12 May 2012

Happy Mother's Day!

My plans involve nothing more than letting others cook for me and flopping on the couch watching old movies with my kids.

Yours?

23 April 2012

A reflection on a decade

Ten years ago, I was working from home. I'd had on-and-off contractions all day, but they were a tease, getting my hopes up only to stall out the minute the ten minutes of resting was up.

I plopped on the couch and started editing the legal journal (shout outs to Cindy and Lona here!). At some point in the middle of a Supreme Court opinion on takings, I dozed off. I woke up at 5, decided I'd get up, start dinner in the kitchen, and finish editing.

My water broke as soon as I stood up.

Those pregnancy manuals (I'm looking at you, "What to Expect") that say your water rarely breaks haven't met me. Mine breaks every time, in a hellacious mess, and then the contractions *really* start.

I called my husband, who then was promptly pulled over on Caton Farm Road by a cop. Thus begins the story of our son's birth, with a frantic husband waving at the cop, a kindergartener in the car ready to tell the cop all about her new sibling to come, and my frantic walk through the neighborhood to find someone to watch her, because our people weren't answering their phone and we had no relatives nearby.

Ten years ago at 8 p.m., I caved and took pitocin when labor stalled AGAIN. Plus, the Cubs game on TV was awful and I wanted out of L&D before the game ended (joking, joking).

Our son was born soon after. He was chunky. He was a good eater, unlike his sister.

He was a charmer. Still is.

Ten years later, I'm looking at my witty little dude, who pops out with the strangest things. He listens intently to Nina Totenberg on NPR, to the point that my editing a legal journal was a help in parenting.

He is a hoot. He loves sports. Loves basketball, which has resulted in an injury that has sidelined him to playing the Wii versions for now. He enjoys tormenting his sisters, both younger and older. Often with puns. Bad ones. He is his father's son.

Ten years later, I'm slowly regaining my stamina and body. I managed to run two miles at a 12:30 pace in 80+ heat today. I brag, a bit, because I remember those first few days ten years ago, when I would have sworn I'd never maintain my sanity, much less get my body back in some semblance of shape.

Nothing is forever. Not the lack of sleep. Not the newborn smell. Not the ten-year-old wiseacre sitting across from me.

Enjoy the moments.




01 April 2012

The Five-minute Fix

Quick:  How many little, annoying things around your house could be fixed in five minutes?

Life intrudes. It piles up. The disaster of piles of stuff abounds.

Sadly, this is so true around here, I would like to cry.
Creators Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott have nailed it. 
In our house, too many to count. I have piles of toys that should be packed away. They are already sorted. Ready for storage (if we had decent storage).

Dishes that are in the drying rack that could be put away.

Ditto for the clean load of laundry in the dryer.

So often, I look at the piles of stuff to do and I can't bear it. I rant, I shout. I force the kids to do something.

Five minutes. Like three rounds of commercials. How hard can it be?

This weekend, I decided I was tackling the five-minute jobs. Oscillating fan that rattled and just needed to be tightened = fixed. Toilets beyond gross = clean. Dishes and laundry = dealt with.

I'm fixing the broken strap on my sundress next. Five-minute repair job, soon to be done.

This is going to become a regular weekend thing. I'm bringing the kids in next . . . two songs, upstairs, we clean up. If anything, at least when Grandma and Grandpa arrive, hopefully it won't be a disaster up there.


03 March 2012

Brilliant or evil, you decide.

Step one: Discover teen's best friend wants to see The Lorax, but is too embarrassed to go.
Step two: Convince teen and friend to take younger two as "cover."
Step three: Convince younger two to do all chores in order to go to The Lorax. 
Step four: Profit!

22 February 2012

Moments of grace

The unexpected note from a friend.

Every person to whom I gave ashes at Ash Wednesday services today.

The traffic cop who noticed that we were two people short as we walked to our car this afternoon, and inquired where they might be.

The teenagers who took and promptly served our pizza and salad with a cheerful smile.

The neighbors who waved.

19 February 2012

Illness and Mommy stupidity

This has been one of the worst years in a long time for illness in our house. We've had colds. Stomach bugs. Sinus things. Now strep. It's like we live in a petri dish.

When the kids were babies and in daycare, they caught every dang virus known to man. It seemed like we were home more than we were at work in the winter months. The eldest was susceptible to ear infections; we practically lived at the pediatricians office for years.

We've been so healthy lately that we've barely seen our pediatrician. I was lectured about that fact when I had to have them write a script for the eldest, who needed permission to take Advil at school.

I hadn't brought her in for a physical in two years.

Bad me.

This go around, I let the youngest fight a weird, spiky fever for three days before I clued in that it might be more than a run-of-the-mill cold. We so rarely get strep that while I know the symptoms, I didn't have the penny drop until I was on the phone with the nurse.

Pass that worst mother of the year trophy over this way, would ya?

So we're medicated now. (Yay, bubblegum flavoring. Walgreens, I hate that you make us pay for it, but it was worth the $2. This time.)

We're all bleached and washed. Everything should be normal, knock wood, from here. Yours truly will be more observant about that whole fever, sore throat thing from here on out, too.


08 February 2012

Momma hates days like this

It is now 7:45 p.m.

Dinner is not yet finished. (almost there)

Dad is not yet home.

Laundry yet to do.

No chance to run. Probably doesn't matter because sciatica and arch of foot hurt so badly that I really shouldn't.

Up at 5 a.m. for no reason.

Long day at work.

Traffic in major metro area sucks.

Needed cereal, so had to make extra stop.

Eldest didn't want to walk home, so add another trip.

Crack open the pinot, baby. I need a glass.