Monday, January 30, 2012

Sew Sew Grateful

Because my husband and I owe way too many people way too many favors, we try to avoid hitting up family for babysitting duty.  We instead employ various neighborhood girls for the occasional evening escapes to exotic events like school fundraisers or retirement parties.   

Crap we're old.  

Although my mom is madly in love with my kids, she is a retired nurse who lives alone. Because of this, dropping off 3 rambunctious boys is kind of like blowing a firework off in a church.  It's unsettling, and it can throw my mom for a loop.  We therefore try to save her for emergency situations only. 

But when our babysitter fell through at the last minute this weekend, we turned to Nana.  She thankfully agreed.

Several hours later, we returned to find my mom's condo covered in toys, tiny scraps of paper (courtesy of Jack's cutting obsession), and toast crumbs (courtesy of the boys' new toast kick). She looked a little worse for the wear and confessed that she could use a nap.

Yet as we left, the boys proudly showed off their "Pillow Guys" that Nana had fashioned together with old receiving blankets and buttons in an attempt to keep my sons occupied for a full hour:

Desperate times call for desperate measures.
I now have to give the old gal at least 6 months off to recover from her ordeal, but these little fellows will be treasured forever.

And the next time she does babysit, I'm bringing her a Dustbuster.

And perhaps a little Valium.

7 comments:

  1. :) lovely.
    My mum had a wonderful brown rug that resembled land masses and a river system and with a couple of four wheel drive matchbox cars and empty cereal boxes to make houses with - hours were whiled away...

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  2. Desperate times call for receiving blankets. I'm pretty sure that my mum sleeps for a couple of days after a visit from my girls.

    She gave me a whole weekend of babysitting for Christmas, and she's been psyching herself up for it ever since. (It's in two weeks! YAY!)

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  3. My Mama came out to help me last week when my beloved was out of town leaving me with my own 2 boys, plus the one I babysit. My mom left here exhausted and sore and with a renewed appreciation for what I "do" all day.

    When I first started this stay at home mama gig, she used to ask me at least once a week "what do you DO all day?". I don't think she was bein mean, I just think as a career mama, she didn't get it. She does now. God bless Mamas, old (that's us) and older (that's them)!

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  4. Love those pillow guys. What a clever idea. Grandmas are the best!

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  5. oh, I cannot believe she whipped these up for them so fast! wowza! that would take me several hours (who am I kidding-- weeks) and she just magically made them.

    My hat is off to her (I was not wearing a hat, honestly, so I meant if I WAS wearing a hat. Maybe she could sew me one.).

    best,
    MOV

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  6. Totally adorable!!! My mom would never do that with my kids... or is the other way around???
    I think you guys might be a little too easy on your moms, mine takes the kids once a week for an overnighter!! You gotta toughen those gals up some!! lol

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  7. Julie - the remarkable world of grandmas! It's magic!

    Skwishee - Oh lord. I'm moving to Canada and asking your mother to adopt me.

    Erica - Ha! Betchya you're never going to get that question again, eh?

    Jewels - I'm surprised my mom could even thread the needle anymore! It's funny what an incentive peace is when kids are around.

    MOV - and she showed me NOTHING! I can't do a lick of sewing. Probably done in an effort to ensure we never put her in a home. Who else could sew our buttons back on??

    Kristi - do you think your mom would notice if we snuck in a few more??

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