This week has been rough. I don't know if it's the heat or their ages or simply my inability to spend all day entertaining but the kids have been driving me NUTS! The constant fighting over every little toy is really nerve wracking for me. We've also cut back MAJORLY on tv time so I'm sure that's part of it. In the long run, I know it does them a lot of good but can the benefits really outweigh the stress caused? Yikes. So much screaming over babies and toy wands and boxes.
We made it to the zoo last Friday but didn't do anything quite so adventurous this week. It's hard talking yourself into a day trip when you know you're going to be battling wills the entire time. Next week will be calmer... I keep telling myself that. Maybe the mantra will work and it will be a breeze.
I've been working on a school schedule for Izzy/Lily. I'm not sure how well it will work but I keep reminding myself that this first year, while important, won't define their entire scholastic career. 10-15 minute periods sprinkled through out the day should allow us to cover most subjects on an almost daily basis.
Izzy starts ballet classes next month. I didn't realize until a week ago that it will conflict right off the bat with our planned excursion with my parents but oh well. I don't know how a makeup class will work out but surely we can do something like that. After all, it's pre-ballet... surely they won't overload them in the first two weeks.
Fighting the green-eyed monster this week. From the peanut gallery comes all the "But I want it toooooooo" and from myself comes the "Why can't I have ________." The cute shoes, the nicer clothes, more nights out... you name it. I don't know what I'd do with any of those things, mind you. But it doesn't stop me from wanting. Working on that, though. Coveting never helped anyone.
Trying to remember to be thankful for the friends I have and the time with family. Having always struggled with feelings of exclusion, it's easy to feel slighted sometimes. Meh.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
July 19, 2011
Thursday morning, I meet with Rabbi Dennis to iron out a few last details. Hebrew name(s), any requests for people attending the beit din, congregation membership. I was thinking to pick a Hebrew name that would have the same meaning as my English one but that's more complicated than I thought. I was thinking my name meant 'beloved' but I keep getting things like "from the fortress" or "pure" or "black," depending on the source (Gaelic or Welsh).
Meh. Maybe he has some suggestions....
Meh. Maybe he has some suggestions....
July 19, 2011 A
The boy's vacation time is over and it's back to the normal routine. Ish...
Last week, we spent most of our days on the water, which was great. It makes the 100+ degree weather almost bearable when you can rinse off the sweat. The girls are rapidly becoming far more comfortable in the water than mama is but that's a good thing. I don't want them to have my fear of drowning. Izzy is browner than brown while Lily, our little paleface, is still, well, lily-white. I don't know how that happens... I must reapply the sunscreen more to Lily. I thought I was slathering evenly but who knows!
Saturday morning started off well, with getting to service EARLY for once. I don't think that's happened before. Maybe we should go out for breakfast more often. ;) The Torah portion was Pinchas - I know I've read it before but I don't guess it stood out as much as it should have until now. During discussion, some new ideas were presented: the necessity of anger and passion, the dangers of inclusion and the awesome burden placed on those in positions of power and respect.
Isobel's birthday party was Saturday afternoon and was a lot of fun. Nicole came over early and gave us massages as part of her class 'home work.' I didn't realize how much stress that would remove from the day until it was all over and the headache kicked in. Better after the party than in the middle of it! :)
Back to the normal routine yesterday, with carting the kids around to the store to drop off cameras and then on to the mall to play in the air conditioning. It makes the day go by much faster when we have things to do... just wish it were possible to find things to do that are entertaining AND free. Seems money is always slipping through our fingers. :(
Last week, we spent most of our days on the water, which was great. It makes the 100+ degree weather almost bearable when you can rinse off the sweat. The girls are rapidly becoming far more comfortable in the water than mama is but that's a good thing. I don't want them to have my fear of drowning. Izzy is browner than brown while Lily, our little paleface, is still, well, lily-white. I don't know how that happens... I must reapply the sunscreen more to Lily. I thought I was slathering evenly but who knows!
Saturday morning started off well, with getting to service EARLY for once. I don't think that's happened before. Maybe we should go out for breakfast more often. ;) The Torah portion was Pinchas - I know I've read it before but I don't guess it stood out as much as it should have until now. During discussion, some new ideas were presented: the necessity of anger and passion, the dangers of inclusion and the awesome burden placed on those in positions of power and respect.
Isobel's birthday party was Saturday afternoon and was a lot of fun. Nicole came over early and gave us massages as part of her class 'home work.' I didn't realize how much stress that would remove from the day until it was all over and the headache kicked in. Better after the party than in the middle of it! :)
Back to the normal routine yesterday, with carting the kids around to the store to drop off cameras and then on to the mall to play in the air conditioning. It makes the day go by much faster when we have things to do... just wish it were possible to find things to do that are entertaining AND free. Seems money is always slipping through our fingers. :(
Friday, July 8, 2011
July 8, 2011
The boy has more vacation time starting tomorrow... which means BOAT TIME! I think tomorrow is gonna be a crafty day, getting some things done/ready so we can really enjoy the week off.
So this tent is what I'll be trying to work on tomorrow and Sunday.
As cute as this tent is, I don't think I'll be making it for indoor play use. I have dreams of taking it along on our lake excursions to set it up on shore for the girls to use, either as a play area or just to get out of the sun periodically. Considering using a picnic-type tablecloth instead of plain fabric, just to make it a bit more durable. I'm not sure the tablecloth I have will be bit enough but it's worth a look-see.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Google to retire Blogger & Picasa brands - CNN.com
Google to retire Blogger & Picasa brands - CNN.com
Interesting. I guess because not everyone knows they're Google products?
Saturday, July 2, 2011
July 2, 2011
This morning, the girls and I met my mom at temple for services. I wondered how things would go for a couple of reasons. Rabbi is out on vacation and I had both girls with me, not just Izzy. Lily doesn't sit still, she refuses to be quiet and she has absolutely no intention of minding mama. We made it through the first prayers ok but once we started actual reading/discussion, Lily had enough. I walked her up and down the hallway and begged her to be quiet, even for just a little bit. No dice, mama!
When service was nearly over, I thought surely Lily would give in and sit with me if I just didn't give her any options. She was still too noisy though and a lady sitting by us leaned over to inform me that she couldn't hear the girl leading service.
Um. Yeah.
Tell me my child is too noisy for YOU, as if I hear everything going on but am willfully subjecting you to the torture of listening to a 2 year old? *sigh* I wanted to cry. Eventually, I did cry. Nothing makes you feel like a failure like a stranger pointing out that your child is, oddly enough, not easy to control.
We picked up Daddy and met Mom for lunch, where the girls behaved normally. And out of the blue, a lady from a nearby table stopped at our table on the way out to say she enjoyed sharing the dining room with our girls and just wanted to let us know that. Was I wearing a sign? How did she know that I needed to hear that my girls ARE nice to be around, that I'm not failing to train them to behave? I'm so thankful that she felt led to say those nice things. Maybe she needed to hear soothing words when she was a young mother, maybe she has noisy grandchildren, maybe she's just the type to pay forward the little kindnesses she receives along the way. Whatever the reason, I hope she has a wonderful day and knows she made mine that much better as well.
When service was nearly over, I thought surely Lily would give in and sit with me if I just didn't give her any options. She was still too noisy though and a lady sitting by us leaned over to inform me that she couldn't hear the girl leading service.
Um. Yeah.
Tell me my child is too noisy for YOU, as if I hear everything going on but am willfully subjecting you to the torture of listening to a 2 year old? *sigh* I wanted to cry. Eventually, I did cry. Nothing makes you feel like a failure like a stranger pointing out that your child is, oddly enough, not easy to control.
We picked up Daddy and met Mom for lunch, where the girls behaved normally. And out of the blue, a lady from a nearby table stopped at our table on the way out to say she enjoyed sharing the dining room with our girls and just wanted to let us know that. Was I wearing a sign? How did she know that I needed to hear that my girls ARE nice to be around, that I'm not failing to train them to behave? I'm so thankful that she felt led to say those nice things. Maybe she needed to hear soothing words when she was a young mother, maybe she has noisy grandchildren, maybe she's just the type to pay forward the little kindnesses she receives along the way. Whatever the reason, I hope she has a wonderful day and knows she made mine that much better as well.
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