Over Ridden

In the depths of a dark garage, in a small moving box, a wild mommy cat gave birth to four fur balls at my mother in laws house. All seven grandchildren were excited. But Brandon was the most elated. "Mom! They're so cute! Mom! I love them! Mom! They are so tiny! And Mom? Can I get one?" I knew that question was coming, but had decided to kick in my super parenting skills of selective hearing. Until my mother in law called..."Gram? How are the kitties? Tell me what they look like again? Are they getting big? Did you take them from the mommy yet? Are you going to take them to the vet?" And then a loud voice appeared like a gripping darkness..."YOU ARE NOT GETTING ONE OF THOSE THINGS!" It was dad. In one millisecond flat, a nine year olds pure joys was changed to heart breaking disappointment and the crocodile tears began to flow. I was mad to say the least! And before I knew it, I committed myself to a kitty..."I don't give a shit what he says....you're getting that damn cat!" Oops..foot in mouth (that's why God gave me a size 11 foot - since it needs to be big enough!) Brandon laughed and cried at the same time, since I shocked him. And me? I shocked myself and will be hiding a little fur ball from the dad of the house!

All I've Ever Needed To Learn from Kindergarten Moms

30 plus moms, wearing their flowered best and newly pedicured toes, trekked out to the kindergarten garden. Nicely place flowers sat on the vinyl pink tablecloth, while the chocolate chip cookies baked for the second time by the sun. The long line of 5 and 6 year olds, sang their hearts out to their mothers, holding tightly to the special cards they made each of us. There was not a dry eye in the garden. Luckily, some of the flowers needed watering! And we were all there for one single purpose - our children. I see these women on a daily basis, as I whizz by them during the morning rush. And what I realized is that no matter what background we come from - we want the best for our children. We share the same struggles as moms, trying to find the balance of being the best mom we can and not forgetting our own worth as a woman. I also learned that ever mom has that internal scream...the one that no one can hear, but every other mom can read on your face. The..."OH MY GOODNESS! GET ME OUT OF HERE"...moments. But then it makes me feel normal, that I am not the only one. And note to self....never wear a short flowered dress that a three year old could climb under and scream out loud so the rest of the world can hear..."Mommy, I see your underwear!" Phew...glad it wasn't me!

DOORBELL DITCH

We all have those neighbors that you just don't want to mess with. The ones that you are secretly afraid of because you never see them coming or going. And you wonder what in the heck they do in that house all day long. Are they hiding dead bodies? Your mind starts to wonder...you know? I've lived in my neighborhood almost 8 years now and really haven't said much to these people I've shared a sidewalk with. Yesterday, I was forced to meet them, as my nine year old son decided it would be a GREAT idea to doorbell ditch them. If it wasn't for my 3 year old nephew, who decided to tattle on his older cousin. And believe me, it wasn't easy trying to figure out the story from a little tow headed toddler. But eventually, Brandon came clean with the story and decided on his own, that he had to apologize. We walked down the street, got to the door, and the doorbell didn't look so inviting to Brandon anymore. But he did apologize to the neighbors, who didn't seem so bad after all. Although, I did tell my son, the last boy that they caught doorbell ditching, has never come out of their house yet! I think he'll think twice next time.