Happy Anniversary to Me!

Last week, Husband and I celebrated our 20th anniversary! WOW!

While we were in Wisconsin for the boys’ Fall Break, the two of us were able to get away for a romantic evening at a totally amazing spa. Our suite was bigger than our first condo, the food was decadent and we enjoyed several luxurious spa services.

Surprisingly, this internationally rated spa is located in the Wisconsin Dells…home of huge, plastic animals, Ho-Chunk casino, the Tommy Bartlett water-ski show, and the Ducks. Since my boys consider the Dells to be synonymous with water parks, they were convinced that Mommy and Daddy were spending their romantic evening swimming without them. I finally gave up trying to convince Son #2 otherwise. I fear that I have ruined it for his wife someday…his expectations of a romantic weekend may be really messed up. “If a water park was good enough for my mom and dad…”

The good news is that Husband did come through with an awesome gift. So, even if they end up at a water park, my boys will know they better show up with the jewels!

Season 4 Episode 92

In this episode, Cliff has the opportunity to mess up another home repair project. Once the tiles start falling and the pipes start leaking, he admits defeat and agrees to hiring college friends of Sondra.

We just completed renovating our basement. We knew upfront that it was bigger than the both of us and we hired a contractor to help us. We limited ourselves to moving everything out to the garage. I insisted that it would only take a week, but Husband reminded me of an important rule of home repair…”Manana does not mean tomorrow, it just means not today.” Three weeks later, we are done! Now, we have to move everything back inside…maybe manana.

Season 4 Episode 89

In this episode, Rudy hides a note from her teacher. She is not sure of its contents, but she does not believe that the teacher likes her and assumes she is in trouble.

My boys are so different! Son #1 brought home one “Stop and Think” note from his teacher in 1st grade and that was all it took. We talked about it, I signed it and he has been on the (relative) straight and narrow ever since. He is now in the 6th grade and got his first late homework slip last week…OH NO! He has set up a system so as avoid this in the future. (That’s my boy!)

Son #2 is another story! At least once a week, he will announce in the car…”I got a “Stop and Think” note today.” More often than not, he will follow up with delight…“AND the teacher forgot to send it home!” Does he really think that the teacher and I don’t talk?? Rudy may have been able to hide a note from her parents, but in the age of cell phones, email and text messaging, there are no secrets between teacher and parent. Drew is stunned when I cut off his tv/video game privileges and say…”We have to talk.” I love Mommy magic!

Boys are like Rhubarb

Since finishing "The Cosby Show" series, we have sampled several other tv series. We tried a disc of “Mork & Mindy”, but it had too many innuendos. It is not fun for anyone if the kids keep asking…"What did he say?” “What does that mean?” “Why is that funny?” We also tried a few discs of “The Beverly Hillbillies.” The boys thought it was funny, but did not really connect with it. I am not sure if was an unfamiliarity with mountain folk or the concept of a banker’s family living in a mansion. We may try it again someday.

For the time being, we are alternating between “F-Troop”, “McHale’s Navy,” “Partridge Family,” and “Petticoat Junction.” What a mixture… an Army fort on the Western frontier, a Navy base in the South Pacific, a groovy family garage band, and a charming widow with three hot daughters.

In a recent episode of “Petticoat Junction,” Kate Bradley explained to her daughters that boys were like rhubarb…strange at first, then it grows on you, and then it is still strange. My boys asked what girls were like. We concluded that girls were like grapes…

• they travel in bunches
• some are visibly rotten, but most you cannot tell whether they are sweet or sour until you bite into them
• they are smooth and soft to the touch
• I am sure that there is something that could be said about being wine-y…
  

So many things to learn from watching tv!

Character Flaw #68 – Obsessions

I have random obsessions. They make no sense and they flare up from time to time. Right now, I am obsessed with purging our home of excess possessions. I am going through closets and drawers and getting rid of everything that is too small, too raggedy or too much. I will need to stop soon or the boys will not enough clothes for the winter or we will not have enough spoons for breakfast. My other obsession is air purifiers. I have had a chronic cough since August 24th and I am fed up! I am convinced that there is something lurking in my home and, unless I do something quickly, I will become an episode of “House.” I went to Target today and bought two extra-large air purifiers…this is in addition to the two we already own. Keep your fingers crossed! Now, the good news is that one obsession I will never have is cooking. Which makes the following so puzzling…

When Son #2 started school, he formed a “cool club” with the boys in his class. Every year, they have included all of the boys in the class, no girls. I have been honored to be the only girl in the club. Go Mommy! The other day, he told me that he asked Ellie to be in the club. (This is big news because he has held a grudge against her every since she tried to kiss him on the first day of school last year.) He said that she was going to be the assistant cook. Guess who is the chief cook? ME! Go figure. So much for women’s lib.

Season 4 Episode 80

In this episode, Theo gets in trouble…he lies about going to the library while grounded and goes to Coney Island. His friend, driving with a learner’s permit, gets caught speeding and tries to outrun the police. They both end up in jail. While discussing Theo’s punishment, Cliff and Claire get into a big argument. The episode ends with them making up.

Kids often don’t realize that their actions have consequences beyond themselves. This episode was a great example of how kids’ behavior can affect the entire family. When a child makes a bad choice, they must be held responsible for the consequences…but there are often consequences for the parents as well. Often times, the parents’ relationship suffers when they disagree about how to handle the situation…is one parent more lenient? Is one parent more strict? It is unrealistic to think that parents will always agree in such matters, however, it is important that they ultimately present a united front. No one said it would be easy…

Watching My Back

Sometimes I think that Son #2 is a 30 year old con man in a 7 year old body. He is so bright and so quick…he keeps me on my toes. Sometimes I have to laugh…sometimes I have to watch my back. Case in point…

• The other night, he pulled a tooth out while he was lying in bed (just to be clear...it was pretty loose when he went to bed). He set it on his dresser for the tooth fairy. The next morning, he said to me – as sweet as sugar pie – “Mommy, when I got up, I checked and tooth fairy had not come yet. Can you go up and check again?” The “take your wallet with you” and “you owe a late fee” went unsaid.
• We visited the boys’ grandma the other day at a cat show. She offered each boy a $10 line of credit at one of the vendor booths to purchase toys for our cats. Son #2 immediately asked, “If I only spend $8, can I keep the change?” When that did not work, he spent all $10 and even tried to renegotiate some prices so that he could maximize his purchases. Never give up, never.
• Today, Husband went to a White Sox playoff game. He bought each boy a Championship t-shirt and a cap for himself. Son #2 was delighted with his new t-shirt and “borrowed” Daddy’s cap. While he was watching tv, he was observed resizing the hat so it was just the right size. Now he has gone to bed and the cap is nowhere to be found…I suspect it is in his room.

I guess I could look at this as the glass is half full – he is highly intelligent with leadership skills – or half empty – he is destined for a life of crime and I better start saving for his legal expenses now. I better stick with half full and try to stay one step ahead…or at least enjoy the ride!

The Mystery Brother?

Yesterday, Son #2 had a very serious question to ask me…“Did I ever have a third son? Did he have another brother?” I was quite surprised by this question. Where did he think I was keeping this secret brother? In a closet?

I assured him that I only had two boys and we only had room in our house for two boys. He seemed satisfied with my response, but it made we wonder why he was asking. Did he want another brother?...someone to share the joy, the love and the blame. Or did he want to trade his older brother in for a newer model?...perhaps a sportier model or a one with a car. Or did he want to be traded himself?...perhaps he considered the grass to be greener somewhere else.

I may never know why he asked that question. Probably just as well…I might get lost if I try and dig too deep into his young mind. In the interim, I trust that he knows that he is my favorite seven-year-old son and there is nothing he could do to make me stop loving him!

Season 4 Episode 78

In this episode, Cliff cannot find a power drill that he borrowed from his neighbor, Jeffrey. Cliff searches the house three times and cannot find it anywhere. He finally remembers putting it away with the Christmas decorations for safekeeping.

The big joke around our house is that Daddy cannot find anything! If you need to find something, you better ask Mommy. Husband is convinced that I hide things on purpose just to keep him on his toes. The other day, Husband and the two boys were looking in the hall closet for something…they searched each shelf with a flashlight. After they admitted defeat, I walked to the closet, reached in and pulled out the item. It’s magic! I like to consider it job security.