This blog is about the Life and Times of our Retired Navy Family. We have been typical Navy Family, trying to make wonderful memories and meet life's challenges through moves, deployments, and making do. Now we are on to new adventures and trying to settle in one place and grow some roots. We learn new things, make new friends and make it up as we go along, hoping and praying for the best.
Showing posts with label mom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mom. Show all posts
January 7, 2012
Random conversations with a 4 year old
A little background here... the neighbor boy next door who is about 9 got into a motorcycle accident while on with his dad a few weeks back. The cast just came off and we were talking about that earlier in the day.
While in the backseat of the car, Meg notices a Guy and Girl riding a motorcycle. He was driving, she was on back, both wearing helmets. The converstation went like this...
Meg: Mom, when am I old enough to ride a motorcycle?
Me: (trying not revealing my motorcycle phobia) Ummm.... never.
Meg: Well, when am I old enough to ride a motorcycle with a boy on the front and me in the back? When we wear our helmets?
Me: A long time from never.
Meg: What about when I am a helicopter pilot? Then can I ride a motorcycle?
Me: Let's talk about it when you are a pilot.
Meg: When I get married and have a husband are you still the boss of me?
Me: I'm your mom. I'm the boss of you forever.
Meg: I have to think about that.
May 3, 2011
Burnt Toast
"Mommy," says a little girl in what sounds like a whine, "I made toast for you and me, but it came out black."
Time Out. It was the last loaf of bread in the house, and the last two pieces. It also means some Small Child decided she was big enough to use the toaster by herself this morning, without Mom's help or oversight. And I didn't ask for toast, that was just something she decided she wanted to do this morning. I go into the kitchen and see honey on the counter and the toaster with it's little knob turned all the way to one side, indicating it would only make burnt toast. Deep breath.
"That's ok, kiddo", I say, "My mom taught me a long time ago how to fix burnt toast."
As I scraped off the black parts into the sink I couldn't help thank my Mom for showing me that not every little thing has to be a big deal. It's just toast, not the end of the world and the love and intentions behind the blackness were pure and good. Sometimes black toast can make you cranky, but it's not the toasters fault. The toaster does what it's told to do and the outcome can't be different than the setting we made. I am thankful for a mom who took the time to teach me to scrape the black off the toast, reset the toaster and move on and that a little apple butter goes a long ways towards making too crunchy toast edible in the mornings too.
I have a great kid with a big heart. Black toast or not, it's going to be a good day.
August 8, 2010
A Mommy Superhero
Mom's are Superhero's. There's no other explanation for surviving our children's childhood. We must have some sort of super powers bestowed on us during pregnancy, just to make it through childbirth. I was laying in bed today, fending off children this morning thinking of all of the ways mom's have to have super power.
Super Mom's have super food sense. They can make breakfast out of bottled pears and peanut butter toast. They know what their children will absolutely not eat while still making an effort to expose them to new and different things that some day in the future, they may like. She knows that even when dining at the best family friendly Mexican restaurant in town, her kids will cry if they don't get to order chicken nuggets and french fries, or a grilled cheese sandwich, the small ones standing order at any restaurant. They can come up with a snack out of the bottom of a purse like magic. It may be a breath mint or an old, fuzzy piece of hard candy, but a Super Mom knows it will keep them quiet for at least 20 seconds, and that's all she she needs to recharge.
They have Super hearing. A Super Mom can tell what her child is up to by the sound of the toys falling on the floor, two stories and one wing away. "Domino's", she tells her friend, who nods with agreement. She also knows when something is not right. It's the super sonic hearing that allows her to sneak in the bedroom and watch silently as her toddler sits happily with a pair of scissors and My Pretty Pony with pink pony hair all over the floor. She's able to surprise the toddler into never, never touching scissors to hair again. So far. She can also tell when to check on the kiddos who have found the permanent markers, or precariously perched one step stool on top of another on top of a chair in order to get the piece of candy they somehow know is in the top of the cupboard. She can also hear them plotting in bed, and decode the phone tones to the texts the teens are sending. It's uncanny.
A Super Mom has Super Finding skills. She just knows where things are, probably from the millions of times she has picked up and put away things that her children never touch except when they are deemed unfindable. Where's the shoe? Under the bed on the left hand side behind the teddy bear. Where's your hat? You hate wearing it, so you always put it in the laundry. It's in the bottom of your dirty laundry basket. Where's the Lovey? In the car where you fell asleep with it last. A pencil? You had it in bed last night doing Suduko, so it's probably under the covers somewhere.The channel changer? She knows, but she's not telling you. Go find something else to do.
There are the Super clothes matching skills too. A Super Mom respects her children's desire for individuality, while carrying the understanding that there is only so far you can push fashion without getting laughed and pointed at. The toddler's 4th of July checked shorts are cute, but she just can't wear them with the blue and yellow striped shirt she's chosen. Shorts for big kids that are so tight you can't bend over in them, or conversely so big they fall to your ankles every time you stand up are also unacceptable. As for the husband person, a Super Mom knows to keep the blue socks in a totally different place than the black socks. The Super Power comes not only in recognizing all of this, but being able to kindly and firmly convince the rest of the family of the same.
A Super Mom also has Super Eyesight. Even if she wears glasses, contacts or has an astigmatism. She can spot the potty dance from a quarter mile away. She can find her tricky, fast children as they dart from place to place at a busy park. She can tell a child's mood as they walk in the door instantly. She knows when something is up by the condition of the clothing and backpack the child left in upon their return. She also knows that boys license plate number, even when he didn't come to the door like a proper kid and introduce himself. No date is safe. She can spot a child made hair cut a long way off and knows when an owie is serious or not in an instant.
There are many, many other Super Powers given to Super Mom's; a comforting voice, a healing touch, the ability to make up words to any picture book she comes across, and make 40 cupcakes at 10:00 at night for the school carnival. Story telling, teaching, listening, hoping and praying. The biggest one is love. Even when being awaken with a wet person next to you, even when the bugs somehow get out of the jar and escape into the house, even though the dog or cat got out again, even when there is marker on the wall and pretty pony hair on the floor, even then there is love. Mom's have the super capacity to love, no matter what and even when it's hard. What a blessing to be, or to have a Mom.
Super Mom's have super food sense. They can make breakfast out of bottled pears and peanut butter toast. They know what their children will absolutely not eat while still making an effort to expose them to new and different things that some day in the future, they may like. She knows that even when dining at the best family friendly Mexican restaurant in town, her kids will cry if they don't get to order chicken nuggets and french fries, or a grilled cheese sandwich, the small ones standing order at any restaurant. They can come up with a snack out of the bottom of a purse like magic. It may be a breath mint or an old, fuzzy piece of hard candy, but a Super Mom knows it will keep them quiet for at least 20 seconds, and that's all she she needs to recharge.
They have Super hearing. A Super Mom can tell what her child is up to by the sound of the toys falling on the floor, two stories and one wing away. "Domino's", she tells her friend, who nods with agreement. She also knows when something is not right. It's the super sonic hearing that allows her to sneak in the bedroom and watch silently as her toddler sits happily with a pair of scissors and My Pretty Pony with pink pony hair all over the floor. She's able to surprise the toddler into never, never touching scissors to hair again. So far. She can also tell when to check on the kiddos who have found the permanent markers, or precariously perched one step stool on top of another on top of a chair in order to get the piece of candy they somehow know is in the top of the cupboard. She can also hear them plotting in bed, and decode the phone tones to the texts the teens are sending. It's uncanny.
A Super Mom has Super Finding skills. She just knows where things are, probably from the millions of times she has picked up and put away things that her children never touch except when they are deemed unfindable. Where's the shoe? Under the bed on the left hand side behind the teddy bear. Where's your hat? You hate wearing it, so you always put it in the laundry. It's in the bottom of your dirty laundry basket. Where's the Lovey? In the car where you fell asleep with it last. A pencil? You had it in bed last night doing Suduko, so it's probably under the covers somewhere.The channel changer? She knows, but she's not telling you. Go find something else to do.
There are the Super clothes matching skills too. A Super Mom respects her children's desire for individuality, while carrying the understanding that there is only so far you can push fashion without getting laughed and pointed at. The toddler's 4th of July checked shorts are cute, but she just can't wear them with the blue and yellow striped shirt she's chosen. Shorts for big kids that are so tight you can't bend over in them, or conversely so big they fall to your ankles every time you stand up are also unacceptable. As for the husband person, a Super Mom knows to keep the blue socks in a totally different place than the black socks. The Super Power comes not only in recognizing all of this, but being able to kindly and firmly convince the rest of the family of the same.
A Super Mom also has Super Eyesight. Even if she wears glasses, contacts or has an astigmatism. She can spot the potty dance from a quarter mile away. She can find her tricky, fast children as they dart from place to place at a busy park. She can tell a child's mood as they walk in the door instantly. She knows when something is up by the condition of the clothing and backpack the child left in upon their return. She also knows that boys license plate number, even when he didn't come to the door like a proper kid and introduce himself. No date is safe. She can spot a child made hair cut a long way off and knows when an owie is serious or not in an instant.
There are many, many other Super Powers given to Super Mom's; a comforting voice, a healing touch, the ability to make up words to any picture book she comes across, and make 40 cupcakes at 10:00 at night for the school carnival. Story telling, teaching, listening, hoping and praying. The biggest one is love. Even when being awaken with a wet person next to you, even when the bugs somehow get out of the jar and escape into the house, even though the dog or cat got out again, even when there is marker on the wall and pretty pony hair on the floor, even then there is love. Mom's have the super capacity to love, no matter what and even when it's hard. What a blessing to be, or to have a Mom.
November 14, 2008
Happy Birthday Mom
Happy Happy Birthday to my Mom. Our top favorite things about her:
1. She bakes the best bread ever! She kept us going on bread and fruit in years when there wasn't much of anything else. We never felt deprived.
2. She's the hardest worker ever.
3. She believes in magic. She tells her grandchildren that the traffic lights are changed by magic and that electricity fairies run the lights in her house.
4. She's always looking for new and different ways to do something. Sometimes she has to re-invent the wheel, but it's always more interesting when she gets done.
5. She makes tuna sandwiches for her poor grandson when his mama won't even open the can. That's love.
6. She's weathered some real storms in life. Although she's gotten wet and battered, she's always serene in the aftermath.
7. She loves the Lord and teaches her children and grandchildren to do the same.
8. She can rock even the crankiest grand baby to sleep. It's the most amazing thing.
9. She's truly happy to help others when she can. It's never a burden, never a bother and always a joy.
10. She has an attitude of gratitude. I love that she's grateful for the small things even when all of the big things are going downhill fast.
Happy Birthday Mom. We love you.

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