Tag: kids

Distracted by doughnuts

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

So, have you ever eaten something so delicious it caused you to sing out in excitement? A friend of mine would sing out with a loud ‘Aaaaaah’ whenever she was – well, let’s just leave it as my friend would sing out whenever she was excited about this or that.

This morning, while I was driving to work, I sang out. Loudly. I was the only person in the car at the time, though I don’t know if that makes my sudden outburst more acceptable or not.

Included in one of the boxes: lemon meringue and strawberry bismark (w/fresh sliced strawberries) doughnuts.

Why the sudden outburst of “Aaaaaaah!”? Because I was stopping by Dutch Monkey Doughnuts to pick up a few, well, doughnuts. When I walked into Dutch Monkey, the desire to burst out in song was great; however, I was able to maintain my composure.

I walked out of the doughnut bakery with a dozen freshly baked doughnuts. And again, when I was alone in the car, I raised my voice to the angels. Crazy, eh? Crazy good, I’m telling you!

My boss and I enjoyed both of the strawberry bismark doughnuts, with fresh sliced strawberries. And honestly, the bismark was so good, I wanted to stop by on the way home to get two more. ‘Tis the season to be gluttonous, right? Alas, I did not go back and get more doughnuts. I think a dozen is plenty.

Here’s the thing, my post today was going to be about parenthood. And yet, the goodness of Dutch Monkey overcame me. Overcame me. So, I had to share.

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Our 5yr old is sick. He has had a fever since late Sunday night/early Monday morning. With the fever keeping Joe ‘down’, he has been more willing to cuddle with me. And, I have done my very best to milk his fever for all it is worth – with regards to cuddling, I mean.

Unhappy boy with his exhausted parents.

Yesterday, I was going through old pictures of Joe, with the intent of finding one particular one taken when he was a newborn.  As newbie parents to a baby that liked to cry, Rob and I were exhausted. The picture conveyed the story clearly, and I think it would have made for an excellent Christmas card enclosure. That is, if Joe was born in December. However, he was born in January,  and by the time his first Christmas came ’round, we were seasoned parents and I was pregnant with our second baby.

Because Joe is sick and I had the baby picture on my mind, I am reflecting back on my boys being babies. I remember when I was able to sit on the couch with them for hours, cuddling and napping. And, while I’m not looking to raise another newborn, I do enjoy recalling some of the memories of early parenthood.

Joe and his dog, Cherokee

In my search for the exhausted picture, I found another picture of newborn Joe. Looking more closely at the second picture, I noticed our dog, Cherokee. I think Cherokee liked the babies, too. Actually, Cherokee still loves the boys, especially when the boys are eating.

As I type, Joe is sitting next to me. If he were feeling 100%, Joe would be outside, coloring, building with blocks, playing with his train, etc. But, while feeling under the weather, sitting with Mom works for him. And, Joe sitting with Mom works for me, too! Maybe Joe would like to have a doughnut with me. I have plenty to share. Oh look! Here comes Cherokee.

Why? Why Am I Keeping These? Why?

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

If you’ve seen the television show “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, you know little Cindy-lou Who, who is no more than two. And, you know little Cindy-lou Who, who is no more than two, sees Santa trying to stuff her family’s Christmas tree up the chimney. When she sees Santa, she asks, “Why, San’tee Claus? Why? Why are you taking our Christmas tree? Why?”

Now, this is not a post about the Grinch, Cindy-lou Who, who is no more than two, or Christmas. This is a post about ‘why‘. Why do we do some of the things that we do? Why, people of the world? Why do we collect the baby teeth of our kids? Why?

Our oldest has now lost a total of three baby teeth. And, rather than throwing my son’s teeth away, I feel the need to save the teeth. I have the teeth safely stored in a special ‘little teeth’ container. And, I have the little container hidden, so my child doesn’t come across what the tooth fairy was to have taken with her. Why?!

Are we suppose to keep the first nail we clip from our child’s fingers and toes? That’s crazy gross, right? Well, why do we keep the teeth? And, how many parents have a lock of hair from their child’s first haircut? Why do we feel the need to collect bits and pieces of our children? And, why do these sorts of collections leave me feeling like I am a target for Dexter?

Who was the first Mom to keep their child’s tooth? And, why – oh why – did this become tradition? People of the world – is baby-teeth collecting a global thing? Or, are crazy Americans the only weirdos with a collection of baby teeth safely tucked away in a special container in one of their bedroom dresser drawers?

In this day and age where over-sharing is the norm, I am going to spare you a picture of my son’s 3 baby teeth. Let the record show, that even I have limits to the amount of information I share with the world. (Though clearly, my limits are few.) Now, if you’ll excuse me, my child just lost his first eyelash.

Viewing Friday From Bed

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

:: One, two, three “Aaaaaaw”
Being the youngest of six kids, I had my fair share of sibling abuse. Rest assured, I also gave out a fair share of sibling abuse. Sibling sympathy was not readily shared, when we were kids. Even now, we tend to joke more about misery than offer sympathy.

So, having spent the past 24hrs in bed and finding out I have the flu – I can see and hear my siblings gathering around the table offering up a pity party for me. “On the count of three, everyone. One. Two. Three. Aaaaaaaaw!”

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Sick with the flu, cuz I skipped the shot
Fumbling with blankets cuz I’m cold – no hot.

Bored in my bed, little energy to spare –
Looking nowhere in a zombie-like stare.

Tomorrow will be more of the same –
And not being vaccinated is to blame.

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:: The Great Outdoors – Inside
The house is a mess. A mess. I am behind on vacuuming, dusting and cleaning bathrooms. The dogs come in and out of the house so much, we have pine straw and sticks throughout the house. Sometimes, in an attempt to make it seem OK, I close my eyes and visualize a campsite. I tell myself we’ve simply brought the campsite indoors. S’mores anyone?

This morning, after Rob left to run an errand, I wobbled out to the kitchen to get some yogurt. As I passed by one of the bedrooms, I noticed the toys had been put away. I looked more closely at the floor  . . . he vacuumed! Rob vacuumed the entire house! I’m guessing he did it while I was at the doctor. In any case, we are back to living indoors! Good thing, too – I think it is suppose to rain.

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:: Conversation in the Car
Charlie: I want to go in outer space.
Me: You can be an astronaut when you grow up.
Charlie: No, I want to be a doctor.
Me: Oh. Well, that’s good, too.
Joe: Charlie, doctors get sick. And, they get shots, too.
*pause*
Charlie: I want to be an astronaut.

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:: Buzz, Buzz
With the all the respect in the world I want to tell you – Rob makes for one fine “House husband”. I am out-of-pocket two nights a week, which means Rob has to get the kids up and off to school two mornings a week. As a result, he’s had to adjust his work schedule. And now that I am sick, his task list has gotten longer. In addition to a larger task list, he is noticing some annoyances that I have complained about in the past.

I am literally staying separated from the family, in hopes they don’t get the flu. Last night, I was using the intercom on our phone and buzzing for Rob when I needed him. Later that night, he said, “Those intercoms are really annoying.” I had to laugh, because prior to yesterday, I hadn’t used the intercom – Rob had! He used it fairly frequently, and I hated it. He also buzzes me via a walk-talkie we have. Grates on my nerves! But, thanks to me being out-of-pocket, Rob has a greater appreciation for the annoying things in life!

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Be kind, and take care of yourself and each other!