shoo, fly

i need to share with someone my victory.  to some, this may be considered small...but to me it's HUGE.  ever since we've moved into our new home, the fly population has been difficult for us to stay on top of.  in previous homes, when a fly was bugging me i could just grab the fly swatter, chase him for a bit (possibly even to another room), and usually get a kill in.  not so with this house.  when we get serious about trying to kill a fly...they get smart and fly away into the abyss of our home.  i can chase it for awhile, but the fly always knows it has the 20-foot high foyer to escape into.  i almost feel like it's the difference between hunting a deer in a pen...and hunting a deer in the great wide yonder.  in the end, i usually just give up hope & instead concentrate on pleading with the fly to leave my head alone (why do flies always fly around our faces & ears?!?) by doing an intimidating swipe around my ears or something similar.

as i was sitting here tonight enjoying the silence of a quiet house, a pesky fly decided to prey upon me.  i had slapped around at my ears for awhile...trying to get him to leave me alone.  it was no use.  suddenly i noticed that he was crawling around the opening of my empty bag of popcorn....and decided to venture into it.  i quickly grabbed the bag, twisted the opening shut, and locked the fly into his captivity.  i can still hear him scraping the paper bag as he attempts to get out.  ha.  if only josiah were still here tonight...i could talk him into plucking the wings off the fly while i watch.  (a talent he's possessed since around the age of 4 or 5, i might add.)

i don't know about the other moms of the world, but i sometimes feel bad that i don't really ever let my kids peruse the toy aisles of stores.  i remember doing that sometimes as a kid...okay, i tried my best to get mom & dad to let me do it every time we entered walmart...and i still look back fondly at those memories.  last night i had an item to purchase at toysrus, so i had case drop the kiddos & i off while he ran his errands.  my boy hasn't been in that store for going on 1.5-2 yrs...and this was merian's first time.  it started off as a blast...henry would run from aisle to aisle in pure glee.  then he would find items he REALLY wanted to get, and i would remind him that we were only there to look...but that he could get ideas of things he'd like to put on his christmas list.   merian had fun, too-- she especially love the stuffed animal & "baby" aisles.

after awhile, henry got really sick of the whole deal.  i never knew it was possible for the kid to get sick of playing with a train table & experimenting with new toys.  as we were waiting the last 5 minutes before case came to get us, henry decided he was more than ready to go & wanted to wait for his dad at the front of the store.  he marched to the front and lay down on the floor...arms & legs spread wide in a desperate plea to be rescued.  i had to explain to him why people don't usually lay down at the entrance to a toy store...and got him to opt for lounging in the recliners in the back of the baby department instead.  when casey arrived & asked henry how he enjoyed his trip, he summed it up well to his dad:

"too many things to want."

i agree, henry.  when will we all learn that value & realize that a simpler life is much better than a life pining away after the "newer & better" material possessions?  i want to remember that the next time i'm wasting all of my energy & effort...as i justify materialism by claiming i'm just trying to get the best deal.  it's too exhausting and there will always be way too many things to want in this life.  solomon was right on..."better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure & inner turmoil." (proverbs 15:16) 

and yes, the fly is still rustling my bag in his attempt to escape from his popcorn prison.