[Vol. XX for Me]
The Flummoxed-By-Life Edition
There are days when I should not be teaching.
If I must teach on these days, I should do it from…oh, I don’t know…the table at Caribou Coffee while sipping a pumpkin spice latte.
Except…would all that caffeine really help my mood, if my mood’s so bad I should not be teaching? Case in point: on Tuesday of this week, I had a particular student who was fretting about Algebra.
Specifically, subtracting integers.
This particular student was complaining—and loudly so—about not understanding the…mathematics of it. This particular student complained and complained and complained and complained, until finally, his teacher (that would be me) stood up and hollered, “You don’t HAVE to understand it! Just do it!!!”
Seriously? I looked like this:
I am—have no doubts about it— a top contender for Homeschooling Teacher of the Year.
Consider the irony, then, of the exchange that took place after Mass yesterday. I had gone with five of my six children (the oldest being away at school) in honor of the feast day. After Mass, two different women approached me from two different directions and at the same time said:
“You’re a saint!”
(This on account of my bringing five children, I guess.)
What does one say to this? You can’t agree; that makes you prideful. You can’t disagree; that makes you argumentative.
I went with Option 3 and said nothing.
And then I thought about my Jack Nicholson face all the way back to the van.
I will say my kids were well behaved at Mass yesterday—so well behaved, in fact, that I decided to take them out for hot cocoa afterward. I decided to take them to….Caribou Coffee.
What?
Oh, alright. I admit that I had ulterior motives…but it wasn’t just my pumpkin spice latte. I needed an author photo for an article I’m doing, and I thought that Jem could take one of me while we were there.
He took this one:
And this one:
And finally this one:
At that point I called it a day and we left.
On the way out to the van, Felicity dropped her hot cocoa in the parking lot. Splat! “That’s okay, honey; that happens,” I told her. We got into the van and I drove home.
On the way into the house, Cate dropped her hot cocoa on the sidewalk. Splat! “Okay, kids,” My voice had an edge to it. “You really need to be more focused.”
On the way to the kitchen table, where I intended to set my coffee, I dropped it—splat!—all over the floor. At that point I decided that we were cursed and I should probably just switch to orange juice.
Shortly after the spilled cocoa/coffee incident, I went to check my Twitter updates and saw the following:
Seriously? This exchange had me flummoxed—just flummoxed. What kind of person says “My condolences” to a mom in front of her children?
If it’d been me, I would have smacked him.
Though that would probably be counterproductive to this whole we-have-lots-of-babies-because-we-love-people movement.
*Note to non-Twitterers: Start at the bottom (Danielle’s oldest tweet) and read your way up. Click on the image if you can’t read it.
Did I mention we went to daily Mass yesterday?
This is why we go as often as possible, you know. We go so we can handle life on those days when we can’t handle it.
Plus I took this photo in the church’s garden after Mass:
And that, my friends, makes it all worthwhile.
The having of babies…the going to Mass…the spilling of coffee…
Everything.
Visit Jen at Conversion Diary to see all of the Quick Takes from today.
And have a happy, non-flummoxed day.
I am now laughing so hard I am crying! I too have my own version of the Jack Nicholson face and probably make the switch to OJ as well! Thanks for keeping it real, it means more than you know!
Oh no! Now the next time I'm losing it with my kids I know I'm going to picture Jack's face with my blond, curly up-do! That could be a good thing, though. In fact, I'm pretty sure it is. :o)
We are living parallel lives! The five kids at mass, followed by cocoa at Caribou (btw, photo #2 is not geeky-it is lovely! You are beautiful!) so I can get my PSL, the comments from the nice ladies at church – -all of it. You have only to read MY post today to know why I am not Jack Nicholsen, but Jack Nicholson's EVIL TWIN!
Thanks for the levity. It was much needed today. I'm about to jump in the car and drive straight up north on I35 to meet you (and the kids) at the Caribou.
Dropping coffee and cocoa…I thought those things only happened at my house (that is teeming with toddlers). I haven't had anyone to offer me condolences…although I only have 3 kids but all 3 are toddlers and all 3 are in diapers still. But I have had people to ask if me if I knew how it was happening. In front of my grandmother.
I vaguely remember a quote attributed, I think, to Blessed Mother Teresa on being called a "saint" to her face. Maybe someone else knows it?
Her reply was along the lines of "Don't call me a saint. You do that and it implies that there's something special about me that makes me able to do what I do. But anybody could do what I do, if they only chose to."
Sorry I don't remember any better than that.
(I get "Are those kids all yours!?!?" quite regularly and I only have 4. Truly this culture is messed up if this qualifies as small talk.)
Great Takes. We should teach together. We could do Good Cop/Bad Cop and take turns — keep 'em guessing.
PS DIVE— awesome…makes someone else the teacher and he never makes that face. 😉
That was a really beautiful quick takes, Margaret! Even when the kids are dropping cocoa and the pictures turn out weird…it's all worth it, in the end.
Amen.
I can totally relate to your math frustrations. I got all the way through calculus because I adopted that very helpful attitude – that I just needed to know the how and not the why! Unfortunately, my kids don't feel the same way, either.
God Bless.
That post was so awesome and I think your "geeky" picture is beautiful!
I love all your photos!
New follower.
1- I have nine children. My standard reply to people who feel they just have to comment on how they believe nine is too many…"I couldn't agree more…nine would be far to many for you…but, it's the perfect number for us!" … Really… once you reply to someone with… "Yes, they're all ours! The nine most amazing souls I know live in my home! Pretty cool!" ..there is no place for the aggressor to go.
2- Would it help…to think of algebra in a new way? Math is a language…once you learn the language of math…the rest is just plugging in numbers. Students who are REALLY good at math…are the students who take the time to learn to speak the language.
3- I agree with Mary Beth…photo #2 really is lovely.
4- FYI- Your blog always makes me smile. THANK YOU!
may you continue to walk the walk, share and inspire us all!
pax – lena
Our Lady of Good Remedy, ora pro nobis.
When someone made that "don't you know how that happens" comment to my husband, he quiped back, "Vitamins and clean living." I would have been tongue-tied, but my husband is always ready with a come-back.
I like your geeky pic!!! That one is a keeper. You look great. Wish we could all meet at Caribou. I lub coffee and kids.
I've been there (#1). Number 4 cracked me up. 😉
I agree, the 2nd photo looks nice!
OK — here's a question that I've been thinking about and wasn't sure where to ask. Now you've given me the perfect opportunity! 🙂
I am NOT a Mom of many — Catholic, yes; love babies and support life, yes; 2 beloved children, yes; but circumstances have made clear that God has other plans for us than a large family.
SO — I don't want to be seen as the "typical" oh-so-convenient Mom of 2 and want to show my support and wonder at the blessing of a large family.
So, what can I say that counters some of these sadly all-too-common negative responses you get as a Mom of many? (FYI — I'll have to find the link but I recently read a list of snappy comebacks you might be amused by, even if you wouldn't use them!)
I'd love to have more than a smile or a comment about someone's beautiful family. I mean, if you face this much negativity and direct antagonism all the time — is there something you'd LIKE to hear (that doesn't sound creepy or smarmy)?
Just wondering…Thanks as always for sharing your day and thoughts with us!
Here's the link I mentioned — I hope it's good for a smile at least:
http://marysaggies.blogspot.com/2010/10/big-families-opportunities-to-spread.html
Big Families = Opportunities to Spread God's Love (and some wit)
I don't think the second picture is too geeky. And I know geeky; I've been using computers since I was four and have been a computer professional since I was twenty. 🙂
Nice blog, check this one out: http://www.anotherdayanotherwhat.blogspot.com/
My husband called from the coffee shop shortly after I read your post and asked if I wanted anything — "Pumpkin spice latte, please," I answered. It was delicious! Thanks.
Thanks for the note to non twitters…it read much better going up instead of down, although, it worked that way too.
Are these kids all yours? I always just say "yep!" with a big smile on my face and say a inside prayer of "Jesus help this person"
My pet peeve one though is "Are you done?" (having kiddos) I always respond "I hope not, I hope God gives us more!"
Love the last coffee photo, You look like you have 6 kiddos and you are sneaking a cup of joe with that cute expression on your face!
I am laughing so hard right now!!!!! I just related too much to a bunch of your comments today. Oh, Maaaaath, is all I can say–we are only on Algebra 1/2. All the more fun for next year. Love the pic at the top of your blog. Could you go with that one? What you wouldn't use the State Fair one???Hope you are enjoying all this great weather!!!!
Cheri
I actually favored "geeky" photo. I thought you looked great. I love it even more knowing there's a pumpkin latte in that cup.
A few days before pumpkin lattes officially began, my favorite 'bou barista slipped me one. I did a happy pumpkin dance I will never live down. 🙂