7:18 AM, bright, clear, Monday morning, moved time forward yesterday so it’s really 6:19AM. Does it mean Jack and Fiona will sleep later this morning? Yesterday I didn’t let them take a nap so I could get them to bed early. It rained all day long, we watched the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Jack and Fiona actually sat and watched the whole movie. It’s the only movies they’ve ever watched start to finish. It was one of our favorite movies when we were kids, it was one of the movies that was on T.V. on the holidays. Same for Alan growing up in Ireland, he said they broadcast Willy Wonka every Christmas. Many cautionary tales in that movie, Veruca Salt! For the rest of the day I was hyper aware of any lean towards the babies being spoiled. We had dinner guests on Saturday night, they brought fancy cookies in a white paper box. Last night at dinner Jack asked for a cookie. I brought out the animal cookies and he started crying and said “No, that cookie” he pointed to the white box in the trash can. “Those cookies are all gone” I tell him. “NOOO” he cries. I just start laughing. I’m laughing because he can really tell the difference between every day cookies- low sugar, and the good stuff! I’m also laughing because of his reaction, how it was such bad news! It’s so funny. Or when he asks to watch The Wiggles DVD and I tell him it’s in the car. “Nooo” he cries and falls to the floor. But it’s probably one of the most important lessons we have to learn, we can’t always get what we want. Which is a harder lesson to teach in our society, how it is now, how here, in the Bay Area at least, everything really is accessible. I’m not going to generalize and say everywhere in the industrialized world, but I think lots of Europe and the rest of America have a lot to offer a two-year-old child. It’s pretty unbelievable, just the amount of food we have access to. Healthy food, fresh food, enough food to waste food. That’s the crazy part. On Saturday I took the babies and my husband and my dog on an adventure walk to the coffee shop and the grocery store. I thought the rain was stopping, but it didn’t let up, it was windy too. The trip is only two and a half miles there and back. The babies walked about half a mile, then wanted to be in the stroller. My husband kept saying “we can go home and I’ll come back for the groceries in my car”. “No, we are already here.” I say. I load up my back pack with the heavy stuff, the milk, jars of horseradish, and potatoes. I put all the produce and meat under the stroller. Jack is so tired he falls asleep in the stroller. I think to myself what if we walk to the store every time we need food? Would that teach the babies a valuable lesson? That things don’t just appear magically.
It’s so quiet right now. And bright. An unfamiliar combination. I can’t believe winters over. I feel like it was just the other night, when it first got dark so early and Jack was scared. I had to start using a night light in their room. I hope I can work in my studio today. Last week was difficult because of no naps. Hopefully Jack and Fiona will want to rest up this week. I know what’s coming next is the potty training. They are becoming hyper aware of this bodily function. Yesterday Jack kept saying, “Billy poop” It was so funny. The things we take for granted.
Dirty Laundry Blog by Jennifer Hynes 