Snippets

My children love their 'people' and thoroughly enjoyed a weekend full of their favorites. I love that my children feel comfortable around people regardless of age and I feel blessed to know that these people influence my children in so many positive ways. I have to admit though, that I'm also very appreciative of a church with a sense of humor. Evelynn was in her talkative element this year at the church retreat so here are a few of her conversational snippets. I wish I could remember more of them... I might add more as I they make themselves known.

#1. Paul Y. to Evelynn: Who made the moon?
      Evelynn: God did.
      Paul Y.: Who made the earth?
      Evelynn: The other god did.

#2. Evelynn to Christian K. (13) after watching Sponge Bob on his iPod: Do you have Elmo on here?

#3. Evelynn to me about sleeping on a bunk bed: There's no monsters in here. I will be just fine. Don't worry, Mom.

#4. Evelynn giving advice to Krista K.: Do you know what you do with toilet paper? You scratch your booty with it. If your nose itches, you can scratch it with toilet paper, too. But you never use the same piece of toilet paper.

Who knows, this might be her future in toilet paper uses.

Tetris

The way my mind viewed the day before the refrigerator incident.

I'm a tetris-brained individual.  All items on my daily to-do list must happen at specific times and in correct order so that all will come out well in the end. There is a sequence of events that must be followed. In the game of tetris, the various blocks are open to rearrangement, but they must follow the required angle to fit properly. There are certain items on the list that can be maneuvered accordingly to attain the same result. All items/blocks are manageable. Until one misplaced block jumbles the sequence of events.

The view after the refrigerator died.

The refrigerator is my stumbling block for today. It has served us well, but I could have done without its death. Why today? My list did not contain the extra blocks that its death has brought down quickly on my well laid base. The refrigerator needs to be divested of its items into various ice chests, then cleaned and then moved out for a good scrubbing of the floor and walls behind it. Laundry needs to be done, bags packed and the car loaded for a weekend filled with fun at Camp Manatawny. Delectable baked goods are in mind only, tickling the back of my mind and reminding me that they won't bake themselves. The new refrigerator, please Lord, will be delivered in the morning, but I'm not guaranteed that. Three children are quietly occupied for once and I don't want to attempt anything on my list. I'm sitting here, trying to work out a new tetris grid for a plan of attack. I will be victorious. I will achieve Tetris today.

The view that won't happen.

An Eel and a Starfish

    Swimming would have to rank at the very highest position in the minds of Evelynn and Caelan. It's been well over a year since they have had swimming at the YMCA, but let's face it... I've been a little busy since May 2009. Now that life has become a little more routine and under control, we decided to pick swimming back up. Elation would not adequately describe the girls as they saw the pool this morning. I was just as happy that this year, I don't have to be in the water with them. I now have an Eel and a Starfish, respectively.

The Eel

    Caelan was up first and she was slightly surprised to find herself surround by six other 2-3 year old boys. In comparison, my Caelan was quite calm and seemed less vivacious. Surprising, I know. However, she was a go-getter in the water, swimming where the teacher told her to swim. In her own little world of paddling, she was expending all her energy while the teacher spent hers chasing the little boys down. She was a little cold, chattery teeth and slightly blue lips, but she never complained or left the pool. Yes! Last time, I had to switch her to another class at the other Y because the water was warmer. Today's class was a swimming success for Caelan. 

The Starfish



    Evelynn and Caelan are in back-to-back classes, which make it so much more easier for me. Evelynn could not wait until she could finally get in the water. It was like being on a long road trip. "When is it my turn? Can I go now? Is Caelan almost done?" She is one of two students for this class. She went the length of the pool several times, a couple of the laps were with flippers and a board. She is still talking about her "yellow shoes for swimming" and how fast they made her go. To top off this first class, they two students climbed up on the diving stand and jumped in. When class was over, she was the last one in the pool and she was heartbroken to find that class was over until next week.

Growing Pains

While we try to teach our children all about life,

Our children teach us what life is all about.

~Angela Schwindt

    We anxiously awaited the Big Day for weeks. The excitement increased with our conversations and with the purchase of a small pair of black leather dance shoes. A stop at the McGinley School of Irish Dance will now be a permanent fixture in our weekly routine. Monday, Evelynn began her dance education, and I found myself unexpectedly caught up in my own life lesson. In the first moments of our arrival at the dance studio, I witnessed my carefree daughter become a studious, serious four year old. She did not ask for my help and was slightly offended that I had offered. She walked in with her dance bag on her arm and cooly sat down on a chair. She put her socks on and dance shoes on (although, she needed some help with the shoes, she never asked). After placing her other shoes in her bag, she walked right into the studio and sat down on a little chair with all the other beginners, smoothly taking all the activity in. I was, well, impressed. The little girl sitting out there didn't seem to be mine. Her mannerisms were so grown up.
    I stayed by the door for a few minutes, trying to catch her eye. She didn't even say 'bye' to me. She finally looked at me and I told her I was leaving. The look on her face was one of "Yes, I know. Go ahead." She smiled a little but then looked away. Oh, how I did not want to leave! Despite her excitement and calm demeanor, I really wanted her to have some kind of emotion that involved some kind of dismay. I was leaving her with strangers. She had only met her teacher once, but never the other students. I wanted her seriousness to just be uncertainty, but she never looked my way again. I walked back to the car, resisting the urge to go back in and make sure she was still okay. All was in order. This was the way it should be. She would be fine. I slowly got in my car and wiped the tears from my eyes. This is good.

I'm not asleep... but that doesn't mean I'm awake.

The feeling of sleepiness when you are not in bed, and can't get there, is the meanest feeling in the world. ~Edgar Watson Howe

Whether it's late nights or light sleep interspersed with random periods of sleep and awakeness, there has not been one night in two weeks that I've managed a sound six to eight hours of sleep. The girls are waiting. The family is not complete and going to bed with such an important member of the family away, the girls have not slept well. My emotions have run the gamut of insomnia. Frustration, irritability, denial, ignoring the situation, humored by it, etc.  I am sympathetic to their main reason and after fifteen days of this ridiculousness, their various other reasons for not sleeping are laughable.

• They are hungry to the point of starvation.
• Their thirst is insatiable (which also has other ramifications).
• Yes, trips to the bathroom. With Caelan in the midst of potty-training, it's hard to decide when the potty trips should happen and when I'm totally being played. She may play me on occasion, but she always goes. And laughs.
• The sounds of little feet and giggles as they think they have gotten away with not staying in bed.
• The concern about monsters in the bedroom. Well, if you didn't sleep with Gollum, you would be fine.

What they tell me has to be the funniest:

• "Evelynn won't go to sleep."
• "Caelan won't be quiet."
• "Evelynn's not in bed." Neither are you, dear, if you are in here tattling on your sister. "But she's not in bed." That reasoning must work for her.
• "I'm cold. I need covers." Then cover up. Their arms are broke and they are incapable of pulling the covers up. Their covers are not on them because one of them slipped into the other's room and they are wrestling on the bed.
• "I'm trying to sleep." Then be quiet. "Mom, shhhhh, I'm trying to sleep." Then be quiet. "I can't sleep because you are talking, Mom."
• "Caelan took her pants off."
• "Chaucer won't stay on my bed." Wonder why?
• "Can I sleep in your bed?" You are in my bed. You are just not sleeping. "Oh, yeah."

JC Day, Minus the Heels and Pearls

    Days, days, days... a continuous flow of time that changes very little. Then there is a random day that is so completely sporadic and exceptional I feel like June Cleaver. Everything in place, children clean and happily playing without destructive bents. The deep sigh of housewife satisfaction. Today has been a June Cleaver Day. I can actually say there is an entire floor of my house that's clean from ceiling to floor. Of course, we're not talking about the floor of bedrooms, which is one reason I'm tempted to sleep on the couch. Ah, clean and fresh upholstery.
    Today also began my foray into canning. Hey, something has to be done with the tomatoes in the garden. I know for a fact, that the writer "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" had a garden full of tomatoes. Our little garden has produced much more than we had even thought feasible. In the last week, I have picked three gallons of the small varieties that we have growing and I've picked twenty of the heirloom tomatoes that have the potential to become killer tomatoes. They are massive, some rivaling the size of Caelan's head. Before they became 'killer' I knew I had to can them. I have been queen of my kitchen today. It's been cleaned, the dishes have been done, and I've even baked cookies. Whoa. And my children are pleasant and strangely calm.
    The canning has gone well. I have succesfully canned four large jars of tomato sauce, like a spaghetti sauce. I am in my June Cleaver element. Then I recall a conversation I had with my Grandma a couple of days ago. This amazing woman, in the midst of telling her my great canning plans, tells me of her canning. I looked proudly at my four jars, in all their red, juicy, yummy goodness and my June Cleaver moment paled in comparison with my Grandma's abilities. In one day, this woman who is an amputee and had knee surgery on her only knee only eight months ago, told me that she had canned twenty jars of peach jelly and ten jars of plum jelly, the fruit from the trees of the homeplace. Burn. Forget June Cleaver. I want to achieve a Grandma day.

After much deep and profound brain things...

Well, to say that the last few days in the Brannon household were less than epic would be a complete fabrication caused by acute denial of the situations I've found myself in. I won't list them. It's exhaustive and-- exhausting. Ha, it's utter pandemonium. I hate days that are solely reactive, me on the offensive, and lasting12-15 hours. I would be the first one to say that there are no 'jobs' in the out-of-the-home workforce that have required what this one has since last Wednesday. We've had a few more 'movie' times than normal, but desperate times equal desperate measures. I have enjoyed movie time this week, for more reasons than should really be good, but oh, well, another few days of this and I think we might actually make it. I have found peace, calmness and laughter-- sheer inspiration-- from their movie choices. The characters are truly inspired and speak to me at this point in my life. I have felt to be in many of these same scenarios and might have said something similar to these characters. Mind you, I said similar. So in light of all the negatives of the last week, I choose to be encouraged by the following quotes, beginning with the title of this post, well-spoken by King Julian of Madagascar.

• Madagascar, King Julian:After much deep and profound brain things inside my head, I have decided to thank you for bringing peace to our home.
• Mort the Mouse Lemur: I like them, I like them! I liked them first! Before I even met them I liked them! As soon as I met them I liked them right away! You hate them compared to how much I like them!
  Julian: Oh shut up, you're so annoying!
• Alex the Lion: They should call it the San Di-lame-o Zoo. First they tell you, "Hey, we got this great open plan, where animals can run wild." Next thing you know, you have flowers in your hair, and everybody's hugging everybody.
• Mason the Chimpanzee: If you have any poo, fling it now.
• Marty the Zebra:Yeah! You don't see that on Animal Planet.
• Marty the Zebra: Aw a thermometer!Thanks!I love it Melman, I love it!
  Melman the Giraffe: I really wanted to give you a personal present. Do you know that was my first rectal thermometer?
• Alex the Lion: That is your side of the island, and this is our side of the island. That is the bad side, where you can skip and prance around like a magical pixie horse, and do whatever the heck you wanna do all day long. This is the good side, for those who love New York and care about getting back.That's not the fun side. THIS is the fun side! This is the fun side where we're gonna have a great time surviving until we go home! Whoo! I love this side; this side's the best! That side STINKS! You're on the JERSEY side of this cesspool!
• Melman the Giraffe: Augh! Underpants!
• Kung Fu Panda, Oogway: My friend, the panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours until you let go of the illusion of control.
  Shifu: Illusion?
  Oogway: Yes.Look at this tree, Shifu: I cannot make it blossom when it suits me nor make it bear fruit before its time.
  Shifu: But there are things we *can* control: I can control when the fruit will fall, I can control where to plant the seed: that is no illusion, Master!
  Oogway: Ah, yes. But no matter what you do, that seed will grow to be a peach tree. You may wish for an apple or an orange, but you will get a peach.
  Shifu: But a peach cannot defeat Tai Lung!
  Oogway: Maybe it can, if you are willing to guide, to nurture it, to believe in it.
  Shifu: But how? How? I need your help, master.
  Oogway: No, you just need to believe. Promise me, Shifu, promise me you will believe.
• Tigress: It is said that the Dragon Warrior can go for months without eating, surviving on the dew of a single ginko leaf and the energy of the universe.
  Po: Then I guess my body doesn't know I'm the Dragon Warrior yet. It's gonna take a lot more than dew, and, uh, universe juice.
• Ice Age:1-3, Sid: I'm a single mother with 3 kids. I could use a little compassion.
• Sid:Come on, spit him out. If you don't spit out little Johnny right now, we're leaving the playground this instant! One... two... don't make me say three...
• Sid: Is this how you resolve conflicts? No wonder you're single.
  [Mamma Rex roars]
  Sid: oh, that's your answer to everything. I don't exactly call that communication. I say they're vegetarian, you say "grrr". I say can we talk about it, you say "grrr". That's not what I call communication.
  Mother T-Rex: GRRRRRR!
  Sid: See that's your answer to everything!
• Manfred: Diego (Caelan), spit that out. You don't know where it's been.
• Sid: [about the baby] I bet he's hungry.
  Manny: How 'bout some milk?
  Sid: Ooh, I'd love some!
  Diego: Not you. The baby.
  Sid: Well, I ain't exactly lactating right now, pal.
  Diego: You're a little low on the food chain to be mouthing off, aren't you?...
  Manny: Enough!
• Manfred: Hey, buddy, want a lift?
  Diego: No, thanks. I'm saving what little dignity I've got left.
  Sid: You're hanging out with us now, pal. Dignity has nothing to do with it.
• Traffic Vulture: Parents: Please do not leave your children unattended. All unattended children will be eaten.
• Manfred: Okay. Thanks to Sid, we're now traveling together, and, like it or not, we're gonna be one big, happy family. I'll be the daddy, Ellie will be the mommy, and Diego will be the uncle who eats the kids who get on my nerves.
• Sid: I'm gonna be the first one to jump off the Eviscerator, and then you guys are gonna have to start showing me some respect.
  Manfred: You jump off this, the only respect you're gonna get is respect for the dead.
  Diego: Come on, Manny. He's not that stupid.But I've been wrong before.