This is an exciting week for Little O... she, and another friend of hers, are the "stars of the week" at preschool. Being the star of the week is quite the honor... it was all calendared out at the beginning of the summer so that every child (or, let's get real, every child's mother) knew when it would be his/her turn. So, here we are at the end of July and FINALLY it was O's turn to shine! It has been an excruciating wait to get to this point... Every week she would ask me... "mama, it my turn to be star of the week?" And each week I would have to tell her, "no, just a few more weeks, days, hours"...you get the point. Last week there were tears when I informed her it was not yet her turn. Fortunately, when I told her that last week was her week to "practice" being the star she was temporarily satisfied.
Tuesday morning... O was up early and excited to finally be the star. We picked out two books to take to school to share with her friends...because, hey, the star of the week gets to bring in their favorite books. I think I may have been at work a whole 10 minutes (not long enough to get that much needed first cup of coffee) when my phone rang and it was O's teacher... "O says that you forgot to bring her treat for star of the week?" I proceeded to tell Vanessa that no, I didn't forget, we would bring her treat Friday.
Wednesday morning... In my car, on the way to work, cell phone is ringing... Little O's Dad is on the phone... "O says that you forgot to take the treat to school for star of the week?" You already know the end of this conversation... No, didn't forget...Friday.
Thursday morning... Do you see the pattern here? In an effort to prevent the whole "you forgot the treat" conversation from happening yet again, I reminded O at bedtime the night before that we were not bringing a treat to share with her friends until Friday. When I picked her up from school late this afternoon, however, she informed me that they didn't have a special snack because I forgot the treat. But, that "otay, mama" we can bring the treat "morrow". Great idea...
So, here I am Thursday night... Can I tell you just how glad I will be to take the dumb treat to school tomorrow?! It is sitting out on the counter, ready to go, because god forbid I leave the house in the morning without it and actually forget it for real! Which...would actually be about right after having been reminded about it every day this week...
Moral of the story? Apparently being the star of the week is really a test for the mothers to come up with creative ways to stall... Or is it just about the treat? That seems to be O's favorite thing about being star of the week. The cutest thing to come out of the week is a conversation O and I had earlier in the week in which she asked me "mama, when YOU have a turn to be the star of the week?" Huh, I didn't see that on the calendar...
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Endurance...
Every day I see examples of strength... I see it in people like my step-brother... I watched him compete in a triathalon today...a grueling 1/4 mile swim, 18-mile bike ride, 3 1/2 mile run in cold, windy, challenging conditions. What amazed me was the joy in him when he was done...no complaints or concerns about conditions, just pure happiness with a time that put him 4th or 5th in his age group.
But I see strength in other demonstrations, too, those beyond the physical...the mental and emotional ones. So often, it is the women in my life who make me stand up and take notice as they face their daily challenges and then overcome them. I see strength in the moms that I know, who fight for children that face physical and mental challenges; I see it in women who struggle to make marriages work day in and day out, despite what that demands of them; I see it in my friends who face their own emotional challenges, but put their needs behind those of all the others in their lives; I see it in the sacrifices that so many make to ensure that those who surround them have the best of everything.
Generally, I think most of us believe that we do not have the strength to meet all of life's challenges... But what I have learned is that often we just don't know the depth of our own strength until it is tested. We look at those around us and for a moment we are thankful we don't have to deal with all of the things that those others have to handle. While our own problems seem small when compared to others, I have also found that everyone has their own "thing" to manage. And I have also determined that when tested, we rarely fail to meet those challenges... So, like my step-brother, face the challenges head-on and don't forget to take a moment to celebrate the achievements.
But I see strength in other demonstrations, too, those beyond the physical...the mental and emotional ones. So often, it is the women in my life who make me stand up and take notice as they face their daily challenges and then overcome them. I see strength in the moms that I know, who fight for children that face physical and mental challenges; I see it in women who struggle to make marriages work day in and day out, despite what that demands of them; I see it in my friends who face their own emotional challenges, but put their needs behind those of all the others in their lives; I see it in the sacrifices that so many make to ensure that those who surround them have the best of everything.
Generally, I think most of us believe that we do not have the strength to meet all of life's challenges... But what I have learned is that often we just don't know the depth of our own strength until it is tested. We look at those around us and for a moment we are thankful we don't have to deal with all of the things that those others have to handle. While our own problems seem small when compared to others, I have also found that everyone has their own "thing" to manage. And I have also determined that when tested, we rarely fail to meet those challenges... So, like my step-brother, face the challenges head-on and don't forget to take a moment to celebrate the achievements.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The Dating Game...
So I have been thinking a lot lately about dating... Mostly I have been thinking that while it would be good for me to get out and have an adult conversation and meet some new people, I just don't know if I am ready to put myself out there.
I keep having this conversation in my head that goes something like this... "yeah, I've been married...twice actually... oh, and I have a three-year old daughter". Every man's dream come true...yup, that's me. Or maybe I am just his mother's dream come true?! I do have quite the resume... Okay, so I don't have to lead off with my tragic life story, but how long before you confess your "sins" to someone?
The things I do know are these... I don't want another serious relationship, I don't want someone who wants to be involved in my daughter's life, and I don't ever want to get married again. I do however hope to have sex again before I die. Who wouldn't want to date me, right?! I can't figure out if all of this means I should just stay away from dating all together because I am just not ready, or if it is okay to meet people and look for casual friendship-type situations (with a side of kissing)? I can't be the only person in my age group that doesn't want to get married ever again, can I???
So... I have two girlfriends who have "friends" that they want me to meet... I have suggested I am interested as long as everyone is clear it is a casual situation. I am having doubts, however, about whether or not they understand how serious I am about that. This could be a real disaster if I end up hurting some guy's feelings because I am just not interested or he is too serious... then I have to contend with my girlfriend's feelings, too.
Am I over-thinking all of this? I have been out of the dating game for so long that I don't even know what the heck I am doing. Compound that with the fact that I am insecure about my history and not sure I am even ready to be "in the game". This could turn out to be interesting...at least it will give me some more things to write about. Stay tuned...
I keep having this conversation in my head that goes something like this... "yeah, I've been married...twice actually... oh, and I have a three-year old daughter". Every man's dream come true...yup, that's me. Or maybe I am just his mother's dream come true?! I do have quite the resume... Okay, so I don't have to lead off with my tragic life story, but how long before you confess your "sins" to someone?
The things I do know are these... I don't want another serious relationship, I don't want someone who wants to be involved in my daughter's life, and I don't ever want to get married again. I do however hope to have sex again before I die. Who wouldn't want to date me, right?! I can't figure out if all of this means I should just stay away from dating all together because I am just not ready, or if it is okay to meet people and look for casual friendship-type situations (with a side of kissing)? I can't be the only person in my age group that doesn't want to get married ever again, can I???
So... I have two girlfriends who have "friends" that they want me to meet... I have suggested I am interested as long as everyone is clear it is a casual situation. I am having doubts, however, about whether or not they understand how serious I am about that. This could be a real disaster if I end up hurting some guy's feelings because I am just not interested or he is too serious... then I have to contend with my girlfriend's feelings, too.
Am I over-thinking all of this? I have been out of the dating game for so long that I don't even know what the heck I am doing. Compound that with the fact that I am insecure about my history and not sure I am even ready to be "in the game". This could turn out to be interesting...at least it will give me some more things to write about. Stay tuned...
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