What Happens When You Mess with Me

Painting Saturday morning

"Get in the car, Mommy. I'm driving and we're all packed for our trip to TT's."

“Please!!! I want it.”

“No.”

“But candy makes you big and strong.”

“No it doesn’t. It makes you big and fat.”

“I want to be big and fat. I want to NOW!”

Sam and the birthday girl

This blog post is likely to be a mess. This is one of those weeks where I have to decide once again what type of blog I want this to be.

Do I want to share the story of being the mom of two great kids who enlarge my heart everyday? (“Mommy, I love you as much as a train is long.”)

Do I want to use the blog to record the hilarious dialogue of an inquisitive 3-year-old? (“Mommy, what are those flags on that truck?” “Those are mud flaps. They keep the mud from flying up.” “Those ones are covered with skunk poop.”)

Real Little Men Eat Quiche (and help make it)

Do I want to use the blog to share with the world the transitions I’m going through as a choice mom doing it on my own? (I’d forgotten how really isolating those first few months with a newborn can be.)

Do I want to talk about the great lesson I learned this week about how my child’s peanut allergy, though scary and huge and real to me, is not really (and shouldn't be) a blip on the radar of other parents who have their hands full taking care of their own children? (Duh, Barb, though it seems YOUR life revolves around your children, the rest of the world has another center.)

Play-doh

Making Ornaments for next year's christmas tree

Life with children is messy and complicated and challenging, but every single day I navigate the mess and endure the treadmill of domestic chores (just a tip, if you put ricotta cheese in the microwave to heat it and plop it onto your child’s noodles to stop his i-must-have-cheese-induced meltdown before it escalates, cover the bowl) and try to block the incessant whining of an overtired 3-year-old who is still, I’m sure, adjusting to this “Baby Sister Thing.” And in the midst of all that messiness I frequently find moments of pure joy (“Mommy, I think there’s a spider on my leg. Can you do that spider on my leg thing?”) and incredible gratitude (“Mommy why are you mad at that guy?” “Because he is driving really, really slow down the middle of the road.” “It’s okay, Mommy. He can do that. He can.”). So this week I am so overwhelmed with how to tie together everything that is spinning in my brain that I am just sharing some pictures of the messes that Sammy and I made and cleaned up during this past weekend. After all, that’s what being the mother of a 3-year-old is all about… making and cleaning up messes.

Making some art for TT

Building shelving for the playroom

What Eva does while we're making messes

What happens when Sam doesn't nap at daycare