I just spent the last 15 minutes unsuccessfully wrestling with a car seat base in the backseat of a car that was approximately 130 degrees.

There MUST be an easier way to install these things in a car. Seriously.

I understand the need to keep children safe - I would never want to put my little boy in danger. But, isn’t there some new invention of some sort that would prevent me from earning gray hairs at such an early age?

I was quite jealous of my husband, Daniel, this summer. As a teacher, he had only had four weeks of summer school to occupy his time during the week — and those were HALF days. He worked from 8 to noon. He would call in the afternoon to tell me about what fun he and our son, Caleb, were having taking naps and watching TV. Unfair.

But that changed on Monday, Aug. 3. That’s when he started two-a-day practices. I was left to tote our son to and from the babysitter — something he usually does. This has left me arriving to work quite late — how can I possibly get ready for work without taking several breaks to play with Caleb? I can’t.

Anyway — that has also left me husbandless during the evenings. While he gets a nice break in the afternoon (during which he takes more naps - unfair), he is back at work from about 5 until 9. Which means I am all by myself with Caleb (awesome!).

This new schedule has placed a burden on my coworkers. The meetings I normally cover in the evenings were picked up by Travis and Brandon.

I also have scanner this week. That means that if something happens while Daniel is off coaching, I have to call Brandon or Travis or Kristen or Robert and beg them to leave the comfort of their homes to go cover an accident or fire — and there have been several this week.

Have I mentioned that my coworkers are great?

I am not left to simply lounge during my evenings away from meetings. During that time I have to feed little Caleb several times, make sure he’s getting the necessary tummy time, give him a bath, read a few pages of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” make dinner, clean the kitchen, make sure our dog is getting his evening exercise, try to clean the house a little, and etc.

I love every second of time I spend with Caleb. That’s why nothing on my “to do” list is completed until after he goes to bed.

This experience has given me a whole new respect for mothers with far busier schedules than I. While I am only a single mom for about four hours an evening, many are carrying the title permanently. That means they are working, nurturing and living productively without any extra hands, while I can’t seem to find time to do something as simple as sweep.

I have to hand it to my mom. She was also a coach’s wife and was our primary guardian during many a football, basketball or track season. She taught third and fourth graders all day at work, then came home and made sure my brother and I did our homework, had our dinner and got in bed at a decent hour. We donned our green and white on Fridays and went to every football game — near and far. We went to birthday and slumber parties, school and church events, piano lessons and all those other things that kids have to do.

I also have to recognize my dad. While he put in many, many hours with the kids he was coaching, he always made time in his schedule to see us. He made our breakfast in the mornings and came in to tell us goodnight when he finally got home from practices or games. He managed to help me learn how to ride my bike, teach my brother anything and everything about football and play along with our silly games throughout our childhood.

Wow - I’m blessed. I won’t complain anymore.

The Messenger staff has been discussing our new product — Community Focus — all week. The section will focus on specific regions of the county, highlighting the people, schools and government of those regions.
The whole idea is quite exciting for me. As I have the tendency to get stuck in creative ruts, this concept will really help me get out and about in our communities and talk to people, gather ideas and get to know our county a little better.
And it’s coming at the perfect time. The first section, the Bridgeport and lake area section, will be in the Sept. 3 issue of the Messenger, coinciding with the beginning of school. Both of my parents were teachers and now my husband is a teacher, so I am perpetually on a school calendar. Ever year, I get a little antsy in May, anticipating the freedom of the summer (which never comes). Then as August rolls around, I get antsy again  — the first of school serves as my New Year. I set my resolutions to be more creative, punctual, active, etc. when all the teachers and kids go back to school.

But between May and August, my brain shuts down.

Maybe this will truly get the ball rolling again for me. I’ve been a little out of it since our little boy joined our family in March.

My husband and I are planning to go to Reunion Friday night, which will mark our first kidless excursion (except for that one quick trip to Marble Slab) since our son was born four months ago.
I’m really looking forward to it and not just because we will be temporarily free of responsibility. Thinking about Reunion makes me a little nostalgic about my summers as a teenager.
While Monahans, my hometown, doesn’t have anything remotely similar to Reunion, West Texas does have the West of the Pecos Rodeo.
My best friends and I made the 48-mile journey to Pecos at least twice during the course of the rodeo every summer during the summers of my junior high and high school years. But we didn’t dress in our best shorts, tank tops and open-toed shoes just to watch people ride around on horses or bulls — we went to scope out the boys from other towns.
As soon as the last cowboy completed his eight-second (or less) bull ride, we made our way to the dance. With the help of my best friend’s cousin, Jack, I perfected various versions of the two-step, the Cotton-Eyed Joe and the Schottische.
The dances usually ended just as we acquired enough confidence to talk to a few boys our age. Sometimes there was the promise of seeing the boys the next night. Sometimes we had to wait until the next year.
Those traditions seem unchanged from the rituals of the generations before us.
From what I’ve heard, little about Reunion has changed over the years. I can’t wait to go and experience it first hand.

Our Messenger newsroom family has just added a new baby boy. Reporter Mandy Bourgeois, who covers the northern part of Wise County and the Northwest school district, gave birth early Tuesday afternoon to Caleb Lyndon Bourgeois. He is 8 pounds, 3 ounces and is 20 inches long.

It is the first child for Mandy and husband, Daniel

This marks the third fourth “newsroom child” to be born in the month of March, joining assistant editor Kristen Tribe’s son, Luke (March 18), sports editor Robert Morgan’s son, Drew (March 28) and my daughter, Audree (March 29).