Jul 20, 2018 | Sesame, Uncategorized, What's going on |
I had a doctor appointment today. She looked up from my papers and said, “You know, your blood pressure is a little high.”
I’m sure it is.
I started the day off by burning my arm on splatters of hot butter.
We got locked out of the house so I had to rip the bathroom screen and climb through the window. It was not a big window and I am not as small as I once was. Of course I had just taken a shower, done my hair and makeup and was wearing a dress. I gave the neighbors quite a show.
Last night I cleaned up ants crawling around the front seat of my car. I didn’t know they were also in the back until this morning when AB said ants were in her snack bag. I moved a few things in the back and saw dozens of ants running around. I have no idea how they got there but I need them gone. I had to do an emergency ant extermination.
I dropped papers off at an office in town and got delayed there so I got AB to the babysitter’s late. Because of that I got to the doctors late. Delays at the doctor meant I didn’t get in until over an hour past my appointment time.
I’m not surprised my blood pressure was a little high.
You know whose blood pressure is just fine? This sweet little ballerina.
She did three hours at a little ballet camp and suddenly she’s an expert on the art of dance. She was showing me a few things she learned and having me repeat them. “Oh no, Mama. That’s not the right way. THIS is the way. Do THIS with your foot. LIKE THIS, MOM.” Then she launched herself across the floor and slid into the refrigerator. She’s such a dainty little lady!
Jul 12, 2018 | Uncategorized, What's going on |
* I tried a new zumba yesterday. I haven’t been since we moved even though every single week I wrote “go to zumba” on my church bulletin. Every week I write my weekly goals on the bulletin and 9 out of 10 times I write the same things week after week. It’s not a very effective system. Anyhow. It’s at 9:15 class which I think is too early to be out of the house exercising but I finally did it. I’ve been to many a zumba class but never have I ever been to such a loud class. The ladies, and one man, were whopping and hollering like a gang of hyenas. I could barely hear the music. Back where I come from, there’s a small applause after each song and the occasional enthusiastic yell but nothing like this. I’ll go back but I’ll pack earplugs along with my water bottle.
Churches are much more vocal here too. People are frequently amening, that’s righting and every week the congregation claps at least once. I don’t enjoy clapping in church (clapping makes it seem too much like a performance) but I do a polite golf clap every so often. When in Rome!
* Sesame got her first haircut when we were at home. She was obviously thrilled.
So many people have asked me lately if I curl her hair. Yes! I wake us both up at 4am to put her hair in curlers every single morning. I hope we’ll be able to keep it up this rigorous schedule when she starts school.
* I hold myself to a high library fines standard. I always pay them off immediately and pride myself in never owing more than $2. Imagine my shock and horror when I was checking out at the library and the librarian said we couldn’t get any books because we had reached our fine limit. Excuse me? I have never reached my limit. I asked how much we owed and she said $27. TWENTY SEVEN DOLLARS. I was speechless and mortified. She must have me mixed up with someone else. I didn’t believe her so she printed out a receipt that was over four feet long. It was so long that when I folded it, it was too bulky to fit in my wallet. It took two librarians and a visit to a different library to get it all sorted out. I thought I had returned a HUGE pile of books on their due date but had actually returned them a few days late. Take it from me- late fees add up fast.
Actual footage of the library accountant seeing my money roll in.
* I went out to grill chicken the other night and found two frogs hanging out under the lid. Needless to say, I can never cook on that grill again. I asked Christopher the other day when frog season will be over and he said it’s not a season. They’re a permanent fixture. If you hear I’ve been arrested for illegal drug possession you can blame the frogs.
* I’m been discussing adoption and foster care with AB lately. She gave me a hug and said, “I would want you and Daddy to adopt me.”
May 19, 2018 | Uncategorized, What's going on |
Lately I’ve turned into a once a week blogger and it’s not how I like to operate. I’ve had nothing interesting to blog about but yesterday I added a new member to our family and that seems worth mentioning.
We got a llama.
Just kidding. It’s a fish but I wish it was a llama.
If was a very spur of the moment purchase. Generally, I wouldn’t suggest adopting something that requires care as a spur of the moment purchase but a fish is a fish. It doesn’t require potty training or make a mess painting. We’ve been wanting to get a new fish since our dearly beloved Millard T. Fillmore swam to his watery grave in December. For two years he survived multiple weeks of us going on vacation and not finding him a fish sitter. He survived half the bottle of fish food being poured on his head. He survived a little boy dropping a toy car into his tank. As soon as he heard we had to move he gave up on life. He died the night before he and Christopher were to begin the drive to our home.
(AB just licked the handle on the refrigerator door. I told her to wipe it off and she licked her hand and wiped the door. I meant with a towel, not an equally dirty hand.)
Yesterday we went to Target which took us three times longer than necessary because Annabelle stopped and talked to every mannequin. After that, we swung by the Hob Lob (Hobby Lobby) which happened to be near Pet Smart. We’d had a rough morning so I thought a fish would perk us up. When we bought Filmore AB was more interested in the dog toys than the fish so I choose him. Yesterday was a different story. She wanted to buy all the little decorations to put in the tank. She wanted a castle bigger than the bowl we were getting. When it came to choosing a fish, she said, “Oh, hi little guy! You’re so cuuuuuuute!” to them all. She wanted a goldfish. She wanted a neon fish. She thought we should get a cat bed even though we don’t have a cat. We finally settled on a red fish.
I’d like to introduce Benjamin “Little Blue” Harrison. He has the tiniest blue spot near his tail but Sesame zeroed in on it and wanted it included in his name.
He survived his first night in his new home swimmingly.
As for the rest of today, I’m in full preparation mode for the royal wedding in the morning. I will be watching alone but that does not dampen my enthusiasm. Lemon muffins in honor of their lemon lavender cake will be made. My crown will be polished and ready. I am 1000% ready to see my favorite royal, Princess Charlotte, walk down the aisle. For someone who has a history of only being partially on the Meghan & Harry train, I am fully onboard for this day of festivities. Good times are about to be had and I am here for it all.
Real life update- Annabelle just asked me to “make my jeans into paper.”
My actual life is not as glamorous as my imaginary Princess Sarah life.
May 8, 2018 | Uncategorized, What's going on |
For most weekends since we moved here we’ve stayed home and done things around the house. This Saturday we went to a strawberry farm for their family day. The event planner (Christopher) said it was a local farm. It was actually nearly an hour away which didn’t please the smallest member of the family. “Are we there yet? Can I have a snack? Can you turn on my story? How much longer? Are we almost there?” For someone who has traveled thousands of miles in a car she did not handle the 47 minute drive well.
It was so far out we expected it to be a rinky-dink place but it was surprisingly well kept and pretty. The gift shop had desserts, jams, decor, toys and crickets. FLAVORED CRICKETS.
I was horrified. I thought it must be a joke, like chocolate “reindeer droppings” at Christmas. I turned it over and the ingredients said crickets, salt… Spelling it crick-ettes doesn’t make them any less gross.
Moving on to more normal people things, we took a tractor ride around the farm. Seeing wild alligators at a strawberry farm was a new sight as well. The lady giving the tour was tossing bread but I think she should have been feeding them sour cream and onion crickets. They need to be destroyed.
We saw a pig race, played on the playground and meet a pig named Barbeque.
We could have played in the sandbox at home and saved ourselves seven dollars.
All in all it was a lovely, albeit scorching hot, day. We left with strawberries, sunburns and not one bacon and cheese crick-ette.
Apr 25, 2018 | Uncategorized, What's going on |
You may not have heard, but a new baby boy was born into the royal family this week. Of course, I don’t care about such things but I know some people do.
KIDDING.
I walked around Walmart with my phone propped up in my purse so I could see the live stream and not miss the baby’s debut in front of the hospital. If I had the same level of dedication to exercise that I have to this family I’d be a supermodel in less than two weeks.
Kate wasn’t the only one to have a baby that day. Annabelle went into Walmart intending to buy a veterinary kit (or as she says, “a doctor for animals who are sick who need a doctor because they broke a nose or something so they need to see the doctor kit”) but she got a doll instead. An adoption happened right there in aisle 11. It was very touching. She and the baby have been inseparable since. She has four other dolls she plays with occasionally but had nothing like her attachment to this baby. It could be that I pushed the other babies too much or maybe it’s just the age she’s at, but either way, it’s so sweet to see her care for the baby.
There was a brief period of time where the baby was called both Ruthie and Paige, but even Kate Middleton hasn’t released the name of her baby yet so the delay in naming was keeping with the theme of the day. The name officially decided on is Paige Aige.
She went on a field trip to the aquarium with us yesterday. Annabelle didn’t show her the frogs because she knows I hate them.
All this talk of new babies got me thinking about when I had Sesame. Kate looks like a glowing angel sent down from heaven. Prince Squishy Cheeks is bundled to perfection. She looks as if she was on her way to an event at Royal Albert Hall and she happened to pick up a baby along the way.
This was me a few hours after the worse hours of my life I had Annabelle. I have never looked worse. My face is puffy, I had been crying for hours and all I wanted was more pain medicine. There was nothing angelic or heavenly about it.
 |
| Apparently, I’ve lost all self-respect. I swore no one would ever see this picture. |
I know Kate had a team of people to help her get ready and look glamorous but I’m sure she wanted nothing more than to be wearing sweatpants and slippers instead of parading her child in front of the world. I felt so bad that she didn’t get to lie down for hours on end. She may have looked saintly but I know under that pretty red dress she was wearing mesh underwear and a pad the size of New Mexico. Motherhood is the great equalizer.
Apr 21, 2018 | Sesame, Uncategorized, What's going on |
I’m coming to you live from my couch. I normally blog from my couch so this is nothing new, but the point is I’m not in Houston at Barbara Bush’s funeral. I discussed attending it but you know, I have a child and no babysitter. Little details like that. I am wearing my pearls in her honor. I’ve received no less than 5 calls and texts of people expressing their sympathy. My love of Barbara was widely known and I wish her family the best.
I may have mentioned it once or seventy-three million times before, but my sweet child never.stops.talking. She came up from under water at swimming lessons and started talking before her head was fully out of the water.
I don’t know who she gets it from.
Actually, I do. Her father is the same way.
Every day we have a version of this conversation.
“Mama, can I habe a snack?”
“Sure. What do you want?”
“Anything you can find is good.”
“Raisins?”
“No.”
“Apples and peanut butter?”
“Nope.”
“Cheese stick?”
“Hhmmm. I don’t think so.”
“What do you want???”
“Do you have anything else?”
“Whale crackers?”
“No.”
We skipped right over the terrible two stage of crying at every little thing but it’s hit us full force in the last few weeks. Sesame cried because the electricity went out. She cried because the clothes she made dirty were being washed. She cried when the water was going down the drain. She cried because I said she was too big for something. “I’m still a widdle kiiiiiiiiiid.” It’s been a real joy.
Wednesday I took her to the doctor for what seems like the 80th time since we moved here. I actually apologized to the doctor for taking up more of his time. They put us in the Frozen room and I got very excited and said they must know she loves Frozen. She said, “I doubt it. They didn’t ask me if I like Frozen so I think they just wanted to put me here because it was open.” The magic of these things is supposed to last for years!
Playing school has become a very close second to playing birthday party. We still play birthday party every single day (imagine the excitement of realizing the Beanie Baby’s birthday is April 16th ON April 16th!) but school has started to take over. We had to take 7 of her students to get the mail the other day. AB gave up halfway to the mailbox and sat down on the grass. I kept walking with the other friends. When the man removing the pile of branches from the yard waved at us, I waved back with Polar Bear’s arm. Nothing to see here! Just a grown woman walking around her yard holding stuffed animals.
At least she still wants to wear matching clothes. I’ll make her do this until we’re both old and gray.
