Some Moments Take Your Breath Away

Alice had a nurse appointment for her five year old shots today.  Because I don't like to spring things like shots on a kid, I told her about it the day before.  We were coloring while Angela took a surprise nap.  I casually mentioned the shots and how she would not be able to go to kindergarten without them.  Right after dropping the "shot bomb" news, I proceeded to mention how afterward we would go to our favorite local farm for donuts and animal feeding/petting.  We also had a Toys R' Us gift card from her birthday to spend, so we would do some toy shopping as well.

The news of the good stuff seemed to counteract the fear of the shots.  While Alice and I continued to color, she talked excitedly about the upcoming fun errands.  After a very brief moment of silence (it is Alice, the "Motor Mouth" after all), Alice looked at me and said, "Mommy, we can get something for Angela with my gift card too so she has something new to play with."  I was stunned.  I totally did not expect this burst of generosity.  Don't get me wrong, Alice is a great kid who is very loving of her sister, but she is also five years old.  I told Alice that I would buy something for Angela with house money and thanked her for the offer.

Despite the allure of Toys R' Us, Angela fell asleep in the car on the way there.  She remained asleep for most of the outing.  It was a good opportunity to teach Alice the importance of making smart shopping decisions.  I had her walk around the whole store before she picked her favorite thing.  The funny thing about this was I had to keep reminding her to pick something for herself.  Alice kept pointing out good gifts for Angela.  Even when Alice finally picked her gift (the Toy Story set of Barbie and Ken), she did it with her sister in mind.  "Angela can be the boy," she explained as she handed me the package. 

Needless to say, Mommy splurged on a few things not covered by the gift card for her thoughtful girl.  How could I not?

Random Events that Fill My Day

Although I have been a stay at home mom for almost five years, I still have my moments when I am just not used to it.  I did not feel that way when I was a teacher.  Once I found my "teaching groove", the days took on a logical course.  There was the preparation time, the instructional time, the grading time.  Sure there were chaotic moments and stressful times, but the ebb and flow of things generally made sense.  Stay at home motherhood has not followed that pattern.  Instead of "ebb and flow", I deal with rapid fluctuations from mind numbingly mundane (e.g., watching Blue's Clues) to "pull my hair out" frustration.  Thankfully, somewhere in the midst of these disparate poles lies hilarity as evidenced by the following interaction with Alice this afternoon.

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Both girls love to look at catalogs, particularly those which feature toys and other kid stuff.  Luckily for me a new One Step Ahead catalog showed up yesterday.  The three of us relaxed on the sofa while paging through it.  The first few pages showcased Halloween costumes (yes, you read that right; Halloween costumes in an AUGUST catalog).  Upon seeing a witch costume, Alice got very excited and proclaimed, "Mommy, I want to be a bitch for Halloween." 

Gosh, I hope not.

Alice-ism Meets Yogi-ism

Yesterday Alice kept me company while I made some buttermilk biscuits for breakfast.  She sat at the kitchen table and decided to pass the time by practicing her letter writing with a workbook.  She was happily engaged in her work, so I made sure to give the typical "few more minutes" warning before everything was ready.

Alice looked up at me and stated, "I am going to work until I am done and then I will stop."

John and I shared a smile after hearing this remark.  Apparently Yogi Berra lives at our house.

Danger Zone

I took the plunge and purchased a sewing machine.  I figured if I can teach myself to knit then I can teach myself to sew.  Armed with the knowledge acquired from my Sewing for Dummies book and my instruction manual, I took the kiddies with me to the craft store to purchase some supplies.  While we were there, Angela found a small baby doll in the clearance section.  I figured I had a better chance hitting the lottery than extracting it from her hand without incident, so I told Alice to pick something out too.  (Those lessons in fairness have been totally ingrained in me thanks to my mother). 

Alice found a pair of Disney princess binoculars that thrilled her and we made our way to the cashier.  I knew that Angela relinquishing the doll to be scanned simply would not happen.  I placed my items down on the counter and proceeded to pick up Anglea so the attendant could use the handheld scanner on the doll.  Fearing that her possession would leave her grasp, Angela immediately began shrieking.  She finally settled down when I put her on the ground and she realized that the doll never left her hand.  Still, as we walked from the store, she kept saying, "Baby" over and over again.  (My sister thinks she sounds like a player Frenchman when she says it).  An armored truck driver noted the incident and commented to me, "Good luck trying to get that out of her hands."

I laughed and agreed.  I told him that I would have a better chance getting the money he was holding from him. 

The sad thing is I was probably right.