Brushing Teeth is good--says everyone but you-know-who

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For the most part, all seems to be going well.  The mini things that have come up, I’ve handled without too much fuss, like walking on a treadmill.

This latest one though—I don’t even have steam coming out of my ears.  It just makes me tired.

So…I took the girls to the dentist this past Monday, since they were both off school.  In the waiting room, DD2 told me that when she "takes too long to brush her teeth, daddy says, f*ck! hurry up" and "gets mad at me."  I responded that wasn't a good word, and I was sorry daddy got mad at her.  And brushing her teeth was important and I was glad she was brushing her teeth.  She seemed upset about dad getting mad at her, and just cuddled up, until it was her turn to go into the dentist.

Afterwards, Dr. Y said she has at least 7 cavities, and we're now booked with a periodontist.  I don't even know how to broach this with the XE (phonetic for Exie).  Later that night, when the girls were brushing their teeth, I reminded them to be careful brushing (DD1's back teeth had a lot of plaque, but luckily no cavities), and DD2 was careful and brushed really good--they both were tickled about their new toothbrushes.

Anyway, DD2 told me the story again, she said, mommy, you know when daddy says f*ck, hurry up?  and I was like, yeah? (and trying not to react to the f*ck),   and she said, i think it's because he wants me to watch cartoons and not miss out.

So I just responded--gosh, DD2, i'm sorry about that.  Brushing your teeth is really important.   She cuddled up to me again during book time and went to bed.

I've had a couple of days to think about this (girls are with XE through tomorrow, due to spring break). 

The periodontist couldn't get us in until next month, so there's no hurry, and I don't want to incite anything with XE while the girls are there, (especially since DD1's been invited to sleepovers and girl scout events during his time, a lot of back and forth between him and the GS leader, it's all finally been worked out--actually DD1 has been very assertive lately, holding him accountable about getting back to her friends’ parents about things, go DD1!)

So…I’ve approached him with an email basically quoting the dentist’s recommendations, leaving the ‘f*c’k out of it.  The play therapist advised that the girls are learning important life lessons—that they can tell me things without having things blow up in their faces, and the important thing is at least the girls know it’s wrong to say f*ck, don’t say it themselves, and that they feel like they can trust me with their worries and concerns.  O.k., got it.  Hit send and don’t worry.

But the part in me—the part that still is healing—is shrinking a bit, anticipating a nasty response accusing me that somehow the cavities are all my fault.  I know I shouldn’t do this kind of thinking, to not make up what’s not in front of me, but I guess it takes time for these old wounds to heal.  And you know what?  Even if he does, I need to know it doesn’t matter.  I’m no longer responsible for his thinking, anger, accusations.  My head knows that.  My heart mostly does.  Except that tiny piece that feels like crying.  Dammit, I’ve come so far, but still have miles to go before I sleep.  Ah well.

I need a glass of wine.  Which is kind of good, because I have a happy hour planned with two respected colleagues of mine…so I think I’ll go enjoy that.  Because f*ck it, might as well!  Ha.

On Shrimp and Happiness

I’ve been away due to illness, work deadlines, parenting in general duties!

But as I struggled back to being upright, we did have a very sweet Sunday…

The hub’s schedule has been changing every month, so week end time has been rare and far between.  We happened to have this past Sunday off all together, so after DD1, DD2, and I attended Sunday school and church (DD1 helped me do our palm Sunday liturgist action), we hustled home to enjoy the rest of the day—consisting of hurried sandwiches for lunch, getting to the theater to watch Zootopia…a total on-target kids movie for our time.  

Over lunch, hubby and DD1 brainstormed what to make for dinner, how about, maybe…shrimp?  Which DD1 and I jumped on board with right away, because we both love shrimp; DD2 is more of a get-along, go-along sweetie when it comes to meals, her opinion was, what’s shrimp again?

So after the movie, off to the grocery store we went, to collect all the fixings for dinner.  On the way home, we dropped the food off, so that we could spontaneously stop by an open house (one day we’ll move) and dreamed a little bit about what it might like to have a house big enough for the girls to each have their own room.  And since this particular house was even bigger than that—we dreamed about what it would be like to have a house big enough for a pool, a back lanai area to host dinner parties, as well as a nanny and/or housekeeper.  Ha ha ha!!  Like I said, dreaming!!

Then we took our puppy (ok, she’s one, so I guess I have to accept that she’s a DOG) to the pet store to get her a new gentle leader, more dogfood, a new crate, three new toys (yes, she’s spoiled), and some new treats that cost us an arm and a leg—suffice it to say, we are avoiding all pet stores for the next three weeks!!

Off to home where DD1 and hubby got to work.  Peeling and cleaning and washing and mixing the batter, then battering the shrimp.  DD1 chirruping and bustling around the kitchen, asking hubby if she could help more, if there’s anything else he needed—she was going to help, darn it.  When hubby got out the fryer, DD1 was so proud to fry a batch all by herself.  Setting the table and getting all the food ready for our dinner—DD1 was so excited!  She sliced lemons for the tea and made it a point to tell me how she’d included small cuts so we could place the slices onto the sides of our cups. Awwww…  

During their cooking bonanza, I found DD2 nearly asleep on the couch—to my dismay she’d come down with a fever (ended up staying home from school on Monday, but all is well now), so while we finally sat down to our dinner feast, DD2 was snuggling under the covers, watching Robin Hood (where Robin hood is a fox and Little John is a bear) on her kindle.

As we ate, DD1 commented on the different flavors in the batter, we’d also made star wars mac and cheese, because why not, it was Sunday after all, and broccoli.  DD2 rallied for some toast and jam when her medicine kicked in, and even sang a couple of silly songs, her spirits improved immensely.

After dinner, DD1 asked me to send a picture of the fried shrimp to her three besties’ moms so her BFFs could see—so I group texted them, then she giggled in delight when the girls texted back how delicious it looked.  And I can attest to how delicious it tasted!  (There was so much shrimp, we had enough for dinner the next evening—hubs made a salad for us, as the girls were at their dad’s.)

Later that night, when I tucked the girls into bed, DD1 told hubs that she loved him.  And while we both know the girls have bonded with the hubby over the last three years, to hear her say it was balm to the soul.  (She does say those special words fairly often, but DD1 has always been more close to the heart—much less effusive than DD2).

I went to bed that night completely content.  All was well with the world.  As I drifted off to sleep, I remember thinking, gosh, if every day could be like today—minus DD2 getting sick…simple, fun, loving, kind, I would be the happiest mom in the universe.  I’m not used to contentment.  It’s a wonderful feeling.

Sick

I've been down with a nasty cold or some version of it. Hope to post soon! Hugs!

Fumbling Towards Healing

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In the last week, I had one of those Facebook “Day in the Past” reminders, and it was a day five years ago, a picture of my babies dressed in matching cotton dresses, DD2 really just a baby, toddling around barefoot, with her palm tree pony tail sticking up from the top of her head.  DD1 still in preschool, her cherub face grinning, she would be bridging to kindergarten, just a few months later…

And this particular day had a profound impact—it was the beginning of the domino effect that got me out of my abusive relationship with my ex husband. 

See, the picture was taken at DD2’s first birthday, a huge celebration where I live, akin to a wedding, where family and friends will come, some having flown in from thousands of miles away.

And the night before that picture was taken, my Ex had a huge fit, yelled and screamed at me, accused me of locking him out of the planning (?!@$ we’d been talking about it for months, I’d run checklists by him for weeks).  After the children were in bed, he laid down in the floor in our spare room, looking at the ceiling, refusing to acknowledge my presence, or discuss details (his extended family were here, and my extended family had just arrived days before), and I was crying, begging him to please forgive me, that I was so sorry I made him feel that way.  He never relented, I went to bed alone, not knowing what I’d wake up to.  (Actually, quite mild in the grand scheme of things).

The next morning, we went to the birthday party, and it was a huge success, because all of my people were there helping, emceeing, or doing the prayer, or doing the fortune telling game with DD2, who could pick from four items (a piece of money-wealth, an abacus-scholar, a feather quill-artist, yarn—long life), and she picked the money, and the ex was so happy and everyone laughed.  All the pictures from that day showed a “normal,” loving, happy family.

Except, I knew it wasn’t true.  And with my extended family weaving in and out and being surrounded by their loving faces and kindness, something in me switched.

When the festivities ended and people got on their planes and flew away, I slowly started reaching out to them, my friends who I’d known for years and years and years, and my family.  I asked them, what was it like when they argued with their husbands?  What was it like when their husbands got angry, how did they express their anger?

I learned:

1)     No yelling, or very little yelling.

2)     No name-calling.

3)     No swearing.

4)     No breaking things.

5)     No hitting.

6)     No pushing or kicking the children.

7)     No choking or throwing family animals.

I remember one girlfriend of mine told me that her hubby—was so aware of his size (ex-football player, in fact, he left his varsity team in high school because he just wasn’t into hurting people) and how scary that could be to other people, that he was extremely careful on how he expressed himself when angry.

I still, to this day, feel like this can’t be true somehow, that it’s some kind of illusion.  Doesn’t everyone yell, swear, hit, throw, scream, when they’re angry?

But I believed them.  I got myself back into therapy.  I started sharing with my therapist and closest confidantes what was happening.  I shared with two of them my diary of all the explosions since DD1 was born.  They told me it was frightening—I remember that word, “frightening” as a jolt.  And one friend referred me to my attorney—and so began a long and tortuous journey, which started with the TRO because of his threats to put a bullet through my head and murder DD1 in her sleep; and one where I now have full physical custody of the girls.

But that picture—it was taken five years ago.  FIVE YEARS.  I sometimes laugh, thinking, gosh, by now, a shiny, healed Jane 2.0 version would be out.  And yes, I’ve come so far, maybe not shiny, but definitely not as broken, and at other times, a word, a text, a nasty comment, will send me reeling.  Back to these old days.  

I still ask:  is it true the people express anger without violence and nastiness?  Can people really not yell and scream and swear when they’re angry?

So I guess that’s what I mean about fumbling towards healing.  Doing my best.  I don’t have the answers, but I’m beginning to learn that these types of behaviors are the exception to the norm.

Right?

Swap

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He finally agreed to the mother’s day week end swap.

I was a) prompt in responding (within 24 hours), b) did not make snarky comments, c) said thank you for getting back to me, d) confirmed the dates, and e) was overall cordial.

I did not a) be witchy about the two months it took him to respond, b) delay a response out of spite (although the thought crossed my mind).

Considering that he sent me an email requesting summer vacation dates for this summer minutes after he agreed to the mother’s day week end swap, I surmise that he a) realized it would be to his benefit to have me pick my summer dates, because it’s mom’s first choice this year, b) also realized that waiting two months to get back to me about the mother’s day week end swap might bite him in the a$$ for summer vacation planning.

I have every intention of nailing down our summer plans soon, since I am by nature, a planner.  And despite wanting to volley the a$$hattery back from where I received it, I will resist the urge and continue to behave like a civil human being.

That is all.