Snow Boots & Musical Cards

It's the joy of life to be loud. I'm one of those people who likes noise. I don't hate the annoying toys - except for one. You know who you are little bug; you know who you are. I don't mind playfully screaming kids. I prefer loud music.

Not always. I'm not mental. I'd love a date with Silence...me, you and a diet Sprite. Ahh!

There are, however, two sounds that are defining my life right now. The first comes from those cards that play music when you open them. The girls each got one for Christmas two years ago and we are still listening to Frosty the Snowman and Linus as he tells Charlie Brown the real meaning of Christmas.

This year Grammy was a dear and passed along Pap's birthday card and a Christmas card. The birthday card plays...wait for it...the M.C. Hammer classic, Can't Touch This nananana nana nana can't touch this. I showed the girls how to do the Hammer dance. Yes I can do it. And now that's what they want to see when they open it. They want to go in the kitchen and break it down. nananana nana nana So we do. I consider it exercise. And fun. And noisy. But we're making memories and that's what being two is all about: making memories that will solidify their opinion of me in the teen years, and building my arsenal for when they express their opinion of me in the teen years.

It's the Christmas card that gets me. It plays Silent Night. Zoe loves it and sits listening with her little head cocked to the side but only when she can make it past the first note, which she hates. So most often she opens it just long enough to hear the first high pitched, no-one-should-ever-sing-like-that note, Siii... Close the card. Repeat. Siii... Close the card. Repeat. SIIIII... CLOSE THE CARD. REPEAT. I keep telling her that it won't change. She doesn't listen. Siii...

I know I could throw it away. There's something sickeningly funny about it though that keeps it around. Like the Doritos Super Bowl commercial where the guy licks the Doritos dust off other guy's finger...sick! Made my toes curl it was so gross. But I laughed hysterically and hoped it would come on again.

The second is snow boots. They change a person. They are like brakes for the world. Here's the song of the snow boot: While they're warm and toasty and absolutely necessary, they are also big and clunky and like armor around your ankles. People who normally walk at a reasonable pace are reduced to a slower than slow plod when they pull on the boots.

The stores are full of them - folks who, although they'd like to, can not bend their ankles or lift their weighted feet quick enough to walk. So on we shuffle. On we plod. Thunk, Donk. Thunk, Donk. Toe, Heel. Plod. Plod.  

Those are the sounds of winter. The challenge will be to break it down in my boots...nananana nana nana