Living Clean

18 and a Fresh Start

THE BIRTHDAY BOY

Yesterday my son turned 18. (I'll post a picture of him when he was little if I can get my scanner to work).

He left early in the morning and I had a nice little time with him before everyone else got up, reminiscing about how he'd been born about 20 minutes before - 18 years ago - 1 month before his due date - I spent the entire month grateful to have that extra time with him - and how the person who drove me to the hospital was flustered and pulled into the driveway before the hospital.

He was young and my water had already broke, I was sitting on a towel in his car and he had only met me the day before (he was staying at our house with a friend), how can you blame him!

He wasn't unlike my son today, except a few years older.

The funny thing about it is that I never expected MY life to flash before my eyes on his birthday. It was more powerful than my 40th, go figure.

I had a sudden flash of clarity about how things were then, and how they are now.

Mostly the things now that I'd like to change. Things that have gotten out of hand over the summer, like my kitchen - again.

It gave me the push I needed to put everything aside, start planning for bake ahead school snacks for the girls (he is working for the year while he decides what he is doing) and a complete rehaul of my kitchen cupboards.

I've been at it since yesterday evening, and baked a big batch of cookies for the freezer first thing this morning.

I have a lot of cupboards and have to go out tomorrow so I won't be finished for a day or so, but I've already got quite a lot done.

I may do the rest piece by piece with the Spring Into Spring Cleaning course section on the kitchen.

I'm getting tired of cupboards but I'm enjoying having them back in order and being able to find things.

I've got most of the back to school things organized and we are almost ready to go.

I'm taking a load to the Salvation Army tomorrow too.

If your cupboards are in need of a rehaul (or a uhaul) this is a great time to do it.

And get some yummy cookies into the freezer for lunches.

I will be posting my recipes as I get time over the weekend.

I've added a new forum thread for Baking In Bulk and
Back to School Lunch Ideas.

I'm also doing a series on Back to School Lunches on my @Home blog.

And if you want to read a funny story about my son, actually it's more about one of his friends and a trick he played - and I ended up in the middle of it - you can read it here - Boys Will Be Boys, Damn It!