Memory Lane

We were driving a long distance home from a Christmas party and saw an impressive display of Christmas lights. When I pointed them out to the kids Mary replied, "I can't look now because I'll mess up on my game." The girls had their heads down playing games on my phone and the following conversation ensued:

Beth: "Mom, did they have Pac-Man when you were little?"

Mom: "Sure. I remember when Pac-Man first came out. Dad and I were little when video games were invented."

Beth: " You WERE?"

Luke: "Yeah, and we had to play them on the TV."

Mom: (Playing up the drama) And when we watched TV, there was NO REMOTE. If you wanted to change the channel or turn up the volume, you had to get up, walk over, and do. it. yourself."

Girls: "Ugggghhhhh!"

Luke: "You know, when we were your age personal computers were a new thing. People were just starting to get them."

Girls: "Really??"

Mom: "And NO ONE had cell phones."

Mary: "WHAT?!?!?"

Mom: "We were born before the internet was invented."

Luke: "Way before!"

Girls: "WHOA!!!"

(Momentary pause while they processed what absolute relics their parents are)

Beth: "You must've played outside a lot more than we do."

Mom: "Very true Beth. Very true..."

Say What?

Things I never quite imagined I'd say as a parent:

When they were toddlers: "it is not ok to lick a toilet"

When they were pre-schoolers: "Please get the baby's feet out of your mouth. Now get your feet out of your mouth.

Now that they are school-age: "The next person to sing a Selena Gomez song owes me 15 minutes of extra chores..."

And today pulling in the driveway: "Did someone stick a wad of cheese wax on my rose bushes?"

Lose and Win

Today is one of those days when I am sitting here buried under the proverbial mountain of things to be done and feeling like a total loser because I haven't managed to do them (and seeing as how I'm still sitting here that situation isn't likely to change soon). I'm wondering why my house is a mess when I'm pretty sure I've already cleaned it abut 4,235 times and how come my children can't seem to remember to brush their teeth or clear their plates even though I've told them to at least as many times as I've cleaned the house. Then there's my dear old blog that has been sitting deserted for the past ten months, while all the photos snapped during that same time period are still on the camera, and the camera is - somewhere around here. Never mind the stack of other hobbies and home improvement projects lurking in the corners. What happened to that woman who used to willingly put her best foot forward, devise and execute a plan for the day, and accomplish something?

Oh wait. She had a baby. Yup. An absolutely adorable, heart-stoppingly cute, charm-your-socks-off-with-sweetness, realign the center of my universe, baby boy. He stole our hearts last October and nothing has been the same day or night since. (I will gladly show you lots of pictures of him, as soon as I find my camera, remember to charge the battery, get around to downloading them to computer, and eventually upload them to the blog) Add that to the three energetic, creative, expressive, clever, growing girls home all day and it adds up to a semi-supressed whirlwind that we happily call "this time of life." I wouldn't trade it, not for a clean house or a finished project or a quiet moment. Ok, maybe for a quiet moment, but not very many because I don't want to miss out.

It occurred to me this morning that while four children keep me reaching with both hands and both feet in opposite directions at the same time I have never wished for fewer children, only for more hands. It is true that I lose my keys, my patience, and the better part of my mind on daily basis, but with one look of their bright eyes my children completely win me over.