My daughter and son both moved to grad school recently.
Here’s what I’m missing.
1. Girl time. My daughter Ariel and I always used to
talk while we did manis and pedis. Now, I’m not sure what the point is. And, of
course, now that I don’t care, my nails look gorgeous.
2. Eaters. Okay, this is mostly my son Luke.
But, wow, do we have leftovers! I made a “normal” amount of herbed chicken last
week, and I’m still trying to pawn it off as lunches and snacks on the
remaining kids. “Look, nachos with extra protein!”
3. Chemistry explanations for normal life. Luke’s
the only person I know who can make salad dressings that don’t
separate—apparently, you need the proper amount of binder (?). But, he’s still
my go-to guy for getting stains out. Email from me: “Hey, Luke, how do get
price tag glue off of fabric?” Reply: “Rubbing Alcohol.”
4. Thrifting. Ariel is an expert thrift
shopper. When I walk into a thrift store, I’m overwhelmed by the racks of
disorganized chaos (and the weird smell). So I walk behind her while she picks
over the racks and hands things to me to try on. When I try picking something
off the rack, this is what happens. She raises an eyebrow and says, “That’s 1980s.
You know that, right?” Me, “Of course, I do, baby. I was just…testing you.”
5. Quiet. Before we had six people in a small
house, which meant we were always bumping into each other. Literally and
figuratively. Now everyone has their own space. I feel like we’ve morphed from Toula’s
family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding where
everyone was into each other’s business into Ian’s family where they sip brandy
and you can hear a pin drop.
Okay, not quite that quiet. We still have two teenage boys,
a Lab, a bird, a hamster, and two guinea pigs. Not even close to that quiet.
N.B. If you haven't visited "Writerly Wednesday" on Crystal Collier's blog, there's still a chance to play "Two Truths and a Lie" and win swag.
 |
| This image has nothing to do with my post, but I couldn't help posting it. It's amazing, and I love raptors. The photo is by Martin Falbisoner and is courtesy of Wikimedia |
We are full-blown into "bumping into each other at every turn" mode here. It's taking some getting used to, but I can already see how weird it would be to either move to a larger place, or have less of us here. Thankfully my two are four and almost-six, so I have quite a few years before I have to adjust to the latter!
ReplyDeleteYou're not fooling me. What you're really missing is... your son and daughter.
ReplyDelete(Love that pic of the eagle!)
Hey Connie,
ReplyDeleteMy first time here!
All I keep thinking is how can you POSSIBLY have children in grad school? I look older than you and my oldest is 9. Then again, I didn't start until I was 34.
Please don't tell me you started at 34. ;-)
Haha, you're not fooling me either. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat was that about praying mantises under girl time?
ReplyDeleteJennie, you are sweet!
ReplyDeleteI had my first son in my mid-twenties, so I did start earlier.