The Puddles

We have two days left of house arrest until Ben is officially released.  Our first official outing will be attending Christmas Eve services at church.  Ben is so excited to get to go somewhere without a mask.  Today also marks the second day of our school vacation.  So far there is not too much insanity in the house.  It helped that I was gone all day yesterday shopping for Christmas.  I made it home officially by 2:30am in the morning today.  But I am done.  Yea!  Maybe it is due to the fact that I am exhausted but my kids were pretty hilarious today (within the confines of also being rotten).

*Ainsley – Kept giving me weird kisses.  She kept trying to give me kisses with her mouth open. I finally asked her tonight what she was trying to do.  She said, “I’m giving you married kisses!” Whoa! The good news is that she thinks that only married people kiss like that.  Bad news is that I don’t think she knows what married means or she wouldn’t try to kiss her mother like that.  Saddness ensued as I told her we can’t kiss like that.  So Ainsley and I made up our own kiss.  Three quick pecks on the lips.  Problem solved!

*Ben – Normally comes up with interesting choices for outfits each day. But today . . . he insisted on wearing these craftsman safety googles all day!  Not sure what his motivation was.  But there was no changing his mind.

*Madie – Had a “virtual” adventure in our old town in Nebraska.  We figured out today that our former town in Nebraska now has street views on Google Maps.  Way cool!  So Madie and I went around town and went shopping at S-per Foods and -iltys (the letters are missing on the signs).  Ate at Jill’s Sweet Shop for lunch after our morning of shopping (which oddly enough she picked only grocery stores to go shopping at). And then we took a “walk” to the pool to go swimming.  At the end of our adventure Madie said, “Nothing’s changed there.  Will it ever?”  Probably not, Madie. Probably not.

*Chris – isn’t technically a child but he too had a hilarious moment . . . While unloading the dishwasher today, I found my case of eggs where the pots and pans go.  Yes. There were almost 3 dozen eggs sitting in the cabinet since yesterday.  Here is the good news . . . 1.  He fed the kids yesterday.  2.  He cleaned up after himself.  So the cabinet isn’t the fridge.  At least he tried!

No, global warming hasn’t been stopped. No, peace in Israel is far from fixed. No, I haven’t figured out how to inject caffeine directly into my veins. But . . . Ben cleaned his room.  Hallelujah! (Insert chorus to Handel’s Messiah here.) After three days of prodding and threatening, he finally finished.  Mind you, his room wasn’t that bad.  Ben just thought, “Why bother?” He is already not allowed to go anywhere or see anyone because of his medical condition.  I have threatened to not feed him his meals, but I never followed through on that threat.  (Somehow not feeding a boy who is recovering from heart surgery seemed really cruel.) I made him stay in his room all day yesterday except for meals and he still didn’t finish.  He has about six toys on his floor.  That’s it.  But those six toys have been there forever.  He just refuses.  He has hit a brick wall and won’t climb over!

So what did I do to fix this dilemma . . . I asked a room full of seasoned mothers what to do. (I saw them at church while I was dropping off the girls for Sunday school.) I had run out of ideas, and this was fight that I wasn’t willing to back down on.  So, one mother suggested that I tell him that if he doesn’t clean his room by (insert time deadline here) that I would throw away everything left on the floor.  I thought that it was a great idea that didn’t involve starving my child, so I tried it.  I took a garbage bag to his room and hung it on the doorknob.  Talk about motivation!  Let’s just say I can see the floor again.

Alas, I fought the good fight and won.  In 10 years I may look back on this battle and laugh. But today and in this week it seems very important to me.  Maybe I’ve been in this house and with these children a little too long without adult conversation.  I think I might need a sanity break.  But don’t get me wrong . . . in the end I don’t mind the insanity.  I love being a mom to my puddles, even if they are being disagreeable.

Groovin' to the music

Oh, happy day!

Ainsley’s party started the day off for us.  We spent a good portion of the week preparing for the last day of school  (and Madie’s birthday of course).  Baking goodies, wrapping presents, coordinating schedules, etc.  Chris ended up working that morning so at the last minute I scrambled to find someone for Ben to hang out with so that I could make it to the class party.  Chris’ day off is usually Monday but he ended up working all of that day, so he elected to take off Friday instead.  That didn’t work out so well either.  Luckily a nice person down the street said yes to my late night plea for help.  She let Ben hang with her while I went to Ainsley’s party.

Dad was able to meet us at the elementary school at 1:30 for the afternoon parties. I went with Ben to his and Dad went with Madie for hers.  Madie loved having Daddy with her.  She has felt a little trumped by Ben lately, so it was good for her to have her daddy with her.  Apparently those other mommies didn’t know what to do with Chris.  He was playing the part of the French waiter and serving all of the guests at Madie’s table.  Then there was some deep discussion about the proper way to eat a cupcake.  Do you lick the icing off first or do you take the wrapper off and eat the cupcake that way?  To be a fly on that wall!  I don’t have any pictures of that party, but I am sure that it is seared in the mind of Madie forever.

Then there was Ben’s party . . . the boy had been waiting all week for this.  We knew that we were breaking all of the rules taking him. So we made him wear a mask and he put his hands in his pockets the whole time so that he wouldn’t be tempted to touch anything.  We had told the school to tell the kids to not hug on him or touch him.  I just want to say that the biggest culprits for breaking this rule was . . . the teachers.  But it was all out of love!  Of course, Ben wanted hugs too.  We didn’t stay long. Maybe 20 minutes. But it was great! Ben got to see his friends again.  He wanted to say something before he left so we asked his teacher if he could say something before he left.  There they are eating their snacks and Ben starts off by showing them his scar.  Great table conversation.  Luckily it is pretty healed and didn’t look bad.  But jeeze!

I took Ben home and scrubbed him down in the bathtub as soon as we walked in the door.  It was a good end to a good day.  Busy and tiring, but good.  We had visitors that evening stop by and Chris was so deadpaned in expression.  He at least came to say hello but he was exhausted with all humanity by the evening.   Today was a day to reclaim the house from a week of neglect.  I think we are near the end of that process.  Now on to the next adventure!

Ben and his teacher, Mrs. Sellars

Ben's class party

Ben's class job chart. I love his job!

It can happen.  I am sure of it.  I think that I have been repeating myself all day.  But my children are telling me that I am not.  I swear I’ve told Ben to clean his room at least 3 times.  He swears he didn’t know he was suppose to clean his room.  Ainsley and I have just finished a conversation about why she needs to wear something other than a bathing suit.  I told her to put real clothes on, but I keep seeing her in a bathing suit.  I asked her, “Didn’t I just tell you to change you clothes?”  She replies, ”  I didn’t hear that.”

Is this a collective effort on the part of my children to make me think that I’ve gone insane or is there something really wrong with me?  I am beginning to wonder.

In case you missed the memo, ad in the paper, numerous phone messages and texts, or the skywriting on Wednesday, TODAY  is Madie’s birthday.  My precious sweet daughter woke me up at 6:18am.  Did I mention that it was 6:18am?!!! She woke us up by announcing, “It is 6:18am and today is my birthday.”  No kidding.  This child went to bed early last night so that her birthday would come sooner!

So luckily  I had one present wrapped and sitting by my bed when she came in.  A new outfit for the day.  (Aunt Debra has informed me that my taste in clothes in not Madie’s taste in clothes. So I went to the store and looked for all of the clothes that I would never buy.  Easy enough. No . . .  not really.) Then Madie sat at the foot of the bed while Chris and I desperately tried to wake up.  A very difficult process.  I think that we have had 20 hours of sleep total this week.  So only sheer will power is getting us up.  That and me poking Chris in the back until he moves.

Not to worry, Mom (cause I know your are!), we got up and made it to school on time.  And we gave Madie her big birthday present.  A new bike.  She was so excited.  Then after she gave the new bike a twirl around the block at 7am, she looked really sad.  I asked if she was disappointed in the present and she said, “No. I am just sad to leave my old bike. We have so many memories together.”   That is just like my Madie.  Sweet Madie.

Taking a spin on the new bike

It is purple with tassles. Exactly what was ordered!

After speaking with my sister Debra tonight, she vetoed any idea of posting what was going on with Miss A.  Something about how this would come back to her when she was older and embarrass her.  (It hate it when the third child sticks up for the third child!) So let’s just say that Ainsley has not been feeling good lately in the lower region of her body, but she saw the doctor today and we have a plan of action to deal with it.

Whew!  I will be glad when something happens with my children that is absolutely normal.  I remember as a child that every year my mom would fill out the medical form for Girl Scouts and there was never anything interesting on it.  I never went to the hospital, never had any major illnesses, wasn’t allergic to anything . . . boring, boring, boring.  I would wish for something interesting to happen so that I had something to write in on the “medical history” portion of the form.  My children will never, may I repeat, NEVER have that issue.  Our issue will be whether the form has enough space to put everything on it or should we just hit the highlights of their medical dramas.  All three of my children have had every weird disease known to man.  Rashes that no doctor can identify.  Fevers of unknown origins.  A dozen or more emergency room visits between the three of them for things that weren’t terrible or bloody but just plain unusual.   When I worked as a school administrator in Ohio, I had a poster in my office listing childhood illnesses with information about each one.  If that was a list of goals to accomplish, we would have officially succeeded in completing the list.

But as much as I lament about our frequent trips to the doctor (you know it’s bad when the entire staff of the clinic greets your children by name when they come in), I know that this too shall pass.  Childhood is so fleeting.  Besides . . . as my grandpa likes to tell me, “Katherine if you didn’t have a story to tell, you wouldn’t have anything to say.”  And my children have given me plenty.

Tonight while we were reading books in the living room before bed I smelled something funny.  Not wanting to interrupt our nightly reading I continued without stopping.  Ben on the other hand pinched his nose and said, “What’s that beer smell?”  Thinking that having Ben equating beer with a bad smell was a good thing in the short term, I did nothing to dissuade his opinion.  But by the end of the last chapter, I was beginning to think the smell was not just my imagination but that there was something truly wrong outside.

I figured that the offending skunk was probably not still in the backyard since Rosie never once looked upset while she sat next to us the living room.  (And trust me she is very territorial.  She would have said something if she saw it.)  When I opened the backdoor, the smell was there.  I called Chris to warn him to come home through the front door.  He, of course, wants me to go see if the skunk is in the garage.  Are you kidding me?!!  I’m not going to actually TRY to find the skunk.  That is a recipe for disaster!  Chris is worried that if the skunk is in the garage that we have now purchased a skunky smelling double oven, and we won’t be able to return it tomorrow as planned.  So that line and that line only convinced me to go look.  I am too frugal and upset about the oven to have some skunk mess with my oven plans.

Luckily I don’t think that the skunk is in the garage.  But the smell is.  It is a cold night.  I think that the smell is more acute because of the cold.  That skunk could be anywhere.  But I think that I will wait until morning to find out where it is.

Our Girl Scout troop made extra cinnamon ornaments to give to a nursing home.  We didn’t have time to make too many extra gift bags so my cherubs volunteered to decorate additional gift bags.  They pulled out the glitter glue and went to work.

We had to delay the delivery date of the gifts in order to allow the glue to dry.  Let’s just say that the kids were a little enthusiastic with the glitter glue.  24 hours later and some are still wet.  But they sure are pretty!