Saturday, November 11, 2006
Extra Toothbrushes and Clean Toilets
My house usually seems reasonably tidy. But the clutter is hiding. There are several "hot spots" in my home,
one of them is the toothbrush drawer in the bathroom.
We have a delightful assortment of toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss in our drawer. The toothbrushes are
of various colors, sizes and brands. We have many more toothbrushes than people in our home who brush their teeth.
The reason for this is twofold. First, we have several people who stay overnight on occasion, Gram Gram
and Farmor come to help Mama and enjoy the children. Justin (our 5th son ;) is here more often than he is not and we have
occasional visitors when they are in town.
Some of the toothbrushes belong to these, our part time housemates. I probably have 2 or 3 because
I always forget to throw my old one out when I get my new one from Dr. Tom, the friendly Sicilian dentist. And the remainder
of them???? I have no idea, the stories they must be able to tell, the mouths they've seen...each of the boys have at least
one....
Anyway I've been trying to "declutter" my life, as I am a "Fly baby" now (another story for another time)
and the toothbrush drawer has been taunting me, I don't quite know what to do about it. Well, sometimes if you wait long enough
a "hot spot" will take care of itself in some fashion, usually with a little help from someone else.
In the case of the "nightmare toothbrush drawer that became a city unto itself", one of my delightful children
stepped in to help Mama out.
Seannie is a quiet boy, who thoughtfully considers things before taking action. He has the most beautiful
face, with serious eyes...you can almost hear the gears turning when you watch him go about his day. That drawer must have
been on his mind lately too.
I was busy at the opposite end of the house the other day when I heard splashing. The doors of the bathrooms
are normally closed to keep the boys out of them..but on this particular day SOMEONE had left them open and Seannie had taken
the opportunity to take care of the toothbrush drawer for me.
He was gleefully scrubbing the inside of the toilet with four toothbrushes (2 in each hand). Way to go Sean
bon! Now thats the way to multitask! A clean toilet AND now we have to throw away those 4 toothbrushes....but NOOO upon closer
inspection as I leaned forward to check out his scrubbing method I noticed that 3 other toothbrushes, 4 miniature tubes of
toothpaste and 2 containers of floss are floating around in the toilet like boats trying to find their way out of a harbor.
Way to go Sean Bon! Problem solved! The next time you want to use a toothbrush at our house.....make sure
it is dry!
10:27 am est
Sean Bon and Granny
Friday, November 10, 2006
Decisions Decisions Decisions
I think I mentioned somewhere in my past babblings that every holiday we have to make decisions about where
our holidays will be spent and with whom. Well the wondering and waiting became a monster unto itself. This year we have liberated
ourselves from this undo holiday stress by deciding to begin a new tradition in our family and stay home for the holidays.
Since we have become so large, this seems a practical solution...now all I have to do is decide what traditions
I might like to incorporate from my own childhood and what Kory might like to add and what new ones we might develop together.
Here is what I have come up with so far:
traditional holiday menu
Deb's mince meat squares
Cindy's chocolate chip pumpkin bread
The story of Thanksgiving read to the kids
Meal time prayer includes what we are thankful for (everyone contributes)
When the kids are grown and have their own families...the annual drawing of the names
for gift giving
I can hardly wait to smell the scent of the turkey roasting....mmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Thursday, November 9, 2006
The Lost Art of Mothering
The way our society devalues women and their work in the home has and will continue to make a lasting negative
impact on the future well being on our nation as a whole.
From nursing in public to the very private running of our homes, we are doing the most important job there
is...growing and nurturing human beings, the future generations, those that will be running our country when we reach old
age.
To take that for granted, to assume that others could raise and love our children as we would, is naive.
To devalue the woman and in turn her family who chooses to sacrifice in order to mother her own child is a mistake.
Mothering is becoming a lost art in our society where the pursuit of the almighty dollar takes precedence.
In order for the US to become a place where life is valued, morals are held in esteem and loving ones neighbor as ourselves
brought to importance, we must begin at home by showing our children that THEY are more important than the new car, the bigger
house, the exotic vacations etc. etc.
We show them this by BEING PRESENT.
Find a mother struggling to make a difference in the future of her family, in YOUR future by mothering the
next generation upon whom you will be dependent and offer her encouragement, love and support, for choosing a career that
entails 24/7 service without breaks, bonuses, promotional opportunities, appreciation days, fancy lunches, sick days, vacation
days or Holiday parties.
Believe me, she'll appreciate it.
Monday, November 6, 2006
Friends and Family
I know I said I would write about our trip to Northridge park, but I am not in the mood today. I have something
else on my mind. Friends. And Family. I have questions regarding these two words or ideals.
Yesterday me and the children (all five) went to East L.A. to my best friend Michele's surprise birthday
party. Why would I do that on a moments notice? Well because I knew it would make her happy to see us there. And making her
happy makes me happy.
How far do you go for another person? Is the answer different if you are related to that person? What about
your spouse who you are technically not related to at all...but to whom you have dedicated yourself in partnership for a lifetime...are
they your friend or family...both or neither? Or in a category yet named unto themselves?
What about if you don't like those you share blood with?
Would you go "above and beyond the call of duty" for them just because you are related?
What about step siblings that FEEL like family, but who truly are not? What about step children....are
the feelings for them really the same as those you feel for your own?
How about adopted children?
On this topic I have a viewpoint I'd like to share. I know in my head that 2 of my children were not
conceived in my body, nor did I give birth to them. But...the idea of them was conceived in my head...and the birth of them
came from deep within my soul..and in my heart they own the same amount of real estate as my other 3 children. A miracle happened
when those boys found their way into my arms...God flooded me with the same mother-love that I felt for two older sons. He
placed their body in my arms and their soul in my heart...right next to Case and Ry.
Are you friendly with your family members? Do you like them? Would you see them in a social setting if you
weren't related to them?
I ask these questions because...it truly is still very hard for me to go anywhere with the littles. It is
a major undertaking to go visit, run errands or go on an outing for pleasure, but for Michele, who has put all aside to help
me when I need her....who never fails to call whenever she is out to see if I need anything, who always listens without judging
and is willing to stay up all night with a sick baby so I can get some sleep, who buys lunch for my sons when they forget
their own, who takes me to the hospital for an emergency (albeit unnecessary) appendectomy, who takes the boys to school every
morning so I don't have to load up all the children, who folds my laundry and cleans up my poopy kids, who makes my children
feel as loved as her own, who I know will always ALWAYS be there if I need her...when does she stop fitting into the classification
of "friend" and enter "my family"?
In my heart...she is my family. So maybe that's all that matters.
Happy Birthday Dear Friend! Here's to the next 12 birthdays together!
Nin
