Your Kiss Is On My List

Recently Seamus found this book in my room. Its called List Yourself and its basically an empty journal with a prompt on each page asking you to list something thought provoking and random. I bought this book over 10 years ago when I was teaching middle school. I used to have the kids do a warm up in their journal every day for about 7 minutes before I started class. I bought this book to get ideas and to add variety to the journal prompts. Sometimes its easier to list something than actually write and I knew this was true with my students.

When I bought this book, I wrote in a few of the pages and dated each entry. I thought it would be interesting to see how particular lists might change with the years. I only wrote in maybe a dozen entries and there are over 200 in the book. Seamus has gotten great enjoyment reading what Ive written in years past. The prompts have brought about some interesting conversations. For example, one of the entries on page 24 asks to "List all the names you've been called, endearing and not so endearing." I wrote in 9/97:

Mom has called me Lee-see my whole life. She also calls me "Babes." Dad used to call me "Weasel" when I was little. Erin and Kira call me "Lee" and in all the yearbook entries, letters and cards they've written me they each start them off with "Li" - never "Lisa." I like that.

Then, I wrote another entry on this same page that is dated 9.15.06 and reads:

Mama. I hear that dozens and dozens of times each day. "Mean Mama" is something Ive been hearing lately and I dont like it very much.

Seamus thought that was hysterical and was laughing his head off when I read it. I didnt see the humor in it. I vividly recall the period of time when he called me that. He was in love with his "Dadoo" during that time and I was the evil Mama who never let him do anything. Shea had a very particular way he would say "Mean Mama" to me - like I can hear his little squeaky voice and the tone in which he would speak it. In 2006 Seamus would have been 7 years old. Im positive I began hearing "Mean Mama" way earlier than 2006, but ironically I dont hear it much anymore. Im thankful for this, though now I hear other exclamations that are equally unkind in nature. Ahhh.... motherhood. Gotta love it! ;)

Because this book has given Seamus such enjoyment, I figured Id pick a page randomly from time to time and answer it here on the blog. Today's list question is located on page 70 and reads: List the food that's always left in your refrigerator after everything else is eaten."

11.17.09
-lots of salad dressing, and we honestly rarely ever eat salad. So strange.
-soy sauce, parmesan cheese, tabasco and maple syrup
-condiments like ketchup, mustard, mayo (for when my mother in law comes) and relish.
-butter, both cubed and in the Country Crock container
-usually an old jar of half eaten Ragu or Prego spaghetti sauce. I dont know why I always save them.
-vegetables. Presently, I have some mini carrots that have been in there a long time. I should throw those out.
-crescent rolls. I keep them on hand for when Elijah comes over. My own kids dont eat them much.
-wine. We have a bottle of Vin Ruspo that we brought back from Italy in 07. Saving it for a special occasion.
-champagne. Very random. Again, I suppose its there for a special occasion.

Happy Tuesday. Gosh I love Tuesdays. :)