I woke up yesterday morning and came downstairs to a quiet house. The girls had packed their lunches the night before and Irene was still asleep which gave me the luxury of a relaxing start to my day. I went down to the kitchen to look over my to-do list before grabbing that first cup of joe. I didn't notice it right away, but at the very bottom of my to-do list, in fine print, something was added.
Be sure your husband feels loved. I couldn't help but smile and think all kinds of loving thoughts about Rob and what a good husband I have.
Now back up to the night before this note. I was a little feisty with Rob. Bitchy, if you will. He had done or said nothing wrong. He just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Now I will spare all the details. I don't want to rehash my inappropriate behavior. Although I will say, I did not use any profanity. At least I don't remember using profanity. Anyway, I was crabby and not very nice to Rob and he noticed. Go figure. I think I'll put the note on the fridge and leave it there until all the kids leave the house or I'm all finished with menopause, not necessarily in that order.
This was Irene's first time to the dentist. It was the usual routine. Filling all the new patient paperwork. Fudging a little on how much we really brush the teeth of our 3 year old....twice a day and floss all the time....really. The dentist gave me his speech about thumb sucking and how bad it is. I told him that I was counting on him to put the fear of God in her. After all, I have been through this already with a couple other kids and I know the dentist can say so much more without actually saying that much. He gave me a disparaging look and informed me that his wife is the disciplinarian in his house. My hope started to fade. I was counting on this. But, he gave it his best. And he ended it on this note. "If you don't stop sucking your thumb, you won't have pretty teeth like a princess." That's pretty good, I thought. So I stole a couple of glances at Irene on the way home. Twice she brought the thumb to her mouth and hastily pulled it away. Caught in a moment of pity I told her, "Reeny, you can wait until you're 4 to stop if you want. She tiredly shook her head and rested it on her hand and fell fast asleep. Later that evening when I saw her sucking her thumb she told me she's decided to stop when she's 4. Good idea.
We cat-sat Charlie for about 10 days. He and Petunia get on famously and as you can see by these photos, he is adored by all, even yours truly, a self proclaimed 'cat-putter-upper', not a cat lover. I love this photo. At first we were appalled at how Reeny would walk around with Charlie. We all tried to put an end to it. Then we noticed something. The obvious happy face of the child, yes. But, look at the cat. He really doesn't mind. Or, maybe he does mind, but he is willing to make the sacrifice of comfort for something greater. Maybe he loves the girl. Or maybe (in this particular case) he is cat talking to Petunia. "Look at me. Nobody carries you around like this. They love me more. Meow."
