First things first... mood music... click here ... should I have warned you it came from the those two years I went Country in the 90's, lol? ;)
ANYhoooo...
This post was inspired by the Blue Family Holiday Decorating Fest that took place up in the Blue hizzle this past weekend. Or maybe I should call the place Bloo-ville in honor of Who-ville since that tree is Ruh-EALLY crooked!... cue Welcome Christmas... or Dahooforay as I like to call it ...
Holiday decorating in our house is always interesting as we are a multi-religious cultural home. We have two Unitarian Christian Pagans, one devout United Methodist Christian who leans Pagan, two devout Christians at large, one who is Baptized in Christianity but would rather focus on the cookies he gets in the nursery, and six adopted Messianic Jews. This was also further complicated when The O.C. introduced us to the concept of Chrismukkuh.... click here to inform yourself all about the joys of Chrismukkah ... Now, if that doesn't make ecumenical holiday fun look appealing, I don't know what does... did you catch the "yarmulklaus" there at the end? ;) (Yes, I do have one. And you know you kinda want one too.) So I'm not going mire you down in the details except to say, holiday decorating is a B-I-G deal here.
But in the middle of the whole thing, Kat, who was putting away some of the baby things B3 has outgrown, brought me an ancient envelope of photos circa 1999 she stumbled across in the closet. I have to tell you, Young Lovers, I wept.
"Well of course you did, Raley," I hear you saying, "Sonny and Kat were such beautiful little babies..."
And indeed they were, but these pics weren't pics of the kids, they were actually of the house. (With the exception of one with Sonny crouching defiantly in the corner behind the Christmas tree wearing my giant straw sun bonnet, but he'd rather we not discuss that one...) We'd been living here for about a year and I'd finally gotten all the painting and decorating done and had taken Christmas pics of the house to send out in the holiday cards. There were hand sewn curtains with matching sofa covers that coordinated with silk flower arrangements in intriguing vases and bowls that doubled as
objet's d'art. Each wall was painted in a pastel candy tone that created an overarching theme throughout the entire house. Collections of knickknacks and tchotkes galore... I feel that Julie Andrews song from Sound of Music coming on...
But there was more. The house was sooooooooooooo clean. Neat. Orderly. Organized even. (gasp! ikr!) No pots and pans falling out of cupboards. No laundry overflowing baskets. I was transported back to a time when I was whole in body, indomitable in spirit, and bounced like Tigger. What I was most in awe of were all the pics of the rooms where Kat and Sonny lived and played. The toys were organized on shelves and in centers that would put even the most top notch Day Care to shame.
I was simply astonished.
How could this be MY house?????? What happened???????? Where did that mom go?????????? (my official story, alien invasion, and I'm stickin' to it. ;)....)
Finally, I realized why the MomTwins (my mother and mother-in-law) look so appalled every time they come over and survey the damage that is my lovely abode. Once upon a time, I really did seem to have it all together.
At first the tears were anguished and full of lament. I began reliving history moment by moment again...
*RaleyBlueNote: WARNING: the following paragraph is a lot of boohoo, that, unless you're really invested in knowing all the gory details, you can skip. I don't necessarily want you to skip, but it is a lot of stuff...
... as I suffered a freak spinal accident about 2 years later and couldn't bend over to pick up small items or reach up to dust. Peng was born and we got lost in the trenches of strange, seemingly unheard of special needs called Sensory Processing Disorders... and then someone uttered the big "A"... autism. Another year, and a fluke disease struck, rendering me so weak, that for six months, I couldn't do any more than lie in bed or on the couch playing with my babies in front of the T.V. and cooking consisted of frozen pizza and a can of mandarin oranges most nights. The kids learned how to pour their own cereal, mix simple stuff, and nuke. Three years after that, while mostly recovered, I still had large mobility deficits, and required surgery that all but grounded operations at Chez Bleu. Third grader, Sonny, learned to cook. And over the next three years would teach his sisters the art as I would recover just enough to recklessly shred my shoulder in a fit of new found joie de vivre, surfing in waves that even a non pro should had known to stay away from. This shoulder would have to be operated on twice over the span of the next two years, each time with a six month recovery, that began with two months of keeping it absolutely immobile. Ever try to mop or stir the soup with only one arm? Never mind hug a kid!
But I didn't let those pictures get me down for long. Because everything changes. The truth is, change is the only constant thing in life. My kids have grown into independent young people who have basic household skills. Sure, they do it their way and it's a heap most of the time around here, but they are an amazing help and know the value of hard work. Another amazing thing to come out of all those changes, I learned to stop sweating the small stuff. I grew a personality and realized life doesn't last forever. I started writing and really being present in the lives of my kids. This means I fall in bed exhausted most nights with a to-do list a mile long and unfinished. But so what? The important things got done. *cue the happy tears!!*
I have to laugh now as I look back on Sonny crouching in the Amish bonnet behind the perfect hand cut Christmas tree because he now not only knows how to cut one for himself, but also how to assemble our more eco-friendly, and awesomely purple artificial tree. And he ties it to the curtain rod so holiday cheer filled kitties don't knock it down! Holidays are much more fun with kids who are excited about traditions and add their own special flavor. This year, Kat and Peng were inspired by those old pictures to sort through B3's toys and set up little centers around the holiday decorations, allowing him to view them while being busy with developmentally appropriate activities that don't include eating Christmas ornaments or Hannukah candles. (Win.)
And speaking of our little prince, he just crawled up into my lap, saying, "Quit doing blog. Go back Youtube! Girswannafun!"
I'm cool with that. ;)
Happy Holidays, as you are so inclined, Young Lovers!
<3 From Me 2 U, Love, Raley Blue <3
