Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Grace, Coordination, and all those other myths

So, I got a little overexcited to go for a walk the other day, Monday, with my niece, her son, my sister, and my kids. We were rounding up the troops to go- changing out of swimsuits, locating strollers, up righting bikes, tying laces. And I went running back upstairs for something, came flying back downstairs in far too much a hurry... and proceeded to slide on a blanket that was left on the steps and catapult myself right over the baby gate at the bottom of the steps. (I had a dream about running hurdles last night, something I've never done in real life, and I wonder now if there could be some correlation here?!)

Anyways, I've never been known for my gracefulness. Did I ever mention I once ran right into a tree with thorns and got a thorn stuck right in the middle of my forehead? Or how once when I was fishing I threw the whole rod in the water? Or how about the time I chipped my tooth on a necklace?

So, back to me flying through mid-air over the gate. As you can well imagine it did not end in a graceful leap in which I landed on two feet, straightened my shirt, blinked, and said, "Phew. That was close." Nah, right in character with me, it was more like a thrashing pile of arms and legs with an awfully loud crackling noise in my ankle that instantly made me feel like fainting. Turns out it wasn't broken or anything- just sprained, to my surprise- but I spent the better part of Monday evening and Tuesday on the couch with an ice pack draped over my ankle and the fan blasting in my face.

Ah, fun. At least it's not broken. At least I'm walking a little less awkwardly this morning. I keep thinking maybe it will teach me to slow down, but I'm not convinced. I think when you're accident-prone it's just they way you'll always be. No matter how much you 'grow up'. And, the thing is, I look at my kids and I think... Oh, Jack... You got it coming. I see so much of my clumsy self in him that it makes me cringe to think of how many bangs and bumps he might encounter over his life. When you don't have grace, you just can't help it and let's just say his coordination (uh, lack of) mirrors mine in so many ways.

Anyways, looks like the sun is going to shine today. #3 is already back for a nap because she obviously woke up too early and could do nothing but complain from the time I lifted her out of her crib till the time I set her back in. #1 and #2 are happily coloring on the floor- content with some quiet time before the start of another warm, sunny, busy summer day.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Lydiaisms

* The other day Lydia was coloring a picture of a traffic cop directing students. She got to the man's moustache and she looks at me somewhat puzzled and asks, "Mom, what color should I do his beak?"

* With the other two in bed one evening, Lydia was prolonging her bedtime snack by acting silly. She told me she could do a "boy voice". Okay, let's hear it. She was suddenly overcome with giggles and throwing her head back she said, "Just wait, Mom. My tummy is too full of laughs right now!" (She did proceed to lower her voice and say hi which made her fall into another fit of giggles.)

* Lately she's been into searching for infinite answers... Such as... What's taller than me? What's taller than the ceiling? What's taller than the next ceiling (on the second floor)? What's taller than the roof? What's taller than the chimney? And so on, and so forth. Each time you answer, she challenges you.

This girl keeps me thinking, that's for sure. And laughing as well. The things kids come up with are sometimes so far beyond the scope of what we actually see. As adults we tend to think a lot in black and white while kids are more likely to go outside the lines we've set up for ourselves. Our answers are how they learn from us, but their questions are how we learn from them.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

MISSING

LOST: A good amount of sanity

LAST SEEN: Date unknown, has been spotted here and there approximately sometime in the past few years or so

SUSPECTED REASON FOR LOSS: Could be directly related to, but not limited by: spilled milk at every meal, mud tracked over a mopped floor, rainy winter-like days in June, whiney kids who desperately need but refuse to take a nap, fingers slammed in bedroom doors and toddlers emptying out garbage cans. Might have also been lost due to: sticky popsicles melting on the kitchen table, tripping over toys spread from one end of the house to the other, and kids calling each other names like, "babysockyblueah!" and then listening to the victim whine about being called something so cruel.

DESCRIPTION OF LOSS: Also known as: a quiet moment, a cup of coffee disguised as relaxation, a pair of earphones carrying peaceful tunes into my head. Looks like a blue sky with blushing white clouds or a sunset bleeding over a still lake. Often seen in field of wildflowers or a white sand beach in the middle of a summer afternoon. Known to be found in a good book, the company of a caring friend, the words of an understanding mother, and a bear hug from a little child.

IF SPOTTED: Take a moment and don't let it pass by without connecting to it. Soak it in, close your eyes, and just be there. Because chances are, by the time you open your eyes you'll see it slipping away again in the form of your child in the backyard uprooting all the flowers you just planted.