Martannasmimi’s Weblog

 This  past weekend was a big celebration for my son Ian and his wife Suzanne’s baby,  Liam.   It was his Baptism day and everyon(60) people gathered in a church in Westwood New Jersey bare witness to this most celebrated tradition.  His godmother was Suzie’s special cousin Susan..his godfather was Justin,  but his Popa John was the proxy as Justin lives on the other side of the Earth from us. The priest was actually very nice,  and said good and relevant things…He asked out loud,   what is the most important thing that Liams parents can do for him. He looked around meekly as some offered up ideas.  One shouted love and support him, another said give him a close and involved family, one yelled out  ”love the lord” which prompted me to want to respond by yelling out  Hallelujah . I am not a big volunteer for this sort of speak out in the chuch thing…as we all waited he simple stated that the most important thing Liam’s parents can do for him is to love one another. Because if you do not you will not be able to give him a very happy life.

It’s very true you fall in love with your children and as a couple you begin to then love around them. We here in this country are so focused on loving our children and giving them everything that perhaps he has a point ..we lose the most important part of what makes life  “all good”.. Very wise advice from a man who never has never know what it feels like to hold his own child for the very first time.

Call it writers block or just an unwillingness to ser come to an emotional need to put my fingers to a keyboard and write some long miserable diatribe on how much I hate that my grandaudies live on the other side of the earth. 

Each day I hope that  I will feel better about this so I can write something fun and happy…but fun and happy live quite far away from here at the moment.         

Marta is getting a bit older now and she doesn’t seem quite as interested in talking to her Mimi on the phone …a few minutes is all she has for me and then it’s back to the TV show or a DVD.  Anna is still having some difficulty with English so we only have a few words to say to each other …but at least she knows it’s me and who “me” is when I call.

Today was about my worst food day in a very long time there hasn’t been a day like this since the holidays. A total food disaster….. Popa John is on a business trip to San Francisco so it’s just the Mimi and Hannah the dog till Friday.  I made a big tray of Pasta  for an open house ( I am a Real Estate Broker). I started it at 6:30 AM ..don’t ask why, but by 8AM  it was done and I shared what wouldn’t fit  into the tray with the dog for breakfast. Yum.. oh with my Coffee….yum.  My open house was at 12:30  so I had a bit more pasta with my fellow brokers ..yum,  and then I had some more with another group, …yum,  and then I had a bit more yum …I came home at from work at 6Pm  and Hannah and I ate more pasta …. yum.   Totally disgusted I told Hannah that we needed to go for a long walk at least 2 miles to begin the process undoing our/my overly “yummie” pasta day. Off we went for a long walk along the harbor. We walked  for about 2 miles feeling somewhat content that  I/we had walked off perhaps  one or two of  the many servings of pasta, then we started back home.   Just as I was feeling a bit better about  my foodie day what should jump out from the side of the road but the very yummy Gelato Store.  Martas very favorite Gelato Store. Turning into the parking lot  I knew that this was a day that was just a total loss.. 1 small stawberry  Gelato please ..in an edible cup ( just to be Green) …Fresh Strawberry Gelato…what more can be said about this day…..Yum!

The health benefits of Gelato: http://www.caffegelato.net/html/gelato.html

 On most  permit able evenings I take my dog Hannah for a sunset walk along our beautiful little Harbor .                                                                            She,  Hannah the dog,  (as Marta calls her) loves to sniff her way along the shoreline.   She  so enjoys visiting with all the other dogs who are out for their evening stroll.  Several dogs live along side the Harbor and bark hello at us as we make our way along the waters edge.

There is something magical  about this special body of water .  It is a place that in some ways time forgot..

Dear Annabella ,

After a week of playing in the Spa Tubbie with Marta & Anna the Duckies seem to be quite  lost without their girls.   There is no more fighting over “tub toys” or  spashing and crying over soapy eyes (Marta).  No more spa bubbles and hair washing no more pouring buckets of water,  over big sisters head,  (Anna).

It seems that our little Anna has become the “Tub Commander”  The proverbial,  “Queen of the tubby.”   She is extremely brave and a bit of soap in the eyes does not  seem to deter or upset her one bit …but big sister Marta is always whining about soap  in her eyes and water on her head…She the child who I taught to swim last summer.  The one who I cheered for as she learned to fearlessly jump off the side of the pool, the one who showed me at least 100 times  (“watch me Mimi”)  how she could swim under the water,  and could.                              

Where did that little Guppie go?

Oh Miss Marta,  I think the hand writing  might be on the wall.  Little Miss Annabella may prove to be a very strong  little  sister… and at the moment she  is truly the reining  ….

Queen of the Tubby”.