Earth Day

April 23, 2013Leave a comment

I walked in the front door from my run Monday morning and Ri was in front of me crying.

“What’s the matter, darlin’?”

“It’s Earth Day today and we are planting a tree and reading a poem and I’m not going to make it because I have a doctor’s appointment.” It took her three minutes to get that sentence out between sobs. Jon had told her we had an appointment for her allergies – neither of us had a clue she had these events scheduled.

I told her we would reschedule her doctor’s appointment and she was ecstatic. She thanked Jon the entire way to school for letting her go to Earth Day. Our little blooming environmentalist.

On Monday night, Ri wanted to head to Krogers with me. We hopped in the car and she hopped back out yelling “hold on, mom!” She came back with a canvas red bag.

“We need to start bringing these bags to Krogers so we don’t use plastic. It’s much friendlier to the Earth.”

We got too many groceries for just the red bag so we got one paper bag from Krogers that we folded up after taking the groceries out in order to use it again on our next trip.

And there you have it

April 15, 2013April 16, 2013Leave a comment

Jon took Mario to Mario and Vicki’s house this weekend to scout turkeys and eat some of Vicki’s killer pasta. Jon got the sweetest picture of Mario Sunday morning. Breaks my heart.

Maria got to have Alana over to spend the night on Saturday. It is so awesome to have them at an age that they can scooter a couple of miles without needing assistance. I never thought I’d see the day when I didn’t need my treasured stroller (Mario still uses it when he’s tired; Jon wants to get rid of it as of yesterday).

And so It was a scooter-filled weekend with the girls – we went to Wendy’s for dinner and then scooted ourselves to the park and to Orange Leaf before heading home. I love that Ri sports cowboy boots on her scooter.

I also love that she is able to crank out a rap song with a leg-kick dance move while on the scooter (she’s come along way baby).

On Sunday morning, I was awoken by two giddy girls talking about their respective schools and friends and cute boys in their class. We sat in bed for an hour chatting away. Then we were on our scooters heading to Tim Hortons for breakfast and the park for tree climbing. Maria sported some fashionable sandals for the morning ride.

As we were riding up the hill, Ri asked if our old neighbor Kim was working at the fire station. She is a dispatcher. She was and we surprised her. This led to a full-blown one hour tour of the fire station. Fire fighter Harris and student Ashley were awesome showing Ri and Alana everything on the fire truck and in the ambulance (they even got to experience an EKG and watch their perfect hearts beat). Ri had a ton of questions and listened to every word coming out of the fire fighter’s mouth. I love how interested she is in learning.

By the time we got home it was noon and time for planting our miniature flower garden. Pink cosmos and sunflowers. Alana really wanted pink cosmos even though that was Ri’s Easter present. Ri graciously gave her two out of the six seeds to plant with her sunflower seeds. If there is one trait that makes me so proud of Ri it is her generosity and understanding. When Alana refused to let Ri try on her headlamp, Ri didn’t pitch a fit. She just let it go. Later on when it was just Ri and me, Ri mentioned it. I told her I was sorry she didn’t get to try it on and I told her that we all have things we need to work on and Alana should work on sharing a bit more.

“But mom, I can’t be mad at her because she really loves that headlamp and if it broke she wouldn’t get another so I can understand why she’s protective over it.”

Well. What more to say to my mature 7 year-old daughter? Nothing. I just gave her a hug and we sat on the steps waiting for Mario and dad.

Kids kids and more kids

March 30, 2013April 1, 2013Leave a comment

There is no way I could be the Duggers. Aren’t they the family with 18 or so kids? We agreed to take the neighbors’ three kids on Wednesday night so they could drive an hour away to get a car. Holy cow. Jon and I were ready for two straight days of sleep after three and a half hours with them. And they don’t even need that much oversight. I think it’s just the sheer fact that you know they are all in the house and you have to be on constant alert for fighting or cuts or spilled anything. It’s taxing. We are so glad that they are on our street because its great for M&M to have play mates so close and it’s heart-warming to see them all play so well and so long together (I remember weekends with my girlfriend Beth – we met up at 9 am and didn’t stop until sundown). But after a while, everyone needs a break (except Mario who would play with Quinn for 72 hours straight and still be wired).

Wednesday night entailed dinner, hide-n-seek, cards, spying, superheroes, make believe, barbies (the boys played barbies much to my excitement), and wrestling (the girls won). We didn’t turn on the tv until 9 pm and that was only with the hopes of turning out the lights and getting them tired. It worked for one kid – Maria. The boys played Slinkie on the stairs until our neighbors arrived at 9:30. Jon and I flopped in bed and were snoring within ten minutes.

Today, I went for an early run because we had our Easter Egg Hunt down the street at 10 am. I got home at 9:20 and Sophie and Quinn were in our yard on their bike and scooter by 9:30 ready to go. They now feel completely comfortable just coming on down. At least they still knock. Again, most of me loves that the kids have these close buddies but I also need some alone time with my babies here and there. But you can’t blame them for being excited – it’s the Eater Egg Hunt for heaven’s sake. Rick drove the boys down and I took the girls on their scooters (I refuse to drive to the hunt; it’s tradition to walk every year).

Ri and Sophie cranked it on their scooters. I can’t believe how fast Ri rides and the way she can crouch down on it while riding. She may not have coordination in organized sports but she can rock it out on scooters, rock climbing, and trampolines.

As always, I wanted my annual Easter picture of Ri and Mario and pictures of them with their friends. Ri abided but Mario refused. I had to threaten no play date with Quinn and even then it wasn’t the big Mario smile I love. He hates pictures any more (but he still wants to be famous).

Mario was all about going for the plastic eggs over the Oreos and cookies because I told him the eggs may have money in them. I shouldn’t have even went there with him because he freaked when all he got was candy in the eggs. And he only managed getting four eggs out of the mix. I don’t understand how that happened with his speedy self. Ri could care less about the entire ordeal – she’s just in it to have fun with her friends (and lift them off the ground with every hug).

After the hunt, the boys went back with Rick to play Skylanders and my active girls came with me to Stauf’s and CVS. While at CVS, the girls wanted to get a $15 cat house for Sophie’s cat, Lemon. I told Ri she could use her money if she wanted. With Mario, there would have been no way but Ri bought it. She is such a generous soul. They went home and shot into Sophie’s house to see how Lemon would like it. When they shot in, the boys shot out and headed down to our house with me trailing behind.

Create your mission

March 21, 2013March 21, 2013Leave a comment

Maria came home from Brownies a few months ago and asked us to consider our family values. She had been tasked with creating a family tree full of branches outlining our family values – what we believe is most important to our family.

We discussed it over dinner blurting out different thoughts: “we take care of each other” (dad); “we respect each other” (me); “we love each other” (Mario); “we listen to each other’s words” (Ri). Ri decided that “we listen to each other’s words” was our most important value because it encompassed all of the other values: when you listen, you take care of each other, respect each other, and love each other. Wise beyond her years.

I thought of this time together as I read the New York TImes article about creating your family mission. The article outlined a study which found that the more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned. Children’s emotional health and happiness increased when they knew more of their family history.

A-ha! Jon and I had finally found a study that confirmed we did something right (I remember going back to work after RI’s birth and reading studies about moms who worked outside of the home being prone to hyperactive and obnoxious kids and bawling my eyes out). There isn’t a day that goes by that Maria and Mario aren’t begging us to tell them a story about their childhood, our childhood, our parents’ childhood. They love the story of Jon taking forever to walk home because he had to stare at all the trees or me crying my eyes out because I missed the Brady Bunch. They love hearing how Peepaw used to make furniture and Grandpa Ionno used to write stories and Grandma Lolo used to pump Ri’s legs to get her to poop and Grandma Ionno used to rock Mario to sleep and Grandma Meg used to read wise books to Ri.

The study also recommended that parents convey a sense of history by passing down traditions – the hokier the family’s tradition, the more likely it will be passed down. Oh, we got that covered, too. We have hokey, we have normal, we have in-between. We check our stockings on St. Nick’s Day, we draw pictures of what we are grateful for at the end of the day, we look for candy and toys in the back yard on Easter, we head to Kings Island every year, we have a family bash on New Year’s Eve, we buy chips and pop for the ride home from Cincy.

So, I may have hyperactive and attention-deficit prone children from my 9-5 job but at least they will have self-esteem and be able to stand up for themselves.

Good Enough for Me

March 15, 2013March 18, 2013Leave a comment

I surprised Ri this afternoon and picked her and her girlfriend up for lunch. She had asked me earlier in the week when I was slammed with offer letters, phone calls, HR questions, and I had told her I was do busy this week that I didn’t think it would work.

By the time today rolled around, I was wiped. I had a 9 am meeting and it took all my might to keep my eyes open and not stretch my mouth open for a yawn. The meeting ended at 10:55 and I made the rash decision to head over to Ri’s school to surprise her. I called the mom of one of her friends and got permission to take her daughter, too. Oh yea, I am good.

Ri was pumped up and she and Ceylone ran out of class to the car all the while laughing hysterically. I took them back to the house so they could play while I made Mac-n-cheese and corn dogs (healthy, we are not). Ri only eats Mac-n-cheese with an extra slice of cheese melted on it, which I allow for the calcium (she hates milk). We found out Ceylone does not like her Mac-n-cheese that way (which I think Ri knew) so Ri got half of Ceylone’s lunch much to her delight.

I drove them back to school and let them play in the side yard of the school away from all the other kids until the bell rang. When we walked into school, they saw Mrs. Palmer and Ri planted a linebacker hug on her.

“Personal space Maria!” she chuckled. She told me that they were working on personal space with Ri because she had a habit of hugging and holding other classmates, especially a little boy from Mexico named Alex. He can’t stand being touched by girls yet Ri always finds a way to pinch his cheeks and say “you are just the sweetest” when she’s helping him with math problems.

“She’s like a little grandma.”

I gave her my “be good and listen look” as I began to leave for the car. She gave me her stock response as she waved her hand at me “oh, mom, you just go now and don’t worry….” She knew I was irritated with her sassiness right away. In response, she gave me the smile that I have come to lear is the “I am just trying to be funny and not sassy so please don’t get mad at me smile.” I cut her a break and walked away.

As I left, I turned back to look at her. I thought she might yell “thank you” to me for taking her out to lunch but she didn’t.

Instead, she laughed with Ceylone and a friend as she walked in her classroom.

I turned back around, and smiled. A “thank you” was unnecessary after seeing the joy she radiated as she walked back to her class with her friends. If I looked up pure happiness, I think I would have found a picture of her at that moment.

And that’s definitely good enough for me.

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.

Dentist Round Two

February 28, 2013February 28, 2013Leave a comment

And so we returned. But this time to a pediatric dentist in Dublin named Dr. Harring who was sent from the heavens, I’m quite sure. After a most hellacious experience a couple of months ago, this dental trip was a piece of cake. Jon had taken him a few weeks ago to an initial consultation with Dr. Harring and really liked him. It was at this time that he found 6 cavities in Mario’s mouth as well as a tooth that needed extracted because it was infected. Lovely. Just stick that “Mom of the Year” pin on my chest. I will never forget that sinking feeling I had when Jon texted me with the news. I was sick the rest of the day.

But then perspective opens up and you realize all you can do is move forward. And so we did. We promised Mario a Skylander and a a package of $4.99 coins for Heroup.com if he was a strong boy and stayed still. I ate a gallon of peanut butter chip ice cream the night before his appointment.

Spider-Man and I showed up at 9:15. The dental assistants loved his outfit. The waiting area has video games and toys to keep the kids busy. Nice touch.

The dentist arrived shortly after we walked back and hooked the laughing gas onto Mario, turned on Scooby and all went smoothly. At one point, Mario started waving his hands in the air and talking nonsense about the Scooby show. The doctor told him the gas should be relaxing him but Mario said “no way, I am hyper!” I asked the dentist to describe how Mario feels with the gas and he said it’s like us drinking two glasses of wine. Now the arm-waving makes sense.

I cringed when the dentist pulled Mario’s tooth but thanks to the gas and a boatload of novocaine, Mario felt nothing. He high-fived the dentist after it was over and bragged about going to get a Skylander. I told him that I wasn’t sure he needed a Skylander since the procedure was so simple. He told me I promised him. A deal is a deal – I will know next time (seeing we have at least two more visits to fix up those teeth – I am the toothbrush nazi every morning and night after this insanity).

We drove straight home because Mario decided he wanted to buy 2 $4.99 gold coin packages rather than a Skylander. When I went to try and buy them my credit card would not process. So I got irritated and restarted the computer and tried again. The second time it went through immediately. Then a screen popped up and told us our first try went through so that pipsqueak got $20 worth of gold. He loved that.

I called Patty to update her on the appointment and she had news for me when I told her how much I hate taking Mario to the dentist.

“Mario told me the other day that he loved going to the dentist because he got toys afterwards and got to stay out of school.”

I think I’ve been taken by that boy.

I knew my daughter would be…

February 18, 2013February 18, 20133 Comments

I always doubted when parents would say “I knew my child was going to be a veterinarian when….” Really? You gathered that your daughter would be a vet when she rubbed a kitten’s belly and it purred?! It seemed more the parent’s wish than the innate skills of the child.

But that skepticism was blown to pieces when Maria brought Jon and I together to resolve a spat we were having. Ri had overheard us bickering and came to the rescue. We had been bickering about something she didn’t need to know about so I made up something when she asked the problem. She sat Jon and me down opposite one another and had me explain the issue.

Me: “I wanted dad to take me to lunch today and he couldn’t.”

Maria: “Is that true, dad?”

Dad: “Yes, bu-”

Maria: “Hold on. Just answer the question, dad. Now mom, when did you tell dad you wanted to go to lunch?”

Me: “I called him at lunchtime.”

Maria: “So you waited until lunch to tell him you wanted to go to lunch? Do you understand he has work to do?”

Me: “Well he’s usually available.”

Dad: “I have asked your mom to lunch a bunch of times and she always says she’s too busy.”

Maria: “Really? Is that true, mom?”

Me: “Yes.”

Maria: “Then it seems that dad has tried to go to lunch with you in the past and you’ve always said no. Does that seem fair to get mad at him because he was working and couldn’t take you today?”

Me: “I guess not.”

I am an attorney but I have no particular desire to have my kids go into the profession. However, after the cross-examination from Ri, I can definitely see it. If she does become a lawyer, I will look back at that moment in time and say “I knew my daughter would be a lawyer the night she sat my hubby and I down…”

Then again, I could probably say the same if she became a psychologist or marriage counselor because after her grilling of us she gave us advice on spending time together by finding a place where I could eat chocolate and Jon could eat a sandwich and we could be together for a while alone.

Piece of work, she is.

RIP Orangey

January 18, 2013Leave a comment

I walked in the front door from my run this morning and Maria ran to the top of the stairs to stop me. “Mom, come quick, my fish is gone!” I ran up the stairs to find Jon and Mario in her room peering inside her tank. There was only one fish swimming around rather than two. I looked at Jon with the “is something bad happening that you can’t tell me in front of the kids look” but he just looked at me perplexed. Mario couldn’t keep his mouth shut, however.

“I think my fish had to eat Maria’s fish. It just had to. Look how big my fish is today!” All the while he was smiling and excited about this super cool act performed by his fish. Maria, on the other hand, curled her knees up to her chest on her bed and bawled like a baby who just had her doll pulled from her arms. Between wails, she’d cry:

“My Orangey fish! He got eaten by Mario’s stupid fish. Orangey is dead. No. No. No.”

It was 7:55 when all of this went down. Ri had to be at school at 8:20. Needless to say, I assumed she’d get her first tardy of the quarter. But we hugged and talked and somehow got ourselves up and out the door to school. We made it right on time and explained to Mrs. Palmer that Orangey had died. She gave Ri a hug and Ri dragged me over to her locker. I gave her one last hug goodbye and watched her sit somberly at her table as I left. I got out of my 11:30 meeting early so I could run over and see her at recess. She was talking to her Kindergarten teacher when I spotted her and when she saw me she ran right over to me and embraced me tightly.

She told me she was feeling a little better but didn’t feel like playing too much. I explained to her that she may be sad for a while and that she just needed to explain what happened to her friends if they asked her what was the matter. I called Jon to report her status and we both agreed that Mario’s fish must have eaten Orangey. But one goldfish eating another after four years? We checked all over the floor and behind the dresser though and there was no Orangey.

When our babysitter picked her up, she told him that Mario’s fish ate her fish. He laughed. He is 21 years old and a boy. What do you expect? She cried. He apologized. She cried more. Jon cheered her up by telling her that we would go out to dinner at Tommy’s Pizza. That soothed her for a while. But when we got home, she jumped right in to making a grave for Orangey, and a tombstone, and a eulogy for her, me, Jon, and Mario. She was planning his funeral for later in the evening.

The funeral went off without a hitch. We all sat on our bed except for Ri who led the program. She began the service with her eulogy:

“You were a nice fish, Orangey. People die and people are born. There is sad times and happy. We love you.”

Well, none of us could beat that. I read mine, dad read his, and Mario read his. Then Ri brought out Orangey’s grave and his tombstone. We all had to sign it. Then she read his will.

“Orangey gave everything to Maria and her family.”

Jon and I had done a good job hiding our smiles up to this point but then we busted out a laugh. Ri understood. Funerals are about remembering happy times, too, she informs me. Then she began to sing the words of her eulogy. Again, Jon and I failed to control our chuckles. Jon had to sing his eulogy, too, and he did it in his baritone voice. Mario and Maria loved it and begged for more (Mario looked at me and whispered “I wish this day would never end!”).

After Jon’s song, Mario took off to his room and got his plant. He brought it to Ri and told her that he wanted to give it to Orangey for his grave. Maria was thrilled. The two of them went to Maria’s room and placed all of the items by her closet door. The funeral was over. Time to get back to life. RIP Orangey Bobcat Ionno.

Love to munchos

January 17, 2013January 17, 20131 Comment

Love to my munchos:

I loved reading to you last night. Mario, I wanted to eat you up when you laughed hysterically at the dinosaur holding a sword. Maria, I wanted to stop time when you laid your head on my lap and squeezed your arms around my leg.

I loved that you both didn’t throw a fit when dad and I asked you to take a shower! How pleasant it was to not deal with pleas of “just five more minutes before a shower!” Mario, you crack us up with your hair washing trick. You’ve always been so scared of shampoo in your eyes so you brilliantly came up with a Mario maneuver. You strategically place a wash cloth in the middle of the shower. You put shampoo in your hand. You close your eyes and rub shampoo in your hair. You reach down, eyes firmly shut, and grab the wash cloth. You put it over your eyes. You put your entire body under the shower head and let the shampoo wash out all over your face. You remove the wash cloth and yell “See mom, I protected my eyes from the shampoo!” You beg Maria to watch the entire process, and then dad (Ri gets a snapshot!). Your hair is sufficiently washed, I’d say.

And Ri, you crack us up with your intense joy. When I walk in to check on you, you are standing in the shower patting your belly. You have a huge grin on your face. I ask what you are doing and you start belly laughing. “Mom, what do you think I’m doing?! I’m taking a shower!” What a card you are. Then you get out and pat your belly some more all the while cooing to it “I love you round belly, I just love you.” You run upstairs and grab your beauty gadgets to do my hair. You dash back into the bathroom looking like a mad woman and scream “Come on lady, you need a new hair-do!”

And I loved putting you to bed last night. I love that you enjoy foot massages, Ri. And Mario I love that you sit on me like a little Buddha statute and want me to read you a million books. I love your quiet selves, sleeping like little bear cubs. I watched you both last night while you laid conked out and wanted to eat you up. How awesome that I can walk 20 feet and lay witness to such perfect little munchos.

"MOM!"

Adventures in the Life of a Working Mama

Tag: Parenting