I Love You Disgusting

It’s Valentines Day.

I’m going to let you in on a few little secrets about me. 

A. I am not materialistic.

B. I love “memories” and “time” more than anything else.

C. When someone hears me… I mean REALLY hears me, it’s something you can’t buy.

This morning, I realized that my Valentine knows me and loves me well.

These cards are the best things I’ve ever gotten. They tell me that I have a wonderful hubby and little kiddo in my life that appreciate and love me a lot.

They’re made with thought and time, crayons and ink.

*For an Education Undergrad student, it’s like making cards with gold etching and diamonds.

**I would’ve taken a picture of the Spinach omelet that was made or me as it sat next to a cup of fresh brewed coffee this morning… but… the camera just didn’t get here fast enough as I devoured everything in less than 30 seconds. 

Although I would admit that I’m not much of a contributor to the idea of “Valentines Day” (because I love my hubby and kiddo EVERY day) there’s nothing wrong with taking a minute to recognize how special love really is and that we just can’t take it for granted.

Let me take you back to about 1984 or so.

Picture this…

A mom, a little girl, red construction paper and white doilies… now what do you think was created with such raw materials? Yes, homemade Valentines.

At the time I thought that I was going to be the laughing stock of the 3rd grade. How can some paper and lace compete with Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears and the Smurfs?

I knew I could only top these competitive greetings with a Punky Brewster Valentine with inclusive sucker slot for a Dum Dum or Blow Pop… but no…

(SECRET: I loved making these Valentines, I just wasn’t so confident that my peers would find the Renaissance artist wrapped inside and enjoy them as much as my mom and I did).

Although they were never really appreciated to the degree they deserved, it wasn’t about the kids loving them, it was about my mom loving me.

That was 28 years ago. Guess what?

Yes, it’s a SuperHero Valentine. It’s homemade and inspired by Family Fun. 

My son didn’t pass out Ninja Turtles, Star Wars or Spongebob this year… we made sucker SuperHeros with the message, “You’re a Super Friend”.

It’s Preschool, so I figure I can work my way up to the 3rd grade. Maybe they weren’t appreciated by all the peers in my kiddos class, but we giggled and enjoyed the time making them together and that is what it’s all really about. 

Let’s Face It, there are 3 great things about showers…

1. The clean crevasses

2. A sense of refreshing and the soap smell

3. Wet and crazy hair (THIS is the greatest of these three things).

When you get crazy, fresh outta the towel hair, it’s necessary to create a game that truly embraces the odd “dew”…

Kiddo: Okay, on the count of three,  I’m gonna make a weirdo face and say, “Der”

Momma: I’m all over it… let’s do this

Kiddo: Okay, “One, two, three… ‘DER’”

Let’s try this again…

“ONE, TWO THREE… ‘DER’”

Okay, okay… one more

“One, Two, Three… ‘DER’”

I happen to enjoy this last one… it’s so “botox”.

(CHUCKLE)

If I were to create a book of 100 reasons to pro-create, this whole scenario easily falls at a #5.

Some of you may know that as of January 1^st, I entered what I so adoringly have called, “The Year of Simplicity”.  It may seem, well, “simple”, but it’s truly not. After 15 years of Life Tornadoes and Hurricanes (which have included some delightful spins in wind), I am riding on the calm AFTER the storm.

How does one mom in full-time college courses with a Kindergartener and Hubby maintain such a life? By one very important and 2 letter (I said TWO letter) word… “N-O”.

Women and men everywhere tend to view this tiny vocabulary as a negative and nasty in the world of words, however, it’s a great tool.

EXAMPLE: “Hey, I wanted to know if you’d be interested in doing… “

*Now let’s pause here… this means A. Work B. Time C. Energy. You can’t “do” without moving and thinking and giving it some time and energy.

SO….

“No”.  

(Did you take notices of the PERIOD that followed? It’s the end. You’ve said it ALL).

Now don’t get me wrong… I’m built with a servant’s heart and a love for being “involved” with things when the time is right.

At 35 years old, it’s important to realize that I’m in the mid-stream… I ain’t gettin’ any younger but I gotta WHOLE bunch of life to live and I don’t wanna ruin that by getting stress-anxiety and hives. It’s not a “LEAVE ME ALONE”, it’s an “I need to breathe”. Much nicer, yes?

*Note the lax vocabulary and slang? It means I’m relaxed and not doing too much… even articulating properly through blog-ness. Ahh… I’m smiling at the thought. See? 

And here, my friends, is the moral to this lengthy tale…

When you hear, “I know you’re really busy….” At the beginning of a sentence… gear up… it’s time… you can do it….

“NO”.

Similar to the 1980s anti-drug campaign, we need to rally for ourselves and “just say no”.

Yep, I’m MIA. I would certainly say that I’ve been immersed in full on action sequence known as “life”.

I haven’t been writing since August (actively and consistently, that is) because I’m finishing my Bachelor’s Degree and taking care of my family (hubby and kiddo).

As you may have grasped from earlier Momma Logues, there is never a dull moment or lack of casual banter around our place. With THAT said, there is also little time to have academic thoughts or to concentrate on things that include textbooks and lectures in old buildings.

I love to write. I love my family. I love the fact that I’ll be graduating college next year! In order to stay sane and give all of these elements top priority, my blog writing is on hiatus until May.

*As I write this mini-blog entry, I’ve been interrupted (AND I COUNTED) 6 times. That’s 6 times in 15 minutes. So yes, I will NOT be intentionally writing again until summertime. This is when I can include deep breaths and cocktails into my regular agenda.

**I would like to give a special “shout out” to Mr. Steve Adkins, who told me yesterday that he loved my site and Momma Logues. I find this to be extremely complimentary as he has recently retired from teaching after 40 years (which inspires this Early Ed Undergrad) and not to mention, he’s one of the nicest people you’ll meet. I had no idea he had read this little ol’ blog. Thanks Mr. Adkins!

2011 was a wild ride, folks. Here are some highlights:

Hubs and Kid traveled out of the US to join an elite group of ninja warriors.

 Upon returning, Kid took shape as a man spider, creeping our walls and ceilings on a daily basis. It was weird, but after a little getting used to, we began to appreciate his ability to transport us through downtown rush-hour on a single web.

*Note how relaxed I appear as I bag groceries in my living room.

SUMMER…

I fell into a watering hole and the world was quickly reminded of the 1986 tragedy of Baby Jessica’s backyard Well Fall.

Later in the year I volunteered at a local Head Start Program and some kid attached a rare venomous insect to my cheek during a moment of sandbox play. Despite the strange odor that comes from my gaping face hole, I will use the profits from the lawsuit I file against this little turd, to alter my appearance completely and clinch a role in the 2013 X-Men film. 

THEN…

this happened

http://www.iloveyoudisgusting.com/post/12537936848/the-mombie

And as if that wasn’t enough…

This guy stalked me for a while by sitting in my front yard at night until we realized that he was actually my brother and invited him to come in for Turkey dinner. It was awkwardly frightening and heartwarming. 

Finally, to end the year with a grand finale in Pro/Con form…. (Drum-roll)…

PRO- The Hub grew a pretty rad barbell mustache and made a YouTube Video that truly represented his new found personality.

CON- The Hub grew a barbell mustache.

(YouTube Sensation, below):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLdnzry1bOc&context=C3df6264ADOEgsToPDskJPsLLkrX0oi_3ReX3SCCPj

SHAZAM, 2011… SHA… ZAAAAAM!

A few weeks ago, someone said, “What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?”

Embrace the spirit of gratitude and wonderment that the world has something to offer you and that you’re given a chance each day to consider it…the ups and the downs… the mountains and the valleys… the fears and the comforts… life isn’t black and white.

Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else.
Leonardo da Vinci

Tomorrow as I wake up, I will let all that I’ve been thankful for squeeze me as I stroll into a holiday where I get another moment to be in this life with the things that I am forever grateful for… the things that matter and the things that make life its simplest.

“What if you wake up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today?”

RAISINS

Momma: Okay buddy, you’re in charge of RAISINS for your class’ Thanksgiving feast.

Toddler: I’m in charge of RAISINS, SERIOUSLY? THAT is awesome!

Momma: Wow, are you excited? 

Toddler: I can NOT believe I get to bring the raisins! I’M in charge of the RAISINS?!

90 year-olds everywhere will feel the love this Thanksgiving as a five year old shares their zeal for poop fruit.

The “Mombie”, also known as a femaleose caretakera, is a species native to the “home”. Despite it’s name, the Mombie is functional on a daily basis and does not actually consume other humans (although may be tempted at times).

The Mombie is primarily carnivorous and tends to snack on the scraps of small beings. Mombies have few predators due to their uncanny nature of seeming like a crackpot once per month. 

Although mostly solitary in terms of personal need, the mombie requires partnership in the form of “date” on a regular basis. This should include food that is prepared by another human and multiple beverages containing high volumes of alcohol.

The Mombie tends to have a neutral diet that is known to slide between healthy and that which contains large amounts of cocoa based products and things covered in a batter and submerged in hot oil.

If you see the Mombie, please be aware that they are often angered by the smell of urine that cannot be pinpointed to a specific location in the bathroom.

ELEPHANT MAN

Toddler: Uncle C is a dude because he has hair in his butt, right?

Momma: No, I said that a “dude” is a hair on an elephant’s butt.

Toddler: That’s what I said.

Uncle C may dance to the beat of his own drum, but he’s no Victorian Freak show.