Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Cleaning Kids
Last night for dinner we ate a fabulous meal of chicken enchiladas, rice, and black beans. Yummy! It was declicious and I loved every bite. Morgan, however, had a great deal of difficulty getting the rice to her mouth. At the end of the meal, rice all over the floor beneath her chair.
Enter the Cleaning Kids.
Madison and McKenzie explained to me they are the Cleaning Kids and they go to people's homes to help them clean. Thinking we were onto something good, I encouraged them to come work for us. I started washing dishes as Kim is clearning them from the table. I hear a knock on the back door and see the Cleaning Kids standing on the patio with a broom.
I shout, "Come in! It's open!"
Madison and McKenzie walk into the kitchen with the broom and introduce themselves as the Cleaning Kids.
"Well, hello!" I greet them.
"Good evening, mam. My name is Karma, I mean Chloe and this is my assistant Maria," Maddie says.
"It is a pleasure to meet you both," I reply.
"I see your floors need some work," Maddie notices.
"Yes, they are quite a mess. Could you help me?" I ask.
"Absolutely! We are the Cleaning Kids!" Maddie chirps.
I swear I am not making this up. I can barely get them to make their beds and now they have a business and possible tag line.
The Cleaning Kids get right to work. As Madison, I mean Chloe, sweeps, Maria moves the chairs around to make it easier for Chloe to reach all the rice. They go from the kitchen area to the dining area and back. Kim and I finish the dishes and retire to the living room. Morgan joins the Cleaning Kids, who are being tremendously industrious while Kim and I watch the news.
Soon the job is finished and the Cleaning Kids prepare for bed. It is about this time that Kim and I notice how sticky the kitchen floor is. I actually thought I might have stepped in something sticky and it was now on the bottom of my shoe. We put the children to bed and eventually go to bed ourselves.
The next morning, I walk into the kitchen and realize it is definitely the floor and not my shoes causing the sticky feeling. McKenzie joins me at the kitchen table for a banana. I mention to her how sticky the floor is. With a giant McKenzie smile, she shakes her head and says, "Shiny too!"
Something is up. I can feel it. The look of pride on her face is too much.
"Yes, it is very shiny. How did it get so shiny?" I ask.
"Mommy! You know! The Cleaning Kids came last night!" she says.
"Oh yes, that's right. Do you know how they made my floor so sticky, I mean, shiny?" I ask.
"We used soap from the kitchen sink to make the floor nice and clean," she innocently explains.
I look over at the counter and there sits a giant, now half-full bottle of Palmolive that was apparently spread across my kitchen floor quite generously and without the benefit of water. Oh my. Those Cleaning Kids sure were cute. Not very good, but definitely cute.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Pre-Easter Festivities
What a glorious day this has been! Not only did the kids sleep in, but it is gorgeous outside! The temperature climbed ever so closely to 80 degrees, the sun was shining as bright as could be, and the white puffy clouds sailed across my favorite blue sky. Perfect day in my book!
The neighborhood Easter egg hunt took place this morning with approximately 20 kids and a whopping 700 eggs! You can do the math on your own, but I can safely say everyone can away as a winner. This was Morgan's first Easter egg hunt and she had a lot of fun. She didn't even mind the pesky paper on the candy that she inhaled :)
The girls had so much fun and I loved every minute of it as well. I took a boat load of pictures which you are welcome to see at Picasa
The other friend in the Easter egg hunt pictures is Janea, who lives down the street. She is in kindergarten and plays so sweetly with Madison and McKenzie. We have a Brown Beauty play date next weekend with several friends in the neighborhood. I hope it turns into a regular play group for our girls. Anyway, Janea is also adopted, only by an African American family, which totally confuses my children since they think adoption means "different". We are so thankful to have Janae and her family down the street. And then even bigger bonus is I love her mother! We are gonna be friends for a while, I can already tell!
Madison climbed (and climbed) every rock wall she could find for over an hour. I was amazed. Do you remember the movie and/or the novel "Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood"? There is a line in the novel and the movie where the mother tells the daughter that all her life she has prayed for God to make her better, prettier, braver, stronger, smarter, better. What the mother finally realized was God made her all those things through her daughter. I felt that way today watching Maddie climb. I was such a fearful child and wanted so much to be braver, more adventurous, not so self conscious. And God gave me Madison,who is all of that and more.
The sun is now setting and I am exhausted. Madison climbed for over an hour and then took a LONG walk with the neighbors when we came home. I am expecting her to drop momentarily. I might better fold down her bed now because something tells me I will be carrying her up the stairs tonight.
The neighborhood Easter egg hunt took place this morning with approximately 20 kids and a whopping 700 eggs! You can do the math on your own, but I can safely say everyone can away as a winner. This was Morgan's first Easter egg hunt and she had a lot of fun. She didn't even mind the pesky paper on the candy that she inhaled :)
The girls had so much fun and I loved every minute of it as well. I took a boat load of pictures which you are welcome to see at Picasa
The other friend in the Easter egg hunt pictures is Janea, who lives down the street. She is in kindergarten and plays so sweetly with Madison and McKenzie. We have a Brown Beauty play date next weekend with several friends in the neighborhood. I hope it turns into a regular play group for our girls. Anyway, Janea is also adopted, only by an African American family, which totally confuses my children since they think adoption means "different". We are so thankful to have Janae and her family down the street. And then even bigger bonus is I love her mother! We are gonna be friends for a while, I can already tell!
After the Easter egg hunt, we had a quick lunch before Madison and I left for a birthday party. This party was for a very special friend, Joshua, who has been my future son-in-law since Madison and Joshua were in the baby room at Mt. Sinai. I love this child. I love his mother, Gayle. It was heartbreaking when the children graduated from Mt. Sinai and went their separate ways to neighborhood schools. We haven't seen Joshua in over a year and I was elated to receive the birthday invitation in the mail!
The party was held at Main Event, location of Madison's 7th birthday as well. While we opted for bowling for Maddie's party, Joshua chose to climb the rock wall with his birthday guests. I actually clutched my chest when we walked into the rock climbing wall room, but not Madison! She didn't even flinch! Even wearing a skirt, she was the first in line, politely after Joshua, to climb the wall. It was amazing! She climbed the wall like she was walking down the street! I was so proud when I saw her ring the bell before anyone else.
Madison climbed (and climbed) every rock wall she could find for over an hour. I was amazed. Do you remember the movie and/or the novel "Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood"? There is a line in the novel and the movie where the mother tells the daughter that all her life she has prayed for God to make her better, prettier, braver, stronger, smarter, better. What the mother finally realized was God made her all those things through her daughter. I felt that way today watching Maddie climb. I was such a fearful child and wanted so much to be braver, more adventurous, not so self conscious. And God gave me Madison,who is all of that and more.
We had a wonderful time at the party and I was sad to tell Maddie we had to leave. Joshua and Maddie stayed together the entire afternoon, picking up where they left off years ago at Mt. Sinai. I remember watching Maddie wipe his nose like the little mother she is when they were about 18 months old. And now look at them! So grown up. It touched my heart more than I expected to see them together today. Gayle and I are going to do our best to hook up on Good Friday (school is closed) to take the children bowling. I hope we never let this much time pass between visits. I mean, this is potentially my future son in law!
The sun is now setting and I am exhausted. Madison climbed for over an hour and then took a LONG walk with the neighbors when we came home. I am expecting her to drop momentarily. I might better fold down her bed now because something tells me I will be carrying her up the stairs tonight.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
"and the Gold Medal goes to ..."
McKenzie Rasmus-Ford of the United States!
McKenzie began gymnastics nearly a year ago and much to our delight, she loves it. She looks forward to her Saturday morning class with best friend, Ellah, every week. Two weeks ago, Kim brought Madison and McKenzie home from gymnastics and handed me a letter from the teacher. The letter turned out to be a request for McKenzie to join the invitational gymnastics team! I was tickled pink! Of course, we wondered how much this would cost in both dollars and minutes and made plans to attend the informational meeting which was held 2 days ago.
Apparently, the coaches and teachers of this junior Olympic training facility closely monitor the progress of their young students, looking for strength, flexibility, and discipline. McKenzie fits the bill! There is no competition for the first few years as the gymnists are prepared and coditioned to compete around age 7 or 8. She will continue to take class once a week for the next year and then, if still interested in the sport, she will move to twice a week. This is great news for us since funds are limited and the time committment factor is essential as we have 2 other kiddos.
I am thrilled to pieces that we have found an activity that McKenzie not only loves, but also excels. The head coach, Coach Chris, told me at the informational meeting that McKenzie has something very special about her and is extremely talented. "She could go very far in this sport if she chooses." Wow! Someone else recognized something special about my baby! I am so proud.
Did I mention the lead coach is black? BIG Brownie points in my book, though Mom keeps pointing out Coach Chris didn't arrange that to impress me. I see a roll model for McKenzie. Coach Chris is strong, powerful, motivated, and absolutely dedicated to the sport she has invested 30 years of her life. In my book, this is a win/win situation!
McKenzie began gymnastics nearly a year ago and much to our delight, she loves it. She looks forward to her Saturday morning class with best friend, Ellah, every week. Two weeks ago, Kim brought Madison and McKenzie home from gymnastics and handed me a letter from the teacher. The letter turned out to be a request for McKenzie to join the invitational gymnastics team! I was tickled pink! Of course, we wondered how much this would cost in both dollars and minutes and made plans to attend the informational meeting which was held 2 days ago.
Apparently, the coaches and teachers of this junior Olympic training facility closely monitor the progress of their young students, looking for strength, flexibility, and discipline. McKenzie fits the bill! There is no competition for the first few years as the gymnists are prepared and coditioned to compete around age 7 or 8. She will continue to take class once a week for the next year and then, if still interested in the sport, she will move to twice a week. This is great news for us since funds are limited and the time committment factor is essential as we have 2 other kiddos.
I am thrilled to pieces that we have found an activity that McKenzie not only loves, but also excels. The head coach, Coach Chris, told me at the informational meeting that McKenzie has something very special about her and is extremely talented. "She could go very far in this sport if she chooses." Wow! Someone else recognized something special about my baby! I am so proud.
Did I mention the lead coach is black? BIG Brownie points in my book, though Mom keeps pointing out Coach Chris didn't arrange that to impress me. I see a roll model for McKenzie. Coach Chris is strong, powerful, motivated, and absolutely dedicated to the sport she has invested 30 years of her life. In my book, this is a win/win situation!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Spring Hoe Down
In honor of my mother, a tap dancer at heart, I share this video with you of Madison's PE coach tapping her heart out.
The Spring Hoe Down was a big hit this year as it was last year. The Hoe Down is put on by the music department (God bless Angela Smith, music teacher) for children in kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade. Next year we will attend Madison's Hoe Down and McKenzie's! The Hoe Down took place on the last day of school before Spring Break began. The excitement in the hallways was palpable! I remember being in school and feeling exactly the same way. Kim and I had lunch with Madison and then watched the show. It was awesome!
The Spring Hoe Down was a big hit this year as it was last year. The Hoe Down is put on by the music department (God bless Angela Smith, music teacher) for children in kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade. Next year we will attend Madison's Hoe Down and McKenzie's! The Hoe Down took place on the last day of school before Spring Break began. The excitement in the hallways was palpable! I remember being in school and feeling exactly the same way. Kim and I had lunch with Madison and then watched the show. It was awesome!
O Magazine
Oprah Magazine comes to my mailbox every month like clockwork. I always look forward to taking this giant publication out of the box and finding time to lovingly flip though every page. The ads are beautiful and the articles inspiring. I particularly love to read whatever columnist Lisa Keagon has to say. She is my super hero with my dream job. How much sweeter could life be to get paid for jotting down your observations on life in a way that makes other people laugh, think, or cry?
The other day I swung by the community mail box to pick up that day's delivery. By the way, I have lived in Austin for almost 11 years and I still don't understand why home owners must pick up the mail in a central location of the neighborhood instead of a traditional mail box in front of the house. Anyway, I pull up to the collection of mailboxes and Madison jumps out of the mini van to get the mail for me. I roll down my window so she can hand it to me a little at a time. We get a lot of mail.
The last handful of mail includes the O Magazine. I smile, knowing what treasures lie inside. As Maddie passes the magazine through the window, Oprah is staring at me and Maddie has a good look at the back page. Apparently, the back cover is a somewhat racy ad with 2 half dressed women posing for the camera. I don't know this at the time because I can only see Oprah smiling at me. Fortunately, Maddie was able to sound the alert.
"Mommy, do NOT turn this magazine over. The picture is TOTALLY inappropriate!" And with that, she climbs back into the mini van. I try not to laugh at her sweet, sweet warning, but you know I immediately flipped it over to see the ad. Sure enough, half dressed women. What is this world coming to?
The other day I swung by the community mail box to pick up that day's delivery. By the way, I have lived in Austin for almost 11 years and I still don't understand why home owners must pick up the mail in a central location of the neighborhood instead of a traditional mail box in front of the house. Anyway, I pull up to the collection of mailboxes and Madison jumps out of the mini van to get the mail for me. I roll down my window so she can hand it to me a little at a time. We get a lot of mail.
The last handful of mail includes the O Magazine. I smile, knowing what treasures lie inside. As Maddie passes the magazine through the window, Oprah is staring at me and Maddie has a good look at the back page. Apparently, the back cover is a somewhat racy ad with 2 half dressed women posing for the camera. I don't know this at the time because I can only see Oprah smiling at me. Fortunately, Maddie was able to sound the alert.
"Mommy, do NOT turn this magazine over. The picture is TOTALLY inappropriate!" And with that, she climbs back into the mini van. I try not to laugh at her sweet, sweet warning, but you know I immediately flipped it over to see the ad. Sure enough, half dressed women. What is this world coming to?
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Observations from Sea World
While we had a wonderful time at Sea World, I made several mental notes over the course of our 3 day adventure that I would like to share with my world. In such a multi cultural city like San Antonio, I was very surprised to be such a focus of attention for many people we encountered.
As we prepared to check out of the hotel, I noticed an older woman (late 60's) staring at the girls. For whatever reason, her gaze moved from the children to me as she sat eating breakfast. I immediately caught her eye and chirped, "Good morning!" with a painfully large smile pained across my face. She looked away, which was my intention. Our family was obviously a nuisance in the breakfast area of the hotel with 3 kids, a lot of plates, and a defiant almost 2 year old so I am not surprised by the number of looks and stares we received while eating breakfast. Sea World, though, was a whole different story.
I noticed more interracial couples at Sea World than I have ever seen anywhere in my life. Black and white, black and Hispanic, white and Hispanic. It should also be noted that I have never seen as many strollers as I did at Sea World. Seriously, Graco should conduct every test and trial at this stroller mecca. We only saw one other gay couple, which is unusual in such a giant place. We were the focus of many stares with very few friendly smiles. I definitely felt the spot light. I wonder if the girls did too or were they so focused on the rides and the shows that they didn't pick up on it. Who knows. I am sure Dr. Steve, who we also saw at Sea World, would say the girls can feel the tension/attention, but there were so many distractions that I can't be sure.
So many times I wanted to engage folks in a conversation, to make them aware of the staring, which is rude. I also wanted to use these moments as teaching ones to bring awareness to the issues of transracial parenting. Unfortunately or fortunately, I was in mommy mode. I wasn't there to educate or enlighten. I was there to have a good time with my kiddos and we did. I am more aware than ever how special our family is and how unique we appear to be to much of the world. The irony is we are more alike than different.
As we prepared to check out of the hotel, I noticed an older woman (late 60's) staring at the girls. For whatever reason, her gaze moved from the children to me as she sat eating breakfast. I immediately caught her eye and chirped, "Good morning!" with a painfully large smile pained across my face. She looked away, which was my intention. Our family was obviously a nuisance in the breakfast area of the hotel with 3 kids, a lot of plates, and a defiant almost 2 year old so I am not surprised by the number of looks and stares we received while eating breakfast. Sea World, though, was a whole different story.
I noticed more interracial couples at Sea World than I have ever seen anywhere in my life. Black and white, black and Hispanic, white and Hispanic. It should also be noted that I have never seen as many strollers as I did at Sea World. Seriously, Graco should conduct every test and trial at this stroller mecca. We only saw one other gay couple, which is unusual in such a giant place. We were the focus of many stares with very few friendly smiles. I definitely felt the spot light. I wonder if the girls did too or were they so focused on the rides and the shows that they didn't pick up on it. Who knows. I am sure Dr. Steve, who we also saw at Sea World, would say the girls can feel the tension/attention, but there were so many distractions that I can't be sure.
So many times I wanted to engage folks in a conversation, to make them aware of the staring, which is rude. I also wanted to use these moments as teaching ones to bring awareness to the issues of transracial parenting. Unfortunately or fortunately, I was in mommy mode. I wasn't there to educate or enlighten. I was there to have a good time with my kiddos and we did. I am more aware than ever how special our family is and how unique we appear to be to much of the world. The irony is we are more alike than different.
Spring Break at Sea World
Wow! What a week! Spring Break 2010 is drawing to a close as the gorgeous, sunny days with temps in the 70's and even 80's are exchanged for rainy, windy, and bitter cold ones. I took Morgan with me this morning to run a quick errand and was smacked in the face with the cold wind that blew in over night. It literally took my breath away! Thankfully, our Spring Break activities are over and we are left with laundry and cleaning for the remainder of the weekend.
We took the kiddos to Sea World this week for the first time. I think I was even more excited than the girls to experience Shamu in person. We drove to San Antonio Saturday afternoon and had dinner at my favorite childhood restaurant - Magic Time Machine. Very little has changed in 30 years, just so you know. The wait staff still dress in costume, the salad bar is still housed in a convertable, the kiddy cocktails (lemondade with dry ice) are still as alluring, and the atmosphere is still as chaotic. Unfortunately, our food wasn't very good which was really disappointing. Oh well, the kids had a blast.
After dinner, we headed to the hotel in a futal attempt to have the children wind down for bed. We tried a bath. No luck. We tried reading books. No luck.
I don't think anyone slept very well that night for a variety of reasons. 1) We were away from home in beds that were not our own. 2) Some of us were excited about Sea World 3) One of us was sleeping with Morgan. Need I say more?
Morgan sounded the all awake alarm at 4:15 am. Thankfully breakfast was going downstairs at 6 am and Kim took all 3 kids to eat in their pajamas. We want to give a big shout out to Shorty, hostess of the breakfast area at the Holiday Inn Express North Airport location for her dedication to helping a woman alone with 3 crabby kids and her keen ability to overlook the disasterous mess left in the breakfast area. In return, Kim wrote a beautiful note to the manager of the hotel about Shorty's supreme service.
With anxious anticipation, we drove to Sea World Thursday morning. To say it was chaotic would be an understatement. Walking into such a place for the first time is a bit overwhelming. Did I mention it was cold? Ah yes, about 50 degrees in late March in Texas. The wind was fierce and I knew in an instant we chose to right day to visit Sea World for the first time cause if Mommy is hot, ain't nobody happy.
Madison and McKenzie rode their first roller coaster - Shamu Express. By the end of the trip, they rode 3 times. It was the big ticket winner for both girls.
The girls climbed, slid, jumped, waited, and watched for 2 days having an absolute blast.
While the Shamu Express was the #1 attraction for Madison and McKenzie, the sea lion show came as a close second and for more than one reason. Yes, the sea lions were hysterical. I actually surprised myself at the number of times I laughed. But the biggest appeal of the sea lion show for the girls was getting to sit in the splash zone. Kim and I were not prepared to get soaked, so we let them sit together in the front where we could carefully monitor the situation. The closer it came to show time, the more nervous I grew about their getting soaked. I just knew they would be miserable walking around in wet clothes, but I was wrong. They loved every second of the show and the water. As a matter of fact, McKenzie ran up the steps to where I was sitting after the first big splash to show me just how wet she was! Precious!
Morgan slept in the stroller through much of the first afternoon, but finally woke up in time to see the walrus on the stage of the sea lion show. She went nuts! After the show, we were able to watch the sea lions and some people (not us) actually fed them! Morgan was blowing kisses to her new friends and loving every minute.
We had a wonderful trip and we look forward to going back again. The whales, the sharks, the dolphins, and especially the sea lions were a huge hit. As exhausted as we are now, it was worth it.
We took the kiddos to Sea World this week for the first time. I think I was even more excited than the girls to experience Shamu in person. We drove to San Antonio Saturday afternoon and had dinner at my favorite childhood restaurant - Magic Time Machine. Very little has changed in 30 years, just so you know. The wait staff still dress in costume, the salad bar is still housed in a convertable, the kiddy cocktails (lemondade with dry ice) are still as alluring, and the atmosphere is still as chaotic. Unfortunately, our food wasn't very good which was really disappointing. Oh well, the kids had a blast.
After dinner, we headed to the hotel in a futal attempt to have the children wind down for bed. We tried a bath. No luck. We tried reading books. No luck.
I don't think anyone slept very well that night for a variety of reasons. 1) We were away from home in beds that were not our own. 2) Some of us were excited about Sea World 3) One of us was sleeping with Morgan. Need I say more?
Morgan sounded the all awake alarm at 4:15 am. Thankfully breakfast was going downstairs at 6 am and Kim took all 3 kids to eat in their pajamas. We want to give a big shout out to Shorty, hostess of the breakfast area at the Holiday Inn Express North Airport location for her dedication to helping a woman alone with 3 crabby kids and her keen ability to overlook the disasterous mess left in the breakfast area. In return, Kim wrote a beautiful note to the manager of the hotel about Shorty's supreme service.
With anxious anticipation, we drove to Sea World Thursday morning. To say it was chaotic would be an understatement. Walking into such a place for the first time is a bit overwhelming. Did I mention it was cold? Ah yes, about 50 degrees in late March in Texas. The wind was fierce and I knew in an instant we chose to right day to visit Sea World for the first time cause if Mommy is hot, ain't nobody happy.
Madison and McKenzie rode their first roller coaster - Shamu Express. By the end of the trip, they rode 3 times. It was the big ticket winner for both girls.
The girls climbed, slid, jumped, waited, and watched for 2 days having an absolute blast.
While the Shamu Express was the #1 attraction for Madison and McKenzie, the sea lion show came as a close second and for more than one reason. Yes, the sea lions were hysterical. I actually surprised myself at the number of times I laughed. But the biggest appeal of the sea lion show for the girls was getting to sit in the splash zone. Kim and I were not prepared to get soaked, so we let them sit together in the front where we could carefully monitor the situation. The closer it came to show time, the more nervous I grew about their getting soaked. I just knew they would be miserable walking around in wet clothes, but I was wrong. They loved every second of the show and the water. As a matter of fact, McKenzie ran up the steps to where I was sitting after the first big splash to show me just how wet she was! Precious!
Morgan slept in the stroller through much of the first afternoon, but finally woke up in time to see the walrus on the stage of the sea lion show. She went nuts! After the show, we were able to watch the sea lions and some people (not us) actually fed them! Morgan was blowing kisses to her new friends and loving every minute.
We had a wonderful trip and we look forward to going back again. The whales, the sharks, the dolphins, and especially the sea lions were a huge hit. As exhausted as we are now, it was worth it.
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