On Thursday night, as I was tucking Zoey in, I told her "tomorrow is Friday! Mommy loves Fridays!" I told her I might get off work early, and pick her up from school early (I try to warn her when there's a chance she might miss her afternoon snack), and WHAT would we do with our time then?? To which she replied "can we go to Starbucks and get an apple juice?"
So yesterday at work, as things were winding down around 3 pm, I was scrounging through my purse to see if I had any residual Starbucks gift cards from the holidays. As luck would have it, I had one with a whole 52 cents remaining, AND a brand new one with 15 whole dollars! Score!
And there we were at 4 pm, dashing through the pouring down rain to choose our treat at Starbucks...split a cookie? Or try those cute new "sparkly" mini donuts? Donuts, of course. "But not chocolate, Mommy! The white one!" And just for safety's sake, in case I hadn't heard her shrill little voice, she marched right up to the counter (which she could barely see over) and announced to the lady helping us that she would like a WHITE donut with sparkles, please.
(This is a part of Zoey's personality that I absolutely adore--her total lack of shyness. Or maybe it's just confidence? If she's looking for a particular Clifford book at the library, she'll just head straight to the librarian's desk and ask for it. She's not afraid to ask--politely, at my prompting--for what she wants. Especially when it comes to books or donuts.)
So anyway, it seemed like a perfect way to wind down a week. Sitting at Starbucks with my daughter, who's feet were swinging from her chair, sipping hot chocolate and listening to her tell me all about her friends at school. (But only after I had told her about my friends at work.)
Me: So, who did you play with today?
Zoey: Destini. And Kelly. Aaannndddd.....Blake. And Junior.
Me: Was Xavier there?
(Xavier is the problem child of the class, you can just tell. A sweet little boy with far too much energy, he seems to have a problem with listening and never, as Zoey reports, gets a sticker for cooperating. Also, by her report, he spends a lot of time in time-out. Zoey has come home plenty of times crying about Xavier and his escapades, usually involving pushing her down or grabbing her dolls and running off. The trials of the three-year-old classroom, right?)
Zoey: Yup. And Mommy! He was nice!
Me: He WAS? Wow! He had a good day?
Zoey: Yeah. No time-outs. And he sat down at circle time. And...he had to take his medicine. But I don't think he's sick.
Me: Oh. Well. Hmmmm. (Assuming the concept of ADD meds will be lost on my preschooler, I'm going to let that one slide.) I'm happy that he had a good day!
Zoey: Yeah. Me too. And Ms. Nicole, she was happy too.
Life can be unpleasant sometimes. Or, if you live in this house, lots of times. Finances are tight, Bryan is job-hunting (again), and there never seems to be enough time in my day to accomplish what I want. There are setbacks everywhere you look around here. Which is why getting that apple juice at Starbucks with my daughter is crucial to my sanity.
3 comments:
Such a sweet story! We miss you :-( Thanks for doing this blog, you are a fantastic writer and I enjoy reading your posts very much.
Sometimes I get so caught up with trying to FIX my life, I forget to enjoy it. Lately I've been trying to relax with a book more, have a night out with John, know that if I don't finish everything that needs doing RIGHT NOW it will still be there tomorrow. For shiz. Good for you for teaching your daughter to relax and indulge every once in awhile.
That was a great reminder to cherish the little things, and I am sorry that your hubby is job searching again, that sounds like no fun. Maybe you should move here then you could be making me puffy strawberry pancakes this morning!
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