Separation Anxiety

Sharing a silly moment

The Girl Child is leaving for camp tomorrow.

A week long sleep away camp.

Her first time sleeping away without a family member.

And it will be the longest I have ever gone without seeing her.

Ironically, she is the one who is doing fine.  Granted, she is a little nervous.  After all, she isn’t even 9 yet.  But, she is excited about all of the fun things she will get to do (it’s a performing arts camp – so, she will be in her element).  Just as long as she gets to bring her beloved Kitty Kat, life will be fine.

I, on the other hand, am trying to stay calm.  I am going to miss my Littlest Monkey.  My little doppelgänger.  My little blonde bundle of unbounded energy.  I am going to miss the way she will come up to interrupt me from what ever it is I am doing, and when I send her away – she says, “I just wanted a hug.”  I am going to miss her high-pitched little “Yes, Mommy!” when I ask her to help me make lunch.  I am going to miss how she snuggles up next to me.

Oh, sure, I am NOT going to miss her bossiness.  Nor will I miss her screaming and stomping and slamming whenever I have had the NERVE to ask her to do something she doesn’t want to do.

But, I do know I will spend nearly six days – 140 hours – 8,400 minutes – 504,000 seconds – wondering what she is doing.  If she is homesick.  If she is ok.

I know she will be.

She’s just like that.

The Cleaning Bug

As I have stated before – numerous times – I really hate cleaning my house.  I understand that it is a task that must eventually be done, because who wants to continue to live in filth?  Or in my case, clutter.  Lots and lots of clutter.   Not quite needing a Hoarders intervention, but still.  I am not the most organized person in the world.  I blame it on my ADHD.  I start organizing and I see something else to be done and I start on that and OOOOOO look! a book I haven’t seen in a while and OH!  before I put that up I need to clean out that cabinet and… SQUIRREL!  I am like a crow.  Easily distracted by bright-shiny objects.  Who am I kidding?  They don’t even have to be all that bright and shiny.  Dark and dull will do the trick equally as well.  In my mind, there is ALWAYS something more important to do.  ANYTHING!

Eventually, the clutter becomes overwhelming (like I said – messy…not 4 foot tall piles of crap like on Hoarders…), and we have marathon cleaning sessions.  This week has been one of those weeks.  The Monkeys and I have been attacking the house (well, I have been attacking the yard) with a vengeance.  Monkey #1 has cleaned his room and has attempted to help the Middle Monkey with his.  (Unfortunately, The Middle Monkey seems to take after me, and when faced with a big ol’ mess just gets overwhelmed and doesn’t know what to do).  I have been dealing with the yard and the loads and loads of laundry.

That leaves The Girl Child.  My lovely, adorable Final Monkey.  The Girl Child seems to have contracted some sort of  illness.  Oh, it’s not contagious and it is not life threatening.   She seems to have caught some sort of Cleaning Bug.  I have no idea where she caught it.  It certainly doesn’t seem to be going around.  The other three of us in the house appear to be immune.   But this little 8-and-a-half-year-old dynamo has not just been picking things up – she has been CLEANING.  Like getting out the cleaning products, mopping the floors, loading and unloading the dishwasher cleaning.  The child even CLEANED AND ORGANIZED THE INSIDE OF THE REFRIGERATOR!!!!

Who is this child?  She kinda looks like my daughter – but surely something has happened to my little girl.  She must be terribly sick or something.

Oh, wait.  Now she is asking me how to run the washing machine.  She.  Wants.  To.  Learn.  How.  To.  Do.  Laundry.

Oh.  My.  God.

If this child has been bitten by some sort of Cleaning Bug, I can only hope there isn’t an antidote.

I could get used to this…

Little Monkey Love

Two Little Monkeys

I haven’t posted in a few days.  My muse had left me, and I had nothing to say.  Very unusual for me.  I usually can write about SOMETHING.Then something happened in church today that made me say, “Well, there’s a blog post!”

Today at church, it was just me and the Little Monkeys, AKA The Middle Monkey and The Girl Child.  Monkey #1 was not feeling well, so he stayed home.

During the musical offertory (which the choir was not doing, so I was actually sitting WITH the kids), The Girl Child left to go to the restroom and when she came back to the pew, instead of letting her slide past me, I pulled her down on to my lap and started snuggling with her.  A very difficult feat these days – one that I know I won’t be able to do much longer – she is getting soooooo tall!  Not to be outdone, The Middle Monkey scooted over and put his head against my arm.  We were a tight little bundle of bliss, just letting the beautiful piano solo wash over us.

We stayed like that for a bit, when Middle whispers, “I love you, Mommy.” (in that sweet little lispy way)  I whispered it back to him.

He whispered, “I love you,” again.  So I said it back.  That is when he said, “Oh I know, that was for her.”  Meaning his little sister.

Everyone all together now… AAAAWWWWWWEEEEEE!!!!!

Ever since they were little little, they have been the most volatile mix to have out together.  They are either FIGHTING or getting insanely silly together.  Even when they were 2 and 4!  But, I don’t think I have EVER heard them say they love each other.  Well, maybe when she was a baby and he would kiss her and say it, but not since then.  She is usually busy bossing him around and he is blaming her for everything (even this moring getting out of the car at church when he yells, “What did you do with my book?!? Oh…there it is.  I put it under the arm rest.”)  They are so free with their I Love Yous to me, but not to each other, so this was particularly heartwarming.

I whispered into the Girl’s head, “Did you hear what your brother said?”

“Yes,” she replied.  “I love you, too.”  She was so quiet I was pretty sure he didn’t hear her, so I asked her to say it again.

And she did.  Very quietly.

“What did you say?” stage-whispered Middle Monkey.

“I said I love you, too,” she said – just a bit louder this time.

And then The Middle Monkey with a little twinkle in his eye, states, “I heard you the first time.  I just wanted to hear you say it two more times.”

I nearly busted out laughing!  I literally was shaking with silent laughter.  It was such a big brother move!  He says it once – and then has her say it three times.  Priceless!  Where do they get these things?!?!

They both asked me why I was laughing.  I didn’t know how to put it.  I just told them to always remember to say I love you.  And to mean it when you say it.

By this time, the music was over, and the congregation was about to stand up, so, the Bossy Girl just said, “We have to stand up now.  Get up,” and climbed off my lap.  The moment was over.  Not sure when we will have a spontaneous moment like that again.  But, it sure was one I know I will remember for a while.

Silly Little Monkeys.