Sidewalk Chalk

This week has been a busy one.  A rat race.  One of those weeks where everything takes longer than I think it's going to.  One of those weeks where I just get caught up with something, and another takes its place.  My to-do list is out of control, and somewhere between taking pictures of Farm Bureau agents with NU basketball players, counting ballots for graduation speakers, grading thirty-six multi-genre papers, writing lesson plans for a project on To Kill a Mockingbird, paying an overdue daycare bill (oops), sending four swimsuits back to Victoria's Secret (gross), and shipping a defective flash drive across the country...

I remember this.

And I know that it's all o.k. 

 

Because after a day is done and I rush like mad to daycare to pick up my little sprout, my to-do list just doesn't matter all that much.  My little six-month-old has taught me so much about what's important in this life of ours.  He reassures me over and over again with his accepting smile and innocent love.  

Babies are amazing that way.  They don't care about how the house looks, or how much money's in the bank account, or the number of hours punched on a time card.  They just want to be loved, and accepted, and played with.  Every time I look at his face, he reminds me of this.

Lately, I've been thinking about sidewalk chalk.  A long driveway, a barefoot baby, and a bucket full of red, blue, green, and purple.  Afternoons spent outlining our shadows, drawing smiley faces, and perfecting our names in bubble letters.  This week, I find myself longing for chalk-dust covered hands, a glass of iced tea, and simplicity.

Ten Things...

Ten random thoughts on this day in March...

1. Today is Brooke’s birthday. Today is Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Beau read One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish to Cruz this morning before school. I wanted to make cupcakes and celebrate the Zooks and Wumps and Sam-I-Ams in true birthday style, but realized my time was better spent reading and cuddling with my little bookworm.  Cruz loves his Dr. Seuss and I look forward to introducing him to Horton, the Lorax, and that mean-old-Grinch when he gets a little older.

2. If there’s a mental picture I could freeze in my mind forever, it would be yesterday. A picture of my son, sitting up big and tall, strapped in a four-person plastic stroller, going for a walk at ‘school.’ He was much smaller than the other three riders, but that didn't seem to phase him.  He looked SO FUNNY strapped in that little seat, and best of all, he flashed me the most adorable smile when he spotted me.  It was his first, "Mom, look at me!" smile, and I melted onto the floor in a puddle of love.  A-DOR-A-BLE.

3.  Bless you, NU Panthers.  For the fourth year in a row, the boys basketball team has made it to the Iowa State Tournament, meaning that our Spring Break starts a little early and our 'school days' consist of a trip to Des Moines to cheer on our boys, followed by a yummy lunch with fellow teacher friends.  The energy around school is pretty high right now, and the 'Dog Pound' is getting pretty comfy in those front seats at the Des Moines Event Center. 

4. This morning, Cruz decided to serenade me on my way to work.  He's usually incredibly quiet in the car; however, this morning, I was fortunate enough to listen to him sing/talk/growl the entire way to work.  And trust me, that sound is better than any Cee Lo song on the planet.

5.  Last night, I 'forgot' to bring my school bag home.  And Cruz and I?  We played.  We cuddled.  We talked, and giggled, and sat face to face during tummy time.  Some nights, I want to be Superwoman; some nights, I just want to be 'Mom.'

6. Today is day TWO of my water binge.  I upped the ante, however, and am committing to drink 64 oz. of water a day.  That's eight, eight-ounce glasses of water, the recommended amount for us according to Mayo Clinic.  It may sound easy for some, but for me, it's going to be a challenge.  I'd much rather down a Diet Mountain Dew than a glass of H2O, and usually only crave a glass of ice water after a great run or a hot day outside (to which none are going to occur in what looks like the near future).  Fortunately for me, I've been battling a sore throat and frequent 'tickle' in my throat, so water has not been far from my reach this week.  

7. My 10th graders would be the first to admit they can be quite the unruly bunch.  So this afternoon, after giving them a day away from class to help the kindergarten class roller skate in the gym, I was shocked and humbled to see them in this environment.  Watching them help lace skates, secure helmets, and get started on their feet was amazing.  I didn't know what was cuter...the kindergartner or the helpful 10th grader.  I was proud of them and kicked myself for not having my camera.  I could have watched them shine in this light all day long.

8.  Shamrock Shakes have arrived at McDonalds.  I rewarded myself with one today after finishing my 64 oz. of water.  Just when I thought the Shamrock Shakes couldn't get any better, the McCafe did it.  Now, in a clear plastic frappuccino cup, with more than a dollop of whipped cream and a perfect maraschino cherry on top.  It was pretty, refreshing, and kind of made me feel like I was drinking a frozen grasshopper at work.  

9.  I am longing for Spring more than I ever have.  I am suffocating and need fresh air, a clean car, and walks outside.  And more than ever, I need a shopping trip.  I need Express and American Eagle, Gap and Ann Taylor.  I need to forget about Baby Gap and Focus on Big Gap. 

10.  This weekend, I'm going to begin my new culinary endeavor of making my own baby food.  I'm ready for my baby to try some carrots and parsnips, apples and pears.  After all, we all need a little color in our lives...

Snowed in...

Since our Christmas madness officially begins next weekend with two of six family Christmases, plus my graduation ceremony on Saturday, this weekend was about staying home, or at least staying local.  About sweat pants.  About quiet time with Beau and Cruz.  About a movie night, a good meal, and a fire. 

And luckily, the snowstorm slash blizzard-like conditions helped make that happen. 

It was the first official snowstorm of the year.  We didn't get a lot of snow, especially compared to our friends up north in Minneapolis, who got enough snow to collapse the roof of the Metrodome; however, it was enough to make that last trip to Hy-Vee to stock up on the essentials, shut the garage door tight, and close out the world around us for a night or two.  I always love the excitement surrounding snowstorms in December.  Last night, it was so fun to read everyone's Facebook statuses.  Red noses and hot chocolate, red wine and Scrabble, a cold beer and the Griswold's family Christmas...everyone was in good spirits, ready for an excuse to slow down and stay in.  I'm sure this will read very differently come January, but for now, it seemed Iowa weather was making everyone feel like comfort food.

Speaking of comfort food, we cooked last night.  And I'm not talking the Hamburger Helper, slow-cooker stroganoff, or grilled-cheese-and-tomato-soup cooking that has been happening around our house the last couple of months.  Beau and I cooked a meal like the old times, a meal that involved chopping, dicing, sauteeing, and tossing, followed by a destroyed kitchen and a two-load dishwasher.  A meal that involved my favorite almond and mandarin orange salad, Parmesan crusted chicken, and pasta in butter sauce.  Cruz was perfectly content watching us cook from his changing table pad, placed ever so carefully on our countertop, right where he could be in on the action.  And like always, he started getting fussy right as we plated our magazine-cover meal, so, we settled to eat our salad and slice our chicken in the middle of the living room floor.  This way, we could talk to Cruz in between bites, and stick his pacifier back into his mouth while turning pasta on our forks, all at the same time.  It's called compromise.  The meal was delicious and I was able to finish my entire plate before getting Cruz his bottle.  Success!    

After cleaning up the kitchen and filling Cruz's tummy too, the three of us settled in the living room to nurse our food comas.  Cruz discovered that lying under the Christmas tree is about as cool as the TV, Beau discovered that our front door leaked more cold air than the Metrodome itself, and I discovered a new holiday drink.  One part Pinot Grigio, one part 7up.  We watched a movie, passed our little 'space heater' back and forth, and settled in for a long winter's nap.  We even contemplated putting Cruz in bed with us, but decided we better not ruin a good thing.

It was a cozy night at home, one that I used to dream about when I was pregnant and impatiently awaiting Cruz's arrival.  And it was a welcomed night for a tired little baby, especially after the action-packed night he had on Friday.  We decided to take Cruz to his first ever basketball game at NU.  First, we went to Chubby's, a little restaurant on the Hill, owned and operated by our friend, Starbuck.  We figured that since Starbuck did such a great job feeding Cruz last weekend at the ugly sweater party, we'd return the favor and 'feed' his new business.  What we failed to remember on Friday night, was that we walked in right as FAC (Friday.After.Class) was coming to an end.  The three of us sat amongs twenty-or-so college boys, all hungry and waiting to feed their before-finals appetities.  Cruz, well, he loved the action.  It was a mutual bond between the baby and the college boys.  We ate tacos and deep fat fried Twinkies (which are amazing) while Cruz admired the big screens and pretty blond college girl at the table beside us.

At first, Cruz wasn't so sure about the game.  We walked in during half-time of the girl's game, in the middle of the pep band's performance, lines at the concession stands, and a stampede of twenty high school girls, all wanting a look at him.  As they huddled around his carseat in a complete circle, he showed us his first ever pouty lip.  A perfect puppy-dog face, followed by a frown, big tears, and a cry that made the trumpet stop (just kidding).  The girls giggled and thought it was adorable.  Cruz, he was just trying to figure out where in the world his crazy parents had taken him now.  

It didn't take him long to figure out that basketball games were pretty cool.  The lights, the constant running-back-and-forth in front of him, and the attention from lots of girls, was enough to make Cruz completely forget that he was hungry and overdue for a bottle.  He loved everything and was quite the show-stopper (especially since NU's 30-point lead failed to create much suspense).  Cruz spent some quality time with some of my favorite teacher-friends, and even managed to fall asleep between the boys and girls game.  I think there are more NU sporting events in our future!