October 27, 2008
· Filed under Trivialities
Liam: “Will you marry me?”
Bean: “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
I just witnessed a proposal and engagement in my living room. Followed by whirlwind wedding planning. I guess no one’s told them that brothers and sisters can’t gett married.
I suppose I shouldn’t be too worried. This was all stemmed by a discussion on the playground at preschool. Bean’s best friend asked her who she wanted to marry. Bean replied, “Well, you!” The little girl laughed and informed Bean that she has to marry a boy. I didn’t find that conversation all too strange, but what was strange was being at a birthday party for a kid in Liam’s 2-yr old class and listening to the parents go on and on about which kids had crushes on whom and who might end up marrying one day… Is it just me, or is that a little young to be arranging marriages?
October 15, 2008
· Filed under Food, Home
I just pulled two loaves of pumpkin chocolate chip bread out of the oven. Wait, let me rename it… Divine melt-in-your-mouth goondess… Food of the gods… Scrumptiousness waiting to be devoured… You should smell my house now.
Two days ago I made cinamon apples on the stove. That was a good day too. My mouth waters at the thought of walking into my house…
If you want your home to smell good, ditch the air freshners – they increase the rate of headaches, ear infections, and gastrointestinal distress in babies. Instead, put something yummy in your oven. Oh, it’s good.
October 12, 2008
· Filed under Trivialities
I don’t know about you, but we at the Mudlark house actually do try to rest on the Sabbath. We do easy dinner (pizza), usually take naps in the afternoon, and avoid doing anything work-ish.
So it allows me plenty of time to catch up with friends online scour the internet for free stuff. Which is how I found Handbag Planet – they’re giving away 24 free – and Gorgeous – handbags. Did I say free? I meant Completely Free. Check it out. Seriously.
I could use a few of those to add to my purse problem. I have a problem, and I know it. Maybe just one more handbag would make me feel better…
October 10, 2008
· Filed under Home
Thing 1’s live-in nanny job starts today. So now we’re down to me & hubbs, our 3 babes, and Thing 2. One down, one to go. I told Bean today that when she comes home from school Thing 1 will be gone, and I kind of expected a somewhat sad reaction. After all, Thing 1 has tried – with good success – to bond with Bean over the last week. But apparently it didn’t make the impression I’d hoped. Bean is THRILLED about the news. Maybe we need to have another talk about unconditional love and being kind.
Thing 1 came to me this morning to praise me for having patience with her these last 10 months (not that I’m counting, but really we’re just 9 days shy of 11 months). She said that in Moldova there’s a saying that mothers-in-law and daughter-in-law should always be separated. I resisted the urge to tell her that we have our own saying here… “Can’t live with her, can’t shoot her.”
I’m looking forward to the peace and quiet, and the general stress that will be gone. More than that, I’m hoping Thing 1 has a very smooth transition and is able to ‘detox’ from the situation we’ve had here. It’s been hard for her, and hopefully getting out from under our roof will give her some space, some independence, and a renewed perspective. Good for everyone, right?
Now, on to party planning…
October 7, 2008
· Filed under Family, Health
This time last year we were putting poor Liam through ER visits, MRIs, EEGs, learning about brain tumors (benign), arachnoid cysts, epilepsy… Well, a couple weeks ago Bruiser had a seizure. So here we go again.
We saw the neurologist today, for both boys. Liam is doing well – no change since his last appointment, and we’ve past the 1 year mark – 1 year seizure free! Yippee! 1 more year without seizures and we can try to wean him from his meds. As for Owen though, we’ll have to put him through an EEG and an MRI. Seems a little tough for a wee 5 month old. It’s funny though. This time I’m going into it expecting good results. Last year I expected good results because of the old addage “It can’t happen to me” (but it did), this time I’m expecting good results because lightning doesn’t strike twice. Really, what are the chances I’d have 2 boys with tumors?
So now we wait.
October 4, 2008
· Filed under Trivialities
This weekend, all the way through Monday, I’m home with my kids and Thing 1. Thing 2 and hubbs have gone on a trip and left me with my nemesis. Oh, and did I mention I’m sick as a dog? Body aches, sore throat, runny nose, headache, cough… really, it’s pleasant. Especially getting up 7 times at night with the kiddos.
I’ll see you soon. And if I don’t you can wonder if I succumed to the flu, or to Thing 1…
October 1, 2008
· Filed under Parenting
It had to happen sometime, I just didn’t expect it to be this soon. Little Man seems to have officially given up his nap. Unfortunately I don’t think his little body is ready to make it through the whole day without a rest, and his ‘quiet time’ in his room is neither quiet nor sufficiently restful. Hence the nightly temper tantrum around 5 or 6. The good news though? He’s going to bed easily and sleeping until almost 7AM! (That’s a big improvement from 5:00 waking)
It’s one of those few parenting milestones that isn’t accompanied by joy and celebration. We don’t announce to the grandparents – “Guess what Little Man did!” We don’t recognize it in any way. No high five or congratulations. Because somewhere, in the recesses of our minds, we don’t want to believe that our kids have really stopped napping. We want to think that our precious bundles of energy will still go quietly into their rooms – maybe after a few days of this no-nap madness – and resume their previous habit of an hour or two of virtual unconciousness. Or, to put it more succinctly, we still want ‘me time’ in which to rest, do a laod of laundry, take a shower, or write a blog post in peace and quiet.
So please excuse me while I slink back into denial. My child hasn’t really given up his nap. He’s just taking a brief sabbatical from it. In another day or two surely he’ll realize that resistance is futile and naps are a Blessed. Gift. From. God.
