Dinner at Mom's

He's come a few times on Tuesday evenings. I've been inspired to make dinner several times. Shepherd's Pie, meatloaf, and spaghetti with homemade meatballs. I used sauce from a jar, but I haven't an ounce of Italian in me, so I think it's permissible.We all ate too much. Bethany stopped to retrieve Henry and had a few meatball too. Maybe I should host Dinner at Mom's a few times this winter... 

I returned to work today. No more headache. I learned a valuable lesson. Dehydration and a glass of wine are mortal enemies. Cheers!

The Party

My cousins, a friend, and I rented a spot to set up a booth at the Naples Grape Festival. It was kind of like going to a big party. There were lots of people, tons of food, and so many things for sale. (We discovered food sells best.)

I didn't sell much, maybe one of my people, but it was a beautiful Saturday to be out with people I love. We could have stayed for Sunday's festival too, but the forecast called for rain all day long, so we made a last minute decision to pack it up. It turned out to be a good choice. It rained and rained. 

Exhaustion and dehydration took over sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning. I struggled with a headache all night long and a queasy stomach in the early morning hours. By 7:30 am I had decided I needed to pack up my things and go home. I'm thinking there was something in the Airbnb the didn't agree with my system. That combined with being tired and dehydrated made me sick. I couldn't even eat pretzels without my stomach turning. At 8 o'clock I climbed into my car and headed for home, stopping to sleep at a Thruway rest stop along the way.

I took today off to recover and sleep on the remainder of my headache. I learned several good lessons this weekend...

1. Don't go into a big weekend already thoroughly exhausted.

2. Stay hydrated even if it means using someone else's bathroom or a porta-potty .

3. Eat healthy. Always. (Carrots, mini cucumbers, nuts, water...)

4. Leave enough room next to your table full of wares for a chair, and talk to people who stop by.

5. Don't sell your heart for a song.

6. Take the following Monday off just because, not because you have to.

 

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. My son had a 45 minute slot to sing at the Festival and we were positioned close enough that it was just a short walk to get there. I am abundantly grateful and blessed.

Leaving Town

 I'm going away for the weekend. Leaving town for a few days. Meeting up with four childhood friends and one new friend. We're going to a party. A big party.

Oh, Now I Understand...

Those songs... The ones that stand out in my mind. There's a reason why, and a reason why we weren't supposed to listen to country music. (It was bad stuff.) He had never liked country music... except he had. That's why we knew the songs...

Colin Raye... I Think About You

Shania Twain... Looks Like We Made It

and Alan Jackson, who I listened to much later... Remember When

Three songs. One story. It's hard to sort the truth from the lies but the knots are coming untied one at a time.

The Perfect Weekend

 It's been a phenomenal weekend. Full of everything lovely.

On Saturday my friend Laura and I went to the Clothesline Art Festival. Sunshine and summer filled the sky. We wandered the booths, took in the sights, and enjoyed each other's company. There was so much to see that we didn't even see it all. Paintings, pottery, leather crafts, jewelry... Just anything you might think of. We bought meatballs from a food truck, downed two bottles of water each, and cooled ourselves down in the shade of large trees. My sister Priscilla was there somewhere with a cousin, but we didn't see them. We did find my friend Dan sharing a booth with another potter from the studio, and Andy (also from the pottery studio) in his booth. I bought just one item. A small mug from Andy.

It was early afternoon when we left the city. Laura was longing for cold water in which to soak her feet and we were also hungry. We headed toward Seabreeze and each got a cheeseburger at Don and Bob's. From there were visited the small strip of beach next to the Irondequoit Bay Outlet. We took some pillows and blanket out of her car and lay down in the shade for a while before heading down to the water. I was wearing my jeans (silly me!) but that didn't stop me from going into the water. The sandbar was heavenly!

After retrieving my car I stopped at Bethany's for a baby butterfly bush. By that time it was already evening, but I wasn't quite ready to go home, so I drove down Lake Rd to my favorite spot. Such a beautiful sunset! It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Today's forecast turned from sunshine to rain, but that didn't stop us from going to the zoo. It simply served to thin the crowd that might have gathered otherwise. This too was a beautiful day, just a different kind from yesterday. I took a bazillion photographs!

Can You Hear Me Now?

 It's been an interesting week. Labor Day feels like forever ago...

I'm falling in love with my new babies, loving on those who miraculously turned into toddlers, and still stopping to hug any 3 and 4 year old friends who need some love and recognition. I choose my earring carefully each morning. This week they were ice cream cones (mint chocolate chip), chocolate chip cookies, pink gummy bears, and Cosmic brownies. I'm not sure anymore if they're looking for me or my earring collection. LOL!

Back to the interesting. I forgot to make my coffee on Thursday. Got ready for work, grabbed my things and ran out the door and realized when I was a mile or two up the road with no time to turn around. I am grateful for a Dunkin on the way. That afternoon I left my phone at work. Got another couple of miles down the road and had to turn around. After work I decided to pull some weeds and inadvertently tossed dirt into my own ear which wasn't discovered until later in the evening when I was down at the lake. 

Yesterday topped off the interesting week. I got written up at work. I told a friend got caught using. Using my phone. It wasn't my wonderful boss or one of my coworkers who caught me. It was the owner. (Insert eye roll...) The owner who in our Wednesday night staff meeting just mentioned how we are not allowed to use our phones during work. (Something about regulations...) Of course the two children in my care were not being ignored or neglected. I was sitting on the floor with them. But it was true. I'd looked at my phone. No excuses. I felt bad for the coworker who was told to write me up. She seemed genuinely sorry. I'm not going to be fired and they couldn't send me home. We're all adults and I decided not to let it ruin my day. It is what it is.

It's a Tought Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It.

Kitchen work was easier than being a baby teacher. I liked working in the kitchen. It wasn't so hard on my heart.

After spending the summer at home, today my little friend Hannah returned to the daycare. I saw her come in and hurried to say hello, but my time was cut short by a new baby coming in right behind her. Later, when I was given a chance to use the bathroom, I stopped to see how she was adjusting to the Waddler Room. We had just enough time and interaction for her memory to be stirred. Like her cousin Olivia last week, Hannah suddenly realized that I still loved and remembered her and she cried when I had to leave. Traitor is not too strong a word for what I feel. Ugh.

My Infant Room is filling up quickly. Today I had three, tomorrow I will be at capacity with four. The numbers will fluctuate depending on the day but four babies is the maximum for  one infant teacher. It was a day filled with snuggles and puke. On the babies, on the floor, and on me. I'm wearing it like a badge and wiping it off the best I can. Ha ha! These babies, at least so far, appear to be better sleepers than the former group. I'm taking the good along with the hard.

In other news, I'm still growing, learning, and letting go, although I'm not always entirely certain how to do all of that. It's the letting go/hanging on that cause me angst. I can do either one if I only know which one I'm supposed to be doing. Let's just say not all of my children and grandchildren appear to want a close relationship at this particular moment. They have their own lives and make their own choices, and that is okay. As much as it stings sometimes, I can give them that privilege. I can let go and entrust them to the One who knows all things. I am okay. They have returned before, they may return again...

The Rainy Day

Today was dark, dreary, and delicious. Deliciously rainy. There was no big family picnic. No games in the yard. No photo opportunities. I slept in because it was just that kind of morning. Dark and rainy combined with a day off. A beautiful rare occurrence.

Although there was no big family gathering, we did have one family come over for the afternoon. Nate brought three of his four and we cooked up some hot dogs on the stove, made a pot of macaroni and cheese, and warmed up a can of baked beans. When Sabrina picked up the kids and while Hannah and Sergio were out to the mall with Idris and Killian, Nate and I went down to Moe's and picked up some dinner. I didn't get my messy room clean but there are more important things in life than a tidy bedroom.

New Beginings and Last Hurrahs

The transitions are almost complete. Last year's little ones are settled into the "Waddler Room." I hate letting them go. They still arrive in the morning expecting to find me waiting for them. In all honesty, I feel a bit like a traitor though I haven't a say in the matter. This is how the Daycare Center works. I chanced to meet Mara and her mom coming in yesterday and was handed a card, a thank you for taking such good care of this sweet child. I wanted to cry.

Although I can't be with them all day, I will stop to say hello and wrap my arms around my girls as I can. Mara cries when she sees me. (Ugh. My heart hurts.)  She's so little. She has new teachers and loves being a big girl, but still wants Miss Martha. I could have moved up with them but along with the move would have come all the responsibilities of a full blown Toddler Room and I am not ready for that.

New Littles are filling my Infant Room. I welcomed twins on Monday. Girls. Five months old. Charlotte and Julia. On Tuesday I meet Ensley. She is eight months. Jack will come to play Wednesday and Thursday. 10 months. Leo will still come on Fridays. He just turned one. I will soon be attached to another group of little people and they will be looking for me too.

My friend Livie came for three days this past week. It didn't take long for her to cling to me when I had to leave the room. She's gone now too. She starts a new daycare center on Tuesday and her cousin Hannah will join our Waddler Room. It's hard to believe that a little less than a year ago I agreed to leave my kitchen to be in the Infant Room until "mid December" when my girls were 3, 4, 5, and 6 months old...

Oh my goodness! Where are the tissues?!

Sometimes

Sometimes life smacks me upside the head when I'm not paying attention. Sometimes I'm not paying attention because I'm tired and/or distracted. Ugh. Sometimes when I am tired and/or distracted I react instead of respond. Sometimes when I react instead of respond, I dig myself in deep enough that is really tough to get out of the hole.

On Saturday, in desperate attempt to fix a physical issue, I sought some help and advice. I believed I was going to the place recommended to me by a trusted friend. I bought the line, hook, bait and sinker, and agreed to pay a rather hefty chunk of change. There were a few red flags, but paid them little heed. It wasn't until I had returned home that the mistake was realized and by then it too late. There are no "backsies" on this deal. (I feel rather foolish...) Perhaps the product I purchased will help in spite of the error. I can only hope so.

Yesterday, in desperate attempt to fix an emotional issue, I reacted. There are no "backsies" on this either. Tensions were already running high. Tired, distracted, and frustrated by the unrelated issue of Saturday's fiasco, which is not an excuse for bad behavior, I said some things that were unnecessary and probably not totally kind, even if part of me wanted them to be... 

Being a grown up is hard.