Need help figuring out adoption relationships? Schedule a complimentary consultation with Lori Holden, M.A.

Best! Mom! Ever! x3

I.

Reed’s wallet had been lost for weeks. Sadly, he had a solid wad of money in it, given to him by his Grandfather in Boston, who had recently installed a toll transponder and had no further need for a 5 gallon barrel of change he’d collected. They’d gone to the bank to change the coins into bills and split it between the two grandkids, and Reed’s wallet had been bulging for a couple of weeks.

It went missing and Reed looked for it half-heartedly. It was only when he had immediate needs (like while we were in Tar.get) that he desperately wanted his wallet found. When he was actually home, amid the chaos that is his room, he couldn’t be bothered to look.

Until the weekend that Bruno Mars came to town. I told the kids I would take them to the concert if they would pay for half their tickets — about $18. You may think this is mean, but they appreciate things more when they’ve used their own energy to pay for it.

Suddenly Reed REALLY wanted to find his wallet, but without actually having to look for it. Is it in your room, Reed? Mommmm! I already looked there! In the car? Mommmm! I already looked there! In the couch? Mommmm! I already looked there! In your drawers, under your bed, in your laundry? Mommmm! I already looked in all those places! I’m dooooooooooomed! My life is ovvvverrrrrr because I can’t go to the conceeeeeeeert! Waaaaaah, waaaaaaah!

Tessa and I cleaned his entire room looking for the dratted thing. It took all freakin’ afternoon. He “helped” us by complaining less loudly than usual.

Finally I looked in one of the previously looked-in places:

Lost wallet found in the couch

couch cushion vortex

Reed’s relief brought him to tears.

Best! Mom! Ever! he said as he hugged me.

II.

Who is poised to take over the King of Pop crown now that Michael Jackson is gone? My vote goes to Bruno Mars. He’s got pop instincts as a writer of catchy songs, pop moves as a dancer, and he’s pretty darn cute. Just check out this or this. (And yes, some of the lyrics did cause us to have a discussion about appropriateness.)

Having the long concert history that I do — dating all the way back to Barry Manilow (don’t hate me because I’m cool) — I know how valuable it will be for them someday to say, “I saw Bruno Mars at the very beginning of his career.” And also, how groovy is it to take your kids to their first concert?

So I took Tessa and Reed. I remembered to bring binoculars and three pairs of ear plugs. Show time was at 7:30 with one opening act. But there was an additional band on stage before the billed opener, which means that Bruno Mars didn’t hit the stage until 9:40 pm. Sure, there was some impatient squirming, but it was all worth it when Bruno finally came out.

Bruno Mars concert(Apologies for the quality. There was a lot of jumping up and down going on.)

We rocked and rolled and yelled and danced and had a blast together. The show lasted until 11:30 pm and the kids were troopers. They were even able to make the trek back to the parking lot. I had moments of panic toward the end when I thought I might have to carry two sleeping children a quarter-mile to the car (by the way, Roger was out of town at this time).

It was a memory in the making. Tessa and Reed exclaimed, through their sleepiness, that it was the “best night of my entire life!” And for a time I was the…

Best! Mom! Ever!

III.

Some of the best things about writing for MileHighMamas, besides getting to know all the other Mamas, are the perks that our editor is sometimes able to share with us. This time it was entry for our families to Water World, the largest water park in the US — 67 acres. We were there all day and only able to visit a fraction of the attractions.

Not only did we get in with complimentary passes, but Water World also provided us lunch and valet service for the enormous inflatable rafts that the common people had to lug up the hills. Our very special kids? Walked to the top of the rides, cut in line by virtue of their special wristbands, and were awarded a raft out of the stash already at the top.

Tessa and Reed especially loved hanging out on the “beach” at Thunder Bay. The sandless beach with the soda pop logo.

Water World

Except for my periodic calling in for sunscreen slathering, once again I was the Best! Mom! Ever!

~~~~~

With my frequent insistence on tooth-brushing an clothes-folding and TV-limiting and general No-ing, hey, I’ll take Best! Mom! Ever! every time I can get it.

24 Responses

  1. Is Bruno Mars not just the most adorable thing ever?! B.riar LOVES “The Monkey Song” (her dubbing) and screams “HANDS PANTS” when he sings that line. For my own part, I think he is a brilliant song writer and pretty entertaining. I love that you took the kids to the concert – what an awesome experience for them and how seriously cool it makes you!

    We are taking our annual trip to Water World next Thursday and not only are the kids so stinkin’ excited, but I am SO STINKIN’ EXCITED! B.riar was 14-months when we went last year and we took my Mom because I was convinced that at some point she was going to have the mother of meltdowns and need to just curl up in the shade with Lala. Instead, she outlasted both of the big kids and had an amazing time. The fact that they literally have something for every single age makes it just perfect – and I love that we can bring lunch and snacks and save our pennies for our end-of-the-day funnel cake.

    1. That’s so cute about the hands pants! Although those couple of verses do open up some interesting conversations. And I’m not talking P90X.

      Enjoy Water World!

  2. shoot- you made a VERY wide decision having them pay half their tickets. i’m sure it will mean more in the long run!!!!

  3. Ah – a catch 22 there, though. You got stuck searching for the wallet, or else you’d have had to cover the ticket or Tessa would lose out on going. Tough call on that one – I would not have been so nice. But that’s why I say you’re a great mom.

    You definitely earned your Best! Mom! Ever! title this week…

    1. You are so right on that. If we hadn’t found the wallet, it would have been so unfair to Tessa.

      But another lesson I teach my kids is: “What kind of sissy word is fair!?”

      From my own dad!

  4. Dude, you seriously are the best mum ever. I am so beyond impressed.

    I only know one Bruno Mars song right now. The one with “your eyes, your eyes…” Er… that’s how much I have memorized.

  5. You totally are the best mom ever.

    I like that Bruno Mars song that goes: I gave you all I had and you tossed it in the trash. Tossed it in the Trash!

    So wonderfully specifically angry.

  6. I love Bruno Mars too, just love his lyrics and dance moves. WOWZA.

    And you like Barry too (Swoon, we are soulmates miss Lori)

    I’m so glad you’re the BEST MOM EVER…but I already knew that. ๐Ÿ˜‰
    xoxoxo
    Penelope

  7. You are so awesome! I’ve heard what an amazing show Bruno Mars puts on. Tessa and Reed will remember this night forever. What a great start to the summer!

  8. You really are the Best Mom Ever! My mum took me to my first concert too – it was Cliff Richard. I was so happy I cried. That’s something they’ll remember forever. ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. It is a wonderful feeling to hear those words… they make up for the slammed door “I HATE YOU” words that inevitably happen at some point in your super mom life span. ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Hi Lori, I’m stopping by from The Tribe.

    So glad the mystery of the missing wallet was solved.

    Sounds like great times at both the concert and Water World. We love Water World, we go every summer, it’s an amazing park.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *