Breakfast in Bed... Now That's Wacky!

I want to tell you a story.  This happened last Wednesday, but I continue to think about it.  If I'm still thinking about it then maybe, just maybe, it is worth sharing.

We have those moments as parents. Moments when we feel like we shine.  You know what I'm talking about.  For me those moments usually come when I am doing something with one of my children and I can tell - right then, at that very moment - that I am making a memory.  Something he will remember for the rest of his life (even if he never reads it in that Scrap Journal of his).  For more details about Scrap Journaling see posts dated 7/28-7/30.

I love Wednesdays for this very reason.  Matthew genuinely looks forward to Wacky Wednesday.  Jack (18 mo.) is still to little to understand and Ricky is too old (15) to still care.  But, Matthew.  To Matthew, Wacky Wednesday is magical and filled with possibility. 

Quick background.  For those of you new to the blog or who simply don't remember, I named each day of the week in an effort to help Matthew learn and remember the days in order.  With each day is a small activity for which our the boys can look forward.  The days are Munchkin Monday; Cartoon Tuesday; Wacky Wednesday; Three Time Thursday; Fun in a Box Friday; Sleep in Saturday; and Ice Cream Sunday.  To learn more about the activities of each day of the week, see posts 2/25/08-3/02/08. 

Wacky Wednesday is dedicated to looking for and doing wacky things.  By looking for, I mean we keep our eyes peeled for things around that are not quite as they ought to be.  We've had great examples over time.  Big things like a man pushing a massive globe shaped medicine ball along the interstate in Kentucky and small things like someone accidentally wearing two different socks.  

By doing, I mean we use our imaginations to dream up things we can do that are just a little (or sometimes a lot) silly.  And, in the spirit of my mother, trying never to do the same thing twice.  This, as you can imagine, gets harder and harder with every passing week.  We've covered a lot of ground, from wearing our shirts backwards and inside out to wearing swim trunks to school, to saying Merry Christmas to everyone we meet (even though it's July); to carrying an umbrella on a sunny day; to reassigning names to everyone at our dinner table, and walking every where we go backwards.  

What's magical about this is that Matthew is actually getting more creative at dreaming up ideas.  We play a little game, usually every Tuesday.  He asks, "What do you think we should do wacky tomorrow?"  And I say, "I don't know.  What do you think we should do?"  He throws out his first idea and then I go.  Then he goes.  Then I go.  And on and on the game goes until we settle on tomorrow's activity.

Last week we were struggling.  Neither of us were feeling imaginative and we kept defaulting to things we'd already done.  Then I had an idea.  Not a brilliant idea, but brilliant to Matthew and that's all that mattered.  I said, "I've got it.  What about if tomorrow you eat breakfast in bed, instead of at the breakfast table?"  Now to Matthew this was a totally novel idea.  He knows nothing about the luxury of being served breakfast in bed or the fact that this is a standard treat afforded people on special occasions like Mother's Day, birthdays, etc....  All he knew was that instead of having to sit "square in your chair," he was going to eat breakfast in the comfort of bed.

He started giggling.  He was so pleased... so excited at the prospect of doing something he thought had never been done before, he laughed and talked about it all night long.

We went to sleep and to be honest I completely forgot (I know...Mother of the Year).  That morning Matthew was calling my name from the top of the steps.  I didn't respond immediately, because his normal routine is to wander down stairs and crawl into our bed while I buzz around getting ready.  I figured he would eventually work his way down stairs.  Finally it occurred to me what he was doing...  calling my name from the top of the steps, wondering when he was going to get his breakfast in bed.

I couldn't help but get a huge smile on my face.  I had beds to make, hair to dry, clothes to iron, bags to pack, but I stopped everything I was doing and gladly made him breakfast in bed.  

As for Matthew... he still doesn't know that eating breakfast in bed is something people occasionally do.  In his mind, he did something truly wacky - maybe even something nobody has done before.   On that day, his oatmeal, toast, and orange juice were better than ever before.

That's my story.  A small, magical moment in the life of one of my boys.  On that morning, I shined.

Now for a little bit of help.  I was so taken with the sheer joy in Matthew's eyes that morning and how magical that moment felt, I shared the story with the woman sitting next to me in the swim center on Wednesday evening.  Ricky was in swim practice and Matthew was taking his swim class.  The woman who I told is the mother of a child in Matthew's class and is he quickly becoming a good friend.  She loved the story and asked if next week (this week), we could include Iassac in doing something wacky.  Thrilled at their enthusiasm, we immediately agreed.

Matthew and I brainstormed ideas on the way home... wear a bikini or a hula skirt, write their swim teacher's name on their bellies, put their goggles on backwards, carry umbrellas, and a couple more.  So far there are no ideas that Matthew is either excited about doing or that he is willing to do.  Maybe you can help.  

What wacky thing can Issac and Matthew do during swim class this Wacky Wednesday? 

Quick Announcment:

• Countdown to the Super Bowl:  Vanilla is the winning secret ingredient!  Final score 12 votes to 8.  Good luck, Nicole and Julie.  Remember, Julie... NO MAILING CAKES!

Signing off until tomorrow...