Snippets and Vignettes

I'm super behind in my blogging, so I'm using my lazy Mother's Day time sitting at the bar counter drinking champagne and watching James make my French Toast-filled brunch (I never eat breakfast, but French Toast is my favorite and making everyone wait until noon to eat it is part of my present) to do some bloggy catch up on the past week. We'll talk about today tomorrow, or whenever I get time again to sit down and write (an activity that always takes 5x longer than I think it will or should, but it's a labor of love and typos).

The last week is already a blur, but I have a collection of snippets from facebook and short phrases I typed into blogger each night before Silicon Valley took all my attention (finally started watching that show and freaking LOVE it. So hilarious, with such great dialogue, I can't do a single thing while it's on except rewind parts where I was laughing too hard to catch the next line. It's swallowing all my evenings and I'm not sad about it, even if James "misses shows were people die") I must flesh out because I particularly want to remember the Landon quotes forever. And the veggie lasagna recipe. It's food for the beef-minimizing gods.

But it is Mother's Day and it feels appropriate to share this photo of my mom and 1-month-old me. I didn't have a picture of my mom and baby-me until I found this Polaroid at the bottom of one of the boxes my parents gave me when they moved. It now sits propped against the mirror on my dresser, waiting for me to get it restored and properly framed, surrounded by my favorite pictures of me holding my babies. I love her big smile and love that I'm looking only at her.

Diving right in to the week...

~ ~ ~

Tuesday morning, in the kitchen, while I'm rushing around trying to get out the door by 7:30.

Landon: Mom, Mom, MOM!

Me: Yes!

Landon: Look! I combed my hair the other direction.

Me: 😶. Well, it looks great.

Landon, with a happy sigh: Yeah, I just wanted to try something a little different this morning.

~ ~ ~

I had a dream early Wednesday morning that I was pregnant again and I was so excited. I was half-awake in bed for at least 20 minutes where I still believed it was true and I was so sad when I woke up completely and realized it was not. I'm coming to accept I'm probably never going to be okay with the fact that Cora is our last. I can move forward, it doesn't overwhelm me, but that feeling of closure or completion or "oh thank god I'm not actually pregnant because we have 3 kids and our youngest is potty trained and we have 3 bedrooms and college is expensive" is just never going to happen. Instead I'm working making peace with not being at peace.

~ ~ ~

I had a Planned Parenthood/Annie's List legislative update happy hour on Thursday night, so for the first time in as long as I can remember I wasn't home for a weeknight dinner (it's been years; no matter how crazy our schedules are, somehow Monday through Thursday dinners remain pretty sacred). Realizing that made me so glad I made myself go- the kids can totally miss me for a night and getting more involved in things that matter to me was one of my post-election goals of the year. I picked up Landon at a friend's house on the way home and since the girls were already asleep, I got to spend a little one-on-one time as I shuffled him through the bedtime routine.

I was laying on his bed, another thing I never do because by the time dinner is over and everyone is in/near bed, all I want is my couch and my James, listening to him jabber away and all of a sudden he exclaimed, "MOM!! I found something for you!!" Wondering if perhaps it was a diamond or extra few hours in the day given the level of excitement in his voice, I sat up with a "what?!!"

"It's a Ninjago encyclopedia! Now you can read it and finally understand what I'm talking about!"

I adore that he genuinely believes my lack of understanding of the Ninjago universe is based on a lack of source material rather than a deep and abiding lack of interest. I simply cannot give it brain space. I do not know Cole's hair style or element or the color of his dragon. I don't know what a master of spinjitzu is or how you become one. I could not possibly care less. But I tucked that encyclopedia under my arm and I will probably try to read it for him.

~ ~ ~

Friday morning began bright and early with Muffins with Moms at the big kids' school. Cora did not have a Mother's Day, but she did make me this potted plant that I am not actually allowed to hold. It lives in her room with her, but she did allow me to take a picture with it.

Like everything at our elementary school this year the parent involvement just keeps growing and growing and it is such a joy to see. Even if it means they run out of muffins right when we get to the front of the line. (They refilled with donuts hastily purchased by a dad who ran across the street.)

Love our school, love our PTA, and love that Claire used the R in mother to say I'm "rilly sweet."

~ ~ ~

Landon had 2 friends over after school on Friday while Claire played at another friend's house. Cora, delighted by the increase in her audience size, raced across the house the moment we got home, picked up her giant princess book, and ran over to show it off to the boys. My heart squeezed as they ooh'd and ah'd appropriately, and then they kept their appreciation going even as she opened the big book up and starting telling them the detailed stories on each page.

I was listening from the kitchen, knowing I needed to rescue them soon, but just loving listening to them endure her stories, "SEE! Cinda-weh-wa has TWO CATS!!" without laughing at her or trying to escape. This is very much to their credit- they're very sweet boys- but it's also to Landon's. They knew darn well he would tolerate no disrespect towards his baby sister, and he was sitting there totally attentive, giving her an audience for as long as she wanted one, and they followed his lead. I must admit, it's not a lead I likely would have given my friends, and while he has his moments that make me want to bang my head against a wall (like omg most of today), none of them involve his role as big brother.

~ ~ ~

And my very favorite snippet from the week. This gem occurred Friday night, while I was making dinner and Landon hanging out in the living room.

Landon, casually: Mom, so did I tell you I kind of like two girls?

Me: No! Who?

Landon: [discloses]

Me, dying a little but trying to be cool: Well that's fun.

Landon: So can you text their moms to tell them to tell the girls?

Me: Ummm, that's not really how it works.

-- later --

Landon: But how did you tell someone you liked them when you were little?

Me: Hmmm, I guess mostly you told your friends who told their friends who told them.

Landon, laughing hysterically: You should have just texted their moms.

I think I was still giggling in my dreams over this one. Love love tweenage Landon.

~ ~ ~

We did a mostly meatless week, sort of by accident, and these two recipes were delicious.

Turkey Vegetable Lasagna- best lasagna I've ever made. I loved that even though it had lots of veggies it was still super solid (most of the veggie ones I make end up watery) and the turkey, something that so often feels like a pale beef substitute, was exactly what needed to be in there. I did use less mozzarella than called for because I ran out, but it was perfect. This is my new official Lasagna Recipe.

Quinoa Fiesta Enchilada Bake. I've made this before, but I love it and I'd forgotten about it and we should all remember together. Serve with chips and lots of chopped avocado. So good. (I never have the chipotle peppers in adobo so I just dump in some chili powder, still works out great.)

~ ~ ~

So that's about it!

Cora has made herself a fort "just like the kids!!" (she always refers to Landon and Claire as "the kids" and it is the best) and I'm going to go to yoga. Because if there's anything that says "I love my children but also my sanity" it's an hour on your yoga mat. Hope your days are going great! And/or that you are able to take some time to enjoy your personal yoga-equivalent. Cheers to all the moms and mother-figures out there!