Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Biting Off More Than I Can Chew

In response to my own challenge the other day in that ranty post that we're not going to talk about anymore, I applied to be a crisis counselor at the local crisis line. Unfortunately, we're going to be traveling during their training session this fall, and you can't miss a class because you don't want some guy to call up and say, "I'm going to end it all!" and you say, "I'm sorry, can you hold for like, four hours until my shift is over, because I missed that class and I have NO IDEA what to say to you."

Actually, come to think of it, that might not be the worst strategy. I'll have to suggest it when I take the winter training class.

Instead, I signed up for MOPS - Moms of Pre-Schoolers - which, while it may sound like a social club, actually will probably end up being more of an opportunity to take casseroles to women with new babies. I suck at casseroles, so I may take pizzas, instead. But it sounds nice, and it actually fits into our schedule for the first time ever this semester, so I thought I'd go for it.

So you see, I am effing doing effing something... Whether it's talking Area People off of ledges or taking casserolespizzas to families in need, more something will be being done by yours truly shortly.

Unfortunately, effing doing effing things leaves less time for blogging.

Last night we took the kids miniature golfing. It was hilarious! Both of them "played" by walking around with the club in one hand, the ball in the other. They'd walk over to the little cup, and drop the ball in, and say, "YAY!" Then they would completely get in our way as BJ and I tried to actually golf, in miniature.


At one point, Claire had dropped her ball in the cup and was returning to us, when she happened to notice that there was music on. She stopped everything and started to do a little dance, in the middle of the hole, while her daddy and I were repeating, "C'mere Claire, get off the green, Claire, stand on the rocks, Claire, come stand on the sidewalk, Claire... Claire... Claire!" She got tired of us and turned her back, so she was facing the hole again, and did this hilarious little booty shake, as if to say, "You can't understand, Mom and Dad, the music... It moves me..."


Sometimes, it all just got to be too much for her, and she sat down in the middle of the green.


Hi-freakin'-larious.

Mary Grace was a doll baby, too. We've been doing a star chart at home - when I catch them being good or kind, I give them a star. When we accumulate seven stars, we get a treat. Well, they just happened to hit seven stars that night, so we called our outing their "treat." In reality, BJ and I wanted to go practice swinging at softballs before the big game that we ended up forfeiting today... So we went to Denny's for dinner, then headed to the Putt Putt place, swung at $5 worth of softballs, then played mini-golf (and got a discount because the lady working the counter's middle name is Mary and she has a sister named Claire, and because MG got pinched by the gate of the batting cage, and BJ got a blister, and she said that she felt bad that her Putt Putt was beating us up - she was really sweet). After mini-golf, we got ice cream. Before we even left the Putt Putt Palace, Mary Grace was saying, "Thank you for bringing me here. This has been a very special day." She must have said it a dozen times. It was really sweet.

It also made me think, "You ain't seen nothin' yet, kiddo!" (Parents - is it impossible to impress your kids with Putt Putt once you've been to the Kingdom of Magic? I'm concerned.)

I think it'll be all right - Disney can't do this:

3 comments:

Rob Monroe said...

That's so cool! I've been wanting to do mini-golf, but I don't think that Abby's attention span is quite there yet, and I know Anny's is not! :o)

Susan said...

How wonderful! I love the pictures. Thanks for posting them.
love,
Susan

Deb Rox said...

Volunteering that intensively is a lot for mamas, but when the time is right crisis counseling training is an amazing opportunity. Those intensive sessions give participants serious listening and problem solving skills, and it's free (except for the time, of course). I've worked at both crisis and domestic violence shelter hotlines, and it has always been more of a help to me than to anyone else! Hope the Moms gig is fun, that type of real help is sooooo needed. You are a great encouragement!