(1) I made Indian food this week and my daughter told me it was the best thing she has ever eaten. She also wondered if we ate it every night of our lives whether we might still be Americans. Yes, love. We’d still be Americans. Pass the dal.
(2) The other night my son got up ten thousand times. I scolded him every time and told him to return to bed, and he would go sauntering back with his arms dragging by his sides. Finally, I just sat in a chair in his room and he fell asleep immediately. Funny how someone’s presence can be so soothing.
(3) My dog’s presence is full of insanely high-octane gas that reminds me of rotten, salty hay. I could do without that.
(4) At a stoplight yesterday, I sat behind an Elantra. Am I the only one who thinks that name sounds like a prescription drug? Take ten milligrams of Elantra twice daily and come back to see me in three months. At least Trailblazer sounds adventurous. I then went on an obsessed tirade of reading all the car names around me. Rav 4? Equinox? Are we traveling to space in that Chevy, for heaven’s sake?
(5) Jesus renamed one of his disciples from the original name, Simon, to a new name, Peter. I find it fascinating that you can walk around all your life being Amanda and then suddenly you’re Susan. I get that Peter truly was a new person in Christ, but I secretly wonder if Peter liked the name. And how did that make his mom feel? After naming her sweet baby after great uncle Simon? Did his wife have to keep correcting herself in the bedroom?
(6) I got a babysitter for my toddler this past week to take my daughter to a cooking demonstration at a local restaurant. She begged to stay home because she was reading and didn’t want to change out of her pajamas, but I forced her to go since I had made reservations. Since Monday is bread-baking day at my house, I had to hurry and get the dough to rise, and into the pans, and out of the oven before we left. When we arrived, they announced that today was a special demonstration on bread baking. My daughter looked at me like honestly, mom? We came for this?
(7) As it turns out, my daughter did have fun baking French bread. She got home to show the babysitter, set the bread on the table to show her father when he got home, and the loaf was promptly eaten by the dog. I’m really hating on him right now.
(8) I bought a futon for our upstairs play room. It’s been described by my husband as “cheap,” “cracked,” and “rickety.” However, my six-year-old has described it as “super fun,” “comfy,” and “very cool.” Six-year-old wins.
(9) Our two-year-old came into our room at 4:30 am this morning with a wet shirt and told me that he “washed his hands.” That’s never good.
(10) “Did you throw away that Toys-R-Us catalog?” my daughter asked me after looking all the over the house for it. What? You mean that tattered seven-page spread that you’ve been obsessed with for days and is causing you to ignore reality so you can memorize names and prices of various toys and remind me at every opportunity that the Lego Friends is on sale for $39.99? Huh. I just have no idea what happened to that thing.
(11) Please let the school year come because I’m tired of hearing “don’t rush me” and “ it’s only 8:30 and in the summer I can stay up until 9.” The juice and the popsicles and all that packing up and sunscreen application really wears a mom out. And then there’s the boredom and “it’s too hot” and driving constantly to grandma’s. Movie nights and play dates and nights without baths – my life would be much better if we could only get back to routine and consistency.
(12) Please, Lord, never let this summer end. My children are adorable, my son won’t take a squeezable fruit without demanding one for his sister, and my daughter lost her front two teeth. My sweet girl reads and draws and my son carefully places rocks in buckets and waters flowers. We take turns hauling vegetables in from the garden and everyone is all giddy to get smoothies at 3 pm on a random Tuesday. We swim and drink juice and make videos of ourselves dancing on the porch singing songs. It’s the best time of year and I want to cherish it forever.
