Bryce and I just got back from our first vacation together as a couple -- it only took us 13 years to get away! We went to San Francisco with a few friends and it was a great time. Now it's back to the real world of laundry, kids' schedules, and responsibilities. I will, however, take away a few things that I learned while away:
- my kids sound like helium-filled cartoon characters on the phone
- being 3 hours early for a 7:30 am flight translates to an obscenely early morning
- it may say something about me that the highlight of the trip was walking around an old jail (although I guess Alcatraz is in a class all its own)
- pro baseball games are WAY more enjoyable when you've got really good seats
- coastal weather does not agree with my hair
- the sunny, blue skies of California in the movies obviously weren't in San Fran in May. Holy crap for fog and wind!
- knowing I'm not responsible for the kids allows me to sleep like the dead (or maybe that was because of that early morning flight!)
- I'm a home-body and was ready to return after 4 days away from the monsters
It's great to go away but it's even better to come back. I don't know what those songs about leaving your heart in San Francisco were about -- mine is firmly planted in the chaos of home.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Moms
I spent Mother’s Day with my mom, Bryce’s mom, my dad’s wife, and being a mom. It made me thankful for the strong women in my life and all they have taught me about what it means to be a mom.
So far, in my experience, it has meant the following responsibilities:
Taxi service
Social networker
Athletic coordinator
Chef (or at least food preparer – I have limited skills)
Referee
Tutor
Boo-boo kisser
Clothing folder
Knock-knock joke laugher (even though they make no sense and are really not
jokes at all)
Art collector...
I try to nurture my kids, make them feel appreciated and valued, and make them feel happy and excited about their day – all without making them spoiled and indulged. It can be a fine line! I’ve taken what I’ve learned from the moms around me and I hope I’m doing the right things for my little ones.
My hope is to have my kids talk to me about anything and everything as they are growing up and be the one they turn to throughout their lives when things are tough or when things are amazing. My hope is to have a relationship like the one I share with my mom. I talk to her every day, she supports me unconditionally but isn’t afraid to tell me I’m off my nut, she’s there to help out no matter what I am doing, and she laughs at my stupid jokes. She’s my best friend and if I have half the relationship with my kids that I enjoy with her, I’ll be happy.
Carmen told me yesterday that I was her best friend. I’ll have to remind her of that when she’s 16 and I won’t let her date some 22 year old drummer. Until then, I’ll take the compliment and run.
So far, in my experience, it has meant the following responsibilities:
Taxi service
Social networker
Athletic coordinator
Chef (or at least food preparer – I have limited skills)
Referee
Tutor
Boo-boo kisser
Clothing folder
Knock-knock joke laugher (even though they make no sense and are really not
jokes at all)
Art collector...
I try to nurture my kids, make them feel appreciated and valued, and make them feel happy and excited about their day – all without making them spoiled and indulged. It can be a fine line! I’ve taken what I’ve learned from the moms around me and I hope I’m doing the right things for my little ones.
My hope is to have my kids talk to me about anything and everything as they are growing up and be the one they turn to throughout their lives when things are tough or when things are amazing. My hope is to have a relationship like the one I share with my mom. I talk to her every day, she supports me unconditionally but isn’t afraid to tell me I’m off my nut, she’s there to help out no matter what I am doing, and she laughs at my stupid jokes. She’s my best friend and if I have half the relationship with my kids that I enjoy with her, I’ll be happy.
Carmen told me yesterday that I was her best friend. I’ll have to remind her of that when she’s 16 and I won’t let her date some 22 year old drummer. Until then, I’ll take the compliment and run.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
SMILE?
As a teenager, I remember empathizing with friends who had to get braces or retainers or some other God-awful dental contraption while secretly (and maybe a bit smugly) thinking “never gonna be me.” You see, I have perfectly straight teeth, a nice smile. Textbook, my dentist had said.
Apparently the textbooks have changed. Now, 20 years after my friends suffered through metallic smiles and painful adjustments, I’m on the road to braces to fix a jaw misalignment. Me. Braces. Very uncool. Even more uncool is the orthodontic splint – think retainer meets mouth guard— that I’m sporting now for the next 6 to 12months. It’s horrible! It feels like it takes up my entire mouth, I can’t talk, it’s uncomfortable and I look like a total dork. Mortifying. You can expect to see more posting and emailing and facebooking so I can avoid actually talking to anyone. Nothing personal. No one needs to hear a middle-aged woman lisping through an unattractive appliance!
You would think a married, secure person like me wouldn’t get too worked up about orthodontics. Hell, if it’ll reduce my brutal headaches and jaw pain I should be excited. Apparently I’m not. Maybe I’m vain. Maybe I’m cheap (this stuff is costing a fortune!). Maybe I’m just bitter that I’ll be in splints and frickin’ braces until I’m almost 40. I guess it’s a combination of it all that has me feeling like I want to crawl back into bed for the next, oh, 2 years.
Okay. Enough complaining. But when you see me, remember my fragile psyche right now and keep the jokes to a minimum. Thankth.
Apparently the textbooks have changed. Now, 20 years after my friends suffered through metallic smiles and painful adjustments, I’m on the road to braces to fix a jaw misalignment. Me. Braces. Very uncool. Even more uncool is the orthodontic splint – think retainer meets mouth guard— that I’m sporting now for the next 6 to 12months. It’s horrible! It feels like it takes up my entire mouth, I can’t talk, it’s uncomfortable and I look like a total dork. Mortifying. You can expect to see more posting and emailing and facebooking so I can avoid actually talking to anyone. Nothing personal. No one needs to hear a middle-aged woman lisping through an unattractive appliance!
You would think a married, secure person like me wouldn’t get too worked up about orthodontics. Hell, if it’ll reduce my brutal headaches and jaw pain I should be excited. Apparently I’m not. Maybe I’m vain. Maybe I’m cheap (this stuff is costing a fortune!). Maybe I’m just bitter that I’ll be in splints and frickin’ braces until I’m almost 40. I guess it’s a combination of it all that has me feeling like I want to crawl back into bed for the next, oh, 2 years.
Okay. Enough complaining. But when you see me, remember my fragile psyche right now and keep the jokes to a minimum. Thankth.
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