Mim is a Boy Scout this year and Pinewood Derby is a hallmark of Boy Scouting. He and his Dad worked on the car together, with Dad taking his shaping cues from Mim. Mim sanded and painted the car. Betcha can’t guess which cartoon character Mim’s car was modeled after?
The top three competitors from each den advance to the district competition. Onward to victory!!
Mim was ALL about the Patriots this year. “You know, he just likes football because of his friends.” His sister said. Oh yes, I knew that, but still, it was fun to be a part of his excitement. I have fond memories of family time when the Eagles were in the Superbowl and more importantly when the Phillies won the World Series in 1980.
I had planned a quick dinner so we could eat before the game, but at 4pm he came to me asking for a snuggle so we could talk about snacks. You see, snacks are very important to the Superbowl. We agreed that popcorn would be a good choice and maybe some kind of chocolate. We discussed the evening routine and how he should shower before dinner so he wouldn’t miss any of the game. All of this in a reverent tone worthy of a discussion of the Nobel Prize. It was hard to keep a straight face.
Despite her disdain for football, Fish pulled Mim aside just before kickoff and wrote GO on one cheek and PATS on the other with face paint. He beamed as he took his seat in front of the TV. She beat feet to her room.
As the game progressed, A-Man and I tried to offer some instruction of football basics. Yeah, explaining the safety was fun. He was so cute to watch, occasionally rooting for the Giants by mistake. When we’d tell him the play wasn’t good for the Pats, he’d say, “but it was still a good play.” Yay for good sportsmanship buddy!
The Superbowl used start at a reasonable hour and end early enough that you could let a child watch the whole game. Not so any more. Given the late start, Mim only got to watch the first half and given the outcome, I am really glad. This is a kid who sobbed for forty-five minutes when NorthShore, his favorite group was voted off of The Sing Off. I wasn’t looking forward to telling him that the Giants were the Superbowl Champions this morning. There was sadness, but he bounced back pretty quickly. I hope it always stays that way, momentary excitement and quick sadness. After all, it is only a game.
When Dennis and my mom first met, he worked 9-5 and she worked 11-7. That meant that he frequently cooked dinner for us. He had a few misadventures, like Steak Miraculous, and the time he used olive oil in a gourmet chocolate cake recipe, but in general he was a decent cook. High praise coming from a kid who was a ridiculously picky eater.
He had one recipe for fried chicken he refused to share. He would pontificate about going to a local hiking trail at just the right time, to acquire the necessary spices for his fried chicken, but refused to give me the recipe. I swear it was a mix, but he took it with him to his grave. Bastard! *ahem*
However, he did share his roasted chicken recipe and today, I’ll share it with you. Dennis was not an exact cook. He was more of the little of this, little of that mindset, so my measurements aren’t specific.
Ingredients
Directions:
Usually I serve it with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.
Enjoy! Oh and if you have a recipe for Bowman’s Tower Fried Chicken, please share it. 😉
“Oh my Gosh! What is that?” Not the words you want to hear come out of your pediatrician’s mouth when looking in your child’s ear.
Last week Fish told me her ear hurt. Meh, colds have been going around and we were headed to the doctor the next day for a follow up on a different issue, so we could get it checked out then. At the doctor’s, we discussed the primary reason for the visit and then the doctor looked in her ear and uttered the above statement. Fish had no idea what was in her ear, or more importantly how it got there. Oy! The Doctor tried to get it out but was unsuccessful. Off to an emergency appointment with the Ear Nose and Throat specialist. After 45 minutes they squeezed us in.
Diagnosis confirmed. Something small and purple was in her ear and it didn’t belong there. He tried to remove it, but the pediatrician scratched the ear canal during her extraction attempts and Fish found it impossible to hold still. The ENT was worried about puncturing her ear drum so the decision was made to put her under general anesthesia to retrieve the foreign object. Dear Lord!
Of course the only opening at the surgical center was more than a week later. He wasn’t overly concerned about it and it only seemed to impact her when she changed elevations (when from lying flat to vertical). So, we waited.
The procedure was yesterday and Fish was a good sport, smiling and talking to everyone. The staff was excellent and made sure to explain everything they were doing before they did it. She was only in surgery for fifteen minutes and they quickly brought me back to recovery to be with her. She was still smiling albeit a little groggy.
On the medical chart, the doctor noted, “Removed foreign object from patient’s ear. Object was a small, purple, multi-faceted sphere.” A bead! It was a small purple bead and Fish still maintains she has no idea how it got there or how long it had been there for that matter.
Like I said, she was very brave and I thought I was fine, it was very minor surgery after all. After we got home and I had a few minutes to myself, I was overwhelmed. It was a bigger deal to me than I thought. Thankfully everything went smoothly, but general anesthesia is not something to be taken lightly. I’m grateful we have access to good medical care and the means to pay for it, I just wish, we never had to take advantage of it.
True story. Mim clamped his gums on the surgeon’s finger as he was emerging from my womb. I knew at when the doctor said “Ow!” I was in trouble.
When Mim was a toddler, we’d put Fish on the bus and then head to the grocery store just about every Wednesday morning.
He’s always been a sociable child (I have no idea where he gets this from). We started calling him The Mayor because he would (and still does) engage anyone in conversation. Early on a weekday morning, my shopping companions were other mothers with young kids and what Dr. Fishman one of my college professors referred to as LOLITS, Little Old Ladies In Tennis Shoes.
As we made our way through the store, he’d wave and say “Hi.” “Hi, I Mim.” “Hi!”. Most people would smile and wave back or at least acknowledge him in some way. Lord help the poor LOLIT so busy trying to calculate the unit price of a box of oatmeal that she didn’t hear The Mayor’s ovations. He’d be persistent. “HI!”, “I MIM!!”, and finally “HEY! I TALKIN’ YOU.” wouldn’t you know it the poor LOLIT would hear him THAT time. With blonde hair and blue eyes that match mine, it’s not like I could say “Sorry, I’m just the nanny.” Talk about wanting to crawl under a rock!
That one keeps me on my toes I tell ya!
I came across this at Books-A-Million as we were out and about last weekend.
Instead of Amen, worshipers say KECHOW!
I’ve heard it said, “Life is a Marathon, not a sprint.” I agree, that this is true, but any distance runner will tell you there are times when you just have to sprint to get through it. This weekend was my sprint.
Five days as a single parent
One semi-regular occurrence of frozen pipes. Not in my house, but in my purview.
Stops at L.L. Bean, Books-A-Million, Walmart (my own personal hell), the farmer’s market, the bank and Toys ‘R Us.
Fifteen meals
Two dogs, 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Four karate classes
Some fun, like an afternoon skiing and tubing, playing some games and making homemade soup and bread.
I DID IT!
And, other than the small stain on the carpet where one dog puked up said chocolate chips, there was no damage done.
Don’t mistake this as complaining per se. I know I am blessed and that right at this very minute people are running marathons that are far tougher than mine. I’m just taking a few minutes to celebrate my personal victory.
She frequently sleeps on the job. then gets mad when I tap her paws.
Apparently I only require close supervision during the winter months. In the summer she feels I am capable of completing my duties unattended.
I came across some photos recently, that reminded me of a funny experience when Fish was a baby.
“I’m going to a conference in Disney World. Are you brining my granddaughter down?” So came the command, er inquiry from my Mother-in-law. A-man and I figured why not? We could use the break from the routine and Fish would enjoy a lot of it. My Mother-in-law is a big fan of the mouse, so we knew this wouldn’t be Fish’s only trip to Mickey’s House.
Some people say that 18 months is too young to take a child to Disney World and for some it is, but Fish loved every minute of it. She played with the characters and enjoyed the rides. She was an easy baby, so she mostly rolled with the punches. Of course they were pretty soft punches with four adults catering to her schedule and her needs.
One day we decided to go to EPCOT and stay late enough for her to see Illuminations and the fireworks that followed. We took a leisurely morning in our cabin at Fort Wilderness, let her nap and then brought her to EPCOT. She loved the fountains and the sights. We rode Imagination, the Land and the Living Seas. Finally it was time for Illuminations. We ended up against a post somewhere in Morocco. At first she just wanted to toddle around, but eventually, it was “Up peeze”. Her Dad and I alternated holding her during the show. She seemed to enjoy it, but I also got the distinct feeling she was humoring us. When the last rocket flared, she looked at me and said “Awl done Mama?”
“All done Fish.” She reached for her stroller and quickly climbed inside. we buckled her and gave her Bear and Blankie. She sat up and grabbed the front canopy of the stroller and said in a strong voice said “AWL DONE!” while slamming it down and flopping back into the stroller. She was instantly asleep and slept through the entire process of exiting a fairly crowded park (Morraco is almost the farthest point from the main gate), and riding the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center. She would have slept the whole trip back to Fort Wilderness, but the bus driver made us take her out of the stroller so she snuggled up on Dad’s shoulder.
Awl done indeed.
For the first time in 6 years, we set up our Department 56 Christmas In the City village. It stayed hidden in previous years as much because of hurricane Mimmy as a lack of time necessary to set it up. This year, the hurricane is a bit more aware of his surroundings and the time seemed right. The kids had a blast setting it up with A-Man. I enjoyed floating in the background soaking it all in.
Live Fearless Lee 