Fun at the farm and quiet in the city

January 6, 2013January 6, 2013Leave a comment

Ri and Mario went to Peepaw’s and Mama Meg’s house on Friday afternoon and spent the weekend with them. As a result, Jon and I had the entire weekend to ourselves, which always feels like we are in an alternate universe. We went out to Polaris Mall this morning to fix my phone at the Apple store (and left right after the Apple store – we couldn’t get out of the mall quick enough). On the way home, we picked up Jersey Mike’s for lunch and as we left the store, we both thought of the times pre-M&M when we’d have nothing to do on the weekends but this: head out on errands, grab lunch, go to the coffee shop…. It’s nice to live that life again for a couple of days but we miss those pumpkins and want them home… tomorrow.

Meanwhile, they are living the farm life with their grandparents – shoveling horse poop, loading hay, and making abstract snow figures.

It is supposed to be a horse. They also got some sledding in on inner tubes and plastic sleds. Peepaw showed them how it was done first. Mario nearly got a concussion from going down one of the hills Sarah and Jorge made over New Years but they loved it.

Ri reported to me this morning that she read an entire Magic Treehouse book last night. Not sure what Meg and dad needed to do to make that happen but that’s one great thing about the farm – no 500 channel cable tv and lots of books!

That brought on another New Year’s resolution – unplug the tv before bed and get out a book. Yes, Jon, that means you too!

Grandma get-away

October 29, 2012October 29, 2012Leave a comment

Which lady is over the age of 70? I know – the immediate answer is “none.” My sister-in-law and I are 40 and our kids haven’t quite aged us enough to look 70 (although we have our days). Whereas my mother-in-law, Patty, looks like she’s 40 with her infectious smile and petite frame and zest for life when she’s really 70+ years old! Every person who meets her is floored when they find out her age (do her genes transfer to me since I married into the family?!).

I’ve been thinking of her a lot lately because she’s been under the weather and has not been able to engage in all of the activities she is used to engaging in on a daily basis such as a mile swim, lifting weights and fast walking (yeah, all of those activities might occur in one day’s time.) She is a machine.

Nonetheless, she still managed to take Maria and Alana two weekends ago and treat them to a raucous good time in Marion. Before they headed up to Marion on Friday night, she took the girls to Tuttle Mall. They got treated to a shopping spree at Justice. She even let them shop by themselves while she and Joe waited outside the doors – pure heaven for the girls who felt independent and cool not having an adult in the store with them. Little does Patty know that she provided them with quite the memory; Maria still talks about that shopping experience today and insists that she will go by herself next time we go.

Patty also took them to the indoor playground where Maria took off her shoes and stunk up the place. My girl does not believe in wearing socks so her shoes smell horrendous. Patty had to buy her socks and clean her shoes. Poor grandma! She called me to tell me in her sweet Patty-fashion. She never comes at me accusatory or obnoxiously. She started out with a recap of what they did that evening and then proceeds into it like any other incident. But I knew at that point that we needed to get on that girl to wear socks. And don’t you know that Patty must have said something to her to get her to turn around because she is wearing socks this week. Only grandma….

Patty took them to a Halloween party in the neighborhood on Saturday night. She bought them witch costumes and all. Spoiled, they are. They both had a blast and talked about it throughout the next day. All of this and she wasn’t even feeling that great.

The day after the party, the hostess asked Patty if Ri had fun. Patty said “of course” and the hostess said “I just couldn’t tell with her.” Maria is her father when it comes to showing her emotions. She could be having a blast and you’d never be able to tell.

Patty also described to me how Alana kept talking about her school friend, Riley. Maria got sick of hearing about Riley every two seconds so when Alana began to mention her again, Maria chimed in with “we know, we know, Riley has that sweater!” And when Patty asked Maria if she wanted a shirt that she was buying for Alana because Riley had one, Ri promptly replied “no way.”

I don’t know how Patty stays sane at times with these two but I am so glad that the girls can spend time together (even if they act like the Bickerson twins, as Patty affectionately terms them). I always wished that my cousin and I spent more time together growing up. And it’s nice they have a separate place to stay outside of their homes – it creates more of a get-away to them. And Patty lets them do their thing – be it shopping by themselves or playing on the computer or hitting a Halloween party and running around with other kids.

Jon always teases me and Patty about our big mouths, our desire to always engage in conversation, and our inability to sit still. I tell him he married his mom. He shuts up after that.

I do see a lot of me in her. We have similar personalities and that’s why I just want to see her feeling back to her normal self. I know how hard it was when I got pneumonia and couldn’t do anything. I was stir-crazy. So, here’s to Patty feeling better – watch out YMCA – she will be back soon with a vengeance!

Cheers for guests

October 15, 2012October 15, 2012Leave a comment

Maria cheered her final cheer of the season this past Saturday. She woke up complaining of a belly ache but cranked out the entire game nonetheless (later in that day she boasted that “[her friend’s name] would have cried and not cheered but not me – I am strong and don’t give up!).

Meg and dad came to watch her cheer and were quite amused at how distracted she was while cheering. She’d begin a cheer with gusto and then someone would pass by and she’d stare at him or her. She’d make some random sways while staring but her mouth produced no cheers and no hand movements occurred. She’s got her daddy’s innate desire to be aware of everything around her at all times. Meg and dad also got a kick out of her “boom” cheer where she swings her hips to the side… she performs it a little too well.

After cheering, dad headed back to the farm and Meg enjoyed some b-ball with Mario. Ri and I found the frisbee and pretty soon Mario joined while Meg checked out the flowers on the patio. I love playing frisbee with the kids. It’s the one activity we are all good at playing. Ri’s got a heck of an arm and Mario catches zingers. They were cracking Meg up with their sidebars (Ri’s commands and instructions to me and Mario’s dance moves after each catch).

We hung out waiting for Meg’s friend, Suze and her kids to arrive. Suze came to town and painted a rooster on the side of Meg’s and dad’s barn and she and her kids were flying out of Columbus back to Arizona on Sunday. Her rooster is absolutely Incredible. What a talent!

You would have thought we fed Mario speed when Suze and her kids walked in the door. He zoomed around the house squealing and finding random objects to show Suze’s son, Ian. He blasted “Sexy and I know it” on the CD and danced around the family room. He tackled Ian. Pure Madness. Meanwhile, Ri gawked at Suze’s daughter, Sedona, hanging on her every word, and tried to show off to her by being quite sassy with me (“get me a drink, mom…now…”). I had to pull her and Mario aside and give them a little talk in order to avoid going off on them in front of our guests. They calmed down after the talk to the point of being half way normal. Ri loved hearing about Ian’s and Sedona’s school stories and Mario loved having an audience to watch him play iPhone games. Ri lasted until 11 pm and Mario until 11:30. Party animals they are.

Sunday morning was idyllic. We woke up to 65 degree weather after a cold week. Mario and I ran five miles in the stroller and met Meg, Suze, Sedona and Maria at Stauf’s. I loved starting my day with a run, sipping coffee, chatting with funny gals, and people watching.

We ran home and rushed around to get ready for a trip to Cincy. Mario cranked out some push-ups for Sedona before we left and Maria chided Ian about sleeping on her pillows. Whoo, those two may think twice about a return trip! Meg and I were getting snacks ready in the kitchen. She turned to me as I loaded up the pretzels and remarked “You are such a good mom.” It came out of the blue and took me aback. Funny how six words can cause such emotion. It meant a lot to me coming from a fellow mom, and the woman who helped raise me and whose opinion I hold dear.

We gave our hugs to the crew and headed to southern Ohio for some pumpkin patch fun with my best girlfriends (minus my girl Kath who had to head back to Michigan with her newborn baby, Rose) and my mama. When we returned, I had a most delicious treat from Suze – brownies from the Bon Bonerie in Cincy. One for me, Mario and Ri. Heaven.

It’s 90 degrees – why not head to the zoo?

July 15, 2012Leave a comment

Reminder to self: avoid zoo when it’s 90 degrees, humid and packed.

I had originally planned on the Katy Perry movie with Maria and her friend but that was yesterday when it looked like rain all day. There is something in me that just will not allow me to go to a movie theatre unless it’s pouring rain or unbearably hot. It didn’t seem unbearably hot when we biked over to pick up Janira so I asked if they’d rather hit the zoo. When they said yes, I ran with it. But after two hours of zoo walking and hardly any animal sights, I was kicking myself. Air conditioning, popcorn, Goober’s, and a movie sounded much better.

The train was a nice break and we spotted a mama moose and her baby. Nothing like the thrill that Sarah and Jorge felt when they looked outside of their tent in Yellowstone and spotted moose in their natural habitat a couple of days ago but hey, we will take what we can get in Columbus. The girls
mostly loved all of the stone statutes throughout the zoo. Janira begged me to take their picture each time they climbed on one.

We searched and searched after seeing the elephants in Asia Quest for the Dippin’ Dots stand – we were all craving that “ice cream”. It is a strange little food but the chunks of Oreos perked me up enough to walk back to the exit and out of the zoo. The girls found a photo booth on the way out and begged to get their photos. God, technology bums me out sometimes. I remember sitting in a photo booth with a girlfriend, inserting 50 cents, and having to create two or three poses immediately without knowing if both of your heads were in the picture or you looked ridiculous. When I swiped my Visa, it charged me $5 and then you got to adjust your faces perfectly and get your pose ready before the camera clicked. The girls knew no better and thought it was awesome but I waxed nostalgic about it as they waited for the pictures.

By the time three hours had passed, we were ready to hit the road. Unfortunately, so we’re the rest of the visitors who had been at the water park (thunder had closed the park). Perfect timing. Nothing like jamming your body next to other sweaty, unknown bodies. Between that and the heat, I’m lucky I didn’t go off once. The girls were really good, though, which helped keep my nerves calm!

Jon, meanwhile, took Mario to Grandma Ionno’s house for a few nights of sleepover. He’s only been asking about going for six days now. When he woke this morning, he beamed when he realized this was the day! He loves him some grandma and grandpa time!

Friday Stasis

June 15, 2012June 17, 2012Leave a comment

I did not want to leave the house today.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ups and Downs

March 12, 2012Leave a comment

Sunday morning began with a kiss on the cheek from Maria as I lay in bad trying to avoid the sun peeking through the blinds. It only got better from there with Mario jumping on me five minutes later and smothering me with kisses. Jon came up from downstairs and goofed around with me and the kids. We all laughed. Life is good.

So why do I still feel catch myself feeling cruddy? I assumed, somehow naively, that I would bounce back from my grandma’s death and be back to normal after the funeral. Grandma would have wanted that. But it’s not worked out that way. Rather, I am having really tough moments along with just feeling plain crummy at times. I guess this is my grief process; I just wish it would hurry on up! But that is typical me – always ready to move on and start the next thing. Maybe Grandma is trying to teach me a lesson even still – slow down, sweet grand-daughter.

And indeed, Sunday was wonderful day.” The kids and I took a stroller ride in the morning to Stauf’s. Maria still gets in the stroller like she is two years old but that is ok with me. The stroller is like other people’s cars. I don’t like to drive anywhere around the neighborhood so the stroller is our mode of transportation. And when we want to get somewhere fast, it is easier for me to load them up and run there then it is to pull the car out, buckle in, and find a parking spot. Jon surprised us at Stauf’s and we ate breakfast together. A simple act and very enjoyable on a Sunday morning.

After Stauf’s, we got haircuts and went to the park. It was beginning to get warm out by that time so we stayed at the park for a while climbing up the slides (yes, we do things backwards) and swinging. Maria and Mario love when I do the “underdog” swing where I hold onto the metal chains of the swing and run underneath it to give an even bigger push. They love it. Pure daredevils. Maria is finally getting the hang of using her feet to swing herself but still hates to have to do it.

After the park, we went to the second-hand bookstore to look for books. We found some that looked promising about a beaver and another about horses. Mario found some Dr. Seuss, and we read four of them before we headed out. I take every opportunity I get to read to him since he usually only wants to play on the computer.

When we got home, we began work in the yard. Maria tried to find a place to hang our chimes and I gathered up dead leaves and branches. Mario sat inside and played on the computer. He is a fanatic. He spends hours playing on the Wild Kratts website trying to win the cheetah game. It is ridiculous the perseverance he has to win that game. Maria laid on the deck while I cut the ornamental grass and talked to me about the flowers we should plant around the house. She also found some baby buds starting to bloom. I love times like those with my daughter.

We eventually got Mario away from the computer and outside. He kicked the soccer ball while Maria tried to perfect her cartwheels. My girl does not have natural athletic ability but she puts her heart and soul into it. Mario, on the other hand, has much natural athletic ability, but gets completely upset if he can’t master a move right away. Jon worked on putting in the screens to our windows. Jon’s parents arrived for the OSU game at 3, and Patty helped us drain all of the beer leftover from winter parties that had been sitting on the deck for months. She should be sainted. The house smelled like a brewery the rest of the day.

We watched some of the game in between windows and yard work. The Buckeyes lost. But we had Ray Ray’s to cheer us up. Nothin’ like some brisket and ribs to brighten up your day. We sat around the dining room table listening to Maria rat out Jon for comments he made about Maria’s friends. Little does Maria know that she is very much like her father and has his same sarcasm and wit. When Jon dishes it out, she dishes it right back. Patty and I laughed so hard at some of her retorts to Jon’s comments. The two of them could put on a show together. After dinner, we finished up the yard work, and called it a day. It was so nice to have Patty and Joe with us for the afternoon just hanging out and chatting and watching the kids. The kids love having their grandparents around them; Mario tries to usurp a lot of their time because he begs for them to watch his every move.

Mario and I took a walk after Patty and Joe left. On the walk back home, it grew darker but it was still pleasant outside (upper 60’s). We could hear the birds chirping and kids playing outside. I felt alive on the one hand but also still so sad about the loss of Grandma. I took a deep breath and exhaled and just let my emotions run through me. I guess there is nothing more to do but let it process… and remember all of the wonderful gifts around me.

Cancun or Bust

February 27, 2012February 27, 20122 Comments

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

“What’s the matter, pumpkin?”

“I don’t want you to leave me.”

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

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

The resort

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

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

M&M with their Mexican flutes

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

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

Mario Returns

February 15, 2012Leave 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.

Making our way

February 13, 2012Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

Mom and Mario

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

Sick girl calling her grandma

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

Broken windows and dreams

January 16, 2012Leave a comment

We survived the holiday weekend. Maria’s cousin, Alana stayed with us from Saturday through Monday morning. I love having her over because the girls get along so well. They go up to Ri’s room and play barbies or listen to Justin Bieber or play Pet Shop in the basement. I can actually read a little bit of a book or clean the house without having Maria at my heels asking me to play. Alleluia. And I love that they are so close. I wish I would have been as close to my cousin when I was little. They are good for each other, too. Maria shows Alana how to be more daring and Alana shows Maria how to play something for more than three minutes.

Mario stayed at Grandma Ionno’s house on Saturday night until Sunday. He loves himself some Grandma and Grandpa time because he is all by himself and spoiled to death. He gets to wrestle, show-off, watch tv, and lay around in his pjs. Not a bad life. He did want to come home on Sunday night, however, because he knew Alana would be there. Jon explained to him that the girls may want alone time and Mario chirped back “Alana will want to play with me because she tells me all the time how cute I am.” Oh, ok…. We gotta watch that head of his.

When he walked in, the girls showered him with hugs and love (no wonder his head is big). They all went upstairs and played “Big Time Rush”. This game consists of Maria and Alana being themselves and Mario being one of the BTR singers. He played James when we saw him. He walked by us with his nose in the air as Maria and Alana fawned over him. It seemed to come natural to him – scary.

I walked up to Stauf’s to do some reading around 5 pm. Jon watched the kids. I got a call around 5:45 from Jon. “Get home now” he stated firmly. “Mario punched his window out.” My mind leapt to blood everywhere, glass shattered all over. Luckily, his had suffered a couple of cuts with no glass in them and the glass mostly landed on the roof. Jon had already subjected him to the wall when I arrived home. He held a tissue on his hand. He looked like a mean mama-jamba. He looked like a prize-fighter. Jon and I are in for it. I made him put alcohol on it so that he felt the sting – until that time, he really didn’t see any negative consequences to his behavior. After I stung him with the alcohol, he cried and shouted “I don’t want to do that again!” When Jon asked him why he would want to punch his window, this was his response: “I wanted to get on the news.” Oh, are we truly in trouble.

Mario showing his wounds

After that chaos, the kids fell asleep in Maria’s room; Maria and Alana in the bed and Mario on the floor in his sleeping bag and band-aid.

On Monday, we all talked about what an incredible figure Martin Luther King was and is in our society. Both girls knew what he stood for and what he fought against. I told Maria how we walked across the Broad Street bridge when she was one year old in order to honor him. She couldn’t remember. Mario knew that MLK “had a dream.” I told him how I remember going to his classroom when he was two and seeing his picture on the bulletin board. The teachers had taught the kids about MLK’s famous “I have a dream” speech. They then had the kids tell them what they dreamed of. The words underneath Mario’s picture were “I dream of ‘popsicles’!”

Thanks for giving us dreams, Martin Luther King, Jr.

"MOM!"

Adventures in the Life of a Working Mama

Tag: Grandparents