Partyin’ til the Cows Come Home

Leave a comment

Party Girl

Maria slept over at her friend’s house last night.  Her friend turned seven and had Maria and two other girls over for a birthday party/sleepover.  She wrapped her friend’s presents (two barbies) in Christmas paper (I never buy wrapping paper besides Christmas time); signed her card, and found a big party bag to place all of the goodies.  These are the times that I think she could make it by herself in her own apartment better than most 20 year olds.  When I told her she could call me or dad if she got scared, she looked at me with an exhausted look.  “Mom, pleease!”  And sure enough, Jon and I never heard a peep from her until we picked her up.  She had gotten a manicure, perfume, and made up with her girlfriends. 

Meanwhile, Jon and I had chilled with little Mario all night.  He wanted to play on my iPhone or ipad all night long.  He is completely and totally addicted to all things electronic.  He could sit on the floor, legs crossed, head cocked downward to see the screen, and tap on the iPad all day long.  He is mesmerized by whatever he is playing.  You could call his name ten times and he still doesn’t hear you.  Scary stuff.  Was I like that when I played PacMan on Atari?  He gets away with murder when Maria is gone because Jon and I let him stay up while we watch a show or read.  He plays the iPad the entire time.  I figure he is in school all week with no electronics so why not let him live it up on the weekends. 

Mario and his iPad

In any case, after we make him turn off the electronics, I read to him for at least 20 minutes.  He enjoys that time with me, which is good. At least he is not crying for more electronics or covering his ears yelling “I’m not listening!”, which is how he reacts anymore when he gets mad at you (learned behavior from his sister, I believe). And he understands the books we read – he can tell me the main idea of the story every time.  So, his fixation with electronics doesn’t concern me… yet.  

We picked up Maria from her friend’s house this afternoon and visited our old neighbors, Doris and Kim.  We had not visited them since we moved in our new house (we are so bad that way).  They always welcome us into their house, and the kids love them.  They hung out with Kim outside while we talked to Doris.  Kim does anything they want; today she let Maria act like she was driving her car and let Mario toss a ball to Gunther (their dachshund). 

As soon as we left and walked in our door, Maria asked “when am I going to Alana’s house”  My brother-in-law invited her to spend the night tonight through Monday since they are going to watch Maria on Monday while Jon and I work.  Jon and I are chopped liver anymore.  The girl likes to get her party on.  We packed her up and Jon took her over.  She’s gone until Monday. 

Mario, meanwhile, loves having his sister gone for a day or two (any longer and he misses her like crazy).  He gets Jon and me all to himself.  I play baseball with him (he has got an arm on him and can hit pretty good, too).  I take him for a bike ride and he is in the lead the entire time (when Maria goes with us, she always gets in the lead).  We go to the library and he gets all my attention while he plays his computer games (usually I read to Maria while he plays).  We play Wii  table tennis and he kicks my butt!  We play Hi Ho Cherry-O, and he refuses to stop playing until he wins a game.  No, he’s not competitive at all…. 

Jon and Mario  play hunting games on the iPad.  Mario yells “Dad, I shot the bear right in the heart!”  Jon gives him the rock and then takes a turn.  Mario watches in awe.  They are hilarious together.  I think Mario will be supplying the meat for the family in no time.  Meanwhile, Maria will be busy having sleepovers and partying it up til the cows come home.

The wink

Leave a comment

Maria hates to have her hair brushed.  She hates to brush it herself and she detests anyone else brushing it.  She is not at all vain when it comes to her hair.  I have tried to change her mind about brushing her hair by telling her that her hair is a tangled mess and everyone else comes to school with hair at least brushed, if not in a braid or head band or barrettes. 

 But nothing phases her – she could care less. 

Little Maria toes getting painted

However, my girl loves pedicures.  The lack of vanity in her hair translates down to her feet.  Whenever she is line for a treat for doing something good, she always asks for a pedicure.  And me giving her one does not cut it.  She must go to the salon and be completely and utterly pampered.  I think I forever damaged her when I took her to get one  at age 4.  We went with my mom and grandma in Cincinnati.  After that experience, it was over for her.  She was an addict.  When we went for one this week, she finally experienced the pleasure of the leg massage.  She’d always look at me like I was crazy when I sighed and moaned while getting the massage part of the pedicure but this time around, it was Maria doing the moaning.  Her beautician had the touch and melted Maria with her touch.  It was hilarious.

Maria seems to exhibit the dichotomy in caring less about her hair but obsessing about pedicures in other ares of her life, too.  One minute, she can be the most exuberant, spirited, vivacious little girl running around the house in pure slapstick and the next minute she can be the most melancholy, introverted, reclusive soul.  I do appreciate that quirky personality in her; I love how she puts her whole self in her emotions – whether happy or sad.  A sign of living life to the fullest, I think.   

Our exuberant Maria

The other day, we got in a fight because she “gave me lip” and then shoved me away when I tried to talk to her.  I got angry and said some mean words, too.  She bawled her eyes out.  When I apologized for being mean, she cried even harder and professed her love for me.  Later that day, I picked her up from school (still feeling guilty) and we were walking to the car.  She had on her good shoes and she looked at me with a big smile and stated “I am going to walk in the mud, mom.”  I told her she better not. 

Without hesitation, she laughed and skipped along the edge of the sidewalk and mud and retorted “We don’t want another fight like this morning, do we, mom?!” while she winked her eye at me.

Mario Returns

Leave a comment

Mario returned home from Grandma and Grandpa Ionno’s house this evening.  He wasn’t in the door for ten minutes before he asked them to go back to their house.  I have no doubt that he would be just fine visiting us every other weekend and living day in and day out with Patty and Joe. 

He hid from me when I got home from work and only when I faked crying for two minutes did he come out from his hiding place and give me a big ol’ smooch and hug.  His arms wrapped around me felt like a piece of heaven.  Could I just bottle up that feeling and open it up on those days I feel like jumping out my window?! 

But within 30 seconds of giving me a hug, he begged me to wrestle him.  That is all he wants to do anymore.  Wrestle or box.  He could do it all day long.  I can last about 15 minutes.  Maria joined in after 15 minutes and within 5 minutes, Mario hit Maria in the mouth (truly an accident, I think) and she slapped him the face.  The crying and screaming ensued.  I wrapped up the WWF and moved us up to the bath where I hoped the warm bath water would calm them down. It did nothing but cause water to be splashed everywhere. 

After our bath, we headed downstairs for the most random combination of dinner food possible.  Pancakes, hash browns, hot dogs, hot pockets, cottage cheese and cheesy veggies.  Just the sound of the combination makes me gag but it wasn’t bad while we were eating it.  I grabbed two loads of laundry that needed folding and brought it into the family room to fold while we watched Blues Clues (haven’t watched that show in two years).  I didn’t have to say a word to Mario and he dove right in to help me fold.  Maria not so much.  She draws the line at certain chores and laundry is one of them.  She gets away with it for now but another few months and she is in for a rude awakening.

Mario is the most meticulous clothes folder I have met.  Even a more amazing feat when you consider that he is four years old.  He folds clothes over three or four times and makes sure that there are no edges sticking out before he hands them over to me to put in the pile.  It is hilarious.  He is going to be one of those people whose closets are in such complete and total order that you wonder how they function in the real world.  Then again, I am probably completely off base because I see his closet and floor and they are both a disaster area full of unkept clothes and shoes. 

After folding, we drew pictures.  Maria drew me a picture of roses and I drew her a picture of a tree and birds and a swingset.  I exhibit the poorest, saddest, drawing ever for a forty-year old.  The drawing look identical to drawings I made at age 8.  At least my writing is a tad better.  Mario drew a picture of a sunflower for Grandma and Grandpa to thank them for having him over this week.  It was precious.  We missed the little bugger although it was nice for Jon and I to relax together from 9 pm onward.  Maria always fell asleep at a normal hour.  Here we are tonight as I write this with Mario dancing around the downstairs waving his arms and singing “I’m sexy and I know it!”  It is 10:45 pm.

Happy Valentine’s Day Munchballs!

Leave a comment

Happy Valentine’s Day To My Precious Babies…

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways….

1. I love the way that you stand at the side of my bed at 7 am waiting for me to open my eyes. I love how you wait only about three seconds before you rub your hand on the side of my face and whisper “Mom, can you come downstairs with us” 

2. Mario, I love how excited you are when it is the weekend.  I love how you ask the question “Is it a school day?” and when I answer “no”, you smile so wide and we can see joy bursting throughout your tiny body.

3. Maria, I love your empathy for people and things.  When we watch a show on animal planet and a poor animal is killed, you feel a deep sense of sadness and ask questions about why the animal couldn’t fend for itself and why the predator had to eat the animal.  When you see a person that looks like he is down and out, you want to help him.  You ask if I have anything to help him.  When I complain about the person in front of me at the grocery who is taking so long, you remind me that she could be having a bad day or have something wrong with her that doesn’t allow her to move as fast as me.

4. I love how you both care so deeply for each other even if you get into fights everyday.  You never go to bed mad at each other.  I love how you have to give hugs to one another every morning before you leave for school. 

5. Maria, I love how you always call Mario your “little buddy.” Mario, I love how you call Maria “Ria.”

6. I love how you yell for dad when you get home from trips with me, and when you hear him, you run to him and give him big ol’ bear hugs. 

7. Mario, I love how you have such a passion for hunting like your cousin, Mario and your dad.  I love how you enjoy hunting shows, and have learned how to shoot so that you immediately kill your prey and they don’t suffer.  I love how understand the circle of life at age 4!

8. Maria, I love how you are so animated and possess a wild, uninhibited spirit that allows you to be yourself no matter where you are and who you are around.  I love your raucous laugh and big smile.  I love your blue eyes. 

9. I love how you both fall asleep in Maria’s bed like two angels in a Raphael painting.  Maria’s golden hair swept to the side; Mario’s baby face and red cheeks lighting up the canvas.

10. I love how you appreciate family and enjoy your time with grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins.  I love how you beg to hear stories about times when you were little – real stories about how you acted and your first words and what you liked to play with, and who you liked to hold you.

11. Mario, I love how, at age 4, you have mastered the Ipad and the Iphone.  I love how you can download an app and within ten minutes, describe the entire premise behind the app to me (i.e., there are dragons and you have to fight off the main dragon because he leads the other dragons….).

12. Maria, I love how, at age 6, you have mastered more than games on the Ipad.  I love how you use the video like an amateur cinematographer capturing some hilarious moments in our lives.  You have an eye for the camera, my love, and I have a feeling we may be seeing your name on the big screen one day.

13. Mario, I love how you don’t give up, especially when it comes to sports.  You will play a Wii game over and over until you have it down.  You will swing a bat 100 times until you connect with the ball.  You are a perfectionist in more ways than one (your clothes must still sit perfectly on your body before you will start your day), and I have a feeling we will see you on ESPN catching a line drive and making a double play.

14. I love how you take care of one another whether it be nursing the other when he or she gets hurt or it is agreeing to watch a show that one of you is not too fond of watching.  I love how protective you are of one another.  Maria, you will stand up to anyone that teases your little brother and Mario, you will confront anyone on behalf of your big sis.

15. I love how you sit so close to me when we read books at night.  Mario, I love how you snuggle with me on my lap and make a million comments as we read the book.  Maria, I love how you let him make those comments without one complaint. 

16. I love how you both can throw a frisbee; I see ultimate frisbee in our future!

17. I love the smell of you whether you’ve just taken a bath or haven’t had one in two days.

18. I love how you always think you can wrestle dad and win.

19. I love how you always indulge me and let me take your picture.

20. I love how much joy and wonder you have brought to your dad and me.  Our lives were full before we chose to have you but after you were born, our lives filled up in so many different ways that we would have never known of had we chosen not to become parents.  You opened our eyes to new way of loving; would we have ever understood how a heart can encompass such a range of emotions for such a little creature?  Ache so heavily for your well-being yet burst so happily at the sight of your tiny hands and feet?  Watching you grow every single day is a gift; seeing the world from your eyes is a treasure; hearing you express yourselves is fascinating.  We believe in you, Maria and Mario, and we love you to the moon and stars and sun and back. 

Happy Valentine’s Day 2012!

Making our way

Leave 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!

1 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.

Sweet Mario

1 Comment

There is a little girl in Mario’s class who is causing Mario much heartburn. 

Her name is Lily. 

And she is mean. 

I can’t believe I am saying that about a four-year old but I got a first-hand viewing when I dropped off Mario yesterday.  She was playing at the table that Mario loves (it lights up and you build on it).  Mario whispered to me “Lily is the new girl.  I want to play with her.”  How sweet, I thought.  When he approached her, she growled like a grizzly “Get away from me, Mario!”  He turned to me and frowned. 

My Caring Mario

I left after giving him advice to play with other friends.  At dinner last night, he brought Lily’s behavior up again.  “She is so mean to everyone, especially me. She poked me with a straw.”  We discussed how she may be sad because it was her first week at school and maybe that is why she is being mean (I should clarify that before such discussion, Jon was tempted to give a different piece of advice but he refrained!).  We talked about some books that we had read that showed a bully who became nice once someone paid attention to her.  I explained to Mario that maybe he just needs to continue to try to be nice to her. 

As we discussed how our days went at dinner tonight, Mario brought up Lily again.  “She hit Grant in the head and he hit his head against the table today.  That wasn’t nice of her.”  I asked if he told his teacher and he said that he did but Lily still acted mean.  I told him to steer clear of her for a while and then maybe she will want to play eventually (Maria chimed in with “Just go play with your girlfriend Jillian!”).  He shook his head in discouragement, and told us how he told Lily’s dad how mean she was being to him and all of his friends.  I asked Mario what her dad said and Mario told me he just walked away from him (maybe where she gets it!). 

I made sure that we read the Recess Queen again tonight.  Mario immediately compared Lily to Mean Jean, the main character of the book.  When Mean Jean learns to play with everyone at the end of the book, Mario observed “maybe Lily will learn how to do that, too.”  It is strange how obsessed he seems with this little girl but I think it is a good thing.  I think he truly cares about her and wants to see her happy and playing at school.  Either that, or he is ready to cuss her out and he is just prepping me so I understand when he does it!  No, not my boy….

I just read what?!

Leave a comment

I read an article about reading to kids yesterday.  Yet another piece of reading that makes you wonder whether you are doing all that you can as a parent.  Heck, up until I read the article, I had been charged up because I have been pretty good about reading books to M&M every night.   But now I have to worry about whether my mere reading to them is even doing anything beneficial for them or whether I might as well sit them in front of the tv to watch SpongeBob every night.

Reading a little Dr. Seuss

When I got home with the kids after work, I set aside two library books to read after dinner.  Things never quite go as planned on school nights because dinner and showers and playtime get in the way.  Before we know it, the clock says 9:00 and we still haven’t read a book.  So, I picked one of the two books and sat between the kids.  The winner was Hot Hot Hot – a book about wooly mammoths and the Ice Age.  The mammoths get hot because Summer comes around and they don’t know what to do.  Ice melts when they lift it up in the sky.  “Why does the ice melt?” I ask them.  Maria chimes in “because the sun melts it.”  Nice job.  One for Ri.  The next page shows the mammoths cutting off their hair.  “Why would they do that?” Mario raises his hand and bursts out “because they are hot and that will cool them off!”  Rock-n-roll Mario! One mammoth fans the other but that mammoth gets hot from continuously fanning the other.  I ask them “why would that mammoth get hot” 

Maria responds “because the mammoth has to keep fanning the other one and is not getting any air himself.”  Mario responds “it’s not nice of the other mammoth to get fanned all the time and not fan her friend, too.”  Different explanations – both well thought-out – they are geniuses!   All of my nightly reading has paid off – they comprehend the stories and are brilliant.  I can stop worrying now.  Yeah, right.  I can just channel my worry to one of a mama’s many other concerns: are they eating healthy enough, are they getting enough exercise, are they adapting socially….

Dogs and Hamsters and a Super Bowl, Oh My

Leave 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.

I Am Because We Are

Leave a comment

I took my time getting out of bed this morning.  Jon lovingly rolled out of bed at 7:10 am to take the kids downstairs.  They have reverted back to their old wake-up time – 6:30 am.  Brutal on a Saturday morning.  Especially when nursing a head cold.

Maria headed back upstairs after heading down with the boys.  She cuddled her body against mine and rubbed my hair trying to get the tangles out (an act she loves because I inevitably say “Ouch!” and she retorts “That’s how I feel when you brush my hair!”).  She begged me not to go on my Saturday morning run complaining that I never spend Saturday mornings with her.  I explained to her that I spend all of Saturday day and night with her outside of my run, but that didn’t matter one bit in her mind.  When she knew she would not get me to skip my run, she begged me to at least get up and carry her piggyback downstairs.  I asked her to give me 15 minutes.  She counted down 15 minutes on the clock and when that 15 minutes expired, she sang “Cock-a-doodle-do!”  She is a nutball.

As I got dressed and looked outside at the bleak morning, I resolved I would do a short run – 5 miles – and call it a day.  My head hurt from my cold, my nose was runny and stuffy and my eyes felt droopy.  Jon always asks why I would choose to go outside and exercise when I felt like that but to me, it helps.  Opens up those sinuses, right?!  On my first leg of the run, I felt heavy in the legs and I thought I may take the mileage down to 3.  But something happened as I jogged down my second hill and saw a group of runners – male and female – running up the hill.  They looked my way, smiled, waved, and yelled “Good day, heh?”  I returned the morning hello and felt energized.  After another mile, I jogged by a woman walking her dog who I see often on my morning runs.  Her dog yapped and she shrugged her shoulders at me saying “I wish he’d know you by now and not bother you with that barking. Do a mile for me!”  I waved and continued. 

M&M posing at the tile shop they went to with Jon and me later in the day.

I made it to my turn-off. I could choose to take a left and head up the hill to the gym or head straight towards downtown.  Seeing others energized me and I continued toward downtown.  When I passed a bus stop, the two older men sitting on the bench commented  “Lookin’ good hunny.  Keep that body moving.  Uh-huh.”  I nodded at them appreciating their subtle encouragement. I continued through downtown into Short North and up King Avenue.  I ran over the bridge and caught a glimpse of Mario’s favorite bird (heron) standing tall on a rock in the water.  I thought of Maria and Mario and my full day ahead with them.  I smiled.  I thought of Jon and a full week with him this week due to his lack of travel.  I smiled.  I looked at the road ahead and the run I was soon set to accomplish.  I smiled. 

An old African Proverb suddenly entered my head: “I am because we are.”  My sis had sent me this proverb in a card a while back.  I thought back to the warm people I had seen on my run, my family, my friends, the pre-historic heron, and how fitting the proverb was for my Saturday morning run.  I repeated it over and over as I ran home to spend the day with Jon and M&M.