I might just have a couple champion bowlers on my hands.
Until recently, I avoided taking my girls out in public as much as possible. Too stressful. Too scary. Too many factors outside my control. What if they ran off in a parking lot and got run over? Or kidnapped? What if they wander off in a crowded store? What if we get in a car accident? Or, most likely, what if they have a monster meltdown on the floor of a…wait for it…nasty public bathroom? Ew. I forgot about those. Babies R’ Us, a place that’s supposed to cater to the family types quite possibly has the worst restrooms, and don’t get me started on the “nursing” rooms, that seem perpetually covered in trash and poopy diapers.
Ok, so enough about the dangers of leaving …
The magic of this moment couldn’t possibly be captured by camera. Still, I’m glad to have it.
I can still remember the way she looked on my chest. Wet from the womb, her eyes wild and her chin, strong and angular, jutted out at me as if in an immediate assertion of dominance. She’s always been strong. Strong minded, strong willed. So strong, in fact, that she left a large, deep bruise on my left breast after a faulty first latch, such a painful encounter was our first as mother and daughter. “Good luck feeding that barracuda,” the nurse joked. How right she was. I gave up nursing after three weeks. Cracked nipples and scorching thrush meant that each feeding session was excruciating. I’ve always felt guilty about giving up on her, and perhaps I …
A grainy cell phone picture captured a piece of this memory.
My ears throb. My throat aches. My head swims. A sinus and ear infection has rendered momma weak. I flop onto the couch. Dressed in a t-shirt, my husband’s mesh shorts, and an oversize lavender fleece robe, I am a picture of motherly frump. I feel tired. And while my sweet husband cooks a hearty breakfast and brings me a hot cup of coffee (fixed just how I like it), I can’t help but pout a little. I have so much to get done this weekend. Laundry, oh, the laundry. And mopping and scrubbing and well, more laundry. And there are fun things, too, like a friend’s bachelorette party.
But right now, I just sit. Head leaned back into our soft, paisley-pattern couch, legs relaxed, arms …
Our friends at Chungaboo (an innovative, family-owned and oriented publishing company that creates highly interactive, educational content), are so excited about their new eBook, The Well, that they’re generously giving three Mom on the Range readers a set of three e-books (Teya Toucan & Youcan Too!, The Color Door, and The Well). These books are not only beautiful, but educational and interactive. The best of all worlds. Here’s a little about each book:
Teya Toucan & Youcan Too!
Teya Toucan is a beautifully animated ABC rhyming story that combines an animal adventure with the excitement of learning how to read. This interactive story will leap from the pages and touch your heart. Perfect for children ages 5-10, yet simple enough for toddlers to comprehend, enhanced content throughout the book will challenge kids as they learn …
I am SO in love with these sweet sisters. My children. My heart.
There are times when things settle down, when the crying subsides, when the whining takes a break, and I can simply enjoy the presence of my children. We’re entering an “easier” season of parenthood, sure to be followed by a hard one. But I don’t want to worry about that. I just want to enjoy. Things are still crazy, still hectic, still messy, but either it’s getting better, or I’ve just adjusted my outlook and am better able to cope. Either way, it’s a blessing.
Daily, sometimes hourly tantrums have gone to weekly. Constant monitoring has gone to frequent sideways glances (as I hear a bowl of dry Cheerios spill in the next room). Things aren’t easy, but they’re easier. I’m only getting …
(image from celluloidheroreviews.com) No wonder his parents gave in to his request. Look at that face! Too bad my kid has a cute face, too.
“I want a Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air rifle. Oooooooh!”
Now, instead of a round-faced spectacled young boy, picture a curly-haired, green-eyed young girl saying:
“I want a Cinderella dress that lights up with a Cinderella ring and a Cinderella salon. Oooooooh!”
With Ralphie-like enthusiasm, my preschooler knows what she wants for Christmas. Over and over and over again, when asked by aunts, grandparents and friends, this has been her response. It wasn’t always this answer, though. First, it was “sparkly pink light-up shoes.” So, we got her some. They’re waiting anxiously in my closet, ready to be opened Christmas morning. But will she have an enthusiastic response? Or …