Anyhow, one of the best things I liked about suburbia was mornings when it was time to walk to school. (The walk was by far more interesting than the class time after we got there.) An otherwise quiet neighborhood would wake up and children would start streaming out of doors everywhere to walk the sidewalks to school. It was like being a part of a large camaradierie and I rather liked that.
I would always walk over to the next street and, inevitably, wait for my friend Colleen McLaughlin to come out to walk the rest of the way to school with me. I was kind of jealous of Colleen McLaughlin. She had an Irish last name to match her Irish first name. To top it all off, she said her middle name was pronounced with a long A: Anne. I only had the Irish first name and nothing more. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with my middle name or my last name, but "Fisher" just wasn't as melodious to my 4th grade ears as "McLaughlin".
The reason I had to wait for Colleen McLaughlin everyday before school is because she was always lingering over a last few moments with Romper Room. We didn't watch Romper Room at my house, but I did see it at her house sometimes.
I still remember the lady sitting there with that Magic Mirror thing saying:
“Romper, bomper, stomper, boo! Tell me, tell me, tell me do. Magic Mirror, tell me today, have all my friends had fun at play?”
Then she would start "seeing" a whole list of children in their very living rooms through the t.v. screen! I knew better, but I remember thinking had I been younger I would've gotten more of a bang out of it. That I know of she never said my name. My name wasn't one that got much press......not like Lisa or Susan or Julie or Amy. That was ok. At least my name was Irish, right?
Why in the world am I writing about this? Well, my house has been strangely reminiscent of Romper Room this week. Maria has been babysitting Susie, Mikey, Bobby, and Tommy (not their real names) and she has had them here a good bit of the time. Susie is 3. The rest are younger. Mikey, Bobby, and Tommy are all in diapers. So are Trevor and Clay. Susie wears panties and goes potty, but she must be taken.
Clay walks some; Tommy and Bobby do not. Trevor talks, but Mikey does not. Susie talks all.the.time.
There are bottles and baby socks everywhere. (Baby socks are part of our natural landscape anyhow. Bottles are not.) We've been peeling baby off baby at every turn. At one point I was wearing Clay in the Maya Wrap and had Bobby in the back pack. That kept two of them off the floor for a while.
Oh, I don't mind little people and this is all very temporary. It's been kind of funny, actually. Even the twins are walking around toting a baby on their hips trying to get something done.
"Hey, someone needs a diaper change!" and we all go around sniffing for the culprit. "Maria, it's yours this time!" She's one up on me: she has three in diapers. I only have two. LOL.
Anyhow. So, life at our house continues to be busy as ever. Right now I have to go try to slip in math lessons with the boys while Bobby and Tommy are down for a nap. See ya later!
~Colleen
Then she would start "seeing" a whole list of children in their very living rooms through the t.v. screen! I knew better, but I remember thinking had I been younger I would've gotten more of a bang out of it. That I know of she never said my name. My name wasn't one that got much press......not like Lisa or Susan or Julie or Amy. That was ok. At least my name was Irish, right?
Why in the world am I writing about this? Well, my house has been strangely reminiscent of Romper Room this week. Maria has been babysitting Susie, Mikey, Bobby, and Tommy (not their real names) and she has had them here a good bit of the time. Susie is 3. The rest are younger. Mikey, Bobby, and Tommy are all in diapers. So are Trevor and Clay. Susie wears panties and goes potty, but she must be taken.
Clay walks some; Tommy and Bobby do not. Trevor talks, but Mikey does not. Susie talks all.the.time.
There are bottles and baby socks everywhere. (Baby socks are part of our natural landscape anyhow. Bottles are not.) We've been peeling baby off baby at every turn. At one point I was wearing Clay in the Maya Wrap and had Bobby in the back pack. That kept two of them off the floor for a while.
Oh, I don't mind little people and this is all very temporary. It's been kind of funny, actually. Even the twins are walking around toting a baby on their hips trying to get something done.
"Hey, someone needs a diaper change!" and we all go around sniffing for the culprit. "Maria, it's yours this time!" She's one up on me: she has three in diapers. I only have two. LOL.
Anyhow. So, life at our house continues to be busy as ever. Right now I have to go try to slip in math lessons with the boys while Bobby and Tommy are down for a nap. See ya later!
~Colleen
