A Day in the Life

Ahem.  I seem to have taken off to Maine and come back again without actually MENTIONING that fact on the blog.  Whoops.  On the upside, we made it to Maine and back with only a slight head cold on my part. No trips to the pediatrician before the trip, no phone calls to her during the trip, and no trips to urgent care or the ER while in Maine.  A new record, I am quite sure.

On the downside, my kids didn’t have a CHANCE to catch a bloody thing as it rained.  All the time.  I actually felt so bad for them that I allowed myself to be dragged to the beach with toys, chairs, and towels, in the middle of a rain shower.  Yes indeed, the kids frolicked in the sand while I sat huddled on a sand chair in a rain jacket.  They thought it was brilliant, they had the beach to themselves.  I kept thinking that someone really needed to nominate me for a mommy of the year award.

Apparently, the weather was lovely here all week (lovely being a relative term I suppose, but at least no one was contemplating the woodpile in the backyard and wondering if there was enough there to build an ark).  And while I had to pull off the road THREE TIMES yesterday due to torrential downpours and massive lightning storms in New England, in NJ it was a balmy 78 and sunny.  Then there was the added bonus of actually making it across the Cross Bronx AND the George Washington Bridge at 60 MPH thanks to the holiday weekend.  We all cheered as the “Welcome to NJ sign” flashed passed us on the bridge.

I spent the week chanting Rebecca’s mom’s mantra, “a change is as good as a rest,” and by the end of the week I almost believed it.  Except the kids didn’t make it into bed until 9:30 last night, they were up at 6:10 this morning, and despite everyone’s insistence to the contrary, I am fairly confident that the only way we are seeing the fireworks tonight is through the hazy veil of tears.

Sometimes a change is as good as a rest, until you get home.  And then you realize that you need a vacation to recover from your rest.

Chichimama: “C, a friend invited you over tomorrow, why don’t you do that instead of coming to Dr. S’s for A’s checkup?”

C: “Oh no!  I HAVE to go to A’s appointment.”

Chichimama: “Um, OK.  What ever floats your boat dude.  I thought playing with a friend would beat sitting at the doctor’s, but what do I know?”

The next day, as A is sitting waiting for the nurse to come in to administer shots…

A: “I’m NOT going to cry.”

C: “Remember, you can hug Turtley.”

Chichimama (to herself): “Aw, how sweet!  He wanted to come and make sure she was OK with the shots.”

The nurse comes in with the shots.  C stares intently at A.  A takes the first one with nary a whimper.  The second one she whimpers but doesn’t cry.  The third one and she starts wailing.  C sits back in his chair, and then as soon as A is off the table he jumps up and puts his arm around her.

Chichimama: “Again, so cute!”

C: “You cried.”

A: “I KNOW.”

C: “I win the bet.  No gummy bracelet for you.”

A: “I KNOW.”

So much for the sibling love.

• A has two weeks left of school.  Two weeks.  And then she will be a kindergartener.  Hard to believe that a child who was only four months old when I started this blog is old enough to head off to school for 5+ hours a day.
• But, before I find myself with 5+ hours of childless time next September, we have to make it through a camp-free summer of family togetherness.  C, who was a huge proponent of no camp a month ago has now changed his tune now that he has figured out that a) no camp means a summer of hanging around with boring mom and b) just because there is no school does not mean he gets to watch more TV and play more video games.  Too bad kiddo, the budget doesn’t include camp now…
• I actually think we are actually solving the no camp issue rather nicely through two jaunts to Maine, but talk to me on Labor Day and I’ll let you know for sure.
• The kids are also taking swimming lessons every day for six weeks.  And if they still can’t swim at the end of this summer after 5+ years of year-round swim lessons, I am throwing up my hands and buying them adult-sized floaties.  Because I cannot spend another winter sitting at the indoor pool twice a week watching my children flail about like they have never seen the water before.
• I just purchased the yarn to make this sweater.
• I’m crazy, aren’t I.  I figure it should take me the rest of my life or so.  Anyone want to knit along with me?
• My graduate school adviser called to check in a few days ago.  Apparently, I have lost my place as “the best student he ever had” to someone he had last year.  I was a bit devastated, but M pointed out that I had had a good 10-year run there.  Doesn’t make me feel much better though.  Especially since my former title has been replaced with “world’s meanest mommy.”
• I can’t believe it has been 11 years since I was in grad school.
• My backyard is a disaster.  And I have no idea where to start on it.  I have a feeling it involves ripping out everything and starting over, but that sounds expensive, and given my propensity towards killing green things I can’t imagine it would wise expenditure.  So I am spending another summer staring at the weeds and waiting for my  fairy godmother to wave her wand and miraculously re-landscape my yard.
• And if the fairy godmother happens to be stopping by my house, it would be nice if she repainted my eating area and hung some window treatments too.  I figure, might as well ask her, right?
• Perhaps I will sit and knit all summer instead.  Except I will have to learn to like cotton I think.

Rebecca: “Hey!  Travel Savvy Mom made the list of Power Mom Bloggers!  Does that make me a Power Mom?  Or a quarter of a Power Mom?”

Chichimama: “A quarter of a Power Mom I think.  Now I have to check this list out.”

Chichimama goes digging through the internets and finds said (not so easily googleable list).  (BTW, you have to scroll halfway down the press release and then download a PPT presentation to actually get to the list.  Neilson?  Your PR department should call me…)

Chichimama: “I only recognize a few names on here.  Where is Mir?”

Rebecca: “I KNOW!  Who are all these people?  I mean Heather Armstrong, OK…”

Chichimama: Do you think we are out of the blogging loop?”

Rebecca: “Well, I AM a quarter of a Power Blogger…”

Chichimama: “Hey. Wait, did you read this?  We aren’t ANYTHING!”

Rebecca: “Huh?”

Chichimama: “Look!  They grouped moms into two categories, older than 40-50 with 3+ kids, and 25-34 with 1 or 2 kids.  Apparently, all that money we spend at Target doesn’t count.”

Rebecca: “So I need to have more kids or get older?”

Chichimama: “You need to have more kids AND get older.”

Chichimama: “We are the Forgotten Mom Generation!”

C: “I wanted the purple vitamin!”

Chichimama: “You get what you get and you don’t get upset.”

C: “Yeah, only I AM upset.”

But while A was suitable bundled, I have deemed it SPRING GOD DAMN IT.

Happy Spring!  It is snowing here.  Not so spring-like really…

Friday – Quick Shrimp Broil

Saturday – Baked Eggs in Tomato Parmesean Sauce

Sunday – Takeout (yet another birthday celebration for Mr. 7)

Monday – Chicken in a TJ Simmer Sauce, Garlic Naan

Tuesday -Spicy Black Bean and Corn Casserole (crockpot)

Wednesday – Broccoli, Tomato and Mozzarella Stromboli

Thursday – Leftovers

A Warmer Republic neck warmer.  This was knit up in that mystery green cashmere yarn.  I didn’t love the yarn, and I need to move the buttons in a bit, but it IS warm.  The pattern is super easy as well, I knit it on the plane ride to my sister’s over MLK weekend.

A Snappy Hat.  And it was indeed Snappy, I started it and finished it during one of the American Idol two hour audition shows.

Just Enough Ruffles Scarf (the picture does not do this one justice, the colors are much brighter and prettier in real life!)

Yes, yes, I know.  I could figure out what week it is, but seems like WAY too much trouble.  It’s been that kind of a week

Friday – Parmesan Baked Scallops, honey glazed baby carrots, brown rice

Saturday – Vietnamese Flank Steak, Rosemary Garlic Roasted Baby Potatoes, green beans with ginger and garlic

Sunday – Feta Stuffed Lamb burgers and sweet potato fries

Monday – Angel Hair Pasta with Walnuts and Peas

Tuesday -Quick and Easy Quiche, spinach salad

Wednesday – Birthday Boy’s Choice (probably pizza)

Thursday – Leftovers

I got the first email of the season from C’s baseball coach today, apparently this is the year that the sport ramps up, in preparation for “travel baseball” next year.  I am choosing not to tell my son about said ramp up, as he tends to freak out about such things.  I’m just going to see if he notices that he is spending many more hours a week on the baseball field than he did last year; it could go either way really.

A, however, has been out in the backyard practicing up the wazoo in preparation for her baseball debut (in JULY).  While softball doesn’t start until kindergarten, baseball allows kids to start the summer they turn five.  So she thought for about 30 seconds, and then declared that she would play baseball for a season, and “get ahead” of all the other girls.  Gee, she’s not my competitive one, is she?

Many moons ago I wrote something about counting down the years until my children could play team sports so it was someone else’s job to run them ragged.  Silly, silly me.  I failed to account for the hours of my life that would get spent sitting on the grass (because I never remember my chair), trying to drown out the pleas of the child not participating in the sport du jour for “snack/ice cream/dinner/bed/something to do.”  It’s going to be a long, long season.