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Dear Daddy, Baba, Hey You, Mister FixIt. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This is you: 1) fixing anything broken. all the time. 2) out shoveling in the coldest of days. 3) carrying the toddler around to “look for bunnies” in the yard = the ultimate distraction. 4) always ready to buy an airplane ticket for any of his kids or grandkids to come home or visit each other. 5) always ready to get me ice cream late at night when I’m pregnant. 6) the first one to volunteer to pick you up late at night from any thing–a flight, a party, a roadside disaster. 7) the first one to volunteer to drop you off anywhere in the early morning–a flight, a surgery appointment, work. 8) reading religious newspapers…
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Children are surprising. I have said a million times that I never thought I’d be a mom whose son wore athletic gear, and lo and behold. My brother’s shirt from 30 years ago, but still. I’m surprised at my son’s love of both knights AND pirates. Two seemingly completely different sorts of fantasy. He fell in love with knights last summer. In part due to my lego set from childhood, and in part due to these two books: Look inside Castles & Built to Last. Then we found this at a second-hand sale, missing the sword and shield. But that’s okay because my mom gifted him with this handmade set for his birthday, Christmas, and every event from here on out. And presto. Add a few…
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Like, really did. What would happen in our marriage? Well, he showed me what would happen because for some unknown reason in December, or was it late November?, my husband of nearly seven years decided to LAVISH me with verbal affirmation. I mean, it was hilarious. It was over the top. It was insane. It was . . . amazing. To this second of this very day I’m not entirely certain what inspired him. He thinks it was when we had our home blessed by our wonderful priest with a particular prayer: the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart. He felt like the graces we received from that kicked him into constant personalized affirmation land. I figured it was a way to battle against the winter…
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What a wonderful weekend! It was more action packed than usual, but all with wonderful things. Starting with dear friends for Pizza Fridays, Saturday had Moms group, swim lessons, errands, take out, and Sunday rounded out with a sweet early mass, brunch with friends, sewing sewing sewing, and lots of dancing to this song. My stellar husband wound up the weekend making a castle for the kids out of a huge box and everyone is a knight wielding a lance now. Pirates & knights. It’s our life. Kelly asked about what I’ve been reading lately so I dished. Others had WAY better ideas than me so go hop and read. Bridget has been listing her weekly meal plan to my GREAT delight. The lemon chicken?!…
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I keep searching my mind for an excuse. I’m sleep deprived. Yeah, that’s nothing new. I don’t feel great. Well, again, three kids in, this is no surprise. I’m not pregnant so no matter how badly I feel because of broken sleep, little alone time, next to zero exercise time, I’m not throwing up. I’m moody. Well, even though my little nursling turned into a weanling, and then back into my longest nursing tot, my hormones feel really stabilized and I can’t blame them. I’m scanning my mind for an excuse. Any semi-palpable reason for being not nice. It’s habit, really, that’s what I’m finding. As I’m about to preface my short remark, my cross look, with a “I’m _____” and then come up truly short.…
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I struggle with this. With a daughter + girly-ness. I struggle with wanting her to feel empowered and not be victim to the trashy marketing of “you’re just a girl” and “pink is the only color” and “math & science are hard for girls.” She’s a few months shy of four, but these thoughts really pound on me as she continues to grow into her own (carefully shaped by me to the extent I can) interests. Despite coming from a family with four girls and then one boy, we weren’t girly girls. I didn’t shave my legs til I was 20, around the same time I got my ears pierced. I never learned to apply makeup or shop for my body type. I still struggle…
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