Apr

7

Macaroni Power

Posted by Summer M

April 7, 2008 |

In my home, Friday nights are Forced Family Fun nights. We eat junk food and sip root beers while we play board games. The boys and I plan for Fridays all week long, hammering out important questions like, “Pizza or nachos?” and “Monopoly or LEGO Star Wars?” For the record, I’ve started opting for LEGO Star Wars because I’m tired of being bankrupted by a seven year old. When the big day finally arrives, Little Man catches the bus to school while Trooper and I get busy cleaning the house.

Last month, the house needed more attention than usual. We had just acquired a Great Dane to foster and, despite being a sweet-tempered and obedient dog, she was the size of a small pony and shed like one, too. Integrating her into our household was a messy affair. Even now, I am anxious to find her Forever Home and get back to my hairless couch days. In addition to the extra mess, Ginnie (the dog) kept me up during the nights. Her previous owners both worked nights so I now had a 144 pound dog who thought that night time was dinner time, potty time, and play time. She didn’t understand why I wanted to sleep when it was dark outside and, at first, ‘helped’ me out of bed by taking my covers off and gently pushing her nose under my back to physically lift me to a sitting position. (You scoff but she is 144 pounds. She weighs as much as my husband!) Though we were evenutally able to reset her schedule, it was like having a newborn at first. I got virtually no sleep that first week.

Maybe it was a lack of sleep, maybe it was the warmth of the fuzzy orange blanket on the couch, or it could have been Trooper cuddling next to me but as soon as the bus drove off that morning I turned on the Super Nanny (aka morning cartoons) and fell instantly, blissfully asleep on the couch.

Why is it that when we make concessions our loved ones seem to suffer more than we do? When I woke up and realized how far behind schedule I was, I panicked. I began to clean like a madwoman, brushing off poor little Trooper’s repeated attempts to help with phrases like, “This is a Mommy-sized job. Go play.” I was making pretty good time this way until I began to unload the dishwasher. That’s when I hit a speed bump. I wanted to ‘get it done’ so that I could tackle the mountain range of dirty dishes covering my kitchen counters. Trooper, though, was in a helpful mood and he knew that unloading the dishwasher was a job just his size because it has been his job for nearly six months now.

Have you ever watched a preschooler unload a dishwasher? It is excruciating. Painful, even. I am fairly certain that this is the only span of daylight that my young son moves at less than 90 miles per hour. He is ‘busy’ by nature and never really walks anywhere but rather dances everywhere. I’ve worked a long time to make sure he understands the importance of walking slowly with mommy’s dishes and he is ever so careful with them now. He practically tiptoes, cradling one dish in his two little hands, all the way to the other side of the room and puts it away. He then allows himself a little victory dance for being so clever before running over to the dishwasher for another plate or bowl to put away. The concentration needed for this harnessing of energy is immense and he is so relieved by the time it is time to put away the ‘plastic’ and the ‘silverware’ that he is back to dancing his way to the pantry where they belong, even more hyper than when the dishwasher was opened.

Please remember, I was a woman on a mission. I had a house to clean and a meal to cook so that I could relax and have Forced Family Fun Night with my children, come Hell or high water!

My youngest son, oblivious to my personal mission statement and the exasperated looks I was giving him, was nearly finished unloading the dishwasher when he began began a kung-fu style fight with an the invisible foe. He whirled and kicked and began to make ‘cool’ sound effects like “whoosh” and “kaPOW” in all the right places– all while wielding a dripping silver colander and a dangerous looking wooden spoon. The fight must not have been going well for him because as I opened my mouth to tell him Just hurry up!, he pulled out the big guns. Before I could get the words out, he thrust the colander into the air and brandished his spoon with a flourish and shouted, “MACAWONI POWAH!”

I’m not sure where Macaroni Power rates when compared to Superman and the Justice League or the X-Men and the Mutant League but I know that it had an immediate effect on me. Instead of hurrying my son along, I found myself thinking, “I did it again.” I got so caught up in ‘how’ I could get things done that I forgot ‘why’ I was doing them. Wasn’t the whole point of cleaning the house so that I could spend time with my children? It took a new and dubious superpower to remind me of that little fact.

Macaroni Power, who knew?


Comments

8 Comments so far

  1. Rachel on April 7, 2008 5:50 pm

    Hehe, great job! I don’t think you need to worry about this at all, you’ve already mastered this whole thing to an art. Your writing is witty, fun, but always carries a clear meaning. Anyway,cute story, awesome job as always. Keep up the good work!

  2. Little Miss Know it All on April 7, 2008 7:43 pm

    You know, this story inspired me. I not only taught my seven year old to unload the dishwasher (they’re up higher than yours, so it takes a step-stool for him) but we also institute family fun night. No ‘forced’ about it–the kids love it! Thanks!

  3. Joy on April 8, 2008 10:43 am

    You’re lucky you can get your seven-year-old to empty the dishwasher — I have a hard time getting my husband to do it!

    I firmly believe in the power of macaroni, especially in the company of cheese.

  4. Jill on April 8, 2008 1:04 pm

    I have read this story a dozen times and it still makes me laugh. Your a great story teller, and I look forward to your next post. I am sending a link to all of my favorite mommies, because we could all learn from this hilarous super hero. Thank you for sharing.

  5. rotorhead papa on April 13, 2008 9:03 pm

    I am an instant & loyal fan! One reading of macawoni powah tells it all; from the mouth of babes. What I could have learned from you when my children were young…

  6. Carolyn on April 15, 2008 11:24 am

    This was great! Grandpa shared the site with me and I have passed it along to many. I have a new phrase that I use… “Let’s hear it for Macawoni Powah!!!!!!!!!!!”

    Loved it, keep it coming!

  7. Bill Hughes on April 16, 2008 8:37 am

    I really enjoyed the story. It was very well written and witty. It also hit me at a time when I needed it. It helped me to step back, at least for a moment in time, and see the forest instead of just the trees. Thank you.

  8. Jessica on April 29, 2008 3:23 pm

    I loved this story, Commander Mommy! I will never cease to be amazed by your wit and wisdom, my friend. It has been too long, but we need to reconnect sometime. I’m so glad to hear that your family is well! And that the RSS feed on this site will keep me up to date!

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