My job title on Facebook says: Ringmaster at Bartelt 3-ring Follies. I’ve considered changing it for a more impressive sounding title like domestic goddess (which would be a lie; I’m a terrible housekeeper) or CEO of Bartelt, Inc. or Supermom, but really, the ringmaster title is the most appropriate.
Exhibit A:
The amazing upside-down, look ma one hand Isabelle!
And Exhibit B:
Munchkin on a trike.
And Exhibit C:
My cousin Abby had a birthday this week and she asked everyone to dress in purple and send pictures. This was our crazy humorous attempt. The kids are wearing my husband’s high school graduation gown. Their heads are poking out through the sleeves. Note to self: buy the boy some purple. He wore this and a princess dress to show his spirit.
Ringmaster fits me well. I tend to be the one trying to keep things under control, moving in some kind of order. And I feel like the words to that old song:
“Clowns to the left of me; jokers to the right; here I am, stuck in the middle with you.”
I’m sure that song has a completely different meaning than how I’m using it, but today, it works for me.
Maybe we’ll take our show on the road soon. My son already has rolling in the center aisle down to an art form in churches. And he’s constantly asking if our pastor is God. He’s also a human snot factory and thinks it’s hilarious to blow it out of his nose before he has a tissue anywhere nearby. (Two-year-olds are SO gross!) And Isabelle can show off her talent for making stories out of dinosaur shaped fruit snacks and penguin shaped cheese crackers. Give her anything resembling a human or animal, and she’s using them to tell stories.
Creative? Yes. Annoying sometimes? Definitely. Worth an audition on America’s Got Talent? Probably not. But I won’t rule it out. (Yes I will. I don’t want that kind of fame.)
For now, we’ll stick with our favorite venue: home. And if I’m not too busy keeping the circus contained, I’ll post more pictures of the show.
I’m drawing the line at lion taming, though. The closest we’ll come to that is adopting a cat.