It has been a few weeks since the last blog entry. I have been consumed with our mini-vacation over Memorial Day weekend.
Before I start on that blog, I wanted to share photos of the New Territory Splash park a few days prior to vacation.
When I first moved to Sugar Land from Houston I was three months pregnant. I felt somewhat displaced and out of touch with the suburban life. To tell you the truth I was a city girl that wanted nothing to do with a simple pre-fab home in a neighborhood filled with snobby, rich, white people. I wanted my kids to grow up with every possible experience, every opportunity to know the city and to love the life of all cultures. As it has turned out, I was the snob.
In the beginning I tuned my nose at opportunities to be involved with the woman that surrounded me. I did not need them then. I had my ultra cool architect sister, my understanding mother and a city not far that was had the ballet, opera and museums to fill my children’s every cultural desire. This is how my puny non-child mentality worked out the details. Then, Lola got older, I had Moses and my “family only” world got turned upside-down.
When Moses was about 4 months old I started attending the Mother Goose story time at the local library. The women that were there seemed nice enough, but our life crazy at the time and I was in no place to make friends. Besides, I thought, they are going to judge me for being a liberal and shun me for my offbeat style. It was an assumption that I held onto, a crutch to assume that people would not like me, so that way if they did not, I was in the clear. After all I was me, and if you don’t like that, so what. Right? The only problem with that mentality is that it starts to get pretty lonely.
In the spring I started to attend on a more regular basis. One mother, Susan, asked me to come to lunch with a few of them. She said that they did this every week, post story time. To tell you the truth I was thrilled. I had been around these moms and I could see that they were cool. Besides, my "city" friends either had no kids, or they worked. After our first lunch, I was hooked. The women I have met are so unique in her own way I feel as if I have grown as a woman and as a person just from being their friends.
All of our kids are far too old to attend the Mother Goose time now. Now, most of us go to the toddler time. Some of the moms do not go, due to scheduling problems, attention problems or various other reasons. But, we are all here for each other. We have created something wonderful for each of us. There are various ethnic, religious and cultural differences between all of us. It is everything that I might want my children to experience anywhere I live.
Some of us are better friends then others; we have made deeper connections past our children, some not. But it has helped me more there any other single thing as a mother. To have the support of other mothers, to be able to talk about your kid’s problems for hours, what would I do without that support? Not to mention the distraction of not having to stay home ALL
DAY with 2 toddlers, that can be more then the sanest person can take.
To give you an example of how diverse my group of friends is I will give you a breakdown of Lola’s third birthday party.
We Had:
The Over Educated Mom with her Masters
The Asian
The Muslim
The Divorce
The Handicap
The Older Mom
The Homeschooler Mom with 5 kids
The Liberal Democrat in suburban Sugar Land
The list goes on, but that was 8 months ago…
My point is, I have everything here that I could ever want in any big city. Not to mention all the things that I would lack, such as, a great park at every neighborhood, super awesome grocery stores that sell organic at a reasonable price, the big city is only a 15 minute drive, every possible ethnic group that one might want their children to be exposed to. It is all I ever wanted for my kids only cheaper real estate!
I say all this in the mindset that this is for me. My children love these kids. They talk about everyone constantly. If I mention that we are going to see Ally, Lola wants to know if Joshua is going to be there. Moses is obsessed with Eloise and Owen. I have seen Lola go from being extremely board with the kids a year younger then her, to becoming the surrogate mother to these kids when their moms are talking. She takes ownership of her friendship with everyone in this group. They have now become her babies They are building, what I hope to be, lifelong friendships.
The library is not having toddler time, so we have been getting together on Wednesdays and going to a park. Here are some pictures of last week. We went to the splash park first and then to the regular park.
Before I start on that blog, I wanted to share photos of the New Territory Splash park a few days prior to vacation.
When I first moved to Sugar Land from Houston I was three months pregnant. I felt somewhat displaced and out of touch with the suburban life. To tell you the truth I was a city girl that wanted nothing to do with a simple pre-fab home in a neighborhood filled with snobby, rich, white people. I wanted my kids to grow up with every possible experience, every opportunity to know the city and to love the life of all cultures. As it has turned out, I was the snob.
In the beginning I tuned my nose at opportunities to be involved with the woman that surrounded me. I did not need them then. I had my ultra cool architect sister, my understanding mother and a city not far that was had the ballet, opera and museums to fill my children’s every cultural desire. This is how my puny non-child mentality worked out the details. Then, Lola got older, I had Moses and my “family only” world got turned upside-down.
When Moses was about 4 months old I started attending the Mother Goose story time at the local library. The women that were there seemed nice enough, but our life crazy at the time and I was in no place to make friends. Besides, I thought, they are going to judge me for being a liberal and shun me for my offbeat style. It was an assumption that I held onto, a crutch to assume that people would not like me, so that way if they did not, I was in the clear. After all I was me, and if you don’t like that, so what. Right? The only problem with that mentality is that it starts to get pretty lonely.
In the spring I started to attend on a more regular basis. One mother, Susan, asked me to come to lunch with a few of them. She said that they did this every week, post story time. To tell you the truth I was thrilled. I had been around these moms and I could see that they were cool. Besides, my "city" friends either had no kids, or they worked. After our first lunch, I was hooked. The women I have met are so unique in her own way I feel as if I have grown as a woman and as a person just from being their friends.
All of our kids are far too old to attend the Mother Goose time now. Now, most of us go to the toddler time. Some of the moms do not go, due to scheduling problems, attention problems or various other reasons. But, we are all here for each other. We have created something wonderful for each of us. There are various ethnic, religious and cultural differences between all of us. It is everything that I might want my children to experience anywhere I live.
Some of us are better friends then others; we have made deeper connections past our children, some not. But it has helped me more there any other single thing as a mother. To have the support of other mothers, to be able to talk about your kid’s problems for hours, what would I do without that support? Not to mention the distraction of not having to stay home ALL
DAY with 2 toddlers, that can be more then the sanest person can take.To give you an example of how diverse my group of friends is I will give you a breakdown of Lola’s third birthday party.
We Had:
The Over Educated Mom with her Masters
The Asian
The Muslim
The Divorce
The Handicap
The Older Mom
The Homeschooler Mom with 5 kids
The Liberal Democrat in suburban Sugar Land
The list goes on, but that was 8 months ago…
My point is, I have everything here that I could ever want in any big city. Not to mention all the things that I would lack, such as, a great park at every neighborhood, super awesome grocery stores that sell organic at a reasonable price, the big city is only a 15 minute drive, every possible ethnic group that one might want their children to be exposed to. It is all I ever wanted for my kids only cheaper real estate!
I say all this in the mindset that this is for me. My children love these kids. They talk about everyone constantly. If I mention that we are going to see Ally, Lola wants to know if Joshua is going to be there. Moses is obsessed with Eloise and Owen. I have seen Lola go from being extremely board with the kids a year younger then her, to becoming the surrogate mother to these kids when their moms are talking. She takes ownership of her friendship with everyone in this group. They have now become her babies They are building, what I hope to be, lifelong friendships.
The library is not having toddler time, so we have been getting together on Wednesdays and going to a park. Here are some pictures of last week. We went to the splash park first and then to the regular park.
Moses Enjoying the water!
Lola, my crazy girl.
Mary Evyn. A little princess.
Moses drinking the water...nice.
A good shot of the park.
Moses, checking our "O" Man on the swings.
Lola and Eloise, best buds, who wudda thought?
Our true Mother Goose.
Lolita or Jenny?
Still Mommy's baby. I cherish this time so much. 
There is a little smile!
If my kids could spend every waking moment with their grandparents, they would. It might have something to do with the fact that the moment we walk in their door the kids are provided with, cookies, salty snacks, juice and the opportunity to watch as much Barney as their little eyes can take. That is just walking in the door.
I had extremely fun parents growing up. My mother would design costumes for the plays I wrote and my dad would wrestle with us for hours. Yet, they were still my parents, and they were pretty strict. I am so pleased that they are now afforded the opportunity to just do the fun stuff. The kids are my gift to them for raising me right and loving me enough to discipline me. Cuz, that is NOT fun, for either party.