Category: gratitude

gratitude, happiness, parenting, self-discovery

Full Hands, Full Heart

WFAM

It’s that time of the year again. It’s picture day for my guys. It is becoming tradition that around the first of November, I book a sitting to document another year passed. I figure early November is a good point as it’s a couple weeks after Full Speed’s birthday and a few weeks before T.Puzzle’s. This also gives us ample time to order extra photos for holiday gifts. Mad Dog surprised me and was game to make it a family photo op as well. He made a good point that both our boys had new glasses and it would be nice to commemorate that. Full Speed’s changed because of surgery and T.Puzzle’s changed because he could finally read letters and be tested accurately (turns out he was farsighted even though under anesthesia he measured nearsighted; that’s another blog for another day).

I made an appointment at the hair salon to get my hair washed and blown out for early in the morning. Why does it look so much better to have a professional do something as simple as blow dry your hair? That means I had to have everything laid out for Mad Dog to get the boys ready for pictures. He was even going to shower them. They needed it (especially T.Puzzle!).

For any Moms out there who have ever coordinated a family portrait, enormous planning goes into it. To have everyone matching but not too matchy, and clean, pressed and smiling is nothing short of miraculous.

Overall, the boys had their smiling moments and their not-so-smiling moments. They hugged, they fought, they fell over in a big, wrestly heap. Inevitably the woman who was assisting the photographer turns to me and says, “You certainly have your hands full, don’t you?” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this exact sentence from the public at large I would be a gazillionaire. For years this has aggravated me to the depths of my soul. Why? That’s because it’s like stating the obvious. It’s like saying the sky is up and no matter how hard you try, my dear, you will never be Sarah Jessica Parker (I know, I know, I don’t even own a pair of Manolos or Jimmy Choos).

I’m changing my tune. My new response? A deep breath, a pause and this thought: full hands means a full heart.

pa293438

children, gratitude, happiness, mommyhood

Pete and Re-Pete

WFAM

It’s after school, the weather is gorgeous and we are outside playing in the cul-de-sac. The new neighbor boy, who is seven, has anxiously waited for my boys to come home. He seems to enjoy having two, small pseudo-brothers to play with.

They all are on pedal-powered vehicles of all shapes and sizes. They are crashing into each other and having a blast. It’s fun to watch T.Puzzle try to keep up with the big boys. He imitates his brother to perfection. So much in fact that when Full Speed goes kersplat, T.Puzzle slows his trike, leans over and fully commits to falling, too. Pete and Re-Pete that’s what my Mom used to call them. As that thought automatically pops into my head, I pause and think of her. I’m really missing her lately.

pete falls down

I don’t have time to ponder my sadness for long. I am hopelessly attempting to teach T.Puzzle how to pedal, which for some odd reason angers him tremendously. While I am doing this, the aromatic air swishing back towards me indicates he needs a diaper change. We head inside and take care of business. No sooner than we return, Full Speed announces, “I need to poop!” The urgency with which he states this indicates he better move fast. He hesitates because he is scared to go in the house alone. I tell him to get over himself as I have to gather up T.Puzzle who is clear across the way before I can go in. He does, but it’s not without complications.

bike Frack,bikeBy the time I grab T.Puzzle and head inside, Full Speed is running frantically out of the house with his underwear around his ankles near hysterics. “Where were you, Mommy!?! I don’t want to be alone!” I’m feeling exasperated yet slightly amused at watching a half-naked Full Speed attempt to maneuver with the constraints of his underwear around his ankles. Eventually, things calm down and both boys have sparkly-clean tushies.

We go outside. The neighbor boy announces he is thirsty.bike Frick, bike Guess what? Pete and re-pete realize at that instant they are parched as well. We all head back inside again, drinks are distributed and I begin to contemplate putting them all in the garage in lockdown.

Once everyone’s thirst has been quenched, we return outdoors. Even though life in general can be cumbersome with small kids, I’m glad we stayed the course and remained outside. To watch them in their glory made my heart smile. I’d repeat that any day of the week.

gratitude, marital blissishness

True Love’s Cup

WFAM

Mad Dog and I had another date night. Our goal is to have a date night once a week. This is an extremely lofty goal but as of late, we’ve been managing it quite well. This time we were off for dinner and a movie. We saw Couples Retreat. It was lighthearted and fun. Not the best I’ve ever seen but it did make us laugh a few times.

When we arrived at the theater we got in line at the recession counter. I was jonesing for something chocolate. Mad Dog and I decided to split a Coke Zero because right now they come in ginormous Twilight collector’s cups. We already have the one with the character Bella (the main female lead) on it and I was hoping we would get one with her vampire boyfriend (Edward) on it. Yes, I’ll admit it. Apparently I am no better than a high school-aged girl when it comes to crushing on a vampire. I was let-down. Our soda came in a Jacob (the werewolf) cup. For those of you out there who have been sucked in (pardon the pun) to the Twilight saga, you can understand how disappointing this can be for someone who is clearly rooting for the vampires.

I pout a little because I don’t know when I’ll be back at the movies and I have a feeling the cups of Edward will run out soon. Mad Dog senses my distress and chivalrously offers me five dollars to go and get another soda and select the cup of my choosing. I knew I married Mad Dog for all the right reasons. He supports my fantastical whims with aplomb. I really love him for that.

I head back to the front and end up engaging in a lengthy conversation with the teenaged boy behind the counter. As soon as I walk up he says, “Let me guess, you want to get another soda. And, let me guess, you want the vampire dude on it.” Am I really that transparent? Which, in case you are curious, is a characteristic of Twilight vampires when they are in direct sunlight.

The boy shakes his head in disbelief. I try to play coy. “Maybe I should pick the one with all three main characters on it. I mean, I am on a date with my husband. Do you think he’d be offended if I picked the one with just Edward on it?” He stares blankly at me and shrugs. Why am I asking relationship advice from someone who’s most likely only learned how to drive last year?

“Well, I need to be true to myself. Edward it is,” I declare proudly for all to hear. The boy smiles a knowing smile and says, “I have to head to the back and get a new sleeve of cups. There was a group of girls in here earlier that wiped out the counter supply of Edwards”. He slips back to the storage area of the theater. He returns and I clasp my hand around the coolness of the cup and I feel victorious.

Edward

True love can show itself in many forms. For some it could come in the form of a werewolf or vampire. For me, it showed itself tonight as a patient husband that paid for an extra soda that I didn’t really need but most certainly wanted. Thanks, Mad Dog. If there would have been a cup with your picture on it, I would have chosen it hands down.

children, gratitude, mommyhood

Love; the Most Sustainable Resource

WFAM

I can’t stay crabby forever in the presence of my boys. They are entertaining even if it’s by default.

This morning I asked Full Speed to put some items in our recycle bins in the garage. The point is that he begins to contribute to the upkeep of the house and it lends me a hand. He runs over to the sink, I hand him the items and he exits through the laundry room to what I presume to be the garage. He’s awfully quick and races back to his comfy chair to finish watching ‘Dinosaur Train’ before school.

Mid-morning after Full Speed has been dropped off, I put on Sesame Street for T.Puzzle  and go into our game room (the finished portion of our garage) to workout on the elliptical machine. As I program the machine I glance down and see a piece of cardboard lying next to it. It is the wrapping part of microwave mashed potatoes (yes, I know, I should stop this blog business and write a cookbook) like the kind we had last night. I hop off the elliptical for further investigation. I lean down to peer under the futon we have and what do I find? An empty box, container of milk and diet soda can. Apparently Full Speed couldn’t take the extra four steps to make it to the unfinished portion of our garage where we actually store our recyclables. Before I know it, I’m laughing. That is such typical ‘help’ a five year old boy will give you.

pb033471

I’m still chuckling as I get back to working out. T.Puzzle lasts about twenty minutes before he comes gallivanting in to ‘workout’ too. This never goes well. He always winds up getting himself into one precarious situation after the next. I problem solve it by putting on a Michael Buble’ video on my iPhone. It was a bonus for downloading his whole album (which is very good).

T.Puzzle loves music and this does the trick. He lies on the floor next to my phone and watches the video over and over. It has got to be one of the cutest things I have ever seen. My heart is warmed and my spirits are lifted. Life cannot possibly be any better than having boys who fill my life with chaos, laughter and most importantly love. We may not always get things right, but we always, always have each other.

pb033468

children, gratitude, mommyhood, potty training, self-discovery, terrible twos

Through the Day

WFAM

Frickity

Our good friends down the street had a birthday party for their three year old daughter. I had to go to this party without Mad Dog because of his work commitments (I know, that’s a shocker). I have to do stuff with the boys by myself all the time so that isn’t my issue. My issue is that at birthday parties, my children lose all ability to control themselves and wind up dangerously close to clinical insanity (or maybe it’s me).

I’m not sure if it’s the new setting, the almost tangible party excitement or the fancy cupcakes that set them off. We were there for three hours and I think I had one, five minute intelligent conversation with another adult in that time frame. The rest of the time I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off meeting the needs of my children, making sure that the other children were safe from them and making sure my friends’ home and their many possessions remained unharmed. It was exhausting.

T.Puzzle of course was defiant and spewed out a few screaming ‘no!’ tantrums. He also managed to lock his teeth on his brother’s hand as they fought over some toy. As I placed him in time-out he threw himself on the floor in kinetic desperation. By the time the party was over and I corralled my boys home I was drained and openly hostile with Mad Dog (who had arrived home a few short moments before we did). My hostility multiplied when Mad Dog questioned its existence. I’m sorry but three solid hours of stress will tend to make a Mom cranky.

This evening and all its stress melted away and brought us to our morning. T.Puzzle had a dry diaper after almost twelve hours of slumber! As soon as I realized this I raced to get him to the potty. As soon as I put him down he starts protesting in screaming wails. How on earth could anyone after TWELVE hours not immediately pee when placed on a toilet? I argue with him for a couple minutes. Then I take a figurative step back and realize I don’t really want to be locked in a power struggle over the potty. Our day would start off pissy if we did. So, I give up and leave the bathroom to pick out his clothes for the day. No sooner than my foot crosses that threshold, he pees. He was being stubborn. No way was he going to pee in front of Mommy. That would make her too happy. He wasn’t having any of that.

Despite its frustrating beginning our day goes pretty well. The weather has finally shifted. It’s not the normal thousand degrees with a million percent humidity. There is an actual chill in the air. Who knows how long it will last but it is delicious.

Part of my project for this fall-like day is to make eggless cupcakes for Full Speed’s mini-birthday celebration tomorrow. I go to the bother of driving to the not-so-convenient store to get the eggless mix because I want little brother T.Puzzle to feel included. Who knows if he will even actually eat them?

Once they are baked and cooled (they smell awesome by the way), I ask Full Speed to help me decorate them. I frost them in chocolate and give him the bottle of colored, candied sprinkles. In a flash he has it open and dumps almost the entire contents on one cupcake. I lose it. Mad Dog intervenes which makes me lose it more. I’m upset that Full Speed is wasteful for sure, but ultimately I’m upset because I told him to stop when he first started the dumpage and as soon as I turn my back, he continues to dump it all on one, defenseless cupcake.

The tension subsides after the cupcakes are more or less decorated and then I offer to read a chapter of ‘Inkheart’ to Full Speed out on the lanai. He is happy to do so. We snuggle under a fluffy red, blanket and pick up the story where we left off from yesterday.

Soon we have an unexpected visitor bust through the door and jump up on the chaise with us. T.Puzzle beams a smile at us and shouts, “I BACK!” Full Speed and I crack up. I say, “Well, T.Puzzle, we didn’t even know you had left,” and the laughter continues. Then the laughter takes a life of its own and we giggle and guffaw over funny faces and who knows what else.

Sometimes the pendulum of motherhood swings in your favor, sometimes it swings against you. Your job is to hang on and coast with its motion and when the laughter of the small moments finds you, embrace it with everything you have. Sometimes that’s all a Mom gets to get her through the day.

Yum