Sherry Ellis's Blog, page 135

The Go-Kart

At 7:52 AM, my seven-year-old son announced he was ready to work on a big project.  "Mom, come into the garage and help me make a go-kart."

"Seriously?  Dude, you're still in your pajamas, and I'm trying to make breakfast!"

"Yeah.  Come on.  This won't take long."

I sighed and followed him into the garage.  The parts were already laid out:  a skateboard, the big box from our firepit, and Hello Kitty duct tape.

"Okay, Mom.  You hold this skateboard here while I tape it to the box."

I patiently did my job.

When he was finished, we flipped the skateboard-box contraption over.

"Thanks, Mom.  Now help me get this into the driveway."

"You're actually going to sit in this thing and ride it down the driveway?"

"Yeah."

I shook my head.  I picked up the weird concoction and placed it in the driveway.

"Watch this, Mama!"  He sat in the box and rolled all the way down the driveway.

"Wow!" I said.  "Now I bet all your friends are going to want one of those."

"Yeah.  It's the best go-kart ever!"     

The Mentos/Coke Experiment

My kids had been bugging their dad to do an experiment with Coke and Mentos.  I don't know if you've ever heard of combining the two, but the effect is, well, let's just say, explosive.

Today my husband came home from the grocery store with a couple of two liter bottles of Coke and a roll of Mentos.

"Mommy, we're going to make an explosion!" my daughter said.

"Terrific," I said.  "Where?"

"In the backyard."

Well, at least it wasn't going to be in the house.

I went outside to see the big event.

My husband took the cap off of one bottle of Coke.  My daughter put in two Mentos. 

Everyone took a few steps back as the Coke exploded out of the bottle.  This thing looked like a geyser.

My kids squealed with delight.  "That was cool!  Can we do it again?"

My husband obliged.

This time they put six Mentos in.

Let me just say, there was very little Coke in the bottle after that one.

"Okay, kids.  Who's cleaning this up?"

"Bring out the dog!" they said.

  

Conversations with a Dog

I think I'm losing my mind.  Why?  Because I've developed this annoying habit of talking to my dog. 

Here's one of today's conversations:

"Dog, did you really have to tip your food bowl and knock your food all over the floor?"

Dog stares at me and cocks his head.

"I mean, seriously, what do you think I am?  The maid?"

Dog yaps.

"Now be a good dog and eat your kibbles."

Dog sniffs his spilled kibbles and walks away.

"Aw, now come on!  Don't be so obstinate."

Dog yaps then he sticks his big nose on the sliding French doors.

"What, you want to go outside?"

Dog yaps.

I slide open the door and he prances out.

"See ya."

Dog looks back and then trots away.

See, I think Dog and I have some kind of understanding.  Crazy, huh?

Three Minutes

It's amazing what can happen in three minutes around my house.

"Mommy, I blocked the toilet.  Plunge it, please!"  My son is an expert at blocking toilets.

While I was plunging the toilet...."Ahhh!  Mommy!  There's  a giant spider!  It has yellow markings on its belly!  Help!"    That was my daughter. 

I stopped plunging and took care of the spider.

I went back to plunging.

"Mommy!  The dog is eating my arm!  Make him stop!"  That was my son.

"Schultz!  Crate!" I bellowed.

Schultz went to his crate.  I went back to plunging.

"Mommy, I'm hungry!"

"Oy!   Can't I just plunge this toilet?"

There you have it, folks.  Three minutes of my life.

The Guessing Game

My kids and I were at the doctor's office, waiting.  You know how that goes.  My seven-year-old son decided to do something constructive to pass the time.  He found some pails and miscellaneous objects in a toy bin.

"Mommy, guess which pail has the bobble head under it."  He switched the pails around.

"That one," I said when he was done.

"No fair!  You cheated."

"How did I cheat?"

"I don't know.  Close your eyes."

He did his thing, but I heard some interesting shuffling sounds.  I knew he was up to something.

"Okay, open your eyes.  Which one?"

"None of them," I said. 

"Hey!  You cheated!" 

"No I didn't.  I heard you move something by the plant over there.  You didn't say I had to block my ears!"

"Close your eyes and block your ears."

I did.

"Now which one?"

I guessed correctly.

"Cheater!"

"Nope.  I'm just good!"

Last Days of Summer

"Mom, I want to go swimming," my seven-year-old son said.

I looked at the thermometer.  "But it's only 76 degrees.  That's too cold!"

"Please, mom!  I made a pool on the side of the house."

"What?"

Of course I had to check this out.

The young man had dragged his sandbox to where the hose was, and filled it up, all the way to the top.  "Do you like it?"

"Uh...."  Then I spotted the firepit box.  I lifted the lid.  A bag of marshmallows was inside.  "What's this?"

"Oh, after I was done swimming, I thought we could roast marshmallows, and I could sit in the box and eat them." 

Cat Drama

Do you remember those Huskies that live next door to us?  The ones that sliced my dog's ear?  Well, I think that those dogs are more trouble than my dog.  They got in big trouble today.

One of the Huskies had been trying to get into our yard for a very long time.  Its owners even planted thorny rose bushes along the fenceline in hopes of detering the dog. 

Today was the day he got through.

My daughter came running into the house.  "Our neighbor needs help.  Their dog is in our yard...and he killed a cat!"

My first thought was, "Oh my gosh.  It better not be our cat!"

I ran outside to see what was going on. 

The Huskie was in our yard with a cat carcass in his mouth, and the poor lady was trying to get her dog.  Meanwhile, the lady's little baby was in my husband's arms, screaming for his mommy.

It was a three ring circus.  Fortunately, my dog had the brains to stay away from the situation.  He came right into the house and went to his crate.  For once, he was a good dog.  I think there's hope for him!

Also, the dead cat was not our cat.  That was a relief!  I suspect it was one of the strays that live in the woods. 

So, the cat was cleaned up.  The dog was sent home.  The baby stopped crying.  And we all lived happily ever after. 

The End.

Black Eye

Well ladies and gentlemen, I am now sporting a lovely black eye, given to me by none other than my beloved German Shepherd.  Yep.  I kid you not.

We were outside playing a lovely game of fetch and tug.  The ninety-five pound puppy got a little rambunctious and decided to jump.  His claw hit me just under my right eye.  Talk about painful!  I did not need stitches, and fortunately, he did no damage to my eye (other than cut the area under it and make it all black and blue) . 

So now when everyone asks what happened, I tell them I was beat up by my puppy.  It's a great story! 

Note to self:  Get the beast's nails trimmed!

The Cast and the Chainsaw

It was cast removal day for my daughter.  She had broken her wrist about four weeks ago.  Now it was time to get it off.

"Mom, my friends at school said they use a chainsaw to get it off.  They said my arm is going to bleed."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is.  My best friend said so.  And she doesn't lie."

"Do you really think they're going to hurt you as they take off your cast?"

"Yes!"

We drove to the doctor's office. 

"I don't want to go in."

"Okay.  No drama," I said.  "Let's just go in, get this done, and go home."

Of course there was drama.

The nurse came in, and my daughter made a fuss.  "Are you going to use a chainsaw?"

"No."

"My friend said you will cut my arm."

"No.  I will not cut your arm.  But I might tickle it."

My daughter made a face.

Then the saw came out.  It was an itty bitty rotary saw.  And it made a lot of noise.

My daughter looked petrified. 

But in no time at all, the cast was removed.

"Now was that so bad?" the nurse asked.

"Uh...."

Then the x-rays were taken.  Unfortunately, the break hadn't quite healed.

"No!  I'm not wearing another cast!"

Oy gewalt! 

Reflections on 9-11

Today I'm going to diverge from my usual ramblings about my kids and the creatures that live in my house.  Today, as we near the ten-year anniversary of 9-11, I'm going to share a snapshot of my experiences and reflect on what that day means to me as a mother.

September 11,2001 started as any other.  I remember looking out of the window of my Cleveland home, thinking what a lovely sunny day it was.  I was nine months pregnant with my first child.  The anticipation of becoming a new mother and holding my baby filled me with joy.  I felt her kick within me.

Then the telephone rang.  It was my husband.
    
 "Turn on the TV," he said.  "A plane just crashed into one of the twin towers in New York City."

That was the beginning of the nightmare.  I sat down on the sofa and turned on the news.  A plane had just crashed into the Pentagon.  I knew this was no accident.  Something very wrong was happening.  I watched in horror as the second plane slammed into the remaining tower.  That's when I began to cry.  I cried for the lives that were lost.  I cried for the families- the mom and dads, the sons and daughters of those people who died.  I cried for our country.  And I cried for my unborn daughter.

I didn't know in the days or weeks that followed what the world would look like for my child.  When I finally held her in my arms, I prayed that she would not have to live in fear.  I prayed for a world of peace.

Now, ten years later, we live in a world that has been changed by 9-11.  We don't live in fear, but we are more cautious - more guarded.  We realize that we are not invincible.  We also do not take for granted the freedom we hold so precious.

As a mother, I want my children to know that no matter what hardships my befall us, we can still choose to stand tall and rise above them.  I want them to value their freedom and never become complacent.  I want them to be proud to be American.  These are the lessons from 9-11.  These are the thoughts that we must hold close to our hearts as we continue to rise from the ashes.