Running on pie

July 3, 2012Leave a comment

As I ran my same jogging course on Monday morning, I received a much-needed out-of-the-ordinary gem from NPR’s Allison Aubrey. Aubrey hosted a segment on pie-making. And although I do not have fond memories of my grandmother or my mom making homemade pies, it brought up a rush of good emotions as I continued down my jogging path. Aubrey’s description of getting the pie crust just right – not kneading it and keeping little balls throughout it – made me yearn to travel to New York and take a class. I appreciated the way that she intertwined her mother with her story of making a perfect pie.

Like Aubrey, I don’t have memories of my mom slaving in the kitchen over a magnificent pie (she did make a heck of a peanut butter coconut ball though!). But I do have memories of my father’s cherry pies. I don’t remember him slaving away in the kitchen, however; I just have memories of eating delicious homemade cherry pie with him and my mom. I remember helping pick cherries from our cherry tree out back, and suffering a nasty bee sting when I decided not to wear shoes one day. But those pies were well worth it – dripping in cherry goo and always having a slight burnt edge around them. Perfect crispiness.

Food creates memories, and I associate my dad’s cherry pies with childhood summers full of running around outside and hanging with friends and walking the neighborhood. Coincidentally, my husband likely associates his grandmother’s homemade pumpkin pies with exciting summers in Marietta. His grandma made a mean pumpkin pie back in the day that Jon always raves about when we buy pumpkin pie during Fall. “Nothing beats my grandma’s pumpkin pie” he always tells me. My mother-in-law also bakes a stupendous homemade pumpkin pie, and it is by far the best I have ever tasted (I didn’t get to meet Jon’s grandma before she passed). Patty learned how to make her pie from her mother. Indeed, so many of the recipes that Patty has she received from her mom, and you can feel the love in the room when Patty talks about her mom and her cooking.

When the segment wrapped up with Aubrey’s daughter and mother in the kitchen tasting Aubrey’s blueberry pie, I resolved that I would begin a baking tradition with Maria and Mario. I love how those resolutions wash over me so quickly and resolutely while I am out in the open air free from all constraints and time lines and chores. “Maybe I will even sign up for a class with M&M and Jon or my mom or dad or stepmom or mother-in-law. The ideas were flowing.

Then I got home and realized I was late for a meeting. I ran upstairs to shower and get dressed. Mario had Maria in a head lock and Maria was smacking his head. When I came downstairs to leave, milk laid all over the table and cereal remnants were across the floor. A pack of goldfish were torn apart and chocolate sauce stuck to the counter. I asked them why everything was a mess.

“We wanted to make breakfast ourselves, mom, so you didn’t need to be bothered.” And then I looked down and saw a bowl with a bright beaming yellow glob laying in it. Maria surprised me with microwaved eggs. She had broken two eggs into a bowl and stuck them in the microwave for a minute and a half. She fed me a bite and asked how they were.

“Delicious!” I told her. She looked at Mario and gave him a high-five.

And so, my cooking ventures may start out slow and different than planned, but we will get there…eventually!

Partyin’ in Kentucky

June 30, 2012Leave a comment

Mario lived his dream of being a superstar last night. He danced all by himself on the dance floor with the entire wedding party and guests watching and cheering his every move. The DJ asked me Mario’s name and I told him. He went back to his stand and yelled in the microphone “Let’s hear it for Mario!” Mario turned to me in disbelief. He was charged!

The DJ challenged the guests to a dance-off with Mario and this gorgeous southern belle took him on. She kicked and punched the air like Mario, did the robot like him, and jiggled her hips. But he pulled out a cartwheel on her and she gave up and bowed down to him.

“Did I win, mom?” he asked me later in the evening. The kid never fails to find competition.

Maria, meanwhile was persevering through pain. She wore “high heels” with her dress and they were killing her feet (like all heels do!). I kept telling her to take them off but she’d reply “mom, it’s a wedding and I’m in a dress; I can’t take off my heels.” She certainly doesn’t take after her mom who wears gym shoes with her dress! It scares me that she was willing to deal with the pain of heels in order to remain in high fashion – god help us.

We also got in some quality hotel pool and hot tub time – Maria stood on Peepaw’s shoulders in the pool and Mario acted like a fighting superhero in the hot tub jumping from side to side with his fist outstretched. We also got our money’s worth at the breakfast buffet filling up on waffles, eggs, sausage and fruit loops. Massive carbs – just what I needed for a four hour drive home.

We stopped over at Aunt Kathy’s condo before we headed home – Maria got to see the married couple before they took off to Jamaica (she’s still blushing over Miles’ comment that he’d save her a dance at the reception ( when he asked her later she was too embarrassed)). Kathy had Krispy Kreme donuts and chick-a-filet sandwiches – who can resist that action?! I felt like I was in a coma after taking those down and would have paid top dollar for a chauffeured ride home.

But thank goodness for five-hour energy drinks – I was back to normal in no time flying up I-71 to Columbus and listening to M&M interchange between begging to go back to the hotel and ask ing how much longer to home every ten minutes. I knew I should have gotten some Advil with my five-hour energy drink.

Music on the lawn and laughter in the air

June 13, 2012June 13, 2012Leave a comment

The soul is healed by being with children.~English Proverb

I walked in the back door last night and M&M darted through the kitchen to see me. A day full of irritations and squabbles at work evaporated into the evening air as I rolled around on the living room floor tickling them. Just hearing their loud, raucous laughter made the entire day worthwhile.

Jon cooked for the third day in a row! We were treated like royalty eating seasoned grilled pork, corn on the cob and beans. I am loving Jon’s cooking revival – both for the delicious food and for the family time together at the table.

Our after dinner treat landed us at Music on the Lawn at the library. Latin creole music and cupcakes and a cool breeze… it doesn’t get any better. Mario gathered up his change Jon has given him this weekend and placed it tightly in his pocket. He had more than enough to get two cupcakes. When we told him this, he approached Maria, tapped her side, and announced “Ria, I am going to treat you to a cupcake!” Maria turned to him and squeezed her arms around him: “thank you little buddy!” He smiled with pride. Sure enough, as soon as we pulled up to the library, Mario ran to the cupcake table and ordered two of them. He beamed as he took out his change and handed it to the boy scout.

After eating the cupcakes in five seconds flat, Maria went to the parking lot across the street and rode her bike with her girlfriends. Mario and I went to dance to the music. I sat on the lawn while Mario stood amongst the other kids jumping around the lawn and waving his arms. I love the complete lack of concern and inhibition in him. He just moves to his own beat. He decided the band was so good that he needed to tip them. After the lead singer came down to sing to the kids, Mario tapped his back side and put a dime in his hand. The singer chuckled and thanked him kindly. Mario beamed again.

We headed over to Maria’s friend’s house and sat with them for a bit after the show. The kids ate popcorn and played on our phones while we chatted about work and exercise and the gardening. On the way home, Maria slowed down her bike so Mario and I could catch up in the stroller.

“Hi, little buddy!” she remarked to Mario.
“Hi Ri!” he replied.
They both smiled at each other and then Maria biked ahead toward the house while Mario and I searched for squirrels in the yards.

Partyin’ with potato salad

June 11, 20122 Comments

Jon took over the kitchen Sunday morning; there was no stopping the man. When Mario and I got home from our run, we found him hunched over peeling potatoes into a glass bowl. He had spices out, jars open, and utensils scattered. It was quite a breath-taking (and rather attractive) sight. Patty gave him the recipes to her potato salad and her baked beans, and he would not let anyone else see them or work on them. Once he decides to cook, everyone else must scatter away from his kitchen space. After tasting his potato salad, I am happy to give him all the space he needs. He is a heck of a cook. That is how he wowed me when we were dating – he’d bring me soup while I studied for the bar.

Maria and Mario and I cleaned rooms and the kitchen, and got ready for Gracie to come over. Maria loves to babysit that girl but Maria is a tough bird. Gracie does something bad and Maria says “Grace Ann Wells! You should not do that!” She is everything I am not! Discipline, structure…. god help her children. Grace arrived at 1 pm, and yelled “Aunt Mary!” She was glued to my hip the rest of the day except when she took a two-hour nap in the middle of the afternoon. Maria read her The Fly Guy before her nap and when we all left the room, she babbled for fifteen minutes and then fell asleep. That is a foreign occurrence for Jon and me. We would have to rock M&M to sleep, rub their backs for 20 minutes, lay with them, you name it. All of those hurdles before any sleep would occur. And then, 9 times out of ten, they’d be up within a half an hour anyway. So Grace is a piece of cake.

While the gals napped, Mario played Ben Ten games on the computer. He had his Cheez-Its next to his side as he intently concentrated on his next move. His concentration allowed me to get the house decorated for Maggie Jean’s party. Of course, I had felt that we had it all under control the night before but then inevitably, the day of, I find myself scrambling to get everything together. Maggie, our graduate, arrived to the house at 4 pm after sitting in 90 degree heat for four hours. Julie and Liz were with her – Liz having sat through graduation on Friday in Cincinnati. We broke out the celebratory beer and chips and dip, and let the party begin! Maria was instantly mesmerized with Maggie’s friends Sarah and Annie. Mario acted silly with Maggie’s dad, Denny. Gracie stayed on my hip the entire afternoon, which I loved. Liz kept telling me to put her down but I just couldn’t do it. She was so happy hanging out with me that I had to soak in the love.

My aunt Terrie and aunt Ann arrived a little later. They had not seen the house since we bought it. They each brought me a house-warming gift from Pottery Barn (high-class aunts, I will say…), and gave accolades galore about the house. So sweet. I was so excited that they came up to Columbus because I don’t get to see them often. Terrie is in Marietta, Georgia with her hubby and three boys and Ann is in Washington DC and Dubai with her job and beau. When I was little, Terrie and Julie used to invite me over to their apartment on the West side of Cincy for sleep overs and I remember listening to slow sappy 70’s love songs on the radio. Time with them was a treat – hanging with the older girls. Ann is only a year and a half older than me (the youngest of eight) and I looked up to her like a big sis. She was into serious heavy rock when she was in high school and I used to just sit in her room and watch her get dressed to go out as she banged her head to Motley Crue. And now here we all were standing my kitchen as adults. Life is strange.

At one point in the evening, we brought out Dairy Queen cake for Maggie. We were all joking about what to sing to her, what the cake said, etc. and I all of a sudden felt a rush of gratitude and joy for having the day with my aunts and cousins. I just wanted to lean over the table and smooch ’em all on the lips but I figured that may not have come off as I would have planned so I just smiled at them all and lit the candle for Maggie to blow out. After cake, Julie and Terrie helped me figure out the weeds versus plants in the garden. I have a lot of weeds but weeds look like plants to me; in fact, I think I am prone to liking weeds more than plants and flowers. They are tough cookies – not dying for anything and growing back even stronger than before. There is something you have to respect in the weed. But we pulled ’em out nonetheless. We would have been out there all night if Jon wouldn ‘t have announced that there is poison ivy in the garden. That blasted Ter and Jul out of the garden and into the bathroom to wash off. I would have felt like a total heel if they had gotten poison ivy.

The aunts left a while later – all three of them heading to Starbucks to get a coffee for the road. Little do they know how much I think of them and appreciate their generosity in traveling up north to see me. And Julie constantly opening her house to me and the kids when we are in Cincy. It is a rare gift to receive. With their departure, we just had Maggie and her friends left at the house. Maria and Mario were in heaven – Mario danced to I’m Sexy and I Know It and played ball with the boys, and Maria brushed the boys’ hair so that they could “pick up rich girls.” I am sure they were wondering what they had done to deserve a night at our house.

Everyone hit the road around 9:30 and the kids hit the sack pretty quickly. I got to watch my HBO show, Girls, and eat the rest of the DQ ice cream cake. What a great life.

Look at me!

June 8, 2012June 8, 2012Leave a comment

Mario begged to bring in donuts for his friends today. It’s Friday so I caved in and agreed. We biked down to Tim Horton’s and he ordered 20 timbits – all chocolate except one glazed “because Fiona only likes glazed.” He already knows how to impress the ladies.

He loves to bring the donuts because everyone swarms him. Jon and I are learning that he is bound to be the class clown with all of the antics that he engages in to get attention. Last night, he shrunk his head down into his shoulders to make it look like he had no neck because he was making fun of Jon’s lack of neck and we laughed hysterically. He kept doing it over and over basking in his glory of making us laugh. And when we stopped, he tried another antic to get us going again.

He loves attention, our boy. Whether it’s through donuts or acting crazy, he’ll find it.

Cancun or Bust

February 27, 2012February 27, 20122 Comments

Last Tuesday spun by like a wooden top. Jon worked on the house all day with Jason while also trying to take calls for work. I sat on a dozen conference calls and cranked out emails in an attempt to avoid having my colleague overwhelmed while I was out. When I got home, we madly packed our clothes realizing that shorts didn’t have buttons (and of course neither of us can sew) and dresses were torn. Too bad we didn’t look earlier. Oh well, we realized we’d be in our bathing suits most of the time. I packed the kids’ clothes and boots for Grandma Meg’s and Peepaw’s house, and tried to gather some games and toys that both the kids and the grandparents would enjoy. We put the kids to bed at 9 pm, and as I left Maria’s room, I heard her sniffling. When I went back to give her a hug, a full-out bawling session occurred. She begged us not to leave for Cancun. It was awful. We did not expect that type of reaction from her. I rubbed her back and laid with her until her eyes shut. I walked out of her room softly hoping not to wake Mario. When I peered in Mario’s room to ensure he was asleep, I was taken aback when I saw him sitting straight up in his bed wide-eyed staring out at me.

“What’s the matter, pumpkin?”

“I don’t want you to leave me.”

Jon walked in the room and both of us let out a collective sigh. This unexpected emotion from the kids took us both by surprise and we stood there holding Mario between us and rubbing his back. They actually do love us…. We let Mario lay with us and we are sure that we were both out before he fell asleep. When we woke at 4:30 am, Maria got up, too. She cried again for us to stay and it was only when Maggie laid with Maria in our bed that she calmed down. What a way to leave!

We arrived in Cancun at noon to a beaming sun and breaking waves. Heaven. This is our third trip to Cancun – Jon’s company sponsors the trip. We stay in the same hotel each year, and play in the same part of the ocean. We eat at a lot of the same restaurants, and hang out with the same group of friends. As much as that may seem monotonous, it is actually very soothing. We have no concerns about how the hotel will be, whether the beach will be nice, how the food will taste. We know it is always close to perfect. The first couple of years I felt a little overwhelmed with Jon’s friends and their wives. A lot of them know each other well from going to Cancun every year or because they live in the same city. I am a lone goose. But this year, I let go of any concern about not fitting in and just enjoyed myself. And it was the best trip we had in the three years. Jon and I ate incredible food, played like kids in the ocean, snorkeled, drove a speed boat (Jon felt like Crockett in Miami Vice!), sat together on the balcony listening to the waves, and talked uninterrupted! I loved diving in the ocean for sea shells; Jon would stand on the beach with the water hitting his legs waiting for me to bring shells to him. It was a precious gesture on his part. We laughed hard at Jon’s friends’ antics. They are all hilarious in their own right. Phil is from the UK and has a quirky little accent. He is so cool that he could afford to wear white beach shoes and still look good. Dave is from Michigan and he is your down-to-earth, good-natured guy who always has a funny story to tell about his kids or his wife or their adventures. Joe is a slick, suave Michigan guy who is always considerate and making sure that people are having a good time. Their wives definitely make them the men that they are – they are the backbones of their families. Strong, funny, and intelligent, they always welcome me into their group and make me feel at home. Those are the three guys and their wives that we hang out with the most in Cancun but there are others who provide us with much entertainment, also. It’s a good group and the camaraderie and brotherhood amongst the male colleagues is enviable – I wish I had as much fun with my work colleagues as these guys have together.

The resort

I got a killer head and foot massage on our last day at the beach. It was the “Organic Massage” and consisted of a scalp massage, hot towels, face massage, foot massage and hand massage. It ended with a back massage and hot towels on your back and legs. I thought I had died and entered heaven. She poured citrus oils on my hair and spread them on my skin during the massage. I smelled like a lemon when I left. Jon went jet skiing while I got my massage. He didn’t realize that there were 10 foot waves to conquer out in the ocean. He was a hurting puppy when he came back to shore.

We flew home on Sunday and rested for an hour before we headed out East to pick up the kids from Meg and dad. They had a great time on the farm, as always. They rode the horses and played outside. Maria reported to us that Peepaw cut down two trees and “almost killed himself!” She loved telling the story. Mario reported that he almost fell off their horse, Taz but Peepaw caught him. Maria is learning how to ride Taz better and even steered him herself. She wants to take horseback riding lessons so badly, which I have been struggling with since I know nothing about horses. Jon loves the idea because he loves horses.

M&M with their Mexican flutes

I always dreamt that my daughter would play soccer and softball and all of the other sports I loved to play as a girl. I have slowly gotten over my preoccupation with what I think Maria should be and realize I need to let her be who she wants to be. So, horse riding lessons are in her future (of course she picks the most expensive hobby!). When they rode up to meet us, Maria and Mario had huge smiles on their faces. They jumped out of the car and gave us gigantic hugs for minutes long. It was an awesome few minutes. The ride home was just as awesome with them describing their week to us and listening to us about our adventures in Cancun. The evening continued to be great with wrestling and airplane and reading books. We fell asleep with smiles on our faces.

Then Monday morning arrived. Back to the grind. Running around the house trying to get dressed and packed and papers filled out for school. But I took a deep breath as I loaded Maria’s lunchbox in her book bag. I stepped back from the table and stared at M&M and Jon in the hallway putting on their coats. Can I love them anymore? One thing that getting away does for me is reinforce how lucky I am to have such a warm husband and adoring kids. Even if we are at each other’s throats at 8 am on Monday morning.

Making our way

February 13, 2012Leave a comment

The kids woke up at the break of dawn again Sunday morning. Jon and I heard them in Maria’s room talking quietly, probably about superheros or barbies. Jon got out of bed first and shut the door behind him to allow me to continue dozing. That is true love.

When I finally dragged my tired butt out of bed 20 minutes later, I found Maria on my Ipad playing Pet Shop (her favorite game now) and Alana and Mario fighting it out on Wii Table Tennis. They would take turns rubbing a win in the other’s face and then when the other rubbed it in his or her face, they would cry about it. They are competitive as heck together – something Maria is not. Maria wants everyone to win and every time she starts a game, she prefaces it by saying “Let’s just play for fun.” To the contrary, Mario prefaces it with “I am gonna whoop you up!” However, he wants a fair fight – he doesn’t just want to whoop you up without a good fight. So, when I could not figure out how to shoot in basketball Wii, he stopped the game to tutor me so that I could give him a run for his money. He continued to whoop on me a bit but then I stole the ball from him. He gave me a look of amazement. He wanted to congratulate me but he also wanted to win. So he just shook his head and kept playing.

Meanwhile, Maria just kept playing Pet Shop. She bought two new kittens and some pups and a fish. She arranged them all and proudly showed them off to us. Then, when she decided to play Wii, and lost badly to Mario, she got angry. “I hate these games!” Mario looked at her kindly and explained “Maria, you have to practice a lot to get good. I practice a lot.” She shook her head at him in disgust.

The girls and I headed to Washington Courthouse to meet up with my Cincy girls for brunch. We ate at Bob Evans – my new favorite restaurant because of their breakfast food. I could eat their eggs and hash browns with onions and bacon and multi-grain pancakes everyday. I choose the multi-grain pancakes because it makes me feel like I am being healthy but after I eat three of them with syrup, I don’t feel too healthy. In fact, I have learned to make sure to wear sweats when I head to Bob Evans so that I am not uncomfortable after my meal. Maria takes after her mom – she got chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. Alana did, too, but only ate half of her food. Maria and I swooped in like vultures and finished it off. Maria hugged on Grace through the meal. Kathy is so good about letting Maria hold her and walk her. Maria loves it. She has got the babysitter gene in her body – something I never had. My girlfriends and I talked for a bit over breakfast but between Gracie grabbing our attention and the quick service, I felt like we didn’t get to talk for too long. I must still be spoiled from Italy.

The girls and I headed to the outlet mall after our meal and tried to find clothes for my Cancun trip with Jon next week. Just shoot me. Is there any store in that outlet mall that has a mirror that flatters? Maria and Alana just kept saying “You are having a baby!” Nothing like that comment to stroke your ego. I was ready to buy a mumu and call it a day. I did score some pretty jewelry but no hot dresses. I should just stick with Target.

Mom and Mario

When Maria and I got home, we found out Mario was spending the night with Jon’s mom and dad. He loves spending the night with them because he is spoiled like crazy and he gets out of school. He cracks them up as much as he cracks us up, too. Patty took him to the store and they looked through the toy aisle. He wanted a toy and Patty told him it was too much money. His response: “Grandma, you need to get a job and earn some money!” Patty bought him some boots, and he is charged because he can “track animals” now. I miss my boy like a mad woman. It is nice to have him visit Patty and Joe – the break with just Maria means a lot to her and us – but after a day or two, I miss his contagious smile and his wild antics and his bear hugs. I let Maria sleep on the couch while i watched the rest of the movie “The Way” starring Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez (my old 80’s crush) as father and son (just like real life). It is a tender film about a father who loses his son while the son is on a pilgrimage to El Camino de Santiago. The father decides to take the pilgrimage on his behalf and meets up with a few quirky pilgrims who he befriends by the end. It is a wonderful tale of understanding and opening up and taking a leap. And it put Maria to sleep in ten minutes.

Sick girl calling her grandma

Maria was sick today. She woke not feeling right but we forced her off to school, if only because we had to work, but got the call at 10 am that she was not doing well at school. I picked her up and brought her home. I rubbed her back while she watched Toy Story 3. I made her soup. I laid with her. When she got a second wind, I tickled her and laughed with her. We made “nests” out of the covers on our bed and slept in them. We stared out the window at the tree cutters. We cuddled. Not a bad day at all. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and she is trying with all of her might to get better so she can hit her class party. Mario could care less. He begged to stay with Patty and Joe. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

No snow but lotsa ice cream!

February 11, 2012February 13, 20121 Comment

We woke up this morning dejected. The supposed 4 inches of snow that should have blanketed our lawn turned out to be a dusting of white powder atop our green grass. The kids looked out the window and sighed. But although Old Man Winter failed to appear through snow, he did appear through frigid temperatures.

-1 degrees with wind chill.

No run for me this morning. Instead, I hit the 8 am yoga class downtown with the hopes that everyone else slept in under their covers. Not so lucky. It was packed with women in their yoga attire and freshly painted toenails and perky little ponytails. How awful and judgmental am I? Jon always gets on me when I start describing people like this. And he’s right. The reason why they annoy me so much is because I secretly want a pair of yoga pants instead of my ten-year old adidas capris, and I secretly want bright candy red nail polish on my nasty, beat-down toes. So, I’m jealous – I admit it. Class was ok – I got spoiled with my very first instructor who whooped me up and made me feel like I had run a marathon after her class. Everyone else pales in comparison (as Jon says to me “they teach like normal people, Mary!”).

Maggie came over at 11 am to watch the kids while Jon and I hit the Container Store to order a custom designed closet. Whoo-hoo! I would post a picture of our closet to let you see the disaster it is but it would be way too embarrassing (and that is from someone who is rarely embarrassed). The store personnel were great – very friendly and efficient. Our designer worked a layout for us and within 45 minutes, we had purchased the materials and installation for our bedroom closet. Awesome. When we got home, Ms. Maggie had bathed out children – a feat we had not accomplished in two days. She even got Mario to wash his hair (a feat I have not accomplished in a week) and Maria to let her brush her hair. Maria’s hair looks gorgeous when you actually brush it (imagine that). We have Maggie sitting for us this Summer and we cannot wait – she is going to have these kids whooped into shape so quickly that Jon and I are going to be put to shame. We have no problem with shame.

Maria’s friend Gwen came over at 2 pm. I was skeptical as to whether we should keep Alana over when Gwen came but these are 6-year-old girls – there couldn’t be too much drama, heh?! Actually, they played well together without any drama; a few spats here and there but no drama. They trashed the basement by having a “paper party” (consisting of throwing paper all over the place); demolished Maria’s room by spreading barbies and clothes all over; and trashed the kitchen by making crafts. I had gotten them interested in Wii Just Dance but I noticed Gwen sitting on the chair looking bored and a little sad. I asked her if she liked to dance and she shook her head “no.” So, we moved onto a different activity – crafts.

: Maria with her TP doll

Gwen told me she loved to draw and so it was an easy choice. Maria and Alana went with it, too. We made toilet paper dolls (I did not make that craft up – I found the idea on the internet!). The girls also tried to one up each other by drawing on themselves with magic marker. Alana drew on her hand, Gwen on her finger, Maria … on her neck. Yes, a giant butterfly with different colors across her neck. She cried when I told her that dad would be so upset and told me with big tears rolling down her face: “I was just trying to be funny.” That is her thing – she likes to make people laugh by going to the very edge – or over sometimes. I love her for that trait but also worry about it. We need to temper it a bit. We got most of the butterfly off and Maria moved onto stickers.

After crafts, we had to get out of the house for a bit. Not so much for the kids but for me. I know I have ADD – the folks should have diagnosed me years ago but then I would have been on drugs for way too long so I am glad they didn’t. And it could be worse – I could sit on the couch all day watching Ellen. We headed to Graeter’s playland for some running around and some ice cream (a tad hypocritical). If I could eat Graeter’s for every meal, I would be one happy camper. I love their chocolate chocolate chip. I love their peanut butter chip. I guess I simply love anything chip. The girls loved the see-saw until some other kids moved in and bothered them. They moved on to the slide and the tree house. Some boys began teasing Mario on the slide, and Maria took care of them. She protected that boy like a vicious guard dog making sure that they stayed away from him. I was even scared. After playing, we enjoyed some yummy ice cream. Alana got strawberry (ugh!), Mario got 2 dips of chocolate chip (and left some for me god love him) and Maria and Gwen split a chocolate banana split. They went to town on that thing. I think Gwen has Maria’s appetite so the two of them together ate that split in record time. Alana hadn’t even made a dent in her cone. On the way home, the girls looked out the back window and talked to drivers behind us saying things like “Come on slow poke, catch up!” or “That woman looks old and look at that man…” They giggled the entire way home. It reminded me of me and my girlfriend, Beth when we would take road trips as young girls. The innocence and slapstick and giddiness.

We ended the night with pjs and toothbrushing and helicoptering (until Alana bumped her head on the bed headboard). Oh, and some ice cream sandwiches just to make sure we got our fill of milk and sugar for the day.

Dogs and Hamsters and a Super Bowl, Oh My

February 6, 2012Leave a comment

This past weekend was one of those weekends where you wake up Monday morning feeling you totally took advantage of the weekend’s purpose – to relax, be silly, watch football, and eat chips while vegging in your pjs.

On Friday, Jon and I took Mario to the hockey game. Maria had to make the executive decision on whether to go to Kids Night Out at school or to the game with us. It was a brutal decision because she had her girlfriend asking if she was coming to Kids Night Out but she had her dad going to the hockey game. She LOVES hanging with her dad lately, especially when it’s dad and mom and Mario (she is the pack dog). But, ultimately a brief description of the hockey game (watching boys skate on ice and try to hit a puck in a goal) led her to choose Kids Night Out with popcorn, grape juice, friends and a movie. The pack dog strays when there is food and entertainment….

Mario loved the hockey game. He ate his favorite food – a hot dog – and watched the players skate along the ice and hit each other up against the wall. Jon and I thought he might enjoy that activity more than he did since he is all into fighting. Rather, he enjoyed hanging on the railing and talking to the older boys behind us in the box. He also enjoyed the cheerleaders…. We left the game during the third quarter and picked up Maria. It seems that every time I see her at school, she is even older and more independent. She reminds me of me when I was in fourth and fifth grade (probably like when I was in first grade, too, but I can’t remember that time at all!) hanging out with my girl posse. When I picked her up, she was laughing with her three girlfriends and they were falling all over each other. Too cute.

On Saturday, we headed to Hamilton Parker to find tile for our bathroom. The kids ran around checking out the showroom showers and the kids’ room while Jon and I talked to the sales guy. Maria explained where everything was in the showroom since she had come to the store with me back in September. “Buddy, the kids’ room is over here and it has a tv.” Mario’s response: “Will the tv have Godzilla?” Maria’s reply: “We’ll see buddy and if it doesn’t, we”ll find something else for you.” The way she calls him “buddy” makes our hearts melt. After Hamilton Parker, we headed to BW-3’s for some wings and nachos. Nothin’ like a healthy lunch. We waddled out to the front of the restaurant and the kids begged to play a game. They put a dollar in a chicken and egg machine and each of them got a plastic egg. Maria scored a tattoo and Mario scored a little orange plastic cone that had the words “Back away slowly.” I read it to Mario and he laughed “I know, mom and dad, I am going to put this in my room and when you walk in, you will have to walk back slowly.”

We headed to the pet store in the late afternoon to torture ourselves by holding sweet little precious pups that needed a home. Maria always picks the most docile puppies that love to be held. She sits in the little room with them caressing and talking to them. Mario hangs out at the hamster bin trying to put the hamsters on the exercise wheel or in the tire. They run from him like he is death. Mario does not have quite the touch with the pups like Maria does. He likes to put them on the ground and watch them run around and play. If they don’t move much, he picks another. I can usually handle about 45 minutes in that store because it is such a madhouse of people but I made it an hour on Saturday. When we left, Maria begged to go on Sunday.

On Sunday, I skipped yoga because Maria and Mario begged me to stay home. We ate cereal and read books. Maria and I went on a stroller ride to the store to get pencils for her class project – a timeline of her life – all 6 years. We headed out to Dirty Franks for lunch (yeah, two for two on the healthy lunch front for the weekend!). When we returned, the kids and I took a bike ride to the library to grab some movies and new books. Maria and I watched Mario ahead of us – his little legs pushing the clunky wheels of his tricycle. He wants so badly to lead the group but usually Maria cannot help but bolt ahead because she is on a two-wheeler bike and can’t easily slow down without falling off. But I held onto her on this bike ride so Mario could take the lead and he was one proud puppy. When an older lady passed him, he stopped and said hello to her. When we stopped at the library, he said “Mom, an old lady said hi to me and I said hi to her back. I stopped my bike and everything. Are you proud of me?”

We headed to Kroger’s before the Super Bowl and Maria and I stocked up on chips and dip. Maria was grabbing all sorts of dips and chips for our party arguing that “it is the Super Bowl – we had to have a real party!” When we got home, we turned on the Super Bowl and watched all of the commercials. We all sat on the couch together – Mario on Jon’s arm playing Leapster, Maria in between Jon and me. She loved it. She kept saying “I love cuddling with my mom and dad and brother.” We have got to start up family movie nights. Maria fell asleep with 30 seconds left of the Super Bowl. Mario remained wide awake playing his Leapster Ben Ten game. I dragged him upstairs with me to hit the sack, and we were both out cold in three minutes flat.

Tornadoes and Yogurt

January 25, 2012January 28, 2012Leave a comment

I had our sitter bring the kids to my workplace tonight. Luckily, most of my colleagues had hit the road when M&M arrived. They whirled through the lobby like mini-tornadoes ready to ride the elevator and see my office. Maria avoided a Mario meltdown by letting him push the elevator button to floor 5. Isn’t it strange how obsessed kids get over pushing an elevator button? I used to think it was because they liked to see the button light up but even when the button doesn’t light, they still go nuts. And take the buttons off the elevator and put them on a square toy, the buttons are completely boring to them. Elevator magic.

The tornadoes ripped through my hallway door and into the break room to find snacks. They know where the goodies are at my work. After the break room, they corkscrewed themselves into my office to find more candies. They also enjoyed sitting in my chair and acting like the “boss.” On our way down the elevator (Maria again conceded the button pushing to Mario – such a good sis), they both commented about how cool my office was and how they wish they could work there. Little darlins’ – at least they think so.

They had the college kids cracking up outside. Mario jumped on the stone resting areas and performed dance moves for all the world to see. Maria followed suit until she noticed a college kid staring at her – she quickly jumped down. Mario, however, basked in it. It took bribing him with my phone to get him to walk to the car. But before the car, we had to go to the fifth level of the parking garage. Again, the fascination with parking garages? They got to the fifth floor and found the vacant lot awe-inspiring. Maybe they will be architects or… valets.

We hit Orange Leaf with our cousin Maggie soon after leaving my work. They were out of my favorite combination, chocolate and peanut butter. Maria got her usual array of flavors: gingerbread, wedding cake, red velvet cake, and vanilla. I monitored the toppings so she only landed one brownie, fruity pebbles, broken cone, oreos, and vanilla and butterscotch topping (I feel someone calling Child’s Services on me but really, it was only a speck of all of those toppings!). Mario, on the other hand, opted for one flavor – pineapple – and no toppings at all. Strange little being, he is.

After Orange Leaf, we came home to a quiet house with no tv on, no washer churning and no pets roaming. All of us noticed how calm it was. You could hear a pin drop. And then Mario screamed – just for the sheer fun of it – and Maria joined in a second later. I turned around ready to cuss them out but when I looked over, I saw their ornery, angelic faces wide with laughter. I decided to add a scream to the mix myself, and we all fell forward in a hard, belly laugh.

"MOM!"

Adventures in the Life of a Working Mama

Category: Food