This A.M.

The phone rings at 5:50 a.m. and it's my trusty walker friend, HSPQ, waking me to walk.

Me: "It's so dark out, let's go back to bed." I say this to her as if we are snoozing together!

TWF aka HSPQ: "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!"
She yells so damn loud into my ear I am sure she has just woken my three beautiful children and doting husband.

I get up. It's practically pitch dark out. I join Hubby downstairs where he is eating his requisite bowl of Cheerios and banana.

Hubby: "Know what I hate?"

Me: "What?"

Hubby: "When those fucking kids hide the remote."

Those "fucking kids" he is referring to are sleeping angelicly upstairs. I growl at him and remind them our kids are not "fucking kids."

So, we walk this a.m. and I tell Trusty Walker Friend, aka HSPQ that she should train me to run in a race, like a three mile one or something easy like that.

"That's called a Five K."

Whatever. I was never good at math. But I'm serious, so if Trusty Walker Friend wants to be now known as Trusty Marathon Trainer, then I'm up for the challenge. Now, to find a race.

So, we part ways, having an excellent power walk, great conversation coupled with laughs and gossip. It's a great way to start the morning, and the sun is now peeking over the trees.

At home, I dive into the shower, happy that none of my "fucking kids" are up yet, because I know they need their sleep. Hubby leaves for work, and minutes later, as I'm drying off from the shower and getting dressed Ajers walks in.

I decide this is a nice, quiet time where he and I can discuss his little problem with exaggerating, embellishing the truth... LYING!

This is an example I offer him: I tell him if he were ever to do something bad, like say, drugs, I would want him to tell me the truth and not lie about it. Although drugs are bad, lying is bad too, and I would be more mad at him for lying about doing drugs than for the actual drug use. (Wait?!?!? Did I just say that to a seven-year old? Of course, we all know I am referring to the light-hearted drugs so many of us adults have experimented with in like college, and not elementary school OF COURSE... okay, so maybe my choice of example was a bad one.)

But, I go on to explain to him that people will like him no matter what and that he doesn't need to lie to sound like a more interesting person, and that I don't want him doing it anymore.

His brow furrows and I know he is really considering these nuggets of wisdom I have just shared with him. After a few seconds of what I am sure is pure introspection on his part, he looks up at me, those eyes filled with the knowledge of becoming a better person and he says...

"Can you put your shirt on?"