April Fools Day

I usually don’t love April Fools Day.  I don’t like tricks or pranks that stress me out.  And we certainly don’t need a special day that gives you the green light to do those things.  The night before April Fools Day this year, my son was asking what he could do for this special occasion.  I want to be a fun mom, so I encouraged him a little, but I also said, “Don’t stress anyone out with the tricks you do.”

That morning, I made breakfast for my kids and they started whispering, and I’m like, “Uh oh.” Then one of them sneaks up to my room and they’re still whispering, and I’m thinking, “This better not be messy, whatever they’re up to.”  Anyway, off they go to school.  And yes, they got a little messy.  One of my children cleverly put toothpaste all over the sink for me, hee hee (I can laugh now). 

I discovered another one when I went to my room and walked in my husband’s closet to put something away.  Shoved in the corner of his closet, was my bed comforter.  And seriously, I was like, “Who put my blanket on this floor?!”  And then I was like, “Oh, I get it….” And on my bed was my daughter’s blanky, with a note that said, “Look in the closet” and an arrow pointing to my husband’s closet.  It was kind of adorable, and definitely an April Fools Day prank I can handle. 

This last prank made me think, if we keep the tricks this mild, I could possibly learn to enjoy April Fools Day.  For example, what if they put my shoes on the shelf above where they normally are and wrote “April Fools!” Or what if they put my toothbrush lying on its side, instead of vertical in the cup with a cute note that says, “April Fools!  Love you Mom!  You’re the best!”  Or they could make their beds and say “April Fools!  We put our pillows a little to the left instead of right in the middle.  Ha ha!  Mom you’re so amazing, and that’s no April Fools joke. “  Or they could watch one of my black and white movies all the way through with me and at the end be like, “April Fools!!  We really wanted to watch the Disney Channel, but we pretended we liked your movie.”  Or they could clean my house and be like, “April Fools, we made you think we wanted to clean the house instead of play with our toys.”  Or they could eat my healthy dinner, and eat all of their vegetables and at the end be like, “April Fools Mom!  We actually wanted chicken nuggets, but we’re too full now.”  We could turn this into a very productive holiday.  I love April Fools Day!

Snow White

I recently watched a newer version of the movie Snow White.  I remember watching the wicked queen (disguised as a little old lady) give Snow White the apple and there was that moment where Snow White goes towards the apple very slowly.  We all know that she shouldn't eat it, but she's headed that way, and we're like, "Don't do it!!" And we feel nervous and anxious for her.  But what about the anxiety the wicked queen feels?  Here she has this evil apple, and she has this really bad plan, but can you imagine how nervous she is as she watches Snow White make this really slow decision? The queen is dealing with all of the anxiety that goes with that situation, and that's stressful!

Recently, I had an experience where I felt like I could relate to the queen.  I made my baby a smoothie that was disguised as a nice drink but I had slipped some kale, and other healthy stuff in it. As I watched her slowly bring the cup to her mouth, contemplating if she was going to go for it, on the verge of a sip, I felt anxiousness, and probably a little bit of what the queen was going through with that apple.  I had put a lot of work into this, and I was practically saying "Go on Dearie, that's it!" And she took the sip and I was like, "Ha ha ha!" But that's where the similarities between the wicked queen and me end, except for the scraggly hair she has while in disguise (in that area we are identical twins separated at birth).  But I cannot relate to her evil intentions.  I disguise my drinks to make my daughter healthy, and to give her crazy looking green mustaches (seriously my smoothies are like glue!  I could totally be the makeup artist for the Got Milk ads.).

But you know who I can really relate to?  Sneezy!  Recently, I got really sick and I did not sneeze at all, but I coughed all the time and those are basically the same things.  And I can relate to Snow White a little, because, I like her sense of style (love her dress).  And also, she wears those pretty bows.  And when I was little, I wore bows a few times.  And, true story, one time my best friend came to school with a ribbon wrapped under her chin tied in a bow on top of her head.  When I saw her I let her know that the ribbon doesn't go under the chin.  I helped her out.  And I think that's the kind of friend Snow White would be.