A Messy, Fun Fourth

How was my 4th of July, you ask?  This photograph, ladies and gentlemen, will answer that question:  

Filled with messes, and therefore, filled with fun!

If you read my 4th of July post, you recognize this shirt, only then it was in a much cleaner state.  I took the picture above earlier today just before throwing my daughter's shirt in the washing machine.  

The picture doesn't quite do the real thing justice.  

It was completely covered in who-knows-what from top to bottom.  I tried to figure out what a couple of the stains were but gave up after retracing her steps from the day.

Some of the places she may have acquired her 4th of July stains included...

• A breakfast of drippy yogurt and juicy blueberries and raspberries
• Half-frozen Popsicles and endless sticky candy that she gathered at the parade
• Sunscreen we slathered on her as she watched her cousins play in a 3-on-3 tournament
• BBQ meatballs or chip dip she snacked on before jumping in her aunt and uncle's pool
• Baked beans she scarfed down or the ketchup and mustard she licked off her hot dog at dinner
• Any of the 4 brownies she ate for dessert
• The Capri Sun she sipped on doing sparklers and watching fireworks before she finally collapsed in bed around 11:00pm

A day filled with food, family and fun...and lots of reasons to be messy!  

When "Clean" Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be

I remember a time when I was a relatively new mom and I tried to keep my son "clean."  His clothes.  His hands.  His car seat.  And then I realized that I could spend every waking minute of every day trying to keep him clean, and I would be doing just that: trying.  Getting him clean was one thing.  Keeping him clean for more than 7 minutes was an entirely different thing.  

It would never ever happen.  Ever.  

It was then I figured out that I could spend my time trying to achieve the impossible, and drive myself completely crazy and miss out on enjoying all the fun moments that come with the mess, all the while preventing my son from actually having any real kid fun or just simply being a kid.  Or I could not worry so much about the mess and instead focus on the fun that usually came during the creation of the mess.

This has become the mantra around our house:  "If you're messy, it means you're having fun."  

This is for me as much as it is for my kids.  It always makes them laugh when we say it, and when I hear their giggles, it helps put the mess in perspective for me.  So far, every mess we've encountered has been able to be cleaned up.  Sometimes it takes a little elbow grease or a few more cycles through the washing machine, but in the long run, the fun had making the mess was well worth it.

This shirt and our 4th of July fun yesterday were no exception.  

I know there will come a day when my daughter has a fun-filled 4th of July, and the only way I'll have any proof of it will be through the stories she tells me and the memories I have of the day.  There will be no messes left behind on her 4th of July shirt.  

I fear that day will come all too soon, so for now, I'll take a shirt covered with food, sunscreen and whatever else she got into, and treasure it for just a few extra minutes before I throw it in the washing machine.  For the second time.

Don't worry.  Messy kids are usually happy kids, and that means You Are a Good Mom.  

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A Very Independent 4th of July

Dear T-shirt Designer at Crazy 8,

I don't know exactly when or how, but obviously you have met my daughter.  Or observed my daughter.  Or heard my daughter telling me she can do basically everything "by myself!" across a crowded store somewhere.  That is the only way you would have known to design this T-shirt just for her.  

I am a sucker for holiday wear for my kids, no matter the holiday, and 4th of July is no exception.    I love checking out all the cute, fun 4th of July shirts, shorts and dresses that come out every year.  Nothing is off limits.  Department stores, kids clothing stores, and yes, even while grocery shopping, I have been known to take a detour to the seasonal section just to see what red, white and blue clothing they may have recently unveiled.  

But I have to say, when I came across this one, I knew there was no more window shopping to be done.  This was it.  This was the one.  This completely sums up my very independent daughter.  

So, T-shirt Designer at Crazy 8, thank you for designing a 4th of July shirt just for my kid.  If you've got a minute, I'd love to put in a word for a Christmas design for my son...

Greatly appreciated,
Me

Maybe She's Not the Only One...
When I found this shirt, there were only 2 left in the stack.  I actually had to have the clerk at the store I was at call another store and put a shirt on hold there in my daughter's size.  This got me to thinking there must be other Moms and Dads and Grandmas and Grandpas who thought the exact same thing I did when I saw this shirt:  "I know a very independent young lady who needs this shirt."

And for that, I am very thankful.  

I am very thankful to live in a country where both my son and my daughter can be very independent.  Where they can speak their minds.  Where they will be able to pursue whatever dreams they have.  Where they will have great opportunities.  

I am very thankful for the men and women who have served this country; the men and women who have defended this country; the men and women who have sacrificed for this country, so my children can enjoy the freedoms they do today, and have the chance to be very independent.

I am very thankful for all of those who have come before me and taken a risk to be very independent.  Those who have fought for what was right and what was fair and what was just, even though it may have meant putting themselves in extreme danger or simply going against the "norm" at that time.

I am very thankful to celebrate all that makes this country great with my family and friends today.  

Especially with my very independent little girl and her big brother.

Whether your day was filled with fireworks or parades or swimming or a cookout or baseball games or maybe just some well-deserved relaxation time, You Are a Good Mom.  

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TSW?T: Feeling the Love

They Said What? Tuesday:  Volume 10

Does this still count as a They Said What? Tuesday if I intended to finish it and post it on a Tuesday, but now it is Wednesday?  I sure hope so.  I would hate to rip a hole in the time-space-blog continuum or something.  

I really did mean to get this finished and posted on Tuesday, but I only just got back home about 2 hours ago, and those 2 hours have been full of unpacking the van and starting on the mountain of laundry and trying to figure out which items got shoved in which bags in an effort to just get everything packed up and back home.

Why you ask?  Vacation!  What better answer could there be?  

This is also the answer to the question "Why have you not posted any new blog entries in two weeks?"  Nothing exciting like "I was selected to represent the U.S. on an elite team of underground spies and had to adopt a new identity" or anything.  Just vacation.  

So for those of you who have been wondering, fear not.  I am indeed alive and well, and did indeed survive vacation to blog again.  Surviving the mountain of laundry?  That has yet to be determined.  

My 3-year-old daughter...
"I like you, Mom.  Mom, I love you.  I love you so much I make you happy in your heart."
...what she said to me as she was waking up one morning at the cottage after crawling in bed with me at some point in the night.  I cannot think of a better way to wake up than to that exact sentiment.

My now 5-year-old son...
"I love my sister."
...while they were both laying on the floor playing Mr. Potato Head.  Completely unprompted. Completely out of the blue.  

"Jesus loves kids even more than the grown ups love kids.  Like grown ups love kids to the moon and back 11 times and Jesus loves kids to the moon and back 60 hundred ninety times."
...that is definitely a precise measurement right there.  I think it may also an alternate verse from "Jesus Loves Me" 

Me...
As much as I hate to admit it, yes, I do have my own quote for this week, which occurred earlier today.

"Where's Morgan?"
...said in a somewhat panicked voice as I looked around to make sure she wasn't trying to run across the street or away from our group.  It took me a good 10-15 seconds to realize she was, indeed, sitting on my shoulders and I was holding her legs with my hands.  

There you have it, folks.  That pretty much sums up my "mom brain" after almost two weeks of vacation at the beach, along with throwing two birthday parties and attending and celebrating my husband's graduation with his Master's degree.  

Life is busy.  Life is good.  I can't imagine it any other way.  

No matter what they say, You Are a Good Mom.

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TSW?T: A Week Full of Pants

They Said What? Tuesday:  Volume 9

My 3-year-old daughter...
"Ouch!  Ouch!  These pants are ferocious!"
...as her feet were getting stuck in the bottom of her leggings, while she was wrestling against me trying to put them on.  Who knew pants could be ferocious.  Maybe 'ferocious' is the new 'fierce'?

"I want a muffin English, please."
...her breakfast request

"Do you have a chicken nugget in your pants?"
...totally unprompted.  Your guess is as good as mine.  The only information I can provide you is she was sitting at the kitchen counter and I was standing across from her.  There was a chicken nugget on her plate and I was, indeed, wearing pants.  That's all I got.

"I want another undersea dog!"
...her request for another underdog at the playground while swinging.  A little too much Little Mermaid on Disney radio, I think..."Under the Sea...Under the Sea..."

My almost 5-year-old son...
"My foot is almost 5 years old."
...explaining why he needed new sandals this summer.  And while I have never thought of individual body parts being a certain number of years old, I suppose he is correct.  Those feet of his are indeed almost 5 years old.

Me:  "Do you like your new haircut?"
P (while looking in the mirror):  "Yes!!  I don't even look like myself!"
Me:  "Who do you look like?"
P:  "Like a boy with short hair!"
...our discussion after he got his first hair cut of the summer.  This is the shortest it's ever been for him!

"Do you have to wear underpants when you're a grown up?"
...ladies and gentlemen, I will defer to you to answer that one for yourself, based on personal preference

P:  "Mom, why are eating by your husband?"
Me:  "Because I love him."
P:  "Oh.  I'm eating by my sister because I love her."
...our conversation at dinner.  And then my heart melted just like the butter on my garlic bread.

No matter what they say, You Are a Good Mom.

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Why We Love Dads

Dads do so much; for our kids, for our families, for us.  We love them them beyond words and beyond measure.  Here are just some of the reasons why we love them!  (and a little change to the blog title just for them on their big day!)

Dads fix things.  Like bikes and remote control cars and broken hearts.

Dads build things.  Like Lego towers and cabinets in the garage and self confidence on that very first bike ride without training wheels.

Dads listen. 

Dads worry. 

Dads pray.

Dads open things.  Like really tight pickle jars and car doors that have frozen shut and minds to all the amazing things to be curious about on a walk through the woods.  

Dads lift heavy things.  Like boxes and furniture and sleeping toddlers from the car to their beds.

Dads guide. 

Dads inspire. 

Dads encourage.

Dads watch things.   Like The Golf Channel and hours of youth soccer and purses while Moms are shopping.

Dads balance things.  Like work time and family time and checkbooks.

Dads laugh.  

Dads tickle.  

Dads wrestle.

Dads change things.  Like light bulbs and flat tires and temper tantrums into giggle fests.

Dads grill things.  Like hot dogs and hamburgers and potential boyfriends of their daughters.

Dads love.  

Dads love.  

Dads love.

Dads do all these things, and so much more.  I could never capture them all in a simple list.*  

Today is a day we celebrate Dads.  We celebrate them for all they do.  We celebrate them for who they are.  We celebrate them for how they love and care for their kids.  

You Are a Good Mom, and be sure to tell a Dad he's a good Dad today, too.  Along with wishing him a "Happy Father's Day," thank him for something incredible he does as a Dad.  

*I'm sure there is so much more!  What are the amazing things that your Dad does for you?  That your kids' Dad does for them?  That any amazing Dad you know does?  Add a comment below to keep this list growing!

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Sugar Packets and Chicken Tetrazzini

Sugar Packets, Anyone?
[Disclaimer:  For this story to make sense, you need to have this information.  On my mom's side of the family, I am the oldest cousin.  There.  I said it.  OLDEST.  My youngest cousin is 9-years-old.  I'm not going to tell you how big of an age gap that creates, but it spans upwards of two decades.]

Any time my cousin can join us for any type of adventure, or even just coming over to play at our house, it is a very good day.  My kids absolutely adore her (as do I) and any fighting or bickering between brother and sister instantly evaporates the second she walks in.  She is creative and funny and loving and patient and all-around incredible.

She is also a big part of an "everyday" kind of moment that became "extraordinary" before my very eyes.     

A couple of weeks ago, my cousin joined us for a grand adventure to the Children's Museum.  How do you follow such an outing?  Well, by going out to lunch, of course.  So out to lunch we went.   

I ordered our food, then got the 3 kids settled at a table while I ventured off to gather silverware and drinks.  (This whole process was made entirely possible by having an awesome 9-year-old there.  Had she not been there, I'd have been trudging my kids all over to get drinks, napkins...no, wait right there.  Had she not been there, I would have zipped them through a drive-thru on our way home!)  After getting everyone's drinks, utensils and a huge pile of napkins, I headed back to the table to wait for our food to be delivered.  I started to lay everything out on the table and was listening in on the conversation at hand.

"And then you can take one sugar packet or the whole row.  You get to pick.  But if you take the last one, then you lose."

I instantly knew what my cousin was talking about.  I didn't have to see what she was doing or ask any further questions.  I knew.  I knew in my head.  I knew in my heart.

I looked at the table, and sure enough, she had sugar packets laid neatly in rows of diminishing lengths between her and my almost five-year-old son.

She was patiently teaching him a game my grandpa had taught me many, many years ago, when I was about my son's age.  It was one of many classic restaurant games my grandpa had taught me over the years.  It ranks right up there with York Peppermint "suckers" on toothpicks, too.

I think my granpda has taught that game to every single one of his nine grandkids, and played countless matches to keep the peace and pass many, many minutes of waiting for food over the years.  

It's hard to find the words, but to see my cousin teaching it to my son was amazing.  Amazing to see part of my own childhood being passed on to my son.  Amazing that despite our age gap, my 9-year-old cousin and I have this piece of shared history, of common experience.  Amazing that certain things pass the test of time, and will continue to be shared and passed on to generation after generation.

I'd Know That Tetrazzini Anywhere
My grandma on my dad's side of the family made hands-down the best chicken tetrazzini of all time.  

Of.  All.  Time.  

I am not exaggerating or elaborating here.  This is just a fact.  There is something about it that was just delicious.  The noodles.  The mushrooms.  The chicken.  The sauce...oh, the sauce!  I am getting hungry just thinking about it now.

I know some people a lot of "food memories" from their childhoods.  I am not one of those people.  

My grandma's chicken tetrazzini, however, is the exception to the rule for me.

The funny thing is, I had no idea that I actually had even a single "food memory" from my childhood until I got married.

From one of my bridal showers, I had received lots of recipe cards in an adorable little recipe box as a gift.  Cooking is neither a passion nor a talent of mine, so I clearly remember hauling that box of recipe cards out like it was a lifeline when I was a newlywed.  (Wait, what?  We're supposed to eat?  Like real food and real meals?)  

As I flipped through the cards one week, I came across a recipe for chicken tetrazzini, scribed in my aunt's unmistakable handwriting.  I pulled it out, thinking "Hmm, that sounds good.  Even better, I actually know what all the ingredients are on this very short ingredient list.  Sold."  I added the necessary items to my grocery shopping list, and was off to Meijer.

I will spare you the details of actually making this meal, but when I sat down to dinner with my husband and took my first bite of chicken tetrazzini, I was in shock.  It was like I traveled back in time 20 years and was sitting at her dining room table.  I could picture the white dish she used to serve it in.  I could picture the chandelier over the black dining room table.  I could picture my sister, my dad and my grandpa sitting around the table as she carried the meal in from the kitchen.  (Not the rolls, mind you.  Never the rolls.  Those were always forgotten...another cherished family story!)    

Needless to say, this had nothing to do with my cooking.  I simply carried out the steps written on the card by my aunt.  But by sharing this recipe, my aunt has re-shared with me part of my childhood I didn't know I had forgotten.  This dish has taken me there in an instant.  It was a gift she had given me, passed down from her mom to her and from her, thankfully, to me.  

Generation to generation to generation.

My grandmother passed away when I was 11 years old.  That was not nearly enough time with her, but I am thankful for those 11 years.  I am thankful for all she shared with me...her kindness, her compassion, her humor, her wisdom, and her amazing chicken tetrazzini.  I will forever think of her every single time I make it.

When the Everyday Becomes the Extraordinary
I feel beyond blessed to have these precious moments, these pieces of everyday life, to serve as reminders of those who have come before me.  I am so very thankful to be part of incredible families that have generational ties and connections.  I consider it a privilege to have been given memories and experiences and stories from my grandparents, great aunts and great uncles; from my parents, aunts and uncles.  It will be my honor to continue to pass these things on to my own children, and someday grandchildren, and to add our own new memories and experiences and stories to the mix, too.

It doesn't have to be anything special or anything grand.

It is shared with family, and then re-shared and re-shared and re-lived and re-lived countless times.

The everyday becomes the extraordinary.

Sugar Packets and Chicken Tetrazzini.

You Are a Good Mom, and just as there were Good Moms before you, there will be Good Moms after you.   What have you received?  What are you passing on?  When life and love and laughter are passed from generation to generation, extraordinary things happen.

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TSW?T: Farts and Orphaned Caterpillars

They Said What? Tuesday:  Volume 8

My 3-year-old daughter...
"Morgan's lovey fart?"
...her very puzzled reaction after my prayer of being thankful for "Morgan's loving heart."  I don't know if she was surprised by the fact that I said 'fart' or the fact that I was thankful for it.

My almost 5-year-old son...
"Your bedroom just hits the spot.  Your bedroom is where I should be because it feels just fine."
...his argument for why he should be in my room instead of his room at bedtime 

"Goodbye little caterpillar!  I hope you find your Mom! I love you!"
...the emotional goodbye to the caterpillar we had been checking out for a grand total of 2 minutes on our walk

"We did not take a nap and we still have a good attitude.  Isn't this a funny day?"
...if by 'funny' you mean completely out of character and only true for the 3 minutes before that sentence came out of your mouth, then yes, yes it is.  The funniest day ever.

No matter what they say, You Are a Good Mom.

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