Wordy Wednesday: Yesterday

a) i can't believe this is the best photo i got of her yesterday, on her 23 monthday, but the girl will only sit still for TV and those make awful pictures (this one was snapped as we were i was trying to get us to leave daycare while she played with something on the floor).
b) i can't believe... I CANNOT BELIEVE... my baby doll will be 2 in less than a month. INCREDIBLE.
c) i really am digging tracking her age milestones with a photo and some words. neato. thanks be to the Pinterest, eh.

linking up with The Paper Mama and Kiddothings again! ... and...

Mama

I’ve always been kind of overlooked a lot in life- especially when it comes to pictures of myself. There are gobs of my sister, the oldest; quite a bit of my brother, the middle child; and not even an album full of me, the youngest. Such is life back in the day before digital, I suppose. As I grew up (and out), I hated getting photos taken of myself; I didn’t know how to smile (still don’t) and I was fat (or I thought I was… yet what I wouldn’t do to go back to the “fat” I thought I was back then!).

Then as I watched my nieces and nephews grow into adults, I often noticed how few pictures each of them had with their mothers. And that left me to think about pictures of myself with my own mother. They simply don’t exist. And that's incredibly sad to me.

So when Lovie was born, I promised myself (and her) that that wouldn’t happen with us. I was going to ensure there were pictures of me alone and/or me and her together. Even if that meant turning the camera on myself. Even if that meant begging someone to take a picture of us.

from end of August 2011

Lovie’s not even 2 and I’m proud to say that I can’t even tell you how many pictures there are of the two of us together. And I love them all. I may look fat and old and tired in some (or all) of them, but I absolutely love each picture. Mainly because of her, yes I admit it, but also because it’s a true representation of who I am:

Gray haired? Sure.



Tired looking? Maybe so.

Happy? Absolutely!

Mama? That’s me.

This week, I’m asking you to take us into the moment your favorite photograph of yourself was taken, to show us who you were then and what the photograph means–in 300 words.



Oh Thanksgiving weekend

Oh Thanksgiving weekend, how I love thee. How I've always loved thee, but how I love thee even more now that Lovie is with us.

Oh how I love to feast on carbelicious foods for days on end...

Oh I how I love to watch this little girl do her thing and be as cute as she can possibly be without even knowing it (here she is wearing G-pa's hat)...

Oh how I love waking up on Black Friday, making a pot of coffee, and pulling out all the Christmas decor (and, this year, Oh how I ADORED hearing and seeing the excitement in Lovie- her Ooooo's to everything getting pulled out and put up, her "oooo cool socks" comment when she noticed the stockings on the wall {no fireplace, eh} after waking from a 3 hour nap {lucky girl}, her "Snowman!" comments at all the Santa's) and tree and decorating the house while listening to Christmas music...

Oh how I love that even after two full days of just being a family and carrying on (or starting new) traditions, there are still two more days left to the long weekend... a Saturday spent out and about- first going to 10am Imnastics (gymnastics), then grabbing a hot dog before driving out to Oma and Grandma's for a lengthy visit before arriving back home just in time for bed... a Sunday spent home doing a bunch of nothing but whatever we want (coloring, snacking, bathing, watching tv, cuddling on the couch, tickle fests).

Thank you Thanksgiving weekend. You did not disappoint. Not one bit.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm so incredibly thankful for her... 

today on Thanksgiving- and every single day. 

I'm so blessed.

WW: last year's 1st

holy shit was she a cutie, no? she still is, yes, but i could squish her here. she was only weeks into being an actual walking baby and only a month and some change from turning one. too fast... too too fast. oh and hey in laws, it'd be nice if this Thanksgiving you show up on time and not three hours late like last year. thanks.

linking up, again, with The Paper Mama and Kiddothings.

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in other news, i've gotten quite a few inquiries (sooo excited!!) to guest post here in the coming weeks (and if you haven't heard back from me, it's cuz i don't have your email, i can't reply to your comment b/c you're set up as no-reply which you really should change, and/or b/c i can't comment on your blog for some reason so email me at finallymom@gmail.com so we can get this worked out)... soon as they start coming in, the plan is to post them on Wednesdays so be on the lookout!! i know i am- and i'm super exicted!

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gobble, gobble!

My quiet place

Before I became a mom, my quiet place was driving the open roads, the moonlight vanishing every few seconds from the trees. No music, no talking, just the sound of the car’s engine roaring, the sounds of the tires gliding across the concrete, the sounds of the car cutting through the air. I did so much thinking while driving, sometimes a lot of times getting quite lost in thought.

But now, as a mom, whenever I’m in the car it’s generally with Lovie and there isn’t much to think about other than how to keep her happy and tantrum free. So these days, my quiet place is all about the shower… the absolute solace of a hot shower.

...the constant rhythm of rushing water enveloping a vulnerable me as I step onto the cold floor. Anything and everything gets washed away in the shower. Beads of water adorn the glass door while droplets slide down every so often. The heat from the water massaging my shoulders, my back. My ears drown in the sound of falling water. My thoughts become so clear and focused. I’m able to laugh, reflect, cry. I step out completely refreshed, yet yearning to return to the warmth of my quiet place.

This week we asked you to write about your quiet place. Where is it? What does it look like? What happens there? Our word limit was 200

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Like what you see here at finally Mom? Then why not Come Play with Me?!?

One and Done, the Listicle

I've talked about this several other times on this blog since starting it 20 months ago... why I'm most likely on Team One and Done. At first I harbored a lot of guilt about even thinking that we were on this team but as time progresses and as friends and family near and dear expand their families and we don't, I become more certain that the team we've chosen is most definitely the right one. FOR US.

Why the decision to have only one child?

In no particular order...

* I'm 39. I suffered one missed miscarriage before becoming pregnant with Lovie nine months later. I have absolutely no desire to go through the ups and downs of trying to conceive. No desire whatsoever. Yes, much of that has to do with fear- particularly the fear of miscarrying again or the fear of getting my hopes up only for them to be squashed.

* But more than the fear, I'm just tired. And the thought of getting pregnant again and staying pregnant for another nine months exhausts me. Just the thought of it exhausts me, imagine how I'd actually be if I were pregnant and caring for a 2 year old. No thanks. I mean, if it happens, it happens but we're not trying and ... just no thank you.

* Lovie completes me. As cheesy and cliche and whatever else you want to say as it is, it's true. The moment she was born, the moment I heard her cry out, the moment I laid eyes on her... I just knew this was it. She was the reason for life and my life was complete.

* I get to gush and gush and gush about her and only her and not feel guilty about doing so. I don't have to divide my attention between two or three or four other kids.

* I get to focus everything on to Lovie. Sure I could spoil her rotten with toys and clothes and other meaningless (when it comes down to it) crap, but I don't; instead, she gets my full attention and there's no guilt for doing so.

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Like what you see here at finally Mom? Then why not Come Play with Me?!?

Few of my Favorite things Friday

Boy it's been a while since I've done one of these... I'm just gonna jump right in:

Toddler Mum-Mums
They are my favorite because they don't leave a mess in the car, which is when they get eaten by a little someone who begs for food (Cracka! Biscuit! Hungry, Mama, Eat!!). We drive in the car twice a day every single day during the week and sometimes on the weekend and my girl is growing and loves her snacks. These are like nothing (very little nutritional value so her dinner doesn't get spoiled and she remains happy). And she knows it. She's not always happy when I hand her one but after she throws a fit without it and still claims to be hungry, I offer again and it'll do. Granted I find more of them in the back seat than she eats, but they're very car friendly in that they really don't make a huge mess (and really, they're tasty- not too heavy, nice and light and airy)!

Jason's Deli
I've just recently discovered this place and hot damn do I want to move in. I've only been one time and that one time was enough to know and believe that Jason's Deli is awesome. Plain and simple. The BEST sandwich (and I love me sandwiches) I've EVER had (the Ham and Salami Mufaletta- get it.... NOW!). EVER. Honestly. Wow, I can't really put it into words how yummy this place is. Go experience it for yourself if you haven't already.


soap.com
You can get the aforementioned Mum Mums from soap.com if you want. You can also get hair care products, laundry items, toys, vibrators, toothpaste, diapers, and more from soap.com. And you can get it all by sitting your ass down in front of the computer and clicking on the items you want and paying with your handy dandy notebook credit card. And the fine people at soap.com will package everything nice and neatly in a box with their logo and get it delivered to you within a day or two. I live in a big city and always get mine delivered the next day. Super fucking convenient. I really love them. Like really really.

NOTE: these are all just my opinions and i'm not in any way, shape, or form being compensated or provided with anything from any of these favorites

 

 

oh and if you haven't done so already, please check this out (click on the fun picture):

 

 

 

 

come play with me!

We’re days away from Thanksgiving… A little more than a month away from Christmas. That means a new year is right around the corner. 

Can you see it?

Twenty twelve is a coming. And quickly!

What are you looking forward to in 2012?

What is something you’re taking from 2011 and tucking in your memory pocket for later?

I want to know. And I want you to share it on my blog.

I’d be honored!

If you’re interested in doing a Guest Blog spot here on finallyMom (I know, it's the moment you've been waiting for your whole blogging life), I’d love to have you, and I’d love to shout it from the Facebook and Twitter rooftops that you’re visiting, too.

I’m in if you are!

So come on!  Come play with me!

On where the sap oozes and oozes

I spent a big portion of my life not wanting children because of the way my adolescent years were spent. My parents split when I was 9 and the lines of communication slammed shut. I was “just a kid” after all. I guess. Then when my siblings started having kids and I started to be around kids more and more (in my very early 20s), I realized that, for me, having kids is what “it” is all about: Life. The joy I experienced when I was with my nephews and/or nieces was something I wanted more of and I started to want to experience parenthood on my own. But I was in my mid 20’s and quite the introvert and therefore pretty much all alone.

 

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. My kids, as I referred to my nephew and nieces, grew right before my eyes. From babies to toddlers to teens. And with their growth, so grew my desire to parent one of my own.

When my Lovie was born, at the end of 2009, I was 37 years old. My grandmother, mom, and sister all were grandmothers by the time they were 37 and here I was becoming a first time mom!

The moment she was born, the moment I heard her finally cry out for the first time (she was born via c-section and didn’t cry out right away), the moment my eyes finally laid upon her… my life was complete. I could’ve died that moment and felt completely fulfilled. I thank god I didn’t die because the past two years have been the most incredible, the most fulfilling, the most wonderful years of my life, but I honestly felt so absolutely complete the moment Lovie was born.

And every day since then has been one big joy after the other. I am absolutely the most blessed person in the world. Of this I am sure. Of course there are challenges (like the fact that no matter how hard I tried to get my boobs working and producing enough milk to feed my baby doll, it just didn’t work out… or like the fact that I have to go to work every day while Lovie goes to daycare… or the fact that Monday thru Friday, I’m pretty much a single mom), but it all pales in comparison to the utter joy I experience every single day of my life. When she smiles, giggles, talks, eats, breathes, sneezes…

Am I a huge sap? Absofrigginlutely! 

Is my view on motherhood, on parenting cliché? Possibly.

But I don’t care if it is and I don’t care that I’m a huge sap. The thing is that I sincerely feel as if being Mama to this little girl is what I was put on this earth to do. It’s why I was born. It’s why I was the youngest of three who always got shunned and overlooked and ignored and picked on. It’s why my parents split. It’s why my adolescent years were so screwed up (though whose isn’t, really?). It’s why I was so isolated for so long. It’s why I felt so alone and empty for many years. It’s why I helped raise one of my nephews. All of that- all of my life happened the way it did for her. For my Lovie. So that I could be an amazing Mama, an amazing parent to my Lovie.

She’s my biggest parenting joy… the fact that she exists and that I was chosen to be her Mama. It simply doesn’t get any better than that and I think about it every single day, making this whole parenting thing (right now; I’m sorta dreading the pre-teen and teen years eh) fucking awesome.

2.) Your biggest parenting challenge and/or joy.

WW: Joy

man, i want those boots for myself!

Linking up with Kiddothings and The Paper Mama and Dear Crissy.

*LOVE*

So I was checking out holiday cards over at Tiny Prints and am officially in love.

How friggin cool are those? Ornament Cards?!? BRILLIANT!!!

I cannot wait to get some ordered and sent out! And I could only hope that I get some in return to adorn my tree. I mean, what better way to display cards than on your tree (and even if you don't do trees, they can still be hung nicely on the wall, doorknob, rear view mirror, etc)?!? Like I said... BRILLIANT! If you ask me, of course. And while nobody's asking, per say, I'm still telling: I freaking LOVE the looks of these cards and cannot wait to get them in my hands to send out (and, of course, save one for us to gush over for years to come).

the serenade

For some time now, Lovie's been singing and dancing. It started at around 8 months when she'd climb her way up to her activity table and jam out to the music it played.

Ever since then, she's always bopped around whenever any kind of music comes on. At first her dance was a bouncing knees type of dance, then she started to add a step here and there, and now it's evolved into this bouncing-knees-while-walking-with-really-wide-steps dance. I do still need to get this latest dance on video because it's freaking hilarious.

The singing started at around a year, I'd say. She's always been a jibber jabber type of baby, but once she started to form words, she started to "sing". Then one day, several months back on our way home from school, she started singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (close your eyes- trust me- and just listen to this video).

Well this past Sunday morning, Lovie decided to serenade us as the three of us were hanging out in her playroom. She sat down near her little toy piano and started playing it and started singing. I happened to have my camera on hand already since I caught a couple of sweet "Daddy and me" photos so I manged to catch some of the serenade on video. Enjoy.

So now when Ms. Thang becomes uber popular singer songwriter megastar, you can say you saw it here first. You're welcome.

Dreamsicle Listicle

10 things that make for a Perfect Vacation

1. Sleeping in- and sleeping in comfortably!
2. Room service
3. Crisp, clean air (the outdoors; in other words, keep the city life far away. unless it's Vegas. or NYC.)
4. Room must have a nice view- could be trees or a lake or the ocean (yeah right) but there must be something other than buildings to look at
5. Good food must be readily available
6. Places to explore nearby in case we want to go out
7. Place to play (playgrounds for the wee one, casinos for the big one)
8. Nothing ridiculously expensive (I know it's vacation but we still need to live when we get back)
9. Some place where my Loves can be by my side (yes including the little Love) 
10. No schedules, no deadlines 

Calling all Umi Friends!!

I need help and I'm calling out to all my "Umi Friends" for some guidance... PLEASE?!

So Lovie's birthday is in 6 weeks and 6 days. Her birthday party, which will be for other littles, will be at her "imnastics" (the kid gym place we go to on Saturday which is referred to as "gymnastics) place in a little more than 7 weeks (because the place is closed- wah!- the weekend after her birthday).

I need to narrow down which date to have it on and which package to choose... do we have up to 12 kids come or up to 20? I think we should go with up to 12, the H thinks up to 20. Problem is, we don't know 20 kids- unless we invite every one of her classmates (I think there are 15). But the problem with that is that I'm certain some of those classmates have siblings and what if they bring them? Then there would be more than 20 kids because we do have about 8 kids that would absolutely need to be invited (most would come, I think) in addition to her classmates. So if you take the 8 kids and the 15 from school, that's way more than 20. Even my math-hating ass knows that!

That means, we pick and choose who to invite from school since that's the route we clearly have to take- regardless of which package we go with.

So my question is... How do I invite her classmates?

I know that sounds like a stupid question with an obvious answer but really, how do I do it?  We cannot invite them all so how do I invite a select few? I don't know their home addresses like I do all the other kids that would be invited. Will the school give me the addresses? Doubtful. Ugh.

I can personally hand deliver a couple of the invites to the moms- two for sure I see every single morning; another mom I sometimes see and sometimes don't; and there are couple more that I have never seen.

Do I ask the teachers to give them to the parents upon pick up one day? But then that's asking them to take on that responsibility. Ugh. Plus, I feel like an ass asking them to give only X, Y, and Z's parents an invite. You know? Annnd, one of the teachers of her class has a kid in the class who I wasn't PLANNING on inviting (though I most definitely would if we go with the larger package).

So how do I do this? HELP!

Oh and... on the invites... do I mention where the party is being held (obviously) and that at least one parent needs to be there? Because they do. They can't just drop off the kid. They have to take off their shoes while their kid takes off their shoes and socks and follow their kid around at times. Am I supposed to mention that or will it be a given by the type of place it's at? This is a serious question because had I been invited to one of these parties prior to going myself, I wouldn't even guess that I'd have to take off my shoes (ew!!).

And whose name is on the invite?? Just "Kid'sName" or "Kid'sName + Parent" or what?!

Why is this so difficult?!

Man, do I envy those of you with lots of friends with kids and those of you who can celebrate the kid's birthday in a warmer climate or time of year... (not that I envy the warmer temps because I don't and you can keep those, tyvm!)

My... well, My Lovie's Woodland Boot Browns



So like forever now I've been eyeing those Woodland Boot Brown shoes from Livie and Luca. Okay, maybe not forever, but for about 20 months or so and when your wee one is 22 months, that's like forever. Anyway, while I've been eyeing these most adorable shoes, I'm also a cheap (with a very big, heh) ass. So I never gave in to my urges to purchase said shoes... though I did constantly keep an eye out for sales and whatnot.

I was determined that there would be a day when I'd be able to slap on a pair of Livie and Luca shoes onto Lovie's little tootsies.

And then one day, I saw that Life with my Littles was doing a giveaway for ANY pair of Livie and Luca shoes! Be still my beating heart, I clicked onto her blog and followed the instructions and entered the giveaway every single way she offered (there were AMPLE ways to enter, too). But there were over 400 entries into the contest; no way would I win.

i really need to get this girl some new socks- her feet have grown overnight i swear!

And then when the contest was over and she announced the winners and I saw that "Christina" had won, my heart skipped a beat. Could it be? Did she mean me?

just LOOK at that gorgeous leather- it's sincerely just as soft and silky as it looks! and the sole?! dear lord i wish i could stuff my sausages in these! (oh and Livie and Luca DO have a couple pair of women's shoes!! just not these style, sadly. heck yes i WOULD wear these!)

After checking all my email messages and folders I discovered she did mean me! Hot damn, I emailed her back, gave her my choices, and waited. (And let me just saying that narrowing down my choices to my top three was not an easy task! Livie and Luca shoes are simply all so freaking cute! But the ones I won... the ones that arrived in my mailbox just a few days ago... were my favorite from day one.)

When they arrived the other day and I took them out of the box? I may or may not have done a little dance. They're soooo soft and silky and just farking CUTE! Even my skeptical-of-me-blogging-about-my-Lovie-and-leery-of-me-*entering-give-aways husband was impressed with the quality of these shoes. Honestly, had I forked over the 45 or so bucks these beauties run, it would be worth it. The quality is just sincerely that good.

Thank you so much Life with my Littles and, of course, Livie and Luca!

*normally i do not enter giveaways; this was one of maybe three i've ever entered!!

I just want to state that I was not coerced or anything to blog about my win; this is not one of the entries into the contest. Also, Livie and Luca have no clue who I am. I sincerely am just so happy with my win, with the shoes themselves, that I wanted to share with everyone out there.

at the end, it's the food that matters the most.

About 10 days ago, we piled into the car, drove for about 40 minutes, and got our pictures taken as a family at an amazingly beautiful arboretum. The word "stunning" doesn't do it justice (and neither do these pictures).

After our photo shoot, we walked around for a little bit but then had to sadly head out, driving the long way out (which was like a half hour drive!!) to take in even more beauty. We had to leave because we had a birthday party to go to for a 2 year old.

The party was being held at a little gym place for kids. This would be the third time Lovie would be going to the gym, the first time at this particular one. I refer to the gym as "gymnastics" when we're on our way.

Anyway, last night as Lovie ate her dinner, I was looking at the pamphlet the arboretum gave us and the following "conversation" took place between us (her-Lovie and me):

Her: Outside.

Me, looking at the side she can see: Yes, that's the outside. It's from the place we went to a couple weeks ago when we looked at all the trees. Remember all the pretty trees?

Her: Trees. Pitty trees. Imnastics!

Me: Yes!! We went to gymnastics afterward. So you remember seeing the trees and meeting [photog's name] and getting our pictures taken?

Her: YEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Me: you're so smart.

Her: Pitty trees, imnastics. 'Haap Birday to you.' (starts singing Happy Birthday song, hehe)

Me: Yes!! We went to gymnastics because it was [birthday boy's name] birthday!!

Her: party!

Me: yes, you remember the trees and getting our pictures taken and going to gymnastics for [birthday boy's name] birthday party! Good job! you're so smart!!

Her: possicle. geen possicle? peas Mama? (popsicle, green popsicle? please mama?)

On when I napped for nearly 5 hours.

Saturday we all woke like normal and as Lovie snuggled in bed with dad watching Nick Jr., I made some pancakes. And a pot of hot tea. I've been nursing a horrific cough for over four weeks now and sinus issues for about two weeks.

After breakfast, I got Lovie dressed though she didn't want to at first.

"Don't you want to go to gymnastics?"

"Yeeaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! Imnastics!!!"

We all piled out of the house at before 10 am to head out to the little gym for littles. Daddy actively participated while I sat behind the gate watching, smiling. I was pissed I didn't bring my camera but the lighting is super shitty so I let it go. Even so, watching her from a distance like that reminds me that I have GOT to get her dancing on video. It's evolved quite a bit. And it's funnier than ever. I haven't a clue where this girl gets her ideas to dance the way she does but man, it's some funny shit.

After Imnastics, we grabbed some grub before returning home shortly after noon to get Lovie and me napping. The H agreed to let me nap as long as I needed as I was running out of fumes to keep pushing every day.

Lovie never napped.

Mama, on the other hand, didn't get out of bed till after 5.

Holy shit was it glorious. And let me just say, I could've stayed in bed till the next morning. But. I couldn't do that to Lovie. She was so happy to see me when I finally got up that we just sat together, snuggling on the couch, watching TV until it was her bedtime.

Twenty minutes after we put her down, we checked in on the silence and found this:

Hehe this child is too funny sometimes. She refused her nap all day long and crashed as soon as we put her down- but as you can see by her legs shooting out from the crib, she wasn't happy about having to go to bed and probably tried fighting it for a half a minute.

Sunday when it was nap time, she didn't even argue with us. I guess she learned her lesson from Saturday.

Speaking of Sunday... we did NOTHING. It was fantastic. It was just us three hanging out all morning long in Lovie's playroom, eating lunch, taking naps, hanging out some more.

God I love weekends like that.

How was yours?

High School Listicle

Why nothing- and I do mean nothing- could ever get me to go back to my High School days:

I went to four different high schools.

Freshman year was spent between two different schools with no friends.

Sophomore year was spent at one school with one friend. (I miss you Jackie!)

Junior and Senior year were spent at the same school with one friend. Sort of.

I never got asked out on a date.

I never got asked to any school dances.

I wrote a scathing Letter to the Editor of the school paper my Junior year of HS where I basically ripped apart the majority of students, telling them they were all the same, there was no individuality; telling them they were all a bunch of spoiled brats who would be in for a rude awakening once the real world hit. I would walk down the halls after the letter was printed and hear people bitching me out, not even realizing I was the author. I was completely invisible to these people no matter what I did.

I didn’t graduate on stage because being associated with that school repulsed me.

I’m in contact with no one from high school.

1986 to 1990 were some of the most depressing years of my life.

8am

During the workweek, Monday through Friday, 8am leaves me sitting at my desk in the office already. Having been there for an hour. Most likely I’m lurking on Facebook or conjuring a blog post. Rarely am I actually working for what I get paid for. It’s the sad truth. Most likely I’ll be needing to go to the bathroom and may even start dancing in my chair, hoping the pee will hold another 10 seconds so I can finish spying or writing. I’ll have already finished my breakfast by 8am, and most likely my first drink of the day.

On the weekends, 8am is generally much different, much more enjoyable and almost always involves the voice of a little Monchichi as she watches Yo Gabba Gabba in bed with us, telling me she’s “Hungry? Cheerios? Milk?” but doing so in a manner that makes it sound like a question. And when I repeat, “You’re hungry and want cheerios and milk?” she will answer, “Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!” with a big smile on her face followed by a giggle.

8 am is nothing during the week, but on the weekends, 8am is everything.

This week we asked you to give us 8:00 -AM or PM, fiction or creative non-fiction- but 8:00. In 200 words or less.

Writer's Workshop: would love to breathe even out of half of one of my nostrils

3.) Write a post in just eight lines. (inspired by Mommy Nani Boo Boo)

The first year would be the worst- so I was told.

The second year has been better- for the most part.

Except I’ve been sick since end of August; it’s now November.

I did have one full week of a reprieve- between a near four week stint with DAILY fevers resulting in a birthday visit to the ER and this cough I’ve had for four weeks which has evolved into a stuffy head, leaving me gasping for breath.

I can’t take much more of this.

I’m so tired all the time because I’m sick all the time.

And I’m just so sick and tired of being so bloody sick and tired all the time!

At least she hasn’t been getting as sick as me this year.

Wordless Wednesday: 22 months

See other WW delights at The Paper Mama and Kiddothings!

when it was good

I can smell it right now… I can taste it, too. Schnitzel.

My eyes are closed and I’m 8 years old again. My dark hair is straight and bowl cut shaped. I have no watermelon boobs and I’m wearing my favorite multi-colored striped sweater as I kneel on the bench at the cold aluminum kitchen table. My blond, long-haired cousin is kneeling next to me and we’re giggling while we each take a piece of meat (pork pounded thin) and dress it accordingly (dredging through the egg, then the flour, then the breadcrumbs), piling the finished pieces on top of the other. Oma is looking over us, smiling. The kitchen is warm. Her smile is warmer. Her blue eyes sparkle with wetness. There is German polka music coming from the radio behind us.

Around the corner is the bright dining room with two tables joined together to make one long one. It’s covered with table clothes and the tableware sits at one end, waiting for us to put everything out: small bowl on top of plate; knife, fork, spoon on top of napkin to the right of plate; glass above plate.

In the room next to the dining room, in the front of the house, is the large living room. Its brown and black carpeting is thin and the wooden floors are so golden underneath. While waiting for dinner, we play with Barbies or marbles and jacks. We play cards and dominos. My brother and sister sometimes join us. Sometimes my cousin’s little brother, too. He was the youngest and looked like Nicholas from Eight is Enough.

Ota’s tall frame enters the room and his voice sounds like thunder as he tells us, in German, that it is time to eat. Everyone gathers around the dining room table. Kids giggling, parents unfolding napkins onto their laps. Once everyone is seated, we can finally dig in… finally stab a piece Schnitzel to call our own. Mashed potatoes, coleslaw, carrot slaw would accompany the Schnitzel. Heaven on a plate. Clanking of silverware. And occasionally, “mmmm” and “tastes so good” in German would interrupt the clanking. Rarely was anything left.

Soon we’d slide down from our chairs and go under the table. Giggling ensued as we looked at everyone’s legs and shoes, untying my brother’s. After a couple minutes under the table, we’d make our way into the cold stairwell that led to Ur-Oma’s house. Immediately we’d go to the cabinet in her dining room and grab the Keebler fudge striped cookies and make our way into the living room to lie down on the floor in front of the big black and white tube. With cookies on our fingers, we’d watch the Disney movie on ABC until we heard clanking on the radiator pipes in the dining room- our signal from upstairs to return.

It’s a Sunday afternoon in the late 1970s and life is sooo good and the Schnitzel makes it even better.

This week, we’ve asked you to share with us a special recipe. But, we’ve asked you to do more than just list out ingredients.

We challenged you to take us back…to take us into your memory, in 500 words or less.