The Monkey Barrel

Archive for January, 2009

In the whirlwind of our lives that began the day Noah was ushered in right at the crux of a holiday season, John’s birthday has snuck in under the radar. It’s next week! I have nothing planned! This is completely unlike me. Usually I have something planned months in advance and the second Christmas is over I’m in gear getting supplies and planning. I feel horrible to have let it go this long. HUGE mommy guilt.
So I asked him what he’d like to do for his birthday. He has birthday terrets (sp?) He wants a hot wheels/ Indiana Jones/ laser-nerf tag/ bowling/ gaming party. What party planner could work that all in? And how could you make it cohesive? And asking him what he wants in the way of gifts after Christmas is always the pits. He can rarely think of anything so we start making stuff up for him. I know he wants a rip stick which Fred is highly against but that’s the only concrete thing on the list. How can you avoid it for the third year in a row?
I’m going to go pore over the internet in search of places and ideas for something interesting to do and try desperately to table the giant sack of guilt with “Worlds Worst Mother” painted on the outside. Rather like Santa’s sack only full of a different kind of baggage. Oh yeah, and hope that there are actual kids available to come otherwise, what’s the point?

John was sick the last day of school before the holidays and so he didn’t get to go in and retrieve his Santa letter that they had been working on. He brought it home in his Tuesday folder this week. With tears of pride in my eyes I will share with you the heart and soul of my sweet 8 year old little boy in this simple but beautiful letter.

Dear Santa,
Hi. I wonder if everything is ok? I was wondering something, can you bring snow to Virginia? Is the weather good? Do you need any help? I have so many questions. Can you get my friends food? And, can I have the ATT Spy Tank?
Yours truly,
John Arters
P.s. I hope you get the surprise on our coffee table.

Sometimes, my kids leave me speechless, and my soul so very full.

We all have the best of intentions this time of year. I think the excess of money spent and food eaten and absolute bustle of the previous holidays all crammed up together make us high on getting control of something. The words New Year’s Resolutions always give me agida and make me want to kvetch up a hairball. And yet this year this is the tiniest bit of an inclination to want to do so. Last year just to keep up with the crowd I resolved merely one thing. One thing I failed miserably to achieve. The goal was NOT to GAIN WEIGHT! HA! 2 months later, hello pregnancy. I maintained a reasonable size until the last 3 or 4 months and then the inevitable happened. Creep creep creep came the weight. And down down down went the ability to blame it on the growing baby. And now 2 months post partum up up up goes my resolve to get rid of the pizza dough hanging across my middle and the remnants of holiday dinners that have taken up residence “ahem” elsewhere. I am making no concrete resolutions. Nothing that I am beholden to, that at the end of the year will loudly sing of my failures. I have too many of those already. What I will pray for instead of resolving for is that I am a better wife to my husband, one that he deserves and be proud to know, be with, and speak of. I pray that I can appreciate my children individually and make time for each of them to make them feel as special as they are and to teach them to treat each other with selflessness and love. I pray that I can be a better friend, a better listener, a better sister, and better child of God. I pray that I will get to know God in deeper and more intimate ways than I do now and that I more attentive when I am failing Him to be proactive in correcting the behavior. I pray I will eat less doughnuts and take more walks. I pray that I will be presentable both physically and mentally for Fred’s 20 yr. reunion so that he can be proud of me in all aspects and not just that I’m a motorcycle loving, pool table coveting, crazy in love with him maniac of a wife!
And speaking of prayer, I’m trying to use the time it takes to nurse this beautiful newborn of mine wisely and to pray for all of you so if you have specific requests please mention them to me so that I can talk accordingly with my Lord. Happy New Year all!