As the summer comes to an end it has me thinking of an earlier time when I had a sunny day and little kids in car seats. Here’s an entry from my journal back on June 24, 2001:***
The weather was sunny and hot today and I’ve been busying ferrying the kids around town to various activities to keep them occupied, entertained and cool. Before heading to the library for our weekly round of books I passed out Popsicles to eat in the car and they each had one (red of course) to help beat the heat.
But David (age 2) was eating his Popsicle soooooo slowly and as I was driving down Fireweed Lane I heard this pathetic little squeal start up from the back seat. His Popsicle was melting away before his eyes, literally running in tiny rivers down his chubby white arm into his armpit. He wasn’t appreciating the cold sticky sensation his was feeling so in his panic he held his Popsicle as high and as far away from him as he could.
This strategy had turned out to be a very bad plan because it had only added height to his short arm, speeding up the whole process and causing a great deal of frustration. I saw all of this from my spot behind the wheel but there wasn’t anything I could do to help him and he continued to squeal in sticky irritation while Grace and Spencer watched with their smirky grins.
But the worst was yet to come because his window was down and as the car sped up and hit about 40 mph the abundant Popsicle juice that was now running thickly down his arm began to actually lift off his arm in a serious spray causing even more squealing and angry cries. About the time I finally looked back to see what the squawking was about the red syrup droplets were pelting his fat cheeks and squinting eyes like a fine sea mist.
I found a place to pull over and walked around the car to rescue him. When I opened the door he had red speckles all over the upper third of his body and his spiky hair was stiffening into red little spikes on his screaming head. Cracked me up. But despite his stickiness what made him squeal the loudest was when I pried his rapidly decomposing Popsicle from his iron fist and gobbled the last remnant to get rid of it. He was so angry he’d been deprived of his precious treat that I had to promise him another when we got home and by the time we got to the library he looked like a chubby, grumpy and swollen little chicken pox victim.
***
Sometimes I miss those days--my life now isn't nearly so entertaining.
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Technorati tags: motherhood, children, parenting
23 comments:
This had me cracking up! Great stuff Michelle.
Ha!! Seriously funny! ;-)
So funny! I can imagine his frustration - and it just kept getting worse! Poor frustrated fella.
Classic baby dilemma! I can visualize it so well, and I'm feeling already that annoyance at the mess combined with the humor of the situation and the sympathy for the bawling child . . .
They gotta invent dripless mess-free popsicles one of these days. But then again, maybe not. That was one of my favorite childhood memories - making them last as long as possible while not letting them melt and drop off the stick.
Hilarious! Thanks for sharing. Please feel free to check out my blog when you get time. www.isunjiisat.blogspot.com
Have a marvelous Monday!
Poor baby - especially with the wind factor! I cannot believe you actually allowed popsicles in your car! You are one brave mama!
This was funny!
And you are a brave, fun mommy. I can't fathom giving Evie a popsicle IN THE CAR!
I don't know why, but somehow that experience reminds me of grocery shopping with toddlers who liked to fish in my purse and nibble on my favoirte lipstick.
I miss them being that small and inquisitive, vulnerable, and fun--as you said.
Wow, you were brave handing out popsicles in the car.
I need to lighten up. Seriously.
ha ha.
Now THAT's a story! I can't even imagine the chaos if mine got popsicles in the car. Mostly because when they're done with something they tend to throw it at me. I have sippy cups lobbed at my head daily.
You need some Dripstiks. :) I blogged about them a couple weeks ago, they are awesome.
My little one turned 2 in July and she is not a lover of the car seat! Several times she has fallen asleep licking an ice cream cone in the back seat only to then fall to the floor. I can see your speckled little one in my imagination! Sweet memory! I remind myself of these crazy times of screaming frustration coming from little ones and remind myself that I will one day miss this chaos, so I do my best to enjoy even the most trying times :-)
Such a delightful memory! I love it!
thanks for the laugh...that's the best!
Ohmygosh, best laugh today! Hahaha! Poor little guy. Isn't David also the one who ended up naked in the store one time? What a character.
Been there, so been there! My best popsicle story is not about my kids but about my brother. Having spent most of his life in a tropical climate, he was unacquainted with the rime of frost that coats the popsicle and would get his tongue stuck to it every time! Total cold metal/warm tongue effect, only slightly less traumatic! Did I mention he was 11?
Too funny! Poor little guy. My car rule was no colored liquids. Sprite, 7-Up, clear stuff. Or bring a dog to lick up afterwards. :) Not as amusing though.
While recognizing I was way to uptight as a mom of small kids, maybe it was a good thing I only had two, 5 years apart. However, I digress, you are AMAZING, the thought of red, make that any color of popsicles in my car....not a plesant picture. Now, as a "Grammie" I am much more relaxed about what can and can not be done and where, but still....no popsicles, ice cream cones or snow cones in the "Grammie Mobile".
Too funny! This is just the kind of thing you have to save for his future girlfriend. They lovvvve stuff like this:)
Trixie
We had a popsicle meltdown just yesterday, and it was a mess.
You mean that I'll think that all of this is funny someday?
side splitting....I just remembered something that happened 28 years ago with my son. Maybe I will blog about it. A double decker red bus driving over glasses (belonging to our british house guest who was visiting us in India), which my son accidentally threw out of the car window......
Ooh, what a nasty mess! I loved your telling of it though :-)
What a popsicle nightmare! Your description is great. I could totally see the running rivulets of sticky red trailing down his arm. Probably because my 3 year old has suffered similar instances. After a couple of this happening he started asking for a paper towel to wrap around the bottom of his popsicle.
Problem solved. ;)
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