I absolutely love how artistic my son is. He loves his crayons and his color books and tries so hard to color on each object of a page. I love how he draws pictures and tries to copy what Corey and I have drawn for him. I love how he lays on his tummy when he colors and kicks his feet in the air. I love that he knows where the crayons go and where to put his color books away at. I even think it's kinda cute when he comes to get me to show me the windowsill that he has just decorated and expects me to cheer him on when he points out that it's "pretty colors, mommy, pretty colors!" I can handle that. But, what I don't like, is when I open up the dryer full of white clothes to find each and every article of clothing saturated with smeared and globbed RED crayon that I apparently missed in one of Cooper's shorts with ten thousand pockets in it. I'll tell you, that's not a good way for me to end the day.
So, yeah, I didn't see that stupid crayon. The first thing I pulled out I thought, "What the heck?" But, I figured it was pen marks or something. And, as I continued to empty out that dryer, I found that socks, underwear, shorts, bra's, and many of the babies new dresses and outfits were suddenly riddled with various sized red spots that didn't have a smell to it, and couldn't be rubbed off. I yelled and screamed, not at anyone in particular, but to whoever could hear me, so that everyone knew how mad I was and maybe everyone could help to try to prevent it from happening again. I'm pretty sure I growled a time or two as well. After I had pulled out all the clothes from the dryer and shed a tear or two at their loss, I looked IN the dryer and about keeled over at what I saw: Red streaks on every side of the drum and deeper red marks on the seals where the little bumps in the dryer stick out. Holy cow! It was 9pm.....Why was this happening to me now? Of course at 9pm all children are in the process of going to bed and breaking that process could open an opportunity for a breakdown. So, we went about our business changing babies, singing our peanut-butter-jammie time song and putting our children to bed. It was after 10pm before all children were asleep and as Corey and I sat on the couch exhausted from our day, we both began to drift.........And then I remembered: The dryer! I had to do something because there was a load of laundry in the washer needing to be dried before morning. I head online to search for the ways to clean a dryer drum with red crayon. Some say WD-40 is the miracle worker. We had none. Other's say comet........Well crud! None of that either. Finally, one said toothpaste. I had that.
I followed the directions to a T - I ran the dryer for 15 minutes to heat it up and loosen the crayon residue for easier cleaning. First I took a damp cloth across a streak but NOTHING happened. Oh, man. I put some toothpaste on that cloth and attempted to scrub that spot out. Well, I had scrubbed with that cloth for 15 minutes or so before I cramped up and had to stop for a moment. (Hey, trying to get in the dryer to clean it with boobs as big as mine are is NO easy task!) I then decided that I needed something "scrubbier." I grabbed a dish sponge with a scrubber on it, loaded it with toothpaste and went to work. Hey, it works! And, it works much faster than the wet cloth. I still had to scrub for a good half an hour, but was able to remove just about everything. Yay! The last step was to wash down the drum with a wet cloth, then put a damp white towel in and run the dryer for 20 minutes to make sure there is no more crayon being distributed. I turned on the dryer and knew I needed to keep busy for 20 minutes. The clock read 12:10AM by this time, and I was on the verge of narcolepsy. I kept myself occupied for that 20 minutes and went to check on the dryer. Mission: Red Crayon in the Dryer Catastrophe - Accomplished!!! No more red....except on the ill fated clothes that still sit in my hallway awaiting my decision as to what to do with them.
I've had chapstick melt in the dryer. I've seen a $20 bill shredded and I've even survived a lighter full of butane going through. Now I add red crayon to the list, unhappily. Nearly all the girls socks were lost that load and some of their most beautiful dresses are now going to be wash rags...Ugh....I might just throw em' out so I don't have to look at them as I scrub my car with it!
I really shouldn't be too sensitive about it, but I just was!
I had Katie pick up every crayon in the house, and at the moment of discovery, I was in such a fireball that I was at the garbage can with the bag of crayons in hand ready to discard every single one we had in this house. I thought better of that choice. I knew that Cooper would be so disappointed when he didn't have crayons to color with, and I'd truly miss all the artistic displays he has donned our entire house with. So, I just put them away. That's what a good mother would do, and I wanted to be a good mom at that moment. Since that incident I have checked every pocket, every hole, every hiding spot and even curled hems to make sure there isn't a crayon hiding there. If there's one thing I'd like to keep color crayon free in this house, it's the laundry! Oh, these joys of motherhood are just...........joys.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Armor of love
"Who are you?" "Who is the real writer of this blog?" "I have no idea who this person is." These are all phrases that came from the mouth of my silly husband as he caught up on my blogs last night. I think he realized that although I may act and speak like a big ol' blank bug, there's something deep within the crevasse of my brain. I don't speak out very easily, so more often than not he gets "uh huh", or "okie dokie." That's not very smart on my part because, just like what happened last night, my husband gets a whiff of "Cara a la blog" and questions my person.
At 30 years old, I'm still trying to discover myself and figure out who I am. Sure, I'm a mother, a wife, a homemaker, a cleaner and a cook. But, really, WHO am I? The last time I remember thinking about this question in all seriousness was when I was a senior in high school. I was so close to figuring out who I was and in some crazy, spectacular instance, I drifted off course. That year I was in the big choir and I was in the jazz choir. Yeah, you think jazz choir and you probably think "glee club". But it was more than that. That jazz group was my life, as was it for everyone else in it. We began our practice at 6:30AM and often had rehearsals for gigs after school. We performed at high end functions, toured the state and competed and even got to compete in an international music festival in Anaheim that year. We came in 2nd place. At the end of the year we recorded our work into an album that I still have yet to get my hands on. But, that music was what I wanted. In one class we had to write 100 things we hope to accomplish in our lives. My top pick? Attend Julliard school of Music and go on to be a great singer. Well, that obviously didn't happen, as the most singing I do is behind the wheel of my car, or while holding a baby heading off to sleep. I still dream of myself up on a stage holding on to my microphone, singing to my followers, living the life. Funny that when I lay that out to read, I picture a Hannah Montana concert which is so NOT what I was going for. Ha. So, at this moment I'm scrubbing barf off my shoulders, getting the ketchup out of my hair and looking at my calloused feet. That's music, but only a mother could understand and appreciate it.
I have thought quite a bit about how I represent myself to people, and what they think of me. I know, pretty silly, huh? We all do it, I just have the typers balls to admit it here. I WORRY ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF ME. I have said that I don't care, but I'm full of crap when I do. I swear, even when I shouldn't and according to my daughter I owe her about $50 worth of quarters for my lip slips. ((She owes quadruple that for stinky behavior.)) I wear a slimmer thingy under all my clothes, no matter the temperature, so so my rolls aren't as prominent. I'm not always comfortable, but I look better than I would without it! No matter how you roll the dice, I'm always trying to make things appear better for me than they are! Kinda like wearing a mask all the time, but for me, it's more like body armor. Pretty up the hobbit feet, cover up the momma bags, and talk like I'm an etiquette teacher. Ha....I've caught a few people with their walls down and it's pretty funny. I bet, if we all let our hair down all the time and stopped worrying about impressing others that we'd resemble a bunch of kindergartners at Monday morning show and tell. Now THAT would be somethin' funny!
I think I may have a new Idol in my life..........Kathy Griffin. That woman, though crude, is the most honest, hysterically funny woman I have ever heard. I love watching her stand up routines and can't help but relate to many of her experiences and stories. I think I envy her because she is the person I wish I could be. And, on top of her brutally honest vocal ability, the woman has the body I would looooooove to have. Of course, knowing hollywood, she's probably sportin' a spanx underneath all those designer labels. I guess I'll just stick with my armor and try to be more open and honest so people know who I am. Besides, if I can look as good as I do once I've become a mighty momma in nylon lining armor, imagine what I could pull off if I lost the last decade worth of baby weight! OOoooooh....a mission!
At 30 years old, I'm still trying to discover myself and figure out who I am. Sure, I'm a mother, a wife, a homemaker, a cleaner and a cook. But, really, WHO am I? The last time I remember thinking about this question in all seriousness was when I was a senior in high school. I was so close to figuring out who I was and in some crazy, spectacular instance, I drifted off course. That year I was in the big choir and I was in the jazz choir. Yeah, you think jazz choir and you probably think "glee club". But it was more than that. That jazz group was my life, as was it for everyone else in it. We began our practice at 6:30AM and often had rehearsals for gigs after school. We performed at high end functions, toured the state and competed and even got to compete in an international music festival in Anaheim that year. We came in 2nd place. At the end of the year we recorded our work into an album that I still have yet to get my hands on. But, that music was what I wanted. In one class we had to write 100 things we hope to accomplish in our lives. My top pick? Attend Julliard school of Music and go on to be a great singer. Well, that obviously didn't happen, as the most singing I do is behind the wheel of my car, or while holding a baby heading off to sleep. I still dream of myself up on a stage holding on to my microphone, singing to my followers, living the life. Funny that when I lay that out to read, I picture a Hannah Montana concert which is so NOT what I was going for. Ha. So, at this moment I'm scrubbing barf off my shoulders, getting the ketchup out of my hair and looking at my calloused feet. That's music, but only a mother could understand and appreciate it.
I have thought quite a bit about how I represent myself to people, and what they think of me. I know, pretty silly, huh? We all do it, I just have the typers balls to admit it here. I WORRY ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF ME. I have said that I don't care, but I'm full of crap when I do. I swear, even when I shouldn't and according to my daughter I owe her about $50 worth of quarters for my lip slips. ((She owes quadruple that for stinky behavior.)) I wear a slimmer thingy under all my clothes, no matter the temperature, so so my rolls aren't as prominent. I'm not always comfortable, but I look better than I would without it! No matter how you roll the dice, I'm always trying to make things appear better for me than they are! Kinda like wearing a mask all the time, but for me, it's more like body armor. Pretty up the hobbit feet, cover up the momma bags, and talk like I'm an etiquette teacher. Ha....I've caught a few people with their walls down and it's pretty funny. I bet, if we all let our hair down all the time and stopped worrying about impressing others that we'd resemble a bunch of kindergartners at Monday morning show and tell. Now THAT would be somethin' funny!
I think I may have a new Idol in my life..........Kathy Griffin. That woman, though crude, is the most honest, hysterically funny woman I have ever heard. I love watching her stand up routines and can't help but relate to many of her experiences and stories. I think I envy her because she is the person I wish I could be. And, on top of her brutally honest vocal ability, the woman has the body I would looooooove to have. Of course, knowing hollywood, she's probably sportin' a spanx underneath all those designer labels. I guess I'll just stick with my armor and try to be more open and honest so people know who I am. Besides, if I can look as good as I do once I've become a mighty momma in nylon lining armor, imagine what I could pull off if I lost the last decade worth of baby weight! OOoooooh....a mission!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
My Superman
Space. The final frontier........
If you haven't yet seen the Star Trek movie, I'd happily recommend it. I never watched an entire episode of any of the Star Trek's, yet I found the movie to be absolutely fantastic. AND, I understood much of it. Imagine that.
I am not as Hollywood or television educated as my dear husband, and I can't count how many times I've said to him "I have never seen that" or, "I have never heard of that." Most of the time when I render that response I get a disgusted sigh much resembling the response I get when I've done or said something completely out of line. I'm pretty sure he's seen every movie ever made, except what's just been released, and has memorized each line and character. Until just a couple of years ago I had never seen the entire Star Wars trilogy. Yeah, Star Wars!! Yet, I've graced my simple mind with movies like "Clueless," "Teen Witch" and "ET". With many movies yet to see, I figure it will take my whole life to see all the movies that I SHOULD see. Like Superman...I don't think I've seen it. Until then, I'll just have to ask what everything means when Corey recites a few lines from scenes out of some movie!
Our daily lives are very much a mix of stress, exhaustion, chaos, confusion and lack of time. I'm always going on about how I am affected by it, but my poor husband has a lot on his plate, and deserves a lot of credit for all he does for his family. Through the difficult time that I had while pregnant, through the girls' birth and their hospital visits thereafter, Corey was determined to be by my side as much as he could. He was able to bring his work home and did his reports while being able to see that I was okay. After Mac and Rayla's birth, so that he could be at the hospital with us, he worked there, too. Sometimes, he'd be working on his reports throughout the night, just so that he could get them in and still be there at the hospital for his babies.
He took Katie to her softball practices. He did the grocery shopping. He did the cooking. He did all the laundry. He did the cleaning. And after all the "had to do's" were done, he reorganized our house in preparation for the girls' homecoming. I had never seen a man go through "nesting" but here was my husband, doing all the things that I should have been doing, but couldn't for the sake of the babies and myself. After the girls were home, his golf league started again and once a week he golfs with the boys. For most men the golfing would probably be a nice, relaxing way to enjoy a weeknight, but, for Corey, though he enjoys it thoroughly, it makes for a long day after his work at work and his work at home. He loves golf way too much to admit that he's too tired to play! I have the most determined, driven husband and I just pray that he doesn't overdo it in the long run. Now, I may not have seen the movie "Superman", but I'm pretty sure he's my husband, so maybe I don't need to see that one after all!
Yesterday my dear husband played in a grower/shipper golf tournament during the day, and went on to golf in the evening with his league. His back has been giving him so much trouble over the past couple of years, and it is getting progressively worse each day. His back was hurting yesterday, so he took a couple of his pain pills to get him through. Well, it was 85 degrees outside, he didn't eat anything ALL DAY, probably didn't hydrate himself enough and by mid afternoon was just plain sick. Cooper has been very ill in response to his immunizations, and Corey has been worrying about him non-stop. It's obvious that Corey forgot to take care of himself and suffered for it. I worry about that man. Tomorrow, my exhausted husband will be hopping on a plane with his buds for a long awaited getaway to Reno for the weekend. Though I'm jealous, and wish I could get away with him, I am so happy that he is going. He has taken on so much, and without expectation, his family doubled in size in less than 2 years. He went from one child, to four in less that 24 months! There is no question how much he loves his children, his family, but the reality is that having a family this large is no easy task. There's a lot of time allotment involved, and who's going to do what, where at, how so, and with whom. It's like coming home from work requires him to put on his " Yasui Jersey" and gear up for the game at home. I'll make the call, he'll do the run and we'll win the game with all children down at the end of the night. Touchdown!
I am learning how important "me time" is, and have taken up offers of childcare more often recently than I ever have. I don't want to be lacking in life as I am in movie knowledge. No more "I haven't done that" or "I haven't seen that." I realize now how important it is to take time for myself, take time alone with my husband, and make time for each of my children. It isn't easy, and it isn't always in a manner that I want. But, it counts. I am so glad that amidst the chaos that surrounds Corey in every aspect of his life that he, too, can find time for himself. I hope that he thoroughly enjoys this weekend and comes back rested, refreshed.......AND RICH, of course!! Only a wife would say that!
My good friend and her kids are coming here for the weekend and I'm looking forward to having that time with her. I haven't seen her in a year, and she hasn't been to our place since we got married (she was a bridesmaid). So, for both of us, this weekend is something we've looked forward to for quite some time.
Sunday night we'll reconvene in our living room, with hopefully, some great stories to share...........If we don't fall asleep first!!
If you haven't yet seen the Star Trek movie, I'd happily recommend it. I never watched an entire episode of any of the Star Trek's, yet I found the movie to be absolutely fantastic. AND, I understood much of it. Imagine that.
I am not as Hollywood or television educated as my dear husband, and I can't count how many times I've said to him "I have never seen that" or, "I have never heard of that." Most of the time when I render that response I get a disgusted sigh much resembling the response I get when I've done or said something completely out of line. I'm pretty sure he's seen every movie ever made, except what's just been released, and has memorized each line and character. Until just a couple of years ago I had never seen the entire Star Wars trilogy. Yeah, Star Wars!! Yet, I've graced my simple mind with movies like "Clueless," "Teen Witch" and "ET". With many movies yet to see, I figure it will take my whole life to see all the movies that I SHOULD see. Like Superman...I don't think I've seen it. Until then, I'll just have to ask what everything means when Corey recites a few lines from scenes out of some movie!
Our daily lives are very much a mix of stress, exhaustion, chaos, confusion and lack of time. I'm always going on about how I am affected by it, but my poor husband has a lot on his plate, and deserves a lot of credit for all he does for his family. Through the difficult time that I had while pregnant, through the girls' birth and their hospital visits thereafter, Corey was determined to be by my side as much as he could. He was able to bring his work home and did his reports while being able to see that I was okay. After Mac and Rayla's birth, so that he could be at the hospital with us, he worked there, too. Sometimes, he'd be working on his reports throughout the night, just so that he could get them in and still be there at the hospital for his babies.
He took Katie to her softball practices. He did the grocery shopping. He did the cooking. He did all the laundry. He did the cleaning. And after all the "had to do's" were done, he reorganized our house in preparation for the girls' homecoming. I had never seen a man go through "nesting" but here was my husband, doing all the things that I should have been doing, but couldn't for the sake of the babies and myself. After the girls were home, his golf league started again and once a week he golfs with the boys. For most men the golfing would probably be a nice, relaxing way to enjoy a weeknight, but, for Corey, though he enjoys it thoroughly, it makes for a long day after his work at work and his work at home. He loves golf way too much to admit that he's too tired to play! I have the most determined, driven husband and I just pray that he doesn't overdo it in the long run. Now, I may not have seen the movie "Superman", but I'm pretty sure he's my husband, so maybe I don't need to see that one after all!
Yesterday my dear husband played in a grower/shipper golf tournament during the day, and went on to golf in the evening with his league. His back has been giving him so much trouble over the past couple of years, and it is getting progressively worse each day. His back was hurting yesterday, so he took a couple of his pain pills to get him through. Well, it was 85 degrees outside, he didn't eat anything ALL DAY, probably didn't hydrate himself enough and by mid afternoon was just plain sick. Cooper has been very ill in response to his immunizations, and Corey has been worrying about him non-stop. It's obvious that Corey forgot to take care of himself and suffered for it. I worry about that man. Tomorrow, my exhausted husband will be hopping on a plane with his buds for a long awaited getaway to Reno for the weekend. Though I'm jealous, and wish I could get away with him, I am so happy that he is going. He has taken on so much, and without expectation, his family doubled in size in less than 2 years. He went from one child, to four in less that 24 months! There is no question how much he loves his children, his family, but the reality is that having a family this large is no easy task. There's a lot of time allotment involved, and who's going to do what, where at, how so, and with whom. It's like coming home from work requires him to put on his " Yasui Jersey" and gear up for the game at home. I'll make the call, he'll do the run and we'll win the game with all children down at the end of the night. Touchdown!
I am learning how important "me time" is, and have taken up offers of childcare more often recently than I ever have. I don't want to be lacking in life as I am in movie knowledge. No more "I haven't done that" or "I haven't seen that." I realize now how important it is to take time for myself, take time alone with my husband, and make time for each of my children. It isn't easy, and it isn't always in a manner that I want. But, it counts. I am so glad that amidst the chaos that surrounds Corey in every aspect of his life that he, too, can find time for himself. I hope that he thoroughly enjoys this weekend and comes back rested, refreshed.......AND RICH, of course!! Only a wife would say that!
My good friend and her kids are coming here for the weekend and I'm looking forward to having that time with her. I haven't seen her in a year, and she hasn't been to our place since we got married (she was a bridesmaid). So, for both of us, this weekend is something we've looked forward to for quite some time.
Sunday night we'll reconvene in our living room, with hopefully, some great stories to share...........If we don't fall asleep first!!
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