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If you’re new around here, confessions is a time for us to all unburden ourselves of the silliness we’re feeling at the moment. I share dumb things, then you share dumb things, and we all have a better day because of it.
Let’s get started!
Confession 1
I was driving Bennett to school last month, and a man rode by us on a bike. He was wearing a backpack and wedged between his shirt and the backpack was…a 4-foot long piece of freshly cut bamboo.
From the backseat, Bennett yells out “follow that man. I bet he has a baby panda at home”. And wouldn’t you know it, I was kind of tempted.
Confession 2
In February 2019, we had a giant snowstorm that lasted for over a week. A lot of snow always shuts Seattle down due to a lack of plows, lots of hills, and people who aren’t used to driving in snow.
We finally had a break in the snow dumping down, and I realized I needed to get the kids OUT OF THE HOUSE before we all went “The Shining” on each other. We decided to pick up my oldest son’s friend who was also snowed in with parents without AWD.
Their private road probably had 20 inches of snow on it and hadn’t been plowed once. The driveways weren’t shoveled, so I just left my car in the middle of the road while Jack ran in to get her. She jumped in and told me that the end of the road was a cul-de-sac so I could turn around there.
The “end” of the road was almost 3/4 of a mile long and not only was there NOT a place to turn around but there was a car leaving the very last house. Not a single driveway had been shoveled and I had no place to gracefully turn around.
With no other choice, I told all three kids to keep their mouths shut so I could concentrate, and then I drove my Subaru in reverse for 3/4 of a mile in 20 inches of snow until I could find a driveway that had been plowed.
As I was backing into it to finally be able to turn around, the car that had been following me stopped on the road in front of my car. I was so nervous as he approached my car, assuming I had been trespassing on his property or something.
As he came to my window, he loudly said “I just needed you to know, that was some damn good driving. You did a hell of a job with that”. I was so proud.
Confession 3
I got a notice for jury duty this month, and it was for the ONLY week in 16 months that I haven’t been available. I was devastated. Nerds who have been watching Law and Order since they were 7 (seriously mom and dad, were you even monitoring me?!), dream of serving on a jury.
I rescheduled for when the kids are back in school. So…fingers crossed!
Confession 4
We exclusively use cloth napkins for meals in our house, and there is an epidemic of thievery that happens around MY napkin. The boys destroy theirs during mealtime, and they get put in a rag bin in our pantry for laundering.
Rather than get themselves a new napkin, the next time they’re at the table, one of them inevitably steals mine. Full-on napkin Manifest Destiny is alive in the Cook house. Burn the patriarchy to the ground!
Confession 5
This is the longest my hair has been in years. I have no real plans for growing it out; I just haven’t bothered to schedule a haircut. At least six times a day, I’m convinced there is a bug crawling up my neck, only to realize it is my own hair tickling me.
How do you long-haired people deal with this all the time? I’m going out of my mind here!
Confession 6
Every Sunday during lockdown, we had a morning ritual. One of us would go get donuts at a local bakery and then coffee at a local drive-thru stand. And then we’d all watch church from the couch.
One Sunday when Troy was at work, Jack was sleeping really hard and longer than normal. The donut place sells out quickly if you get there too late, and nobody gets their first choice.
I wrote Jack a note that Bennett and I were getting donuts and coffee and then we hopped in the car and went and did our thing. As I backed out of the driveway, I realized how much I LOVE being a bigger kid mom.
Many people love the baby years. The squishy snuggles and all that. And while it’s nice, there is nothing better than the freedom and flexibility that comes with your kids getting older.
The baby years were HARD for me. It never felt really natural. If you’re in that space right now and it feels like you’re out of place, it’s ok. I’m here to tell you that it gets better.
Ok, friends, your turn! What do you need to confess?
Want more confessions? Read more here, here, here, here, here, and here. Or read the whole darn archive here.
1. We only use cloth napkins, too. There’s a variety of colors and no real system. My seven year old is in charge of setting the table and he always picks the lightest color napkin for himself. The more tomato-y the dinner, the whiter the napkin.
2. At the beginning of the pandemic you wrote a post about homemade face masks. As I started to read before seeing any pictures, I was like, “what the hell, lady? BS self care when we’re gearing up for a major health crisis?!”. Then I realized you were making face coverings, not mud masks.
A personal confession. We’ve not been thrilled with our current post for many reasons; and earlier this month we learned we are relocating two years ahead of schedule. I have to confess that I am ecstatic to be leaving!
CONFESSION 5. Oh, hell. I’ve mastered the art of the messy bun and have been running with it for the last year. A couple of months ago I styled my hair and when I looked into the mirror I did not know who I was!
CONFESSION 6. The children begged us to leave them home alone for a week during one summer. At the time the oldest was 14; the youngest, 9. Since the oldest was Scout-trained, and the drive from my office to home was but 20 minutes, we agreed.
Wouldn’t you know. One day the children locked themselves out of the house after a bicycle ride to the park. The Oldest decided this would be a good time to teach the Youngest how to pick the lock. It did not go well. Thankfully our retired neighbor (and surrogate grandparent) watched the whole escapade and corralled our two hooligans into his house for root beers before calling me. We all recall the episode fondly.
I am thrilled to proclaim I didn’t kill any plants every time my husband leaves town. His thumb is deep forest green, mine isn’t. His most recent trip I smashed the garden care – thanks to a 1″ rain system just after he left.
Love the concept of a rag bin – we have kitchen towels and napkins that can really impact the laundry situation.
I love that he thought there was a baby panda in the background. That’s so cute. A kid was coming to our house and his mom asked him if he knew which house it was. “No,” he replied, “But I be there’s lots of mixing bowls and baking items and ingredients all over the yard and the kitchen and stuff.” (I’m known for my cake decorating.) bah-ha-ha!