Best Mom in the World

We have been having some really fun weekends lately. Busy, but fun. In fact, for me, the busier, the better. A few weekends ago, I took the kids to the movies. Well, actually, first I took one kid to a movie and then picked up the other and took them both to another movie.

Clara and I started the adventure at the 3-D Jonas Brothers concert experience. What a ride. We showed up like 45 minutes early because we just KNEW it would be packed. Ha ha, by the time the movie started, there were maybe ten other people in the theater. Oh well. We’d brought along some playing cards and we played Crazy 8s until the previews started. The show was one hour and seventeen minutes long. About one hour into it, Clara and I both looked at the time on our cell phones. I groaned inwardly, thinking to myself “how am I going to get through another 17 minutes of this insanity?” while Clara said aloud, “Look Mom, it’s already been an HOUR! It’s nearly over! How did an hour go by so fast?” Time flies when you’re having fun. Sigh. But I did make it, and then we went home and grabbed James for Coraline.

I wasn’t sure we should take him to this movie, because I’d heard it was pretty scary. But James has insisted that he wanted to see it ever since we saw the first preview. He assured me that he was brave and could “handle it.” I noticed one of his Power Rangers movies the first time, and the monsters and bad guys on it were pretty awful, so I figured (hoped) that Coraline wouldn’t be a problem.

Anyway, we went, and for the first time in his little life, he sat through an entire movie at a theater. Never got up. Never fidgeted. Never asked for more snack, or to use the restroom, or to switch seats. His eyes were glued to the screen the entire time. Even Clara and I were jumpier than he was. There was one part where there was an overweight, extremely busty burlesque dancer (don’t ask). She had on nothing but PASTIES and a bikini bottom (don’t ask!). In the middle of a lull in that scene, James announced for the entire audience, “Look! That Panty-girl is ALMOST NAKED!!” Ha ha!

Since we have such different schedules, we just never eat dinner at the table. Clara’s at Doug’s half the time, and Scott’s always teaching during our dinnertime, so we just eat in front of the TV, or sometimes we even split up. It’s never been a big deal, but it is nice to have dinner together every once in a while. The other night, I was making burgers and asked Clara if she wanted to sit at the table that evening. She was pretty excited about doing it! She set the table and got everyone a drink. When we went to sit down, I called James to the table. “Why?” he asked. “We’re going to eat dinner here tonight!” I replied. To my amusement, he whined, “welllllllllll HOW are we supposed to watch TV at the table???” He just didn’t get it. Isn’t that sad? And funny?

James’s fourth birthday is fast approaching. He will be four in just under a week. I can’t believe it! I don’t care how long I live, I will never get used to how quickly my kids grow. Never ever ever ever!! James wants anything and everything for his birthday. When someone asks what he wants, I’ll tell them to go to Target and to the toy section. Close your eyes, turn around until you’re dizzy, and then just walk until you bump into something. Open your eyes, pick up whatever you bumped into and buy it. He will love it, guaranteed.

My daughter made me a notecard to take to work. She wanted something that I could look at that would make me happy while I was there. It’s just a little notecard that she colored, and on it she wrote “Best Mom in the World, 1997 – Forever.” This has confused some people that I have told, so try to think of it this way: she didn’t write “1997-2009” so, she meant, like, I became the best mom in the world on her birth date and I will continue to be the best mom in the world for all time. Ya dig? Awesome.