A Thump-and-Bump Day

Fall leaves for pretty. Wix.com

A random collection of thoughts from the weekend:

• A Thump and Bump Day is my term for those days when I feel just a bit irritable, and the kids, or others, just keep bumping, thumping, rolling around, dropping things, breaking stuff, jumping out at me from nowhere... All that fries my nerves when I'm already feeling a teeny weeny bit grouchy.

• To reset the Thump and Bump Day, I find that giving the kids some undivided attention and/or snuggles seems to settle everything down.

• We're back on real time. Daylight Savings Time is a joke. Does the sun get the memo and adjust itself to our clocks?

• Saturday night was a major candy haul for the kids. Several trunk-or-treats and a few houses around Peru. They're sugared up for the next 6 months.

• Moms everywhere: tax the candy haul! The Reece's cups and Snickers automatically belong to Mom. Kids can keep the Dum-dums and Laffy Taffy.

• The shop is clean and clear. I'll miss seeing happy brides, but I'm looking forward to the next chapter in life. More on that in the coming weeks.

• Kal has a Dremel tool from Grandpa. He's loving finding out how all the bits work. I still have some boxes of fine wood from my time of life making doll furniture.

• A friend recently brought up the importance of having a hobby, something that allows for creativity, a thrill of accomplishment, and a buffer against getting into trouble. The idle brain is the Devil's playground.

• My first weekday away from the shop. I'm spending it resetting our house that blew up over the last week as all my attention was on closing up. I also set beans on for some soup later today. Beans always smell a little like a barn when they're cooking. They smell even more like a barn after being eaten. But today is perfect for a good bean soup, and I have no intention of making a bad one.

• With my being home more, I intend to crack down on the sloppy habits we've allowed the kids to form. I always have said what they have to do, but haven't been as available to ensure that it's actually happening. Turns out, nothing happens when I'm not around to make it happen. Now Mommy's on duty, giving no slack, taking no smack.

• I love being able to make a home. Today, Kroger had some lovely flowers that are now gracing our table. Just the clean-up I'm doing since yesterday is making a huge impact on the homey feel. I'm a wreck when my home is a wreck.

• Today is a perfect fall day. I love the crunch of leaves as we walk outside, and the smell of fall is refreshing. The air is crisp in the morning. Bean soup weather.

• We have a playpen for our bunny for outside time. It has a cover on top to protect her from predators. Today is perfect for trying it out.

• One more thing: tomorrow is Vote Day as my little niece calls it. So cute!

Now, on to the rest of the work for the day. The kids are home from school, and loading up on snacks. Maybe we'll have some more thumping and bumping for today, and I'll just enjoy it for now.