Arwen's Review of Landrum's Country Store

My daughter Arwen went on her class field trip today at Landrum’s Country Store. They have a farm and a petting zoo. I wasn’t able to attend the trip with her so I decided I would ask her about it when she got home.  This is how the conversation went:

Me: How was your field trip today?

Arwen: Look at what I got from the field trip (while holding up a feather hair clip).

Me: Where did you get that?

Arwen: Aubrey’s mom bought them for the whole class. They were twenty five cents and she bought all of the class one.

Me: Wow, that’s cool.

Arwen: We saw a peacock and it spread its wings wide and we saw a big fat pig.

Me: What else did you see?

Arwen: I don’t remember.

Me: You don’t remember?

Arwen: Uh…we got on a ride.

Me: What kind of ride?

Arwen: A little tractor ride.

Me: Would you go back?

Arwen: Go back where?

Me: Go back to the farm?!

Arwen: Well, yea….I’m hungry.

The moral to this chronicle is some kids just don’t care about farms or the excitement of the trip. Arwen is one of those kids that live in the moment. If it isn’t happening at that second, she doesn’t give a flying flip. I’m sure someday she will come up to me and say, “What was the name of that place that Aubrey’s mom bought the class feathers?” and I will say, “Landrum’s Country Store,” and she will say, “Oh yea, I liked that place,” and smile.

 As parents sometimes we have to remember the things we take in through the eyes of our children aren’t as exciting to them as it is to us. We all get in an uproar when they take their first steps, poop in the potty the first time, and tie their shoes themselves for once. Some of us go to the extreme and document every time our child passes gas. These parents are the ones that have to have pictures of everything their child does for a scrapbook that weighs fifty pounds that they plan to give their son or daughter on their graduation or wedding day. My advice to those parents is whoa there Nelly. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but they don’t care, just like Arwen doesn’t now. I promise you they will not appreciate the eighteen to twenty five years of documenting their every move as you think they will. Save yourself some trouble and stick to the major moments; the chronicle moments that you learn from and enjoy.  Stop trying to get the perfect picture and take it like it is. Stop wasting time lining them up for a smiling picture when their crying and not wanting to do it. Stop getting angry when they don’t cooperate because they are messing up your picture, your memory. The key word there is YOUR. Once again, if they don’t care now odds are fifteen years from now they aren’t going to care then.  Today Arwen went without me on her trip and she was just fine. Had I went with her, yes I’m sure I would take a couple of pictures of her that will either never come off my phone or go in a scrapbook somewhere to never been seen again. It wouldn’t have mattered to take it because fifteen years from now I’m willing to bet that she’s still more worried about her snack.

These Are The Days

           There is nothing like waking up in the morning listening to the waves roll up on the shore with the smell of the salty air surrounding you. As you slowly open your eyes, a cool breeze blows through your open windows and the subtle call of gulls are heard   as they scramble after the sand crabs that scurry along the shore.  One more deep breath and you begin to slowly move your body from your bed and then it happens……..the alarm clock goes off, scares the baby lying next to you who immediately begins to wale. It seems to be the catalyst for how the rest of your morning goes. One child screams that you’re brushing their hair too hard as two teenage girls fight over the shower. Finally the bus arrives and the baby girl is still scrambling for her shoes when you shove her out the door with one shoe on and one in her hand as she runs toward the bus griping about how she’s tired of oranges for her snack. You barely have time to breath when you turn around and your eldest daughter hands you your grandson so that she can go pump a bottle for him. Meanwhile, your baby is cutting teeth as loudly as he can on the cold washcloth you gave him to chew on, since he despises pacifiers and teething rings.        

                Alas, the joys of parenting and grand-parenting.  Days like that are when you’re wishing for Calgon to take you away. Those are the chronicles you want to sweep under the rug. There is really only one thing you can do on days like that. You just keep breathing. Soon the babies will take a nap and you can clean up the mess that blew through town before the other kids left for school or you can sit down and watch the mess not clean itself. I know this because I have done it time and time again. Sometimes I have quoted the songs of Meatloaf. “Life is a Lemon and I Want My Money Back”   other times it is simply the most joyful moments that make it all worthwhile and that is when I’m reminded that the Calgon days are all worth it. Yesterday was one of those days. My husband and I went to check the blackberry patches in the woods behind our neighborhood. Unfortunately they are still green.  Liberty had been out of school sick with a sore throat. We met her as we came up the path. After my husband Sjhon gave her a good scolding for being out of the house and we walked halfway home, she coughed and grabbed her throat.

                Me: See I told you being outside when you’re sick makes it worse.

                Liberty: My throat hurts.

                Me: Maybe you need some soup.

                Liberty: Feel my throat. I think my anal glands are swollen.

                Me:  Liberty, you don’t have anal gland’s you’re not a dog. Do you mean your lymph nodes?

                Liberty: Whatever.

               

                Today on the other hand was one of those Calgon moments and all day I have found myself thinking about Libby’s non- existent anal glands and I smile. That is the key to it right there. When people comment on how they would go nuts with six kids, I just smile and say it can be crazy sometimes. All I know is if Liberty comes home today complaining about her throat, I will call the vet and make her an appointment.