I have been Your Right Royal Grumpiness today. Waspish things have been bursting from my mouth all day, even when I tried to stop them, and I fervently hope this dissipates during the night or I will have to duct tape my mouth shut tomorrow, after I procure a supply. How pleasant that would be!

I have also discovered that I have been a neglectful parent. My children had never heard Bohemian Rhapsody, nor did they realize that Queen was also responsible for Another One Bites the Dust and We are the Champions and We Will Rock You. I know I've introduced them to Simon and Garfunkel, but their pop music education is sadly lacking, I fear. As is their poetry education, and their exposure to great comic artists such as Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. My only consolation is that they are all book fiends. At least I did something right.

This all came about because I was thinking about what things I enjoy, and it occurred to me that my children had no idea I enjoyed these things because I had never shared them. Even though I'm not planning on kicking any buckets in the near future, I wondered if they would know what kinds of things I liked. What would they say?

lemon-flavored anything
grapefruit
potato chips
french fries
flowers in glass vases
emily dickinson
reading
classical music
word puzzles
Jotto
Pounce
going barefoot
baggy sweaters
dangly earrings
Scrabble

When I first thought of this, I came home and gave Nathaniel permission to set up a table in his bedroom for the express purpose of having a jigsaw puzzle on it to work on -- because I love puzzles. Practicality set in quickly, as it was ruined by a certain small brother. So a Reuben-proof doorknob cover is on the list for the store, when I get up enough jaksaa* to get there. I'm afraid jaksaa is sadly lacking in me at present. With all the other things going on that are going on, how shall I begin to share these things I love with my family, so they can know for future reference? What other favorite things of mine have I pushed out of the way to make way for the urgent reality of being a mother and having children preoccupy every part of me? Is this a mid-life crisis?

*jaksaa is one of those great Finnish verbs. It means "to have the intestinal fortitude to do something".