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Friday
Mar132009
Eleven: One more than ten
March 13, 2009
Let's just jump in, shall we?
1. I stopped my oldest son today, (oldest is a deceptive word; I shall endeavor to remember that he still is only six) because he was obviously trying to hide something from me as he went into the bathroom. When he reluctantly opened his hand to show me what was inside, there was a kidney bean nestled on his palm. (!) Later I found the little family of peas that he was bringing the kidney bean to join, on the bathroom floor, in a bowl, floating in water, surrounded by peas and salt.
(He's trying to make things grow. A little futile with the peas, since they were roasted masala peas. He may have fared better with the bean.)
When things like this happen, I:
a) Remember that he is a blossoming scientist and that I only need to encourage him to wait for a cue to begin the experiments involving beans and water and peas all over the bathroom floor.
b) Find it hysterical when I demand to see what is in his hand and see something as meek as a solitary pink kidney bean. So harmless! So beanlike!
c) Wonder how on earth I landed the job of mother. I'm still twelve.
2. Whew! Points within points! I cut my sister's hair tonight and it gave me creative joy like ice sculpting would if I had ever actually tried it. (I haven't.)
3. There are two things that I am not permitted to do, now that I am married to my Superstar Husband, who never puts his foot down about anything. They are:
a) Cut myself a mullet. (I don't want a big one, just a little tiny short-hair space at the front of my head.)
b) Wear leggings.
Tattoos, ear-stretching, body-building, tap-dancing. All would be fine. No mullets and no leggings, no negotiating. I can handle that.
4. My neighbor gave me a bag of cashew fruit. I have NO idea what to do with it. It appears to be inedible, while still being the juiciest fruit ever (in Reneé's words). I'm also quite flabbergasted to see that each piece of fruit, while being the size of a small green pepper, contains ONE cashew nut. HOW DO THEY GET SO MANY CASHEWS ALL THE TIME? Seriously, the world seems to be full of cashew trees.
5. Leafy walked over to me while I was working on an email today, holding a plate with three cups balancing on it.
"I got you some water-milk!" he said, handing me one of the cups that was precariously sliding around on his "tray".
I looked into the cup. It appeared to be water with a few drops of milk inside. "Wow," I said. "Thanks so much!" And then I took a sip.
1. I stopped my oldest son today, (oldest is a deceptive word; I shall endeavor to remember that he still is only six) because he was obviously trying to hide something from me as he went into the bathroom. When he reluctantly opened his hand to show me what was inside, there was a kidney bean nestled on his palm. (!) Later I found the little family of peas that he was bringing the kidney bean to join, on the bathroom floor, in a bowl, floating in water, surrounded by peas and salt.
(He's trying to make things grow. A little futile with the peas, since they were roasted masala peas. He may have fared better with the bean.)
When things like this happen, I:
a) Remember that he is a blossoming scientist and that I only need to encourage him to wait for a cue to begin the experiments involving beans and water and peas all over the bathroom floor.
b) Find it hysterical when I demand to see what is in his hand and see something as meek as a solitary pink kidney bean. So harmless! So beanlike!
c) Wonder how on earth I landed the job of mother. I'm still twelve.
2. Whew! Points within points! I cut my sister's hair tonight and it gave me creative joy like ice sculpting would if I had ever actually tried it. (I haven't.)
3. There are two things that I am not permitted to do, now that I am married to my Superstar Husband, who never puts his foot down about anything. They are:
a) Cut myself a mullet. (I don't want a big one, just a little tiny short-hair space at the front of my head.)
b) Wear leggings.
Tattoos, ear-stretching, body-building, tap-dancing. All would be fine. No mullets and no leggings, no negotiating. I can handle that.
4. My neighbor gave me a bag of cashew fruit. I have NO idea what to do with it. It appears to be inedible, while still being the juiciest fruit ever (in Reneé's words). I'm also quite flabbergasted to see that each piece of fruit, while being the size of a small green pepper, contains ONE cashew nut. HOW DO THEY GET SO MANY CASHEWS ALL THE TIME? Seriously, the world seems to be full of cashew trees.
5. Leafy walked over to me while I was working on an email today, holding a plate with three cups balancing on it.
"I got you some water-milk!" he said, handing me one of the cups that was precariously sliding around on his "tray".
I looked into the cup. It appeared to be water with a few drops of milk inside. "Wow," I said. "Thanks so much!" And then I took a sip.
Reader Comments (9)
I have had to deal with things like what Kid A did with my own children. In the Bible all things point to a person's heart. With God, it always comes down to heart issues. In this case it was harmless and nothing to you, just a child thing. No one would care that he was putting beans in water. However in his heart, he didn't think it was okay. He was being sneaky. His reluctance to show you what was in his hand showed his heart. He thought he was doing something wrong. If he had felt it was okay he wouldn't have needed to hide it from you. It's important for lessons to come up like this in order to teach our children. He is indeed growing up. God is getting you both ready for the years to come. I pray all goes well as you both grow in the Lord.
Leafy was so sweet to serve you refreshments. How dear that he has the heart of a servant. God is definitely working in the hearts of your kids.
I so enjoy reading your posts. You have such a sweet heart and love for God.
God Bless You and Your Family,
Talsweet (Mom of 5)
It's true that Kid A was trying to hide the bean from me, and these are some new developments, like you said, Talsweet. We've been working on truthfulness every day, and the reason he was hiding was because I had already told him that I want him to wait for me before doing any more bean experiments.
As much as we are working on not being deceptive and sneaky, (and we do work on it- he has consequences for doing something that I told him not to do, more if he tries to hide it) it does help to step back a bit and realize that he is a boy with a wild experimental urge and his mind is moving faster than I can at times. When he's getting himself into trouble this way, it's time to pull out a project or something :)
Isn't a "short hair space in front of your head" considered to be bangs rather than a mullet? I'm confused, and hairstyle is very important so I need clarification here!!
Now. Leggings. Even if you wear them under a funky skirt?
Did you give your sister a mullet?
Is there anything the Superstar Husband is not permitted to do to his hair or clothes?
All righty...I shall stop asking questions now. But you hardly ever mention clothes and hair......so I'm taking advantage of this post.
All right...ONE more question...and that'll be it....Where do you get your colourful cotton trousers and tops?
Ok, I'm stopping now.
You have no idea how much self control I am exercising right now so as not to write a silly limerick using the words mullet and leggings.
Eleanor, the short hair space I'm thinking of would be about three inches wide and VERY short, like 3/4 inch long or something. Keeping the rest of my hair the same. It's just something that I've been thinking of, not so so seriously, so if Chin is anti- well I'll just be happy that he likes my hair like it is.
Leggings- not even under a funky skirt. It's hot enough here that I don't mind too much, but if we get into cold weather I might start thinking legging thoughts again, in which case maybe I'll just buy some? And win him over with my stylish good looks.
I gave my sister the opposite of a mullet, short in back, long in front. She already had it that way, but she wanted it to be shaped differently.
My Superstar Husband has good taste. I'm trying to think of something that I wouldn't want him to do that he would actually do. But he's generally more opinionated than I am. He has worn white socks with Keen sandals in the past and I've refrained from saying anything. Of course he wouldn't actually tell me that I shouldn't wear anything, but since he's so cool about all my quirkiness, I will humor him (if I can't win him over). he's happy with his no makeup wearing (most of the time) non shaving, patchouli wearing hippie wife, so I'm happy without my semi-mullet. Sigh.
Last question: here. It is the colorful cotton trouser and top heaven.
Eleanor, you've drawn the longest comment in my own comment box out of me ever. You must have a gift ... not only for limericks ;)
I like leggings, under skirts and where did Leafy get his water. I remember the last cup he served me!!!!! I suppose though that in India it is different. Water only comes from the tap and not from resevoirs sitting still.
Delurking to say that you can eat cashew fruit (just avoid the end nearest the nut). You can also preserve it as jam, juice it and drink the juice or ferment it for cashew wine, or use it to flavor water agua fresca style. These fruit are too delicate to be exported, so I hope you grow to enjoy them while you're there. I kind of miss them, but what I miss most about India are mangos. You should be hitting mango season soon, and I envy you that!
Leggings like tights or leggings like leg warmers?
Well I never knew about cashew fruit. Seriously. I eat cashews, but never really knew where they come from. Pineapples- have you every SEEN how they are grown? Looks like a practical joke to me. Like that news story from years ago about spaghetti trees in Italy....