I had a pretty crappy day today, and when this happens, I find myself letting my mind wander to far away (and long ago) places. I read an article about clowns today (somewhere on the internet), and it made me think of my sister.
My sister *loved* clowns. In the house I spent my early years in, my sister had a room full of clowns. I think she even had some form of clown wall paper at one point, but I can't be sure. (That actually might have been my room, but it would have been long before I was capable of making decorating decisions on my own... so I'll blame it on my mom.) Anyway, I do clearly recall the dozens of clown figurines she had.
They scared the be-gee-zus out of me.
It was really a horrible thing, too, because I always loved to have little mini-slumber parties in her room, and I would have to really psych myself up to be able to go to sleep. I could see all of these big noses and painted cheshire grins, and I could feel my tiny heart pounding as it attempted to leap out of my chest.
It probably didn't help any that my sister would sometimes goad my fear just a tiny bit. I'll give her credit - most of the time she told wonderful stories about houses made out of candy and princesses in far away lands. But sometimes... she would introduce me to her "pets".
We were both born with a curious kind of imagination, and she used hers to invent these "invisible animals" that slept above her bed. It would've been okay (probably) if she'd picked kindly animals like ponies or kittens, but no, she once told me that she had a pet spider... and that it was going to crawl on me...
While I slept.
Can you think of anything scarier to a seven year old girl? Scarier than an invisible spider that will crawl on you while you sleep?
I think not.
I think she told me these stories on the nights when she really wanted to sleep alone, but they never deterred me. I would lay there in the dark and listen to her breathe, praying that I would feel anything creepy or crawly.
And I don't know if she ever realized this or not, but the whole reason I was able to sleep was because I would always think to myself that she would protect me (from her invisible pets, ha!).
And she did.
Sometimes she still does.
Showing posts with label relatives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relatives. Show all posts
Monday, November 7, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Party Planning
Well, I posted one thing today that I know will make my mother cry, so I had to post something else to make her laugh.
Last Saturday was my husband's birthday, and this year we decided to throw a little party at our house with both of our families in attendance. I don't know why, but "small" parties always seem like a good idea to me. I always think it'll be no big deal, (People. Food. What else could you need?) and then I wake up the day after and every muscle on my body hurts like I've been hit by a train.
How do I always manage to do this?
Really, it should be easy. After all, it wasn't completely my responsibility. Other people brought things. Other people help set up. Other people helped to clean up. Where does all this pain come in?
I'll tell you where - I inherited my mother's "stress" gene.
My brain says, "A simple party. That sounds nice."
To which my mind replies, "A party? Oh my God. We have to clean the house. We have to really, really clean the house. Cabinets need to be reorganized! Are all of my files in order?! They might LOOK through those! Right?! Right!"
So then, I spend a week neurotically cleaning my house, but by the time the party comes around, its gotten messy again because I can't be cleaning the drawers out in the bedroom and vacuuming the living room. (Because, obviously, you need to choose the obsessive small things over the normal, big ones.)
Then my brain says, "We'll grill. It'll be sooo simple. Give other people things to bring, and then I'll only have to do one thing!"
But my mind butts in with, "I know I was only going to bring the buns and hamburgers, but what about baked beans? Oh! And, potato salad! We can't have hamburgers without potato salad! Oh no, wait! Don't forget the wheat buns! Someone might want wheat buns. Oh... and a cake. I need to make a cake for my mother-in-law because its her birthday too, and she's making my husband's birthday cake so she'll need her own!"
This causes me to spend a whole day cooking - which also makes me revert back to cleaning because I am a very, very messy cook.
It turned out to be a wonderful party - really, it did. I was glad everyone got to come, and my grandparents even managed to make it out. I got to show off a piece of furniture that my husband built for me, and we got to spend a few hours talking to the people we love the most.
I had today off from work anyway, so I've taken it easy for the most part. Now, I'll be ready to start the day tomorrow, and my husband has a memorable birthday.
For my family reading this, I love you all, and thank you again for coming. Next time, we'll have it at Mom and Dad's! ;)
Last Saturday was my husband's birthday, and this year we decided to throw a little party at our house with both of our families in attendance. I don't know why, but "small" parties always seem like a good idea to me. I always think it'll be no big deal, (People. Food. What else could you need?) and then I wake up the day after and every muscle on my body hurts like I've been hit by a train.
How do I always manage to do this?
Really, it should be easy. After all, it wasn't completely my responsibility. Other people brought things. Other people help set up. Other people helped to clean up. Where does all this pain come in?
I'll tell you where - I inherited my mother's "stress" gene.
My brain says, "A simple party. That sounds nice."
To which my mind replies, "A party? Oh my God. We have to clean the house. We have to really, really clean the house. Cabinets need to be reorganized! Are all of my files in order?! They might LOOK through those! Right?! Right!"
So then, I spend a week neurotically cleaning my house, but by the time the party comes around, its gotten messy again because I can't be cleaning the drawers out in the bedroom and vacuuming the living room. (Because, obviously, you need to choose the obsessive small things over the normal, big ones.)
Then my brain says, "We'll grill. It'll be sooo simple. Give other people things to bring, and then I'll only have to do one thing!"
But my mind butts in with, "I know I was only going to bring the buns and hamburgers, but what about baked beans? Oh! And, potato salad! We can't have hamburgers without potato salad! Oh no, wait! Don't forget the wheat buns! Someone might want wheat buns. Oh... and a cake. I need to make a cake for my mother-in-law because its her birthday too, and she's making my husband's birthday cake so she'll need her own!"
This causes me to spend a whole day cooking - which also makes me revert back to cleaning because I am a very, very messy cook.
It turned out to be a wonderful party - really, it did. I was glad everyone got to come, and my grandparents even managed to make it out. I got to show off a piece of furniture that my husband built for me, and we got to spend a few hours talking to the people we love the most.
I had today off from work anyway, so I've taken it easy for the most part. Now, I'll be ready to start the day tomorrow, and my husband has a memorable birthday.
For my family reading this, I love you all, and thank you again for coming. Next time, we'll have it at Mom and Dad's! ;)
Monday, October 17, 2011
A Day in the Life of Desireé - Part 2
12:15 PM
Nap time. Two words that strike fear into the heart of every child under the age of eight. My niece is no exception. She despises nap time with a passion. As we made our way to the top of the stairs and crawled into bed, my adorable four-year-old niece stared up at me with big brown eyes and questioned, “Can I watch TV., please?”
With a sigh, I did what every good non-parent does and gave in.
So for an hour, we watched TV. and avoided taking a nap.
1:30 PM
I needed to take a shower before we made our way to town, so we took a quick trip downstairs for toys. I resettled Desireé in the bed and took a quick shower, calling out to her every few minutes to make sure she wasn’t getting in to anything.
After I was done with my shower, I thought of the one thing that would keep her completely enthralled while I fixed my hair and make-up. A bath. This child loves water more than a fish. She likes to dump all of her toys in the bath tub and play games that I can’t even think to comprehend as an adult.
It worked like a charm. By three o’clock, I was dressed and ready to go. It only took a matter of minutes to scoop her from the tub and get her into her freshly washed clothes.
4:00 PM
After a few errands in town, we drove out to my grandparents’ house to play and talk for a little while. We had pizza for dinner, and all the adults watched in amusement as Desireé pulled the pepperoni off her slice and tried to cram the whole thing in her mouth at one time.
She and I spent some time coloring in one of her drawing books, but she soon decided that she wanted to go play outside - so much for that bath. During our trip around my grandparents’ house, my niece managed to stumble through an ant hill, and her feet got eaten to pieces.
She had bites on her heels, the tops of her feet, and even one in between her toes. She cried and begged to scratch them while Mega poured vinegar and children’s Benadryl over the sores.
Needless to say, she spent the rest of the time we had together that day on the couch in my grandparents’ den alternating between telling me that her feet were getting better and asking if she could scratch them because they itched.
Nap time. Two words that strike fear into the heart of every child under the age of eight. My niece is no exception. She despises nap time with a passion. As we made our way to the top of the stairs and crawled into bed, my adorable four-year-old niece stared up at me with big brown eyes and questioned, “Can I watch TV., please?”
With a sigh, I did what every good non-parent does and gave in.
So for an hour, we watched TV. and avoided taking a nap.
1:30 PM
I needed to take a shower before we made our way to town, so we took a quick trip downstairs for toys. I resettled Desireé in the bed and took a quick shower, calling out to her every few minutes to make sure she wasn’t getting in to anything.
After I was done with my shower, I thought of the one thing that would keep her completely enthralled while I fixed my hair and make-up. A bath. This child loves water more than a fish. She likes to dump all of her toys in the bath tub and play games that I can’t even think to comprehend as an adult.
It worked like a charm. By three o’clock, I was dressed and ready to go. It only took a matter of minutes to scoop her from the tub and get her into her freshly washed clothes.
4:00 PM
After a few errands in town, we drove out to my grandparents’ house to play and talk for a little while. We had pizza for dinner, and all the adults watched in amusement as Desireé pulled the pepperoni off her slice and tried to cram the whole thing in her mouth at one time.
She and I spent some time coloring in one of her drawing books, but she soon decided that she wanted to go play outside - so much for that bath. During our trip around my grandparents’ house, my niece managed to stumble through an ant hill, and her feet got eaten to pieces.
She had bites on her heels, the tops of her feet, and even one in between her toes. She cried and begged to scratch them while Mega poured vinegar and children’s Benadryl over the sores.
Needless to say, she spent the rest of the time we had together that day on the couch in my grandparents’ den alternating between telling me that her feet were getting better and asking if she could scratch them because they itched.
Friday, October 14, 2011
A Day in the Life of Desireé - Part 1
I spent the entirety of my day yesterday in the mentality of a four year old. I have a beautiful niece with an inquisitive personality who loves the color pink. As a fun mix up, I’ve decided that today’s post will be about exactly what its like to entertain her for a whole day. Now, I will say this ahead of time. My husband and I don’t currently have any children, so I’m not really used to the chaos they throw into day-to-day activities.
I will also say that I try to be a fun aunt. I dedicate as much time during the day to doing fun activities and other things that she likes to do.
7:00 AM
I gathered a slightly sleepy child from her mother’s car seat with “silky” and “bun-bun” (her security blanket and blanket-bunny) in tow. By the time we reach my front door, we’ve already discussed her dream about unicorns and what she could possibly want for breakfast.
She really wanted fruit loops, but I managed to talk her into making whole wheat blueberry muffins. While we wait on them to cook, she decides that she needs a chocolate poptart to tide her over, but she does finally manage to eat a muffin during a series of He-Man cartoons - my husband’s dvds.
9:00 AM
With breakfast settled, we decided to do some chores. It’s amazing what can entertain a four year old. We washed dishes (me doing the washing and her playing with soap and water). We vacuumed (I vacuumed and she used my mini-vac to go over the rugs in the kitchen. We even folded and ironed the clothes (she managed to fold one towel, I think).
10:00 AM
Finally, the wet cleared out of the air, and we were able to go outside to play for a little while. First, I took her to the big stretch of pavement in the front yard to play with sidewalk chalk. She drew two baby unicorns while I drew the mommy. Then, she asked me to the name of basically everyone we knew, and when one of our future drawings overlapped my husband’s name I was commanded to rewrite it.
She’s very interested in the alphabet, and it amazes me how long you can spend just reciting letters and teaching her what letters are in different words.
We also managed to play with the leaf blower. I was surprised how entertaining it was to chase her around blowing leaves in her general direction while watching her laughing and running.
After we were done in the front yard, we moved to the back to talk to all the animals. D’s aunt and uncle are here visiting from Florida, so we spent some time talking to their dog, Buster. He’s a large beagle with a habit of howling. We also talked to the rabbit, Tucks. We fed him celery through the holes in his pen and talked to him while he nibbled on leftover carrot shavings.
11:15 AM
Lunch with a four year old is always a grand affair. First, I made her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Then the crust needed to be cut off.
Then it needed to be cut into bite-sized pieces. She then proceeded to count the number of said pieces every time she ate one.
After her sandwich, she decided that she was still hungry and wanted macaroni and cheese.
After macaroni and cheese, she wanted gummy bears.
When I told her that she couldn’t have gummy bears, she wanted a cupcake.
When I told her she couldn’t have a cupcake, she poked out her bottom lip and crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. “But Aunt Sarah…”
I gave her the glare I inherited from my mother and returned with, “But Desireé…”
I decided it was time for a nap.
I bet you can all guess how well that went, but I’ll tell you the rest of the story tomorrow.
I will also say that I try to be a fun aunt. I dedicate as much time during the day to doing fun activities and other things that she likes to do.
7:00 AM
I gathered a slightly sleepy child from her mother’s car seat with “silky” and “bun-bun” (her security blanket and blanket-bunny) in tow. By the time we reach my front door, we’ve already discussed her dream about unicorns and what she could possibly want for breakfast.
She really wanted fruit loops, but I managed to talk her into making whole wheat blueberry muffins. While we wait on them to cook, she decides that she needs a chocolate poptart to tide her over, but she does finally manage to eat a muffin during a series of He-Man cartoons - my husband’s dvds.
9:00 AM
With breakfast settled, we decided to do some chores. It’s amazing what can entertain a four year old. We washed dishes (me doing the washing and her playing with soap and water). We vacuumed (I vacuumed and she used my mini-vac to go over the rugs in the kitchen. We even folded and ironed the clothes (she managed to fold one towel, I think).
10:00 AM
Finally, the wet cleared out of the air, and we were able to go outside to play for a little while. First, I took her to the big stretch of pavement in the front yard to play with sidewalk chalk. She drew two baby unicorns while I drew the mommy. Then, she asked me to the name of basically everyone we knew, and when one of our future drawings overlapped my husband’s name I was commanded to rewrite it.
She’s very interested in the alphabet, and it amazes me how long you can spend just reciting letters and teaching her what letters are in different words.
We also managed to play with the leaf blower. I was surprised how entertaining it was to chase her around blowing leaves in her general direction while watching her laughing and running.
After we were done in the front yard, we moved to the back to talk to all the animals. D’s aunt and uncle are here visiting from Florida, so we spent some time talking to their dog, Buster. He’s a large beagle with a habit of howling. We also talked to the rabbit, Tucks. We fed him celery through the holes in his pen and talked to him while he nibbled on leftover carrot shavings.
11:15 AM
Lunch with a four year old is always a grand affair. First, I made her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Then the crust needed to be cut off.
Then it needed to be cut into bite-sized pieces. She then proceeded to count the number of said pieces every time she ate one.
After her sandwich, she decided that she was still hungry and wanted macaroni and cheese.
After macaroni and cheese, she wanted gummy bears.
When I told her that she couldn’t have gummy bears, she wanted a cupcake.
When I told her she couldn’t have a cupcake, she poked out her bottom lip and crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. “But Aunt Sarah…”
I gave her the glare I inherited from my mother and returned with, “But Desireé…”
I decided it was time for a nap.
I bet you can all guess how well that went, but I’ll tell you the rest of the story tomorrow.
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