Since our single earner status began, I haven't updated my orchids. I generally have good luck with them coming back full force after going dormant for awhile, but I replace the ugly sticks with new fresh pretty ones when they lose their flowers.
But, right now, I have a stick garden on the back porch of orchids that are (hopefully) going to come to life again, but spending even 12 dollars on an orchid to replace them at Trader Joe's just wasn't in the budget.
I really miss them.
So, yesterday, we splurged so our house would look festive for the party. Two white orchids for the living room, one yellow for the bedroom, and 40 iris (es?) for my bud vase collection/addiction. The entire "splurge" was around 40 bucks.
While T was helping Bubbs in the kitchen (unloading the dishwasher, their favorite father/son activity), I got to work filling bud vases and trimming stems.
Like most moments when I was working on something productive, T runs in, stands at my legs and starts whining, "Mama up, up, up, up. TT up, mama. up, mama. uuuuupppppp. MAMA!"
Against my better judgement, I let him on a chair and told him not to touch. But I did give him ONE flower that he could "play with."
Like any sweet sweet boy, he sniffed it and said "yum" (despite the fact that they iris (es?) had no scent at all).
Then...
He started taking all my flowers out of their bud vases and putting them in others - grabbing the flowers by the bloom (not the stem).
I had to have one of those "step back, breath, no one will die and no one will get hurt...3.99 divided by 10 flowers = .39 cents each, so he can destroy a few and it will be worth the silence" conversations with myself.
Wait - you don't do the math before you let the destruction begin?
But.
My sweet sweet boy, was in fact, sweet.
His normal distructo mode was replaced with a pleasant flower arranging demeanor.
He was particularly taken by the short white bud vases (so am I - since I have about 50 of them :)
He would rearrange them
Take the flowers out
and put them all in the taller larger bud vases (totally immersing the buds in the water which again put me into panic mode, but the moment was so sweet I let it go).
At one point, he realized he was working with his favorite toy, "wawa."
AND, he realized this was his opportunity to drink out of very cool vessel.
And, in a moment only a mother could be proud of, he put it down, flat, without dropping it, throwing it, or it tipping even in the slightest. He started to put it down ON TOP OF another vase, but realized his mistake even before Bubbs started to correct him, and put it down safely.
Who knew flower arranging was a project for toddlers?
Too bad this is only going to spur more bud vase acquisition.
So, out with it mamas. What other activities are winners that I haven't thought of?
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