Sheet Cake
08 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Aha!, Housekeeping, Mouths of Babes, Writers Write Tags: perception, Trusting Your Instincts, writers, writing
Two nights ago, I couldn’t get the kids to sleep. Since I’m the mom, I don’t crash until they do. Bacon can nod off anywhere, anytime, through any form of natural disaster. Fortunately, he’s married to me. I wake at the sound of butterfly wings, spiderweb spinning, and a ten-year old’s insomnia.
That precise thing led to the eradication of box springs from our bedroom. What? You don’t rearrange the furniture when a family member can’t sleep? In a fit, I woke Bacon and demanded he remove the middle layer from our cake of a bed. I’ve written about my consternation over the Cake Bed before. I’m not sure why I didn’t see the solution earlier. It was always a pain to don climbing tackle just to get aboard each night. As an added bonus, the layerectomy completely feng shuied our bedroom. Now, the bed looks like it did twenty years ago in the furniture showroom. No matter how many different dressings I’ve applied, it never seemed right. Maybe, it was meant to be a platform and not a drum.
The next day, I searched the house looking for the girls. Their rooms were empty. The computer was off. The television was dark. I walked into my bedroom. Cherry reclined atop the fleece blanket reading a book. Beside her, Coco caught an afternoon nap.
Why are you in here?
It’s the most comfortable spot in the house.
Why now?
It’s the right size.
Coco Crisp Update
21 Mar 2010 2 Comments
in Joined at the Heart, Mouths of Babes, Writers Write Tags: family, strabismus, writers, writing
Coco looked in the mirror yesterday. “Mom, I look awful.”
“Don’t look. It’ll go away in a few days.”
She shrugged and moved on without obsessing, satisfied that I’d told her the truth. I wish I had that much self-control.
Her strabismus surgery took longer than expected–almost two hours. She is a tough kid. She never tossed her cookies–several of the kids in post-op did–and, she hasn’t asked for even one dose of Tylenol. Her eyes are red and swollen. She has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, and then hopefully, she will go back to school. But she’ll miss P.E. and outdoor recess. She can’t have any mean boys poke her in the eye with sticks. (That actually happened the second day of kindergarten. He was suspended from school.)
About the surgery, she said, “I’m never doing that again.”
I hope she doesn’t have to because when Coco makes that kind of statement, she means it.
Transitional Devices
15 Mar 2010 Leave a Comment
in Housekeeping, Joined at the Heart, Mouths of Babes, Writers Write Tags: family, writers, writing
We know a time is coming when we will be able to: replace the broken dishwasher, install a new garage door opener, buy organic. We aren’t there yet, but soon. Soon the Crispies will cash a paycheck and join the middle class again. It’s thought provoking. Transformational. But first, week two:
Bacon is a quality inspector for a major automobile manufacturer that will remain nameless because . . . this is my blog, and I don’t want a million hits from people mad about their brakes. There. I’ve said too much. He had a great week. We are happy and oh-so-relieved.
Coco is nervous. We’ve heard, “You have to play with me, let me pick the movie, buy me ice cream because I’m having eye surgery.” Always the opportunist, she is going to be just fine.
Cherry is happy to have spring break this week.
I have the next seven months of writing days scheduled. And. I have to figure out how to get wallpaper unstuck from the bathroom wall, so it can be painted. This is harder than seven months of writing. I’ve given up twice. I even bought a thimbleful of paint to see if it would cover the paper. It doesn’t. As soon as Coco has recovered, I’ll be exploring more options in wallpaper removal products.
I leave you with this thought: You know you are in transition when your husband accidentally puts Metamucil in his coffee. You know it’s serious when he drinks the coffee anyway.
A New Season
04 Mar 2010 4 Comments
in Aha!, Joined at the Heart, Mouths of Babes, Writers Write, cottage garden Tags: cottage garden, family, garden, writers, writing
Our Old Blush rose bloomed for the first time this year. Four perfect blooms after a long hard winter.
Although spring is still a few weeks away, the seasons are changing at our house. For those of you who have followed the winter of our economic discontent, Bacon accepted a full-time position today. His first not-temporary job since he quit teaching. He starts to work Monday. When the phone rang, we were talking about how he could go to school for another job he’d been considering–six months away from home with very little income. He was ready to do it, if it meant finding work. Life can change in an instant.
A flame red cardinal drank from the birdbath today. We haven’t seen one up close for a long time. Cherry said, “It’s our lucky day.” I agree. It’s a sign.
Shhh . . . She’s Reading
09 Feb 2010 9 Comments
in Aha!, Joined at the Heart, Mouths of Babes, Writers Write Tags: books, children's books, family, writers, writing
“Mama, listen to this. ‘Questions exploded inside Harry’s head like fireworks and he couldn’t decide which to ask first.’ Isn’t that cool?”
We are on our way to school. Coco’s sitting in her booster seat, wearing her Princess Jasmine glasses with her nose in Harry Potter and the Sourcerer’s Stone. Thank you, J.K. Rowling. My second grader has seen the movie, knows the story, can recite all the Hogwart’s jargon, but until now, she hasn’t been interested in reading without a threat or a reward. This week, she’s discovered the thing the rest of us already know. Reading is fun.
crisp |krisp| adjective
