Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers

It's one of those days
That kind of a day

Somehow 
you don't have too much homework
you don't have to drive people too many places
Somehow
you let yourself plan
sitting on the porch, listening to the rain, reading
(This is where you are 
allowed to laugh at me) 

It's one of those days
That kind of a day

Home from work
you find
2 kids making vegan chocolate eggs, cadbury style 
the counter is a chocolate-smelling disaster
so you pause 
and just smile

It's one of those days
That kind of day

Finnegan cries, he wants to go out
He sniffs for a minute but then he wants in
He's a lab mix who is scared of the rain
so he whines to go in
He whines 
to 
go
in

It's one of those days
That kind of day

Sitting on the porch, 
2 plates of vegan chocolate are served
You need to try each kind, so you can vote 
Which looks better?
Which tastes better?
Which chocolate ratio is best?
Which has the best texture?

It's one of those days
That kind of day

One child didn't want to make chocolate eggs
but chocolate chip muffins
and now the chocolate chips are gone
"I'm late" 
"I'm late to make muffins!" He says
and your heart breaks to hear that someone is
late
to 
make
muffins

It's one of those days
That kind of day

You remake chocolate chips
with leftover melted chocolate chips
spreading chocolate on the 
one small piece 
of parchment paper left
hoping it is 3/4 cup
and adding a chopped up vegan chocolate bunny 
to round it out

It's one of those days
That kind of a day

After the lame dinner
of pizza toast and salad
you are served another treat
the chocolate chip muffins are done! 
A+ muffins
Enough treats for days
Enough dishes for days too
(No sugar tomorrow!)

It's one of those days
That kind of a day

Your mini-baker adds the recipe
to the new family recipe book
and you watch him add 
notes 
highlights
and your heart melts more than that chocolate
to see his third-grade writing
that will one day maybe be read by his third-grade kid

It's one of those days
That kind of a day


 

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Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge!
I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

H wants to do something fun, before the weekend is over.

“Ice cream. . . Or, we could do the dollar store challenge!”

I look up from my work. “The dollar store challenge?” I ask him with my eyebrows up, and a sigh in my voice.

“You give us each $3.00. We buy our things and bring them home to see who can create the best art project.”

“Okay.” I agreed. “That’s what we’ll do. 3 things though. No more than 3.”

At the dollar store, I remember that I don’t really love the dollar store. Also, I’m not quite as creative as my 12 year old.

But, I find 3 things, and I have the start of an idea. A sticker flip book!

I remind Mr. Thought that he has to pick 3 things too, and soon we are checking out. I briefly wonder if the dollar store clerk thinks our purchases are odd. Sure, we have my stickers, notebook and plastic container. But there is also a plastic pot, some sort of tulle, fake flowers, a bag of soldiers, a lego flat, a pack of Pokémon cards, a mini kitchen set, a small football and some cartoon clips. Is this what people usually spend $12.00 on at the dollar store?

At home we get right to work. We need to finish in 5 minutes. I am struck by creative genius: My flip book will represent my weekend. I get right to work.

It really ends up quite the dramatic flip book. It shows how I start my weekends with such hope. I hope for chores to get done, children to listen, my work to move forward, maybe a book read and a movie watched… And then as Saturday morning turns into Saturday afternoon, I lose hope. My kids don’t want to do chores, I am running everyone every where instead of reading or working. By Sunday, I have gotten over my frustrations, given into the mess, and chilled out a bit.

I title my story: A Mommy’s Weekend, and slip it into the plastic container. I am finished with the first ever production from #InsideTheBox Films. I just know I’ll be the winner of this first ever Dollar Store Challenge. It’s genius! Everyone laughs as they flip the pages.

The boys and Mr. Thought are finished with their creations too, and it is time to vote.

We aren’t allowed to vote for our own, so I vote for Mr. Thought’s Gooseball.

Unfortunately for me, everyone besides Mr. Thought votes for Gooseball too.

I should have known the artist of the family would win. I believe in “failing up” though, so I’m going to take what I’ve learned from this competition and bring it to the next Dollar Store Challenge!

Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers March Slice a Day Challenge!
I’m slicing every day this month. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

There’s a moment of quiet right now. The boys are playing upstairs. It hasn’t turned to fighting. Yet. Mr. Thought is picking up L, and the dog is taking a late afternoon nap. I’ve already cleaned my office, vacuumed most of the house, and mostly kept up with the dishes.

There’s a moment of quiet right now. I am not so good at moments of quiet. If I don’t know how long the moment will last, how can I choose what to do in that time? Should I read? Write? Nap? Start dinner? Start cleaning the porch? If I get up and open the door to go to the porch, the dog will certainly get up from his nap. Same if I start dinner, or go upstairs to nap. That leaves reading and writing… but my book is upstairs.

There’s a moment of quiet right now. I should write. I have a slice, and a scholarship application, and work things to write. I can totally write because it’s quiet, and my desk is cleaned off, and my shelf is organized, and did I mention that the dog is napping and the boys are playing quietly?

There’s a moment of quiet right now. I should write. This is my time, my chance before the craziness of the evening, the night, bedtime. This is my opportunity before the boys start fighting and my daughter comes home, and everyone is hungry for dinner.

There’s a moment of quiet right now. I should totally write.

I’m not so good at moments of quiet.