Just October

October. What a lovely month! September always feels like a continuation of August, but October is when Autumn finally starts to feel real. Leaves are changing, the mornings are crisper, and the breeze turns cool. Our garden is slowing down, which is sad for me, since we didn't get enough of anything to store for the winter, but I am hopeful for the next growing season, with all this past year's learning to guide us.

October also happens to be the month where a lot of bloggers that I follow write for 31 consecutive days about a one specific topic. I was totally going to do it this year. But then of course, forgot. And then when I remembered, it was the last day of September and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what to write about for 31 days straight.

I thought of 31 days of Parenting a Wild Child, but I have no answers, so therefore no wisdom to share. Just crazy stories and lots of my failings. And then I thought of 31 days of talking all about myself, but got bored by the first sentence I came up with in my head. I'm kind of a boring person, y'all. 31 days of the Bethany Show would just be torture. For all parties.

31 days of all the reasons I will not be having a third child anytime soon just gets into more of my parenting issues and potentially controversial subject matter, so let's not. 31 days of Just Trying to Stay Alive came to mind after living through a crazy week which included a close friend's mom passing away, me getting in a car accident (major enough for the car to have to be towed) with a girl who has bogus insurance and was completely at fault (don't worry, Dad, it was my car, not yours). I said farewell to my family on their return to Mexico (we currently have their van and dog held hostage to ensure their speedy return), and then chopping open my finger with a butcher knife. Somehow missing the squash entirely. **Ouch.**

Eric leaves again on business tomorrow to the east coast, and my sister who lives with us is out for the week on business in California. Can I please go on business somewhere? Surely being a stay-at-home parent allows for vacation time and business days away? Sick days? Personal days? ANY time off? Nope nope and nope. Maybe I should write 31 days about that little piece of self-inflicted injustice. By the way, anyone who wants to hang out with my really cute, angelic kids for free, give me a call.

So really there will be no 31 consecutive days of anything from me. Because it might just be pancakes for dinner again tonight and maybe I will actually get around to folding those clothes in between the diaper changes and the make believe and the wrestling my oldest back into bed every five minutes an hour past bedtime. But I am still making my list of Gifts and trying my best to make giving thanks a habit. God's Word is getting in and sticking in some places and maybe will help me to be the parent that loves unconditionally and loses my marbles and sanity less and hugs more. I hope. And hopefully my kids will grow up to to be functional, thoughtful adults who never end up in prison. Frontal lobes do develop eventually, so they tell me. I'm still waiting for Lyla to stop throwing her clothes in the toilet and for Lexi to stop treating me like her underpaid overalled minion, but one can dream. Right? RIGHT?!?

So for now, I'm enjoying October. 

Just the way it is.