Three Days of Ox

September 10, 2012September 10, 2012Leave a comment

Maria is at a new stage in her life where she gets excited about school festivals because “her friends will be there.”

We had our community annual Ox Roast on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this weekend. On Thursday, she begged me to take her and her friend to the Roast. I had just suffered an atrociously long day at work but I remembered being her age and looking so forward to these festivals to play and hang out with friends. So I agreed.

There weren’t too many other sucker parents down there! But the girls had a blast after spending $25 on “all you can ride” wristbands for them. I drew the line at the $5 games where you try to shoot in a hole or toss a bag in bucket because we rarely win and when we do, the prize is cherished for three minutes and then tossed.

Maria loved rock climbing – she got to the top easily (even in flats!).

She went on the swings because her friend begged her. Unfortunately, she is inflicted with her mom’s intolerance for circular motion at high speed. She looked green after that ride. So we chilled it out with the calm slide and more rock climbing.

When Ri’s stomach was still little queasy, we went real low key with the baby bathtub ride. I didn’t think Ri would ever still go on this ride but she surprised me (her stomach probably begged her). It took me back to when she was a toddler.

I finally dragged them out of there at 8:45 and we grabbed some nutritious fair food on the way.

On Friday morning, Mario found out that Ri had gone to the festival. He cried and cried about not going. So, I promised to take him Friday night. Yeah, I’m a sucker. Ri and Mario and I got on our bikes and headed down to the Roast after I got home from work. I knew that we’d be back on Saturday so I put my foot down on wristbands. I allowed them to ride on two rides each and then they scored a free ride on the slide because of a change in shifts. Mario found the cotten candy booth and they engorged themselves on extra big sticks of goo.

On Saturday, Maria had a party for one of her classmates at 2:00. I thought that she may be tired after that party and want to chill. Yeah right. We came home and her and Mario begged for more Ox Roast. I thought maybe there would be a prize for hitting it three nights in a row but the only prize was spending a boat load of cash on rides and bounceys, and food. Not really, the prize was letting the kids have these experiences, watching them laugh, letting them boost their courage (Mario went down the slide without me for once!), and teaching them that life is what you make it. When I wouldn’t let them play the $5 games, they whined for a minute but then I told them about everything else that was there and they quickly let it go and ran to the swings to play.

I was spent on Saturday night when we got home at 9:30 but it was a good kind of spent like when you run a fast race or work for hours in the yard. Documentation of the fun:

It could have been worse

September 7, 2012September 7, 2012Leave a comment

I get really annoyed with this season of politics. I rarely watch tv anyhow but I make sure I turn it off during this time of year. However, the kids still watch a show here or there in the evening or Saturday mornings. But that’s enough to pick up on the political ads.

The other day, we were all sitting around the table and I mentioned that Obama had visited Ohio State. The following diatribe ensued:

Mario: “I don’t like Obama because the man on tv said he lies.”
Maria: “Obama helps people who need it. He cares about others .”
Mario: “Mic (yes, he cannot understand that a man’s name is “Mitt”) Romney is going to win. Obama’s a loser.”
Maria: “Romney is the loser. All he cares about is getting rich.”

As my colleague said, “those commercials are geared for five year olds!” So it was a breath of fresh air to laugh at this clip on The Daily Show .

As I vote on election day, after having trudged through months of mud-slinging and posturing, I will remember “it could have been worse” (and Ri, I got your back!).

Walleye and chocolate

September 6, 2012Leave a comment

Mario was born to be outdoors. He proved to us that he could be the Wildman’s partner the way that he caught Pikachu over the weekend (with all the pomp and circumstance that Ernie the Wildman exhibits when catching a river turtle)! The past two days he visited the farm and caught fish, including a walleye. My dad informs me that he could sit on his fishing boat for hours waiting for the big catch. He’s been talking about hunting and fishing with Jon since age 3 – I think he’s ready to go full throttle now that he’s five.

Meanwhile, Maria got to stay home with Jon and me. She wasn’t too upset since I told her we’d enjoy some mother-daughter time. She loves when we get to hang out without those pesky boys. We let dad join us for dinner but then we took a bike ride through Grandview.

We picked up her friend, Lucia, and biked to Pure Imagination Chocolatier. The store just opened down the street. Can you pack on 20 pounds to my belly now and get it over with?! It is a piece of heaven in there with gelato, chocolate Oreos, chocolate coconut, chocolate turtles….I got four pieces and ate them all within 10 minutes. So much for savoring the taste!

Ri and I biked home. She talked to me about her friends and I talked to her about how I used to handle difficult friends. The conversation made me happy – I’m glad she feels comfortable opening up to me. She begged me to lay with her for the second night in a row and rub her back while she fell asleep.

Gladly.

Planting positive seeds for our girls

September 5, 2012September 5, 2012Leave a comment

I don’t know many people who could pull off running shorts with pink cowboy boots but Ri does it with class! I love that she has her own unique style and she isn’t worried about what other kids at school will think.

When she walked downstairs, I stepped back from the counter and said “I love that you have your own look, Ri.” She responded “I may just be a fashion designer one day, mom.”

I try to reinforce in her that girls don’t have to conform to the latest trends in magazines or on tv; they don’t have to have their hair styled perfectly or their skinny jeans; they don’t need to look like Barbie. I think it’s sinking in somewhat (although she still loves to wear eyeshadow – ugh).

I read a great article in the Huffington Post last night that reminded me to stray away from comments about Ri’s appearance and focus instead on Ri’s hobbies and interests. The author talks about the natural inclination to say to a little girl “look at you! You are so pretty in that dress! Aren’t you gorgeous in those shoes!” but how we need to stop ourselves and instead focus on non-cosmetic attributes. The author asked the little girl about her favorite book and they talked about being your own person and not succumbing to peer pressure. She was able to avoid any talk about hair or makeup or clothes, and felt that she planted one seed in a garden valuing girls’ brains and not girls’ looks.

I, for one, vote for planting more such seeds and growing that garden as large as possible.

Happy 5th Birthday, Mario!

September 4, 2012September 5, 20122 Comments

Dearest Mario Bo Bario:

How are you five years old already? How did I turn my back for what seems like 2 seconds on my seven pound, 19 inches smiling black-haired baby boy and find a wild, vibrant, insane toe-head five-year-old son?

You entered this world in a flash. My water had barely broke when I started to feel heavy contractions. And then, 15 minutes later, there you were squirming all around and wailing for your mama. You seemed so tiny to us although you were the same size as Maria when she was born. Maybe it’s because Maria was almost 2 and a half when you were born and nearly 40 pounds so any newborn would pale in comparison! You came home to a room decorated with safari animals. It was the smallest room in our house. We could not even fit a rocking chair in it to rock you. So your sister was kind enough to let us rock you in her room. She loved that predicament, actually, because she got to have me and dad in her room while she fell asleep since it took us quite some time to get you to sleep every night. And then when we thought we had you to sleep, you would pop up in your crib and hold out your arms and cry. Neither dad nor I could walk away. And so there we were back in the rocking chair again.

You smiled ten times more than your sister smiled as a baby. You loved to play on your green safari blanket filled with mirrors and lights. You always wanted someone right by your side when you were on it; if someone was there, you had a blast. If someone left your side, you cried hysterically until they came back in the room.

You are like your mama – extreme. You either smile like a mad man or cry your eyes out. All or nothing. Either incredibly happy or completely pissed.

When you are in the mood, you crack people up with your antics. Whether it’s singing the “Call of the Wildman”, yelling “hey hot ladies” out the car window, grooving to “I’m Sexy and I Know It”, or making funny gestures at the dinner table, you get everyone laughing. How many nights have I come home from a rough workday only to find myself in a better mood after sitting with you for five minutes? You bring out the fun of life – the silliness and absurdity that it entails. Dad and I need that.

So, what highlights can we review from your fourth year of life?

1. You learned how to do a mean cannonball off the low dive.

2. You played on your first baseball team.

3. You got to experience the ocean.
4. You probably ate your weight in donuts!

5. You slept in a tent with Robert.
6. You rode a roller coaster at Kings Island.
7. You caught a catfish at Uncle Mario’s and Aunt Vicki’s house.
8. You went to the dentist for the first time (and had a cavity!).

9. You put on your first play, Abiyoyo, at your school.
10. You played your first round of putt-putt and wanted to win (imagine that?).

11. You learned how to skip a rock in the river (thanks Peepaw).
12. You got to go to a zombie walk at Halloween (thanks Grandma Ionno).
13. You got to find golf balls on the golf course (thanks Grandma Lolo).
14. You got to ride a horse (thanks Mama Meg).

15. You got to give Grandma Menkedick a kiss and hold her hand before she passed away at age 92. You also spoke kind words about her at her funeral (what a brave boy).
16. You fell in love with the Wild Kratts and Ben Ten.
17. You learned to swim like a fish!
18. You visited Pittsburgh.

19. You took your first plane trip.

20. You pet an alligator!

21. You climbed a sand dune.

22. You helped mom in the garden.
23. You learned to dj!
24. You ruled the dance floor at a wedding reception!

25. You rode in a boat!

;

So there you have it, little man. Or, I guess I need to start saying “big man” since you are now five years old. Go a bit slower this year, will you? I want to savor five as long as possible…. We love you.

Pikachu, the chinchilla

September 1, 20121 Comment

A picture of our South American house guest… Pikachu. Pikachu is a chinchilla. She lives in Maria’s classroom during the week and travels to different students’ homes on the weekend. Maria begged Jon and me to bring Pikachu home for this holiday weekend and we agreed (she better take care of us when we are old!).

I gave our nanny an extra $10 to pick Pikachu up on Thursday afternoon. He immediately let M&M release Pikachu from its cage. And then the texts came to me in a flurry!

“Holy cow! Pikachu just jumped on the counter!”
“Oh my – Pikachu just climbed into a hole under your cabinets!”
“Pikachu is insane!”

And that sums it up. Pikachu is insane. Or maybe just a typical chinchilla. In any case, she has taken over our free time the past three days. Maria watches over her like a mother hen, of course. When Mario is too loud, she scolds him to be quiet (or slaps her hand over his mouth which really does wonders to keep the peace). We wanted to keep Pikachu in the basement but Maria informed us that would be way too cold for her. We put her in the kitchen and Maria turned on the fan to make sure she had a nice breeze.

“She likes 70 degree temperatures, Mom.”

We released her on Thursday night and it became quite a chore to round her up back into her cage. She snuck under couches and tables and put the fear of god in you when you tried to pick her up. She snaps her little head back at you and growls. That was enough for me to steer clear. Mario ran around after her with her carrier open thinking she would jump in. Not so much.

We set up all sorts of barricades but she found a way through them.

Jon even got in the game and tried to get her. Nothing. Finally, by sheer luck, Mario placed the carrier down right by the door and she ran right into it. Mario looked stunned.

“I caught her, Mom!”

We took her up to Ri’s room for the night. The kids begged to sleep next to her. Jon and I agreed if they promised to get to sleep. Yeah, right. They talked to her and situated themselves over and over again to find the perfect sleeping spots right next to her.

Mario ran downstairs about a half hour later terrified.

“Mom, Maria is asleep and so is Pikachu and I got scared all by myself!” I saved the day and went upstairs with him. We laid in my bed and quickly fell asleep listening to a recently awakened Pikachu scratch the side of his cage. One fun fact about chinchillas that Maria told us earlier this school year, they are nocturnal.

Great.

Big Darby Field Trip – to be a second grader…

August 30, 2012August 30, 2012Leave a comment

I came home from my morning run to an outraged son. “Don’t talk to me mom! You didn’t take me on your run this morning!” He had crawled in bed with me at 6 am and asked to go. I ignored him and told him to go back to bed. Then I couldn’t. So I got up at 6:30 and took off while he laid in bed looking like a life-sized doll baby. Jon settled him down by reminding him that he gets to take off school tomorrow and go to Big Mario’s with Jon… and get donuts. His anger subsided greatly.

Maria and I ran around trying to get our extra clothes and shoes and lunches together for Maria’s school field trip to Big Darby Creek. I promised her I would come and frankly, this trip seemed right up my alley with all the hiking and creeking. She looked adorable with her striped socks pulled up to her knees and her running shorts.

She stayed with her friend Ceylone most of the day. I think she likes Ceylone because Ceylone lets her take care of her. Ceylone cried that a bee was near her and Ri came to the rescue and shooed it away. Ceylone’s feet hurt on our walk to see the bison and Ri stayed with her until her mom brought new shoes to her. She likes to play the mama hen.

The trip was well organized with a sensory activity first, a field activity second and a creek activity last. The guides were very passionate about their topic and kept most of the kids engaged. For the first activity, the kids had to make a circle with a string and describe everything they saw in the circle. Ri found grass and leaves and dirt and moss. They had to smell it and describe how it felt.

For the field activity, we had to walk what seemed like a mile out to a field. I could not believe how good the kids were throughout the trek. Ri never complained once. The guide in the field was an older gentleman who obviously loved insects. He knew all about them and got the kids excited about catching them.

It took Ri and I a while but we finally caught a beetle. I can’t remember the official name of the beetle but it was cool. A couple of kids found praying mantis’ which were exquisite to observe. We also saw a stick bug – an insect I’ve never seen. They look extra-terrestrial to me.

We had quite the hike back to lunch. I ate in 3 seconds I was so hungry. Maria seems to also choose friends who get a big lunch packed for them and barely eat any of it. Ceylone gave Maria her Oreos and all of her crackers. Maria gave her a bear hug in return.

The creek was lots of fun because it was so hot and the water felt cool. The kids got to hold a screen in the water while other kids did a “dance” near it to try to rough up the mud and rocks. The hope was to get macro invertebrate to move onto the screen and then take it up to the sitting area to see what we got. When someone asked if we could catch fish, the guide said no and asked why. Maria answered “because fish have back bones.” My smart girl!

Maria acted the leader role during the creek activity. She held the screen and commanded the other kids to “dance” and get the invertebrates moving! I worry she may have a career in the Army some day the way she shouts out orders. The kids found lots of goodies with crayfish being the most exciting. And Maria was not scared to pick them up.

On our walk back, I got to talk to Maria’s teacher and learn a little bit about her. She is great for Ri – very open and honest and into the outdoors. I don’t know if Ri held her hand more or mine on the trip! As we were about to leave the trail, we spotted a baby toad. What a gift to end the day. I got to hold one of my favorite creatures with Ri.

The kids got to ride the bus home soaking wet since there was no time to change. Ri thought that was cool. And to top the day, Ri got to take her classroom pet, Pikachu the chinchilla, home for the weekend. Jon and I are so excited!

Carrying a load

August 29, 2012Leave a comment

My girl and I rushed to Target after work and school to buy Mario his birthday presents. Maria loves buying things for her little bro.

We ended up with eight bags of things – food, sign for Ri’s room (“Girls Rock”), Mario’s presents, gift wrap….My pack horse refused to let me stack the bags in the cart. She grabbed all of them while in a daze across the store at a young woman in stilettos and a mini skirt.

She made it out the door…

But then she was done. She handed every single bag my way and asked to be held, too. God love her. At least she acknowledged her mom by commenting “Mom, I see why you lift weights now; those bags are heavy and you are strong!”

A little appreciation at the end of the day – priceless!

Thank god for BOB

August 29, 2012Leave a comment

Monday morning I woke up and found Mario staring at me. His little face was 6 inches away from me at the most. His tender eyes looked straight into mine. What a doll baby, I thought. I laid with him for a few minutes just staring back at him enjoying the silence and stillness of the early morning next to my son. And then he spoke: “can I go on a run with you, mom?”

I crawled my tired self out of bed contemplating whether I would say yes or not. I enjoy my solitude on my morning runs while I listen to NPR and think through my day. But Mario sat up and clasped his hands together and begged and begged. “Please, mom, I will be good. Please let me go.” I got dressed and scooped him up and we went downstairs together. I made him a graham cracker with peanut butter and gave him the iPad and we were off. A good four mile run with a stop at Giant Eagle for a donut (yeah, my healthy addiction to exercise is tamed by my un-healthy addiction to sugar). When we got home, Maria was microwaving some macaroni to eat for lunch. The girl slams out her lunch everyday with no help from me or Jon. She is good.

The next morning, I woke up to two little people laying on either side of me. Maria was towards my back side and she poked me with her finger. “Can I go on a run with you today, mom?” Of course, being Ms. Fair, I didn’t feel like I could say no since I had taken Mario the day before. Mario piped up after hearing Ri and begged to come, too. I agreed that they could both come with me, and we were off for Round Two. Of course, strollering Mario is a rather easy task. Forty pounds feels like a feather to me after carrying my muscle girl for all of those years (she was forty pounds at age 2 and a half!). But put Maria and Mario in the stroller and it gets to be a workout. I am essentially pushing 110 pounds of human weight. The BOB site warns against going over 100 pounds in the double stroller but we have gotten away with it for a while. That stroller was the best purchase I have made since having these two babes. It has taken us everywhere and has to have over 1000 miles logged on it easily.

We did four miles and also made a stop at Giant Eagle for donuts. We played the animal guessing game together and talked about what our favorite foods were to eat (imagine, donuts!). When we got home, I tried to help the kids out of the BOB but they shooed me away because I was “so sweaty.” I told them they would be just as sweaty after they strollered their kids around. Maria responded: “I will drive.” Then she changed her mind and decided she would bike because it is not as bad for the environment and you don’t sweat as much. Always thinking.

Last night, I told them both that I had to go on a run today by myself. They both agreed that they would not beg to come with me. When I woke up this morning and began to descend the stairs, I heard Mario cry “Mom?” I walked up the stairs to his room. He looked at me in distress and cried “I just can’t stand the thought of not going on a run with you, mom! I can’t stand it!” I walked him into Maria’s room because her light was on. She was lying in bed and I laid Mario next to her. She loved that. I kissed them both and told them I would be back in an hour. They laid there without any complaining. Little darlings. When I returned home, Maria was pouring syrup on a waffle she made for Mario and Mario was playing on my iPad. I asked Ri how the morning went, and she told me that her and Mario sat on the front steps and watched the sun rise. Huh?!

I looked at her awkwardly and she looked back at me and said “What? Mario wanted to see the sun rise!” I love these crazy kids so much (so much that I will still stroll them around at ages 7 and 4!).

The many uses of the BOB: