Tell me the truth, is the tooth fairy real?

June 17, 2012Leave a comment

Maria lost her second tooth in two days. She pulled and pulled at it in the bathroom while I cringed at the thought in the hallway putting up pictures of when she and Mario were babies. She exclaimed 10 minutes after the start “My tooth is out!” She had pulled out another one, blood and all. She has no fear.

We went through the day hosting family for Father’s Day. When everyone left at 10 pm, she asked where I put her tooth. I had hidden it this time in a plastic bag behind the fridge because two days ago, we put her tooth in a plastic bag that Mario used to store his cheese and crackers. It was only after he had eaten all of the cheese and crackers and thrown the bag away that we realized her tooth was in it. When we pulled the bag out, there it sat next to a tiny remnant of american cheese. Gotta love it. I thought Mario would faint.

She held her tooth and asked me to sit next to her at the table. I sat down expecting her to ask me how much money I thought she would get from the tooth fairy. Instead, the conversation went like this:

“Mom, you gave me money under my pillow and acted like the tooth fairy, didn’t you?”

“No, Ri, I do not put money under your pillow.”

“Mom, tell me the truth.”

“I am telling you the truth, darlin’!”

And then she glares at me and I feel like I am under the control of a lie detection machine. This is the same glare she gave me when asking if St. Nick was real back at Christmas time. The glare got me that time, and I admitted that me and dad were St. Nick. But I refused after that time to ever let her get me again until she was much older. I want her to believe in some things – Santa, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy. Why? I guess because I like the thought of her believing in magical things and experiencing wonderment at the notion that she can put a tooth under her pillow and money appears the next morning.

She continues, “Mom, I just have a belief that you give me the money and there is no tooth fairy. I just want the truth.”

Ok, so how many of you would admit at this point that it is you? How many would continue to fib and say it’s the tooth fairy?

I thought back to a book we read a year ago by Jason Alexander called Dad, Are you the Tooth Fairy? We were walking around the used book store and Maria grabbed it off the shelf and asked me to read it. We all plopped down on the floor and I began to read. Much to my amazement, the dad admits that he is the tooth fairy! But, he acts on behalf of all of the fairies and pixies that lived before him because the last fairy on Earth asked him to keep the magic going when she was gone. Or something like that.

I asked Maria if she remembered that book hoping that maybe she’d remember something that would help her process her dilemma. To my surprise, she remembered the book better than I remembered it. She explained to me that the dad was the tooth fairy because there were no more tooth fairies around and they asked him to deliver the money on their behalf. Then she stared me down. What to say now?!

I told her that I was not going to say anymore except that I always believed in magic and good things happening to people who opened up their hearts and imagination. Surprisingly, she listened to me and then simply pondered my response without any retort. When we went up to brush our teeth, she had a final thought for me.

“Mom, I am trying hard to believe in the tooth fairy. One side of my brain keeps telling me there is a tooth fairy but the other side keeps telling me it’s you and dad. I just don’t know what to think.”

Poor girl. She was about to move into cuckoo land if I didn’t tell her the truth. So did I?

Yes and no. I just reaffirmed that she had to believe what she wanted to believe – and have faith that this world was good and magical and full of wonder no matter what. I gave her a big hug and kiss and led her in her room to put on her pj’s. She placed her tooth under her pillow and looked over at me. I stared back at her. She stared back at me. And, neither of us blinked.

Top Ten reasons I love my man on Father’s Day

June 17, 2012June 17, 20121 Comment

10. He s our protector! There is no one or no thing that will mess wth us when he is near us. Example: he took me to a Prince concert years ago, got me near the stage to dance, and played bodyguard the entire time to make sure no one messed with me.

9. He loves family. He would do anything for family, and always gives his two cents on matters to try to help family members through binds. He gets so excited on days that we are heading to family gatherings. Example: when we hosted my cousin’s graduation party, he woke up bright and early and began preparing food and drink with a big ol’ smile on his face.

8. He cracks us up. I laugh harder with him than I do with any other human being. And the kids find him hilarious, too. Example: I have never heard Maria laugh as hard as when she is with Jon. Her face gets super red, her smile is huge, and her entire body shakes in pleasure.

7. He is so patient (and I am so not). He helps me slow down and take a breath and savor a moment here and there. Example: he makes me calm down and savor the “down time” while we are standing in Kroger’s check-out line and I start to get irritated that other lines are moving faster.

6. He is good-hearted. If someone is in need – be it family, a friend, or a homeless guy on the street – he will lend an ear to talk with them and help them out. Example: he saw a homeless man when he was on his way to Target and the homeless man kept talking to him about his life story. Jon just listened and when the homeless man stopped talking and asked for a little help, Jon handed him $20.

5. He is generous. He takes time out of busy days to visit family and friends. He doesn’t think twice about helping out family members in need, friends down on their luck, or the homeless person on the corner. Example: when a family member ran into some hard times, Jon approached me and recommended that we give her some money to help her through the rough time.

4. He is STRONG. As many times as we play fight, I ahve never won a match. He can pick up heavy machinery, mounds of trach, and even a car, I believe. He hasn’t worked out at a gym since we dated years ago, but his calves and thigs and biceps are still bulging with muscle. Example: when we go out, people ask him if he’s a football player! Hot!

3. He is my number one supporter. When we go out with friends, he always has a story about how I won a race or ran 10 miles or biked up major hills. I always know he backs me up in all that I do. Example: when I completed the marathon, he bragged to people that I had barely trained but I finished the marathon. He believes in me.

2. He is a superstar husband. He surprises me with lottery tickets. He fixes my bike when it breaks. He massages my legs when I am sore. He always listens to me when I am dealing with a problem. He stands by me no matter if he agrees with my decision or not. He tells me he loves me every day. He watches the kids while I take a much-needed run. Example: when I accidentally scheduled an excursion to a pipeline field in Alaska and we stayed in a work trailer for two days of our honeymoon, he didn’t divorce me, and he even laughed about it with me (six months later!).

1. He is an incredible father. The kids think he is the most awesome person on this Earth, and when he goes on business trips, they whine every morning that they wish he was home. He is not shy about telling them that he loves them at least three times a day. He wrestles with Mario and plays Memory with Maria. He makes sure that they have everything they need. He spoils them with books and toys. Example: every night before bed, he makes sure he gives them both uge hugs and kisses and tells them that he loves them. A true gift from a dad to a child.

One Big Sweat Gland

June 16, 2012Leave a comment

I am really disliking this heat. I can’t stand that I walk outside for two minutes and my armpits look like someone poured a glass of water on them. I can only live in black and white shirts in the summer because I sweat so badly that any other shirt is noticeably drenched.

My doctor tells me that I sweat so heavily because my body is so efficient in releasing sweat from all the work outs I do. It almost makes me want to stop working out. Jon calls me his “one big sweat gland.” How endearing. Maria and Mario both back away into the corner when I approach them after being outside and yell “get away, you are too sweaty!”

I have tried the anti-sweat super deodorants but they don’t do a thing. My super-sweat overpowers every time. I guess it could be worse – I could…. Nah, it’s pretty bad. I hate being frozen every time I walk up to the coffee shop because I have sweated so much that the AC feels like ice crystals on my body.

All of this leads up to my sweat experience this afternoon. Jon’s niece, Sherri brought her kids over today while she and her hubby went to a charity golf outing. We decided to go to the pool. Of course, a normal human being would have loaded the kids in the car and headed to the pool. But, alas, I have never been normal (thanks dad and mom and Meg). Maria wanted to ride her bike. Emi wanted to ride mine. Eli wanted to ride mine, too, but she is not quite tall enough. Mario wanted to ride his since Jon fixed the seat and he can actually move pretty quickly. So, we packed up all the towels and goggles into the stroller and set off with Eli walking with me and the rest of the crew biking.

Surprisingly, Mario biked the entire way and Eli walked with me the entire way. The soccer camp she went to last week got her in shape (she even ran with me when Mario got too far ahead). Emi and Maria biked ahead of us – it’s nice having Emi with Maria because she makes her stop at each side street and look both ways – good influence!).

We stayed at the pool for an hour or so but Mario got tired and cold so we decided to head back sooner than we had planned. Mario, because he was tired and cold, did not want to ride his bike. Eli did not want to walk. Thank god Maria and Emi still wanted to ride their bikes. So, I put Mario on one side of the double stroller and Eli on the other and threw Mario’s bike over the two of them. How the stroller tires did not burst, I will never know. We walked a half mile, which included a hill near the end of our walk that took me ten minutes to climb. When we reached the house, I looked like I had just jumped into the pool. Drenched in sweat. Eli and Emi were speechless; Maria scolded me to take a shower; and Mario told me I needed to stop sweating. Oh, the love. Jon just looked at me like I was insane in the membrane.

“Why didn’t you drive?” he asked as I walked in the house. Now that would be a way too normal thing to do, and he knew that before even asking me. His term of “one big sweat gland” for me actually is endearing – he secretly loves it, I know. Or, I guess it is more accurate to say he secretly endures it because there is no other choice. My body is efficient, that’s all I gotta say.

Friday Stasis

June 15, 2012June 17, 2012Leave a comment

I did not want to leave the house today.

I wanted to stay cuddled with Maria on the bed watching Justin Bieber on the Today show and listening to Mario chuckle as he threw his sock at the ceiling fan and witnessed it ricochet across the room.

I did not want to sit in meetings and make phone calls.

So, I took my time getting ready for work. I appeased Mario and watched him throw his sock into the ceiling fan twenty times chasing him to try to be the first to retrieve the far-flung sock. I stared at Ri mesmerized by the tv showing Justin Bieber singing to the massive NYC crowd. I took Mario downstairs and made him peanut butter crackers for breakfast (I know all my health-nut friends are disgusted – sorry). He begged to watch one of his library movies and I agreed since it is a Friday. Maria came running downstairs and exclaimed “I got $5 from the tooth fairy!” Man, inflation has shot up the average gift from the Tooth Fairy.

When David arrived, I took off. I got to work just in time to get my decaf americano, answer two emails and leave for a 9:30 am meeting. The day went quickly; I had a YMCA board retreat from 2-5 that I really did not feel like attending. Not because I don’t like my colleagues on the board or because I had something much more fun to do. Maybe it was because I knew I would have to engage and talk and I just felt like keeping to myself. But I find that I get into that loner mode a lot, and I have to force myself to go to something in order to defeat it. It’s one thing to enjoy my solitude; I think that is a necessity in this life. It’s another to just not want to converse with people because it will take effort and you might get stuck talking with the guy that you think has an ego the size of Mars. I think it’s also a necessity in life to make that effort, especially when it relates to a larger goal – here, creating more teamwork and collaboration amongst YMCA board members. So, I went, and I really enjoyed it. I talked with people I have never spoken with before and learned that the guy I thought had an ego the size of Mars ran another non-profit that I was really interested in for future volunteer work. I learned that the YMCA hosted a lot more activities than I knew of – activities that I believed passionately about (teaching inner-city kids how to swim and working towards getting the Y residents more fit through nutrition and exercise).

I talked with Maria about the retreat when I got home. She loves the YMCA and has gone to several board meetings with me. Of course, at this age, it’s all about the food (she loves the home-made mac-n-cheese) and not about the mission. But she gets it in general because when we pass by a homeless person from time to time, she will say “Mom, maybe he should try to live at the YMCA.”

After a few minutes with Maria, we rushed Mario to tee-ball. Grandma and Grandpa Ionno came down to watch him play. It was picture night, too. Mario was hilarious with the photographer – he did his cool mac-daddy smile when she posed him and would not open his mouth for a full one. Patty and Joe got a kick out of watching him in the field – when a kid hit it, all of the kids ran towards the ball no matter where it was hit in the field. Mario even dove with another kid for the ball at one point and when he got it, he just looked at him with a cocky grin and threw the ball to first. Competitive can we say?

We hit Bob Evans after the game for some hotcakes and dinner rolls (we all needed to carb up after watching two long innings of tee-ball in 88 degree weather). Maria was cracking us up as we ate dinner. Mario went to the bathroom and had been in there for a while. Jon came back from paying the check and went to see if Mario was ok. Maria watched Jon pass our table and told him he better go check on Mario because there was no way his dad (her grandpa) was going because he was resting comfortably in his chair! She is a trip.

The kids rode their bikes for Grandma and Grandpa when we got home. We adjusted Mario’s bike seat up a few inches, and it made a heck of a difference. He sped along with no problem on the sidewalk. Poor guy just couldn’t get enough power earlier because his knees almost scraped the ground when he peddled. When Patty and Joe left, Maria strolled Mario up the street with all of her bears in one side of the stroller and Mario in the other. They flipped the stroller about five houses up the street. I was busy watering the yard so I did not bolt up the street like I normally would have to make sure everything was ok. This time I just yelled “Come on guys, get back home!” I am sure the conservative, cautious family up the street about had a heart attack but hey, it was Friday, and I had reached my limit of crisis. I had survived a day of work, a tee-ball game, 90 degree weather, and I was ready to chill. They did manage to get the stroller erect and head home, and we all chilled in the house for the remainder of the night.

Slightly insane but still kickin’ it

June 14, 20121 Comment

Mothers are all slightly insane. – JD Salinger, Catcher in the Rye

And there you have it summed up well. I thought of this quote tonight as I sat with my girlfriend, Amy and her two kids and husband at Jeni’s ice cream parlor. Maria and Mario wanted to see Zach and Grace (Amy’s kids) and we decided to meet at a local ice cream parlor and sit outside. Zach is as wild as Mario so whenever the two of them get together, it tends to be chaotic. Gracie and Maria do their own thing – typically not together since there is a two-year difference – but they are cool with just hanging out in their own separate hemispheres.

When we got to Jeni’s, Amy and her hubby already had a table. Zach came running up to me and rammed into my side. Mario jumped on him and fake-punched him in the back. Maria climbed on Mario. Gracie watched. Let the chaos begin. A friend with a daughter in Maria’s class was in front of me in line for ice cream.  She began to make small-talk with me about what teacher Maria had next year while Mario was dodging in and out of the stools with Zach. This is how the conversation ensued:

Her: “So, who does Maria have this year?”

Me: “She has, ugh…Mario, get off the floor and stand over here now! She has Ms. Palmer – is she any (evil eye to Mario) good?”

Her: “I hear she is just awesome. Did Maria like her first grade teacher?”

Me: “Yeah, she… Mario, stand still now; do not move another inch or no ice cream! Yes, she really liked her – Maria, watch out for the wandering baby! – first grade teacher.”

And so it went for another five minutes as my friend waited in line without any children in tow surely thanking the heavens for a night with no interruptions.  When I went to sit down, it started all over again. Amy and I would get a question and half an answer out before interrupting one or the other with a command to one of the children. But somehow we were able to pick up where we left off in the conversation – even if it was right in mid-sentence – and complete our thoughts. Mothers may be slightly insane but we can multi-task with the best of them and walk away from a get-together having got caught up on each others’ lives and kept the children from disaster!

Our Prizefighter Girl

June 14, 2012June 14, 2012Leave a comment

“My tooth is out!” she screeched from our bed
Jon and I ran to our room and
to our delight
She was not teasing this time
that stubborn front tooth
had finally decided to part ways
with Ri’s bright red gums.

She held it tightly
in her bloodied white tissue and
ran downstairs to call her grandmas
“My tooth fell out” we heard
over and over from below
She bursted back into our room
with that toothless grin
and I wrapped her in my arms
not wanting to let go
not wanting to find another tooth gone.

But alas, all times must end
To bring new adventures…
Nonetheless, I will stare at that
lovely little mouth
for as long as I am able
and share in Ri’s excitement when the
next baby white tooth
Falls out.

One Lovely Blog Award

June 13, 2012June 13, 20124 Comments

I began blogging to keep a history of the times (good and bad) with my two children, Maria and Mario. I began a diary when my first child, Maria, was born. I wrote in it nearly every day for a year and a half and then fairly frequently after that time until my second child was born, Mario. Then I fell into the insanity of newborn land with no sleep and lots of feeding – poopy diapers – feeding – poopy diapers. The diary ceased production. However, the times we had with the kids were better than ever and the things coming out of Maria’s and Mario’s mouths were too good not to document. There were some rough times, too, and the blog provided an outlet for me to vent (when my hubby was tired of listening!).

I bring up my reason for writing this blog because I am very humbled to have been nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award by an incredible blogger, Patty. I did not imagine my blog being noticed by fellow bloggers, and I appreciate Patty’s shout out to me. Patty is a mom who heads up the blog Discover and Devour. Patty writes about the trials and tribulations with her son who is fairly new to this world – born in 2011. She focuses on child development, particularly literacy and language. She has great book reviews and information on literacy. Check her out!

The Rules of Acceptance:

Thank the person/people who nominated you and link back to them in your post.
Share seven possibly unknown things about yourself.
Nominate fifteen or so bloggers you admire.
Contact the chosen bloggers to let them know and link back to them

Seven Things You May Not Know About Me:
1. I could not get enough of the Brady Bunch when I was little and would sob if I missed one episode.

2. I am addicted to running and listening to NPR.

3. I bike to work in a dress and gym shoes.

4. I adore UDF chocolate chip peanut butter ice cream with hot fudge topping, whipped cream and a cherry on top.

5. I could listen to Michael Jackson songs all day long (especially Off The Wall songs).

6. I love to see people smile.

7. I would love to meet Shirley MacLaine but may faint before I actually got to speak to her!

I nominate the following bloggers for the One Lovely Blog Award:

KeepMoving4wd

Ms. Jolly Blogger

Finding Red Fern

The Ordinary Adventures of Javier Antonio

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.

Sunday stroller bliss

June 11, 2012June 11, 2012Leave a comment

Since Maria wouldn’t come home on Saturday night with me (no hard feelings, really – I loved listening to my own music and having an hour and a half of alone time!), I got to take a run with Mario in the stroller on Sunday morning.

I was able to crank out about 4 miles before we headed to Tim Horton’s for Sunday morning donuts. And it was another stroller ride where Mario never asked for the iPad but instead talked with his mama the entire time. Beautiful. We played the animal guessing game for most of the trip. He always guesses pig, frog, and monkey when he is guessing my animal because they are my favorite. He’s getting better about asking actual questions to figure out the contemplated animal after he runs through “mama’s favorite list.” He asks if they live in a jungle or farm, if they have fur, if they are fast. His animals I have to guess about are typically from Wild Kratts and obscure as can be. The honey badger, blue morpho butterfly, scorpion…. He’s so proud when I need help in guessing it.

The Wild Kratts show is a nice little educational tool that Grandma Ionno found. Mario gives me more insight into the animal planet from watching that show than I could find on my own (did you know the orangutan has sore arms from swinging and picks off aloe from trees to massage into his arms? Brilliant (both Mario and the orangutan))!

When we arrive at Tim Horton’s we are greeted by a flock of geese protective of their little ones. Mario jumped out of the stroller and began following them. He knows the wrath of the mama goose if he gets too close so he kept far enough away not to receive her treatment.

After the donut store we decided to head to the river to collect more rocks. The lack of rain created a rocky bank for Mario to step onto and the amount of mussels and clams amazed us. We could have been on Cape Cod (ok, I exaggerate a tad). We must have played on that bank for 45 minutes and it felt like 10. I love those times with Mario where we just chill – throwing rocks and staring at the water to wait to see a jumping fish. He does good for my need to be more calm.

On our way back to the stroller,a passing runner told us there was a turtle a few 100 feet back on the trail. We were all over it. We found “Cutie” (as Mario named it) off the trail soaked in mud. We caressed its shell but stayed away from its mouth to avoid a possible finger crunch.

On the way off the trail, we picked a few wildflowers to take home for Maggie’s party. I put them in the seat next to Mario in the stroller and he kept getting irked by the flowers falling on him. I said “flowers, you better stop falling on Mario, do you hear me?!” Mario loved that exchange and began to play the role of the flowers saying “we won’t listen to you” so that I would “have a talk with the flowers” again. This exchange lasted the entire way home.

"MOM!"

Adventures in the Life of a Working Mama