Oh, those were the days....

Remember the limbo? Or "couple skate"? What about the game where everybody skated to a number on the wall and when your number was called, you had to skate to another number? Eventually, only one group of people was left.
I just took a trip, er, a skate, down memory lane recalling the days of Friday nights at the skating rink. I took Farmer Boy and the Princess to the roller rink. I mean, "Inline Skating Arena" tonight. It's been about 15 years since I used roller blades. And as I recall, the last time I used them I was wearing a cast. The cast was not a result of the roller blades, just an added accessory. I was pretty adept on the roller blades then, skating miles at a time.
Yeah, not so much tonight. The last time I used roller blades I was used to working out no less then 4 days a week, didn't have a child attached to each arm, did not have thighs compliments of one said child and did not eat leftover mac-n-cheese off of the other kid's plate for lunch and call it a meal.
Anyhow, I thought I would give it a try. I started out in roller blades, took one spin around the rink. Then I returned to the counter for the gramma skates (you know, the ones with 4 wheels and a brake). My daughter said her skates had four wheels too. Thanx honey, but yours are all in a line. Mine are positioned to balance the excess baby weight.
Wow, I was impressed with myself then.
"Look how fast you go, mom," the Princess said before the evening was over. "Yep," was my brief response, but I smiled inside. I do still have some athletic ability hidden inside me.
Wait till dad sees this, I thought to myself. He offered to take them skating tonight, even though he did not grow up with the luxury of Friday skate nights. Actually, he didn't grow up with the luxury of running water in their school in kindergarten. But that's another blog entry.
Anyhow, I think his offer was more to get out of giving the younger two kiddos a bath. Or maybe he just wanted to get out of the messy house (that was my reason). I mean, I was looking forward to spending time with the older two and showing off my now-hidden athletic ability.
I also didn't want dad to attempt skating and, as we say, 'break a hip.' He is a little older than me in case you haven't guessed.
So off we went. Two hours at the rink. The Princess skated backwards a few times and only fell twice. She also made it through three rounds of the Limbo. Farmer Boy did not fall at all and is feeling pretty confident for the upcoming hockey league.
Me, meanwhile, I'm just excited I didn't do the splits or fall on the little guy that ran into me. He laughed when I said it was a good thing I didn't fall on him.
Seriously buddy. Do you know many kids and mac-n-cheese meals it took to me make get this way? And how many Friday skate nights to erase this baby weight?
Now, off to find some Tylenol P.M.

"Hello, Nice to Meet You....."

"Hello. My name is...." "Bye. See you later."
I know someday, those greetings will flow naturally out of our children's mouths. But for now, we are left with much more creative responses.
Farmer Boy, age 7, stuck his tongue out at someone he didn't know when the gentleman spoke to him at a store. The man is someone I know, so let's just say that was pretty embarrassing. Farmer Boy was lucky he was in public. Otherwise, well....
Usually he and the Princess just smile. Or hide behind me.
Cookie Monster (just one month shy of age 3) has the best response lately:
"Hi turd!" This is generally shouted. Although yesterday at church, he did say softly to a friend: "Hi turd."
However, the volume shot straight up when we left the paint-your-own pottery place recently. Luckily, the clerk was a young teenage girl and didn't quite have a degree in baby-speak yet.
But Cookie Monster shouted (rather plainly I thought): "Bye turd!" I quickly grabbed his hand and escorted him to the car.
Someday, that fine greeting will come. Probably when I'm sobbing too much to understand as he pulls out of the driveway on his way to college....