With my older offspring, I remember St. Patty’s Day as a minimal affair.  For this non-cooking sort of soul, that meant running off to the grocery store and picking up some cupcakes that had  lovely Shamrock sprinkles and ensuring a splash of green on my outfit to avoid a pinch.  But with my little Maxito, somehow St. Patrick’s Day turned into a GIANT event for this non-Irish family.

This is how it went down:

Me:  Okay boys.  We have to run to Home Depot. 

Max:  Where’s the red bucket?

Me:  The red bucket?  I don’t know.  I think it’s filled with left-over grout from tiling.  Why on earth do we need a red bucket?

Max:  To catch the Leprechauns in. 

Me:  Oh.  (silent pause as I think about walking around with a red bucket.  The last time I had to walk around with a bucket inside a store was when I was pregnant and going through my first five months of morning sickness.  My artistic Gr. 11 students created a fabulously designed bucket for me when they got tired of watching me puke into their classroom garbage can in the middle of my archetypes lectures.)  I don’t think Leprechauns like to hang out in Home Depot so maybe we should just leave it here.

Max:  But that’s the thing, Mama.  They hang out in weird places.  (eyes well up with tears) We HAVE TO bring the bucket.

Me: (conceding because I don’t want to deal with the teary tantrum I can see coming)  Alright.  Do you think we need a lid?

Max:  No.  Unless you make airholes like for the stinkbug I caught.  But you can just hold your hand over the top.

Me: (thinking about the logistic of walking around with 2 boys, a Home Depot basket, a red bucket, and a leprechaun — and then realizing the thought was irrational and the likelihood of me having to hold the top of the bucket whilst doing everything else was slim.)  Alright.

Max:  And no matter WHAT - when he tells you to let him go, DON’T DO IT.  We have to get him home and keep him on the trampoline.

Me:  Why the trampoline?

Max:  Mom… Because of the net!  And he’ll give in eventually.  He’ll tell us where the gold is.

Me:  Oh.  I didn’t know they were that tricky.

Max:  (no words… just that “Duh” look like he can’t believe I wouldn’t totally know that)

And so.  If you saw me on Monday walking around with my basket, two boys, and a red bucket, looking into each nook and cranny, it wasn’t because I was crazy.  Well - I’m definitely a bit crazy but not THAT crazy.

(Incidentally, we didn’t happen to capture a Leprechaun.  But there’s always next year.  I have an entire year to convince Max that they’re more likely to hang out at Starbucks…)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 9:37 am. You can leave a comment below.