As we were cleaning up dinner last night, two of my children told me they were hungry.
I cried,
and then I yelled.
Not an all out scream, but my voice was definitely louder than strictly necessary.
Continue ReadingAs we were cleaning up dinner last night, two of my children told me they were hungry.
I cried,
and then I yelled.
Not an all out scream, but my voice was definitely louder than strictly necessary.
Continue ReadingThe other night when he got home from work I was in a bad mood, tears were at the back of my throat while I made dinner and he hugged the kids. He noticed quickly that something was off and wrapped me in a hug, but with three kids clamoring to be fed we couldn’t talk just then.
Later we had a minute upstairs. I wanted to show him what I painted that day, “I worked on it for 3 hours so the only response right now is, “it looks fabulous!”” I snapped. He suppressed his perfectionist tendencies, and wrapped me in another hug, “Talk to me,” he said.
I whined for a couple of minutes about being tired and lonely – I’d spent too much time at home doing projects that week, even though I’d discovered long ago some interaction with other adults is essential for me.
“Do you want me to skip my softball game and stay home tonight?” he asked.
“No, I just want to be alone,” I replied, ignoring all the inconsistencies that came with that statement.
We worked together to get the kids in bed and he left me with a kiss.
I sank into the couch, mindless T.V. going and a book in my hand for the next hour before I dragged myself to bed. Thinking that the explosion that was currently our house could wait for the next day.
I was sound asleep by the time he came home around 11 pm.
The next morning, darkness cloaking the house, Max pulled me from my bed to the kitchen ready to start his day. I froze as I exited the bedroom. The kitchen and the living room were spotless. Again there were tears at the back of my throat. I carried Max to the kitchen to look at this miracle up close. On the counter was a note. He knows I am a sentimental sap and keep everything he’s ever written me.
When he emerged from the bedroom I wrapped him in a hug, tears again close to the surface. “You are my hero.” I say. He looks at my tear filled eyes, probably wondering what he did to deserve me, and where I’m going to be on the hot crazy matrix when he gets home, laughs and leaves me again with a kiss, as he heads off to work.
Everyone feels love in different ways, time, service, gifts etc. Apparently the way to my heart is to not laugh at me when I make no sense and stay up until 1 am cleaning the house. I am one lucky girl to have a husband that can figure that out.
“Anna will tell me”… I always said.
“She doesn’t seem to have crushes on boys yet.” I thought
Josh tells me with easy nonchalance. “By the way Mom, I’m in love with _____ and she loves me too.”
I thought when Anna saw my calm yet interested reaction to Josh’s news she’d tell me too.
The other night she lost a tooth. Anna has a very close relationship with her tooth fairy, Elvira. There are apparently hundreds of fairies each responsible for different children. Anna and Elvira have been writing notes back and forth for over a year. Anna hadn’t lost a tooth in a couple of months. In the time in between lost teeth presents for Elvira had accumulated. They safely stored in a box under her pillow along with her tooth. There were a couple of notes, one asking about Elvira’s dress size, a box of floss, and a toy.
That night when Elvira quietly flitted in to Anna’s room, she read through all of the notes to make sure she answered any and all questions. She had to read them a couple of times, her brain was a little fuzzy. She’d been almot asleep when she remembered that she hadn’t visited Anna yet. The first one she read said,
“Don’t tell my bruder but I am in love with ______.” Elvira was so surprised she dropped the rest of the notes and couldn’t find them in the dark.
She immediately wrote back.
“Anna thank you for all the presents. I love them, and you. You are so thoughtful. Congrats on being in love. You should tell your mom.” She slipped the note in with the money and softly snuck out.
The next morning Anna ran down stairs clutching her money and her note.
“What does it say?” she asked. Elvira’s handwriting can be hard to read.
I read it to her, and asked. “That’s interesting. Who are you in love with?”
“How did she know?” Anna asked
“You didn’t tell her in one of your notes?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well maybe she could just tell by looking at you. So who is it?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Come on, Elvira said you should tell me.”
“I already told Daddy.”
“What!!! You told Daddy and not me?”
Anna looked down and started to fidget with her shirt. “I told him to tell you, I just don’t like to talk about it it makes me embarrassed. ”
“Ok fine then.” and I hugged her a little too tight.
“And Elvira forgot to tell me her dress size. I wanted to make her a dress.”
At least Josh tells me his secrets…. I think. I asked Justin about it that night.
“Did Anna tell you she was in love with someone?”
He looks up at me guitily. “Umm yes.”
“When?” I ask throwing my hands up in the air.
“Like three months ago.”
It’s a good thing the tooth fairy and I are so close.