Tag Archives: single parenting

A new year of potential

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It’s a new year!  It’s a time for new beginnings, releasing old habits and generally, shaking off the dust.  And if you live in my house, there is plenty of that because the way my schedule is set up, there is very little time for “frivolous” chores like dusting.  Something like cleaning a toilet, well, that needs to get done but dust, well, I know that is pretty gross too.  I could make a bunch of excuses as to why I can’t get everything done but just envision yourself working and parenting without 2 people.  As in, all on your own.  I love when friends or people in general complain about how hard it is to be a parent and I see their husband at the ball field, at the grocery store and let’s say, lending 2 additional hands to the parenting role.  I am like a human octopus….truly, all hands on deck.

Now that I think of it, since dust is made up of sloughed-off skin cells (among other vile things like mites and other dead insect parts), I should dust and I could create an assistant to help me multi-task.  My dust assistant could go grocery shopping, while I assist with homework.  That would be a cost-effective way to secure some help.

And I am not complaining.  I am generally happy and I make time every day, no matter what the weather is, to get out for a walk in nature.  The things l don’t like to do – cooking, laundry and scrubbing floors, I would have to do with or without children.  To me, the parenting stuff is easy – challenging, at times, and time consuming for sure but immensely enjoyable.  The daily chore stuff…not so much.

Truth be told, when I looked out my slider today while drinking a coffee, I realized the 5 pumpkins I bought for the fall were rotting beside the “Welcome to the pumpkin patch” placard.  It should say, “Welcome to my world – procrastination sprinkled with exhaustion”.

No dust here. Nothing but blue skies.

Close encounter of any kind

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Life as a single woman with two curious and verbally creative children (where did that come from? Hmm… I wonder) is a different experience on many levels.  And it can be either the most fun or the most humiliation known to a sometimes harried person such as myself.   Each outing is a potential encounter with the opposite gender and even the most benign encounters can get a wink or an eye roll from my 12 year old daughter.  This wasn’t always the case.  But middle school has enlightened her, shall we say?  I think that is the best way to put it.  And not to be outdone, my 5 year old son watches carefully and chimes in with his version of middle school humor and hijinks.

So here is a recent example.  An older gentleman works at my local deli and I am purchasing some lunch meat.  He asks:  “What can I get you, young lady?”  Big smile.  Pleasant demeanor.  Great for customer service.  He then offers me a sample of some cheese that all the patrons are being offered. Who can resist cheese?  This is like a high end Costco sample rolled in prosciutto.  Mmmm.  Salty.  I remark, “Oh that is good.”  My daughter winks at me.  I say, “Really?”  Under her breath she says, “Well, you never know”.

We leave without further incident.  In the car Eva slyly asks, “So did he ask you out?”  “What??  Over the Boar’s Head loaf?”   She continues, “So do you like him?”  Middle school must be teaching a course in persistence these days.  Nice trait.  I reply, “Based on what – our mutual love of boloney? So now we should be dating?”   Not that I am even dating.  Because when would I do that?  Well, apparently the cheese and pleasantries at the deli were a date!  In the back seat I hear them both giggling and whispering.   I cannot hear any of the details but I imagine it is hilarious!