Sorry there has been some time between blog posts but I got busy and couldn't think of anything I could write a full paragraph about....although if you work with me you will be shocked at this information because I can often make a 5 minute story last an entire lunch period (no exaggeration). The lunch story case is often because I get distracted and forget what I was talking about or even why I was telling the story....typically there is not a logical explanation for either of these but when I'm writing I try to stay a little more focused (don't laugh!). Also, I am not sure if anyone realizes the difference between me and my siblings as far as "living the dream" is concerned. While my siblings each live in areas that can be considered "cities" and may have a need for a store that is open 24 hours a day (Wal-Mart, Kroger's, Meijer's), I choose to live a simpler life. Iris and I live in a "village" that has 2 fast food establishments, 3 gas stations, 3 traffic lights, and a church at nearly every street corner. When we go in the grocery store, most of the checkout people refer to Iris by name and compliment her "original" outfit choices. I LOVE small town living and truly think we are "living the dream"... in a single parent household, in a two bedroom rental, with student loans and a car payment, working two jobs...with my checkbook in a chronically overdrawn state (but no, really!)*dramatic sigh*
So today's goal is to put together a few Iris stories that always make me think "Man! We really ARE living the dream!
1) This has been a pretty tough year as far as illnesses have gone and we were not immune to this. I was ill a few times and Iris had what may have started off as a flu-like sickness and then ended up as an ear infection. "Poor Iris", you may be thinking....well go ahead and stop thinking that! The girl was loving life! She had a little difficulty sleeping one night and woke up and threw up! I am frantically running around trying to clean up the floor and tend to her because I know how much I hate being sick, especially when my beloved sleep is interrupted. I get her downstairs and cleaned up, at which point she has woken up a little more and "come to". Once I get her settled back into bed she requests 'Can we call Grandma to tell her I threw up?". Uhhhh...NO! Not that my mom isn't completely used to being awoken during the night to non-important phone calls (though these are typically referred to as "drunk dials" and often do involve throwing up) but I thought this may seal the deal in me being the least favorite child if I breech her slumber with a play by play commentary of Evil Genius's vomit session! So I make Iris go back to sleep and wait until morning to call Grandma! She of course doesn't forget and wakes up completely gung-ho on calling my mom! What could this hurt?! Maybe she just wants sympathy! No! She calls my mom and gives her a description that I am pretty sure, with very little imagination, my mother could have practically relived the experience. She took the phone to the exact location to where she threw up and "showed" my mom what happened. As all grandmothers do (or at least in my opinion, SHOULD DO) my mom played along! "OH MY GOODNESS! RIGHT THERE?! ARE YOU OK NOW?! DO YOU FEEL BETTER?! MY POOR SWEET PEA!!!" This has since become a story she has shared with everyone in any instance she can think of! EVERYONE! I often have to smile and explain to random people that she is just telling them about an experience she had months ago and is no longer sick! Fear not! A kid who LOVES the flu?! Living the dream!
2) If you take note of the checkbook comment earlier you will assume we do not typically go on vacations....your assumption is correct. Our "big" vacations have consisted of visiting a friend in the state of Delaware for a few days. These are always amazing vacations (because my friend is a far better planner than me and has our weekend set up when we get there and Iris and I just follow along and experience the magic the the East has to provide!) If you don't always go on vacation you don't always get the fun "On Location" vacation pictures....but you can still get some awesome pics with "famous" characters! Move over Disney princesses....enter Fredrick's IGA! Iris has posed with the M&M display twice at IGA! She requests her picture be taken and then will even do multiple poses! Pose 1: Beside M&M Pose 2: BE the M&M and reach your arms around the sides of it! Thanks to the staff at IGA we are allowed to do this....I think that they have pretty much just accepted our eccentricity and moved on. I am SLIGHTLY concerned that we are turning into the family that people just kind of smile and nod politely at, and then quietly say to each other "Bless their hearts!".....but I am certain this is happening! We have also gathered souvenirs from these little "staycations". When we walk to the store, Iris will often find and collect small items along the way. Lately this has been pine cones. We will have multiple items in the bottom of the re-useable grocery bags we take with us. So by the time our groceries are bagged at the store the checkout lady often does a second glance in the bag and says something along the lines of "oh, goodness let me clean the out for you!" to which I quickly respond "oh, no! we found that stuff on the way here!" (as if that is an acceptable excuse) *Insert smile and nod* 45 minute (total including walking to and from) vacations to Fredrick's IGA in "downtown" Carey, Ohio (or would it be considered "downvillage"?).....LIVING THE DREAM!
3) Going out to dinner is kind of a treat for Iris and myself. Mostly because I don't have to put pressure on myself to do dishes (in order to have some clean to make a meal) and we get a little time out and about as the awesome mother-daughter pair we are! However, if you have ever met Iris/Evil Genius, you will realize that any place you go with her should probably serve some type of alcohol! Not just for me, but also for the servers and anyone in the tables around us. Iris has addressed this issue on her own and if I say "Let's go out to eat!" Iris will quickly respond with "Let's go to Carmie's and sit at the bar!" YAY! My mother of the year award is in the mail, I'm sure! Not only does my child know the word and meaning of "bar" but can name restaurants with a bar, and will tell me what she is getting....BEFORE WE GET THERE! When we do go in she is greeted by name! We are like a mother-daughter version of Norm at "Cheers" but Iris and Rachel at Carmie's! LIVING THE DREAM! *Side-note: We were at Jenis's Splendid Ice Cream in Powell, OH and Iris requested sitting at the bar there, as well, and promptly FELL OFF THE BAR STOOL! All of the actual bars we were at and she falls off one at an establishment with no alcohol (unless you count the whiskey and pecan ice cream)*
4) I have always had issues with my hair and it took me just shy of 30 years to come to terms with the curliness and fuzziness associated with it. Quite honestly, my hair is a complete reflection of my personality, though Iris will often look at me in the morning with complete seriousness and tell me "Mom, your hair looks a little....nervous today." So I have made it my parenting goal (or at least one of them) to make Iris love and appreciate her crazy hair! We regularly read the book "Crazy Hair" and do a daily fist pound (followed by "blowing it up" and bringing it down with fireworks) while saying "CURLS ROCK!" (and also "MERMAID!" or "PRINCESS"). Iris still does not want her hair brushed in the morning unless it can be braided (which I am unable to do) but I have given up on this by realizing that her hair doesn't look any worse than mine and I do put effort into my hair....ah well, such is life! I HAVE apparently given her some idea of the awesomeness of her hair though because a recent request from her has been to answer the question "Mom, which curl is your FAVORITE?" hmmmm....my favorite?! I am not sure! I have found, with time, that I actually DO have favorite curls! Iris does too! She tends to favor the ones that originate behind her ears and fall forward when she leans downward, whereas I prefer the ones that hang down her back in complete ringlets and just look like little tubes of red hair! Identifying your FAVORITE aspects of yourself and making others point them out as well rather than tearing yourself apart and finding things you don't like about yourself?! I think we could ALL learn something from this Evil Genius! LIVING THE DREAM!
Ok, so I got to 4 ways that Iris is living the dream and am running low on time to write more (Evil Genius will be up soon!) but I think it is showing that I have taught her everything that I know! I am going to try to be more consistent with my blogging because I will be hopefully having more free-time since school is out and therefore much more Iris-time, thus more "material"! Enjoy for now! If you have any requests for blogs based on something I have talked about previously, let me know! I never know if I am repeating myself or not. I also tend to think things that aren't funny ARE and vice versa! Iris has been pretty sassy lately though so hopefully I will be back soon! Harass me if I am not!
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