This weekend was a very Bean centered weekend. There are times when I feel like my bean doesn’t get the undivided attention she deserves. Especially now, with doing soap and all the responsibilities of the farm, we find we don’t have the hours we used to have to do all things Bean related. I consider us very doting parents, but sometimes we have to make choices for the good of all and unfortunately, that doesn’t always mean we can drop what we are doing to play hide and go seek, watch the newest episode of Arthur, or bake cupcakes.
When we got The Bean, I went from being a clean freak, DIY fanatic, with a rigid schedule, who would stay up until the wee hours of the morning to accomplish whatever I had set my mind to, to being the best mom I could be. My Bean was very ill when she was born, and her care and well-being became the center of my universe. I would sit and hold her for 14-18 hours a day. She had an entourage of therapists who came in to work with her. She had a massage therapist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, and later, a speech therapist. All these wonderful women helped my little bean to thrive and they were as good with me as they were with her.
My bean was not meeting her milestones for physical therapy and I was in an absolute panic. Her therapist, Miss Margot, asked me how much belly time she had? I remember thinking, belly time, what is belly time? Margot smiled and said with the utmost patience, “You know, Tina, how much time does she spend on the floor on her belly?” I was incredulous, then I was sheepish. I never put her down and the thought of putting her down, especially on the floor, was completely alien to me. Miss Margot already knew this about me. After much excuse making about drafts, hard surfaces, and the dog, I finally admitted I just didn’t want to put her down. We had a sweet routine going, I held her, she was happy, I was happy, and I got nothing done but holding her and cuddling her. After some gentle encouragement, Jordan and I changed our sweet routine from holding and cuddling to holding, cuddling, and hanging out on a quilt on the floor playing, singing, talking, and still not getting anything done. Like magic, she began to meet all her milestones.
That has been our lives for the past eleven years. Doing whatever needs done to help The Bean thrive is now just what we do. Turning soap making into a full-time family business has changed our focus just a bit but we are still a very Jordan centered family. This weekend, we decided it was time to make time for some uninterrupted Jordan time. Jordan loves Halloween almost as much as I do. I know it’s a bit early, but we spent Saturday after market and all-day Sunday decorating for Halloween. We made numerous trips to the attic to drag out decorations, we listened to Halloween party music, and we hung glittering baubles in almost every room in the downstairs. Even the bathroom is tastefully decked out for our favorite holiday. I do vintage Halloween décor and décor that reminds me of my childhood…which is sadly now considered vintage as well. How can I possibly be old enough to be considered vintage? However, again I digress. There is no blood and gore in our décor. We danced to the Monster Mash, the Beetlejuice soundtrack, and the classics like I Put A Spell on You, and Superstitious. There were conga lines, tangos, and free styles galore. I haven’t had that much fun in a very long time. I know she’s my kid and I am a wee bit partial to her but she is a lot of fun to be around.
After our decorating party extravaganza, my bib wearing buddy and The Bean do that thing only they do together. They went “truck camping.” We emptied out all the market gear from the back of the truck, put the air mattress in, loaded it with snacks, drinks, and pillows and they drove to the middle of the hay field…within sight of the house and slept out. Saturday night, they did not have the luxury of the air mattress because The Bean and her buddy had brought the air mattress down to the house to sleep in the living room. With all the excitement of a friend sleepover, they misplaced the cap that keeps the air in. The Bean slept on the single air mattress that we have and The Bibbed Wonder slept on the hard floor of the truck bed. That dear reader is just one of the many reasons I adore that bib wearing jokester. He happily sacrifices personal comforts to put a smile on my beans face and spend some quality time with her. He’s a wonderful dad. Sunday, while moving the end tables to vacuum, we found the missing cap and they both slept in comfort. Small victories.
Today, we must return to the duties of daily life. We must return to cyber school, online science projects, soap making, soap stamping, soap boxing, and lye burns. The Bibbed Wonder has a few added responsibilities to his list like making hay and protecting the three little pigs from those barbarous 4-H pigs…that is another blog story in the making. However, we can bask in the ominous glow of orange and purple mini lights and jack o’ lanterns when our day is done. I’m thinking a movie night with Hocus Pocus…only the best Halloween movie ever made in my humble opinion…is in order for a mid-week treat. It’s the small things that make life good.
As always dear reader, stay safe, stay smart, enjoy the small things, and of course keep washing your hands. FYI, Silky Pumpkin Sandalwood and Lemon Fig will be released this week! Yay, Fall!
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