My Inspiration: The Poopie Girls.
Well, poops, what can I tell ya? I’m coming down the home stretch in my wild literary quest. It’s been quite an odyssey I’ve been on since November 1st, and even though I’ve still got about 12,000 words to go, I can’t even articulate adequately how incredible it feels to know I set a very difficult goal for myself and am very close to achieving it. I know I sound like a broken record, but I sure hope that you’ll consider not putting off that one thing you’ve been dreaming about doing. You just never know what can happen in life and tomorrow can bring, so DO IT NOW! Only happiness and fulfillment will follow if you do!
Now, onto today’s blog title. Sounds a little weird, right? What in the heck is a “poop-straction?” Well, it’s a new little category I’ll be adding to from time to time here on the blog. It’s poopie code for “distraction” but my own, personal version of it. I don’t have a lot of time right now, but was trying to think of a way I could leave you all with something fun and helpful to mull over during the holiday break these next few days. As I was pondering what to post today, the idea sprouted-up organically on our ride home from preschool this afternoon. The poopie girls (don’t they look oh so adorable in that pic above? Don’t let it fool you! They can be TERRORS!!! : ) were fighting about something in the backseat. I don’t even recall exactly what is was about. A didn’t like how D looked at her and D didn’t like the song A was singing to annoy her and the next thing I know it’s verbal anarchy in the rear view mirror! And now that I’m driving Poopie Daddy’s Prius (highly highly recommend, by the way, this thing goes for weeks without a fill-up!) it’s a much tinier space and hence, much harder to drown out the volume from my two bickering children.
And so, like we poopie moms must so often do, I tried to find a quick distraction to divert their attention from the fighting. I have found over the years that it’s a much easier tactic to diffuse a situation with my girls to distract them then to get them to “work it out” every single time. The latter often escalates the problem, as my girls are crazy stubborn, but distracting them works like a charm almost every time. And before I even realized what was flying out of my mouth, I said to my girls, “What would you call it if you were swimming and licking a lollipop at the same time?” Both of them immediately turned their attention to me and the fighting instantly ceased. The question had been thrown out and now they needed to use all their brain power and concentration to answer it. A and D looked at each other, trying to figure out where all of this was leading, and then they yelled up to the front seat, “We don’t know, mama, what???” And out of the blue, I said: it would be called “Swi-licking.” This answer literally had them in stitches. A minute ago they had been screaming at one another and now they couldn’t stop laughing.
Then D said, “oh I’ve got one…what do you call it when you’re eating pizza and riding a horse?” Of course we had no idea and the look on her face when she shouted it out was hilarious. With a great deal of delight, she announced: “Pizza back-riding!” And she was so proud that she got the game and kept it going. A was next and she asked, “Well, what do you call it when you’re sliding down a slide and singing a song?” She didn’t even give us time to guess before she blurted out “slinging!”
And this, my poopies, is what I like to call a classic “poop-straction.” I had stumbled onto a new game, one I’ve dubbed the ‘mix-up-word game’, and for the remainder of the ride home we all played it happily and peacefully, cracking each other up with the silly combinations of activities we imagined. Here are a few standouts:
whistling and wiping your tush = “whushling”
climbing a ladder and shaking your booty = “boombing”
taking a bath and coloring = “bathoring”
and of course, you know they couldn’t not mention it, my personal favorite, what do you call pooping and eating marshmallows? drumroll please….”marshpooplows”
In all seriousness, the reason I’m sharing this with you is to remind you all that despite all of the toys and songs and gadgets available to distract your kids from conflict or anything else, YOU and your imagination will always end-up being the most fun and the most valuable thing you can use in any tough situation. Playing a creative, made-up game together is something your kids will always remember. Watching a video game or dvd is not. Sounds corny, but me and my gals really did take stinky, sour metaphorical lemons in the car today and made amazing, sweet and memorable lemonade, inventing a game and cracking ourselves up. It was priceless.
As you enter the long, holiday weekend, when things can get a little overwhelming and often a little tense, try dealing with it by pulling a “poop-straction” from your mommy arsenal. No matter what it is or who is causing the drama, kids or grown-ups, doesn’t really matter, it’s applicable to anyone or anything. Come-up with your own silly game on the fly or divert the focus onto a funny memory or story or play something you already know everyone loves. That’s really what the holidays are all about after all. Some of my fondest childhood holiday memories have nothing to do with the food we ate or the presents we received or gave or who made what and who brought this or that and who went where with whom – as none of that is important. What I do remember is the active participation of everyone in my family when we would play a game together, especially during this one Passover at my grandparents house when we decided to stop hiding the matza and start hiding people – literally. My dad and uncle hid our little cousin so well that we couldn’t find her for like an hour and it was honestly the most hilarious memory. We finally found her on the top shelf in a closet in the back of the basement way high up, hidden behind some luggage. She wasn’t even afraid, as she had a grin from ear to ear when we finally discovered her. We all remember it and still laugh about it today.
And maybe, when my girls are older and we’re talking about their childhood and things they remember they did and played with their mommy, one of them might say “marshpooplows” or “whushling” and we’ll all be in stitches all over again.
A very happy and healthy Thanksgiving to you all. I wish you and all your poopie families a wonderful holiday and I hope you create some amazing new memories together. xxoo.
