Mama MiltonMama MiltonMinistry major turned bartender marries, has babies, makes peace with her Maker and rides off in the suburban sunset. Movie to follow. Did I mention there will be laughter? 
Articles
moody much
2008-06-10 01:11:00 Mrs. G hit it on the head: A lot of us fatigued. Tired. On the edge. This was supposed to represent my current mood, which rolls up and down like a hot summer day at Magic Mountain. It's hard to read - too small - but I guess you get the idea.I'll be humming along fine, packing and undoing my near hoarding ways, and then Bam! Boohoo! Or I'm having a delightful time in the rain with my kids at their school carnival and then Shazam! I'm in the shower at 10:04 pm, sobbing because I am going to miss my friends tre-mend-ously when I go.I'm fine during dinner on the town; exhausted the next day.I guess this is just life, right now. Emotional and tired and writing lame posts, while I wait for school to get out.I'm so ready. More About: Moody
atta boy
2008-06-06 17:35:00 Greg has worked hard all year. Gets up at 4 am. Doesn't complain.(You know I would. I always feel guilty when he kisses me goodbye and I tumble back to sleep.)Now, a treat:He made the Achievers club - an annual company vacation - and we are headed to Bermuda this August.So, congratulations honey. Well done. And thank you. More About: Atta
hobbit feet
2008-06-05 17:30:00 I came across these last night, while I was cleaning out my closet. This was my meager attempt at constructing furry feet for Halloween years ago, when Zack was Frodo.(I see you judging our utter geekitude.)I'm better today. I'm giving a) snuggling on the couch with both kids after school while watching a rotten (my take) movie they loved and b) writing yesterday's post, credit. More About: Hobbit , Feet
rough day
2008-06-05 02:35:00 He studies the calendar and adores the clock.There is no 'around' or 'about' in his world. He has been needling me, interrogating me over our plans as the school year rounds out.I swear I can hear his mind going through the paces, forming a circle that makes him feel whole and secure.And I want him to be safe and sound in his body and his soul, but these questions wear me down. I answer and write things on the calendar, to ease his anxiety, but he doesn't let up.I don't know how to parent him through these quirks, these obsessions. (I have plenty of neurotic behaviors, but this need to control an itinerary is not one of them.)So, he begins the day, hounding me. Greg is long gone, motoring down the road at 4:30 and I feel like I did when they were just babies. Like such an amateur. Why can't I fix this incessant need to discuss times, dates, plans? I have a sneaking suspicion that if moving has got me a little unhinged - Ms. Spontaneous - the blank canvas next month must ...
oh for goodness sake
2008-06-03 19:48:00 Now that I've taken down the man, I'm ready to hip hop over into a happier place, where bunnies frolic. Or at least I'm ready to point out a few things this week that have made my wee little cup runneth over:The elderly gentleman, wearing a dapper hat and mossy green sweater, carrying a humongous bouquet out of Trader Joe's. Wonder who he gave them to...Lexi's first attempt at the javelin, which was less than stellar. Yet, she chuckled about it. What a gift it is, to laugh at yourself when you try something new. Blogs. Bloggers. Don't like the word itself - it's dopey - but knowing this community will be here no matter where I go makes me feel brave and adventurous. (You will be here, right? I'm fragile.)Standing in the 'is it November?' rain this morning, waiting for the library to open with some pudgy little preschoolers in raincoats and their proud Grandmas. (Does that pink and brown number come in my size, half-pint?)Meeting Greg at a locally owned pizza joint last nig... More About: Goodness
I'm really not in such a bad mood, but...
2008-06-02 20:15:00 I will have to be brief. Rant and run. But I can't stop thinking about an interaction I had this morning at the school.I was just finishing up the task at hand when a staff member needed help doing some rather easy, but administrative type of stuff for the track meet today. The stuff nobody wants to do, but must be done for things to run smoothly.At first it looked like another parent had it covered and I was ready to jet. Then I heard him explain that he frankly isn't very good with details and someone else should do it. No really. Please, take it away from me.Ok, he didn't say that, but this is what I heard in his tone:Now, I don't mind doing mind-numbing work sometimes. I don't mind lending a hand. I appreciate seeing working parents volunteering, because I know firsthand how difficult it can be.But please, drop the complimentary 'I bet you are good at this' crap next time. Drop that grin. (Good thing you didn't pat my head too.) I'm not buying it.I know a lame excuse wh... More About: Mood , Bad Mood
parenting mistake #76
2008-05-31 19:04:00 Dear readers,Yes, you! With the cute little tyke wrapped around your ankle. It's confession time.I've been successfully and singlehandedly doing some minor renovations in our bathroom, between tea with friends (read: therapy), school obligations and a return to jazzercise.My house looks like I have abandoned it to raccoons.So, as per my usual, I made up some chore lists for my kids this morning. Simple things they can do while Greg and I tackle improvements designed to sell this house.Zack is more tidy in nature; lists make his heart sing. He is plowing through his. Happy is he and his organized brain, which I may never fully comphrehend.Lexi is creating alternative lists to my list; still helpful, but not what I need right now. She thinks this is a democracy. She thinks the lists should be equal in difficulty, that I should ignore the three year age difference. She thinks baking me shortbread for strawberries is in order. (She may be on to something.)I've created a chore monster... More About: Parenting
the boys
2008-05-30 16:57:00 Austin, 5Caden, 2I watched my nephews while my sister went and got all pretty, with a cut and color.They are rascals, and sweet and quick, quick, quick.(Their Aunt Sissy thinks they're real cool cats.) More About: Boys , The Boys
pork chops over politics
2008-05-30 00:04:00 So I emerged from my painting pit, to some strange news. I guess Rachael Ray was under fire yesterday over a scarf she was wearing in a recent Dunkin' Donuts ad.Conservative pundit Michelle Malkin claimed the scarf resembles a keffiyeh, and symbolizes support for Muslim extremism and terrorism. Stranger still: She seemed to imply that unless you are 'clueless', you would have known better than to wear 'distinctive hate couture'.I'll be honest. I don't know if keffiyehs are bold political statements. I don't know if they are offensive. I don't know much about them at all, sweeping me into the clueless department.But I know a little about Ms. Ray: She may be loud. She may have saturated the airwaves with too much Yum-o. She may have found a way to foist canned tomatoes on planet Earth, sneaking them in 93.78397% of her recipes.But covert terrorist supporter? Big political player? Pah-leese.I'm filing this one under 'I have bigger fish to fry, frankly' category.(I did googl... More About: Politics , Pork , Chops
jim-bob
2008-05-28 15:59:00 They used to line the door; this last name tag - nicknames given each week at preschool storytime - remains.I've got a soft spot for Jim-Bob. I can't bring myself to take it down.I look at it and I picture Zack perched at the front of a gaggle of 3 and 4 year olds, so healthy, so happy, waiting for the librarian to christen him with a new, silly name.Storytime was the spark. Those days crammed in the little library gave me hope. He was outrunning the delays that had left him behind.I will miss seeing this little tag when I move.(The obedient, the quiet - all apologies - can be found over here.)
to do
2008-05-27 19:52:00 Admit to self: Your bulletproof, water-resistant 'I don't need to write this down' memory is beginning to unravel. Grab some paper and a pen. Let's say a sharpie.Take up list making. All the cool kids are doing it.When in doubt, go back to #1. You doofus.Cast blame. Meds and neurosis should top the list as likely culprits. (Look! I'm getting the hang of it. We'll call it List 2.0: The Offenders.)Add a reward to the Master list. It's hard to take on new habits.
staycation
2008-05-26 18:16:00 Summer vacation is coming and with it, Big Plans.Our Big Plan: Get through the move. Everything else is gravy.I'm looking forward to lazy days at the park, propped with a book at the local community pool. My kids have hit the golden age of being allowed to swim without me, so I plan reading until my eyes fall out, while the yet to be hired real estate agent shows my house.I'm looking forward to taking day trips around the area. See Mt. St. Helens. Spend the day with my family. Go to the beach.I'm looking forward to seeing a movie in the park. Eating Ranier cherries. Seeing friends.(I'm such a homebody.)Picture courtesy of art.com; Lowell Herrero
ahead of me
2008-05-25 02:08:00 "Be careful."I bellow through the trees, watching both kids scramble ahead of me on a trail, each trying to beat the other down the path, into the lush forest.They are strong and able footed, but I panic when we near the drop off. I am startled when a couple of guys run past me, searching for their lost chocolate Lab. By the ravine. It does nothing for my nerves.We reach the lower falls and they teeter out to the edge of a mossy rock, searching for crawdads."Be careful, be careful, be careful."I find the words leaping out of my mouth every 20 seconds. How can they grow up, and develop any competence when every thing I say makes the world sound so risky. When I'm paralyzed they will what? Get wet. Twist an ankle?I bite my tongue. I stop chanting fearful words. I sit on a rock and look up stream, cursing my luck that Greg has the camera with him at the car show.From behind me creeps a sopping wet Lab; she shakes her coat and the kids rush to the lost dog's aid.They race ahead of me,... More About: Ahead
days spent in her kitchen
2008-05-23 23:39:00 I wandered into my neighbor's kitchen last weekend during her son's birthday party, her kitchen for two rightful years now and I made myself at home.It's fraudulent, this familiarity with another woman's space, but in my mind it stills belongs to T, the previous owner.I used to sit at that very counter nearly every morning after the bus took our bigger kids off to school, and we drank countless cups of coffee. In the corner, I hear faint laughter, the days past with preschoolers underfoot, playing dressup. Running. Skipping.Lunchtime would approach, and I'd show myself out, another morning spent in the ease of a friend, before I took Zack to school.Rinse. Repeat. Two years passed.*****I never much liked her husband; he seemed overbearing. My gut feelings were on target, but I didn't grasp how deep their troubles ran.She had been hiding secrets from me, scary secrets about stalking charges, and previous attempts to leave him. He had punched their teenage daughter in the ... More About: Kitchen , Days
the ups and downs
2008-05-23 00:17:00 The week hasn't been full of despair. Yes, I have been sad, and puked on, and I teared up when I asked a sales associate about picking up boxes today but I try to keep it all in perspective. I imagine my new house. Meeting new people. Maybe getting a job. I imagine gussying up a guest room and having company.I picture my circle getting bigger. An adventure waiting.Last week, the temperatures went from 53 degrees to 97 in two short days. The rains stopped and I got sunburned. And through it all, I had a low grade headache punctuated by a set of cluster headaches.(I'm blaming the barometer.)I discovered, writhing in pain, that laying on my face - no really - makes the pain bearable.So, I found myself like this last week.(Except I have hair. And a shirt.)I left a 4 year-old's birthday party twice, sounding a little too high maintenance for my taste. (The sun. Is too much. I must lie down. Big baby.)Lexi's choir practice at the senior center? Oh, I struck a pose.I went to the grocer...
of eagles and puke
2008-05-22 02:43:00 Morning came, as mornings do, and with it a question: Would Lexi be ready to go back to school after her umpteenth cough/fever combo? Or would I be ducking out of another field trip with Zack's class, leaving him seven year-old 'this is the worst thing EVER' sad?Just add rain and no husband and I had the perfect storm.Lexi had just decided to play it safe and stay home when I sat down quietly next to Zack to explain I wouldn't be able to make it when he yelped the most pathetic little yelp and she changed her mind. Girled up, if you will, with a little Advil and a hot shower.It reminded me so much of what we Moms do - pushing through, trying not to let someone down - that I got a little choked up at her maturity.Zack and I rode the bus down to the Water Resource center and learned about floods, and sturgeons and plants while a sweet little classmate turned my direction to heave, splattering his breakfast on my big black Danskos while I rubbed his back.(A mother's work is never ... More About: Eagles
in motion
2008-05-19 15:38:00 I have to face reality today: We are getting the house ready to put on the market and we will be moving soon.There I said it.Then why do I still feel so sad? I've been trying to hold it together the past few days, but maybe I need a better tactic. I'm thinking: Rent a bunch of sappy movies and cry it out? We'll see.Meanwhile, there are field trips and potlucks and end-of-the-year everythings to go to. I have to admit that it is good that I can tell the kids something; we aren't teetering back and forth anymore. They can say goodbye to our school and maybe get some closure. (I'm a child of the 80s. I'm versed in psychobabble.)So, I am cleaning out the place, dividing my belongings into the going, goodwill and trash piles. I'm one crazy gene away from being a bonefide hoarder so I sit on my bed, in a stupor, wishing the task was something more appealing, like sawing off my pinky toe with an emery board. But. It's what needs to be done.You know what I need? I need your sugges... More About: Motion
busy as a bee (must be spring)
2008-05-16 16:36:00 The sun is out and my windows are open. Can you hear my kids squabbling? It's grating on your nerves, huh?I'm on it, I swear.I'm feeling a little lean on the blogside. Lots of ideas; no time to write. (And not in that 'I'm watching too much crap TV' sort of way.)We came home from a school event last night and my reader was teeming with posts, ones I'd like to comment on. But then I was lazy and you guessed it, I watched Lost.I'll eventually get my head above water and stop by your place. I promise.But my daughter is crying over whether or not Spielberg directed any of the Star Wars movies - or produced or something, wah - and is pondering, aloud, how is he involved, exactly, with the Indiana Jones movie. And she needs to know RIGHTNOW. Pressing, pressing issues for pressing pressing times.(It's my due, for raising them to be movie freaks like me. Stupid karma.)So I'm off to solve cinematic debates and then to lunch & a movie with my sister and Mom. (Her mother... More About: Spring , Busy
I didn't catch their take on Lost
2008-05-15 23:04:00 I was sitting in a hobbit chair this morning, cutting out laminated book covers for Zack's class when I hear two first grade girls, whispering when they should be reading.Blonde Piggytails: Um, did you know that An. Ge. Lina. Jol. Lee. is having twins? I think they are gurls.White Headband: Yeah, but did you know that Jessica Simpson and Ashlee Simpson are sisters?Blonde Piggytails: How do you know they are sisters?White Headband: I dunno. Maybe they are entirely different Simpsons. Like Lisa.Pause. They look over their shoulders at me. Their voices become barely audible.Blonde Piggytails: Hmmm. I don't know about that. But. I like Ashlee's hair red. It's red now.White Headband: It's 'cause of the wedding. Brides always do stuff like that.(And Mrs. Milton wanted to add something about her nosejob, but she thought better of it. The three of us had a lot to do before recess and the sun is finally out.) More About: Lost , Catch
buddies
2008-05-14 18:06:00 Zack and his cousin, Austin. (Need a quiet moment? Head to Wordless Wednesday.)
lice are lousy all the time
2008-05-13 17:52:00 My friend C called me from her cell phone on her way to daycare, breathless, to say she was going to be in my driveway any minute. I was in pjs and making pancakes, and suddenly worried why she wasn't calling 911 instead.Something was clearly wrong.Turned out, she needed me to take a look at her girls' noggins. She needed me, the resident Lice Queen, to check. (Are you calling me on the cellular phone? I don't know you. Who is this? Don't come here, I'm hanging up the phone! Prank caller! Prank caller!)They were spared. Lucky them. But today I want to give you some of my hardearned nitpicking tactics, just in case those suckers come a knockin'.(I see you giving me the stink eye. I didn't say I want you to suffer, I just know how prevalent headlice is. Think of it as a public service announcement.)*If you have kids in daycare or school, familiarize yourself with their policy. This seems obvious, but hear me out. Our district's policy is for every family to check their kids h... More About: Time , The Time
columbia gorge
2008-05-12 17:15:00 Lexi's choir spent Saturday night at the Skamania Lodge in the Columbia River Gorge , which seemed a little backwards for mother's day weekend, but whatever. To hear her tell it, this trip was necessary. But after little sleep, and a lot of swimming, I'm not sure that her judgement is sound. We crossed over the Bridge of Gods, and hit up Multnomah Falls on our way to my parents' house. It was misty out - we Pacific Northwest folks are fluent in 'rain' terminology - but it's always a worthy stop. (A worthy stop that will leave your hair frizzy.) The rest of the day was spent with family, tickling kids and stuffing our faces. What'd you do yesterday, O Favorite Moms of Mine?
to my mom
2008-05-11 15:51:00 There's a lot I could say about my Mom; she is amazing. But this year has been tough on her. It's been long and trying.(She's been caring for my Grandmother, which is a year's worth of posts in itself.)She remains the glue of the family, the one the kids clamor to visit.I just hope she knows how much we love her.
um, thanks?
2008-05-10 22:26:00 Mama Milton: Look. It says, "Welcome young authors".I'm trying to psyche Lexi up. She is shifting in the backseat, nervous about today's writing workshop.MM, longingly: I wish I was going...Zack: Um, Mom. It said young writers.MM: Yes, yes it did.(Good thing he fed me muffins.)
and it was good
2008-05-10 04:13:00 Zack woke up, singing an impromptu ditty about 'muffins with Mom, muffins with Mom', in preparation for a special breakfast hosted by his class to honor, you guessed it, Moms.He sang. He harassed his sister, on her case to get ready already.He insisted that I stop by Peet's coffee for a Black Sheep Bakery Vegan muffin, so I wouldn't be left out.And we sat on foot high chairs; Zack held a stack of books to read to me, I ate my special pastry. He pointed out students I had worked with, just the day before, because at 7, it is simply a treat, bringing a parent to school.Later some women at Jazzercise, a little further down the path, were lamenting that their grown children forget to call. Don't really keep in touch anymore. Especially their sons.I know it happens.But today, I was a queen. Heralded. Admired.I'm tucking this day in my pocket, and savoring it. To be so lucky.(And coming up in June...Donuts with Dad. First grade is a hoot.) More About: Good
left to my own devices
2008-05-07 16:00:00 I'm feeling a little weary; I'm feeling a little irked. It's too bad too, because after painting with some students in Zack's class, and enjoying an afternoon with my nephew, I should be bounding off rainbows.Yet, still. Grumpy.I just got to thinking this afternoon: When did I become so complacent, so reliant on Big Media in place of my own Big Ideas? When did we as a whole?My local newscasters can't tell a heartwarming story without saying something stupid like, 'boy, that's really paying it forward', just in case I was confused.The democrats can't seem to get a candidate in place, even when most experts agree that the only way Clinton can win is if the superdelegates supersede what appears to be the people's choice.And Kathy Lee Gifford self-righteously pokes fun at 'mommy blogs' on national TV - not that she had actually taken any time to read one - because she is uncomfortable with women, common women anyway, writing about motherhood in a public forum.I wondered this... More About: Devices , Left
*sigh*
2008-05-07 15:23:00 First day at Disneyland, just a month ago.(Wordless Wednesday) More About: Sigh
lobbing a little meatball your way
2008-05-07 05:57:00 We cannot tell a lie. We love this commercial. We love baby meatie. (The kid's expressions get me every time...)
excuse me while I drink (water)
2008-05-06 04:43:00 Note to self: When you are due for your bi-monthly blood draw AND you've been sick, think about rescheduling.When three medical professionals comment on looking dehydrated, take heed. Maybe it's not the day to draw bloodAnd when the first, oh, 10 attempts are fruitless and the kind lady asks if she jab around the other arm, stop while you're ahead. You can come back.Because when you smugly say, "Sure, no problem" the next thing you know you're wheeling around on a gurney, dehydrated and woozy and pretty certain you've mooned the entire lab on your 'graceful' descent down.(Dang pants. Dang keister.)Two assistants, more pokes and a billion promises to take it easy later, I was on my feet and out the door. (So much for a margarita tonight. Make mine a virgin...) More About: Drink , Water , Excuse
from beneath my rock
More articles from this author:2008-05-04 20:54:00 I resurfaced yesterday to join Lexi's Girl Scout troop to Build-A-Bear and the mall. I was the one in the back, with the crusty nose.(Oh, how I love to nuzzle a kleenex box.)To know me is to know that: I am not fond of the mall, and I really don't have any burning desire to build a bear or a monkey and dress it in spiffy, spendy costumes.However, like many motherly things, this wasn't for my benefit. I sucked down some cold meds and felt just better enough to change into real clothes and tagged along.I was impressed; 18 girls, 4 adults, no snags.Lexi created a husky dog. The girls took pledges to spend more of their parents' money to become bestest friends with their critter, and Lexi was smitten. (I'm thinking Build-A-Cult?)I do a lot with and for my kids. But this was one of the times Lexi turned to me, several times throughout the day, and thanked me for coming. It was the last words on her lips, before she crashed out last night.You never know when the moments will come. I... More About: Rock 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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