Mayhem and Magic

Flat Tire

I had a flat tire two days ago.  It stressed me out a bit but it was actually the easiest flat tire ever.

I pulled into the parking lot at work (was already right there), parked the car, checked the tire.  Yep, completely busted.  Called my husband and went in to work. 

He took care of it completely, and when the work day was over I went out to the parking lot and drove home.

I was so happy not to have to deal with a flat tire myself.  If that makes me a wimpy girly-girl who's setting back feminism with my dependence upon my husband...  Well, so be it.  Because I was very, very happy that I have a husband who could rescue me from my flat tire situation.

The boys were in HEAVEN over the flat tire.  They danced with joy when Beloved took out the jack from the back of the car.  The whole time he was working on it they pretended to be the pit crew of a racing team (from a safe distance).  They inspected the flat tire and gave Beloved helpful hints while he worked (like, "Dad, you should get one of those 'zip, zip' things to take off the bolts.").  That evening they were disappointed that we wouldn't let them draw racing numbers directly on the side of the car, but compromised by drawing colorful numbers on paper and taping them to the doors and roof of the car. 

They were pretty cute.   And my husband, clearly, is the manliest of manly men.

Back-to-School Picnic

Another back-to-school picnic today, this time for Sparkle's class.  He's in kindergarten again this year, now in Apple Tree. 

So it was a back-to-school picnic where parents came at 11:30 and ate outside with the kids, supposedly to get to know other families with kids in Apple Tree.

There was one mom who brought, like, whole wheat pita bread with salmon, hummus, and organic greens for lunch.  I didn't even bother talking to her at all, obviously.

But I was pleasantly surprised to see how many parents showed up with a subway or deli bag.  One dad even brought McDonald's!  Ah, these are my kind of people!  (I brought bananas, juice boxes--100% juice of course, and baked chicken from the grocery store deli.  And don't think this wasn't carefully considered, because yes I am just that paranoid about other parent's judgment of my lunch choices!)

Sparkle and his class sang a few songs for the parents. (Parents who brought the big video camera: -3.  Parents who snapped a few pictures with the phone: +10.)  Sparkle's favorite, which he's been singing at home all week, is

"Water travels in a cycle, yes it does.

Water travels in a cycle, yes it does.

It goes up as evaporation, it forms clouds as condensation, it comes down as precipitation, yes it does!

Yee-haw!"

I don't think I knew about the water cycle until I was in third grade or so.  Sparkle's way ahead of me in so many ways!

Wednesday

I decided not to blog this summer while I wasn't working, and then decided to shut down the blog completely.  I just never got around to doing that.  You know how that goes. 

Then I kept thinking about all these things I wanted to blog about.  And now?  Since I'm actually trying to post something?  I cannot remember what it was that I so needed to blog before...

Here's something weird...  Kind of a get-to-know-you thing...

I don't really care to travel all that much.  Some people have such a passion for seeing the world and really discovering it for themselves.  Me?  Eh, I believe that the Sistine Chapel is there, I don't really need to see it.  I would enjoy eating in a bunch of different countries, but not enough to travel there. I'd also really like to see more sea-life-- maybe the Great Barrier Reef, or maybe some Caribbean spot.

Obviously I'm excited to go to South Africa again, but that's more because of the connection we have to South Africa through Sparkle. 

Maybe I just need some sort of travel inspiration?

I get why people are excited to travel, but for some reason I'd rather spend money on, say... oh, now I can't think of anything...  just having some pretty things in my house that I enjoy every day.  Like sheets!  We have one set of 400-thread-count sheets that were a gift and I love them!  I can't bring myself to spend money for more sheets when I already have sheets, but having one set of lovely sheets makes me happy.  Probably happier than seeing the Sistine Chapel.

How's that for meaningless?

Rocking My Baby

Two nights ago I was up too late.  I couldn't sleep and I hate laying in bed not sleeping, so I got up.

Pumpkin woke up (well, kind of half woke up) to use the bathroom.  I went to check on him and startled him when he came out of the bathroom.  He was tearing up a bit because he was startled. And he really began to cry when I told him he needed to lay back down in his own bed and not come lay with Daddy and me.

His sweet little half-asleep sad face!  Oh!

So I asked him if he wanted to rock for a while.  It has been a long time since we rocked.  If he curls up just right he still fits on my lap in the rocker.  So he put his little head on my shoulder and we rocked for a while. 

It was very sweet.  I wondered if it could be the last time I rock him back to sleep.  He was breathing deeply and totally relaxed, but I whispered to him, "I might not get to rock you very much any more because you're so big, but thanks for letting me rock with you tonight."  And he mumbled, "You're welcome, Mama." 

Even mostly asleep my baby is so polite!  I was surprised he even heard me! 

I just want to remember what his head smells like and how he feels so much heavier when he's sleeping.

Then...

Last night Pumpkin woke up again, fussing about something.  I went to check on him and he was cranky and whiney.  He kind of stomped his little feet and held up his arms and demanded, "Rock me!"

Huh.

I did rock him, but it was much less sweet the second time!

Still, how lucky am I that I have an almost-five year old whom I can still comfort, who feels better if he is near me, whose little hand reaches over to pat my face as he's falling asleep?

Crazy, crazy lucky, that's what I am!  But I'm hoping we'll both sleep through the night tonight.

I Hate Potlucks

I hate potlucks, I just do.  It's a challenge for me to cook food in my own home for my own family to eat at our own table.  When I have to bring stuff...  For other people to eat...  Ugh.  Too much hassle.  If I want to cook for you I'll invite you to have dinner with us. 

We've been to potlucks at work, church, and school in the last ten days or so and I'm DONE with potlucks.

For some reason it's been a weird week.  This week should have been a "regular" week, meaning my work schedule is normal, Beloved is home, and we don't have tons of irregular commitments during the week. 

But for some reason we're struggling to pull it off this week.  We ran out of toothpaste, for goodness sake.  I don't think we've ever run out of toothpaste in ten years of marriage, but that's just the kind of week it's been.  We're rationing out a partly-empty travel-sized tube of toothpaste that we scrounged up from the bathroom cabinet.

Yesterday evening Pumpkin's classroom put on a "performance" of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, sang a few fall themed songs and there was a potluck afterword. 

There was a note sent home saying more or less that "students need to be at the school and ready to go at 6 PM, don't be late or we'll know what kind of a parent you really are-- the kind that values other less worthy things over your child's education and self-esteem, that's the kind of parent you are if your kid is late, so don't be late."  Or maybe it didn't say exactly that, but that's the message I got from it. 

Anyway...

Left work at 5:10 (miracle!), drove home to pick up Pumpkin (whom Beloved had picked up from school just an hour before), drove to Albertson's, made it through pretty quickly with deli fried chicken and a cheesecake ($20--ack!), drove to school and got there with minutes to spare!  Whew!

Pumpkin was a strawberry and he wore a strawberry sandwich board costume made of cardboard.  He was so cute and proud that he redeemed the whole evening, even the potluck dinner.