Questions, What I Know For Sure & #iPPP

It's been a pretty intense few weeks around here.  

From plunging wind chills (hello negative 25) to explaining what sex is.  I told my 9-year-old daughter about what it means to get your period.  I took all the kids to a funeral home for the first time (a very sweet, very old great uncle of my husband's died so we went. I am extremely uncomfortable at funeral homes and viewings.  I never went to one until I was an adult.  I had no idea what the right thing to do was.  And I have anxiety issues.  But I'm getting a little better and I want my kids to be better than me, so we went). It's been all life and death and puberty and oh holy hell, intense.

We've spent more time together than normal thanks to the million snow days off from school.  I've done a lot of talking and explaining and listening.  They've done a lot of talking and asking and noticing.

Do you believe in hell?  No? What if someone murdered someone?  What then mom?  
Do we have any more food?  
What is a wind chill?  
Do we have the "sssingreeedients" to make brownies? (Wade's pronunciation)
Is the F word that rhymes with cuck a bad word? Did you know that the F word has a cousin that's a P word?
Can I play on the "high-pad"? (Another Wade pronunciation)
What happens when we die?
How old are you?
How old is Grammy?
How old do I have to be to get an iPhone?
Do I have to?
Will you play with me?
What time is Dad getting home?
Is Justin Bieber going to prison?

These questions are just a sampling from just yesterday afternoon.  Now multiply that by 5,432 million and you get an idea of what life is like with a 12, 9, 7 and a 4-year-old the past couple weeks.  

I never really thought about how exhausting parenting older kids would be mentally.  I feel such a giant responsibility to thoughtfully, honestly answer all of their questions, even when it's an answer with more questions.  I feel so happy that they are asking and listening and that they care about my answers.  From what I hear, teenagers care a little less.  So I am taking my time with my answers, as much as our hectic life will allow.   

I want them to know I don't believe in hell but their dad does so they'll have to learn more and figure out what they believe as they get older.  I want them to know I get confused about wind chills but we can Google it together and learn more because that's a great question and it is totally dominating our life right now.  I want them to know I'm not sure what happens when we die.  I want them to know they have to because I said so.  I want them to know I will play with them almost every damn time they ask me.  I want them to know that even an entitled punk like Justin Bieber deserves a ton of compassion not ridicule or a bunch of "I knew this would happens."

Parenting older kids is exhausting, intense, absurd, fun, draining, interesting, eye-opening, awkward, funny, pretty wonderful ride I know that for sure this week.

What do you know for sure (this week)?

• Spectacular sunrises make subzero temps a little bit more bearable.

Another Hell Yeah Sky.  And um, yeah, no filter was used.

• I'm pissed. What the hell Captain and Tennille?  Doesn't anyone stay together anymore?  Maybe it's because I'm a child of divorce.  Maybe it's because I want people to stay together.  Maybe it's because Love Will Keep Us Together is one of my all time favorite songs and is on three of my iTunes play lists. Whatever it is, I'm really sad that they are divorcing.

• Moms' answers and insight can make a difference. I love what Joseph Gordon-Levitt says his mom taught him about being a feminist.  Right on!

• People that perform Random Acts of Kindness are beautiful people.  I was the recipient of one of those beautiful people's kindness this week.  The piano lesson checks not cashed? Really? Oh my. I cried.

• I love the Blank on Blank videos from PBS Digital.  I've enjoyed interviews with Kurt Cobain, Grace Kelly, Tupac and more.  But this one from Carol Burnett is my favorite.  It's funny and sad and sweet and real.  And I love it so much. Click here to check out the blank on blank YouTube channel.

• Watching my oldest and my youngest together makes me happy.  I just know that for sure.  It's all kinds of great.

And face hats (what I like to call Wade's bank robber look he's sporting here) are really wonderful if you live in subzero land in the winter.

• I can't stop thinking about this song or playing it--Ferron's Girl On A Road.  I have this really rad friend/mama-cool-person mentor who co-hosts a radio show.  She played this on her show on Saturday and I fell in LOOOOOOVE.

What do you know for sure (this week)?  C'mon, we're friends, share what you know. 

Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page or on Twitter.

Please come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed. 

I'm linking up today with my friends Greta from  Gfunkified.com and Robin from FarewellStranger.com for the #iPPP link up.  They host a link up where they encourage people to share "your funny, your yummy, your heartfelt, your favorite photos of the week" from our phones.