They have always gotten really good grades in school and have taken challenging courses - always.
I was never that smart in school.
I'm still not all that smart.
Anyways ... once, Chloe got a lower grade than she expected on a math test.
She says that she was very upset when she got the test back and she began to cry. She says that a friend (a boy) that sat near her in the math class asked her why she was so upset and she explained, "I got a C," tears streaming down her face.
The woman - what sounds like a soft, computer generated voice - says, "Do you have a - deer in your pool?"
My mind says, Well that's odd, but my mouth answers, "Why yes we do," in response to this survey question, because ... WE DID HAVE A DEER IN OUR POOL!
I say, "Who is this?" and my friend - we'll call her Fifi - says, "It's me, Fifi." I laugh out loud.
I explain that I found it strange that a survey company would be calling my house - asking this odd question - but, I could have sworn when I heard her voice that it sounded so smooth - so strangely computer-like. I told her I half expected her to continue by asking, "What do you plan on doing about that?" or some other question, in a very survey-like manner.
Oh ... there are a lot of DREADED words that a mother hates to hear.
I'm not talking about horrific things - don't want to think about horrific things.
I'm talking about those moments when a little one comes to you and says something that sends a bit of a chill up your spine.
Things like ...
"Mommy, there's something wrong with the toilet."
You know - DREADED words.
I've heard my share of DREADED words over the years and have compiled a mental list of the ones that rub me the most chilly.
I have tried to teach my children - over the years - those words that I am not fond of - those that make me a bit CRAZY. They still use all these words, but have gotten smart enough to know that they should say them really fast - like they are throwing them at me like a dart - and then run as quickly as they can out of the room.
I am walking through the kitchen towards the trash can.
I notice - sitting perfectly still - on the edge of the counter - near the pantry - a BUG!
I yell across the kitchen, "Little Billy - come get this bug."
He walks across the tile floor to where I am standing. He looks around and says, "Where - what bug?"
I point to the counter, "There - see it? Get it!"
He keeps his hands at his side, bends at the waist, cocks his head sideways, puts his face really close to the tiny creature and says, "What makes you think I want to get it?"
I step back a few steps - fearing the bug is going to lunge or flitter off the counter in my direction and say, "Because that's what boys do - they get the bugs."
I'm not the best mom and I'm not the worst mom. I'm somewhere in between. In between those moms that take their children lunches to school and eat with them at least once a week and those other moms that send their little ones to school with $1.75 in their pocket to purchase the tray of yummy school lunch food (while I've done this too).
Courtney and Chloe make their own lunches for school.
Courtney was quick to point out to me recently that this was not what "good mothers" do for their kids.
She went on and on about how the mother of a friend of hers would not only make her daughter special sandwiches with actual lettuce with the lunch meat - but often include sweet little notes in her specially decorated bags. Sometimes, this same mother will make an extra sandwich for anyone that forgets to bring their lunch (*loser mom throws head back and laughs hysterically - bahahahahahaha*).
She also told me of another mother that prepares these little snack bags (chips, juice box, cookies) and keeps them in her car to hand out to the beggars on the corners that hold up signs that they are homeless.
It's almost 10:30 p.m. and I walk by his room. I hear the TV and step inside. I look over at his bed and he shuts his eyes quickly - pretends he is asleep. I switch off the TV, walk over and give my sneaky boy a kiss on the forehead and leave his room.
The next evening, it is almost 10:30 p.m. and I walk by his room. I hear the TV and step inside the door. I stand in the doorway, put my hands on my hips and say, "I'm going to take this TV out of your room if I catch you watching it one more time."
He says, "Night Mom," and wraps his skinny arms around my neck and hugs me hard.
It is busy around our house at bedtime. There is much screaming from the Mommy of the house.
"Get up here!"
"Didn't I ask you to get in the shower?"
"I ran your bath - go get in it ... for heaven's sake!"
Recently, Alexis meandered into my bathroom, where I had run her a bath in my whirlpool tub - that is now officially her bathtub, by the way, as she is the only one that ever uses the thing. I hear her splashing around.
Little Billy came in from school and dropped his backpack by the front door. On his way to the kitchen I asked, "How was school today, Little Billy?"
He opened the door to the refrigerator, stood in front of it and said, "Horrible." I said, "Why?"
Then he said, "No - not really. It was great! It was exhilarating." And then he peeked his head into the refrigerator.
I looked over and could only see his back, as his body was behind the door and I said, "It was?" And laughed. "Do you know what exhilarating means?"
He peeked out from behind the refrigerator door, looked over at me, cracked a little smile and said, "Not really."
He grabbed the jug of milk and closed the refrigerator door and then said, "I used a big word on the bus today." He plunked the milk jug up on the counter. "So-and-so always feels the need to protect me - you know - because I'm small and all - he was saying something about how my parents wouldn't let me go to see SAW IV (which they WILL NOT, by the way!) because I'm too little and I said to him, 'Just because I'm little, doesn't mean I'm _______ (fill in blank with big word he supposedly used - but now can not remember - he thinks it might start with a P and means - 'not as small and useless as you think I am').
When I had my twins - 17 years ago - I think I was a pretty good mother.
I think I was like most new mothers, in that I did everything by the book. I kept them on a schedule, I burped them after each feeding, I gave them a bath nearly every single day, I put shoes and socks on their feet, I brushed their hair and put lovely pony-tails on the sides of their heads. I was a good mom.
The more kids I began to have, the farther and farther I began to stray from the "model mother" persona that I once resembled. Actually, it probably began to fade long before I actually gave birth to my son.
The beginning of the downward spiral was - oh ... probably after about the first year after my twins were born.
So ... that means - if am going to be honest - that I have been a less than "model mother" for at least 16 years - giving myself credit for being exceptional for merely one year!
Alexis is in my room, lying on the floor and playing with the calculator out of my purse.
She looks up at me and asks, "How old will you be when I'm 25?"
Too much math for me to actually figure out, so I just say, "Very old."
Without hesitating she says, "Maybe even dead."
*sigh*
Then she says, "How old is Granna, anyways? 91?" I say, "Noooo." "If she was 91, she couldn't even hear us. She'd say, 'Eh eh, eh-eh (*cups her hand to her ear*).'" She giggles.
It was a drizzly morning and I had just come out of the door of my daughter's school.
I stepped out into the rain and crossed the street.
Walking towards me, across the parking lot, was a man and a tiny little girl. He was holding her hand.
As they moved closer, I noticed her dark curly hair fluffed around her tiny face, peeking out the sides of her red hooded jacket. She didn't look old enough to walk.
Every week I publish two or three posts over on my mySA blog. I am thrilled to be one of the Mom Bloggers for mySA and appreciate the times you stop over to read my stories.
Today, I have a new post up called, I Can See You. It's a story about my Little Billy, if you'd like to go over and read it.
We've been on Spring Break this week and I've been taking a little break from blogging. I hope to be back more regular soon.
We're Almost Just Like Twins is a new post I have up over on my blog at mySA if you would like to stop over and read this story about my Alexis and my funny neice.
We are at the lake for Spring Break. It's warm and we're enjoying this glorious Texas weather. I'm hoping to take some great pictures of some relaxing time with the kids to post later in the week.
I Hope you've had a good weekend and have a great week.
Child ... Pull Me Quickly From This Dark Place is my new post up over at mySA.
Hope to see you over there.
And, if you have time, head over to On The Flipside to see my fabulous new look. Lindsay from SPLAT Designs created a beautiful new header to match the fabulous one I have here On The Upside. It's so cute and I just love it.
