Bring it on alien destroyer
With your omnitrix
Strapped perfectly on your
Delicate wrist
You blast away the bad guys
You play the strong, dominant
superhero, but…
We read Pout Pout Fish
And shake our heads at the pouty fish
And laugh at the kiss kiss fish
he becomes
You lean up and kiss me
Just like the storybook fish
And then you confide
“I want you to read this book and think of me when I am not here and remember that I love you.”
God help me. It has finally happened. I dreaded the day. I had thought we may have escaped it since we are so close to the end of the year…. The do-it-at home art project.
Jon and I are both left-brained people. Logical, rational, linear. Where are my right-brained sister and brother when I most need them? Ok, so I exaggerate a tad bit seeing the project was simply to make a morpho butterfly from the rain forest in 3D. Doesn’t sound too hard. Right?
We bought clay last weekend, and that ended up going nowhere fast. We got the clay a bit wet to mold it better (my left-brained self followed the instructions to a tee) but then the clay stuck to the plate and then to our hands and then to the knife as we cut through it. Maria was in tears within five minutes and I was ready to throw the clay at the wall if only it would have peeled off my hands. We also thought about cutting out the morpho butterfly on construction paper and stuffing both pieces of paper with tissue paper. I think that idea may have been our smartest but Jon thought we should use big sheets of paper at his office and nobody wanted to make the commute up there so we ditched the idea completely.
We landed on colored molding clay which was a lot easier to mold than the grey modeling clay. Ri and I worked on two wings for the butterfly after reviewing internet pictures. I thought for sure that Ri would freak at the wings that I (we) made for the creature but I think she was too tired to complain at that point. We were out of pipe cleaners for the antennae so we used Q tips (cut off the ends) instead (they don’t have that cute twist but whatever…). Next, Maria had a great idea for the shoebox that would be the butterfly’s home. She drew trees and put real leaves on them and then stood a paper tree up in the front of the box so the butterfly could perch in it. After a bit of drama about getting the butterfly to stick on the tree (she takes pride in using scotch tape everywhere) , she had our creation and, most importantly, she was happy with it.
Jon and I were, too. After all, it is quite a piece of work for a lawyer and a business executive.
Our wild girl
With ladybug gloves
And
Pink swirled garden boots
Perpetual laughter as you
Tease and poke
You Found One!
The most perfect strawberry
Of the bunch
But not
As perfect
As YOU, our love!
The family got down and dirty tonight.
We finally planted our garden out back. Eight tomato plants, twelve pepper plants, two garlic plants, and two broccoli plants (Mario begged Jon to get the broccoli plants so he is on the hook for eating it if it actually grows). Jon and I do not exactly have the greenest of thumbs so our fingers are all crossed that these plants actually produce some sort of edible food for us. Jon and I are dreaming of tomato and onion salad all summer. When Jon used the tiller over the weekend, he found strawberries growing in our garden. Strawberries! The former owner of our home was a gardening nut and had all sorts of vegetables and herbs and I guess, fruits planted around the house. Jon and I know the strawberry plants need some serious weeding but we have not quite got to that chore yet. There really needs to be a robot invented that can smell out the weeds in your garden and flower beds and scorch them down to the Earth so that we would not have to manually do it every single week. I can’t even tell what are weeds and what are flowers. Half of the time I learn something is a weed, I am amazed because I found it to be just as gorgeous as a flower, and I only pull it if it is obviously strangling the flowers in its stead.
Maria began the planting with us but soon tired of the activity and laid in the grass looking up at the sky. Mario came out only after we ordered him off the computer (he is a Ben Ten fanatic). However, once outside, he is a workhorse. He wants to do as much physical labor as possible. He begged to dig holes. He planted plants and covered them with dirt. He pulled weeds. He told me how far down I should place the garlic plants and he scolded me when I did not hold the root up straight for him. I see a gardener in the making.
Being outside with the entire family made me happy. No worries about homework (it was done) or running off to the store (it was done, too). Just hanging out in our garden, getting our hands dirty and gazing at the couple of strawberries peeking out at us.
“To write well in the mother-child arena, a person must understand that the essential condition of motherhood isn’t pleasure or wonderment or even terror — although there’s plenty of that. The essential condition is absurdity.”
I love this quote by Judith Newman of the New York Times writing about Anne Enright’s new book Making Babies. How true of an insight. Newman opines on why writing about children is tough: because 95% of child rearing is incredibly boring. It’s only the 5% of pure, raw joy that keeps us going. It’s easy to understand that 5% as mothers but what about the 95%? Newman questions “How did I survive spending most of 2004, the year my twin sons were 3, in front of a tank of sea lions? What got me through the years when the only way to persuade one son to brush his teeth was to hum the theme song to “The Pink Panther”?
I love her questions because she is being so real.
How many times do I need to wrestle Mario before he gets tired out? What gets me through playing baby with Maria every night? Why is it that the only way to get them upstairs to change in their pjs every night is to chase them like I am a big, kid-eating monster? How do I always fall into the trap of reading three extra books when I made it clear that I would only read one before bed? What am I thinking when I agree to let M&M help me make chocolate chip pancakes and eggs and powdered chocolate milk (can we say “complete mess”)?
I go back to the quote above… the essential condition of motherhood is absurdity. I look at all of these crazy antics I engage in and all of the hoops I climb through for these munchos, and I realize, yes, it is absurd. It is completely nuts. Insane. And I would never have dreamed of doing one-fourth of it when I was single and 25 years old. But would I change a bit of it now? Not a chance.
Mother’s Day begins two hours from now. Jon asked me what I wanted to do on my special day. In the initial moment, I thought “all I want is a day to myself.” Just head north to your mom’s house or east to your cousin’s house and let me have the day to do whatever I want whenver I want.
But after a few seconds of mulling the question over, I realized what would happen if they did leave. I would love the first couple of hours by myself and then I would be up at Stauf’s and see a couple with their baby and think of my pumpkins. I would miss them and Jon and wish they were home with me even if it would require me to listen to them beg for me to play with them or read them a book or take them to the library. Surely there would be moments during the day when I would second guess my decision and want my solitude but they would be outweighed by the joy in being with my family. After all, could I laugh as hard as I do when Maria performs her “Oh, I know you didn’t” routine? Or when Mario dances to a rap song? Could I appreciate the richness of the soil without digging into it with Mario? Could I enjoy watching a monarch butterfly fluttering around the flowers without listening to Maria talk about its delicate wings?
No, these little pumpkins are such a big part of my world now and being without them on Mom’s Day just feels wrong. After all, the reason I am celebrating this day is because of these two munch-balls. So, as the clock inches towards midnight, I think about our day tomorrow – play fish, throw the tennis ball, take a bike ride and get a ton of kisses and hugs from those sweet babes of mine all day long….
Ten Reasons to be Grateful For Today…
1. Gorgeous powder blue sky with cotton ball clouds and 70 degree temperature = perfect biking to work weather.
2. Lunch with Mom at Mario’s school – free Panera with a big chocolate chip cookie! Running around the playground with Mario, spinning in plastic seats and playing tag in the muscle room. Mario made me a gorgeous beaded necklace so “I can remember him every time I wear it.”
3. Playing soccer with Maggie and Mario in the back yard (except when Maggie stole the ball from me and scored)!
4. Figuring out which drapes to get for the living room window and hall window. So exciting to branch out and take a walk on the wild side! I am not matching the color of the drapes with the furniture – crazy!
5. Seeing Jon on a scooter that his friend wants him to buy. He looked like a ten-year old who just got the present he begged his parents for all year.
6. Taking Maria to school and listening to Jack’s CD in the car. Maria asked if Jack wrote one of the songs after he broke up with Chelsea. I told her I was not sure and that we should ask him since we have the good fortune of being related to the singer of the band! She stopped me in my tracks and told me that we should not ask Jack such a question because it may make him sad and she doesn’t want to see her uncle sad. Also, loved seeing her in the cowboy boots that Grandma Meg got her for her b-day!
7. Going for a bike ride with Mario; he still fits in the baby seat on my bike! We biked all over Grandview; hit the park for some slide tag and Giant Eagle for a flower to plant outside.
8. Watching a yellow finch land on the branch of a japanese maple tree.
9. Talking to my mom about her new pup, Lou, and how everyone at the doggie day care thinks he is the best dog ever (so funny to see her as such a proud doggy mama!).
10. Eating Orange Leaf’s brownie batter and birthday cake yogurt with oreo and graham cracker topping. Mario got his pineapple, as always. And sitting outside together talking about desert animals.
Mario officially turned into a muscle head tonight. It started while Jon and him were outside grilling steak and burgers for dinner. Mario found a set of five-pound weights in the garage and he started curling them. Jon called me outside, and I stopped in my tracks. There was my 40 pound son pushing weights over his head and grunting like a power lifter. I can’t tell you how proud I was! He is taking after his mama!
Jon called me out a few minutes later and I found Mario with no shirt pumping iron. He informed me that he lifts better with his shirt off. Of course. We sat down to eat, and he begged me to wash his weights so he could take them to his room. I can only imagine opening his bedroom door and seeing him lifting weights in his sweats while jammin’ it out to Black Eyed Peas. In the middle of eating, Mario turned to Jon and asked “Can I be done with my food so I can go outside and lift weights?”
After eating a few more bites, he and Maria went outside. Jon whistled at me as I cleaned the dishes. I walked over to the back door and there was sergeant Maria belting out commands to Mario.
“First you do ten weight curls. Then you go to the horse and balance. Then you run to the back yard. Then you hit the baseball and sprint back. Then you go to the front porch and pump your arm. Then run back.” Mario soaked in every word and performed every activity shouted out. With each activity, Maria would yell “Ok, Mario, move to the next!” When he finished, she patted him on the back and told him “good job.” While Mario has got a lot of my energy and drive, Maria has a lot of her dad’s commanding style. She has no problem barking orders to Mario and making sure that he abides by her commands. She also has Jon’s concern for people and knows when praise is needed. When Mario returned from his obstacle course, she knew she needed to pump him up and tell him good job.
I our initial thoughts about these two crazy kids remain: Maria will be the executive calling the shots behind her mahogany desk and Mario will be the pro soccer player (or weightlifter) playing his heart out.
I have been struggling over the last few weeks with the meaning of my existence. Ya know, just a light topic to ponder during the day. Colleagues think I am a blast!
In actuality, it is not so much pondering the meaning of my existence as it is pondering what I want to get out of this life. What do I want to accomplish? Where will I be in five years? These heavy questions can weigh me down very quickly, and I have been searching for a way to lift myself out of it when I move from productive questioning to destructive judgment.
I have found that one exercise is particularly helpful in stabilizing me, at the least, and boosting me, at the most. It is the practice of gratitude. As soon as I catch myself wallowing in self-pity or feeling like I am not contributing enough, I think of something for which I am grateful. Today it was a family soccer game. Jon tried to score on Mario. Maria and I ran around waiting for our turn. Jon and I tried to see how many head balls we could do to one another before the ball fell to the ground (don’t ask, it was not impressive). We all laughed together at Mario’s dives and Maria’s antics. It was a most enjoyable half of an hour as the sun began to set. It allowed me to remember to not get so wrapped up in the analysis of everything but to just relax (not a mainstream word in my vocab).
I have an incredible family and I have a wonderful home and I mean so much to M&M and Jon and friends and cousins. I don’t have to solve world hunger in order to have accomplished something in my life. That is not to say that I want to cease questioning where I am and what I want. To the contrary, this practice of gratitude actually motivates me to want to do more, to challenge myself, to think about what I want to do in the years ahead.
I am trying to consciously practice this art of gratitude everyday because I feel happier and less anxious when I do it. It relaxes me. And it is not that hard. I could look solely to M&M everyday for something for which to be grateful but I can also look to Jon (most days!), colleagues, the grocery store, you name it. I think we have so many things happen to us through the day, and we encounter so many people, that we could all fill up our lives practicing gratitude.
Remember that teenager who held the door for you or that old lady who smiled so sweetly at you? Remember when someone laughed at your lame joke or told you how great you looked? Remember when your child looked up at you and said “I love you?” Remember when your partner gave you a goodbye kiss? Remember when your favorite song came on the radio? Remember when you spotted a cardinal on the rose-bush?
Maria, Mario and I sat down to dinner last night. Mario had his toys next to him at the table, and within a minute of beginning to eat, he took out a Ben 10 figurine and started playing with it. I began to tell him that he was going to be sent to his room if he did not stop playing and start eating but Maria interrupted me,
“Mom, I got it. You just eat your dinner and enjoy. I will take care of this.”
She proceeded to give Mario a lecture about needing to eat his food in order to get big and go to kindergarten. She sounded just like me and Jon. When he continued to play with his toy, I tried to chime in again.
She stopped me by grabbing my forearm. “Mom, I really got this” she said as she grit her teeth. She stood up and grabbed the toys from the table and placed them over on the other side of the room. While she walked to the other side of the room, she told Mario he would only get them if he ate his dinner. I thought that he would attack her for sure. But instead he watched her take his toys and did not say a peep. I can’t say that he chowed his food down after she talked to him, but he didn’t go hysterical either. It was quite a sight. I told Maria that she was going to be a good nanny. She told me that there needs to be consequences.
Yeah, my 7 year-old daughter is informing me that there must be consequences. If I was skeptical before, I am no longer. Maria had to be a mother in a past life. Maybe even mine?!
Meanwhile, she was back to her 7 year-old self tonight as we ate dinner. She called Mario a “poopy-butt” and he called her “stupid.” When I told them both to behave, she copped a seven-year old attitude and turn her chair from me. There is my darling girl I know and love.
After dinner, we scurried around to find shoes and clean up in order to go see the elephants that arrived in town for the circus. They stop the rail car about a mile down the street and walk up Grandview Avenue. We head over to see them every year. This year, Sherri and Jessica and Eli and Isaiah met up with us to see them. I had touted the event as a great time. But this year was completely different from past years. The route changed because the circus is at a different location. We used to play around at the local park in years’ past because the elephants went right by it. This year, we waited on the sidewalk in front of a friend’s house.
Last year, there were more elephants and animals in the parade. I believe there was a clown, too. It lasted for 20 minutes. This year there were six elephants and ten horses and the parade lasted two minutes max. Poor Eli and Isaiah. Isaiah summed it up the best when he turned to Jessica and cried “That is it, mama?!” To make up for the lack of entertainment, we let Isaiah and Mario wrestle in the friend’s lawn, which was more entertaining than the elephants.
We walked back to the house, and said goodbye to Sherri and the crew. The kids took separate baths, got on their nighties, and watched a show. I put on my nightie, too, and listened to Maria talk about art class. As I rinsed my face off with water, Maria said “do you know what, mom?” I said “what, pumpkin?” She said “I love you so much.” Spoken like a true mother.
"MOM!" 