Tuesday, August 21, 2012

How waitressing prepared me for motherhood.


 As I was driving home from Gwin's doctors appointment yesterday, I was thinking about just how many things I try to accomplish at one time.  And being the overcritical of myself mother that I am, thinking that maybe I just needed to do one thing at a time.  Maybe that would enable me to spend more time listening to my children instead of listening to a few words, deciding its not important and then pretending to listen to the rest of the story about what so-in-so did at school yesterday, while do the dishes and cook dinner and think about what is still left on my plate for the rest of the day (get what I did there, you know you did, but kinda wished you didn't 'cause it was that lame).  Well that flashed me back to a time when I didn't know how to multi task.  It was tough.
    Instead of doing a story, here are some things I learned from waitressing that I use in my every day life as a mother.

-  How to fill up endless cups of milk.  Sure it used to be soda and beer, but still, I am always filling up cups.

-  "  This doesn't taste good, I don't want to eat this"  I am pretty sure I have heard this statement from both my children and customers.

- The fine art of popping a cold meal in the microwave.  Yes people, thats what I did when you complained about your food being cold.

- How to make someone feel comfortable.

- How to make a good desert.

- How to tell someone no without making them feel like they have just been told no.  "  That is not currently an option."  or " We no longer have that on the menu"

-  How to stand really really close to someone without feeling uncomfortable.

-  How to sneak off to the bathroom without anyone noticing.

-  And most importantly, how to work on only tips and smiles. 


Thursday, August 2, 2012

Farmlympics turned Kidlympics

  First of all, I would like to give a big shout out to my parents who were so awesome to take my kids for almost a whole week this summer!  It was some much needed relaxation.  I tried to sleep as much as humanly possible, but it turns out, I am not nearly as tired when I am not chasing 3 kids around.  So mostly I watched Netflix and broke a bathroom sink trying to 'fix' it.  
  As children of military members, kids who moved every few years, our families have been and will always be very close to us.  And also because of this, we never lived near any of my grandparents.  We would get to see them a few times a year at best.  Luckily, we live only 3 1/2 hours from my parents, 2 1/2 from RJ's.  This means we get to see everyone about once a month.  But summers are very special, and now that the kids are getting older and we will have two in elementary school, it is getting harder for us to take those weekend trips.  Which makes summer time the best time to spend with grandparents.  So after the kids got their week with Grandma and Grandpa, we planned to spend some time with Grammy and Grandad.  
  I had great plans!   Our trip was only 1 week before the olympics and in order to get the kids pumped I created the FARMLYPICS.  We were going to speak in British accents.  I had brought water balloons for a water balloon archery event, a frisbee for the discus, etc.  We were pumped.  And then on day 1 1/2 Gwin came down with a fever and we had to leave.  Sooo... when it came to the summer sleepover I had promised the kids but had not delivered on, I seized the opportunity and went all Olympics on it.   






Lets recap: 



Opening Ceremonies.
3 fairies, 1 princess, and a baby dragon show. 


Balloon volleyball with a blanket net


Archery.  Shoot the balloon off the boot with a hairband


Rhythmic Gymnastics.  Enough Said. 


Self Portraits? 


International cooperation taco dinner


Olympic Ring cookies.  

Oh no, is that my teacher showing?