A Day in the Life of a Mom

As a mom sometimes days run into each other. A long, hard day velcros itself to an even longer, sleepless night. Back to back without a reprieve. The other night thunderstorms had Truvy restless and noisy. From 12:30 p.m. til 2:30 a.m. she rang her bells to go out, circled her bed, clicked her nails on our wood floors as she paced from room to room. I called her to bed. I commanded her to "go lay down".I even brought out the heavy...the pink, polka dotted jacket that she loathes to wear, but it often calms her as a thunder jacket might.
None of these things worked. In the end I found myself standing in the rain with weighted lids at nearly 3 am. At 5:30 a.m. Steve's alarm went off. I dozed for a few minutes before rising with him. I kissed him out the door at 6, then turned to Truvy who seemed bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to face the day.
 "Do you want to wake the kids?" But, before I got to the end of my question, she was already sitting outside Natalie's bedroom door. She was ready to get their day started. The morning was fraught with anticipation and a little anxiety on Nat's part. She was getting her braces off and was worried it would hurt or she'd gag while they took impressions to create her retainer.
Once we had successfully coaxed Truvy into the crate, we headed out the door at 7:15 a.m. to pick up our carpool, drop her off at school and then head to the orthodontist for an 8:30 a.m. appointment for both kids. An hour later we emerged from the office with one kid in braces and one without! Woo hoo! Back on the road I headed to Town & Country to drop Noah off at school then drove back to Webster Groves to drop Nat at her school. It was now almost 10 a.m. I returned home, released the beast and took advantage of the reprieve from rain. I walked the dog til 11 a.m then carried her to the car (as she is still less than enthusiastic about car rides) to take her to the vet for a flu shot. Once we returned home I tried unsuccessfully to load her back into the crate. At 12 noon I was back on the road again with my fluffy sidekick. This time we were headed back to Town & Country to pick Noah up from school at 12:30 as he had a half day. After dropping off our carpool Truvy dog began barfing in the backseat. It wasn't pretty-- the volume produced was actually quite epic especially since it was 1 p.m. and she hadn't eaten since 6 a.m. I pulled up to the house -- hosed out the car, hosed off the dog, hosed off myself then drove to McD's because I had promised to take Noah out to lunch. As I turned into the drive through I realized I could no longer ignore the searing headache -- a vice pressing on either side of my temples. I returned home -- apparently Mother of the Year to my son who loves cheeseburgers almost as much as he loves Star Wars. I took a shower and put myself to bed. It was now nearly 3 p.m. At 3:30 p.m. I was bolted from sleep as Truvy greeted Natalie with a hearty welcome and Nat made a beeline for my room.
"Mom, my permanent retainer fell out today at lunch."
Then Noah suddenly appeared and although it had been less than two hours since he ate lunch..."Mom, what's for dinner?"
This account is typical for me and likely commonplace for many moms.

I'm happy to report that today -- this Mother's Day I didn't have many to do's on my docket and bickering between the kids was mild. Noah made me a card and sang karaoke -- Elton John's "I'm Still Standing". How apropos. Natalie made me a card, a "chore voucher" and a worry pin (complete with a clothesline to hang it on). Steve played it safe and expressed his love with Kakao's chocolate caramels.  He's a smart man.
To all the strong women out there caring, cooking, cleaning and keeping their children from killing one another  -- Happy Mother's Day to you!

Wipeout

Ever have a Friday that ends up feeling more like a Monday? 

Yesterday, I began the morning by burning the last two remaining slices of bacon for Noah's breakfast.  Yup, that's right, the kid who once only preferred Star Wars smells, now not only likes, but thanks God for processed pork during our dinnertime prayers.  Somehow I was able to convince him that it was just extra crispy.  After getting him off to camp, I was then left to deal with the rats nest of tangles that make a home atop Natalie's head every morning -- no matter how much conditioner, detangler and leave-in tonic I apply the night before.  I've been trying to convince her to cut her waist-length mane, but her reply is always the same, "No, I want to be like Tangled."  Indeed.  

Natalie's camp was meeting at our community pool, or so I thought.  We arrived to find the place deserted. Darn it.  

"Natalie, I thought you said they were meeting at the pool?"  

"Oh!  That's right.  We're meeting at camp.  Today is red day, I need to wear a red shirt," said the girl with a wardrobe of pink and purple.  

"Natalie, I don't think you own anything red." I replied.  

"I know!  I'll wear Noah's Cardinal shirt," announced Natalie. 

So, we drove back home, and got her changed into Noah's shirt and cinched it with a scrunchie so that she didn't look as though she were pant-less. We got back in the car and drove to the park.  Immediately I could see the place was packed with kids running around.  I started to breathe a sigh of relief, until I noticed that all of them were wearing swimsuits!  What the heck?  

"Natalie, I thought you said today was red day?"  

"Oh, wait!  That was Thursday!  The day I missed," she explained.  
 
When I couldn't find Natalie's group, I asked some of the kids milling about the playground what they had planned for the day.  I learned they were having a water play day and would be sliding down a big, hand-made slip n'slide. 

Fantastic.

Natalie and I once again got back into the car and drove home to change.  Talk about your deja vu! After helping her into her suit, we headed off once again to find her group.  We were told we would find them at the "big hill" next to the city center.  When we'd reached our final destination Natalie announced, "I'm a late mess!" My feelings exactly.  Thankfully, my boss was understanding and even with the morning's obstacle course of events, I was only 20 minutes late. Hmmm...maybe I should consider training for ABC's show, "Wipeout".

Mother's Day Recap

Big butt or not...I had a fantastic Mother's Day.  For breakfast, Steve cooked and served us all crepes stuffed with strawberries and chocolate chips.  And, the best part?   He cleaned up his creative mess all by himself.

Any good mom worth her weight in...Peanut M&M's will agree with me -- homemade gifts trump store-bought gifts every time.  I only have to look at my own two, adorable homemade creations to know they are the best Mother's Day gifts I could ever receive.

Here's a look at some of the handcrafted gifts my two munchkins presented to me this year...Does that make them homemade gifts squared?

Noah gave me this "Best Mom" book. Since he absolutely struggles with fine motor skills - just him coloring the cover is a testament to how much he loves his Mom.

My favorite part - "especially nice to Tigger"...since our cat lives in the basement I'm not sure what that says about me.

 A drawing from Noah of the two of us sitting at the kitchen table...probably because that kid is hungry all the time. I think he must be part Hobbit because an hour after eating breakfast, he's ready for his second breakfast.    Natalie picked up on it and once asked me if I was a restaurant.

I wonder if "affording things" has anything to do with him wanting a certain $150 Lego set.

Chicken nuggets? "I didn't know what to say," he says.

 A drawing from Natalie of the two of us holding hands. I'm the one with the pointy butt...Is that better than a big butt? 

Motherhood Is

Happy Mother’s Day Weekend!

Yes, you read that right – WEEKEND.  Mother’s Day has officially been extended to include three days and two nights of… foot-resting and bonbon eating.  I’ve heard they’ve even passed a law making it illegal for Moms to lift a finger during this time.

I don’t know about you, but my weekend is off to an amazing start.  My 5 year old daughter just announced, “Mom, you’ve got a big butt.”  This was followed by, “Why do you have a big butt?”  I don’t know.  I think the bigger question is why did I teach my kids to speak?

Below is a poem I wrote last month for a contest Stephanie Nielson, author of “Heaven Is Here”, was running on her blog.  She is an amazing lady and a survivor of a near-death, plane crash in which 80% of her body was burned. Visit her blog here.

Motherhood is…         

The moment the plus sign appears
I’m positively thrilled to get the job
Putting all my dreams into one basket
A being small enough to live comfortably on the end of a pin
has already taken over all the space in my heart.
The first time I laid eyes on your water-logged skin
I’m struck with ignorance and awe
Where did you come from?
A crimson-faced squeal
My world has grown to fit perfectly into the palm of my hand
You take in air without me now
While I imagine I no longer can without you
At the forefront; a tether of primal needs
Diurnal living replaced with nocturnal survival
I’d trade in my Honda for eight hours of uninterrupted zzz’s
As you outgrow your onsies and toddle into your two’sies;
The real marathon begins
A tot tornado has touched down in the living room
De-shelved books, Crayola décor
I follow the trail of toilet paper that snakes through the house
The pint-sized pillager apprehended and sentenced to time out
As your vocabulary grows, so does your will
Dinner time, bath time and toilet time become our battlegrounds
Sharing my belief that green beans are really just green french fries is futile
Potty parties, treasure chests, a new car!
Instead, you prefer plastic and polymer crystals
Soon you are ready for preschool
Your circle expands to include teachers and friends
Gratefully, I still hold a place in your ring.
And, I don’t mind wearing Blue Light specials so you may arabesque in Twinkle Toes.
Most days your speech is dominated by questions
An average of 473 a day
Why is the sky blue?
How did that baby get inside her tummy?
What does it feel like to be awesome?
In a blink, you no longer need help tying your shoes
Reading and telling time are no longer a mystery
As you enter the halls of junior high
I must remain in my car
Parental PDA could send you to the ER
You assure me your homework is finished
My words go in one ear and deafly soar out to a galaxy far far away
Questions are few now
It seems you have all the answers
Your world is quite crowded.
There’s only room enough for my baby toe to fit
I pray I filled your well deep enough;
that you won’t accept contaminated resources from those seeking to drain your pool.
I look forward to the day when I’m no longer dumb
While I wait, I learn to cha cha and how to speak Chinese
The phone rings and I discover;
my IQ now ranks genius
The caller has but one question for me
Mom, can you babysit?