Mother's Day Wrap Up 2014

Mother's Day weekend was filled with lots surprises...most of them good, but some just left me feeling all wet...literally.  On Friday, when I turned on the bathroom faucet, it broke off in my hand at full blast. I tried unsuccessfully to turn off the water beneath the sink and in the process dropped my phone into the geyser.  Natalie, who had been home sick, watched in horror as the water continued to gush and pour down into the basement. Unable to reach Steve, I tried to follow the water lines that snaked through our 85 year old basement, in hopes of shutting off the main.  In the end, I enlisted help from a neighbor and together we were able to stop the flow.

This year marked my 11th Mother's Day and if gifts followed traditional wedding anniversary gifts, I should have received steel...which I did in the form of a brand new stainless steel faucet. 

Things could only get better, right?

Saturday was a steamy 85, but the sun was just what I needed to brighten my day.  The kids' school was hosting a family picnic complete with carnival games, cotton candy and a dunking booth.  Natalie and I ran the Angry Birds game for awhile before trying out some of the games ourselves.  Next, we headed to Miriam School for their new student picnic as Noah will be transferring there in the Fall. We feasted on hot dogs, potato chips and Ted Drewes under canopies set up on the school playground.  We played more games and I marveled at how quickly my two could jostle the contents of their lunch without worry as they jumped and whooped it up in the bounce house.

 

Natalie ready to run the show

The Techno Bubble Bus was a hit at the Miriam party.

Sunday I woke up to Natalie whispering, "Happy Mother's Day," in my ear. This was followed by "I'm going to talk to Noah about not having any tantrums today."

As I entered the kitchen I found Steve making crepes stuffed with strawberries, chocolate and whipped cream. 

I could get used to this.

For my special day, I just wanted to spend it outside with my family.  We loaded up the kids' scooters and headed to a portion of Grant's Trail that we had never been -- Backstoppers Park.  It was a short ride to Sappington House and the kids were happy to find another StL250 cake and explore the area.   Once we'd seen all we could see, we headed back to the car and stopped in at Culver's for lunch.

Enjoying the ride along Grant's trail.

Cake time!

Skipping stones at Sappington House

Sappington House gardens

Beside the trail the kids stopped in for a spin.

Culver's offered free, two scoop sundaes to all moms on Mother's Day.

For our final destination, we took the kids to a place we had never been - Myseum.  A uniquely interactive play center that is part indoor playground, part science center.  Located in Town and Country in the Lamp and Lantern Shopping Center, we had the place practically to ourselves.  We spent the afternoon cheering as the kids sailed down the radar slide that flashed their M.P.H and worked together to build and direct the path of a ball down a magnetic wall.  We pretended to dig up fossils in the dino area and made a lot of noise trying out a myriad of instruments including; a whale drum, laser harp and a wrenchaphone.

You could say we ended things on a high note.

 

An interactive video system fuses science and art.
Here Natalie breaks apart the pieces on the screen using a foam tube.

Working on the magnetic wall.

Why pretend to be a zoo keeper when you can be a zoo animal?

Noah experiments with teeny tiny magnets.

Noah in LEGO heaven.

Happy Muver's Day 2013

"Happy Muver's Day!" Natalie cheered as I entered the kitchen.  She and Steve were in the middle of making crepes.  "I cracked the eggs!" she proudly shared.  

Natalie also set the table and made sure to include a bit of color to the arrangement by placing a single, red German (as Noah called it...better known as a Geranium) in the middle of the table. Both kids gave me cards they had made at school.  When Noah handed me his, he said, "I didn't have time to glue the paper to the card so I just set it inside it.  You can glue it in yourself because you like doing that kind of thing, right?" On the inside of his card was a "Mom checklist". Noah told me he read through all of the items and only checked off the ones he was sure about.  

One of the hallmarks of kids on the spectrum is extreme anxiety.  In school and at home, Noah will often hide skills he has gained until he is 110% sure he can perform the tasks perfectly.  He and other kids like him also crave absolutes...and prefer everything to be black and white. Which explains why when faced with the "checklist" he only marked off the things he was confident I was ALL of the time -- loving and kind...I'll take it.

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?