Here fishy, fishy, fishy.

Sometimes I have moments where I feel like I’m a pretty cool mom. For instance, I read books to Eva under her blankets and call it our cave. That’s pretty cool. I’ll take her to the park and stay for as long as she wants even though I’m ready to go home as soon as the car pulls into the parking lot. That’s pretty cool. I let her help me crack eggs even though it means I will have to clean up at least one off the floor. That’s pretty cool. Sometimes I pretend the hairbrush is a shark and talk to Eva about the fun things she’s combing her hair for. That’s pretty cool. Side note: I have an excellent shark voice. It’s deep enough to be realistic that he could be a cold-blooded killer, but gentle enough that Eva wants to talk to him, and weird enough that it seems he might have some mental impairment and that’s why he’s interested in talking to a 3-year-old. He’s a complex character.

I had another Pretty-Cool-Mom moment this week. I made Eva a fishing pole. I realize that sounds ridiculous but I’m not crafty by nature. I don’t hobnob with the vinyl lettering ladies or have great ideas for holiday decorations. I’m confused by Etsy and I don’t buy ribbon. But this week I was crafty. Here’s how it happened: I was looking for Play-dough cutters at Jo-Ann Fabrics and saw an assortment of wooden dowels along the wall. They were standing up in their tubes like little soldiers and I knew I needed to make a fishing pole out of one of them. Side note: The last time I purchased a wooden dowel, I was standing in the check-out line tapping the stick on the floor as I casually people-watched. The man in front of me turned around and asked how long I’d been blind. I was confused by this oddball question until I realized he thought the dowel was my cane. I looked down at the stick and replied, “Oh, I’m not blind. This is just a dowel.” He was terribly embarrassed and bolted from the line, not even waiting long enough for his receipt. I suppose I was moving my head about like Stevie Wonder as I enjoyed staring at the freaks in the store, tapping my dowel. Lesson learned. (By both of us, I think.)

I shouldn’t laud myself too much since I just nailed a shoelace into the dowel and glued a magnet on the end. I purchased wooden animal shapes and glued magnets to them too. However, that’s a serious crafting session for me so I will extol my genius as much as I want. I sold it to Eva as an amazing adventure and she lapped it up. Big time. I even got the laundry basket out so she could have a boat. She spent a long time fishing from her boat and the joy on her sweet face was precious.

That’s pretty cool.