Social Cues

Loss of Identity

Well, we are now into our full second week of school.  Little Cheese and Manny LOVE it!  And I am so thankful.  It wasn't such a hard to choice to decide to send our children to public school after homeschooling Little Cheese for the last four years.   As the time grew near to actually drop them off at the school building though, I must say that the nervousness grew.

Now, just my littlest ones are home with me everyday.  And the time flies!  Flies!  I don't even realize where it goes but suddenly naptime is a priority and I need to get as much done before I leave to pick up my older two because my husband walks in the door almost as soon as we get home.

But, I wanted to share something interesting with you.  The thing that I am finding I miss the most is something I didn't think about at all.  I have lost my identity.  I am no longer seen as a Mommy of four children by strangers but a Mommy to two.  I no longer have all of my children with me at Dr's appointments or other errands.  People always speak to Goosie, who is now three, and she tells them about her baby brother.  But I always find myself wanting to let the stranger know that I do have two more children.  I am the proud Mommy of four.

Isn't that interesting?

Killing them with manners....

Well...today I had another joyful experience at Wally World.  Love the place really.  (crickets chirping).  I have taught my children to always get out of the way of any other adult on the aisle.  I have taught them to say "...I'm sorry, Ma'am or Sir, am I in your way?" and then move out of the way.  Kindness.  Respect.  Manners.

This afternoon we taking up the entire back to school aisle.  We were having issues picking out the one subject notebooks.  Should we get kittens and Captain America or Hello Kitty and Spiderman.  A lady walked onto the same aisle and I tried to move our buggy out of the way.  "I'm sorry, am I in your way?" is all I said.  Polite, customary, manners.  Then came the same responses from Manny and Little Cheese.   She snarled and the air around us because crackly tense.  In a low sing-songy voice she said, "I haven't spoken to anyone, I am just trying to look."

Well, the heat rose in my face.  All sense of calmness and the urge to keep my mouth shut left.  LEFT!  So, I replied in the same sing-songy voice, "I'm sorry, we were just trying to be polite".  She abruptly  turned and left the aisle.

I read a blog post one time and I wish I could find a link to it about how wonderful it would be if everyone could wear a sign around their neck.  "Leave me alone...I've had a bad day" or other examples that I remember from that post were "I'm suffering, I'm lonely, I'm overwhelmed, my husband just left, my daughter has cancer, I just lost my job,  I (fill in the blank)..."

My instant thought was to think that she was just a horrible grouchy person.  But in reality, my thoughtfully taught manners and response to her might have just been enough to push her over her limits.  I wish I could have seen her sign.  I wish I hadn't held our "manners" in such a high idol regard!

What's for dinner? Chicken!

Chicken, chicken, chicken....I love chicken!
I tend to buy the chicken breasts on the bone because I tend to believe that you get more bang for your cluck...I mean buck.  It is inevitable, however,  that all of the chicken cannot be cut off of the bone.
So, I cook the bones.  Sometimes I boil them.  Sometimes I bake them.  A little pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and season salt.
Once the bones are cooked, you get these lovely little chucks of chicken.  These are perfect for all kinds of recipes.    They are great for chicken noodle soup, Quesadillas, chicken pot pies, chicken casseroles....  Just put the little chunks into a ziploc bag and freeze them until needed.
Yummy!

Cleaner sooner than later....

I did it.  I heard the mantra even as I did it.  I invited a new friend and her sweet children over today for a playdate.  I found myself frantically cleaning my house for their arrival.  Not that I was expecting perfection but I wanted to at least be able to see the dining room table.

What was it that I heard in my head, my mantra?  Don't do for others what you won't do for your spouse.  Our house had needed a good ol' fashion cleaning for a week.  The dining room doubles as my sewing room and I had my lovely supplies spread all over.  We were eating on the kitchen island so there wasn't a real need to rush and clean off the table.  Until we had guests that is.

Oh how often I let the house settle into a "tidy disarray" when it is just us at home.   A couple things here or there that I don't put away.  Papers that need to be sorted.  The random toy...that multiplies.  Baby stuff on tables.  Not filth just disarray.

However, if I would just take the moments that I have and straighten the disarray would disappear.  My sweet husband loves a tidy home.  He has learned to live in my untidiness and for that I am greatful.  But I realized today how much more I should be willing to tidy the house for my husband than I am for a friend.

Oh my.