Crash Landing

Today, Quinn's preschool class hosted the mommies for a little luncheon. I've been on a high from this all day - such sweetness, cuteness, innocence. The kids met us, 2 at a time, in the hallway across from their room at noon. They escorted us to our seats (designated via lovely, kid-made butterfly placemats, at tables with little white tableclothes) and even pulled our chairs out for us! We had little gifts at our seats - a handprint plaque and a flower. And we were treated like "princesses....and princesses don't throw away their own garbage!"

Have I mentioned yet how much I love these preschool teachers? Giving the kids a fabulous sense of what this world needs: Mommies as princesses.

Anyway, we dined on little sandwiches, fruit, and butterfly cookies made by the kids. We then joined them in "circle time" and they sang a few songs, including a special Mommy song. (Several tears wiped away at this point.) The day ended with one of the teachers reading this book:

Put this on your required reading list. Any mother out there will definitely get a chuckle or two from it....although I'm not sure the kids knew why we were laughing at it this afternoon.

OK - so here's the crash. Tonight while drying off Quinn after his bath, I'm telling him what a great day it was, how I loved the party, and how I know that all the other mommies did too. He then gets a thoughtful look in his eyes and tells me, "You know, Gabrielle's mommy is different than my mommy." She is? I ask. "Yes, she's smiley." She's smiley? You don't think your mommy is smiley? "Well...I have to tell you this....well...sometimes you're smiley, but Gabrielle's mom is always smiley." Oh, OK (my voice drifts off and Quinn begins a new topic - Buzz Lightyear, I think).

Thud. That comment totally brought be back to earth. I'm not smiley. In his eyes. At least not as smiley as Gabrielle's mom. I was fully-prepared just moments earlier to hear him say that I wasn't as pretty, skinny, or as nicely dressed at G's mom. But smiley? Oh man. Nice to get your mid-year evaluation from one of your little bosses and hear this.

So, I did what any self-respecting mommy would do at this point: after putting the kids to bed, I left all dishes in the kitchen sink and ate a big, fat bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream (Edy's Slow-Churned, of course - just in case the you're-not-as-skinny-as-so&so's-mom comment is next!). And I watched TV all night long.

And now, I'm smiling. It's too bad he's sleeping through it all!

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Apparently, this is how that smiling business is done:

Quinn, open those eyes! Your mommy is smiling in the next photo!