1. Often misinterpreted as a bad characteristic, crazy is used to describe people that are random, hyper, creative, and flat out fun to hang with.(adj.)
We also took our first trip to Urgent Care. Met the new soon to be in-laws. Stayed up too late. Woke up too early. My faithful and die-hard blog reader finally met Scrunch and Porkchop in person and discovered that oh, yes she really does have that much personality.
And the highlight of the trip?
Scrunch finally got to meet her "Ez-zah-wa!" She likes him more than popcorn, more than Gwen, and sometimes more than Mommy.
I will be gathering up the pictures over the next few days. In the mean time, this is my reminder. There's also a menu that went with each event. Oh, did we ever eat!
I am in the camp of those who feel that if you're already blasting Christmas music you need to get a hobby. Trust me, if you had more hobbies you would know that IT'S NOT TIME FOR CHRISTMAS! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR IT TO BE TIME FOR CHRISTMAS! But then again I have an Elton John station on my Pandora list. What do I know?
Oh, I take that back. I could listen to a good rendition of 'Oh, Holy Night' just about any time of the year. These guys can even come sing it at my birthday party.
Try as I might, even I am not strong willed enough to resist the gravitational pull of the Christmas Craziness. So I've started my lists and I'm checking them twice...
To Do Before I Leave Town Next Week
Finish the computer armoire
Finish painting the end tables and hutch
Clean out the fridge so I can put the bulbs in
Make the Pilgrim, Indian, and Turkey hats for the kids
Wrap presents for the exchange
December 3rd Deadline
Sew up these stockings.
Tree up and lights on the windows
Mail out of town packages
Mail Christmas cards
Plant winter garden
Before Christmas
Caramel Apples
Make the tree ornaments
Finish the collage wall in dining room
Sew dining room curtains
Begin craft room overhaul
Kids' Christmas List
Finish the train table
Order the trains
Sew capes, masks, dino tails, and crowns
Order Scrunch's book
Buy Porkchop's jammies Needle felt the frog
Knit the turtle
Come to grips with the fact that as much as I love handmade, natural toys, Scrunch really, really, REALLY wants Santa to bring her a pretty pink hermit crab with polka dots.
Cave and give Santa the go ahead on the cheap, made in China, plastic crab with itty-bitty pieces that I will loathe, but will keep the belief in Santa living in a child's heart forever.
Wrap it up and call it good.
Monday, November 14, 2011
A wise man passed along some words of wisdom through a friend.
"A woman has one of two problems in this life. She either has children, or she doesn't."
And Boy! Ain't that the truth!
In the same week that Porkchop had the stomach flu, an ear infection, and teething right into his cleft, I started working from home. Both a blessing and curse. I wanted to flip out. And blog. I could tell you a story or two about my vericose hooha veins and lack of sleep, but I also finished listening to The Dovekeepers that week and was reminded (as I folded my laundry while these women crossed the Dead Sea) that I could have it so much worse. That my life is easy.
I know I'm not the only mom among my friends who walks the line between "keeping it real" and constantly moaning and kavetching over the little realities of life. I am still baffled by the amount of my capacities that are consumed by cleaning up poop. Who knew there would be so much poop?!
Over the weekend I learned of the passing of two acquaintance's children, one at twenty weeks and the other four years old. I felt sick and wanted to cry. Both for their loss but also because I was a beast trying to get ready for church on Sunday morning to the extent that my sister reminded me it actually was a rarity for even tigers to eat their young. I cried for their loss, but also in guilt for my ingratitude.
As I sat in Relief Society I felt it hit home. The universal truth. This life is a preparatory state where we are called to endure trials at different times and of different magnitudes so that we may learn those things that will be essential to our salvation. Who knew that the summation of these trials as a woman would fall into one of two categories. You either have children, or you don't.
Friday, November 11, 2011
I remember watching Barney as a kid.
OK, I admit it. I watched part of it last week.
And I still remember some of the songs!
"Sally, the camel, has two humps! And two chins!" "Sally, the camel, has two humps! And two chins!" "Sally, the camel, has two humps. And two chins!" "So ride, Sally. Ride. Boom, boom!"
My prayers of late have been that my mind might be clear. That I might be able to focus.
(Yes, Annelle. I pray.)
The "no one is talking to me right now" "no one is crying" "no one is asking me why? or what will happen?" or "what's the guy in the check out lane's name?" moments are few. And when I get them I want to zone out and do something fun like Google Christmas present ideas and blog surf. Or do nothing.
Instead, I bargain with myself over my free time. If I work for an hour or read a chapter, then I can wishlist on Amazon. And I am very generous with myself. I even let myself eat too much Halloween candy for breakfast. Definitely too generous as I'm not as far along on my History class as I would like, but my Christmas shopping is almost done. It is easier (and more rewarding) to work and get paid for an hour than it is to write an essay on how Greek thought influenced our Puritan founders.
As the months get closer to my self-imposed deadlines, I am getting smarter. If it is quiet, get to work. This is how I learned my lesson...
As we drove to Church I thought I might write part of my essay in my head. Then Scrunch broke into my thoughts.
"Mom, are you pumping?"
"No. I'm not pumping."
"Why is it quiet then?"
"Mommy's thinking."
"How come you don't pump any more?"
"Uh. huh."
"Mom! Why don't you pump?"
"Porkchop doesn't need the milk from my body anymore."
"Oh. Cuz he drinks regular milk."
"Uh. huh."
"Yep. He drinks regular milk."
"Uh. huh."
"So, did the milk man's move out of your nipples?"
"Huh. What?"
"DID THE MILK MAN'S MOVE OUT OF YOUR NIPPLES?!?"
And so, you see, without my prayers I haven't got a snowballs chance in Hell in writing an intelligible essay.
Sometimes we get dressed in something besides our paint scrubs and go places. I don't know what the point was. At least the paint scrubs are comfy.
Occasionally, we kick it up a notch and put on tights. I would have done my hair, but I worked that day. I don't get fancy for the sickos. Hair and tights are reserved for Sundays.
Scrunch's favorite outing was to see Beauty and the Beast. The look on her face while watching was the reason I wanted kids. She was just so happy.
"What did you do today?"
"I played, and played, and played, and went to a play."
A new dishwasher led to new countertops. New countertops to the backsplash (my idea), the new backsplash to painting the island. Ahem, my idea again. Painting the island to the butcherblock. What's that? Another one of my ideas?
What I'm trying to figure out is why they are still giving me a hard time about re-hanging the wallpaper, finishing the living and dining room painting, and making two Craigslist pickups in a single weekend. Just because my version of simplifying my life includes working more hours, from home. I needed an office space.
Sometimes, some of my half baked ideas work out. Obviously. I have a track record. There was that one time... butcher block was brilliant.
I don't have any pictures of my parent's update. But I liked it so well, it's what I'm hoping I get for my next birthday. That's why I suggested it. I wanted to see if it would work before I took a sledge hammer to my own kitchen island. My husband is very tolerant of my painting anything I want, but he is a little leery of me with a sledgehammer. And who can blame him, really?
I love it because...well, it's Halloween. You can decorate with purple glitter.
I hate it because...well, let's just say no Mother invented Trick or Treating.
Still, it has it's benefits. The high fructose corn syrup and artificial food coloring has done wonders for Porkchop's vocabulary. In the last week he's picked up "Pleeeeeease!" and "Tank-ou!" consistently, "Treat," and "Cupcake."
