A Virtual Hug

Blogs are so cool. I am beyond addicted and have my favorites that while I may not check them everyday, there is something about them that keeps me coming back for more. I have my friend G to thank for this addiction - she introduced me a few years ago while we were on the same team at work and I have been a gonner since then...thanks G!

I love how this blog will then have links to other blogs they like and so on and so forth and before you know it you are reading about a backpacker saving the world in Nepal. Too cool, really, it is a whole new world. Sometimes you read inspiring happy things and sometimes emotional, touching posts.

I check out Tertia at her blog So Close, she went through infertility and then had b/g twins (much younger than our Doodle and Meesta) and now has written a book, she is a witty and sassy chic from South Africa and since one of my very best friends originates from S.A., I am always drawn to her charming self. She talks about everything and is an open book about a lot of things that I am sure help others who are experiencing infertility. She even does some great "charity drives" to help others out, capitalizing on her big readership. Well, she posted a few weeks ago about a woman, another mom of b/g twins who she had been alerted to who was about to lose her husband from cancer.

Meet Snickollet. Now, I have never met Snickollet, never chatted with her on email, but through her blog, I feel a personal sense of loss for her kids (who are not yet 1) and for her since her dear GH died. She is suffering a loss that would be like drowning for me, yet it continues and never really ends. Cancer took her husband, Much Too Soon. Her story has helped me to stop and think about the time and attention D and I pay to each other. Because of our busyness it is really hard to take time for each other, but Snick's story helps me put it all into perspective. Time is short, enjoy it to the fullest while you can. We are never promised tomorrow.

I have wished Snickollet well and have prayed for her and the babies. I cannot fathom doing the twins thing on my own, it was hard enough doing it with D and I. Snick seems like a strong and extremely capable woman who is holding her own amazingly well. I am sure a few virtual hugs could do her some good though.

CC

Wishing Flower

As we were riding home in the van today, Meesta points out a field of "wishing flowers". Having not heard of this kind of flower, I look in the direction he is pointing and see it is a field of dandelions, both the yellow variety and the puffy white almost gone dandelions.

Wishing Flowers. How cool.

I will now forever think of these as the wishing flower. Thanks Meesta for making me see things in a better way, a more beautiful way, a completely pure way. All 3 of my cherubs have so much to teach me about living life in a better and less rushed way. I PRAY that I take the time more often to hear these lessons and stop to blow a wishing flower.

Things have been REALLY busy lately, more so than usual...finals time for D and both the Doodle and Meesta are playing softball and baseball, respectively. This has led me to even less time at home and feeling less in control of my house and organization. BUT, the kids are having a ball and Shenzy walks around all of the time positively exclaiming "SOFTBALL" in an almost clear manner. So, I am sucking it up and spending a lot of time chasing Shenzy around the ball diamonds, fun.

I pledge to learn more from my kids, they have so many important lessons to teach me! Life is THIS GOOD, praying not to find it so challenging...

CC

A Tale of 2 Opposites: Mickey D's and Flouride

This story is funny now...and kind of funny when it happened, but that is because I was not THERE when it happened.

I have a hard time getting to the point of a story, but I need to give you a bit of background to get to the point. Last fall, Doodle and Meesta had a dentist appointment at the pediatric dentist they have been seeing for a few years now. I thought the appt. was at 2:30 - apparently it was at 2. My sitter, K, met me there with the kids and took off. I go in with all 3 kids, exactly at 2:30 and it was tough to get there and get that accomplished, it is not always easy for me to get out of work. Well, the receptionist folks took one look at me and said "your appointment was at 2 - we tried to call you...". This did not settle well with me and I asked where they had called me...because I had not heard from them via cell phone or work phone. They rattled off my home number. This was the end of my exhausted rope and I told them that like themselves, I worked during the day and why bother asking me for those numbers if they were not going to utilize them. They could not get us in that day. Well, that soured me off and I held a grudge...but I began to feel guilty and so hubbie scheduled an appointment at the dentist and my sitter (nanny, not sure what to call her - my angel!) informed me that I did not need to come, she had it all under control. Well, this made my working mom guilt go into overdrive, but she convinced me that it was fine. Okay.

So, the day of the dentist appointment, I tell K that I have my cell phone on me that day at all times in case they need to talk to me for some kind of release or whatever, and let's just say that turned out to be a wise decision. K picks up Meesta and Doodle from school and they along with K and Shenzy travel about 25 miles to the dentist. K calls me twice while they are there to ask me questions about X-rays and something else. Anyway, she calls me one last time to say that everything went well at the dentist, no cavities, but Doodle received a "B-" and Meesta a "C+" on brushing. [Even this rankled me, I worry so much about my drive to be very successful academically...even non-A's on teeth brushing stresses me. (All to pray for CC that she chills out when the kids start getting real grades. All have been good in Kindergarten so no need for stress yet.)] So, K tells me that she is taking the kids to lunch and meeting her hubby (my kids ADORE her husband), so I tell her thanks a million times and tell them to have a nice time.

The scene that ensued at Mickey D's could be none other than one designed for dramatic effect in a kid movie - one that encourages teenagers to either be abstinent or to use GOOD SUPER EFFECTIVE birth control. The next phone call from K outlined the following chain of events:

• Arrive at Mickey D's, get food, sit down to eat
• Doodle indicates that she needs to use the rest room
• Meesta also wants to go, so K, Doodle and Meesta trek to restroom, leaving K's hubbie and Shenzy out in the eating area
• While in the bathroom, K is getting Meesta arranged in the bathroom and Doodle is clinging to her leg...K finds this odd and is asking her what is going on and without warning, Doodle vomits profusely multiple times.
• K, being of infinite patience, strong stomach, and immense love of my kids holds it together and gets Doodle into another stall and then TRIES TO CLEAN THINGS UP (God I love this woman)
• Doodle seems to be okay and they are all reasonably cleaned up so they finally return to the eating area where K tells her hubbie that they need to hurry up because Doodle is not feeling well and briefly details him on the situation. Mind you - K's hubbie is not of the same strong stomach constitution.
• Then it happens, without any warning, Meesta vomits all over the table, the food, the chair. (I swear this is a true story!!!) K's husband almost joins him. They attempt to get it cleaned up while trying to get the heck out of dodge. [Mind you, Meesta has only vomited 1 time since he has been our son and that was after surgery, so I honestly don't know if he knew what it felt like and maybe that was why the lack of warning, who knows.]
• K calls me and relays all of these events so I head home, calling the school, the doctor's office and the dentist's office to see if there is some radical flu bug going around and what to do. It turns out that it was most likely that they had both swallowed the fluoride and that was the reason behind the profuse vomiting.

What would I do without K???? Who knows, but I am so thankful for her. I am so glad it was her and not me because I would have joined the kids and we would have had even more mess on our hands. Seriously, is that a tale of hysterical proportions. Can't you just see this in a Steve Martin movie - a Mr. Mom movie of sorts.

Word of advice to all, go HOME after dentist appointment and perhaps reconsider the need for the fluoride treatment anyway!

CC - who can laugh because I was not there and the kids were all right after their "event"

Adam and Eve

Since D is educating me while he is in seminary, I thought I would bring you along when I see/learn things of interest. This painting is by Marc Chagall and was created in 1912. Spend a little time with it, get to know it, and we can discuss at a later date. I looked at it and thought, huh?! D however, was much more philosophical and provided an interesting approach to interpreting this work.

Talk more about this in a few days...enjoy.

CC

From Mama to Mommy

My Shenzy, the angel pictured above (as shown in the newly non-finished basement), well she creates great passion in me, both positive and unfortunately negative as well. She has a very tenacious personality, which I love about her when it works my way...but then there are the other 49.9% of times when she does exactly as she should not, when she smirks when corrected, and when she generally ignores what we say to her.

Well, today was a day where she pushed every button I had at church, generally acting rotten, yet charming everyone else because she is so stinking cute. Makes me seem/feel like a mean mom who is frustrated with this cute little angel...another example of not judging a book by its cover! The testing of parental patience and limits continued the rest of today and then this evening, after too many warnings, she was dismissed from the supper table for putting her feet on the table and generally acting un-table-manner-like. So, she is sent to sit in the living room and she can still see me in the dining room and she begins to say "MMAAAAAMMMMMAAAAA" and I ignore her fairly successfully until it happens.

She started yelling "MOOOOMMMMMMEEEEEEE", like a switch was turned on and she was a big girl now. The pang in my heart surprised me. While most fibers of my being want her to get all the way potty-trained and speaking full sentences and generally a bit more grown up, the pang in my head, my heart, and my gut all told me that on some level, I will miss this little girl stage.

As much as I don't really consider myself a "baby person", I have immensely enjoyed holding her at night whenever she cries and needs me, rocking her to sleep and feeling her soft baby hair on my face as I cuddle close to her, knowing she NEEDS me in so many ways - both physically and emotionally, and the weight of her sleeping body when I pick her up from her carseat while she is asleep. [Many of these things Doodle and Meesta would not let us do as they came home at 18 months and did not WANT these things from us...no rocking, never picked up while asleep, etc]

So, Shenzy, while I do want to stop changing your diaper, don't rush out and get your license or date boys or stop calling me Mama. You are it little lady, the youngest I believe we will ever have and my heart can't take you growing up TOO fast my sweet girl.

Life is THIS GOOD,
CC

The Racecar Supercar

My meesta has a beautiful imagination, he has been developing a vehicle over the past several years, it is called the Racecar Supercar and unlike lots of fleeting fascinations, this one has stuck. This car, which he wants to patent since his mommy explained what that means, is all-purpose, all-wonderful, all-powerful. I think it could even wipe for you if I suggested that to him...which I won't be doing.

So, let me take you for a journey on the Racecar Supercar...

• It holds up to 10 people
• It goes underwater and then becomes like a submarine with a telescope
• It has seats that fold out into beds
• Each person has their own tv that also allows for videogames
• It has a kitchen
• It has a bathroom
• It can fly
• It can tow my minivan
• It can always find D and I, no matter where it is in the world, it can track us down
• It sometimes will not allow kids under 3 inside (think Shenzy)
• It goes SUPER FAST
• It is orange and has racing stripes
• It can drive ON the water
• He and Doodle plan to live on it
• It can squirt out slime for bad drivers around it
• Meesta is the only one who can operate it
• It can disappear

These are but a few of the qualities that the Racecar Supercar has developed over the last 2+ years. Meesta and I went on a "date" to get his haircut last week and the entire time, and I am not kidding, the entire way there (~20 minutes) and back (another ~20 minutes), he discussed this car. This is when I brought up the topic of patent and explained why he needed one, because everyone was going to want this thing once he gets the prototype done.

Long live the imagination of a child, it is inspiring and freeing.

I LOVE my kids.

CC