The shape of our love

My daughter set her alarm for early this morning to make me breakfast in bed and rub my feet.

I was especially touched when I realized she placed the fruit around the waffle like I do. School mornings are so hectic in our house, but on my best days and only occasionally I’ll decorate her waffle with a fruit and marshmallow smiley face.

I take those extra breakfast steps even as I’m racing around packing water bottles and snacks, and shoving school tablets in backpacks. While I’m yelling at the kids to hurry up and stop fighting and get your shoes.

Particularly when she was younger, I’d sometimes give her a nighttime massage with lavender essential oil and classical music playing.

I’d give her a relaxing massage even as I needed one myself and was so tired.

Sometimes it feels like the love and care we give our kids goes into a thankless bottomless hole and is lost forever.

But it’s not lost. They hold that love and care in their hearts and memorize the shape and feel of it and the fuzzy texture. And then they give that love and care back out to the world.

Like mallows for cocoa

This morning my daughter asked for hot cocoa. And of course she wanted marshmallows in it, but we have none.

So she suggested all these other toppings and I said no. Cuz good mom. Or something.

I showed her this s’mores trail mix (https://howl.me/cjM1Rb8SWTR) I have that has little marshmallows in it and offered to pull out the mallows for her.

She was not interested. Then she suggested strawberry syrup. At first I said no, but then I was like why am I saying no? Because her creativity is outside my “norm”? Isn’t that what I want for her? Isn’t that how I’ve always lived myself?

Go ahead, Baby, I told her.

And guess what? It was delicious. 🍓🍫

Youth and aging

I love this picture of Kate Winslet and her 22-year-old daughter Mia Threapleton when they both won a BAFTA award for acting together.

I love it because Mia is Kate’s age when Kate starred in Titanic.

But Kate is aging beautifully and letting her daughter have her turn at being the young starlet.

That lovely (but not 22 year old!) skin and those tiny eye wrinkles enabling Kate’s emotion to shine through.

How glorious are youth and aging, and embracing all the stages life gifts us?

Change your purse

Look here, bitch.

And I’m talking mostly to myself but also maybe to you.

Your purse is gross. Your lipglosses and lotion opened up and are getting all over everything. Remember that granola bar you gave your kid half of and put the other half in your purse “for later”? Yeah, bad idea. If you are using your purse as a bird feeder, you’re fine. If not, yuck. There’s a whole ass layer of crumbs at the bottom.

Are those actual kid socks balled up in there? I thought so.

Look here, bitch. You haven’t changed your purse out in at least a year.

That one is definitely fall and winter colors.

Gurlllll what about that cute bright one?

It’s spring, bitch. I mean really.

I say this with love, but also conviction.

Change👏 your👏 purse👏!

Save your drape

I remember going to gyno checkups once upon a time covering up all the parts.

These days, I scoff at the gown and the little privacy drape.

Let’s not pretend when I birthed my two children years ago there wasn’t a trio up to their elbows in my vagina, and another half-dozen bystanders.

When my almost 12-year-old son was born, the doctor asked if some students could watch the birth. In my laboring haze, I asked if they were high school students. They were of course medical students. But if they were high school students, I probably still would have let them in TBH. The dignity was that far out the 4th floor hospital window.

And then of course when you nurse, those boobs are out and about all over town more than a young vixen at her bachelorette party.

Save your drape. Let’s just git er done. I promise, I won’t try to escape.

Candy

If my husband is reading this STOP RIGHT NOW, Babe.

He gets really mad about me stealing candy from our kids. But these are their trick-or-treat pumpkins they fill up all year with Halloween candy, and then Christmas candy and Easter candy and class parties and candy from piñatas at birthday parties, etc. etc.

There were actually extra bags of candy I condensed into the pumpkins.

There’s probably 3-year-old candy up in there. Minimum.

I grabbed a gallon-sized baggie this morning and I filled it up to replenish my office stash.

I gave these kids life, and I can take away their candy too. Into my mouth.

Mother’s Day bling

My daughter made me this beautiful card at school that says I’m her superhero because I’m kind and taught her to be kind, and my son made me these paper cranes that spell out “Happy Mother’s Day”. It’s crazy, guys, I didn’t know you could make gorgeous diamonds out of construction paper, but here we are. 😭🥰

Forgetful Fairy

The Tooth Fairy whiffed again last night.

These teeth just won’t stop falling out. I can’t believe my daughter has any left to chew with.

We have forgotten to put money under her pillow several times before, but always run in with a couple of dollars and shove them in the pillow case in the morning like “Look! You missed it!”

This morning, she was up early and asking the damn smart speaker why the Tooth Fairy forgets to pick up a tooth, and is it because kids are naughty.

No, Baby. It’s just because Mommy and Daddy are busy, tired and forgetful.

You are the best, though. The best little toothless child. And the Tooth Fairy will be making a belated visit tonight, perhaps with a couple extra bucks in hand. 🧚‍♀️

One Less

I was heartbroken when my son told me kids at school are using “gay” as an insult again like we used to. In the same conversation, he told me a classmate of his had come out as gay.

“I’m bummed kids are using gay as an insult again,” I told him.

“I’m not saying it,” he said.

That’s one less. I’m so proud of him. Now we just need so many more one lesses.

Damn allergies

I wish nothing but the best for the woman at my son’s track meet who was standing in front of my seat when I cleared my throat, but not to tell her to get out of the way. Just because of damn spring allergies.

But she said “Oh, sorry” and scooted aside.

Then I had to explain my throat clearing had nothing to do with her.

We chatted because I wanted to prove I was nice and really didn’t mean the throat clearing, and I found out she’d just moved to the area and this was her son’s first track meet.

So, I introduced her to a friend of mine who walked up.

Soon the friend and I were talking about pelvic floor issues and weights for Kegels.

That woman kept her eyes on the track.

Anyway, I hope she stays blessed.