What do you want to eat?
Eat!
String cheese?
No cheese mooo! (Borden brand has a picture of a cow on it)
Cottage cheese?
No cheese spoooooon! (obviously because you eat it with a spoon)
This went on and on as we stood in front of an open fridge door. It spiraled into frustrated tears as he couldn't make me understand quickly enough that he wanted leftover refried beans in a bowl with 2 slices of provolone cheese (to dip in beans, of course) and apple slices.
Argh.
Well, I can no longer predict anymore what this boy likes to eat. I am glad we can at least figure it out in the end, though.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
My babies
Sometimes I really don't see the time passing until I check my blog and see when I last posted. Then I'm kind of shocked and question what the hell do I do all week? I'll even check my sticker desk calendar with a perplexed kinda "huh?" noise. Well, I'll be.....
Anyway, blog time warp aside, I think we've reached a significant lag in our summertime activities. I am seriously a gigantic person and can't fit into any of my maternity clothes, save 2 dresses and 2 stretchy yoga shorts. Please see below my ginormity (not a word, I know).
Yes. This is I. At 32 weeks.....8 more to go.....good grief. Well, Carter knows all about his little brother now. He knows he will Cry! and that he will be responsible for hugging him and rocking him in the glider. He knows his little brothers name (super cute) and he knows that the baby kicks mommy (finds this hilarious) and sleeps a lot. I am terrified of the transition from one baby to two.
Earlier this week a neighbor of ours gave us one of those little mini playmats for baby that they never used and Carter had dug it out of the closet.
He was sitting on it and I told him "Honey, that's for the baby" and his reply was, "Noooo, Me baby!!!" pointing to his chest with the fingers of both hands. (very emphatically)
This just broke my heart.
"Yes, you are my Big baby and that is for the Little baby"
I will not steal his babyhood out from under his feet. He will depart from it all on his own when he is ready. I will just have two babies.
Here is my Big Baby using chopsticks for the first time:
Anyway, blog time warp aside, I think we've reached a significant lag in our summertime activities. I am seriously a gigantic person and can't fit into any of my maternity clothes, save 2 dresses and 2 stretchy yoga shorts. Please see below my ginormity (not a word, I know).
Yes. This is I. At 32 weeks.....8 more to go.....good grief. Well, Carter knows all about his little brother now. He knows he will Cry! and that he will be responsible for hugging him and rocking him in the glider. He knows his little brothers name (super cute) and he knows that the baby kicks mommy (finds this hilarious) and sleeps a lot. I am terrified of the transition from one baby to two.
Earlier this week a neighbor of ours gave us one of those little mini playmats for baby that they never used and Carter had dug it out of the closet.
He was sitting on it and I told him "Honey, that's for the baby" and his reply was, "Noooo, Me baby!!!" pointing to his chest with the fingers of both hands. (very emphatically)
This just broke my heart.
"Yes, you are my Big baby and that is for the Little baby"
I will not steal his babyhood out from under his feet. He will depart from it all on his own when he is ready. I will just have two babies.
Here is my Big Baby using chopsticks for the first time:
Next month our little guy is turning 2 years old! Can you believe it?
Friday, July 25, 2008
Party over here
Just a note on my lame Friday night.
I finallly get child to sleep and I want some of my yogi tea for momma's. Hmmmm. What to drink it with? I would kill for a scone right now. No recipe for scones in my Homemaker Database and not one damn English person skulking in the bushes for me to thrash it out of. Ah. Corn muffins. Close enough. So 10 pm and I'm baking corn muffins. Pregnant? How can you tell? And to top it all off I turn on QVC and am now watching Christmas in July show. Never too early for christmas but must turn sound off so I don't have to listen to inane chatter from saleswoman.
Mmmmm.
Back to the muffins.
G'night.
I finallly get child to sleep and I want some of my yogi tea for momma's. Hmmmm. What to drink it with? I would kill for a scone right now. No recipe for scones in my Homemaker Database and not one damn English person skulking in the bushes for me to thrash it out of. Ah. Corn muffins. Close enough. So 10 pm and I'm baking corn muffins. Pregnant? How can you tell? And to top it all off I turn on QVC and am now watching Christmas in July show. Never too early for christmas but must turn sound off so I don't have to listen to inane chatter from saleswoman.
Mmmmm.
Back to the muffins.
G'night.
Post from the Daddy of the Circus
Hello readers of The McMahon Family Circus! I am honored to have been invited as a guest blogger by the web page founder, my lovely (smokin' hot) wife Jess.
With a beautiful (little pistol) baby boy in our family, it's easy to see why she named this blog spot a "Circus." That describes our growing family to a T.
Fatherhood has been the most challenging and, at the same time, the most rewarding experience of my life. I could not have been blessed with a more perfect wife (even though she accuses me of cheating on her, as a joke) and son to share in this adventure we call fatherhood.
As you know, Jess is a full-time mother. I think this is something taken very lightly in American culture today. I have heard Jess explain that she stays at home with our Little Man and I've heard reactions like "You stay at home all day?" and "I just couldn't stay at home all day!" and "How do you just stay at home all day?" and "I'm not gonna be a stay at home mother!" and etc. For those people who think that full-time mothers don't "work," they don't know what they're talking about and probably don't know what they're missing out on. Jess works tirelessly as a stay-at-home mother. I work 40+ hours/week, come home, do my regular chores, spend quality time with Jess and our baby, and then kick my feet up to watch TV and veg-out. I don't see any time off from Jess. Just when I've had enough of the 1-year-old not getting his way and I retreat to the veg-out zone, Jess sits down with him for more fun and learning and the detailed attention that he needs and deserves. Oh, by the way, she is doing all of this while apparently smuggling a beach ball under her shirt. She is 7 months pregnant but her belly would indicate at least 11.5 months!!!
Let me tell you, watching our son grow with Jess nurturing, teaching, learning with him, and providing for him in every way gives me the greatest joy in the world. I realize that some mothers are unable to stay at home and others just don't want to but the value of what I see in my stay-at-home-wifey is immeasurable. Our son has yet to mature two years and it amazes me when I see him sit down with Jess and recognize and recite numbers (he loves to countdown to "trwee" before leaping off the bed), colors (favorites are yellow and blue), and animals.
My family's energy, love, compassion, and joy, is the fountain of inspiration in my life. Jess paints an amazing portrait of her experiences as a full-time mother in the entries on these pages. I read this blog daily and I'd like to thank the readers for sharing in the trials, tribulations, and good times of The McMahon Family Circus!!!
Best to all,
Kevin
With a beautiful (little pistol) baby boy in our family, it's easy to see why she named this blog spot a "Circus." That describes our growing family to a T.
Fatherhood has been the most challenging and, at the same time, the most rewarding experience of my life. I could not have been blessed with a more perfect wife (even though she accuses me of cheating on her, as a joke) and son to share in this adventure we call fatherhood.
As you know, Jess is a full-time mother. I think this is something taken very lightly in American culture today. I have heard Jess explain that she stays at home with our Little Man and I've heard reactions like "You stay at home all day?" and "I just couldn't stay at home all day!" and "How do you just stay at home all day?" and "I'm not gonna be a stay at home mother!" and etc. For those people who think that full-time mothers don't "work," they don't know what they're talking about and probably don't know what they're missing out on. Jess works tirelessly as a stay-at-home mother. I work 40+ hours/week, come home, do my regular chores, spend quality time with Jess and our baby, and then kick my feet up to watch TV and veg-out. I don't see any time off from Jess. Just when I've had enough of the 1-year-old not getting his way and I retreat to the veg-out zone, Jess sits down with him for more fun and learning and the detailed attention that he needs and deserves. Oh, by the way, she is doing all of this while apparently smuggling a beach ball under her shirt. She is 7 months pregnant but her belly would indicate at least 11.5 months!!!
Let me tell you, watching our son grow with Jess nurturing, teaching, learning with him, and providing for him in every way gives me the greatest joy in the world. I realize that some mothers are unable to stay at home and others just don't want to but the value of what I see in my stay-at-home-wifey is immeasurable. Our son has yet to mature two years and it amazes me when I see him sit down with Jess and recognize and recite numbers (he loves to countdown to "trwee" before leaping off the bed), colors (favorites are yellow and blue), and animals.
My family's energy, love, compassion, and joy, is the fountain of inspiration in my life. Jess paints an amazing portrait of her experiences as a full-time mother in the entries on these pages. I read this blog daily and I'd like to thank the readers for sharing in the trials, tribulations, and good times of The McMahon Family Circus!!!
Best to all,
Kevin
I am scarred
The C-section scar doesn't really bother me anymore...it's just there, but it's not like anyone can see it. However, I am now horrified to admit I have just discovered my first Stretch Mark. Egads! I told ya'll this child was stretching me to my very limits, didn't I? It is only about 2 inches big but it is right over my belly button. How very inconspicous. Crap. Is this the end of my hot bikini body, I ask! Nooooooo! How ever will I get those digits next time I head to the waterpark?
Teehee.
On the family front: Carter threw a fork at a woman at Olive Garden last night....and hit her. Yes. I wanted to crawl under the table. The fork was covered in alfredo sauce and it flew end over end in slow motion, spewing cream sauce over the other patrons before it speared the poor old lady's leg. Argh.
"Um, sorrry!" I say pathetically as she just raises her eyebrows at me.
Kevin swooped him outside to have a "talk" with him. Very tense husband moment....he gets stressed with the public misbehavior. I have just given up trying to be suave mommy. Now I am messy mommy, sweaty mommy, frowning mommy, yelling mommy and "What did you just say?" mommy. Oh well.
Swim lessons cancelled again. Grrrrr. I am very schedul oriented. Now what the hell do I do to entertain child?
Teehee.
On the family front: Carter threw a fork at a woman at Olive Garden last night....and hit her. Yes. I wanted to crawl under the table. The fork was covered in alfredo sauce and it flew end over end in slow motion, spewing cream sauce over the other patrons before it speared the poor old lady's leg. Argh.
"Um, sorrry!" I say pathetically as she just raises her eyebrows at me.
Kevin swooped him outside to have a "talk" with him. Very tense husband moment....he gets stressed with the public misbehavior. I have just given up trying to be suave mommy. Now I am messy mommy, sweaty mommy, frowning mommy, yelling mommy and "What did you just say?" mommy. Oh well.
Swim lessons cancelled again. Grrrrr. I am very schedul oriented. Now what the hell do I do to entertain child?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Time never really takes away the pain
They tell you that it does, though. They say Time will heal All.
I'm sorry, but that's a bunch of milarkey. Death makes people uncomfortable and scared but they want to say something to make you feel better. I still think about my mom everyday and at the oddest moments, too. Like when I'm showering or driving. Sometimes when I'm bathing my little boy in the tub I think When she was bathing her children did she suspect she wouldn't make it to see them grow up and have babies or What were her future dreams like? of a leisurely old age playing with her grandkids? What a cruel joke I think it all is. I imagine her innocence while she cares for her family and makes plans for the future. It's like I want to reach back in time and whisper in her ear some sort of warning. Some sort of clue that things will not go as planned.
The only thing I've found about Time is that as the years go by you don't emote as much. You've learned to compartamentalize your feelings because you need to be productive in your own life. When you lose someone you love it changes everything....forever. It is just plain awful.
I remember being a teenager and thinking of death as some remote, faraway thing that really didn't touch me. I figured sure, I'd die one day but I'm not gonna think of that now...and what's the big deal anyway, everyone dies.
Why are teenagers so dumb? :)
When my mother was diagnosed with ALS I cried everyday for a year. The second year was better....I cried every other day, or so. You get the picture. It soon became just an everyday thing I dealt with. After she died I didn't know what to feel. I honestly couldn't have cared less if I, myself, lived or died.
Luckily, I snapped out of it after about a year of hard drinking and self-abuse. By then some of my personal relationships had taken quite a beating. I made a drastic life change and soon met Kevin. There, at that point, everything in my life brightened.
Now as I consider my life and my children, I am scared beyond belief. What is around the corner for me? Am I dodging a bullet every time I hear of someone else dying or getting sick? Is that how it works statistically? It is the most debillitating fear I think a person can experience. It is not the running-in-fear-of-your-life-from-an-ax-murderer fear. No, it's much more subtle. It is the fear of what the future holds for you in the end.
I feel such a dire need to Be Here for my children and my family that I never experienced before becoming a mother. They are my everything and how could I expect them not to have their Momma there for them? I just can't imagine being struck down by a terminal illness or something, and in this day and age, they are everywhere. It is like there is some guy out there handing out cards to us that read stuff like Aggressive form of Cancer, Auto accident, Heart attack, Stroke, Rare Blood disease....etc...
I wanna say "Hey, what about the Old Age one? Ya got one of those left?", as I raise my hand from the back of the crowd.
Since when has my only true goal in life become to make it to the glorious Old Age. I just want to be one of the lucky ones that hobble around on rickety hips and play bingo. I want to go to bed at 7pm with my old, wrinkled husband lying next to me. I want to see my children grow into adulthood and I want to always be their Momma.
I'm sorry, but that's a bunch of milarkey. Death makes people uncomfortable and scared but they want to say something to make you feel better. I still think about my mom everyday and at the oddest moments, too. Like when I'm showering or driving. Sometimes when I'm bathing my little boy in the tub I think When she was bathing her children did she suspect she wouldn't make it to see them grow up and have babies or What were her future dreams like? of a leisurely old age playing with her grandkids? What a cruel joke I think it all is. I imagine her innocence while she cares for her family and makes plans for the future. It's like I want to reach back in time and whisper in her ear some sort of warning. Some sort of clue that things will not go as planned.
The only thing I've found about Time is that as the years go by you don't emote as much. You've learned to compartamentalize your feelings because you need to be productive in your own life. When you lose someone you love it changes everything....forever. It is just plain awful.
I remember being a teenager and thinking of death as some remote, faraway thing that really didn't touch me. I figured sure, I'd die one day but I'm not gonna think of that now...and what's the big deal anyway, everyone dies.
Why are teenagers so dumb? :)
When my mother was diagnosed with ALS I cried everyday for a year. The second year was better....I cried every other day, or so. You get the picture. It soon became just an everyday thing I dealt with. After she died I didn't know what to feel. I honestly couldn't have cared less if I, myself, lived or died.
Luckily, I snapped out of it after about a year of hard drinking and self-abuse. By then some of my personal relationships had taken quite a beating. I made a drastic life change and soon met Kevin. There, at that point, everything in my life brightened.
Now as I consider my life and my children, I am scared beyond belief. What is around the corner for me? Am I dodging a bullet every time I hear of someone else dying or getting sick? Is that how it works statistically? It is the most debillitating fear I think a person can experience. It is not the running-in-fear-of-your-life-from-an-ax-murderer fear. No, it's much more subtle. It is the fear of what the future holds for you in the end.
I feel such a dire need to Be Here for my children and my family that I never experienced before becoming a mother. They are my everything and how could I expect them not to have their Momma there for them? I just can't imagine being struck down by a terminal illness or something, and in this day and age, they are everywhere. It is like there is some guy out there handing out cards to us that read stuff like Aggressive form of Cancer, Auto accident, Heart attack, Stroke, Rare Blood disease....etc...
I wanna say "Hey, what about the Old Age one? Ya got one of those left?", as I raise my hand from the back of the crowd.
Since when has my only true goal in life become to make it to the glorious Old Age. I just want to be one of the lucky ones that hobble around on rickety hips and play bingo. I want to go to bed at 7pm with my old, wrinkled husband lying next to me. I want to see my children grow into adulthood and I want to always be their Momma.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Super Greco Saturday
I love food. I am one of the pickiest eaters in the U. S. of A. but I love me some food. Especially when it is Greek food. Mmmmm. We did Greek / Mediterranean night with friends tonight and I ate so much that it actually hurt. Ugh. Yum. Ugh.
It's funny talking to other parents with all of our kids running around....it's sort of like we are all trying to stay focused on what's being said but there is always one of us who must depart to parts unknown and break up a fight or comfort a fall. Always interesting being a mom, lemme tell ya. At this point I make Kevin chase after our youngster. Carter has become too quick for me. He has also become too quick for the girls....this little stinker stole another kiss from one of his girlfriends tonight. He had already hugged her goodbye and when everyone was looking another direction he snuck right in and layed one on her lips....good grief, soon we will be having "the talk" on appropriate behavior with girls. I think this is how his father stole his first kiss with Mommy. (Hmm, I seem to remember much beer being involved that night, though)
Funny thing. After all the excitement of the evening, clean-up and bath time, Carter got it in his head that he would like to go "potty" (or however he says it...gibberish-like). So we went to the bathroom and I sat him on the big potty cuz he said he needed to go "poop poop". He just looked happy to be sitting there and I was just happy to hold him there but nothing happened. Previously the whole toilet thing scared him out of his wits so this is big improvement. Then he got bored sitting there and wanted to "peepee". So I stood him in front of the toilet and he grabbed his wiener (too descriptive?) and he said "Dada!!". Haha. Yes, I suppose Dada would know better about this part. Well, we did this whole front to back to front to back thing for about 20 minutes with Kevin coming in the relieve my aching back. I told him that if this little Mister actually went that we were busting out one of his birthday presents and "prizing" him with it. Agreed.
However, nothing came out of our little boy. Hey! He tried!
It's funny talking to other parents with all of our kids running around....it's sort of like we are all trying to stay focused on what's being said but there is always one of us who must depart to parts unknown and break up a fight or comfort a fall. Always interesting being a mom, lemme tell ya. At this point I make Kevin chase after our youngster. Carter has become too quick for me. He has also become too quick for the girls....this little stinker stole another kiss from one of his girlfriends tonight. He had already hugged her goodbye and when everyone was looking another direction he snuck right in and layed one on her lips....good grief, soon we will be having "the talk" on appropriate behavior with girls. I think this is how his father stole his first kiss with Mommy. (Hmm, I seem to remember much beer being involved that night, though)
Funny thing. After all the excitement of the evening, clean-up and bath time, Carter got it in his head that he would like to go "potty" (or however he says it...gibberish-like). So we went to the bathroom and I sat him on the big potty cuz he said he needed to go "poop poop". He just looked happy to be sitting there and I was just happy to hold him there but nothing happened. Previously the whole toilet thing scared him out of his wits so this is big improvement. Then he got bored sitting there and wanted to "peepee". So I stood him in front of the toilet and he grabbed his wiener (too descriptive?) and he said "Dada!!". Haha. Yes, I suppose Dada would know better about this part. Well, we did this whole front to back to front to back thing for about 20 minutes with Kevin coming in the relieve my aching back. I told him that if this little Mister actually went that we were busting out one of his birthday presents and "prizing" him with it. Agreed.
However, nothing came out of our little boy. Hey! He tried!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Random 20 minutes in my afternoon
Minutes 0-5
La dee dah, I'm dusting and tidying up whilst the toddler king prances around the house. I have to pee as any pregnant woman would....every 20 minutes or so, therefore unavoidabley mentioned in this snapshot of time. Now Carter wants to pee. However, he needs to strip naked to do so. (I dunno) He wants the potty from the closet. Gasp! The devil you say! Okay. I get potty out, he is naked, he sits on potty (this is pretty good), he then stands up and says "Not mine!" and crosses his arms in a pout. Who knows. He is mercurial, at best.
Minutes 5-10
Well, when I got the potty out of the closet he saw his "computer" (dvd player) that I stashed there until I pick a better spot. Now he is wriggling the fingers, jumping and saying "Meeee!". I set up the dvd player with an Elmo video. No. So I change it to a Wiggles video. No. Okay. Tantrum ensues. I have no idea what is wrong so I remove device that is causing crazy mood swings. Dvd player is put back up in closet. I continue chores around the house after heaving a few exasperated sighs.
Minutes 10-15
Naked boy starts screaming "uh-Side!" (outside). I say "You wanna go outside?". The answer is him running off and nodding. I try to finish my dusting of shelf and hear yelling from his room. "Maaaamaaa! Maaaamaaaaa!"
I walk resignedly back to his bedroom to find him laying ontop of the changing table, buckled in safely, holding a diaper in one hand and a bottle of Burts Bees baby oil in the other. Funny guy. I laugh. So I put the diaper on him (which he obviously needed to go in the backyard with...along with the baby oil).
Minutes 15-20
I then leave the room to go get my shoes on. He chatters at me and slams the bedroom door after I leave. I am supposing he is mad at me for god knows what. I dilly dally getting my shoes...throw this thing out, pick up that thing, wash hands...you know, mindless stuff. I hear more calling from the back now. Again "Maaamaaa!". "What!", I yell as I waddle my butt back there again. He has turned on the radio and put himself in Timeout (the green chair in his room). He is of course pouting furiously with his arms crossed. This makes me laugh, again. I tell him "You are not in trouble. You can get up. No timeout." He smiles and tries to get off the chair. "Stuck!", he says (his chubby thighs were sticking him to the chair).
This is the usual stuff in our day. Me desperately trying to figure out the swinging moods of my toddler.
La dee dah, I'm dusting and tidying up whilst the toddler king prances around the house. I have to pee as any pregnant woman would....every 20 minutes or so, therefore unavoidabley mentioned in this snapshot of time. Now Carter wants to pee. However, he needs to strip naked to do so. (I dunno) He wants the potty from the closet. Gasp! The devil you say! Okay. I get potty out, he is naked, he sits on potty (this is pretty good), he then stands up and says "Not mine!" and crosses his arms in a pout. Who knows. He is mercurial, at best.
Minutes 5-10
Well, when I got the potty out of the closet he saw his "computer" (dvd player) that I stashed there until I pick a better spot. Now he is wriggling the fingers, jumping and saying "Meeee!". I set up the dvd player with an Elmo video. No. So I change it to a Wiggles video. No. Okay. Tantrum ensues. I have no idea what is wrong so I remove device that is causing crazy mood swings. Dvd player is put back up in closet. I continue chores around the house after heaving a few exasperated sighs.
Minutes 10-15
Naked boy starts screaming "uh-Side!" (outside). I say "You wanna go outside?". The answer is him running off and nodding. I try to finish my dusting of shelf and hear yelling from his room. "Maaaamaaa! Maaaamaaaaa!"
I walk resignedly back to his bedroom to find him laying ontop of the changing table, buckled in safely, holding a diaper in one hand and a bottle of Burts Bees baby oil in the other. Funny guy. I laugh. So I put the diaper on him (which he obviously needed to go in the backyard with...along with the baby oil).
Minutes 15-20
I then leave the room to go get my shoes on. He chatters at me and slams the bedroom door after I leave. I am supposing he is mad at me for god knows what. I dilly dally getting my shoes...throw this thing out, pick up that thing, wash hands...you know, mindless stuff. I hear more calling from the back now. Again "Maaamaaa!". "What!", I yell as I waddle my butt back there again. He has turned on the radio and put himself in Timeout (the green chair in his room). He is of course pouting furiously with his arms crossed. This makes me laugh, again. I tell him "You are not in trouble. You can get up. No timeout." He smiles and tries to get off the chair. "Stuck!", he says (his chubby thighs were sticking him to the chair).
This is the usual stuff in our day. Me desperately trying to figure out the swinging moods of my toddler.
Friday already?
What happened? It was just Monday. I think because I had scheduled a jam packed week it just flew by. However, I can no longer schedule like this anymore. I must chill out a bit. Can't....waddle.....any.....faster.....argh.
This week we went to the South Mississippi version of a beach, had swim lessons for my little water bug, had an icecream playdate, had more swim lessons, mommies 30 week doctor appointment (baby is measuring big...great, I am growing giant 11 pounder), dinner with out-of-towner friends, painting (this is taking forever) and now we are preparing for our Greek/Mediterranean Night with some friends tomorrow. Gasp.
I will attempt a spinach pie and tzatziki sauce. You would think growing up with greek friends and dating a couple of greek guys that I should be able to whip this up, right? We'll see. Cooking has begun to scare me. I think it's because of our 50 year old tempermental oven. The stupid thing is downright ornery. I really can't count how many batches of cookies and muffins I've charred in the last 2 years.
Sigh.
I must say that I was completely shocked last night when we went out to meet some peeps for dinner at a local steakhouse. Carter actually sat in his highchair 90 % of the time, ate 3 chicken tenders and fries, drank all of his milk, colored and played with his stickers and was generally a sweet and pleasant dinner companion. This floored me. Normally I am about as twitchy and jumpy as an epileptic when we "dine out". Hey maybe we are turning over a new leaf, huh? ya think? please? (pathetic plea to the cosmos)
I just realized I used the word "peeps". I must apologize for my extreme dorkiness in the use of dated urban slang.
This week we went to the South Mississippi version of a beach, had swim lessons for my little water bug, had an icecream playdate, had more swim lessons, mommies 30 week doctor appointment (baby is measuring big...great, I am growing giant 11 pounder), dinner with out-of-towner friends, painting (this is taking forever) and now we are preparing for our Greek/Mediterranean Night with some friends tomorrow. Gasp.
I will attempt a spinach pie and tzatziki sauce. You would think growing up with greek friends and dating a couple of greek guys that I should be able to whip this up, right? We'll see. Cooking has begun to scare me. I think it's because of our 50 year old tempermental oven. The stupid thing is downright ornery. I really can't count how many batches of cookies and muffins I've charred in the last 2 years.
Sigh.
I must say that I was completely shocked last night when we went out to meet some peeps for dinner at a local steakhouse. Carter actually sat in his highchair 90 % of the time, ate 3 chicken tenders and fries, drank all of his milk, colored and played with his stickers and was generally a sweet and pleasant dinner companion. This floored me. Normally I am about as twitchy and jumpy as an epileptic when we "dine out". Hey maybe we are turning over a new leaf, huh? ya think? please? (pathetic plea to the cosmos)
I just realized I used the word "peeps". I must apologize for my extreme dorkiness in the use of dated urban slang.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
My little Techy
Well, yesterday Carter's first present for his upcoming 2nd birthday arrived in the mail. My girlfriend sent him a portable DVD player to keep him occupied during long car rides and mommy's ob/gyn appointments. :)
So I opened it and needless to say, he is obsessed with it. So much for wrapping it up for his Birthday. Oh well, I doubt he will notice at this age.
This morning he comes up to me with Serious face on and both hands out in front of him, fingers wriggling. This is the sign for Computer and this is what he calls it....or signs it, or whatever. So his fingers are wriggling away and I say, "You want your computer?" (hey, it kinda looks like a mini laptop and it beats him playing with ours)
He responds with, "Meeeeeee!" pointing with both hands to his chest and running in place excitedly. So he shoots off to the kitchen where I have it in it's box for safe keeping....yeah right, and starts dancing and saying "Mine!" like he is very proud. Funny guy.
So now my little multi-tasker is watching a Baby Neptune video on his new "Computer" and Dora the explorer on the big t.v.
So I opened it and needless to say, he is obsessed with it. So much for wrapping it up for his Birthday. Oh well, I doubt he will notice at this age.
This morning he comes up to me with Serious face on and both hands out in front of him, fingers wriggling. This is the sign for Computer and this is what he calls it....or signs it, or whatever. So his fingers are wriggling away and I say, "You want your computer?" (hey, it kinda looks like a mini laptop and it beats him playing with ours)
He responds with, "Meeeeeee!" pointing with both hands to his chest and running in place excitedly. So he shoots off to the kitchen where I have it in it's box for safe keeping....yeah right, and starts dancing and saying "Mine!" like he is very proud. Funny guy.
So now my little multi-tasker is watching a Baby Neptune video on his new "Computer" and Dora the explorer on the big t.v.
Morning Sunshine!
This morning I am lovingly awoken by my son screaming "Up!" in my face and crying....at 6:45, or as I like to say, Pre-Clifford time. (I measure everything in the a.m. by cartoon times) I do not like to get up before Clifford time....it makes me angry and I stomp a lot.
Our usual routine is simple: Carter rolls over sweetly and cuddles with me, gives me a kiss, asks about daddy or then climbs over to him if he's there, gets his cup for the Very Important morning juice, gets the remote so that we can turn on cartoons and then settles down either on daddy's bed or mommy's bed to watch at least 30 minutes of t.v. while mommy wakes up enough to pry her matted head off of the pillow.
I know this routine won't last once the new baby comes but Please, oh Please, not yet.....I need this time. I hate mornings. I hate stumbling out of bed at the crack o' ass. Grrrrrr.
As I sip my cold coffee and do my usual computer thing I look at the clock and realize I have a looooong morning ahead of me.
Sidenote or Endnote or Whatever:
I must explain our bed situation.... We have Mommy's bed (a queen), Daddy's bed (a twin rollaway) and Carter's bed (a toddler size) all crammed in our room. In fact I like to refer to our bedroom as The Hostel. It is just a room of mismatched beds. Abso freakin ridiculous. Carter will occasionally go lay in his bed now that we moved it to our room, but he definitely prefers mommy's...duh. I have no idea where the new baby will sleep.....maybe we will suspend him from the ceiling in some sort of Mayan hammock thing. I doubt the co-sleeper will fit in there at this point......it may be mommy and baby in the guest room, or mommy and baby in the living room with the bassinet. Who the hell knows. I used to be so Well Planned. Hah. Now I am just trying to keep my head above water.
Our usual routine is simple: Carter rolls over sweetly and cuddles with me, gives me a kiss, asks about daddy or then climbs over to him if he's there, gets his cup for the Very Important morning juice, gets the remote so that we can turn on cartoons and then settles down either on daddy's bed or mommy's bed to watch at least 30 minutes of t.v. while mommy wakes up enough to pry her matted head off of the pillow.
I know this routine won't last once the new baby comes but Please, oh Please, not yet.....I need this time. I hate mornings. I hate stumbling out of bed at the crack o' ass. Grrrrrr.
As I sip my cold coffee and do my usual computer thing I look at the clock and realize I have a looooong morning ahead of me.
Sidenote or Endnote or Whatever:
I must explain our bed situation.... We have Mommy's bed (a queen), Daddy's bed (a twin rollaway) and Carter's bed (a toddler size) all crammed in our room. In fact I like to refer to our bedroom as The Hostel. It is just a room of mismatched beds. Abso freakin ridiculous. Carter will occasionally go lay in his bed now that we moved it to our room, but he definitely prefers mommy's...duh. I have no idea where the new baby will sleep.....maybe we will suspend him from the ceiling in some sort of Mayan hammock thing. I doubt the co-sleeper will fit in there at this point......it may be mommy and baby in the guest room, or mommy and baby in the living room with the bassinet. Who the hell knows. I used to be so Well Planned. Hah. Now I am just trying to keep my head above water.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Summer fun
"Bud Fie!", he screams as he runs after the big orange and black butterfly on the beach this morning.
"Dish!", he screams as he points to the waiting-for-treat fish in the lake.
Even though he ran away from my waddly, lard ass like 5 times today, he is still a damn little cutie.
Right now he is cuddled up with his Cocoa Bunny and his Frog blanket friend sleeping off the sun and sand from this morning. My little guy.
"Dish!", he screams as he points to the waiting-for-treat fish in the lake.
Even though he ran away from my waddly, lard ass like 5 times today, he is still a damn little cutie.
Right now he is cuddled up with his Cocoa Bunny and his Frog blanket friend sleeping off the sun and sand from this morning. My little guy.
Screw going green
I do not need anything else to set me off. I am a ticking time bomb of worry and stress. So we had the inlaws staying with us for the weekend (this is a blatant unspoken rule breaker) and I broke a light bulb in Carter's room. No big deal right? Just some challenging inter-family issues and a stupid broken light bulb. No.
First of all, none of you know these inlaws or the drama produced by them and Secondly, it was not just any light bulb. It was an Energy Saver bulb (apparently loaded with mercury) because my husband is trying very hard to be green. Did we know it was dangerous? No. Not until this morning when Kevin hears some news story about them and the EPA findings and I do some online research. Holy hell. Of course now I am convinced that my baby will be born blind, epileptic and unable to function as a normal child because I was the moron who broke the bulb, probably scarfed down all the mercury fumes and then cleaned it up by hand. These are all no-no's according the "Clean up guidelines".
What to do. I will just worry....as usual. And worry. And worry. I can't take it.
Why isn't there danger labels on these stupid things??
I can't really talk about the whole inlaw thing...it's too involved and it stresses me out....but Phew! Thank gawd we have the house to ourselves again....even if it is laden with mercury vapor. (supposedly it would have dissipated within the first hour but I am mental and will always think that it is lingering and slowly poisoning our family)
I don't like those damn bulbs anyway....they're ugly. Screw going green.
First of all, none of you know these inlaws or the drama produced by them and Secondly, it was not just any light bulb. It was an Energy Saver bulb (apparently loaded with mercury) because my husband is trying very hard to be green. Did we know it was dangerous? No. Not until this morning when Kevin hears some news story about them and the EPA findings and I do some online research. Holy hell. Of course now I am convinced that my baby will be born blind, epileptic and unable to function as a normal child because I was the moron who broke the bulb, probably scarfed down all the mercury fumes and then cleaned it up by hand. These are all no-no's according the "Clean up guidelines".
What to do. I will just worry....as usual. And worry. And worry. I can't take it.
Why isn't there danger labels on these stupid things??
I can't really talk about the whole inlaw thing...it's too involved and it stresses me out....but Phew! Thank gawd we have the house to ourselves again....even if it is laden with mercury vapor. (supposedly it would have dissipated within the first hour but I am mental and will always think that it is lingering and slowly poisoning our family)
I don't like those damn bulbs anyway....they're ugly. Screw going green.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Swim lessons, home improvements and flip flops
Bummer. Here I've been telling Carter all morning that we are going for another swim lesson today and really pumping him up....now it's cancelled. So no "Swim like a turtle" this morning. He was so funny yesterday for his first lesson....we mainly let him swim around with his water wings on and "fetch" all the pool toys. He jumped in a few times and went under but did very well. I was so proud of my little swimmer. He does this crazy running-swim-kick kinda like a motor boat. He did suck up quite a bit of water but was okay and didn't cry. I kept on telling him to close his mouth but he would just grit his teeth together and still have his lips open like he was a whale, filtering plankton. So then it was Close your lips! or Say Mmmmm! This worked a bit better. Funny guy.
While we were getting ready this morning a Bee Gee's song came on the radio in his room and he came running into the guest room where I was folding laundry. He was yelling, "Mommma! Mommmma! grunt grunt". He grabbed my hand and dragged me into his room and then started dancing. I guess he needed a partner. There we are, dancing to the Bee Gee's in our bathing suits. Then he channeled his inner Liberaci and started playing his Leap Frog piano thingy and snapping his fingers while I danced (I tried to stop dancing thinking he was done but then he yelled at me to keep it up while he "tickled the ivories").
Anyway, we are still living in chaos while we (really just Kevin) finish painting our den. We put it off when I was pregnant with Carter just because we had already painted every damn surface in this place and were just plain sick of it. Now we really need to get this stuff done before our little mister joins the family. Ugh. The dreaded fixer-upper. Perfect timing too, considering we have different sets of houseguests in the next few days. ;)
Oh well, there is never a good time for home improvement with a toddler in the house....and a useless, waddling pregnant woman offering direction and critique (aka, I irritate my husband because I nitpick about how he does things). Gasp! Me? Never.
I did a bit of pre-xmas shopping last night and just had to get Carter a pair of Teva Flip Flops because they were on sale and he is always stealing other peoples "Pip Pops", as he calls them. You know this child takes after his momma when I come in dangling the flops and saying "I got you a present!" and he begins squealing with glee for his new shoes. I do believe he was jumping up and down and clapping his hands in delight. He has a shoe fetish. He just kept yelling "ON ON ON" until I dropped everything and put them on his little feet. So he was butt naked (we are still dealing with pesky rash issues) and running around in his new flops and doing crazy little high steps and dance moves. I guess he likes them.
While we were getting ready this morning a Bee Gee's song came on the radio in his room and he came running into the guest room where I was folding laundry. He was yelling, "Mommma! Mommmma! grunt grunt". He grabbed my hand and dragged me into his room and then started dancing. I guess he needed a partner. There we are, dancing to the Bee Gee's in our bathing suits. Then he channeled his inner Liberaci and started playing his Leap Frog piano thingy and snapping his fingers while I danced (I tried to stop dancing thinking he was done but then he yelled at me to keep it up while he "tickled the ivories").
Anyway, we are still living in chaos while we (really just Kevin) finish painting our den. We put it off when I was pregnant with Carter just because we had already painted every damn surface in this place and were just plain sick of it. Now we really need to get this stuff done before our little mister joins the family. Ugh. The dreaded fixer-upper. Perfect timing too, considering we have different sets of houseguests in the next few days. ;)
Oh well, there is never a good time for home improvement with a toddler in the house....and a useless, waddling pregnant woman offering direction and critique (aka, I irritate my husband because I nitpick about how he does things). Gasp! Me? Never.
I did a bit of pre-xmas shopping last night and just had to get Carter a pair of Teva Flip Flops because they were on sale and he is always stealing other peoples "Pip Pops", as he calls them. You know this child takes after his momma when I come in dangling the flops and saying "I got you a present!" and he begins squealing with glee for his new shoes. I do believe he was jumping up and down and clapping his hands in delight. He has a shoe fetish. He just kept yelling "ON ON ON" until I dropped everything and put them on his little feet. So he was butt naked (we are still dealing with pesky rash issues) and running around in his new flops and doing crazy little high steps and dance moves. I guess he likes them.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Say What?
This child has invented his own language. I had purposely never used the word "Mine" so I didn't have a kid that screamed "Mine!" and took all the toys away from other kids.....well, that didn't work. The word "Mine" has become the bane of my existence and now he has added to it by saying "NOT Mine!!" when he doesn't want to do something; ie, nap, diaper change or eat dinner (the kid doesn't eat dinner lately, wtf?), or if he is just plain mad.
Me- "You wanna have a snack?"
Him- "Not Mine!"
Me- "Time for night-night! Give daddy a kiss."
Him- "Not Mine!"
Hmmmm. Is this like Not my idea! or Not my choice!
However, I do have to say that his word usage has skyrocketed the last couple of weeks. He likes to say Eat a lot even though he doesn't really eat anymore. He will point to me and say "Eat!" and I will obey.....because I'm always eating these days. He says Cheeeese, Teeeth, Eeeat and he can now count 123 and then it spirals into a free-for-all of numerical orderliness.
Nowadays he will just jibber jabber on and on in his new language and I can catch words here and there but mostly it's just syllables and sounds that actually sorta resemble the english language. I love it. This has got to be my favorite time of his growing up....although the attitude could be lowered slightly please. He can be a little pistol (this is how Kevin and I put it nicely).
And P.S. it took me 2 freakin' hours to get him to sleep last night. Screw this crap. I'm throwing out all those damn books on getting your kid to sleep. They were obviously written for the other 5.9 billion people on this planet.
Me- "You wanna have a snack?"
Him- "Not Mine!"
Me- "Time for night-night! Give daddy a kiss."
Him- "Not Mine!"
Hmmmm. Is this like Not my idea! or Not my choice!
However, I do have to say that his word usage has skyrocketed the last couple of weeks. He likes to say Eat a lot even though he doesn't really eat anymore. He will point to me and say "Eat!" and I will obey.....because I'm always eating these days. He says Cheeeese, Teeeth, Eeeat and he can now count 123 and then it spirals into a free-for-all of numerical orderliness.
Nowadays he will just jibber jabber on and on in his new language and I can catch words here and there but mostly it's just syllables and sounds that actually sorta resemble the english language. I love it. This has got to be my favorite time of his growing up....although the attitude could be lowered slightly please. He can be a little pistol (this is how Kevin and I put it nicely).
And P.S. it took me 2 freakin' hours to get him to sleep last night. Screw this crap. I'm throwing out all those damn books on getting your kid to sleep. They were obviously written for the other 5.9 billion people on this planet.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The ABC's of love
Because I've been such a bad mother and haven't written much about my son's adorableness (this just can't be a word)....here are a few reasons why at the end of the day I am still helplessly in love with him.
A) He dances along with Dora and Boots, the Wiggles and the Backyardigans and he makes me join in. He looks so damn happy and lemme tell ya, he's got some sweet moves. He giggles to himself when he watches Caillou or Clifford.
B) Sometimes, for no reason at all, he runs over to me or his daddy with his arms spread wide and gives us ginormous hugs and kisses. At night time when he kisses daddy goodnight he then directs daddy to kiss mommy and then we have a group hug. I tell ya he is a dictator and we must obey. :)
C) He looks absolutely adorable in big boy undies. What a cute butt! Must have got it from his daddy. teehee.
D) He waits for daddy to get home so he can go "play" in his car and "drive". If daddy doesn't pick him up first thing and take him out there he crosses his arms and thunderclouds cover his face. He has a serious frown. When we are out and about and he is frowning and pouting all the ladies stop to say "Aaaaahhhhhh, he's mad!" like it is the cutest thing they've ever seen.
E) He is shy and hides behind my legs but then will peek around them and smile like he is flirting.
F) He loves to cuddle.
G) He has learned On, Off and Mine....these are his favorite words, of course but now he says stuff like "Not Off!" and "Not Mine!". I don't know why this makes me laugh.
H) He is very proud that he knows some letters and numbers. He likes to tell me "Oooooo" and "Iiiiiii" and "Dooooo" (two) and "Nine".
I) Whenever we are getting ready to go out somewhere he makes sure he gets his "Dooosh" (shoes) and then he will bring you your shoes. Shoes are very important to him....as well as hats. He is an accessory man.
J) He needs to cuddle with one of my neckroll pillows to go to sleep at night....after wrestling with it for about 35 minutes.
K) He needs to play "Pat-a-cake" and sing the ABC song before he lays down for sleepy time.
L) His neck and his inner thighs are his major tickle spots and he giggles like a madman when you get them.
M) Sometimes he wants to wear socks on his hands. Not sure why but I don't argue.
N) He is a picky eater but he consistently loves broccoli and ears of corn and lentil soup with goldfish crackers floating on top.
O) He goes over to the jasmine everyday and picks me a little sprig.
P) He has just learned how to jump with both feet leaving the ground. This makes him extremely excited and sometimes he jumps and lands right on his butt.
Q) He loves to wear daddy's watch on his ankle or his upper arm.
R) He loves to buckle/unbuckle and latch/unlatch things. This will occupy him for at least 10 minutes.
S) He kisses my boo-boo's away just like I kiss his away....ya know what? it really works. :)
T) He silkies my chin, arm and chest when he is tired or falling asleep.
U) After he wakes up he crawls over to daddy (if he hasn't left for work already) and cuddles with him for a little bit....then hands him his sippy cup with water in it from the night before and orders him "Up!" to go replace it with juice....then he will hand me the remote control so I will turn on his morning cartoons, preferabley "Ruff ruff" which means Clifford.
V) He yells at the cat like I do, "Get! get!"
W) When I ask him if he wants this or that his first response is always "Nooo" but then if it is something he really wants or likes it will be "Noooooo-uh huh" while shaking his head and then nodding emphatically....little negative-nelly. He's like "Oh crap! Yeah! I want that Mom! Why didnt' ya say so?"
X) He likes to interact with his books. He does sound effects, answers questions and bites the pictures of food.
Y) The only time he really enjoys being naked is after his bath and before bed as long as he can wear his ducky towel or frog towel on his head the whole time like a cape.
Z) His favorite game is 'Gotch Your Nose'. Sometimes he will steal your nose and put it on his stuffed animals or if you take his nose, he will take your ear "off" and giggle and run away.
We love you bubba bear.
A) He dances along with Dora and Boots, the Wiggles and the Backyardigans and he makes me join in. He looks so damn happy and lemme tell ya, he's got some sweet moves. He giggles to himself when he watches Caillou or Clifford.
B) Sometimes, for no reason at all, he runs over to me or his daddy with his arms spread wide and gives us ginormous hugs and kisses. At night time when he kisses daddy goodnight he then directs daddy to kiss mommy and then we have a group hug. I tell ya he is a dictator and we must obey. :)
C) He looks absolutely adorable in big boy undies. What a cute butt! Must have got it from his daddy. teehee.
D) He waits for daddy to get home so he can go "play" in his car and "drive". If daddy doesn't pick him up first thing and take him out there he crosses his arms and thunderclouds cover his face. He has a serious frown. When we are out and about and he is frowning and pouting all the ladies stop to say "Aaaaahhhhhh, he's mad!" like it is the cutest thing they've ever seen.
E) He is shy and hides behind my legs but then will peek around them and smile like he is flirting.
F) He loves to cuddle.
G) He has learned On, Off and Mine....these are his favorite words, of course but now he says stuff like "Not Off!" and "Not Mine!". I don't know why this makes me laugh.
H) He is very proud that he knows some letters and numbers. He likes to tell me "Oooooo" and "Iiiiiii" and "Dooooo" (two) and "Nine".
I) Whenever we are getting ready to go out somewhere he makes sure he gets his "Dooosh" (shoes) and then he will bring you your shoes. Shoes are very important to him....as well as hats. He is an accessory man.
J) He needs to cuddle with one of my neckroll pillows to go to sleep at night....after wrestling with it for about 35 minutes.
K) He needs to play "Pat-a-cake" and sing the ABC song before he lays down for sleepy time.
L) His neck and his inner thighs are his major tickle spots and he giggles like a madman when you get them.
M) Sometimes he wants to wear socks on his hands. Not sure why but I don't argue.
N) He is a picky eater but he consistently loves broccoli and ears of corn and lentil soup with goldfish crackers floating on top.
O) He goes over to the jasmine everyday and picks me a little sprig.
P) He has just learned how to jump with both feet leaving the ground. This makes him extremely excited and sometimes he jumps and lands right on his butt.
Q) He loves to wear daddy's watch on his ankle or his upper arm.
R) He loves to buckle/unbuckle and latch/unlatch things. This will occupy him for at least 10 minutes.
S) He kisses my boo-boo's away just like I kiss his away....ya know what? it really works. :)
T) He silkies my chin, arm and chest when he is tired or falling asleep.
U) After he wakes up he crawls over to daddy (if he hasn't left for work already) and cuddles with him for a little bit....then hands him his sippy cup with water in it from the night before and orders him "Up!" to go replace it with juice....then he will hand me the remote control so I will turn on his morning cartoons, preferabley "Ruff ruff" which means Clifford.
V) He yells at the cat like I do, "Get! get!"
W) When I ask him if he wants this or that his first response is always "Nooo" but then if it is something he really wants or likes it will be "Noooooo-uh huh" while shaking his head and then nodding emphatically....little negative-nelly. He's like "Oh crap! Yeah! I want that Mom! Why didnt' ya say so?"
X) He likes to interact with his books. He does sound effects, answers questions and bites the pictures of food.
Y) The only time he really enjoys being naked is after his bath and before bed as long as he can wear his ducky towel or frog towel on his head the whole time like a cape.
Z) His favorite game is 'Gotch Your Nose'. Sometimes he will steal your nose and put it on his stuffed animals or if you take his nose, he will take your ear "off" and giggle and run away.
We love you bubba bear.
My loss of control
So I know I've said repeatedly that I can't take him anywhere....well, I just keep trying. I figured with Kevin's help we'd have it all under control but, NO. I had a doctors appt this morning and Kevin stayed with us for the 1st 45 minutes then had to get to work. The 2nd 45 minutes were rough but manageable since he had already burned off some energy running away from his father. From now on, we will have to get a babysitter, I think.
Fast forward to this evening. We have barely any food in the fridge so the plan is; meet husband for dinner at my fave pizza place in between his work and Sam's Club where we desperately need to get some things.
Sam's is a disaster. I get head butted in the face and kicked repeatedly in the stomach. Kevin is gritting his teeth and trying to rationalize with our screaming child....we are obviously losing this round, huh. He just wouldn't understand that the playsets they have set up are just to look at...I mean they are 12 feet above the ground and he is clawing at the platforms and screaming for "Siiiiiiide!". Good thing we drove seperately because I carried Carter out to the car kicking and screaming bloody murder while Kevin finished the list. I must admit I had some tears on the ride home because I really don't know what to do about it all. Call the Super Nanny?? Hmmmm.
Now, I have given up my grocery shopping duties to my husband as I prepared another list for the normal grocery store. Do any of you understand the loss of control I am experiencing? :) I mean grocery shopping is a tricky business when you are sticking to a tight budget and I'm the one who knows who eats what and when and how much.
Weird that I am this tied to my grocery duties.
Fast forward to this evening. We have barely any food in the fridge so the plan is; meet husband for dinner at my fave pizza place in between his work and Sam's Club where we desperately need to get some things.
Sam's is a disaster. I get head butted in the face and kicked repeatedly in the stomach. Kevin is gritting his teeth and trying to rationalize with our screaming child....we are obviously losing this round, huh. He just wouldn't understand that the playsets they have set up are just to look at...I mean they are 12 feet above the ground and he is clawing at the platforms and screaming for "Siiiiiiide!". Good thing we drove seperately because I carried Carter out to the car kicking and screaming bloody murder while Kevin finished the list. I must admit I had some tears on the ride home because I really don't know what to do about it all. Call the Super Nanny?? Hmmmm.
Now, I have given up my grocery shopping duties to my husband as I prepared another list for the normal grocery store. Do any of you understand the loss of control I am experiencing? :) I mean grocery shopping is a tricky business when you are sticking to a tight budget and I'm the one who knows who eats what and when and how much.
Weird that I am this tied to my grocery duties.
Two sided motherhood
I am a Stay at Home Mom; or a SAHM. I'm a Housewife or a Homemaker. I "work" from home. I like Martha Stewart and I own a couple of Betty Crocker cookbooks. I drive a mini-van and I carry snacks and juiceboxes with me on outings. I wear flip-flops and tank tops or t-shirts. I got my hair cut short because it's "easier to manage" (although I think I look much better with it shorter anyway). I get a kick out of reorganization and I stress about my grocery bill. This is just my life.
So when I run into friends or acquaintances who are working moms (as in they go to a job everyday in the morning and return in the evenings and they get paid for this) there is always an obvious difference in our lives that may or may not affect the conversation. I must point out that usually these women have make-up on, nice business-y clothes, heels and an actual "hairstyle"...also, they are minus their child. I am usually tousled, flushed from chasing my little crazy man, toenails chipped, flip-flops encrusted with mud and/or grass clippings (oops!) and my eyes are nervously darting back and forth as I try to focus on talking and watching my toddler.
Sometimes I'll get the "Oh, you don't work?" or "You stay at home all day?". These sound like innocuous statements/questions but they have a different ring to them when asked by certain people. I just think that it is strange how being a mother can be the same for us all in one way but yet be sooooo very different for us in another.
We just make different choices and I don't regret mine for one second.
So when I run into friends or acquaintances who are working moms (as in they go to a job everyday in the morning and return in the evenings and they get paid for this) there is always an obvious difference in our lives that may or may not affect the conversation. I must point out that usually these women have make-up on, nice business-y clothes, heels and an actual "hairstyle"...also, they are minus their child. I am usually tousled, flushed from chasing my little crazy man, toenails chipped, flip-flops encrusted with mud and/or grass clippings (oops!) and my eyes are nervously darting back and forth as I try to focus on talking and watching my toddler.
Sometimes I'll get the "Oh, you don't work?" or "You stay at home all day?". These sound like innocuous statements/questions but they have a different ring to them when asked by certain people. I just think that it is strange how being a mother can be the same for us all in one way but yet be sooooo very different for us in another.
We just make different choices and I don't regret mine for one second.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
