just like a gorilla

just call me mama gorilla. because? #1: addy is jumping off the diving board at the pool #2: addy is going across monkey bars, then slinking down the swing chain to the ground #3: amelia is her normal, monkey-like self, bounding from room to room #4: i pick sand out of my kids' hair every single night as i'm rubbing their back & head (massage action here! kickin' it mom, is who i am, eh?). so i just had the thought tonight as i was pulling sand out of addy's hair: i am just like a gorilla.

help me sweet jesus...

***

this just happened: 8:45 p.m. addy just fell asleep. i come downstairs to type & voila, the door bell rings, dog goes crazy barking. i answer it to find an internet cable dude at the door. ugh, at nearly 9pm?! (& last night wes & i watched a criminal minds about internet cable installers who come into houses...gah!). he starts his story about their great low prices, stops, then asks: is your mom around so i could speak with her?

now imagine me going through all levels of elation, glory, resentment, questioning his manipulation abilities, etc. when i curtly tell him i'm the home owner, he turns bright red & stammers an apology.

he left within 30 seconds due to our lack of  desire to have cable....but i'm still left to wonder if i really need to get some mom-pants or something. i could point out the few wrinkles beginning around my mouth & eyes or the few long chin hairs i have to pluck zealously...

***

we just finished reading the ramona quimby series. aside from pining for portland & all it brings, it also made me remember going to the book mobile across the street from my house during the summer. i *loved* it when the book mobile showed up in little ole nankin...that ramona was brought to us! woah. the smell of the books, getting my books stamped, going from the hot outside to the cool inside...

just one more thing the girls will miss out on living in the 'burbs. but i guess an awesome library makes up for that, right?

***

so amelia is being a bit over zealous this summer in proving that she can throw a massive tantrum. last night i told her she couldn't wear her footed pj's to bed (why? because she'll wear them all the next day, outside & in, totally ruining the feet. it's just one huge fight all day long. enough!), so yea, she sorta sounded like an exorcism was going on. finally she calmed down enough to say that "my feeted jammies just make me feel snuggly" & that almost put me over the edge of parenting stances. you know, the big give in.

then light bulb! we have a few pair that are the full body suit, minus the feet. we totally got off on a technicality. she was overjoyed, we were exhausted. i think it took us both 45 minutes to relax after that tantrum. egads.

then today, she is the exact opposite: outside wearing a new favorite dress given to her from addy's bff, E. amelia is helping me water plants, walking around in her bare feet, giggling at all the water droplets hitting her & holding my hand. it was totally relaxing & awing.

how do kids go from such extremes?!

& now amelia no long wants to go to preschool. she went from dancing around about it, proclaiming her love for this new preschool to being petrified, saying school is so bowrrrrinnnnng. i'm racking my brain of ways to get her excited about this. because it will happen, damn it.

***

i'm reading (re-reading) rebecca walker's black, white, & jewish. next blog post topic: feminism & motherhood. rebecca walker = awesome.  alice walker = questionable humanness