though.

Not long after the previous post, my office laid off several folks. It was a sad, sad event. The engineering firm I work for is wonderfully family oriented and truly vested in the lives of our employees. Each and every person who was let go was a friend, and we’re all still reeling over the necessity of having to say goodbye. It’s a sad fact, though, that the engineering consulting inudstry is closely tied to the overall economy of our communities. If citizens aren’t spending money and property values are declining, tax revenues go down. When said citizens are busy paying down their own debts instead of buying bonds, city revenues decline. The design and construction of streets, utility infrastructre, and parks are funded by tax revenues and bonds. You can figure out the rest on your own.

Thankfully, I have a backlog of projects to keep myself, my designer and my technician employed through the fall of next year. We’re starting to see other small signs of the economy improving, such as rising construction costs, increases in private development and more new schools being commissioned. I’m hopeful that we’ve bottomed out and are going to be okay by next year.

The week following the layoffs, swine flu reared it’s ugly head in my household. Teen Daughter#2 is the one who got sick. We were fortunate that it wasn’t that bad – just like the regular flu with a stomach virus tossed in for some extra fun. She slept for several days and I spent a lot of time disinfecting every washable surface in the house. I kept her isolated from the rest of the family the entire time she was sick, and one else in the house caught it. (Knock on Wood!)

Finally, it’s just that time of year. I love, Love, LOVE fall – but it also means a gazillion things going on at church and school: fundraisers, Fall Festival, high school football games, voice auditions, mid term papers, family birthdays (we’re all clustered between August and October!), college football, confirmation preparation, orthodontics needing to go on-come off, broken fingers, lost dogs, community garage sale, SAT exams, PSAT exams, and so on and so on.

Hubby is taking a day off next week, all the kids have the same day off of school and I’m going to play hooky from work. We’re going to the Texas State Fair to enjoy the day together, eating corndogs, riding the ferris wheel and gawking at the new car show. It’s going to be fun.

I was born in a little town so small, it’s almost non-existent – Knob Noster, Missouri. I was raised as a military brat, traveling the United States, changing schools, houses and friends every few years. I have a wondeful Mom who made such a transient lifestyle into a grand adventure for me and my two sisters.

I now reside in Hudson Oaks, Texas, and have put down deep roots here. Our family was made here, our pets are buried in the back yard, and our friends know all our secrets. We’ll never leave!

I am my Husband’s Wife, my Kids’ Mom and a professional civil engineer during the day. Honestly, the engineering part is the easiest to wrap my head around! I love my husband, Tony dearly; we’ve been married for twenty four years. We have four kids. Teen Daughter #1 is an accomplished opera singer, and will soon be leaving us for college life. Teen Daughter#2 is an amazing photographer, with a wonderful eye for color and composition. Teen Son #1 is simply an eating machine, as most teen boys are. Almost Teen Son#2 is the apple of my eye, the family clown, the one who keeps us hopping. We never know what he will be up to next.

I am a jack of all trades, and a master of most of them. (My Mom always said, “It ain’t bragging if you can do it”.) I know how to drive a bull dozer. I can sew, knit, design a storm drain, and analyze a water distribution system. I bake my own bread, make my own pickles and put up my own jam. I can play the piano, at least enough to pick out melodys to help Teen Daughter#1 practice singing. I love scrapbooking and jewelry making, and I am a fantastic cook.

I cannot snow ski, operate a welding torch or flip off a diving board, but I intend to learn, Someday.

I Love coffee, chocolate and caramel, but not necessarily together.

The older I get, the more precious life becomes. God has been so good to us, and has taught me that life is more than occupying space and breathing air. It’s all about family, faith, hope, love, laughter and service to others.

Thanks for stopping by – enjoy your stay.