Posted by Heather of the EO~Wednesday, December 17, 2008 I’m thinking of starting a new club. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Husbands. Except we won’t actually share the husbands, like the pants in that book/movie. Instead, we’ll just sit around and be tired together. We won’t have to say a word, we’ll just know. It always feels good to be truly known. Yesterday, as the snow continued to come down and I was just plain sick of it, I remembered that old “attitude is everything” saying, which made me want to drive right into a snow drift. But I didn’t. Instead, my attitude was adjusted for me, in a much more positive way than crashing my car. I pulled Asher out of his car seat at Target and hoisted him on my hip. If it were raining rather than snowing, it would have been what we call a downpour. I started to think […]
We woke up to a blanket of snow today anddecided we liked getting our tree in the snow last year. So off we went. Asher said, “wa yah tee uh uh,”which translates to,what the heck are we doing? Miles was a wee bit excited.Ryan picked up two trees and weighed the pros and cons. Then he proudly displayed his ability to make a quick choice when it’s cold. Asher really liked the tree Daddy picked. Now we’re at home, the smell of a roasted chestnuts candle in the air,rocking around our newly decorated tree. The End. Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
I’m sitting in my Dad’s home office. The boys are at my feet, playing with paper clips. I’m letting them. (I’ll keep one eye on them to make sure they don’t eat them.) Miles could make paper clip chains for hours. I’m all for anything that occupies him for longer than one minute. It’s a busy Thanksgiving week for us, which is turning into a short blogcation for me. Ryan is in North Carolina for work, and I have a funeral to go to here in my home town. A life-long friend of mine lost her dad to cancer this week. It will be a sad day, mixed with the joy of seeing faces that have known mine all these years. My lovely friends and their families. People that know my history and I theirs. I love home. Even if our hard times are heavier for all the memories we share. I want […]
I’m not a fan of small talk. I’m not good at it. I can’t just keep it simple. There’s something in me that MUST give people information. And I would much rather hear what’s really going on with the person I’m talking to, rather than chatting about how many leaves are piling up on the sides of the streets. I do realize most people aren’t comfortable diving right into the deepest parts of themselves and their lives with a practical stranger, but I’m just saying, I don’t like small talk. Therefore, if I’m forced to small talk, I have a tendency to throw out any random tidbit of information floating through my brain, private or not. So when we went to the city hall on Halloween for the annual bash I was bombarded with opportunities to make a fool of myself in conversation. There were a lot of neighborhood acquaintances there. They wanted […]
Meet Superfluous. She’s FIRE. And she’s hot. At her costume party last night, she let me come in even though I didn’t dress up. (I know, I know…lame.) That’s Shannon on the right, all cute in her 70’s garb. This is K. (of K and/or K-Waiting for a Little Vlachster) It says ‘history’ on his shirt because… He had a post-it on his foot…Sarah Palin, a footnote on history. Get it? Brilliant, eh?He was like a walking riddle. No matter how you’re voting, you have to admit that this costume is genius. And now for K’s other half, K.As she says on the K and/or K site, Disclaimer: The following reference to “white trash” has nothing to do with race or economic status. I firmly believe this demographic is a state of mind. I’ve been poor and white (I’m still white), but I’m not trashy–except today! The White Trash Bride. Complete with painted […]
Halloweeny ’08G’pa D. helped Asher carve his first pumpkin. Asher thought he should really get his hands on that thing. PRONTO. So he had the honor of holding the top. As you can see, he thought that was very VERY cool. Then he chewed on it for awhile. He was quite pleased. Then we went next door to visit The Best Neighbors in the Whole Universe. Miles and Asher got some great loot. (Asher was going to be a puppy, but I couldn’t find his costume. So we cut the legs off the fireman costume from last year. Yes, I’m currently quite disorganized, I lose costumes. But I’m no fool. A scissors is good for lots and lots of things.) (Oh! I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you. (I’m sure you can’t tell.) That’s Miles, not the actual real Spiderman.) Then we were off to city hall for the annual Halloween bash where […]
The blog gods were smiling on me yesterday. Okay, I don’t really believe in blog gods, but if I did, I would think they really like me. And then I would think they’re nice, and I would picture them as butterflies with brilliant colors and cute pudgy caterpillar faces. Smiling. And apparently pretty hairy. With REALLY big eyes. Anyway, yesterday was a much better day. My supportive superhero of a husband arrived home from Detroit (or, DeToilet) in the morning and sent me off to a coffee shop to spend four hours returning your lovely emails, reading a lovely book and catching up on your lovely blog posts (still not caught up, stop writing such great stuff so I can catch up, sheesh). Yes, true story. FOUR hours. I sat there by myself, plunking away at the keyboard and smiling a lot. With coffee. And some chili. I love me some chili. I […]
(Melanie J, that is. If not for her amazing winning abilities, I could not have written this post. So Miss J, if this post wins me some kind of millionaire-making ‘post of the year’ award (cause that could totally happen, even though it’s not that good) I promise I’ll split the cash with you.) Yesterday the boys and I set off on an adventure. On foot. Well, on MY feet. The boys were in the stroller. I knew it was going to be a long haul, walking to the post office. I didn’t really know how long though, or I maybe would have driven. But we were off to mail the Sara Groves Christmas CD to giveaway winner, Melanie J. And I was excited! Being excited always makes me experience lapses in judgment. (I know, I know. Wasn’t that giveaway a long time ago? Yes. But both winners are patient. And I am….slow.) […]
It was a crazy-busy whirlwind weekend for the EO family. You see, my Dad turned 60! So we had a visit from Nanny and Bapa. We went places and did things. I only made a complete fool of myself once (that I can remember). I’ll get to that in a moment. First, I must say Happy Birthday, Dad!I love you like crazy, even if I did make that joke. You know, the one where I said I needed to practice feeding you, now that you’re 60. That was uncalled for. Please forgive me.But try to remember that I must have gotten my sense of humor somewhere…Look how young this man is! He can’t be 60! (say that in the comments, he’ll like it.) Miles got to ride with Nanny on this way cool carousel.Watching made me want to puke. Am I 60?___________________Then we were off to Cousin O’s 4th Birthday party.Or no, wait.We […]
Dear Daddy,Remember those boxers you wanted Mommy to return while you were out of town for work? You know. The ones you bought last week? Remember? You had accidentally grabbed the wrong package? Well um…I think the package may be a bit ripped. And maybe possibly, um…gone. OOPS, I accidentally did that. I don’t know if Target will take them now. Guess what, Daddy? Mom wasn’t watching me. She was on the computer. Again. Also, I don’t know that Mommy can be trusted at all as a single parent while you’re out of town, working hard for the money. Asher eats tin foil. He doesn’t like it. Come home soon,Miles P.S. Guess what else, Daddy? You know how mommy thinks it’s really smart to hang the bag of dirty diapers outside over the fence so they don’t stink up the house? Yeah, well the dog got the bag off the fence and she […]
I pick him up from his crib and he says “Hi,” dragging this one beautiful word out with a tender tinge of baby-talk sweetness. He puts those chubby little arms around my shoulders and he squeezes. We breathe each other in. Then he lets go, tilting his head back to look at me, as if he’s checking to see if I’m the same. His Mama. And I answer “Hi, sweet baby, how are you?” He chuckles a deep, throaty little chuckle, and smiles into my eyes. I feel as if my heart might burst with love. Surely it could. But instead, he rears back and BAM, head-butts me square in the nose. I nearly drop him as the pain screams through my face, racing under my eyes and ringing in my ears. I set him down on the floor and check for blood. I’m shocked! There’s no blood. But oh holy cats, it […]
For so many years I took for granted the peace and quiet of the car. My commutes to work were totally taken for granted. I miss traffic jams. These days, one of my favorite daydreams is that I’m stuck in traffic all alone in my car for hours. My friend Mackenzie has two (crazy adorable) girls the same ages as Miles and Asher. You wanna know what these girls do when they get in the car? Zonk. Every time. Asleep. Not a peep. See ya when we get there, mom. Nigh Night. Mackenzie sips her coffee and listens to her music and sometimes just aimlessly drives around in her own head space. Yeah, so when Mackenzie calls from her cell just to chat cause she’s got all this free time in the car, I kind of want to reach through the phone and grab her face. (She knows this, so that wasn’t mean. […]
Does it mean I’ve officially lost my mind if I have moments here and there of thinking it would be a good idea to have another baby? What a difference a year can make. Last year at our annual day at the orchard, I was a complete wreck as the mother of a colicky newborn and a toddler. A toddler who was very mad at the colicky newborn for ruining his life. Let’s just say it totally stunk. Here I am (last year), pretending to have a lovely timewhen I was really pretty much completely insane. (niece, E also pictured) Yesterday, we were back with Ryan’s family for our annual trip to the orchard. It was absolutely beautiful outside. We had a ridiculously good time. I wasn’t pacing around with Asher attached to me, praying that he wouldn’t start screaming. He was content, maybe even peaceful. It was a beautiful thing. And Miles […]
Ryan and I took the boys and went to play tennis again yesterday. I don’t know why we don’t learn from our mistakes. We really should just give up pretending we can play like we did in high school. We can’t. We actually totally stink. But that isn’t my point. I’m not even that sure what my point is, except I might secretly want reassurance that I’ll have really really nice teenage boys one day. So if you can tell me that I will, please do so in the comments. I want a guarantee though. It’s nice that it will be in writing because it’s on a computer and in the comments. Forever. All Nice Boy Guarantees are appreciated more than words can say. Thank you for that. Oh sorry, where was I? Oh yeah. On the court next to us was a young man (teen) who I will refer to as Sassafrass. […]
Did you know that I worked at a grain elevator? Yes. I weighed corn and soybeans. There were a lot of truckers. My co-worker, Dog (real nickname) and I would play baseball in the scale room. That means that in between customers, we would use a ruler and pieces of corn for our exciting baseball games. Just goes to show you that you can make just about anything fun. I’ve also been a server (Don Pablos all the way baby), an office manager, a clerk at Snyder Drug, a sales person at Maurices, and a Creative Memories consultant (for like a month). I worked in a print shop (back when collating and stapling was done by hand). Then I was in social work, case management for people with mental illnesses. And then I became a Mom and a postpartum doula. I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but I realize this isn’t all that interesting. […]
I really do like the whole spa thing. I mean, I think people should go to treat themselves and relax. I especially liked being able to go on Auntie K’s dime (for the most part, which I’ll get to later) last Friday. My friend Mackenzie and I had a day away, spending time together and having an experience that’s rare. For us anyway. And unique. And sometimes very funny. We learned that we’re maybe not the classiest ladies, or all that smart. But it was still great. We’ll laugh about it for a long time.Because,First of all, I have a cold. I coughed a lot during the massage. Peggy the masseuse, who seemed a bit overly focused on rubbing my thighs for really extended periods of time, had to stop to ask me what was going on. Because you see, Peggy the masseuse was one of those ‘rub lightly’ massage therapists. (Which makes […]
This was written for memory’s sake, as much as I may not want to remember. If you’ve had a baby with colic, you will hear this post and feel the sisterhood behind it. If you have not, and plan to have a baby any time in the future, you may want to skip this one. I wouldn’t want you to worry that it could happen to you. Chances are, you will not live with colic. But, why worry?If you have not experienced a serious case of colic, this post will seem pretty dramatic. If you have, it probably won’t be dramatic enough…baby colic: a form of pain in the abdomen which starts and stops abruptly.————————————-The crying. It doesn’t stop. You will stand helpless. You will stand weary and exhausted beyond anything you can imagine. You will try everything: the rocking, the swaying, the drives in the car, the shushing and pacing, the swaddling […]
I was going to post something serious today entitled Remembering Colic. Let’s just save that for another day and I’ll tell you about a childhood injury instead. Kristen over at We are THAT Family is spreading the hilarity around the blogosphere as people share stories from their past. (I discovered this through Our Little Tonnginator and wrote (read copy) the same kind of post as TonnguMomma’s hilarious one regarding childhood injuries)So here’s mine. Short and sweet. Or maybe not sweet. My sister and I were about, I don’t know, maybe 8 and 10? Me being the 8 year old, trying to keep up with her cooler, more adept older sister. We were in our downstairs living room, our parents minding their own business upstairs. We were supposed to be trusted for short periods of time on our own. But we were having sleeping bag races. If you don’t know what that means, it’s […]
Miles was given this as a gift: You get to grow your very own little dinosaur-like fish things!Kind of intriguing and creepy and cool all at the same time. If you ask Ryan (Daddy), this little science project is entirely too creepy for his taste. (You should see his face when he has to hold the little container of eggs that will grow into the little tadpole guys! He looks like he might cry. Priceless!) But he’s being a good sport and getting the water the right temperature, cleaning out the aquarium and soaking the little rocks, just like the directions say. That’s very nice since he’s obviously disturbed by this whole idea. This was our conversation today: Ryan- You know we’re going to have to dispose of these at some point don’t you? Me – Yeees. Why, what do you mean?Ryan- Well, what if they just go on living and living, sooner […]
You know those movies (Lifetime) or TV shows (soap operas) where someone is faking that they can’t walk? They’re pretending to be in need of others and getting lots of attention for it? Usually for money or something. And then you cut to the next scene, and they’re waiting for someone to leave the room. And after the person is gone, they slink right out of their wheelchair, over to the tray of crystal dishes and grab a quick brandy? Just as you suspected! Yes, I’ve seen enough of these shows to know when something’s fishy! Like the possibilty of this baby pretending to only be able to crawl, when he can actually WALK! Yesterday I rounded the corner to the kitchen, surprising Asher with my arrival, and lo and behold, what did I see? He was standing there holding on to… NOTHING! Uh huh. He was independent of assistance, appearing as comfortable […]
Going to Ikea puts me in a good mood. There are truly inexpensive storage containers there. And I really like to organize and store things. Like little boy shoes, games, puzzles, blankets, clothes, winter items, socks, books, toys, towels, outdoor toys…… So yeah. I was in a good mood after a trip there today. I was loading the boys in the car and doing what I normally do. Rapping. What mother doesn’t rap while trying to persuade her children to do things they don’t feel like doing? If I had the ability to vlog (is that what it’s called?) I would totally share this rap with you, since it works wonders. Or if I wanted to have myself seen on video over the internet, then I would show you via YouTube. But that isn’t going to happen. So instead you’ll just have to rap this in your head while imagining me trying to […]
I brought the camera along when bringing Miles to his first day of preschool today. (of course!) At first I thought I would bring it just for a quick shot on the way in. Then I decided to take a few extras for a picture story – the story that makes today’s post…Miles thought it was cool that we headed off to actually go to the school we’ve visited so many times. He’s been looking forward to it for weeks. Me, on the other hand? Well, I was just a jumble of thoughts and emotions and wasn’t really expecting that. (And yes, Asher’s car seat has a leopard print cover. Don’t ask.) Miles is such a strong, resilient, happy person. He took off, saying “Mom, walk up here with me.” He got a little nervous, turning a bit uneasy when we entered the bustling building, and started chewing crazily at his nails. I […]
I’ve heard it said that age three is really, really hard. Some “experts” have even narrowed the hardest part down to 3 and a half. Something happens in the brain and all that. I’m starting to think that maybe “they” really are the experts. (But only sometimes, because half the stuff “they” say makes me laugh a bit as I live out the true reality of raising children). The thing about three, is that developmentally Miles is gaining smartitude. And emotionally, while trying to find his own identity, he’s gaining CRAZINESS. A lot of the time, he’s expressing emotion like he never has before. And other times, he’s simply reflective and knowledgeable.——————-The smartitude thing is quite entertaining. He’s all, “I can count to a million” and, “Look at me! I remember everything ever said to me, EVER!!!” Which is cool. (I’m pretty sure this is the age when every parent fully grabs a […]
Sometimes I don’t feel like I have the same badge of honor as other moms. I didn’t accomplish the great entrance into motherhood as I thought I would. Sure, I pushed and strained, grabbed my husband’s hand and wanted to punch him. I looked into the eyes of my doula and made connections that aren’t possible anywhere else. But in the end, my crying baby was not placed immediately on my chest for bonding and feeding, how I had imagined. That thing I thought everyone had to have, the moments of gazing into one another’s faces, that was swept away for later. Instead, there was a bit of a panic, things being unplugged, people speaking a medical language I didn’t fully understand and darting glances. There was talk of heart rates and a tilted little head… can’t make it through…stuck… What? What does that mean? There was splitting pain, breaking through the medication […]
I think my back might fall off. Have you heard of that happening? I’m quite sure it’s possible. Yesterday Ryan and I took the boys to the tennis courts at the park near our house. Then we played tennis. If you want to call it “playing” tennis. You can if you want. But it was more like playing hit-the-ball-once-and-then-chase-it-because-it-didn’t-go-over-the-net. Or it went to the other court or something. I honestly can’t believe we were both once kind of good at this sport. It’s been over four years since we last played. We could tell in more than one way that it had been far too long:1. See above about the ball.2. We were saying things like, “I can feel my belly jiggle while I run.” 3. We were sweating and panting even though we hardly had to run.4. The lady on the next court over asked if we wanted to switch courts so […]
The boys and I headed over to pick us up some tasty Mexican goodness from Chipotle for lunch today. Ryan is working out of his home office, and at one point he wanted to eat lunch. (I know, so demanding!) I had me a mad craving for the best take-out burrito with lots of guac yumminess. So I took Ryan’s order and off we went. You know what I think Chipotle is missing? A drive-thru. Wouldn’t that just be the best? No unbuckling of the car seats and no, “Miles, stay right here we’re in a parking lot do not move stay by the tire,” would need to be said. No unbuckling of another car seat and lifting of the 20+ pound baby onto the hip, while grabbing a tiny preschool hand and pulling it across the parking lot, hats flying off in the wind. No, with a drive-thru, there would be none […]
The boys and I went to about 576 garage sales today. It was fun. Even if it was hot and we got in and out of the car, me lugging all that boy weight 576 times. It was fun even if Asher pooped at stop number 490, leaving me to change him while he flailed around the cargo area at the back of the car, dropping little poop nuggets on the seat. Still fun. Garage sales make me think positively for some unexplainable reason. But they are kind of weird, if you think about it really hard. People stay up late, putting little prices on things they’ve decided are worth much less than what they paid for them. Then they sit outside and watch people mull over whether or not that very low price is worth the effort. Shoppers saunter around, acting all important, turning their noses up at items and putting them […]
Did you know that Discover is the card that pays you back? Well, Ryan and I use this card that pays us back and we generally choose our rewards in the form of shopping at Borders. We love us some books and music. Well, anyway. I was on-line yesterday at nap-time, ordering up some free books. I shopped and happily shopped, picking up The Shack, which is all the rage these days, and some kid’s books. I filled out the whole registration form and gift card number and then Asher woke up. So I went to get him and I put him on the floor next to me. I turned to the computer, put my hand on the mouse and prepared to click “place order.” And then the computer screen went blank. Off. Gone. Nada. Zip. Nothing. “What happened?” I said, the light little airy feeling of a book purchase about to be […]
The idea for the following post is stolen from Becky at on top of the world (or at least really far north), a blog I love to read. She interviewed her son, Riley. I decided to do the same with Miles. (Even though I have to embarrass myself to share his responses.) This was so much fun, sitting down with Miles and picking his brain for answers about his mommy, yours truly. If you happen to have a child who happens to be old enough to interview, give it a whirl–so entertaining! 1. What is something your mom always says to you?Miles- Go in a time out! (uuum, that’s really not ALL I ever say…is it?) 2. What makes mom happy?Miles- Cars! 3. What makes mom sad?Miles- Ovens (ha!) 4. How does your mom make you laugh?Miles- You make me bongo (?) 5. What was your mom like as a child?Miles- You were […]
The weekend is here. It’s been a hard week. A death in the family, single-parenting with Ryan out of town, Miles being in the terrible three stage, and Asher being in the terrible teething stage. It’s tricky for me to keep my cool with Miles and Asher. The days are long, and I have to admit that I’m not doing that well. I’m losing my cool more than keeping it. But what pulls me through each day are the very people who wear me out so much. Miles is an absolute joy of a person. He is so curious, full of excitement, sensitive and sweet. Asher is an old soul, so interested in people, so willing to snuggle and freely gives a big, “HI!” to anyone who will listen.So when my back aches and screams at me for lifting Asher off the floor, I do it anyway, because there’s just something about the […]
