The Fairly Odd Mother

I’ve been reluctant to post too much about the issue we’ve had with one of our kids (for the background, please go here), since every time I am ready to write something (“Things are so much better!”, “Things couldn’t be worse!“) the exact opposite of what I’m about to say occurs.

In a nutshell: still no medical reason why one of our kids is afraid to eat. The good news is that this child IS eating some foods. The bad news is that there is still pain, although with some comfort and redirection, the pain can disappear within a minute or two.

The other bad news is that this child is reluctant to DO anything, which, as you can imagine with three kids and summer’s open schedule, is a bit hard to take.

“No, I don’t want to play with XYZ”

“No, I don’t want to go to the beach”

“No, I don’t want to go out for ice cream”

It’s as if an alien came and replaced my “up-for-anything, happy-go-lucky” child with a “NO” robot.

But, I press on. There have been a couple of playdates—-happy, wonderful playdates where I see the smile on my child’s face is as big as ever. There have been outings and bike rides and walks and movies. Not all smooth-sailing, but none total disasters either.

But, a couple of weeks of summer camp looms on the horizon. Every time I think about it, I get a stomach ache myself. Will my child go to camp easily? Will this be a struggle? And then, selfishly, will we lose the hundreds of dollars if this child refuses to go?

Summertime, and the living’s easy. Or so the song goes.

I wish it were so.

My sister hit a milestone birthday last week, and though I don’t want to spread her age all over the internet (I did that already, heh), I thought instead I’d share the 40 Things I Love About My Sister:

1. She likes me enough to take me on her fancy trip to Topnotch Spa in Vermont, where I ate my weight in sushi and had a foot massage that can only be described in vowels: aaaaauuueeoooooooo.

2. She has always loved my children like her own. And they know Auntie K has their back.

3. She listens politely when I try to give her “helpful advice”, otherwise known as “meddling”.

4. She not only doesn’t make fun of my more questionable attire, she often bought it for me:

5. She has the most kick-ass birth story ever. Seriously.

6. She is an amazing entertainer, throwing birthday parties that make mere mortals weep.

7. She is even louder than I. I think. Or maybe we are equal. I can’t tell anymore. My ears are shot.

8. She remembers things about my dad I have long forgotten.

9. She moved within a half-mile of my mother, thus insuring that I am NOT the geographically closest child.

10. She hosts Thanksgiving, saving me the anguish of having to cook a turkey.

11. We babysat the same kids, so though we are three years apart, we have many shared memories, some we both wish we could forget.

12. We also worked in the same laundromat,

13. cashiered at the same neighborhood market,

14. and worked at the same amusement park (before it got all cool and called itself Six Flags).

15. She endured being “Christina’s little sister” as a child without growing up to hate my guts.

16. I can call her and complain about my mother without her contradicting me or telling me to “grow up”.

17. We share similar tastes in music, meaning she was with me at many, many of these shows, and I don’t cringe when she turns on the car stereo. In fact, I’m pretty certain she has no idea who Michael-fucking-Buble is.

18. She changes her hair style almost as much as I do, making me feel less schizophrenic about my hair.

19. She always has great liquor, including my absolute favorite: Three Olives Grape Vodka (seriously: put it in lemonade right now).

20. She gets excited to come see my girls twirl on a stage every spring at their dance recital.

21. She answers my phone calls, even with caller ID.

22. She always has good snacks.

23. and good magazines to borrow,

24. and good DVD’s to borrow

25. and books,

26. and jewelry. . .(geez, maybe I should go shopping. . . )

27. I love her friends. And they totally tolerate me.

28. She still tries to beat me into the pond every year (well played this year, m’dear).

29. Without even trying, she can make me laugh. Mainly thinking about her 80’s hair.

30. Or maybe I’m thinking of one of her funny stories,

31. Oh, no, I’m remembering this photo (thanks, Mom! always wanted matching nylon running suits!):

32. Or this one: (do we even look like sisters?)

33. Homemade marshmallows. ‘Nuff said.

34. She made my niece and nephew who I love to pieces. Could they please hurry up and grow up a wee bit more? Auntie wants to do a big pig-pile sleepover.

35. She always invites us to visit on their annual pilgrimage to the Cape.

36. It won’t bother her one bit that I’m a week late getting this post finished.

37. She isn’t a conservative,

38. but she isn’t too politically correct either.

39. She is living proof that my mother’s constant assertion that friends come and go, but a sister is forever is definitely true.

40. She finally has a blog! And, if you’ve made it this far, please stop by to wish her a Happy Birthday.

Life, though different, marches on

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