School’s out

June 2, 2013June 2, 2013Leave a comment

Maria did it up right on her last day of school – she rode her scooter in her white sundress and pink chain necklace, and stopped by Stauf’s for a blueberry scone for breakfast.

It was definitely a bittersweet day for Ri. She loved her teacher this year, Mrs. Palmer. Mrs. Palmer is a hip, conscious, progressive, intelligent, technology savvy, non-conformist teacher. Her classroom doesn’t have the traditional tables and chairs; it has bean bags and funky chairs and rugs. She teaches a large portion of her class by computer – all of her second graders, including Ri, created and maintained their own blog during the year. She was great for Maria.

Mrs. Palmer made a tile plaque for each child as an end-of-the-year present. She told me she cried as she read it to Ri. I cried when I read it, too. So thoughtful and further evidence that she is wonderful. She really captured Ri’s qualities, especially that she finds such joy in the ordinary which will make her life experiences all the more extraordinary.

And then there was Mario’s graduation. Ri gave up a birthday party to go to it (“How can I miss Mario’s big day, mom?!”). Mario already felt “above” his friends when he marched into school. After all, he’d been out of preschool for a whole week since David began babysitting; all of his friends were still “stuck there” as Mario told us over and over.

His teachers made him a graduation cap that he was quick to scrutinize and determine was too big (it fit just right to me). They tightened it but then it was too small. I finally had to make two more adjustments before he was content (his teachers won’t miss that, I am sure).

He walked in the muscle room with his class and waited for his name to be called. He received a certificate from his teachers and was polite and darling on the stand (I was hoping he’d break out in Gangum Style!).

Patty and Joe came down for his graduation, and while he was waiting for his name to be called he kept begging to go home with them for the weekend. Do you think he got that wish?

Of course he did. And then he became a super-happy graduate!

Birthday madness

May 7, 2013May 7, 2013Leave a comment

The 8 year-old birthday festivities have concluded. They lasted four days and made me a zombie by the end.

Ri did not want a big bash at an inflatable gym or a sleepover with 10 girls this year. She wanted her best girlfriend and her cousin to come out to the farm for the weekend. And she wanted me to do a “surprise” at her school. Piece of cake, heh? Not for the mom who has to think of fifty different ways to create the best surprise.

It started at the beginning of the week with traveling to four different bike shops to look for bikes for Ri. Then debating over and over whether to get her a used bike of a new one. Then whether to get a new Target bike or a new Trek bike. In the end, we opted for the Trek because Ri loves to bike so much. She also just reached the height to be on a 24 inch bike so she’ll use this one for a while. I took her to the Trek store in the guise of getting a bike for Jon’s birthday so I could see which one she gravitated towards. Surprisingly, she went for the black one with pink writing and not the pink one. Good girl.

I also ran around shoe stores and Target to buy her some sandals and shorts. She loves these new athletic shorts at Target and she needs them – her running shorts from last year barely cover her tush (not a look Jon likes).

On Thursday, I went to her school at 1:30 and set up decorations at the shelter across the street. I had cupcakes, balloons, poster board for the kids to sign, water bottles for all the kids to take home, and treats. I had ordered pizzas because I had planned on going at 11 am but when we woke up that morning and I told Ri I’d surprise her at 11, she flipped out. “Today I get to go to computer lab with Ms. Palmer. I can’t do it any other day but today!” So, my plans changed. Thanks to Ms. Palmer for rolling with the punches.

The kids were hyper when they arrived for the party. They bolted over to me wanting to dive in the cupcakes and run around the field. They all sang happy birthday to Ri and signed her poster and flung themselves into the cupcakes. We played trivia – the first person to give the correct answer got a water bottle. Everyone knew Ri’s favorite band – Big Time Rush. The boys scattered to one area of the park and the girls to another and the party continued until school was out. One little boy came up to me afterwards and told me it was the best day he’s had in school. What a compliment!

Afterwards, I took two of Ri’s friends to the park and back to the house to play. We couldn’t find Janira’s mom when we headed to dinner so she got to come with us. Mario made them watch Ghostbusters in the back seat while we drove to Olive Garden. Ri chose it because Alana told her they had all you can eat breadsticks. My little Italian gal. Patty and Joe met us there.

The food was pretty bland but the breadsticks and salad weren’t bad. And they brought a nice size cake for Ri which is all we truly cared about.

We headed home to open presents. We gave Ri her shoes (too big) and her clothes (perfect). Then she looked at us quizzically wondering if there was any more. I left and brought in the black bike and her eyes opened so wide. She loved it. She went directly outside and rode it. Now every night she wants to practice using the gears.

I spent Friday buying treats for the girls’ gift bags at the farm. I wanted little magnifying glasses and journals to record their findings but I could not find them anywhere. So they got Nerds (not a smart candy to eat in the car) and bubbles and notebooks and pens and stuffed animals. Saturday arrived and I packed up the Volvo (freshly detailed) with sleeping bags, pillows, clothes, boots and giggling kids. Mario got to sleep over at Gio’s house and Jon went hunting.

We stopped at Giant Eagle for Ri’s horsey cake and then Walgreens for some Red Box movies. Alana begged to listen to Shake It Up on the way out. Poor Sophie is not too into that music so after the fifth song, I told Alana we had to turn it off (Alana knows every word to every song). They played with Furby (Grandma Ionno’s gift to Ri) and laughed. Then we played a game the rest of the way out where I gave them a letter and they had to draw a picture of a word that began with that letter. They loved it. Then they had to make up a sentence with the words they made up. Yeah, a little creative thinking to add to the ride.

We stopped at McDonalds Playland in Zanesville for some lunch and some play. There were a ton of local kids screaming and running throughout the area, however, so it was a quick trip (thank god).

We arrived at Red Hawk farm at 3 pm to a pen of barking, excited pups. Little did they know what they were in for over the next 24 hours. The girls immediately begged to get them out and run with them. The once tranquil farm exploded with yelling and laughter and the “chuck-it” winging a tennis ball across the lawn for Stella. Ahh, the energy kids bring to a place.

The chickens also had it in for the weekend. The girls moved to them next. They “herded” them like sheep and surprisingly did a good job at it. They also discovered six eggs in the henhouse which was quite exciting for them (and tasted delicious the next morning).

They then moved onto the creek to bathe in the mud-filled water. They loved the freedom to get as wet and dirty as they wanted. Alana about died when I told her she could get her shorts wet. And Ri beamed when I told her she could dunk her head under water. One of the simple joys of the farm – splashing in cold water on a sunny day.

The next stop was the horses. Sweet Taz allowed all three girls to ride him without any issue (he was quite ornery with Ri the weekend before but she handled it well due to her Grandma Meg training). I wish we could snap our fingers and have Ri at the farm for riding lessons and then back home an hour later for shower and bed.

It was back to the creek with Sarah and Jorge joining us later. Stella took a liking to Sophie following her down the creek bed. Maria discovered the wonders of slimy, soft algae and caressed it with her hands. Alana held on to Rosie tightly since Peepaw had warned that she would get lost if you let go of her leash. At one point, Stella grabbed the leash with her teeth and swung Rosie, and Alana, around in a circle. Alana somehow held on until Sarah got Stella but she was shaken up. All it took was us affirming what a strong girl she was and she stood up, shook it off and said “Maria’s grandpa will be proud of me!”

Sarah spotted trillium flowers on the bank of the creek. Beautiful and purple. Luckily, we had our renowned photographer with us.

I was ready for some food after all of the activities. So were the girls. We chowed on homemade Boboli pizzas while sitting on the screened in porch – a slight breeze hitting our skin and the sounds of evening surrounding us. Presents came next. Ri scored some cowboy boots and horse galoshes from Meg and dad, American girl clothes from Alana, a game from Sarah and Jorge, and a watch from Sophie. She hugged everyone with her monster hug squeeze and we were ready for cake.

I got a picture of a horse for her this year; I guess she’s graduated from the party theme cakes at Giant Eagle. She loved it. We broke out the game Sarah bought her, Quizzle, after cake. It was a blast. I think adults enjoy it more than kids. We played a mean game with Jorge winning due to his superior visual acumen. Dad set up the tent while we played and the girls took their board games in the tent and played. The adults called it a night at 9:30 but the girls stayed strong. At least two of them did. Ri fell asleep on the couch watching a movie with them at 10 pm. Sophie got scared shortly thereafter because the movie was spooky. Alana has no fear from all her Goosebumps movies. I put them in the tent at 10:30 and laid on the couch looking out the large window at the sparkling stars in the sky. It’s beautiful to view the night with no artificial light surrounding it. Alana came in five minutes later complaining that Ri was kicking her. She laid with me all night.

The morning brought dazed, punch-drink looks from both kids and adults. The kids played with the chickens and dogs some more and devoured Peepaw’s blueberry and walnut pancakes (easy to do). We took a creek walk again but this time from the road all the way back to the pasture. I told my dad that he needed to host a Warrior Race out at the farm between the mud and water and branches and thorns we needed to traverse as we walked the creek. Forget barbed wire fences and hoses for water – we have it au natural at Red Hawk. The girls were unstoppable and in heaven.

Dad and I got to take a walk together on his new trail through the woods. I got some insight on flowers and trees as well as the latest news on fracking and the plea of oil companies to lease his land. He, as always, is thinking through every option available and being practical yet principled about the ordeal. I just adore my pops.

We ended our time there with another chicken round-up, discovering a few more eggs, and spoiling the pups in their pen. We weren’t on the road twenty minutes before Ri was conked out.

I should have seen this coming between her lounging in the hammock with Meg and her dazed and confused look with me!

By the time we got home in Sunday, I was beyond exhausted. Poor Jon sat on the back deck waiting for us to arrive. Oh shoot! It was his birthday. I barely could muster happy birthday to him but he understood. “You do too much, babe” he told me gently as I whined about being tired. “I love you too death and you’re a magnificent mom but you do too much.” He had a point. I probably didn’t need to stop at Meijer’s on the way home and let the girls get a little toy.or unload the entire car as soon as we got home.

“Baby steps” I told him and he nodded his head and grinned. We sat on the deck and talked while M&M ran around with the neighbor kids.

Pittsburgh

May 2, 2013May 2, 2013Leave a comment

In my twenties, I remember my girlfriend talking about sleepless nights with her sick daughter. They were horror stories to me full of broken sleep, house-bound days, and snot wiping events.

And then came Maria and Mario. And broken sleep, house-bound days, and lots of snot wiping. And survival through lots of ice cream, 5 hour energy shots and Vela blogs.

Almost two weeks ago, Maria developed hard-core allergies. Her eyes swelled and watered and became bruised. We went to the doctor three different times over an eight day period to try to find the root cause. At first, it was diagnosed as allergies, then pink eye, and then a skin infection with allergies. It took her out of school for the last three days of the school week. I stayed with her for one of them, my mom for one, and Patty for the last (thank god for family). Patty was going to keep Ri for the weekend until I told Ri that I was still heading to Pittsburgh for Sarah’s graduation. Ri freaked and begged to come even with swollen eyes. I couldn’t say no since she looks up to her aunt so much so I agreed to meet Patty half way in order to get Ri Friday night. At the same time, Mario had no desire to go to Pittsburgh. He was starting to feel hot and had a rash on his cheeks. Patty offered to take him so that Ri and I could go to Pittsburgh without the stress of a sick kid. What a god-send she is. Not only did it help me but it also made Mario’s day because any time with Grandma is the best time ever for him. I have no doubt that he would choose Patty over me anytime.

After driving back to get Mario and sitting in major traffic, we arrived at the Wendy’s in Delaware for the exchange. Mario hopped right into Patty’s car without hesitation. Ri jumped in mine and begged to head straight to the farm. She wanted to see Savvy who recently returned to the farm. She also wanted to be closer to Pittsburgh to see Aunt Sarah. And so I downed my Five Hour Energy at 8 pm and we were off. Ri played market on the iPad most of the way asking me what foods I wanted to buy and re-asking me after the first grocery trip was completed… and second… and third. I didn’t mind the constant interaction, however, because I needed stimuli.

We got to the farm way past Meg and dad’s bedtime and Ri was so slaphappy she laid next to me giggling for 20 minutes. Meg and I both commented the next morning how soothing it was to hear that core laughter coming from her little soul.

We woke Saturday morning to an exquisite day and headed east to Pittsburgh. We made it to Sarah’s apartment and Ri ran inside to greet Sarah and Jorge, and most importantly, the dogs. Maria got her fill of kisses and we were off to graduation.

The Cathedral of Learning has been Sarah’s second home for the last three years. It sits amongst the bustle of traffic and looks like a building out of Florence, Italy. You just know minds are churning away inside of it. When Ri and Mario and I visited two years ago, we met Sar in her classroom. She hadn’t arrived yet so Mario did a dance for her class and Ri stood near him completely embarrassed.

It was a good thing that Mario stayed back because the graduation included an hour and a half of graduate readings. Each grad read a piece of their work for five minutes. I gave Ri the iPad but hoped she would listen to the stories. I didn’t think she spent too much time listening until she and I were walking to Stauf’s this week and I said “let’s make up a poem. I will start. One day I walked in the woods.”

Ri stopped me immediately. “No mom. You should say ‘One–day–I–walked–in the woods.” She had totally picked up on the voice inflections during the readings. I Love It.

Sarah read a lyrical essay about my grandma. Ri knows how sentimental I am so she crawled down to my chair and rubbed my cheek as Sarah spoke. Always the caretaker. I could listen to Sarah for hours and read her writings all day long. She is talented beyond belief (and her professor, Jean Marie completely agrees).

Afterward, Ri and I walked down all 36 flights of steps and took the elevator back up to five to chow down on desserts at the reception. There was a little girl there and Ri gravitated right to her while Meg and I spoke to Sarah and her professor. It really was a lovely afternoon.

And the loveliness continued when we dined at a Thai restaurant with an outdoor patio. They had a warm atmosphere with vines of flowers surrounding us and the sun laying its rays upon us. It is such a beautiful thing to be able to have an entire conversation with another adult without a child interrupting me. And to eat amazing food.

After stuffing our face, we took the dogs for a walk in Frick Park. The ride over in Jorge’s and Sarah’s little car and the two dogs was comical. Stella sat on Mona and then leaned over and licked Ri too death.

Sar let Ri walk both dogs when we got to the park. That is a helluva job seeing that Stella is a big mamba jamba and pulls whenever a dog or squirrel comes near. But Ri surprised us all. She jerked back the leash when Stella pulled and bellowed “NO!” Sar and I turned our faces to one another and cracked up. She’s no joke.

We sat in New York traffic in the middle of Pittsburgh but finally arrived back at reached Sarah’s apartment and gave her graduation present to her. A little bubbly and cheez-it’s as well as a Street Food cookbook and wooden cookbook holder. Ri knows her aunt.

We hit the road back to the farm to spend the night again. When we arrived at 9:15, we got to surprise Peepaw at the cabin. He had his friends around the table getting ready for some poker. We decided to leave them be and stay down at the house. Grandma Meg had some Nashville clips to show us on Hula. Ri was addicted at first blush and I was soon thereafter. We finally hit the hay at 10 pm and Ri’s cough only kept us up half the night. When we got up in the morning, Ri got to ride her Taz and even persuaded me to ride for a second. She loves her horses.

We drove home at noon and I was exhausted. I told Ri I needed 10 minutes to rest and before I knew it, we both woke up two hours later. Sarah tired us out. Jon arrived shortly after our nap with bad news – no turkeys. We all laid on the carpet and talked about our weekends as the sun faded away. We were in bed by 9. Mario, to the contrary, was busy wrestling Grandma Ionno until 11 pm.

Easter 2013

April 1, 2013April 1, 2013Leave a comment

Maria was more excited about Easter this year than Christmas. For the last three days before Easter she kept wondering what the Bunny might bring her. I never thought she cared much about the baskets that I create for them each year but I was wrong. As we sat at the table writing letters to the Easter Bunny, she said “I want to say something to her (I love that she treats the Easter Bunny as a girl – my progressive-minded girl) but I don’t want to sound greedy.”

“What are you asking her?”

“I’m asking her to please bring a basket for me and Mario again this year.”

“We’ll, I don’t think that is unreasonable to ask. Just ask it politely.”

So she wrote “P.S. Would you consider bringing a basket to me and Mario?”

I love that girl. She really is a thoughtful little soul. When Mario acted up later in the evening, I told him the Bunny was watching. He could have cared less. So I got more firm with him. Ri started sniffling. I asked what was the matter and she muffled her words “I don’t want my brother to not get a basket.” She watches over that boy.

She left out a cup of milk and cheese for the Bunny. She couldn’t find carrots. Then she went promptly up to her room so the Bunny would come. Mario stayed downstairs. I kept swearing that one day the Bunny would not come because he didn’t go to bed on time. All I can say is he knows he’s got a sucker for a mom and I would never let that happen.

And sure enough, even though he didn’t go upstairs until 10 with Jon, the Easter Bunny somehow managed to fix up two awesome baskets with bug catchers, a Katy Perry CD, Skylanders, clothes, sunglasses, and chocolate bunnies, of course.

The Bunny gave me written instructions to hide the eggs since he couldn’t hide them outside with the rain. The kids tore through the downstairs and the hunt ended in two minutes. They wanted those baskets.

I had to give $5 in an egg to each of them because we missed the Heile Easter egg hunt where there is always the possibility of finding the $5 egg (Grace was the sole participant this year so she got lucky). They were high on candy within 10 minutes (how fast can Mario down peanut butter cups? Three in a minute).

I still don’t know what to think about Ri and her belief in the Easter Bunny. With as old as she acts, I can’t believe she still believes. But then she gets so excited about Easter and writes a letter to her and leaves out food that I think she must believe. But then again, on Easter morning when Mario pulled out a Skylander and I said stupidly “I thought you’d like that one” she quickly interjected”you mean the Easter Bunny, don’t you, mom?” with a coy smile on her face. She keeps me guessing. Mario doesn’t give it much thought as long as there are gifts and money in his basket.

After finding eggs, we headed to Marion for Easter brunch. Nothing like filling yourself up with bacon, ham, creamy macaroni and hash browns before diving into brownies and chocolate peeps. Why aren’t elastic sweatpants allowed at brunch?

Carrie and Gio had to stay home because Gio was sick but we got Alana for the day. Mario enjoys playing with her as much as Gio. Grandma Ionno had eggs ready to be hunted and the kids got treated to more candy and another $5 egg. I’ve never made $10 bucks that easy.

The kids visited the mama and papa geese near Patty’s bridge. The papa squawked at us to stay away from his woman and babies and Mario had to tell us the story of him and Grandma getting chased by the papa two weeks ago. Then the kids rapped on the rocks (much to Uncle Patrick’s dismay – I told him we’d sing hard rock next time).

Mario crashed on the ride home but woke up when we got close to home begging to see Quinn. I told him they weren’t home from their aunt’s house yet and he got so mad. “You promised we could see them, mom!” He is all about keeping promises lately. I explained to him that I said we could see them if they were home. He surprisingly understood and sat quiet. I need to be very careful with my promises from now on because as long as I don’t promise something I know may not happen, he seems ok.

He ended up having a good night with his family. We took a scooter walk and played football. And ate a ton more chocolate Easter bunnies.

Heading up with Grandma and Grandpa

March 18, 2013March 20, 2013Leave a comment

Jon and I realized last week that the upcoming weekend was going to be insane. Jon needed to prepare for an interview at work and I had to attend an all-day retreat Saturday and finish a load of work on Sunday. We were stressing about what to do with the kids on Thursday afternoon and then TA-DA! Super Patty to the rescue!

My mother-in-law is 71 (or 72?) years old. She looks 50. She moves like she’s 25. She plays with the kids like she’s 15. She also takes care of my father-in-law who is 92. For 92 years old, he does well traveling with Patty and walking to and fro but Patty still needs to be there for him on a consistent basis to take care of basic needs.

I remember going to my grandmas’ houses to spend the night. I looked forward to playing Chinese checkers or watching tv and eating a bowl of ice cream. But after that initial night, I was ready to go home. See my friends. Play with my toys. Grandma only had so much energy (or desire) to keep me occupied. But our kiddos… well….

“Mom, please let me stay at Grandma Ionno’s for five days”, pleads Mario every week. When Ri came running into the house Thursday night asking if she could have a play date with Sophie on Saturday and I told her no because she was going to Grandma’s, she jumped up and down with excitement: “can I stay there all weekend”, she asked.

And so there is never any guilt when sending them to Patty’s and Joe’s because I know they love it and they will be treated like royalty (and the same can be said about all their grandparents – they have got three sets of world class grandmas and grandpas, lucky dogs).

Patty picked them up on Friday after school even though she had planned on meeting Jon on Saturday (the kids begged to go up on Friday). They walked around the pond and chased geese. They ate yummy treats. They played on the iPad. They got treated to the bowling alley on Saturday night. Patty took them by herself while Joe stayed home with Chris. They won tickets and got all sorts of crazy toys. On Sunday, they had a St. Patrick’s Day party complete with hats, necklaces, green shirts, and cheesy potatoes (Ri’s favorite). Patty took them out to get all the decor and food for the day. I mean, seriously, how fun of a weekend is that for a kid?!

Patty can’t leave Mario’s sight when he is up there with her. When Ri asked Patty to get Life cereal at the store, Mario begged Patty not to leave. Being the negotiator that he is, he turned to Ri and said “you don’t need Life cereal, you can have one of my Lunchables for breakfast (he thinks that is a present of gold since they have Oreos in them). Mario was upset when he found out Ri was going with him for the weekend complaining “I never get alone time with Grandma!” Ha, that’s a big ol’ fib seeing he has probably spent the most time with her and Joe of all the grandkids. But he will do what it takes to get extra time. And sure enough, Patty allowed him to stay through Wednesday while Ri had to come home to school (Ri uses every chance to tell Mario that he will be in school soon and won’t be able to spend time with Grandma on the weekdays).

Mario spiked a fever Sunday afternoon. Patty called with the news and immediately started brainstorming on how she could help so that I could get into work this week. She’s gotta double as my mother-in-law and guardian angel because she ended up keeping him up there with her and taking him to an Urgent Care so that I could attend mandatory meetings at work.

I know she and Joe love their time with the kids and feel no burden taking them like they do. That is a blessing. But I feel completely indebted to her for taking these munchos when we get in binds like this past weekend (and now week). I am so grateful to have such a support network in my family. There is a great peace of mind in knowing that no matter what problematic situations arise, my familia peeps have my back… and provide loads of fun for the kids while doing it.

Weekend Round-Up

March 11, 2013March 16, 2013Leave a comment

A list of all the events from the weekend of March 8:

Friday

Ri headed to Kids Night Out at Stevenson. She stayed in Ms. Palmer’s room with the third graders to help watch Ms. Palmer’s little boy, Colin. She would give up friend time to watch a little kid anytime. She also got a healthy dose of Spongebob while they waited for Mrs. Palmer to get organized.

When I picked her up from KNO, I ran down the hall with her and out the door trying to pinch her behind. We jumped onto a stone structure and laughed as we tried to get our breath. She looked at me and said “you are the funnest mom ever!” Words tucked away in my heart.

2. While Ri was at KNO, I took Mario to Target to buy new shirts and a Skylander (he got to buy that with his own money). We got our icees and headed straight to the Skylander aisle. And… we stood there for what seemed like two hours deciding which Skylander to buy. Another kid came over while we were standing there and he and Mario acted like old friends as they chatted about their favorite Skylanders. Hilarious. We ended up with Stealth Elf who Mario reported was liked by everyone – even our babysitter David. A cute little gal, I must admit. Then we headed to the clothing aisle. Doggone Spring clothes were already out so we could only find a few long-sleeved shirts. He found some boxers that “looked just like dad’s” so we got those, too. We got a good deal on a Dr. Seuss book – $5 – and Mario “read” it on the way home. He is hilarious with reading. He simply looks at the pictures and makes up his own story. He’s pretty creative, and usually some up with a more interesting story than the one in the book.

Saturday

We took advantage of 55 degree weather! We also took advantage of Mario’s new running shirt – as soon as I came home from my run he begged to go out with me for another run.

“I have my new running shirt, mom! I want to test it out!”

Ri biked (her worst nightmare is running!) and Mario and I ran. I explained to him about keeping a steady pace which he adhered to for two seconds and then sprinted again. After about two blocks he turned around and said “why aren’t I sweaty yet, like you always are?!” He wants to come home sweaty just like his mama (another one if Ri’s nightmares!). We played at the park a while and then went home to toss the football.

After running around, the kids were ready to chill in the car for a trip to Cincy for Cy’s 18th birthday party. Mario made dad and I engage in a singing contest (dad won with his famous song “Spicy Meatballs”) and Ri drew a picture for Cy’s birthday. When we arrived, the kids went straight to Robert and Cy and their girlfriends to play. Robert tossed the football with Mario and Cy messed around with Ri. There was a two-year old boy at the party so Ri was in heaven chasing him around and holding him. She is gonna be a heck of a babysitter.

Jane made killer lasagna and garlic bread: the Italian Ionno family was quite pleased. Liz and I ate with the kids downstairs cracking up at Ri going to town on her lasagna and Mario trying to play pool. Jane has hosted 72 birthday parties over the years for her kiddies – what a machine! We sang happy birthday to Cy, gobbled up chocolate cake and ran around the house wild until it was time to head home.

Sunday

Ri rode her bike and I ran up to Stauf’s. We took a long way up and down side streets to make it a three mile ride/run and Ri cranked it out on her old, run-down bike. She prides herself on being able to ride this bike (she always asks “do you think [insert friend’s name] could ride this bike like I do?). The chain is rather rusted and the pedals are tough to push but she has her parents’ strong leg muscles!

We had a wonderful Stauf’s trip – we sat outside in the 60 degree weather eating a chocolate chip scone and talking about school. I love mornings like that. We brought home a donut for home-body Mario and got ready for the Ionno clan to arrive.

We hadn’t seen Alana and Gio for a while so the kids were excited to have them over. As soon as they arrived, Ri and Alana were upstairs playing barbies and Gio and Mario were on my bed with my iPad and Grandma Ionno’s iPad. When we made them come downstairs to play, they picked up their nerf guns and acted like they were zombie killers.

I took the girls to the woods to try to find baby bunnies. No luck on that front but we did find a good tree to climb. It was only 65 degrees but Ri was “so hot.” She had to create a “belly shirt” to cool down and slip off her shoes. God help her when Summer hits.

The boys were next. I took them to the woods by the train tracks (I didn’t let them go near the tracks, Aunt Kathy!). They were hilarious talking about Skylanders and zombie killing. Mario kept asking Gio if Gio had a running shirt like he did. When Gio said no, Mario scolded him that he needed to get in shape.

When we returned, I had to play zombie. The boys destroyed me with their nerf guns (they did an excellent job aiming from the waist down). Then Grandma Ionno got in the mix and wrestled Mario. For 70+ years, that woman can hold her own. I can’t get over how much energy she has. She was on the carpet rolling all around with Mario. Good way to stay fit ad work off some of the calories consumed from Jon’s killer homemade spaghetti and meatballs meal.

We ended the weekend on our backs looking up at the sky and debating what the tree in our yard most resembled (I thought the tree stump from Skylanders and Ri thought a mom asking her kids why they broke something – you can see who is more creative).

And here’s to the start of a new week.

Stepping out

February 26, 20132 Comments

Our trip to Cancun started with a box of Whoppers and Bossypants. I must have snacks and a good book on a two-hour flight (in fact, any mode of transportation absent a bike requires emergency snacks).

We left Mario with Patty and Joe and Maria with Meg for the first two days of our trip and then M&M went to the farm for the weekend. Mario is beside himself at Patty and Joe’s house even more than before because they recently bought a Wii. Mario packed up his Skylanders and couldn’t wait to spend hours showing them off to Grandma and Grandpa (they will be sainted). It was almost as awesome as Christmas morning for him. While Mario was at Grandma’s house, he made a formal declaration to her: “Grandma! My mom doesn’t buy me any clothes that fit.” He did this after he went in the bedroom to get dressed and came out with a pair of high water pants and a long sleeve shirt that could have been short-sleeved on him. In my defense, I bought him clothes this year but I have tended towards the smaller sizes because up until this awakening with Patty, he never wanted pants that went to his ankles and he wanted his shirts skin-tight. So, I’m glad to see he’s turned a corner and that Patty got to be his personal shopper while we were away. He dragged her into Children’s Palace, picked out clothes, and had her and Joe wait outside while he tried them on in the changing rooms “like the girls get to do.” He walked out with an Oxford shirt and a pair of jeans and asked if he looked cooler than Justin Bieber. Patty told him he looked cooler. He was smitten. He found a tie to match his shirts and he was set. Thank you Patty for clothing our rock star.

Maria hung with Meg and dragged her all over the house to see random things – her fish, her clothes, her on-line games. She even got to take Meg to see her classroom and demand Meg to definitively tell her whether it was Jack’s old room or not. They ate pizza with Jen and hit Target for a new pair of hip peace symbol pajamas.

On Friday morning, Maria got the present of her life – a day off of school due to the ice accumulation. Poor Meg had to deal with the school closing (Jon and I lucked out!). Not only did she need to deal with the school closing – she had to deal with a migraine and vomiting. We would have never known had Maria not left me a voice mail that I got when I returned home on Saturday that went something like this: “Mom, please call me as soon as you hear this message. Something is very wrong with Grandma and we need you to come home.” Lovely. Meg ended up feeling better by later in the afternoon and luckily the kids were able to spend a few hours at the neighbors’ house dancing to Gangum Style while she rested. Mario got to eat chocolate for breakfast and Maria got to fill her cereal bowl with Lucky Charms so all was good with them.

Meanwhile, Jon and I ate like 16th century kings and played in the ocean like toddlers. We are one of few folks from Jon’s work that actually go into the ocean, probably because there are always red flags on the beach (meaning you shouldn’t enter) and because you wouldn’t want to hit the waves if you are the tiniest bit intoxicated. The waves were angry this year, and Jon and I were hurting after a half hour in the water. We limped out complaining that our shoulders hurt, our legs were weak, our calves were twitching. It’s not easy getting old and still acting like you’re two. But we continued to jump in every day we were there. We may be immobile for the next two weeks but we did it.

I had a rough Wednesday night and Thursday due to some rockin’ gin and tonics. There was something about the ocean, full moon and 80’s music that made me do it. And it will be another year before I do it again. I just don’t have it in me to recover quickly. I woke up in my dress Thursday morning with Jon laughing at me. I felt like I had swallowed a cat. When I stood up, my legs felt like spaghetti. I was hurting. I tried to make it the gym to ride the bike with the hopes of sweating some of those nasty toxins out of me but as soon as I pedaled, it felt like someone was squeezing my head in a vice. It was no use. I went back to the room and curled up in a ball. Jon returned from breakfast and shook his head.

The rest of the day consisted of a facial and a massage and lots of steam room and sauna action. I refused to leave the steam room until I was dripping in sweat. Those little alcohol toxins were going to be blasted out of my body somehow if not by exercise. I ate two entrees for lunch. We sat with Jon’s colleague, Dave and his wife Jen (the “sporty couple”). They are always a treat with hilarious stories about their kids or their house or some random event that happened to them. They also give us a little glimpse of what M&M may be like in a few years since their kids are a few years older than ours.

By the evening, I was back with the living. We had dinner at a fish house with Jon’s boss and others on Jon’s team. We sat outside and chowed down on crab, lobster and apple pie. One of Jon’s friends, Craig and his wife Julie (the “healthy couple”) sat with us at dinner. Craig gets on Jon for eating McDonald’s for breakfast; he gasps when he hears Jon order his breakfast and tries to urge him to eat oatmeal instead. God love him. There was an ongoing joke at the restaurant that Craig and Jon were “together” since they sat next to one another (I sat across from Jon and Julie and Julie and I decided the boys could have each other). It led to much laughter through the evening in addition to the laughter that came from discussing 80’s tv shows (Love Boat, Dynasty, Eight is Enough, Chips – it was hilarious to hear the names of these shows that we all grew up with in the 70’s and 80’s).

Friday was a much more friendly day to me. I had not drunk at all on Thursday night and my body thanked me. I got out of bed ready to take a run in the heat and hit the gym. Jon and I hit the breakfast bar together, too, which is one of our favorite things to do on these vacations. For a girl who loves chocolate and bread, I was in heaven, Chocolate croissants, french toast with almond slices, nutella, chocolate donuts, chocolate muffins. Maria would have been hitting the bar with me five times over if she was there. We swam in the ocean again Friday and then met up with the president of Jon’s company and a throng of others to have dinner at a Mayan restaurant. We sat with a good group of folks including Jon’s colleague, Joe and his wife Lydia (the “chic couple”). They are precious. Lydia is Sicilian so Joe had some hilarious stories about dinner with her parents. He also told us the story of why he enjoys Porsches and VWs so much. Jon wants to follow in Joe’s footsteps and buy a Porshe. I told him he could if Joe promises to provide maintenance on so it so we avoid throwing thousands of dollars at a car shop when something goes awry.

We were so full after our dinner on Friday night we could barely move. We packed up some of our clothes for our 8 am departure on Saturday but then gave up and laid on the bed like two beached whales. When the morning hit, I did one last run to remember the hot weather (I would much rather run in cold weather) and then hit the breakfast bar with Jon. We got to the airport two hours early as the hotel requires us to do and then found out that our flight was delayed three hours. So we had five hours to kill. We played Gin Rummy and ate Dominos pizza. It was the bomb even though Jon is up 7-4 on me. But I did win our one and only game of Crazy Eights. Yeah, I’m bad.

We arrived home late Saturday night and called the kids. They were so excited to hear from us they couldn’t stop grabbing the phone from one another. That felt good. Meg said that Maria cried for me when the night-time rolled around – sweet baby. Mario got me on the phone to tell me he thought of me when he looked at the sky and he wanted to see me – second sweet baby. I hung up the phone feeling loved. The kids reported their adventures when they returned from the farm – Mario helped Peepaw cut a trail in the woods (he showed me his cuts from the thorns); Maria helped Peepaw clean bird nests and found two blue eggs and Meg taught her the process of sewing (that is a talent we need in this house). Both kids got to go fishing on Saturday when it was a tepid 45 degrees outside. They got some bites but no fish.

When they arrived home on Sunday, I ran out to greet them. I got two of the longest, strongest hugs in a while and sat on my knees enjoying them. Then I got pulled inside to look at Maria’s eggs and to show Mario where the iPad was so he could play on it – he hadn’t been around technology for two whole days! Maria was by his side within minutes helping him try to buy gold coins to use in his Spiderman game. And we are back to normal….

Riding the see-saw

February 17, 2013February 17, 2013Leave a comment

Behave as if tomorrow is your last day.

So that has been my motto the last few days. I had to figure out something that would make me pay attention to all of the wonders before me: my hubby and kids, my family, my home, warm socks, Lucky Charms cereal. I had such a maddening couple of weeks at work that I lost balance and found myself on the low end of the see-saw that was stuck in the mud on the ground. I’d come home to kids who yelled “Mom!” and I would put on a smile for them but as they ran away to get a game to play or show me a cool toy, my smile vanished and I stood in the room all funked out. It didn’t help that I got my hair cut in those same maddening work weeks. I went to a new gal and told her I wanted bangs.

“Just make me blond and give me bangs – what the hell,” I told her one night after work.

Usually stylists are hesitant to make that move, especially if you are a new client. But this gal had bright red hair, tattoos everywhere, and quite a few piercings so if I told her to go for it, she was going for it – no questions asked. She completed her work and I wanted to sob. Yellow canary hair and straight, straw-like bangs. I couldn’t have looked less attractive. We took another hour and a half to tone down the yellow but I still walked away feeling like a mix between a monster and an 80’s punk rocker. It didn’t help that when I walked in the house, Jon’s mouth dropped and all he could say was “Oh My God.” Actually, he said one more word after that. “Thor.” Yeah, he called me “Thor.” I couldn’t really remember what Thor looked like but I knew he was making fun of me. A few minutes, he called me into his office with the kids. He had a picture of “Thor” on his computer screen, and pointed to it. The kids felt my pain and responded “that does not look like mom, dad! Only his hair looks like mom!” I wanted to crawl into bed and not return to society.

But alas, within a couple of hours, I was laughing with them about my hair and putting it all into perspective. It’s just a haircut, heh? Really, so I look like a male warrior, it could be worse. Not sure how, but it could be.

And so I decided this weekend that I would turn myself around – change my negative thinking and get on with it. I am now back on balance somewhat. Riding close to the middle of the see-saw. I even managed to handle a trip out to Dover on Saturday with Jon, the kids and Patty and Joe. I was a little frantic about the trip on Friday night because I wanted that day to prepare for Jon and I’s Cancun trip. I had also found out from Vicki a few nights earlier that the baby shower we were heading to (hence the trip to Dover) was going to have 100 people and be three hours long. Baby showers are those necessary evils that you must attend because a baby is going to be born! When you are the mother-to-be, it is the greatest ever. When you are a guest, it can be taxing at times, especially when there are 60+ gifts to open. But the visit went much better than anticipated. I got to spend time with Patty, and the kids got to torture her in the backseat by making her watch Homer Simpson iPad games and color rulers. We got to eat cupcakes and talk to Vicki and look at all the sute baby clothes that Stacy got. Maria got to sit next to Bianca and listen to her and her friend talk about random things like make-up, hair and boys. She was mesmerized. There were a few other little girls there ranging from ages 3 to 10. Maria was ok playing with the three-year old because she just held her around the lobby but she was completely awkward around the 10 year old girls. I had to stand out in the hall with her for 20 minutes making conversation with the other girls (who were just sweet as can be). When I finally told Ri I had to go back ot the party, she stood out there a few more minutes but then came back inside. She eventually went back out in the hall after some prodding and had a good time with the girls but she is not the chatty-kathys like Patty and me. She has got her dad in her in that area. She has always been one to choose to hang with the adults – even when she was three years old. It is that old soul in her.

We went back to Big Mario’s and Vicki’s house for some wine and some trampoline jumping (yeah, be careful mixing the two). After an hour or so talking with them, we drove home in near white-out conditions at times. Luckily, Jon drove. Patty and I kept the kids busy (she read an entire Aesop’s Fables book to Mario and I made up stories with Ri) until we got home. Then we ate more cookies and cupcakes and went to sleep at 9:30.

We woke up on a frigid Sunday morning and made chocolate chip-peanut-butter pancakes and eggs. It was heaven. I read them a few facts from the newspaper as we ate (the Pope is resigning; the economy is looking better; the Underground Railroad Freedom Center is in Cincy and we need to go soon). At one point Mario looked up at me with chocloate chips caked around his mouth and all over his hands. I almost let out an exasperated sigh but some other force came over me and I laughed. I laughed hysterically, which caused the kids to laugh hysterically. We couldn’t stop. It was marvelous. And awakening.

The moment took me to the high end of the see-saw.

Bugs, cousins and grandmas

February 10, 2013February 10, 20132 Comments

Mario got the horrid bug first. He woke up on Wednesday morning complaining that he felt like he was going to throw up. We’ve all been fighting colds so we told him it was just mucus build-up. Within five minutes of dismissing his complaint, he was violently throwing up in our bathroom. His whole body trembled as if an alien possessed him. He cried and begged to not throw up anymore. If there are two people who hate to throw up, it’s Jon and Mario. So guess who got it next? Yep, Big Jon. Poor things. Mario wanted me by his side for the entire day holding his hand and rubbing his back. I willfully obliged. Jon wanted left alone with good reason. They both got over the crux of it within 24-48 hours, thank god.

I woke up Saturday morning feeling funny and ended up in bed all day. I didn’t have as bad of symptoms and with lots of sleep, I think I have dodged the worst of it as I write this on Sunday afternoon.

Mario had his buddy Quinn over while I was held up in bed. Those two played Skylanders for three hours – only taking breaks to eat Mac-n-cheese and wrestle. Quinn is a dream playmate for Mario.

Later that night, Quinn’s folks took Mario for dinner and a movie. Jon and I were so bummed not being able to take advantage of a night out alone with me still ill and Jon recovering. Instead we sat in the family room and watched National Geographic and felt like we were 85.

Meanwhile, Maria was having the time of her life at Grandma and Grandpa Ionno’s house with her cousin Alana. I am so glad Patty took them for the weekend because they are seeing less and less of each other as they get older. They are making their own friends which is great but I don’t want them to lose sight of each other. This is a little taste of the dress-up party happening up north…

Maria’s tough self never got the bug. She was fine leaving her family in the infested house and escaping to her grandma’s house. She got treated to Tim Horton’s (a girl’s morning out on Saturday) and to spaghetti and meatballs and to Grandma’s fine attire and shoes!

Jon’s reaction was priceless when he opened this picture Maria sent him.

“Holy cra-!”

My sentiments exactly. Sweatpants and sweatshirts for that girl from now on.

Skylanders and baby dolls

February 6, 2013February 6, 2013Leave a comment

Mario got quite the treat last week. He got out of two days of school because Grandma and Grandpa Ionno picked him up Wednesday night. Patty had been with her brother in Marietta who is recovering from the flu and also battling COPD. She’s been his rock. It has taken its toll on her though. And her way to recover – take Mario. Seems paradoxical but it’s true. Mario loves spending his days in his pjs with G&G (and doesn’t mind donuts and Grandma’s cooking either!) and Patty and Joe love his presence.

Mario also gets spoiled too death (as do all grand kids when they head up north). He got two Skylanders when he went to Meijer’s with Grandma. Unfortunately, Grandma doesn’t have Wii at her house. He was torn between Grandma’s house and home. Eventually, the desire to watch his new Skylanders in action overtook him and he called us to pick him up (of course, every time he does this he begs to go back to gmGrandma’s within a few hours!). Jon drove up north to retrieve the nut and he ran in the back door, hugged Ri and me, and went straight to the Wii.

After playing on his own a bit, he begged Jon to play. Jon doesn’t mind it too much (boys and their video games) and before we knew it, Ri and I saw two boys chillin’ and laughin’ with Skylanders.

Meanwhile, Maria has found a renewed interest in baby dolls and loves to play that I’m the grandma and she’s the mom. She cuddles with her newborn and feeds her a bottle but as soon as the baby poops, she hands her over to “grandma.” I see how she’s gonna be….

"MOM!"

Adventures in the Life of a Working Mama

Tag: Grandparents