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Life Lessons

Toddlers and Restaurants

Monday, July 11, 2011 By Sherra

We ate dinner out and watched a couple with tiny girl twins.

One was having a colossal meltdown.

Maybe it was the 10:00 p.m. dinner hour?

Perhaps they didn’t want to be at TGI Friday’s at 10:00 p.m.

Whatever the back story (and I’m not judging if you like to keep your kids up late because we did but mostly at home), one twin was very, very unhappy.

Round 1

Mom dashed off to the parking lot and returned with a bag that we hoped held a magic sippy cup or favorite toy.

Dad held the screaming, bawling twin.

The silverware was up on a ledge safe from little grabby hands.

The food arrived.

Mom got up from the booth.

Dad unwrapped his silverware.

Why does Dad always get to eat first?

Mom walked down the aisle of the restaurant.

That’s when I spied an impish tiny twin heading to the bar.

Mom followed close behind.

I wanted to tell them…

OH NO!

Don’t cave in and make that giant mistake.

NEVER let them walk in the restaurant.

The clear choices are:

  1. I can hold you
  2. You can stay in the high chair
  3. We can go to the car

There is never a choice of let’s walk around the restaurant and I’ll chase you.

Not only is it annoying for other patrons who may have paid a babysitter or actually lived through the early parenting years and were actually enjoying a child-free dinner – it really is a DANGER ZONE.

She was barely 2 feet tall. This means she’s hard to spot with a bustling wait staff carrying hot food.

Round 2

Dad is now following the 2 foot tiny twin around the restaurant.

Awesome blocking moves with his legs while he carries the other twin.

So Mom can eat her cold dinner.

The kid’s face says it all,

“V-I-C-T-O-R-Y. I am the winner of screaming the loudest and ruling the family.”

We laughed remembering the days when one of us had to step out with one of the three tiny Humpfreeze kids.

We patted each other on the back knowing we did not ever let them loose in a restaurant.

Really, we didn’t.

It just was not an option.

The Mom looked frazzled.

The Dad looked tired as he leaned on the corner of the booth behind us.

I remembered kind words that strangers spoke way back then.

I felt it was my turn to return the favor.

I said, “You’re going to make it. Our tiny twin girls just turned 20 last week.”

The Dad smiled.

As the Dad turned and walked away to catch the loose twin, PhilBillPaul whispered to me…

“Should I tell him that this is the easiest it will ever be?”

Filed Under: Finding the Funny, Food, Life Lessons

It Will All Work Out Momma

Monday, June 13, 2011 By Sherra

When I stress about something, especially if it’s related to The Grunter, he loves to chant his mantra.

“It Will All Work Out Momma”

He’s pretty calm and easygoing most of the time. He definitely takes after his father in this department.

The distractions and daily stresses took over towards the end of April and haven’t seem to let up. That led me to barely getting a weekly Typo Tuesday posted. Thanks for hanging with me in my quiet phase. The family would not agree with the previous sentence.

Whatever.

I’m going to play catch up in the coming weeks here on the blog. Mostly because the blog is now our family photo album so I have to continue to tell our stories even if they are not all chronologically perfect. Go me – look at that flexibility. I will also need to high five myself for showing restraint in not writing some of the stories. Saving for the book. Or when I finally start drinking. Hard liquor.

If I were prioritizing the stresses, the following would be…

Stress #1

The Grunter has had a swollen lymph node that he started complaining about a few months ago. I said “Make a doctor’s appointment.”

This is part of the growing up checklist, right?

  1. Make your own doctor’s appointment.
  2. Go to your own doctor’s appointment.
  3. Call Text your mother.

He finally did all three.

#3 really triggered some anxiety…

“He said he didn’t know if it was a tumor or what. They are doing a blood test and then deciding whether I need to go to a specialist. Also I may have had mono last year.”

The swollen lymph nodes were actually from last February when he was really sick with a cold and swollen tonsils. New blood work now confirms he had mono.

This is a kid who has never had a stitch. A cold and/or sore throat is about as sick as he gets.

Next appointment is with a specialist and I attended with him.

I could have gone my whole life without hearing a doctor say…

“We need to rule out lymphoma.”

Three times.

Everett ~ before drugs

This is my way too small tribute to every mother out there who has had to fight the “Big C” battle alongside their children.

Because I know you prayed it would be you and not them.

I can only imagine that there is just one thing worse than battling cancer yourself and that would be having to watch your child battle it.

The good news for us is that our pumpkin is fine. His post-op appointment was last Thursday and the pathology report was all good.

Everett ~ after drugs

“It Will All Work Out Momma”

These words from the baby I was pretty sure would kill me during childbirth. He’s right.

It will all work out. It almost always does. He’s helped me to see that.

And it’s always a milestone when you can embrace a life lesson from one of your own.

Filed Under: Finding the Funny, Life Lessons, Milestones

One Special Lady

Wednesday, March 9, 2011 By Sherra

I’ve written about her before.

She was a looker.

As they say back in Indiana. 😉

I wrote about her in 2008…

She’s the only Grandma I’ve ever known as my mom’s mother passed away when I was just six months old…

…Imogene is funny and spunky and I have always loved spending time with her. To get to spend one-on-one time with her is a sheer delight for me.

She got such a kick out of riding in my bright blue VW bug.

In May of 2007, on my way home from the Black Hole, she was exactly what I needed and it was my honor to take her bra shopping (oh, the funny story of that shopping trip) and then to Gray Brothers for her favorite meal.

The next year, I got to go back and spend more time with her and we had dinner once again at Gray Brothers.

So glad I documented our visit here.

…words cannot describe what it meant to me to get to spend the afternoon with her and take her out to dinner.

I convinced her I could pick her up the next day so she could enjoy another meal with 6 of the 7 Kivett siblings who were all gathering at another local cafeteria.

She simply beamed through the whole meal. She loved them all so much.

In January of 2009 on my long road trip to the frozen Midwest tundra, I was so glad I got to visit again. It was such a gift that there was no ice in Indiana because I was able to take her on a car ride back past the farm and we got to visit with my Uncle Jack and Aunt Peggy at their house.

Treasured memories…I could go on and on.

I saw her for what would be the last time with darling twin Wizzy in July last year.

We brought her butterscotch pie from Gray Brothers and when I showed her the picture of her in front of that blue bug that I carry in my wallet, her face lit up.

Then she winked and giggled, “We had some fun, didn’t we?”

She passed away Saturday morning.

She is being buried this morning after 95 vibrant years on earth.

May she rest in peace knowing how much she was loved.

Filed Under: Life Lessons, Milestones, Raves

Leading by Example

Monday, February 21, 2011 By Sherra

Remember this?

motorcycleA

PhilBillPaul’s girlfriend makeover.

motorcycleC

His darling daughter brought this home.

Seems she had connections with PhilBillPaul’s Bike Restoration Shop.

To say I’m sick about this is an understatement.

As if it could get any worse…

Let me state for the record, once again, I did not sign up for this.

“Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” –Robert Fulghum

Filed Under: Life Lessons

Calling All Parents With College Kids

Wednesday, August 18, 2010 By Sherra

For us, summer really is over.

Because someone here in Georgia decided school should start on August 9th. What the heck? That’s way too early!

Scary Baby has completed her first week of middle school with flying colors. Oops, no first day of school picture because that’s what happens when you are the 4th and lastborn.

While I was away for a long weekend immediately after our beach trip, the darling twins not only got Scary Baby ready for her first day of middle school, they also got themselves ready.

EARLY.

Please understand these darling twins NEVER get ready for anything EARLY.

But when I got home, they proudly shared with me their stacks and piles of things ready to go back to college.

Small stacks…remember they are cadets at a military college and are allowed to have very little in their dorm rooms!

Are those cleaning supplies?

GASP

Yes, I’m well aware this means they are more than ready to LEAVE again. I could say this with a lump in my throat. And sometimes I do get choked up.

It seems like they just got home.

The darling twins’ summer was abbreviated since they didn’t get home from Arizona until June 25th. And now they are gone again as they headed back to college this past Sunday.

Mostly, I’m proud they want to leave.

Because it means I’ve done something right in the motherhood category.

Dear fellow moms (and dads),

They are supposed to want to leave. They are supposed to want to be independent. They are supposed to want to show you that you spent 18 years raising them up right so they can survive on their own.

You are supposed to be happy for them. Your job was to prepare them for this. Your job is to celebrate the leaving.

But I won’t lie – in so many ways, the years do fly by. And you find yourself second-guessing yourself. Did you teach them the right things?

I was reminded by a good friend whose son left yesterday that if other parents would have been more encouraging and in her words that it would have been helpful if…

“…people would say something like…”he is going to have a great time” or “this is so exciting” instead of looking at me, asking how I’m going to do “letting go of my first one” and then almost watching if I’m going to burst into tears!!”

Are you reaching out and helping other moms as their children leave? Reminding a mom that her child will be fine and she did a good job is exactly what she needs to hear at a time like this.

This parenting gig is still so tough. Let’s lift each other up!

The Leaving and Letting Go

I think this would be a great place to share any tips or hindsight you have if you have sent or are about to send a child to college.

  • What did you do right?
  • What do you wish you would have done differently?
  • How were the first few weeks after they left home?
  • How was the first semester transition for you and them?
  • What was the best tip another mom gave you?

Share your best tips or lessons learned because I promise you it will help another mom who is facing those same feelings and reading this today.

*******

P.S. I got this text from Roger Leroy tonight just as I was finishing this post:

RL: Having my own room is awesome.

Me: Oh yes it is. I remember it well!! And like u, I had never had my own room…always had to share with my sister Julie.

RL: It’s kinda like living in a little apartment…

There are so many fun things about college and leaving home!

🙂

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Filed Under: Friends, Life Lessons

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