Cool Whip Mom

I've never told her, but long before I "met" her through Kristi, I stalked Naomi of Organic Motherhood with Cool Whip, devouring her posts with my morning tea, laughing out loud and shaking my head at her adventures.

It all happened some time last winter, when, while reading the comments on some of my favorite blogs, I noticed a blogger popping up with consistently funny and amazingly insightful comments.  I finally headed over to her blog where I spent hours reading and laughing and nodding my head in agreement.  Whether writing about the principals behind the attachment parenting movement or her harrowing experiences in McD's, Naomi never fails to deliver.

Which is why I'm so excited to be hosting her today on Mandyland. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do and be sure to leave a little Mandyland love for one of my favorite bloggers.

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The Magic Eraser

Recently, my friend Silvina and I were at her home planning some preschool classes together. In the space of 10 minutes, our 2-year-olds unearthed a purple marker and managed to decorate the entire downstairs of her home. Floors, walls, tables, carpet…their artistic masterpiece could be described as nothing less than complete. I was mortified. But surprisingly, Silvina was unfazed. “It’s okay,” she said with a smile. “I’ll just get the Magic Eraser.”

Magic Eraser? How exactly did I manage to make it through five years of motherhood without knowing about something as significant as a Magic Eraser? I followed Silvina into her pantry where she brought out what looked like a simple sponge. One side was white, the other gray. I doused a little water on it and rubbed in on the wall and the purple markings vanished as if they had never been there at all. It was nothing short of a mommy miracle.

This got me thinking about Magic Erasers. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they worked on children as well? Or on bad hair days, bad dates, bad memories, nasty arguments, failed recipes, car troubles, or any other unfortunate situation?

There would be no more temper tantrums while you straddle your toddler and attempt to scrub that permanent marker, dried food, or glitter paint off his face or other delicate body parts for upwards of fifteen minutes. It would be so simple. Just wipe and go. And if you had a stressful day, you could just wave it over your brain and the memory would be all gone. Nothing to worry about at all.

But, apparently the Magic Eraser is not safe on human skin. Or so I’m told by several friends who have tested out this theory. It causes a nasty rash. Or worse. Nor does it work on bad dates. If you try waving it over the man in question, hoping he will turn into Prince Charming, he will just look at you like you’ve lost your mind and there won’t be any pumpkin carriage driven by mice to take you home either.

However, as I was lying in bed the other night mulling this over while trying to get my two boys to fall asleep, my son Nino said something that jolted me from my thoughts. “Mami,” he whispered in my ear. “If you weren’t already married to Papi, I would marry you.”

I looked at him. Our faces were no more than two inches away from each other. I could smell the strawberry toothpaste on his breath. His eyes were gleaming and he looked as sincere as any grown man making a marriage proposal. “Would you?” he continued. “Would you marry me, too, if you weren’t already married to Papi?”

I lifted my hand and put it against his soft cheek. “Yes,” I said. “Of course I would.” Satisfied, Nino closed his eyes and something fluttered inside my heart and I realized, I don’t need a Magic Eraser. I already have two and they are right here cuddled up against me. Their love is so fresh, so palpable, so genuine, so real. In moments like these, you realize, perfection is right there, inside every moment, it’s beating heart and tiny fluttering wings, just waiting, quietly waiting for you to recognize it.