Mommy is a Punk Rocker Now...

As we drove home from my mom's house tonight, I could feel the kids vibrating in the back seat. They were completely jacked up after a day of no napping and an evening of chasing their cousins, wrestling one another, being thrown about by uncles Dave and Tommy, and consuming sugar in various forms.

"We may have to medicate them to get them to sleep," I half jokingly said to Warren.

"They'll have to crash at some point," he said.

"I don't know..." I said.

"Okay everyone, get ready to rock," Warren said as he slid in a new CD. Hey, ho, let's go! Hey, ho, let's go! Joey Ramone screamed from the speakers.

I perked up a bit. After watching "Rock-n-Roll High School" more times than I can count in the sixth grade, I learned all of the words to the Ramone's most popular songs.

"Hey, ho, let's go!" I chanted along with Warren and Satchel. Jiro grinned and clapped his hands. The next thing I knew, we were all banging our heads in unison.

"I want to hear Spider-man," Satchel said on cue as Joey Ramone's rendition of the Spider-man theme song came on.

As we neared the house I said, "Put on 'Sheena is a punk rocker!'"

Sheena is...a punk rocker, Sheena is...a punk rocker, Sheena is...a punk rocker noooow... Joey crooned. I joined in but sang, "Satchel is...a punk rocker, Satchel is...a punk rocker, Satchel is...a punk rocker noooow." Satchel giggled then asked me in all seriousness, "Mommy, what's a punk rocker?"

"Someone who likes to rock," I replied between verses.

"Rock on!" Satchel shouted as he made the universal "rock on" symbol with his thumb, pointer, and pinky fingers that Warren taught him years ago.

Before the song was over I gave us all a chance to be punk rockers and we pulled in front of the house happy and exhausted, almost as if we had been to an actual concert.

As I type this, everyone is sound asleep.