It’s Not That I’m Ignoring You

Posted on by Mandy

In the span of two weeks we have had a wedding, six full nights (yes, we do the night thing) of Vacation Bible School (where I was one of four teachers wrangling the toddlers and preschoolers), a huge sale where I work and school registration stopped by today to kindly kick my butt into gear (umm..HELLO! Your child needs uniforms before next Thursday!).

I can haz sleep? And a margarita?

I’m having blogger’s guilt (did I make that word up and can I trademark that?) because my feed reader runneth over and HELLO…..I can haz free mommy time????!!! Like, soon? I miss reading blogs and well, I feel bad because I haven’t got to stop in at some of yours especially when you’ve been kind enough to leave me a comment recently.

But I’m getting there…I promise. I’m even tinkering with something that will make commenting back to you a little easier.

I can haz Word Press? Because totally moving my blog and all of it’s content is just the very thing one needs to do when they haz no free mommy time.

We’re still working it all out. So, if I move…will you follow me? Please?

The Wedding Singer

Posted on by Mandy

E.B. did indeed decide he would walk down the aisle and be the ring bearer in the wedding yesterday, thankyouverymuch, and he even gave the preacher a run for his money. Yes, as the ceremony started and the preacher began to explain what a sacred union marriage is, my son moved to the center of the stage and loudly recited the Pledge of Allegience and then sang My Country Tis Of Thee for the wedding guests. I? Could have died. But I didn’t die, because I was laughing so hard I was crying and desperately searching the crowd for my husband to PLEASE! COME! GET! HIM! After what seemed like an eternity, E.B. finally finished up and the ceremony carried on just as planned.

Thankfully, everyone thought it was cute and was too busy laughing until THEY were crying and thankfully, my cousin (the bride) didn’t want to kill me once the ceremony was over.

We honestly don’t know where this child gets his urge to perform. A sign of things to come?

Jailhouse Rock

Posted on by Mandy

So, tomorrow E.B. is supposed to be the ring bearer in my cousin’s wedding. Rehearsal didn’t go so hot tonight. E.B. just wasn’t in a cooperative mood, so I don’t know how how tomorrow is going to pan out.

But, he did provide some comic relief at the rehearsal dinner. While waiting in the buffet line he asked me very loudly:

E.B.: “Mama, where’s Daddy?”

ME: He’ll be back soon, sweetie. We will see him after the dinner.”

E.B.: “Mama, is Daddy in jail again?”
Cue the messed up looks from the guests nearby.

You know the times when you just wish the ground beneath you would swallow you up whole? That was definitely one of them.

(And no, Cracked Daddy has never gone to jail.)

If You Believe They Put A Man On The Moon

Posted on by Mandy

It seems like the moon has been quite a hot topic this week as we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. I think we’ve all seen the black and white footage of Neil Armstrong taking that first step on the moon’s surface and those profound words he would speak to describe the experience. I can’t imagine the courage it must have taken to make that trip and take those steps.

I read that an estimated 500 million people watched that lunar landing on TV. My maternal grandfather was one who thought the whole moon landing was a hoax. You couldn’t convince him otherwise. He went to his grave convinced it was filmed out in the middle of some desert using fancy Hollywood cinematography.

Space travel has always been interesting to me, so the fact that it had been 40 years really amazed me. 40 years! Such a long time ago!

…and then I remembered I’d be turning 35 next week. *ahem*

OK, so maybe not that long ago.

Ice Cream and Cake Dance

Posted on by Mandy

Because we live under a rock in Mississippi….

Seriously, why haven’t I seen this before? E.B. and I have had way too much fun dancing around the kitchen to this tonight. You cannot resist the Ice Cream and Cake Dance even if you try.

*with special thanks to Cracked Daddy for informing me about this.

Give THAT Mom A Break

Posted on by Mandy

I am THAT mom. You know her when you see her. She’s the one with the child who is acting a nut at the store. The child is whining, or perhaps pitching the mother of all fits, and she’s not doing a damn thing about it. She isn’t ignoring the child’s behavior. She’s calmly trying to divert his attention to something else…asking him to be a little more patient. Pleading him with her eyes to please, please not make a scene.

And she gets THE LOOK. Constantly. And to be honest, she is damn sick of the look. And the whispers. “Why can’t she control him? Why doesn’t she just spank him? If that were MY child….”.

And I just want to scream, “It’s NOT your child! This? Is a cakewalk compared to some days. Yes, he most certainly IS corrected for his behavior when he misbehaves. No, he doesn’t call the shots. Perhaps there is an explanation for why he feels the need to compensate by acting out.”

And I’m glad he’s NOT their child. Not because their parenting is easier because their child isn’t like mine, but because I fiercely and deeply love THIS child with all of my heart. The loud whines? Praise God my baby can speak! The tantrums? Praise God my baby can walk, jump, and throw himself on the floor if the mood strikes him! To trade that for easier and more convenient parenting? Not a chance in hell!

But on this particular day when that meltdown was happening on Aisle 4, a kind woman who was also the age of THAT mother turned and said, “It sure is tough sometimes, isn’t it? My little boy hates shopping, too.”

And my heart leapt for there WAS another mother in the world who didn’t get it right all of the time, who had gotten her fair share of THE LOOK, and had compassion enough for another mother experiencing the same thing. And THAT mom is what the world could use more of.