football = love

I grew up in a catholic house. The other religion under our roof was the Minnesota Vikings. We went to mass every Sunday, out to lunch then settled in for football. If the Vikings played the early game we skipped the restaurant so we could be home for kick-off. There were plenty of times when I wasn't interested in watching football but if I pestered my parents or brothers during the game, my mom told me to give our dog a bath. I quickly learned to watch the game or play alone elsewhere.

My parents (and sometimes the kids) went to Minneapolis to see a Vikings game once a year. On those times when my parents escaped went alone, they would bring each of us a gift. The souvenirs that stand out in my memory are the caps. My parents saw the Vikings play the Packers...BIG rivals. They brought my brother a Vikings cap and gave me a Packers cap.
I cried myself to sleep that night.

Of all the things my parents could have done to me, this is what made me realize they didn't love me. IF they loved me, I would have received a Vikings cap, too, right? After all, my parents never cheered for the Packers...they cheered AGAINST them and now I was supposed to wear this cap in public? Seriously?

I pretended to lose the cap but my mom always found it for me. I would leave the house with it on my head then quickly take it off. I didn't even know any kids at school who cheered for the Packers...how could I be seen in that cap?

After a time I used the memory of receiving the cap to my advantage. When my brother picked on me I needed to shed a tear quickly and get sympathy from my mom, I found my motivation in that Green Bay cap and remembered that I wasn't loved or wanted in the family--the tears came instantly. It always worked.

Years after college I told my parents how I learned I was unloved. They laughed and laughed and I explained further how my heart was broken as a child over a green/gold cap with the pom pom on top and they chuckled some more. Sigh... (Edited to add: I should have mentioned that my mom had no recollection of giving me a Packers cap and figured she probably bought different caps for us because my brother was a serious Vikings fan and I didn't care that much about football so it wouldn't matter what team I had. And she didn't think as siblings we would want the same cap! Go figure...)

So while I'm still a Vikings fan, this Sunday I'll be cheering for the Pack...cap or no cap.

cap & gown in another town

I went to my nephew's high school graduation this weekend. It meant a solo flight (hello reading time!), a short getaway (less than 48 hours) and lots of fun. I hadn't seen my nephew Jackson in more than a year and when I arrived at the house his big hug nearly lifted me off the ground...best welcome I've had anywhere in a very long time!


Friday night my brother and I went to his cabin on a nearby lake. (The graduate had plans with friends...no surprise...and my sister-in-law's son was arriving that night.) I hadn't seen the cabin before. It was great...a bit of time to chat about all kinds of things and generally get caught up while going on a boat ride and later grilling steaks.


Back at the house, I slept in my nephew's old room...with his pet snake much too close for comfort (eewwwww). The snake is named for Sid Vicious. 'Nuff said (says the woman who named a puppy after Sid Vicious many, many years ago). I only woke up three times to make sure Sid was still safe and sound on the other side of the glass from me.


I'm such a sucker for graduations...I would cry if I didn't know anyone getting a diploma and turning his/her tassel. After a nice dinner out with the family, Jack announced he was meeting up with friends. I quickly said, "that sounds like fun, I'll join you!" The look on his face that his aunt would even think of going out with him on graduation night was worth the whole trip! He was SO relieved when he found out I was kidding but for a moment I could see him using those smarts that earned him the diploma to come up with a kind, respectable reason why I should stay home with the rest of the old timers.

Dear Someone

Dear Bug,

Just a gentle reminder that when it’s dark outside you have to put on your sleepy head (thank you Pajanimals). Being awake from 3-6am isn’t a good idea for you or mommy and daddy.

I do appreciate that you still said “please” while begging asking to come and sleep in our bed or to have me lie down in your bed but I would prefer if you must talk nonstop during the night that you do it in your sleep.

Love,
Sleepy mommy

Dear Mom,

I know the world is confusing right now. I’m sorry it’s such a tough time. We expected the move would take some adjustment but I’m glad that you’re comfortable in the new nursing home. I also think it's sweet that you call it the hotel and the dining room is the country club. We’ll see you next week…to quote Bug, “we can’t wait!”

Love,
Mary Ann

Dear Bug,

Really, you peed on your books? AARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH…

Signed,
A book loving mommy

Dear R,

You're terrific! When I asked if you could watch Bug for a few hours while we're in SD, I can't tell you how sweet it was that you gave me your available times for EVERY DAY of our visit. We won't be asking you to watch him much but thank you for being so agreeable...you're a good nephew!

Love,
Mooie

Visit Amanda for more.

a party, the zoo and labor day

We attended a birthday party yesterday for one of Bug's friends. Bug's still young enough that he's only been to a couple of parties for his pals. The party was fun and Bug had a great time in the moonbounce, loved the Spiderman pinata (thanks K for having more toys/crafts than candy as the loot) but was a bit too shy to play 'tape the spiderweb on Spiderman.'

Like previous parties I packed food that I knew would be safe for Bug to eat. He typically can't eat cake (egg allergy) and we have to check packaging for the ingredients as well in case the facility uses eggs and/or nuts. A big hug and thank you to K who saved the mac & cheese box for me so I could check the label before dinner was served! Really, so considerate. She knows Bug can have Kraft m&c but she had a different brand and wanted to be safe. It's always so nice when we're out and Bug can eat the same food as other kids.

Added fun: three kids at the party were all adopted through the same agency so we snapped a photo of them. We're convinced the agency should use it as a poster...big smiles on all their faces (including the parents--off camera, of course).

We visited zoo today. At first it seemed most of the animals were traveling for the long holiday weekend. The most lively animals of the day--the prairie dogs. Finally, we saw a lazy lion (I was hoping he would let out a loud roar but no such luck), a sleeping tiger, a swimming elephant (that was pretty cute), a shy hippo and a panda eating his (her?) lunch. When the elephant walked out of his little pool, Bug was concerned that the elephant didn't have a towel. I'm sure he was eager to see how big that towel would be.

With one of my brothers--I have three older brothers--my mom was in labor for 36 hours and he was born on Labor Day. Seems fitting. We've all said it was the only time he ever gave my mom any trouble. (Brag time: When she was pregnant with me, Mom's friend called at 9pm to say, "are you going to have that baby girl on my birthday?" My mom said no but then to her surprise I was born at 10:30pm that night. I've always thought for that alone I'm her favorite...)