“Brain Coral” by Scott Kinmartin, on Flickr
The Boyfriend does this thing that is so insanely cute, it inspires violent urges in me. He leaves me messages on the mirror. I think he writes them in the steam when he’s done with a shower. When I get out of my shower, there they are plain as day. I write back a response but I don’t know if he sees them. So I don’t know if he knows I see the ones he writes me because I haven’t told him. Then again if he reads this… Yeah I’m passive that way.
Speaking of super cute feel-good stuff, Eldest is awesome at saying the sweetest heart-melting things to me. Seriously. He always tells me things like he loves me more than something crazy AND something even more crazy. Or he tells me his favorite place to be is anywhere I am. He tells me at least once a day how I’m the best mom in the universe (sorry to burst your bubble, moms!). So for Future Girlfriends, please know if he doesn’t shower you with words of sweetness it is either because a) You are not awesome enough to be worthy of his sweetest affections (Ha, I win!) OR b) Some ridiculous Hussy of the Future broke his sweet spirit and she will experience my wrath, mark my words. But yes it has nothing at all to do with the way I raised him. I am doing my due diligence in raising an Openly Affectionate Boy.
I keep thinking about Ashley Quiñones lately. And a lot of other people who have big trials in their lives. I share the floor with this program that works with children under the age of three. It’s like an early intervention programs for kids who show developmental problems. Anyways, the case workers choose the neediest family in their groups and give them baskets of food at Thanksgiving time. I found out about it the day before they were going to put together the baskets and I had planned on going to Publix that night anyways. So I picked up a few things with my coupons and then I went home and shopped my pantry. I brought a bunch of bags in figuring they could spread the goodies amongst the different families. But they decided I had brought in so much stuff, they could make an entire basket out of it to supplement a gift card they had bought. They gave it to a family where the head of the household is a grandmother and her four grandchildren. Three are under the age of three, and the fourth is in the primary grades. The mother is in jail for attempted murder, of her mother, the grandmother caring for the kids. Can you imagine? And to think I complain when I get frustrated about how hard it is to raise three kids by myself!
It might be weird to have this thought after the one I just wrote about but I am really eager to get going on Christmas shopping. I guess maybe because I’m feeling so grateful, I want to get out there and keep expressing it in ways I can. And of course, my loved ones deserve so much of gratitude. Oddly enough, I’m stumped as far as the kids go. I try and go by the whole “Something they want, something they need, and something to read” philosophy but I get to the Want part and my brain short-circuits. Not because I can’t think of anything but because I can’t think of anything they would want that would not make me roll my eyes. Except the Kindle Fire. Kind of.
Speaking of things that make me roll my eyes, Baby is driving me crazy with the potty training problems. I don’t want to get into gross details but it comes down to this: the kid hates pooping but because I have him on a steady diet of Fiber Gummies, he can’t hold it in very well. I’ve been so frustrated with it all. His teachers have been patient and awesome and we’re going to try a new system to see if we can get him over this fear of pooping he’s had since he was 5 months old pretty much. It’s just a matter of time before the kids really start taunting him for it. Yesterday he covered the slide, and himself, in poop.
I can’t wait to cash out my Christmas Pig. But I have no idea what to treat myself with. Why? Because I am overwhelmed with the Wanties. Clothes, shoes, jewelry, art, area rugs, a new bed, curtains, a camera, a camcorder, and so on and so forth dominate my long list of Wanties.
I am not overwhelmed with the handmade urge like I was last year. That makes me sad. I have ideas but no gumption.
What about you and your randomness?
