From Maniacal to Memorable

Definition of MANIACAL

1: affected with or suggestive of madness <maniacal laughter>

2: characterized by ungovernable excitement or frenzy : frantic maniacal

mob>

 

Definition of MEMORABLE

: worth remembering : notable memorable

occasion>

"From maniacal to memorable" ... that is how I titled this post and that is the way I would describe the just-completed week the kids and I spent apart from Daddy/Pedro. Five deflated faces rode home quietly from the airport last Thursday. "When's Daddy coming home?" was the soundtrack question to our days. And in between the sadness, at least initially, was its sister sentiment - madness!! 

On Saturday complete chaos broke loose at the end of a long, grumpy day. The child that had been unable to find any sort of rhythm (and consequently drove the rest of us crazy from dawn to dusk) decided at bedtime to stick the point of a paintbrush handle into his brother's ear. The blood-curdling shrieks and the tiniest trickle of bleeding coming from said brother caused Mommy to careen over the line of self-control and patience she had carefully tried to maintain all day. Mommy's outburst sent sisters screaming down the stairs in a panic. In the midst of the crazy, I/Mommy called for backup since it seemed obvious an ER visit was in the picture. But by the time backup arrived, the injured party looked at a lineup of four matchbox cars - representing a little bit, medium bit, lot bit and lot lot bit of pain - and chose the first one. Sigh. Doesn't "maniacal" sound just right?"

Thankfully, naps all around on Sunday afternoon - followed by a restful evening of movies and pizza - seemed to re-set our systems. The next several days were enjoyable and by our last evening together I was actually feeling grateful for the few days of solo parenting. (Without losing the feeling grateful that soon again I would be duo parenting, of course.)

Worth remembering (aka "memorable") is the musical sound of children's laughter over hotels for dogs and winning weiner dogs and singing, magical pirate girls named Pippi and Denise Huxtable's break-dancing friends. Meals around the table, talking topics both silly and serious, meeting and hosting new friends ... visits with church friends, calls to Daddy (especially the night he put the kids to bed over cell phone loudspeaker - mind you, "loud" is a misnomer and false advertising in this case - because Mommy's back went out and hobbling back downstairs was not an option.) Family cooking class and family Creole class (oh, how the little boys cracked themselves up as they repeated after the faceless proper voice the phrase, "Please do not go poo-poo in your pants!" with Ian shouting, "Hey Alec! That what we used to say!")

I'm so thankful for my crazy kids and hope they can say the same about their crazy Mommy. And I'm crazy about my hubby and thankful they are, too, for as Owen declared as five delighted faces rode to the airport happily this morning, "Daddy is my HOME! Daddy is my LIFE!!" 

Yes, life is sweet - from maniacal to memorable and so many ways in between.