"Mommy sing to me sing to me
I love you
Mommy sing to me sing to me
I love you
Mommy sing to me sing to me
I love you
Mommy sing to me sing to me."
Jhené Aiko ft. Namiko Love "Sing to Me"
Maia
"Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore." This book has been so good ever since I started reading it; every letter, every word, every sentence, every paragraph, and every page is just pure brilliance. I hate when I have to put it down to do on something else.
I wish that I didn't skim through it in high school and look up the plot synopsis for the quizzes I had in English on it. SparkNotes was my true best friend back then. Y'all know what I'm talking about; don't try to pretend that you don't what that is.
'Their Eyes Were Watching God' by Zora Neale Hurston shouldn't be read by only black men and women just because it's African American literature. Anybody can learn from the messages in the novel.
That quote is true though. We all know the basic definition of love; it's like an intense feeling or affection you have for someone or something, but it's not the same for everyone because we each experience it differently. Love for a woman is similar to the ocean. It is designed to constantly change according to the men or women that they become involved with.
I'm on the last chapter and I'm trying to think of what I want to read after this. Actually, I might be more focused on how soon I can go to bed at the moment because my bed is calling my name; I can hear it. The kids and I had mac and cheese with chicken and broccoli for dinner, and I'm waiting for like 30-35 minutes to pass before bath time. This has allowed me to catch up on my reading and emails.
The chicken breast we ate reminded me of the fried chicken wings I had last week with my Dad at a new spot he wanted us to go to for lunch; Mom got booted from her spot for that week. They were good, but they can never be as amazing as turkey wigs that are cooked perfectly. I love me some crunchy, juicy, and golden brown turkey wings. I prefer them because they're bigger than those of chicken.
The wings on the Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas turkeys are mine at our family dinner and that is never up for discussion.
"Mommy." I looked up as I put one of my butterfly magnetic page clips on the page I was on. Lauryn was handing me a tangerine that I brought with me from the kitchen and left on the cocktail table in a napkin.
"What do you say?"
"Please!" She smiled. I took it from her hand and started peeling it. She rocked back and forth on her feet in anticipation. When I was finished with the quick process, I handed her three pieces while I held the rest in my hand. "Thank you." Lozza slipped back to her dollhouse.
"You're welcome." I sat up from the couch.
"Joshua?" He perked up from crashing his toy trucks into each other and making them fly like airplanes. He got up and walked over to me.
"Here you go." I offered him three pieces from the remaining sphere.
"Orange?" Joshua looked at it.
"Yeah, it's just like an orange. It's just smaller." Joshie took them from my hand and smelled them first before putting one in his mouth. I always did that when I was small and my Mom gave me something new to eat. She would get mad, but it wasn't my fault. I can't eat something without smelling it.
"You like it?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"You're welcome, cutie. We have to clean up these toys, so we can get ready for bath time and then it's time for bed."
"Okay." As usual, Lozza started singing that clean up song from Barney. It's annoying, but it works.
I wouldn't trade these kids for anything or anyone in this world. They do get dirty, want to play 24/7, and get on my nerves sometimes, but they are so cute and smart. Most importantly, they're mine.
I am missing my other baby though: Kyrie Thompson. I remember how he makes me laugh, how intellectual he is, and that beautiful smile he always has on his face.
He traveled home early this morning because of an emergency call he received from his mom late last night. He called me when he got there and I could tell he was very upset from his tone. There was nothing actually wrong with his mom. She just wanted to see him and his brothers.
I told him he should appreciate her while she's still here because some people don't get to have that same opportunity. When nobody else loves you, you can always count on your parents except in certain circumstances like when you're in not good standing with them or you don't know who they are.
My Mom couldn't fool me like that because I can just call my Dad to find out what's going on and he doesn't lie for anyone. The boys, especially Tristians goofy *ss, would fall for it on the other hand.
Today, the kids and I took a little field trip to "The Happiest Place on Earth". We literally spent the whole day at Disneyland and they didn't want to leave. I never knew that there were two parks: Disneyland Park and the Disney California Adventure Park. Next time, we'll go to California Adventure. I heard that it has more of the Pixar and Marvel characters.
I made a plan to go through the park in a circle, so we could start at the entrance and end at the entrance instead of going back and forth between the attractions like lunatics.
We went on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, the King Arthur Carrousel, and many more rides.
I liked Pinocchio's Daring Journey where we rode a wooden cart through the musical threatre. Snow White's Scary Adventures was a little scary along with Pirates of the Caribbean due to the skeletons, but all those gold treasure chests took that fear away. I saw this lady in front of me attempt to see if the coins were real enough to be picked up. I couldn't help but laugh.
We explored Goofy's Playhouse that has a piano inside that you can play, but instead of music notes, you hear his laugh. There was also Mickey's House, where we took a picture with him and there was a mini theater that displayed clips of the best moments from his long career on a big screen. It was the same with Minnie, except for the fact that she had a computer you could play on and an oven you could "bake" a cake in. She had a lot of cheese in her refrigerator, which I shouldn't be surprised about but I always forget that she's a mouse. It's just like how I keep forgetting that Hello Kitty is a girl and not a cat.
That, does not make sense to me.
Alice in Wonderland is like a car ride that has you retrace Alice's steps in Wonderland and you see all the characters and important places. The vehicle used to glide through the trip was actually a caterpillar, which I thought was cute. However, the Rabbit gave me the creeps. I used to think those creatures were so cute and innocent, but after seeing the movie 'Us', I switched sides. They low-key look like they're plotting some evil plan to take over the world. Maybe that's why every time Easter comes around and they have that photo booth set up for kids to take photos with the Bunny, the children cry and look so scared.
Joshua really enjoyed the lasers from the Astro Blasters ride where we traveled in a space cruiser to help Buzz Lightyear fight off the attack of robots. We got a picture after the ride to remember our adventure.
At 3:30, we witnessed Mickey's Parade of Disney characters singing and dancing on colorful floats. Mickey led the way and Goofy, Minnie, and Pluto followed. We also saw some familiar faces from Aladdin, the Lion King, the Little Mermaid, and the all of the Princesses including Belle. Snow White and Cinderella. Before the parade, the kids got to hug and take pictures with the Princesses at the Royal Hall. One thing I noticed about them was that they were all pretty. I guess it was one of the job qualifications.
The kids weren't tall enough for some of the rides, so we have to wait until they're older but it won't take long since they were only five inches off. Overall, we had a good time on the rides, took a bunch of pictures, ate until we were full, and drank cold refreshments to stay hydrated and cool in the hot sun.
On our way home, I had to pass by the library's drop-off box on the left side of the building to return some of the materials I checked out. I really couldn't get out the car to go inside because I had two exhausted toddlers in the backseat and I didn't need any cranky kids on my hands if I would have woken them up.
After putting the toys away, I got them ready for bed by bathing them, helping them brush their teeth, and dressing them in their pajamas. That second task is sometimes difficult because the toothpaste seems good enough to eat, but they'll get better in time.
"Okay. Time for bed." I shut the book closed and stuck into the empty spot on the shelf where it was once before.
We all stood up from Lauryn's fluffy rug and I picked her up to put her to bed in her crib.
"I love you, Mommy." She muttered with sleep in her eyes as I made her comfortable.
"I love you too, angel of mine." I kissed her forehead. I grabbed Joshua's hand as we went to his room and I switched off the light in my baby girl's room.
"Alright Joshua. It's your turn." I placed him inside his crib and covered him, so that he was warm throughout the night. "Good night, baby boy." I placed my lips on his forehead.
"Night night." He whispered. I grinned and walked to the door to switch off the light.
"Mommy?" I was shocked that he called me that. I turned back to him.
"Yes, Joshua?"
"Love you." He uttered in a small voice. He is such an angel, the way he looks so precious saying those words.
"I love you too. Sweet dreams." We gazed into each other's eyes one last time before he closed his and I decided to take my leave. I could feel myself tearing up. He has grown so much since he's been with me, but I don't want either of them to grow up just yet. I want them to remain my little munchkins until I get tired of them.
Just kidding.
Grunting in annoyance of a noise awakening me from my sweet slumber, I reluctantly forced my tired eyes open and tried to focus them in the darkness. All that aggravation melted away when I realized that the loud sound ringing through my ears was coming from the baby monitor on my right nightstand. I automatically knew that it was Joshua crying.
I decided to separate the two baby monitors by putting them on opposite nightstands, so I would know who was the one crying. It's easy to remember since I think of left for Lauryn.
I quickly switched on my bedside lamp and sat up, so I could see where I was walking as my feet ran across the cold floor; I didn't bother to put on my sandals or my robe over my pajamas. It was like gliding across ice the way the tile was freezing.
I swung the once ajar door to Joshua's room open and immediately saw him standing in his crib. The room was lit from the glow of the night light inserted into the power outlet next to the door. His blanklet was balled up in a corner, while he held his light brown teddy bear close to his chest with his right arm and clutched the railing with his left.
"It's okay, I'm here." I picked Joshua up, wiping the tears off his face as his cries quieted down to soft whimpers. I could feel his body shaking softly against mine as he put his head on my shoulder. I moved us over to the rocking chair adjacent to the dresser and sat him on my lap. Joshua laid on me as I rubbed his back.
I remember when I used to have this recurring nightmare when I was a little kid. I was at a mall, but I was lost. I didn't recognize anyone in the crowd of local shoppers and tourists. I think the worst part about it was that the department in the store I was in; I was surrounded by tools. Now that I think about it, maybe I was in Sears. I never really liked that place even though that's where I got my favorite black platform sandals that had rings around the big toes.
The dream always ended with someone pulling me away by grabbing my arm tightly, almost cutting off my circulation. I didn't know who it was and that fact scared me to death. I had it every night despite the fact that I did everything in my power not to stray away from my parents or brothers when we were in public and I said my prayers. Eventually, it went away and I was glad because it would bother me every day.
"You want some milk?" He replied by the simple shaking of his head. So, we just rocked back and forth as I hummed the melody of 'You Are My Sunshine'. After a while when I realized that I was about to fall asleep myself, I checked Joshua's face to see his eyes closed shut and I could hear him breathing lowly. It looks like he's fast asleep again. I slowly rose up from the chair, cradling him in my arms to put in back in his crib.
As I tried to pull him away from my body to place him on his bed, he clenched a part of my shirt in his fist and he started to fidget with a frown starting to come upon his countenance.
"Shhh." I brushed back his curls, which reminds me that I need to take him to get a haircut. I might have one of the boys do it because I don't know any good barbers and I would probably mess it up if i do it myself. I can't even cut my own hair because the ends won't be the same length.
I kissed his forehead, and the tightness in his face and his tight grip softened up. I gently laid him down on his back, covering his lower body with the gray blanket and leaving the bear within his reach if he needs it.
I took a final glance at him before leaving the room, keeping the door a little open. I went to check on Lozza who was across the hall. I saw her stretched out with her mouth left gaping open; she's a wild sleeper. I rearranged the blanket on her body and went back to my room.
I looked at the time on my phone and saw it was 2:15. I made sure my alarm was on before placing it back on the nightstand and rolling onto my side. I closed my eyes and let sleep take me away.
Another day in my life.
I thank God for everything.
*Vote and comment. Thank you 🙏 for reading 📖!*