Move Your Car, Now! (Please?)

Scenario A- We live on an incredibly skinny street. It's illegal, in our town, to park on the street unless you notify the police department in advance of any social gathering you're throwing. Then, it's kosher. With that said, I like my neighbors. The neighbors across from us have a long driveway. Their walkway to the front door is located at the front of their house so they park at the end of their driveway to save the effort it would take to walk the extra nine steps to the front door had they parked near their garage. I hope you're getting the picture in your head. Now, because they park at the end of their driveway, when they have company, there is no where in their driveway to park, hence, they park directly behind their driveway, which, coincidentally, is right behind our driveway. In conclusion, because they have company on a daily basis, I rarely can get out of my driveway without backing my car up slowly and carefully, as if I'm playing a real-life game of operation and I have to have a steady hand to maneuver the funny bone (my car) out of its claustrophobic home slot (my driveway). With all of that said, again, I like my neighbors.

Scenario B- I worked until 2:30am last night, and Digby, my five-month-old, was up 3 times looking to eat with the bonus prize of completely waking at 6am. I rolled with the punches and decided I would attempt to start my day. My two year old woke up in an incredibly awful mood because he's had cold for about a month that just refuses to quit. Kylan threw a tantrum about wanting a lollipop for a good 1/2 hour directly upon waking. I stayed calm. I ignored him, made him pancakes and all was forgotten. Next, we went shopping and Ky single-handedly destroyed the department store and threw a tantrum for refusing to take his shoes off at the mall play area. I removed him from the play area, with Digby getting fussier every second. Then I realize why Digby was fussy when I smell the all too familiar aroma of his poo. Brad changes Digby, Kylan continues to scream because he wants to go back to the play area, and then Brad hands me the dirty diaper- because apparently this is my job- to dispose of the dirty diaper. We buy what ever it is we bought, oh yeah, curtains, and they were on sale, but in the midst of the mayhem, I buy the wrong size panels. The panels are nonreturnable because they were on sale. We get home and Brad wants to leave to buy a hook to hang up the flower basket that fell down yesterday that was apparently my fault because I installed the first flower basket hook. I want to put the curtains up. I ask him to stay and help with Digby (Ky fell asleep). Brad's idea of help is to let Digby scream his head off while he eats a bowl of Wheaties while watching the Steelers on TV extra, EXTRA, loud in hopes to drown out the scream of our son. Brad then realizes the curtains are the wrong size and asks me why I didn't make sure the length was correct. Then, Kylan wakes up from Digby screaming and the extra loud volume of the t.v. and throws ANOTHER tantrum about wanting an Elmo sticker. I tell Brad I'm leaving with Digby, on the verge of breakdown.

As I go to leave, I finally confront the neighbors aforementioned in scenario A- BECAUSE I CAN'T GET OUT OF MY FRIGGIN' DRIVEWAY.

I do, however, still like my neighbors, but fear they no longer like me.

But at least I'll be able to back out of my driveway. Anyone need curtains?

Not "Soul-ed" On My Soul Mate

In 2004, I met the man that would become my husband. I wouldn't call him my soul mate or my dream man now, but by some twist of fate, we ended up together. We bicker over who's right and who's wrong. We ignore the other when one of us is absorbed by some shallow t.v. show, like American Idol or Celebrity Fit Club. Sometimes, we are the couple that you stare at wondering, "Wow, do they even like each other?"

And, yes, we do. We love each other. We've had a rocky road to genuinely respecting each other, but we're finally getting it, and respecting each other is SO very important. I'd have to say 9 out of 10 fights are about respect, whether it's the tone in which we speak to each other or a general nasty comment aimed to injure the other's ego, like, "Are you ever going to throw that shirt out?," when, of course, no, I will never throw away my favorite shirt. I'm not sure what the 10th fight is usually about. Probably household chores?

As far as the who is right/wrong argument, I'm learning that it doesn't matter. I think I now get more gratification out of Brad discovering he's been wrong on his own rather than telling him he's wrong. So, scratch that, I guess it still kinda matters, or else I wouldn't be so smug about it. I'm working on it shouldn't matter who's right- as long as I'm not the one who's wrong. Is that so wrong?

The t.v. thing is an issue we both share. I cherish my t.v. time because I so rarely watch anything other than Go, Diego, Go, and Wow, Wow, Wubzy. My husband likes to bring up important issues to discuss, like how little we have left in our checking account, and that we may end up overdrawn by $400 this month, while I like hold him accountable to remember significant details about how annoying my mother is while he's in the middle of the intervention part of Intervention. Like I said, we both need to work on a better time to concentrate on one another because we both end up irritated.

Now, just because he's not my soul mate doesn't mean he's not the one for me. I'm just not sold on the whole soul mate idea. I've met men that could fall into that category, however, but heck, we never had any responsibilities to complicate the relationship. It was all so easy! No joint bank account, no arguments over when our son should be disciplined, no overdue or over limit fees to complain about- I could go on and on about how having children and being married is an everyday challenge. And that's just what it is. A CHALLENGE. It's not a struggle, or a constant state of disaster. I've realize that marriage is work, and once you accept the challenge of making it work, you can get through anything.

I will tell the couples out there that have yet to spawn offspring that having children will change your relationship with your spouse permanently. You have to work to make it work! Ultimately, that work translates into respecting each other. The more you respect each other, the easier it becomes to love each other, even when one of you parks the car all sorts of crooked in the driveway so that it makes it impossible for the other to get into the driveway with your car crammed with groceries so that you now have to lug eight bags which include milk, a case of water, and two cases of diapers up the driveway into the house :)

Moms Itching to Get Rid of Their Children

The day my son, Kylan, was born was the best day of my life. I was instinctively protective, and the thought of even letting anyone else hold him was uncomfortable for me. Although the doctors told me to get some sleep when the baby slept, I would just stare at him while he had his eyes closed, just wanting to admire the miracle that my husband and I created.

I still cannot get enough of my sons. I teach fitness classes, and during the times that I teach, I leave my boys in the day care facility of the gym. I have that hour to myself while I'm teaching, but I always feel a pull toward my sons immediately following class- like I can't get back to them quick enough.

Although being a parent isn't always sunshine and smiles, I'd imagine most moms naturally miss their children while they're separated from them. Unfortunately, I'd imagine WRONG. In fact, there are actually moms out their that itch to drop their children off at day care or to let someone else take care of their babies.

It would kill me to know that my boys would rather stay with Brenda the daycare lady then to come home with their own flesh and blood. Every second that I'm separated from my boys, whether I'm working or just quickly doing an errand, I'm instinctively hurrying to get back to supervise and take care of my own children. I understand that everyone can't stay home with their kids, but the moms I know that work daily still count the minutes to when their children are back in their care. Then there are the moms that I don't know and don't CARE to know.

These are the moms that can just hand their children over to anyone. They are the moms that stay out all night long, sometimes for days. They are mothers who are annoyed by their children, who loathe to have to dress them and feed them. They are the moms that put having drinks at a local dive bar until 2am is of greater importance than reading Click, Clack, Moo before their little ones drift off to sleep. They are the mothers that leave their children home alone while they do their own thing. These moms feel that they are letting the excitement of their own unfulfilled lives outweigh the importance of paying attention and LOVING their children. And these children suffer from this neglect for years and years.

Recently there was an article in the paper about a woman who dropped her four-month-old off on a doorstep. When the police tracked her down and asked her why she left her son on the porch of a stranger's house, she replied, "Because I didn't want him anymore." I hope that little boy never has to be around that woman again for the rest of his life, because he deserves a mom to love every inch of him, for every second of every day, because that's what every child deserves. Unfortunately, a baby has no say in who becomes his or her mother.