Motherly musings

Jonathan is out with Xander this morning on a class field trip to some fancy gardens (my field trip last week was to see Elie Wiesel... both good, just different).  While they're gone, I'm at home switching all of Ari's clothes to the next size up, and packing up my office. 

I know I've written about this before, but I sometimes I get these moments where I still can't quite believe that I'm the Mom.  Last night it hit when I was cutting up watermelon and writing cute notes on napkins to put in X and J's lunches, just like Jan used to do when I was a girl.  I remember my dad cutting up the watermelon every night for post-dinner snack when I was in Israel, and Gwen doing the same with honeydew... I was always afraid of the big knives.  Now it was Xander's turn to be in awe of the knife and my turn to reassure him that no, he couldn't help, he wasn't a grown-up, and that if he ate all the watermelon for dinner there wouldn't be any left for the next day.

I picked Xander up from school yesterday and we went out for a treat afterwards.  He had fantastic behavior, and we both really enjoyed ourselves.  I told him, "I get to be with just you, out for ice cream!  Without Ari, without Daddy.  Just us.  It's like Mother's Day came early."  His response?  Deep thought, and then, "When is boy's day?" ("Every day," I told him.)

On that same mom theme, my lovely husband sent me this.  In my current mindset, it's the best ad EVER:

And, lastly, lately our house has had a heavy rotation of Wonder Pets.  It has an insanely catchy theme song.  Think kid opera with a large dose of repetition and a healthy topping of sap, with strange mixed-media images, and you'll have it down.  I like it... up to a point.  So when I faux-groaned at Xander's choice the other night and said that he could watch anything else, anything else, please, he was honestly bewildered. "But... Wonder Pets are great!!!  You love Wonder Pets!!"  Ah, my son, you love Wonder Pets.  Please stop confusing us.


Edited to add:  I just found these lovely poems that I thought I'd share.  The first one is pretty famous; the second one applies to me a lot more!

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait ’til tomorrow
For children grow up, we’ve learned to our sorrow
So quiet down cobwebs
Dust, go to sleep
I’m rocking my baby
And babies don’t keep

ADAPTED VERSION:

Websites and emails can wait ’til tomorrow
For children grow up, we’ve learned to our sorrow
So quiet down projects,
Phone, go to sleep,
I’m enjoying my children
And children don’t keep.