As my previous post showed, today was not one of my better days and I will be glad to start over with a new tomorrow in the morning. I've decided to use my catastrophe of a day to give a shout out to a few people who inspire me to keep on going when my less than better days leave me wallowing in self-pity.
My children are a given. Whenever I am feeling my sickest if sick, I can always master enough energy to provide for my children. But they are so much more to me than that. They are absolutely the root cause that drives me to be a better person. I cook more, I recycle more, I mind my manners more, I show my appreciation more, I take better care of health. I even return the shopping cart to its rightful place after use and pick up litter I find on the streets during our walks. My husband of course is the source of many inspirations. He is my rock and is the glue that keeps me all together in my most vulnerable moments. His faith in me is insurmountable and is evidenced everyday in some of the most seemingly insignificant ways. Without him I am only one half.
Now, with all the sappy lovey duvey stuff out of the way. I will move on to some other significant others who inspire and motive me, people who probably do not realize their impact. My dear friend "D" who has recently become a new mummy is certainly one of them. She is one of the most charitable persons I have ever met. She has a huge heart and a string of strong and meaningful friendships she has developed through her life -- truly a testament of her kind nature and balanced sense of right and wrong. She is selfless and centered women. A rare gem of a gal.
Then there's some blogging mommies that have been complete strangers to me but are willing to share their life's in blogosphere to one and all. Ceci at mychaosmybliss writes with astute comical honesty in the happenings of her household. You get the naked truth with Ceci and she's not afraid to admit to her own perceived misgivings and mummy guilt. If her posts don't make me laugh, I empathize in gratitude.
Tonya at a day in my life is another gifted blogger I came across in reading my sister-in-law's blog, janstaseggis. It is rare day that Tonya does not post a blog entry and she never ceases to amaze me with her energy and spunk. I am quite sure she is a friend and confident to many. I can only wish that I had a tenth of her energy. Lisa, my-sister-in-law, has a wonderful blog going at janstaseggis and I am addicted to checking hers everyday, several times a day. She is the mother to my neice and nephew who are as sweet and pure as they can be and I am so glad to be part of their growing years. Whatever the occasion, Lisa has her little ones dressed in the cutest outfits and her car, her house, her whole being is always immaculate. I'm hoping if I hang out with her for long enough, some of her good housekeeping skills will rub off on me. Did I mention that she always looks so darn classy?
Dominca Catteli is absolutely a source of inspiration for me, without a doubt. I picked up her cookbook for my birthday back in January and already have it splatted with cooking ingredients. Her recipes are easy to follow, realistic and tasty. She has organized her book with the busy overwhelmed mummy in mind and offers up a mom-a-licious manifesto which I try to live by. Appropriately so, she asks that you tell someone when they inspire you.
So to those mentioned here and to those who have been guided here by my not so subtle hints of "... check out my recent post about..." considered yourself an inspiree. You have inspired.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
It's One Of Those Days
Haven't quite made it to lunch time yet and I'm all in a frazzle.
House is a mess (still), water has been turned off (something to do with not receiving payment), Maggie woke up tired and didn't want to go to pre-school, cereal ended up all over the floor, I don't know what to have for lunch let alone what to cook for dinner, and a house visitor that I thought was coming today will not be here 'till next week.
So yeah. Today is one of those days.
Looks like Jewel will get a good walk today so I can clear my mind and come back refreshed and de-frazzled.
House is a mess (still), water has been turned off (something to do with not receiving payment), Maggie woke up tired and didn't want to go to pre-school, cereal ended up all over the floor, I don't know what to have for lunch let alone what to cook for dinner, and a house visitor that I thought was coming today will not be here 'till next week.
So yeah. Today is one of those days.
Looks like Jewel will get a good walk today so I can clear my mind and come back refreshed and de-frazzled.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Pax Is Just A Stuffed Toy
There was once a day when I could talk my way in and out of almost anything with short and age appropriate explanations and reasoning. I could even use my child's personification of inanimate objects to get her to do something. Not so much these days.
Now all I hear is, "Why's that?" or "what does that mean?" While these can be answered one right after the other with ease at the beginning of the day, patience starts to wear thin at the end. But, we are working through them and I'm learning a new parenting skill on how to say anything but the ultimate mummy mantra "...because I told you so" or "...just stop with the questions already."
When she told me Pax (a huge Panda the kids get to home from her pre-school as part of a group exercise) was just a "stuffed toy" I was stunned into silence. For years, since she could first talk, all her "stuffed toys" had names with their own personalities, likes and dislikes. Now Pax is just a "stuffed toy" without emotions or a care in the world of where he sits, eats or sleeps.
This afternoon she initiated a tossing of "stuffed toys". We filled up a whole laundry hamper of stuffed toys. At the beginning of the project I was quite excited that we would be finding new homes for them, but as the laundry hamper bag started to overflow I quietly and silently protested some of her choices.
I couldn't toss "Birthday Doggie" away -- a toy we picked out together on her third birthday. It was just the two of us and it kinda felt like a last hurrah before sweet Ryan arrived on the scene.
I couldn't toss "Blue-e" -- her first dino that sat so proudly on top of her presents for her second Christmas, blue-e was loved so much in his first few years. It was a favorite for quite sometime.
I couldn't toss "Julia-Gulia", her first dolly from Grandma either. Way too sentimental.
My baby girl is growing up. I am sad. I am happy. And I am all the things in between. She is still Maggie though. Complete with all her classic Maggie observations and continuous throng of questions. In the car today we were talking about germs and why its important to wash hands when she said something to the affect of, "... oh I know. The sperm gets us sick, then leaves us and gets other people sick. That's how it happens." Thinking I had heard her wrong or that she had misspoken I said, "Do you mean germs Maggie?" Her reply --"No mummy, I mean sperm. Sperm is what makes people sick."
Now all I hear is, "Why's that?" or "what does that mean?" While these can be answered one right after the other with ease at the beginning of the day, patience starts to wear thin at the end. But, we are working through them and I'm learning a new parenting skill on how to say anything but the ultimate mummy mantra "...because I told you so" or "...just stop with the questions already."
When she told me Pax (a huge Panda the kids get to home from her pre-school as part of a group exercise) was just a "stuffed toy" I was stunned into silence. For years, since she could first talk, all her "stuffed toys" had names with their own personalities, likes and dislikes. Now Pax is just a "stuffed toy" without emotions or a care in the world of where he sits, eats or sleeps.
This afternoon she initiated a tossing of "stuffed toys". We filled up a whole laundry hamper of stuffed toys. At the beginning of the project I was quite excited that we would be finding new homes for them, but as the laundry hamper bag started to overflow I quietly and silently protested some of her choices.
I couldn't toss "Birthday Doggie" away -- a toy we picked out together on her third birthday. It was just the two of us and it kinda felt like a last hurrah before sweet Ryan arrived on the scene.
I couldn't toss "Blue-e" -- her first dino that sat so proudly on top of her presents for her second Christmas, blue-e was loved so much in his first few years. It was a favorite for quite sometime.
I couldn't toss "Julia-Gulia", her first dolly from Grandma either. Way too sentimental.
My baby girl is growing up. I am sad. I am happy. And I am all the things in between. She is still Maggie though. Complete with all her classic Maggie observations and continuous throng of questions. In the car today we were talking about germs and why its important to wash hands when she said something to the affect of, "... oh I know. The sperm gets us sick, then leaves us and gets other people sick. That's how it happens." Thinking I had heard her wrong or that she had misspoken I said, "Do you mean germs Maggie?" Her reply --"No mummy, I mean sperm. Sperm is what makes people sick."
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
First Kiss
I dropped Maggie off at pre-school today and was seriously running on low batteries due to my lack of sleep. I was in need of a caffeine boast, something --anything. I managed to watch Ryan fall and bruise his temple and lose my car keys (that seems to becoming a habit). Fortunately, the car keys were found and I managed to leave her pre-school without any more major happenings.
I got my something, my boast when I saw Maggie receive a sweet little kiss from one of her playmates , Oliver. Oliver is such a sweet, friendly and very happy boy. His hair is, more often than not, always a tousled mess and he has big hazel eyes that look at you with wonder and curiosity. He's the kind of kid with one sock up and one sock down that no sooner is your back turned he's in the dirt getting his hands dirty. The most overarching part of his personality however is his kind heart. He shows a lot of empathy and loves his friends in the kindest way I have seen a child love. Not too pushy, childishly honest, and protective.
Today, Maggie was not fairing well was being a little clingy to me. When I was distracted with Ryan, Oliver had come over to Maggie, put his arms around her, held her hand and gave her two sweet little kisses on the lips. After that, they were of running a playing together. It was a lovely thing to witness and I was very appreciative that he was able to help Maggie out of her funk.
I wish I could tell Oliver how sweet he is and how much of a difference he makes to Maggie's little world. How every morning I drop Maggie off I look out for him, not to hook him up with Maggie, but to watch him play and interact with everyone around him. He really is a lovely little boy, any parent would be proud to claim their own.
I got my something, my boast when I saw Maggie receive a sweet little kiss from one of her playmates , Oliver. Oliver is such a sweet, friendly and very happy boy. His hair is, more often than not, always a tousled mess and he has big hazel eyes that look at you with wonder and curiosity. He's the kind of kid with one sock up and one sock down that no sooner is your back turned he's in the dirt getting his hands dirty. The most overarching part of his personality however is his kind heart. He shows a lot of empathy and loves his friends in the kindest way I have seen a child love. Not too pushy, childishly honest, and protective.
Today, Maggie was not fairing well was being a little clingy to me. When I was distracted with Ryan, Oliver had come over to Maggie, put his arms around her, held her hand and gave her two sweet little kisses on the lips. After that, they were of running a playing together. It was a lovely thing to witness and I was very appreciative that he was able to help Maggie out of her funk.
I wish I could tell Oliver how sweet he is and how much of a difference he makes to Maggie's little world. How every morning I drop Maggie off I look out for him, not to hook him up with Maggie, but to watch him play and interact with everyone around him. He really is a lovely little boy, any parent would be proud to claim their own.
Beautiful Durban
I've hardly slept. Correction. I have not slept --but for very good reason.
I had the privilege of being present for the birth of beautiful baby boy named Durban, his mother a good friend of mine. He was born at 12:55 am on the 16th of April (he made it past tax day) and weighed in at 6lbs 20z and was 19 and half inches long. He has really long legs, long fingers and the cutest little nose. I can't wait to go back to see him and his mummy later this evening.
Congratulation mum and dad! And congratulations to the grandma, aunts and uncles. You have a keeper.
I had the privilege of being present for the birth of beautiful baby boy named Durban, his mother a good friend of mine. He was born at 12:55 am on the 16th of April (he made it past tax day) and weighed in at 6lbs 20z and was 19 and half inches long. He has really long legs, long fingers and the cutest little nose. I can't wait to go back to see him and his mummy later this evening.
Congratulation mum and dad! And congratulations to the grandma, aunts and uncles. You have a keeper.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Brush Your Teeth
Most parents know the angst tooth brushing can bring to bedtime and morning routine. I am no exception to that and in my early attempts to make a somewhat unpleasant experience more fun, I came up with a song as I as brushing my daughters teeth.
Four years later I'm still singing it to her, as well as her younger brother. I imagine in time, I will forget that I ever did this so feel it warrants a blog entry before old age betrays me. I sing it twice through to the tune of "row, row, row your boat" which seems to last long enough for me get to their "upstairs teeth" as well as their "downstairs teeth".
So, without further ado -- the lyrics.
Brush, brush, brush you teeth,
Brush them everyday,
Brush, brush, brush your teeth,
Brush them twice a day
Brush, brush brush your teeth
Brush them everyday
Brush, brush, brush your teeth
Brush the food away
Four years later I'm still singing it to her, as well as her younger brother. I imagine in time, I will forget that I ever did this so feel it warrants a blog entry before old age betrays me. I sing it twice through to the tune of "row, row, row your boat" which seems to last long enough for me get to their "upstairs teeth" as well as their "downstairs teeth".
So, without further ado -- the lyrics.
Brush, brush, brush you teeth,
Brush them everyday,
Brush, brush, brush your teeth,
Brush them twice a day
Brush, brush brush your teeth
Brush them everyday
Brush, brush, brush your teeth
Brush the food away
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Pork Tenderloin
I had a major success with dinner tonight with Pork Tender with Savory Fruit from Domenca Catelli fantastic family recipe cook book mom-a-licous.Ryan (19 going on 20 months) requested for more, more, more as if it was cookies. Maggie (4yrs and 3/4) sung praise for it and hubby announced that he was halfway through it before I even got to sit down at the table myself.
It was so exciting to see everyone enjoying a meal together with such enthusiasm. A meal that I had put together. This is one I will be sure to do again -- especially when all it took was twenty minutes of my time!
pictures courtesy of mom-a-licous website
Monday, April 7, 2008
Cinderella and Her Ugly Sisters
Today I had a flash back to a conversation I had with a good friend of mine. We were talking about shoes and how much we hated shoe shopping (that was no typo, I am a woman that hates shoe shopping). The conversation went something like this -:
And she was right of course. I belted out a laugh, quickly followed by a sigh. It was so much nicer thinking of myself as poor old Cinderella than one of her ugly sisters. I still giggle when I think of her proclamation.
Me: (big sigh) I need to get some new shoes. I hate shoe shopping. My feet are so hard to fit.
Friend: What problem do you have?
Me: My feet are shaped like flippers. Wide and flat at the front, a high arch and narrow heel. If I get them to fit at the front, they're too big at the back. I feel like Cinderella with the glass shoe.
Friend: Don't you mean one of her ugly sisters?
And she was right of course. I belted out a laugh, quickly followed by a sigh. It was so much nicer thinking of myself as poor old Cinderella than one of her ugly sisters. I still giggle when I think of her proclamation.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The Family Weekend and Simple Things
As I've blogged before, My Husband, works extremely long hours and when home is often still working well into the twilight hours. These last few months or so have been particularly challenging in terms of the hours he has needed to put in at work and it has been an adjustment for us all. Sometimes there has been weekends which have been lost to his work responsibilities, resulting in some frustrating and disappointing emotions.
However, this weekend was fantastic! A weekend we have been waiting for and needing for a long time. Regrettable it came at a cost to a dear friend of mine for reasons that I shall not go into here, but she knows I love her and was her sweet understanding and empathetic selfless self. A friend as true as they come. I owe her so much and hope her weekend was just as rewarding and special.
But I digress. The family weekend.
It was fantastic because we spent it together, well I gave hubby a well deserved lay-in, but other than that we spent every minute together. It was a simple pleasure and we revelled in it. Saturday we ate lunch out and ran a trip to Costco, and while that's not the same as saying we spent the day at the zoo it was good quality time together. Maggie was wheeling and dealing her way into buying new things and we were talking our way out of getting her another swimsuit and Disney character toy that would have more than likely, at some point, broken our ankles after we stood on it and tumbled to the floor. Ryan was sitting in glee next to Maggie in the shopping cart and bringing his little fingers together to request "more food please" and the big plus? We replenished out t.p. supply which was getting dangerously low -- we were on our last few squares before leaving the house and may have resorted to using the baby wipes to wipe our little aristotles .
Today we took the morning easy. The kids played in the back garden for a bit while hubby and I took turns in supervising and doing our own little "things" we needed and wanted to get done for ourselves. After that we headed out to lunch -- footed with our most comfortable shoes. The four of us plus one dog took a three mile walk through the park, stopping at Subways and a local coffee shop before picnicking further up the bike trail. It was a perfect day for a walk through the park -- sunny with a little overcast. Just a light jacket needed.
I basked in the pleasure of watching my hubby with Maggie and Ryan from the picnic blanket, Jewel (the dog) at my side, as they went off to kick a ball around and play on the slides. I grinned from ear to ear and with open arms as Maggie came running back to me, with her funky kid run, announcing the various "pretend-real animals" she bought for me from the pet store. I got a saber-toothed tiger and another domestic cat to play with our two at home. The image of dear hubby and dear son walking off hand in hand to take on the park's slides and swings will always be imprinted on my mind, the kind that can't be found on a memory card or negative.
All in all it was a good family-bonding day. A really beautiful day, and one I am truly grateful for.
However, this weekend was fantastic! A weekend we have been waiting for and needing for a long time. Regrettable it came at a cost to a dear friend of mine for reasons that I shall not go into here, but she knows I love her and was her sweet understanding and empathetic selfless self. A friend as true as they come. I owe her so much and hope her weekend was just as rewarding and special.
But I digress. The family weekend.
It was fantastic because we spent it together, well I gave hubby a well deserved lay-in, but other than that we spent every minute together. It was a simple pleasure and we revelled in it. Saturday we ate lunch out and ran a trip to Costco, and while that's not the same as saying we spent the day at the zoo it was good quality time together. Maggie was wheeling and dealing her way into buying new things and we were talking our way out of getting her another swimsuit and Disney character toy that would have more than likely, at some point, broken our ankles after we stood on it and tumbled to the floor. Ryan was sitting in glee next to Maggie in the shopping cart and bringing his little fingers together to request "more food please" and the big plus? We replenished out t.p. supply which was getting dangerously low -- we were on our last few squares before leaving the house and may have resorted to using the baby wipes to wipe our little aristotles .
Today we took the morning easy. The kids played in the back garden for a bit while hubby and I took turns in supervising and doing our own little "things" we needed and wanted to get done for ourselves. After that we headed out to lunch -- footed with our most comfortable shoes. The four of us plus one dog took a three mile walk through the park, stopping at Subways and a local coffee shop before picnicking further up the bike trail. It was a perfect day for a walk through the park -- sunny with a little overcast. Just a light jacket needed.
I basked in the pleasure of watching my hubby with Maggie and Ryan from the picnic blanket, Jewel (the dog) at my side, as they went off to kick a ball around and play on the slides. I grinned from ear to ear and with open arms as Maggie came running back to me, with her funky kid run, announcing the various "pretend-real animals" she bought for me from the pet store. I got a saber-toothed tiger and another domestic cat to play with our two at home. The image of dear hubby and dear son walking off hand in hand to take on the park's slides and swings will always be imprinted on my mind, the kind that can't be found on a memory card or negative.
All in all it was a good family-bonding day. A really beautiful day, and one I am truly grateful for.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Tears for Music
Some songs just make you cry don't they? "You are my sunshine" by Elizabeth Mitchell is one of them for me. The song evokes so much emotion in my heart and speaks to how I feel about being a mother to my two children and to all the children that have since left this earth. You can listen it here -- just click on "sunshine" from the menu on the left, and another menu will come up for you to listen to her music. Click on listen and again on "you are my sunshine". If you are a mother, be sure to have your snuffle tissues at the ready. The lyrics are below as best I know them.
You are my sunshine by Elizabeth Mitchell
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know, dear, how much i love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken
So I hung my head and cried
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know, dear, how much i love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
You are my sunshine by Elizabeth Mitchell
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know, dear, how much i love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken
So I hung my head and cried
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know, dear, how much i love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Letter to Self
Dear Subconscious and Future Self,
You should have gone to bed much, much earlier last night. Why an earth you slummed it around for a self proclaimed "personal time" until 2am is beyond me considering your responsibilities. It seems though, that you have made a habit of staying up late surfing the web, reading magazines, books and slothfully picking up the clutter around the house and emptying your kitchen sink.
I suppose I should congratulate you for getting up and showered this morning in time to get Maggie off to school with a full tummy of cereal and toast, and orange juice, and milk (my how your daughter can eat! Must be another one of those growth spurts.) And you handled your son pretty well this morning with his nipple sucking mouth clamped lips on your very tired sagging breasts. You got him dressed and fed too -- I see that he enjoys toast and orange juice in the morning now as well. Nice going milk weaning mummy.
Not quite a smooth transition at Maggie drop-off though was it? Though it was nice to have your daughter greeted by three eager friends wanting to play with her before she even opened the door, your mummy pride of her girl power slightly outweighed her feeling of overwhelment by all the excitement of her three little friends. I saw you looking over to the teacher assistance for some help as Maggie held tightly to your hand, mouth clammed shut, and Ryan wriggling to get down from your hip and race off to the touch and feel table. The juxtaposition of "mummy proud moment" and "mummy oh dear my daughter needs more help than I realized" was brief, but it was there. Thankfully for you, Maggie rose to the occasion and ran off in excitement with her buddies and Ryan managed to divert the traffic of well meaning affection from other four year olds by racing back to your pant legs.
Your exit from the pre-school with Ryan today was relatively smooth considering recent history. Convincing him that the flowers outside the school would be much more interesting than the slide in the school play area was a sneaky ploy of distraction and it worked beautifully -- this time. I don't think you could fool him again tomorrow. I suppose your success here and recent flirtation with "proud mummy moment" spurred you to take on Trader Joe's without a shopping list. You did well to remember the two cartons of milk, smoked turkey, grapes, asparagus and tilapia -- shame about the other twenty dollars worth of groceries you got that you didn't really need. And what about the yogurt? You forgot the yogurt again.
Back home went pretty smooth. You learned that Ryan is more cooperative with getting out the car and in the house if he gets to walk to the back gate and say hi to Jewel the dog. Groceries were put away before they perished, Ryan got a healthy snack and a nap. And you, you miraculously managed to lay down on the sofa to rest for forty minutes too. Whoop-Whoop! But, would some of that time be better spent in cleaning up the dirty dishes lining your kitchen sink and what about the pile of laundry waiting to be folded? Good move with turning the radio on and listening to Dr. Laura , there's always one caller that lights a fire in you and kudos for the healthy chicken salad lunch. Spoiled it with snacking on a some candy later in the day though didn't you?
It was after lunch that things started to go wildly out of your control. Ryan slept late for his nap which you ignored -- which made you late in picking Maggie up from pre-school, which meant she saw the mummy made muffins for classmates birthday, which meant she couldn't leave without having one, which meant you only just made it to her swimming class on time only to result in one very frazzled annd worn out you. Maggie did do a great job at swimming though and Ryan clapped along with you as she floated on her back and made real effort to use her arms in making some swimming strokes. It was sweet, and enough to recharge your batteries and de-frazzle you.
Until, you hit the shoe store. This is where I think you lost your senses all together. How you thought you could fit in one more errand at the end of the day, especially a shoe store, and still make it home in time to cook dinner without any serious meltdown from you or either one of the kids baffles me. If I asked you today would you think that with one hour to spare you could get to the shoe store, have you daughter try on shoes, make a sensible decision about which pair to buy (if any) and get home in time to prep a quick snack for the kids, feed the dog, great the cats and cook dinner? Though it seemed totally reasonable at the time to you, it was a crazy, crazy move.
I'm glad you realized that it was pretty dumb to pay 65.00 dollars for a pair of shoes for said daughter, though it is understandable and a somewhat common mummy mistake to be made. Consider the duress you were under -: All other wide, high arch fitting tennis shoes did not fit. One dangerously climbing and wondering stinky diapered toddler, who thought it was his job to bring you shoes of all shapes and sizes. One well meaning sales clerk who thought it was funny to say "smells like someone is holding a package in there diaper... don't worry I'm used to the smell with my niece..." who also acutely described your sons cry as one that sounded like a mechanical cow. Plus one not so cooperative four and a half ear old with very difficult feet to find shoes of any kind that fit and support her feet while also looking attractive enough to wear. Nonetheless $65.00!!! For shoes. For a four and half year old. Were you mad or just temporarily insane? I hope the latter is true rather than the former.
Reuniting with an old mummy friend at the store next door (should I point out here that it wasn't a smart choice to extend your errands to two more stores or would that be redundant at this point?). You clicked, you connected and you rejoiced with each other. Both of you enjoying each others sanity in parenthood -- or lack thereof. Discovering each of your second bornes shared the same birth date and are both boys was pretty cool too. And the store owner is fast becoming a friend. How nice of her to give a "free" truck toy to Ryan and help Maggie write down a wish list on those post-it-notes. It was awfully cute how Maggie raced home to stick them to her bedroom wall.
Your evening couldn't have ended more sweetly when Maggie turned to you and said, "Just one more thing Mama. I need to give you a great big hug and a great big squeeze. I love you." Moved by the freewill of her affection you said, "Maggie, you make me happy every day." to which she replied, "And you make me happy every day and every night. I love you mummy."
You should have gone to bed much, much earlier last night. Why an earth you slummed it around for a self proclaimed "personal time" until 2am is beyond me considering your responsibilities. It seems though, that you have made a habit of staying up late surfing the web, reading magazines, books and slothfully picking up the clutter around the house and emptying your kitchen sink.
I suppose I should congratulate you for getting up and showered this morning in time to get Maggie off to school with a full tummy of cereal and toast, and orange juice, and milk (my how your daughter can eat! Must be another one of those growth spurts.) And you handled your son pretty well this morning with his nipple sucking mouth clamped lips on your very tired sagging breasts. You got him dressed and fed too -- I see that he enjoys toast and orange juice in the morning now as well. Nice going milk weaning mummy.
Not quite a smooth transition at Maggie drop-off though was it? Though it was nice to have your daughter greeted by three eager friends wanting to play with her before she even opened the door, your mummy pride of her girl power slightly outweighed her feeling of overwhelment by all the excitement of her three little friends. I saw you looking over to the teacher assistance for some help as Maggie held tightly to your hand, mouth clammed shut, and Ryan wriggling to get down from your hip and race off to the touch and feel table. The juxtaposition of "mummy proud moment" and "mummy oh dear my daughter needs more help than I realized" was brief, but it was there. Thankfully for you, Maggie rose to the occasion and ran off in excitement with her buddies and Ryan managed to divert the traffic of well meaning affection from other four year olds by racing back to your pant legs.
Your exit from the pre-school with Ryan today was relatively smooth considering recent history. Convincing him that the flowers outside the school would be much more interesting than the slide in the school play area was a sneaky ploy of distraction and it worked beautifully -- this time. I don't think you could fool him again tomorrow. I suppose your success here and recent flirtation with "proud mummy moment" spurred you to take on Trader Joe's without a shopping list. You did well to remember the two cartons of milk, smoked turkey, grapes, asparagus and tilapia -- shame about the other twenty dollars worth of groceries you got that you didn't really need. And what about the yogurt? You forgot the yogurt again.
Back home went pretty smooth. You learned that Ryan is more cooperative with getting out the car and in the house if he gets to walk to the back gate and say hi to Jewel the dog. Groceries were put away before they perished, Ryan got a healthy snack and a nap. And you, you miraculously managed to lay down on the sofa to rest for forty minutes too. Whoop-Whoop! But, would some of that time be better spent in cleaning up the dirty dishes lining your kitchen sink and what about the pile of laundry waiting to be folded? Good move with turning the radio on and listening to Dr. Laura , there's always one caller that lights a fire in you and kudos for the healthy chicken salad lunch. Spoiled it with snacking on a some candy later in the day though didn't you?
It was after lunch that things started to go wildly out of your control. Ryan slept late for his nap which you ignored -- which made you late in picking Maggie up from pre-school, which meant she saw the mummy made muffins for classmates birthday, which meant she couldn't leave without having one, which meant you only just made it to her swimming class on time only to result in one very frazzled annd worn out you. Maggie did do a great job at swimming though and Ryan clapped along with you as she floated on her back and made real effort to use her arms in making some swimming strokes. It was sweet, and enough to recharge your batteries and de-frazzle you.
Until, you hit the shoe store. This is where I think you lost your senses all together. How you thought you could fit in one more errand at the end of the day, especially a shoe store, and still make it home in time to cook dinner without any serious meltdown from you or either one of the kids baffles me. If I asked you today would you think that with one hour to spare you could get to the shoe store, have you daughter try on shoes, make a sensible decision about which pair to buy (if any) and get home in time to prep a quick snack for the kids, feed the dog, great the cats and cook dinner? Though it seemed totally reasonable at the time to you, it was a crazy, crazy move.
I'm glad you realized that it was pretty dumb to pay 65.00 dollars for a pair of shoes for said daughter, though it is understandable and a somewhat common mummy mistake to be made. Consider the duress you were under -: All other wide, high arch fitting tennis shoes did not fit. One dangerously climbing and wondering stinky diapered toddler, who thought it was his job to bring you shoes of all shapes and sizes. One well meaning sales clerk who thought it was funny to say "smells like someone is holding a package in there diaper... don't worry I'm used to the smell with my niece..." who also acutely described your sons cry as one that sounded like a mechanical cow. Plus one not so cooperative four and a half ear old with very difficult feet to find shoes of any kind that fit and support her feet while also looking attractive enough to wear. Nonetheless $65.00!!! For shoes. For a four and half year old. Were you mad or just temporarily insane? I hope the latter is true rather than the former.
Reuniting with an old mummy friend at the store next door (should I point out here that it wasn't a smart choice to extend your errands to two more stores or would that be redundant at this point?). You clicked, you connected and you rejoiced with each other. Both of you enjoying each others sanity in parenthood -- or lack thereof. Discovering each of your second bornes shared the same birth date and are both boys was pretty cool too. And the store owner is fast becoming a friend. How nice of her to give a "free" truck toy to Ryan and help Maggie write down a wish list on those post-it-notes. It was awfully cute how Maggie raced home to stick them to her bedroom wall.
Your evening couldn't have ended more sweetly when Maggie turned to you and said, "Just one more thing Mama. I need to give you a great big hug and a great big squeeze. I love you." Moved by the freewill of her affection you said, "Maggie, you make me happy every day." to which she replied, "And you make me happy every day and every night. I love you mummy."
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