For My Veterans

When 9/11 happened H and I had been married all of three days.  The 11th was his first day at work and he came home late that night to pack up his gear, just in case.  I knew what I had signed up for as a military wife, but so soon?  I could not fathom what was running through his mind at that point.When H went to Iraq we didn't know when he would come home or if he even would come home.  It was just us in a dusty, desert parking lot hugging good-bye with the words, "Ok. So... I'll see you. Whenever."  Not exactly words a young wife wants to hear.  We had been through long separations before.  Most of our dating relationship was spent apart.  He came home six months later. We were both exceptionally lucky.  It was hard for both of us to deal … [Read more...]

The Yoke of Guilt – Part Deux

Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms.  Original post date March 18, 2008.Last year when I was new to the whole work at home Mom thing I wrote a post about the guilt I feel and lay on myself. It wasn't so much that I had guilt over not enough time with my child or family it was the day in and day out beating I gave to just me over staying home and continuing to work. I couldn't find the balance. I wrote-What it all really boils down to is that inherently in me I've always had issues with being at home. Now that I'm here in the daily mire of it and yes, the joys of it, I'm conflicted. I just can't seem to hand myself over to that domestic mommy. I can't and won't give up trying to write, no one wants me to, but I can't seem to find a balance that sits well with me. I can't seem … [Read more...]

Overheards- Alone and Starving

Just when you think you are handling your business you have a moment like this-Scene:  Target.  Do I even need to explain anymore?  I had bought a pair of basic, black pants on a whim the other day and picked up the wrong size.  I now needed to drag the kids right before lunch time to the store to return the small pair and get a size bigger.  Awesome, on all accounts.  TD had already lobbed a few hangers at me in the dressing room.  Apparently, Target is like, the most, um, boring place on earth and it is like, uh really impeding her life to be here.  Big Sigh.  Right.TD:  (Upon exiting the dressing room) "WHEN are we going to leave this place?!" (Insert big,  huffy sigh here.)V:  "In a minute. I have to (struggle with pile of … [Read more...]

Tell Me We Are Smarter Than This

Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post from October 31, 2007.  Article referenced no longer available.  It was regarding parents who let their children eat all their Hallloween loot in one sitting.  I read articles like this one from Reuters and I think who is the audience for this type of piece? Morons? I mean really! Moderate sugar intake on Halloween? Wowie Kazowie I would have never thought o f that! Gee, thanks doctor of the moment! Thank you for that enlightening piece of information. Before your insightful words Mr. MD I was just going to give my two year old all the candy in one sitting. She could just plop herself down on the floor in front of whatever horror movie is playing, maybe I’ll let her watch Suspiria. That has ballet in it and it’s … [Read more...]

Tomorrow is a Good Day

It can only get better I keep thinking.  Yet, as I drove out of the party store parking lot and it wasn't even 10 a.m. all I could think was, "Tomorrow is going to be a good day.  Today is what makes tomorrow necessary."  Tomorrow H gets the elective snip.  His Facebook status is all about jockey's and frozen corn.  All things needed for this much anticipated (at least on my part) surgery.  High fives all around from my sistah's!  Sorry, H.  Today I got woken up at 5 a.m. by The Fifth Element.  I did the Night of the Living Dead walk to her nursery and fed her.  Half hour later, if that, she was up again.  S'alright. H's alarm had already been going off for the last fifteen minutes.  I was up.  I fed her again in bed and … [Read more...]

Spit Up in the Grass

They say the grass is always greener on the other side.  I say this because despite knowing all its thorns and prickles I envy the Mom's who drop off their kids at the bus stop each day only to pick them up eight hours later. What leisure and bliss!  Errands without unlatching car seat straps!  Time to work without interruption or blocks being lobbed at your head!  Then again, I'm sure that to some it seems that I'm the greener grass.  Someone must think that, right?  Please tell me they do to save me my sanity.  Heh.  I'm here to dispel that fairy tale.  Today, for example, is a prime candidate for destroying myths.  Scene 1- The Halloween gel sticker decorations we placed on the window yesterday afternoon?  The Comedian ate … [Read more...]

Got Colic?

I can still remember the tension. The aching knot in my shoulders that was caused by them continuously being hunched up in stress and frustration as I tried to soothe my daughter for what felt like the millionth hour that day. Every day.  Colic.  That five letter word can reduce any parent to a puddle and incite groans in so many.  I still cry out in horror when someone mentions it and our daughter is now almost five.Shortly after we brought our beautiful first baby home from the hospital she changed.  Gone was the serene sweet face.  Instead it was replaced by a red, beady-eyed screaming mite of a child that never stopped crying.  She would be rigid and fighting for hours on end.  It caused no end of stress, questioning and frustration in our house … [Read more...]

Styrofoam

I don't think H's grandmother had any idea that a box packed full of styrofoam peanuts would have quite this effect on TD or our house. (Pardon the poor video quality, it was dark, it was my phone.)Later, she was absolutely convinced that there was one special styrofoam peanut that was her new best friend. Then, she lost him. Yes, it was a him. When I tried to humor her and look for "him" with her I began to wonder if she was messing with me. V: What does your best friend look like?TD: He's green and small.V: Right. Green and small. Anything else?TD: He can sit up.Impressive.I glanced at H across the room who was trying to stifle a laugh as he swept up the sea of peanuts laying waste to our floor. I mouthed, "I think she is fucking with me." Twenty minutes later she was still mourning the … [Read more...]

Returning Pants with Three Kids

The other day H bought two pairs of pants.  Turns out he didn't like them so much (I seriously don't want to meet the person who is that long in the crotch) and they needed to be returned. Easy peasy he thought.  "I'll just return them when we go to the grocery store today."  I know you are all like "What?!" (cue Aziz Ansari's voice.) "Returning pants at the grocery store?  Where the hell do you shop for food?"  Hold up. There's a men's clothing store next door.  And yes, we sometimes all go to the grocery store together because "it's fun." Heh.  We have some dinner, the kids eat like zombies in front of a TV blaring Nick Jr (unheard of in our house) and then we shop.  Don't hate. I know you want to live like this. It's tres glamorous.So the … [Read more...]

How Much Do You Tell Your Children?

Cross-posted and archived from DC Metro Moms. Original post from May 13, 2008.Recently, The Washington Post ran a cover story for their Magazine titled, "The Secret Lives of Moms". The mother on the cover was portrayed as a June Cleaver type woman with a bottle of Jack Daniels and handcuffs hanging out of her apron pockets which made me cringe just looking at it. The line beside it began with, "If you have bongs or thongs in your past..." Thongs? What heck is wrong with a thong? Yes, they are uncomfortable but that is why there is the g-string. Are Moms not supposed to wear these?!But, I digress. The point of this piece is how much do we tell our children about our pasts? Do we lie and cover up our mistakes for fear they will follow in our footsteps? Do we use the brutal honesty … [Read more...]