What happens when you try to juggle more than you should? In my case you receive a card in the mail. Not just any card though, this was a card that I bought, signed, addressed to myself and mailed.

As I looked through our mail I even thought to myself that this handwriting looks familiar.

Imagine my surprise to find that I’d cared enough to send the very best to myself. The worst part is I’m not even sure who the birthday card was intended for. Now I need to figure out who didn’t get a card and send them a belated wishes.

What’s worse than moving out to the country where there is no cable service and only dial-up internet? (Apparently farmers don’t need to check their e-mail or watch American Idol.) Hearing your son tell all of Wal-Mart that you forgot his birthday!

I have tried to explain to our son that it really isn’t his birthday and he is still 5 years old, not 6. No logic in the world can accomplish this task once a birthday party has been had.

Ethan’s pre-k class held a “summer birthday party” for all the children who’s birthday’s fall during the summer months. So he claims to now be 6 years old, although his birthday is not until July.

While at Wal-Mart (which also is far, far away) he proclaimed very loudly that I had forgotten his birthday. Once he had everyone’s attention, he went on to milk it by adding how he didn’t get any presents or any cake, that only his preschool class gave him a party.

I’m all for pretend play, but throwing a pretend birthday party is really wreaking havoc in my life!

I remember when I was pregnant that my fears weren’t about the pain of childbirth, breastfeeding or the unknown. Instead, I worried about the small stuff.

Several weeks after bringing Ethan home my mother-in-law visited and stayed with us to help. The kind of help that sits to the side and tells you everything you’re doing wrong and how she would do it. There was one thing she helped with and that was teaching me how to trim a newborns finger nails. I was terrified of using clippers and being a new mom I wasn’t aware they made these little curved scissors that work wonders on little bitty fingers.

Words cannot describe my fear of possibly hurting this small being. After the first year of Ethan’s life I became more comfortable and he became more active. As those of you with little ones know it’s like hitting a moving target.

Fast forward to present day. Ethan is almost 6 years old. At what age do they get over being afraid of getting their nails trimmed? Seriously? The kid is Mr. Drama when the clippers come out. You’d think I’d previously ripped his entire nail out by the way he acts. Or in his case performs.

I’m deeply afraid some day this will all turn into some freaky foot fetish. I have dreams about it at night - picturing him sitting with a therapist saying that his problems all began when his mother tortured him with the nail clippers. That is what he screams out when I trim his nails, that I’m “killing him.”

My belief is that all this started when he was younger and my mother would tease him saying she was going to bite his toes. He’d completely lose it, sometimes bringing tears and more drama. She will deny the relation between the two, but I see some coincidence there.

Whatever his own fears are, I’m fairly certain he inherited this anxiety from me. He doesn’t seem to sweat the big stuff, but the small things are constantly on his mind.

For instance, today he asked me if the trash man came on Christmas Day. I explained that they did not pick up trash on holidays. When I asked why he wondered that, he said that it wasn’t fair that the people who had pick-up scheduled for that day missed their turn.

The small stuff matters to him. That’s why the finger nails mattered to me.

Will wonders never cease? I hate that saying. My blue color won out and there are now two lovely coats on the kitchen wall. Thanks for all the reassurance that I was right, but I knew I was.

Ethan spent his afternoon in the new clubhouse. There is this very tall monstrosity in our backyard for kids. You can see it for miles. Ok, maybe not miles…but from way down the road. It’s got lights and electricity. What more could a kid want? I’m thinking it will come in handy after we move in and Nate disagrees with me again. Perfect place for him.

How much do you think it would cost to add heat out there?

After 7 years of marriage my husband has yet to learn that I am right about most things. Even when I remind him of past events in which I let him be right and it turned out badly. Just this week I told him that Ethan’s baseball team would not be wearing their uniforms to practice. Nate disagreed and dressed him accordingly. Guess what? I was right.

Then, there was that time when the old man next door was acting funny. I kept telling Nate that he was loopy and semi-dangerous. He kept telling me I was paranoid. A week later the old man climbed over our back fence, came in our back door and when I approached him he tried to kiss me. Since he was wrong we built a 6 foot fence to divide the houses.

Over the past few weeks we’ve made some decisions on flooring and paint in our new home. For the most part we’ve agreed or compromised. There was that one time I had to remind him that putting hardwood floor in the laundry room would be stupid, because I’ve been known to have a washing machine overflow with water a time or two. He finally agreed on ceramic tile.

When it came to choosing paint colors for the walls we disagreed on the kitchen. My husband has good taste, I’ll give him that. Although I frequently must remind him that a black shirt and brown shoes do not match.

Nate is stuck in the mind-set of Carol Brady having a yellow kitchen. I’m much more modern. I like yellow, but if you look at the light living room wall it is the same color that runs down the side of the kitchen and hallway.

I think we need something contrast it. Let me show you four possible options. This wall will eventually have a chair rail and white wainscoting below that line to the floor.

So you tell me who is right here. I vote for the far right blue color. Nate votes for either yellow color. I know I’m right.