complaints – ~HB ADVENTURE~

July 7, 2015July 7, 2015

I’m Going To Miss That Sound

sissters mags audrey

Oi. The sixth of July. I’m marking it on my calendar for future reference:

IT’S THE SIXTH OF JULY THAT AUDREY BECOMES EXTRA WHINY BECAUSE SHE HASN’T SLEPT IN 19 DAYS FROM ALL THE FIREWORKS AND HOOPLA.

There. Marked and ready for next year.

But, still.

Oi.

We had the most fantastic type of weekend. One where we went to a lake, a birthday party and threw all sense of parenting out the window and let our kids stay up until 11:30 p.m.

11:30 p.m. (you read that right)

And then today, Monday, they day we had to all return to reality and get some shit done showed up. I’m not going to lie, today was a challenge…..and I went to bed at the same as the girls did last night, so I can’t complain of lack of sleep.

As Mondays go, we needed to get some chores done and I was out of some cleaning supplies, so we headed to the store to *quickly* pick them up. But since today is the 6th of July, and Audrey had had it UP TO HERE in the world of 2 year olds, she decided to throw down the biggest shit-fit in the middle of the store. Like screaming and running away from me at top speed. Maggie, who knew that I wouldn’t’ tolerate the screaming/running business, stood by and watched it go down….she’s slightly empathetic, but I think mostly because she’s happy to NOT be the one throwing the shit-fit.

I worked up a sweat, gathered my new cleaning supplies and hauled ourselves to the front of the store after I captured Little Miss Complains A Lot two aisles over with her fingers wrapped around a stuffed monkey. Since I had been listening to the complaining, yelling, and crying all morning, I found myself saying things like, “Please stop crying, it’s rude” and “You can either choose to stay on the floor or come with me….but I’m moving up in the line” as I scooted closer to the cashier, without too much sympathy.

Meanwhile, most of the old people in the store were looking at us sideways and I felt as if I had suddenly grown another head. I just smiled at them because what else could I do. I needed to get my chores done and we were in line to leave. I don’t think it lasted too long because Audrey found some toy to squeeze and Maggie found a coupon for a free cookie, but before I was able to take a breath without feeling like a complete asshole-parent, the woman in front of me turned around and said, “I miss that sound.”

Since I’m hard of hearing, not a joke, I wondered if perhaps there was something that I wasn’t hearing that she was referencing. I smiled at her and inquired as to what sound she was talking about. She then went on to talk to me about how as a mother with grown children, she actually misses the sound of her kids whining. Of course, she said, that she also missed all the things in between, the sweet stuff, but the sound of her kids crying/whining and carrying on is a sound that she missed. I might have looked at her like she’d just grown another head.

Since that exact sound had been the soundtrack to my morning, it caught me off guard, her comment. But after only a beat, a split second really, I suddenly could feel my heart inside of my throat and my eyes brim with a smattering of tears. Some day I know I’ll miss the sound of a shit-fit in the middle of a store. Right now, I get to be the one to help my child work through those strong, hard emotions. I’ll miss that the problem might be able to be solved with some extra cuddles or hours of sleep.

But until then, until I get far enough away in the world of parenting from the shit-fit, public screaming child that I intentionally brought into a store, I’m marking my calendar and I’m going to prepare myself.

Side note: Since I thrive on funny things, read these tweets, they’ll brighten your day a bit. Shit-fit or not, we all need to laugh.

April 10, 2015April 10, 2015

Don’t You Worry, Little One

maggie maggie2

We I made some pretty serious changes to the blog a few weeks back.

And by changes, I mean I totally messed it up….basically ‘misplacing’ all of our images that we’ve used in the past ten years.

Fear not.

We’re working on it and because some of you, that aren’t my mom, have asked about the blog….I’m letting you know that we haven’t given up.

We just need more hours in the day to problem solve.

Until that time, enjoy a less broken site.

P.S. Bug-eyes still are happening around here when something traumatic/dramatic happens. In both pictures, Maggie is looking at Syd doing something naughty.

November 20, 2014

Brag Talking

Last week our computer up and decided to partially die and it pretty much freaked me out because I have an infinite number of unfinished photo projects on it. We think we’re backed up, but I pretty much NEVER want to lose anything.

Barry had gone surfing and I needed to get our gigantic computer to the mall on a SATURDAY. First, I hate the mall and try my best to avoid it, but the Apple store is at the mall. Second, our computer is a huge 27″ beast and there is no way to make it smaller. I tried a rolling suitcase, a wagon, and the only way I was going to get it to the store was to carry it. Third, and finally, Audrey isn’t really old enough to know when the best times to stay close/hold hands are….maybe when she’s 15.

Since I needed my hands, I decided to pile Audrey into our huge backpacking bag and hope for the best. As we were walking across the parking lot a friendly lady asked to assist us. I told her there wasn’t much she could do because if she dropped my computer, I’d never forgive her….and I didn’t even know her. She walked with us the entire way, just for her peace of mind, I think. We were early to our appointment, but thankfully the guys at the store took the computer off my hands immediately.

The guy (not quite a man…not really a boy….) was super helpful as he ran some diagnostic tests to determine that it was most likely a broken video card. Audrey fell asleep in the backpack and I’d passed my phone to Maggie and she proceeded to take 89 selfies. Ninety minutes later, we walked out of the store leaving our computer there into the fresh-air walking area. Audrey had woken up at the end and was voicing her distaste for the backpack, so we got out at exactly the right time.

Before we’d left home, I’d stuffed Maggie’s vest pocket with pennies for the fountain and the girls spent some time letting them kerplunk into the water while I contemplated our next move. I’d also packed lunch, but I was feeling brave and we hit up Blue C Sushi. The girls consumed California Rolls and I sipped on some tea while I reflected on our morning.

It isn’t often that I feel like I’m doing a good job at this mothering thing….there’s always something that I feel like I’m totally sucking at or irritated with. I really don’t enjoy taking my children to stores or even restaurants, mostly because it means more work for me managing them and their behavior. But while I was watching them cram Cali rolls into their mouths, with our huge backpack sharing Maggie’s side of the booth, I felt pretty good about it all. I’m full aware that a day will come that a quick trip to the mall and lunch before heading home, won’t feel like I’ve scaled a mountain, but that chilly day last week, I let myself have that moment.

And our computer is back home and running just fine.

I let Barry go pick it up. Alone.