First, my best friends had invited me to go walking around a nearby lake this morning, letting our kids run wild ahead of us while we engaged in blissful mom-talk. Despite the scary storm sounds (and the prospect of actual exercise), I was looking forward to this adventure because...I got NEW BOOTS! Nothing makes inclement weather better like new shoes. They look basically like this:
We decided not to go walking after all but I wore the boots anyway. They were PERFECT for my trek across the street. I splashed through a puddle; it was delightful. I kind of want it to rain everyday now.
When our kids (7 total in one house, ages 6-11) exhausted themselves with free play, we plugged in Spider-Man 3. Mason was excited yet a little irritated that I was so willing to say "Okay" today when I've been putting him off for six months because our policy is for parents to screen PG-13 movies first (we haven't yet seen it; I know, we're lame). I gave him the simple choice of being snarky and smug and going home or being grateful and getting to see the movie with his friends. Because it was Mom Time, my girlfriends & I didn't watch but we did get into a philosophical discussion about how Stan Lee's characters and stories are so admirable. He brilliantly allows his heroes to have flaws and his villains to have redeeming qualities, just like real people. That was followed by talking about how cute Topher Grace and James Franco are.
When our kids (7 total in one house, ages 6-11) exhausted themselves with free play, we plugged in Spider-Man 3. Mason was excited yet a little irritated that I was so willing to say "Okay" today when I've been putting him off for six months because our policy is for parents to screen PG-13 movies first (we haven't yet seen it; I know, we're lame). I gave him the simple choice of being snarky and smug and going home or being grateful and getting to see the movie with his friends. Because it was Mom Time, my girlfriends & I didn't watch but we did get into a philosophical discussion about how Stan Lee's characters and stories are so admirable. He brilliantly allows his heroes to have flaws and his villains to have redeeming qualities, just like real people. That was followed by talking about how cute Topher Grace and James Franco are.
After our morning & afternoon of fun fun fun, my darling (naturally introverted) daughter wanted to go home and watch A Hard Day's Night. She was already wearing her Beatles t-shirt and had listened to the Revolver album twice before we went to play with friends; it was now time to complete the homage to the Fab Four. I so love how much she is into them - she has a little Ringo figure along with the book and a model of Yellow Submarine; there is a poster of the Abbey Road album cover next to her bed; my mom found a magazine digest all about them, complete with a hologram picture of their faces on the front. She reads liner notes for fun and has a Beatles lullaby CD in her stereo alarm clock. It makes me wish we could travel back in time so I could take her to a concert, complete with screaming fainting fans and the sweet young faces of John, Paul, George & Ringo. Paige routinely remarks on which Beatles are dead, as if hoping something might have changed since we last discussed their status. I know it's not the most healthy strategy, but I prefer to dwell in the happy place where they were all alive and getting along, making amazing music. So we watched.
A rainy day, new boots, two movies, a bunch of candy, and friends. Perfection.
