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My mom visited all last week and it was great. I enjoyed talking with her and I felt like it was a wonderful opportunity for my children to get to know her better. Duncan, particularly, was like a purring kitten after a little extra grandma attention time.
The only problem with having my mom visit is that it reminds me of what a poor housekeeper I am (Despite some at times half-hearted, at times a lot more than half-hearted, efforts to be otherwise!). Somehow the neat and tidy gene that both my parents seem to have has skipped me. I inherited their desire for neat and tidy but not the make-it-happen part.
Anyway, one of the truly helpful things she did while she was here was to organize our games closet which had fallen into a state of entropy so complete that some of us doubted it could ever be restored. Et voila!
The Pfamily Game Closet: What a difference a grandma makes!
I was so inspired by the transformation that on Monday I tackled my own clothing closet and completely cleaned it out. Take that, entropy!
***
This post is about entropy and grandma appreciation. Come back tomorrow for a discussion of which games are good/fun and why. I’d love to hear what’s in your games closet!
Amelia’s regional bee was Saturday morning. It was one of the largest spelling bees I’ve ever seen.
I am thankful that my sister was willing to come and help with Amelia’s Kool Klay project. (BTW: Koolaid does color playdough pleasingly, but the scent is not as strong as would be desirable). Her help made all the difference. It is funny to see how amazing Amelia thinks Sis is. I guess that’s related to the fact that she got all the talents I lack. Of course, as she explained to Amelia, she can sew because she took lessons. She can do origami because she works at it. She kneads well, because she has made hundreds of loaves of bread, etc. I know that I need to adopt more of a “You have the talent for it because you practice it mentality,” but I’m just not there yet. Notice that I heft 18 lb. Kate around all day. Yet, Sis, who does nothing of the sort, has unquestionably stronger arms. Practice doesn’t fix everything!
I am thankful that I am not the only person with “issues.” : ) I find it comforting to realize that my family of origin family members struggle with many of the same flaws that I do. It is comforting, because I realize that it is not just me, eccentric and alone, but somehow some of these things are just hardwired in. Now this isn’t to say that I have reason not to attempt change. Change would make me a calmer, happier person. So, I want change. But it is to realize that just as some are born as alcoholics, others are born as meddling OC control freaks (well, born, or maybe raised that way so that when they are 35, they struggle to see other ways). If I work, I can recover. ButI still I like knowing that it’s not just some weird evil awful eccentricity about me. I come by it quite naturally. Also, I find it helpful to spend time with similarly struggling family members, because it’s as though they hold up a mirror to myself and I can see better what it is I need to fix.
I hope all of this makes sense. I’m not trying to disparage family members, I’m trying to say that they make me feel that I’m not alone, and help me recognize how I still need to change.
I want to say more about how I’m thankful for Pdad and I’m thankful for being able to reason through things–we’ve been going over the voucher issue for hours–as things stand, our votes will cancel. It’s frustrating, but it’s nice too. It’s seldom the case that you get to follow out such an extended argument. I’ve enjoyed it. But I do wish I could sway him. I don’t like people I love believing things I think are wrong! I still don’t believe we’ve gotten down to the agree-to-disagree bottom of it. I still have more reasons, not just some inexplicable preference for my position.
Well, Kate is stirring, and it’s 3 a.m., so I have to go.
I am thankful for my parents. They love me and act happy to see me! Of course, they are also happy when I start acting like I am going to leave (with my three noisy kids). : )
I am thankful that they taught me to be interested in political issues and to be an active citizen.