The Kind of Mom I Am

With the high school graduation of my oldest child just around the corner, I find myself thinking about the past 18 yrs and where they have gone. I clearly recall the feelings of being unprepared for motherhood...and I don't think those thoughts have ever left me. And here, I thought it was part of the nausea. :D I often think I must have given my children a peculiar view of motherhood.

As Ski would say, I live with disorganized organization. In general, I am NOT organized. Most people say "Six kids!! You must be super organized." That's funny. No...I am not organized. I can organize some things...but it doesn't last because my maddening hoard descends and soon chaos has ensued once again. After 18 years, I've come to realize, I will never be as organized as everyone thinks I should be.

As a homeschooling mom, people also assume I am the best teacher in the world. Ummm....probably not. I know so many women who were former educators who are incredibly creative and productive. Me? Well, there is a reason I didn't finish the education part of my degree. It's a struggle for me...most days.

If you asked my children which parent was more strict...well, I'm sure they would all point at me. They'd most likely say my favorite word was "no." Yeah....I'm no fun. Six kids = noise. It's almost constant and I never knew how much I loved quiet until they came to live in my house. I often feel like the Grinch, holding my hands to my ears exclaiming, "Noise, noise, noise..." So much of my denial comes from my deep desire for peace and quiet.

But there comes a time when I thrive on having fun and want to just have fun with my children. I don't know if it is a fear of having lived life and regretting that. Or perhaps my parental role just feels a little stifling now and then. Regardless, my deepest hope is that my kids remember this side of me more than the other.

The mom who:
- gets "coffee drunk" and howls at the moon
- dances in a field when she thinks no one is watching
- rolls down a grassy hill and then begs her kids to
- giggles with delight as we watch the crabs run along the beach in the moonlight
- talks in funny accents....in public
- eats jello with her fingers (or rather is fed jello) because we don't have spoons
- ties her licorice in a big long string and then eats it
- has an impromptu photo shoot because everyone just HAPPENED to dress alike
- sings at the top of her lungs to crazy music
- has long,deep conversations with you in the car and grocery store and suddenly says "How did we get on this subject?!?!?!"
- celebrates obscure holidays....just for fun
- thinks Dickens is hysterical even though no one agrees with her
- cries at opera, songs about growing up, and stupid commercials
- would let you dye your hair any color because she thinks it's cool
- grosses you out with all of her medical talk

Because my favorite times haven't been the boring every day "official" mom stuff, but all of the times when I've just been myself. Because that's the kind of mom I am!!!

Yes....I'm looking for some spline.

Date night....always an adventure.

Our first stop? Ikea.
We had bought a shelving unit and while putting it together, we realized there was a problem. I was attempting to attach the final leg and the screw holes did not line up. Hmmm.... maybe it was a bit warped. We tried turning it around and...nope...it was WORSE!! I picked it up and stood it on end. It wasn't warped. Whoever made that piece needs to go back to wood shop!! It bent over like a y. I should have snapped a photo. It was kind of crazy.

So there we were in Ikea. We chatted with a friend in the returns area. And then we were going to grab a bite upstairs in the cafeteria. Nope. They close at 8:30. We just missed it.

So off we drove to our favorite Japanese place. We usually go to the one in H-ville, but this one was closer. Yummmmm.....Shumai!! We were sitting there eating when I realized they were playing "Not Home Yet" by Steven Curtis Chapman. Strange.... This was followed by a more recent CCM genre song. Then...Taio Cruz and Dynamite and then some Rhianna-like song followed by some oldie from the Motown era. I think it was tuned in to the Indecisive station on Sirius.

What next? Hmmm....I wanted to check out something at Lowe's. When we arrived, we headed off to windows and doors. I was looking at the signs above the aisles, deciding in my mind which aisle to try. As we were heading down one aisle, a sales guy approached us to ask if he could help us find something. I turned to him and asked....

"Yes....where can I find some spline?"

The look on his face was incredible!! I could see the wheels turning in his head. A woman asking for spline. Does she know what it actually is?!?!?!

"Spline.... Do you mean for screens in windows?" he asked.

Now I am thinking...well, DUH!!! I was standing in windows and doors after all...

"Yes."

"It's in aisle 15."

Now, silly me...I proved that I am indeed a woman. Who knew spline came in all kinds of sizes?!?!? Well, we weren't purchasing that tonight. Oh...my aching spline!!!

Off we went to look for something else. I had a thrill finding a washable filter for my vacuum originally priced at $40 on clearance for $10. So we stood there debating...what if it isn't the right size? Should we buy it? It was the only one left...

"We could always return it if it doesn't fit." I said, thinking I was pretty sure it was the right size.

"Oh sure, you can return it," said a salesman standing nearby. "In fact, we have a 70 day return policy so you can keep it for 69 days and return it."

Dh asked him where to find the carbon monoxide detectors since ours went berserk.

"Aisle 15."

"That's our aisle for the night!!!" I laughed... Yeah!! Back to the spline!!!

On our way to aisle 15, we entered an aisle to check out a ceiling light we need to replace. This aisle was the brightest aisle I've ever been in and I saw lights after leaving it.

Ooops...we had to stop by cleaners. Ski was looking the the thinggerjigger stuff we were out of. Funny...I knew exactly what he wanted.

Soon, we were in aisle 15. Hmmm There were no fire or carbon monoxide detectors to be found. Soon we were near windows and doors again and along comes Mr. Spliney to ask once again if we need help finding something.

Ski tells him...

"Aisle 14."

I laughed and said "Off by an aisle."

I do not think Mr. Spliney thought we were amusing.

We found our detector and walked towards checkout. Oooooh......I spied fun!! They had a whiteboard display with pens attached. You could write on it for fun. Most people wrote things like I love Lowes, Lowes Rocks!, and there was one picture of a cartoon dog. I picked up a pen and wrote....

I ♥ spline!!

After Ski paid, I told him to look at what I wrote. He contributed...

Spline RULES!!!

The best thing about hanging with Ski is being fun and silly together. He doesn't think I've lost my mind. Instead...he has fun with me.
Now don't you wish your date nights were that fun?!!??!

Btw....spline is cool!!!