If You Let a Wallace Watch a Movie

If you give the Wallace crew the "okay" to watch a movie, it's going to take forever to make a choice. KtB wants adventure and suspense, CT wants comedy and laughter, Manytory wants romance and the life of a queen, and EmmyLou wants to watch Barbie Island Princess again and again and again.


Once the movie has been chosen, the DVD player started, the previews skipped, and the action packed drama has begun, then they're ging to ask for a soda.


So they'll pause the movie as they hunt for their favorite drinking cups.

"I want the pink princess cup with the purple straw," Mandytory proclaims.

"That's mine!" EmmyLou shrieks.

"I don't want the Rugrats cup! It's for babies!" CT bluntly states.

"Bob the Builder?" KtB huffs with hands on her hips, right foot poised, and a full head bobble.

Oh boy, here we go!



So if you give them a soda, they're going to need a top and straw, an impossible feat to find in the cavernous depths of the kitchen junk drawer.


But, once the beverages have been poured, the cups properly sealed with their tops and straws, and the movie resumed, FINALLY I sit down to watch the movie holding my breath waiting . . . . waiting . . . .


"Mom, can we have some popcorn?" The next question I dreadfully await.


Once again they pause the movie as the hunt for the popcorn popper, measuring cup, oil and popcorn kernels begins. No microwave fancy stuff for us, but the old fashioned style prepared on the stove.

If you make popcorn the old fashioned way, they're all going to want to help turn the crank.

So each one will take a spin while the rest hunt for the perfect, popcorn bowl.

Once again I'll need to mediate a debate because, "I want the blue one."

"You had that one last time. It's my turn!"

Oh the joys of watching a movie!

So once the popcorn has finally been popped and distributed to everyones favorite bowl, then they're going to want to spread a blanket on the floor. What would a movie be without a popcorn picnic?

So they'll find the perfect blanket, large enough for all, spread it on the floor, jockey for the best spot, situate that popcorn and drink, and FINALLY once again resume the movie!

At last, I sit down with my own popcorn picnic and a sigh of relief. Who needs previews when there is the great popcorn, soda debate?

So next time you give the Wallace crew the "okay" to watch a movie be prepared for the popcorn, soda debate.

Note: I fashioned this story after one of our favorite books If You Give a Mouse a Cookie written by Laura Numeroff. At each request to watch a movie, I jokingly started saying, "If you let a Wallace watch a movie, . . . " and the story remains!

Da Dee Dum

"Do the Da Dee Dum," EmmyLou proclaimed one night. After a puzzled look and a few minutes I finally understood what she wanted. Da Dee Dum is the lullaby I sing every night. You know the one - "Lullaby, and good night, go to sleep little baby, . ., " except I don't know all the words so I sing the verses as "Da Dee Dum, Da Dee Dum, Da Dee Dum Dum, Dee Dum Dum," thus EmmyLou's song Da Dee Dum. She has very specific requests for the Da Dee Dum! "NO, on you lap," she proclaims whenever I try to speed the process up. Being a creature of habit, her bedtime routine has to be exactly the same each evening - Da Dee Dum, prayer, kisses, hugs, cover me up, and one more kiss for good measure.


Sadly with my older children I would have quickly brushed off a request to linger a little longer at bed time. As most moms would agree, bedtime signals the end of the day and a chance to relax and recharge - my time! However, I savor these moments daily! The joys of preschool life are slipping away. Long gone will be the wonderful thoughts and conversations of literal logic, the Da Dee Dums, and other preschool quirks. Quietly, but slowly, the door to this part of motherhood is being closed. Filled with mixed emotions - sadness, happiness, fear - I realize the preschool life is familiar and comfortable to me, but its reign must end as I move forward to other stages in life - tweens, adolescence, etc. My journey with my last child will be long and varied as I hone my mothering skills, but a journey I am willing to experience.

For now, I'll take one more Da Dee Dum.

Green Eyed Monster

A seething, green-eyed monster haunts my mind. It creeps into my inner most thoughts planting seeds of doubt. It lurks in the dark and it gently, quietly fans my desires and ambitions back into the deepest, darkest corners. I struggle to squeeze past its grasp, but it never fails to restrain me. I try over and over to squelch its power, but those seeds of doubt pop up with every turn, preventing me from moving past the monster. Each day I frantically race to pull up the seeds, but one look behind me and the seeds have returned. I wallow in sorrow, feigning failure and lost hope. But finally, I strike an agreement with the monster. I am allowed to take one step forward, two steps back, one step forward, two steps back. I argue daily with my nasty companion, but we've forged a working relationship. Fortunately, I forgive myself for letting "it" inhabit my mind and I realize it will be a constant tenant. I prevail as I slip past its grip, if only for a little while. My seething, green-eyed monster goes by the name PERFECTION and PROCRASTINATION. Who else is to blame for my seemingly relaxed, laissez faire ways? The "Not-Me" Ghost? No, just me, myself and I mixed with a dose of PERFECTION and PROCRASTINATION!!