November 26, 2011

It seemed, for a while, that Halloween was ages away and then it came... and went. And then we waited impatiently for Thanksgiving... which also came and went. And now Hanukkah and Christmas are right around the corner. Which means that before we know it, they will have come and gone and the year will be over and 2012 will be upon us. And then I'll have 4.5 months to plan Lily's birthday party and she will be THREE. Too much!

School is going well still. Trying to shake things up a little and introduce new things. We recently spent some time with an introduction to geography book. It gives wonderful explanations that seem to really pique Izzy's imagination and natural curiosity. I think she's going to be a visual/tactile learner when it comes to things like that. 

Lily is suddenly speaking much more clearly than before. Her favorite things to say right now are "It's not funny, guys," "That's enough," and "Nice to meet you." Her enunciation of 'f' sounds is hysterical to me. I'll irritate her repeatedly just to hear her say "That's enough, mama. That's enough." Her napping is a little out of whack lately but I'm chalking that up to allergies and learning new skills. Surely she can't be headed out of the nap stage already. 

Thanksgiving with the family went really well. We had an early dinner, as usual, with my parents and Anthony's crew. Waaaaaaaay too much good food. :) The kids were constantly digging new holes in the yard, batting shuttlecocks around, or letting flies into the house... I think that's how you know they're having a good time. Actual Thanksgiving day was spent with the boy's family at Joel and Stacey's house. More screaming, laughing kids and lots of amazing food. The only thing missing was Heather but she'll be home soon and then hopefully we'll see her much more often. 

It really bugged me that while Noah was there with us, his daddy was not... of all days to pick the girlfriend over his son! Yeesh. I don't think he realizes how hard it is on many dads that only have their kids for the odd weekends. I get the impression that he feels put-upon to have Noah as frequently as he does, rather than blessed to be able to see him as much as he does. 

Thanksgiving night, Sunny came with me to meet up with Megan and her MIL to go Black Friday shopping. I thought we were crazy for doing so but it actually went really well. Waiting for nearly 2 hours at Wal-Mart was a pain in the rear but being able to get what I was looking for seemed to make it all worth it. I think the kids are going to be happy with what they get and hopefully, not overwhelmed to the point they don't truly enjoy the gifts themselves. 

October 26, 2011

I'm getting use to life being seen through terribly smudged sunglasses. Nothing is my own anymore and while this sometimes frustrates the ever living out of me, in many ways, it's what I've always wanted.

Watching "Blue's Clues" earlier and observing the way Izzy tried to interact by playing with my old Blue, made me think. What seems like many years ago now, we would go to concerts or movies that appealed to us whenever we had the chance/money. We were free to make our own decisions based on our wants and likes and in some ways, I'm sure, we were glad to not have full-time small-child demands on us. On the weekends we had Ben, we did kid things and when we didn't have him, we did more adult things. We saw Steve Burns in concert, once and thought how funny it was that we might 'have' to watch Blue's Clues with Ben one day and here we were seeing the former star of the show in a completely different format and light on another.

These days, I sometimes wonder what we'd be doing if we didn't have to organize our days around what works for the kids and what interests them or is appropriate for them to be around even if it bores them to tears. Our house would be less cluttered, there would be FAR less laundry to do and nowhere near as many things to trip over when walking from room to room. Lunch would much less frequently be comprised of fish sticks or pb&j and there wouldn't be the constant battle over naptime and bedtime.

But my clothes wouldn't have finger paint stains, the refrigerator wouldn't have rainbow pumpkins, no one would be asking if we want to play chess or checkers, and my sunglasses would not be smudged with tiny finger prints.

September 13, 2011

Fall officially starts on the 23rd of this month and I could not be looking forward to it more. We had a week of comfortable weather and suddenly, the heat is back. It's 104 degrees today. There's a breeze but instead of cooling one's brow, it merely feels like the venting air from an oven. My poor plants have mostly died. I had put out hostas under our live oak in the front yard and even though they were not exposed to the full force of the sun, they have fried and shriveled. It's very sad. I'm hoping that they'll recover over the fall and that next year will be easier on them.

School is going well. I feel like our lessons are almost too short but by moving from one subject to another before frustration or boredom sets in, I'm hoping to foster a feeling of excitement and anticipation that will last throughout the year. I'd like to incorporate more nature study that we've done the last two weeks... if the cooler weather will come back, we'll have more opportunity to go to the park and spend time watching birds and squirrels at least.

Izzy asked me earlier what 'cracker jacks' are, because we were listening to a cd of hers with "Take me out to the ballgame" on it. I explained what the ingredients are and she said 'oh... like those nuts we have at hockey games?' It never ceases to amaze and amuse me how she holds on to some very random memories or information. We talked about those roasted nuts a bit and she said 'Well, I think we should go to a hockey game and have more on Monday'. I don't care if we have to bribe her with fun treats... she WILL grow up enjoying hockey. I am starting to doubt that she will play, as she demonstrates more and more that she has a very strong girly side but who knows? :)

Dance class this morning went really well. Lily didn't go running into the studio like she did last week and they left the observation window uncovered for the whole class this time. I'm sure the instructor doesn't really like doing that but it did seem like the girls paid attention and didn't get distracted beyond waving at their mommies once or twice. Izzy is very serious about trying to do everything right... for the most part. They all forget to hold their arms up or out when they start dancing around the room but I know that must be the case for the first year or two. All that said... there is one major irritation for me. During class, Lily tries to play with/hug/talk to the other younger siblings in the waiting area. One of the little girls is just quite shy but her mother encourages her to share books/crayons and we make a community pile of things to entertain the girls. One of the other mothers has two children with her in the lobby - one is Lily's age and the other is only 7 months or so. And she makes a point, not of encouraging her child to interact with Lily, but of the complete opposite. She only tells her "It's ok to say no. Just say 'no thank you'. You don't have to play with her." and things of that nature. Who does that? I thought it was odd the first time but figured maybe her daughter was having a rough day and she just didn't want her to get upset when Lily wanted to hug her so much. But we've now been at 3 classes together and every time it's the same refrain. "You don't have to play with her if you don't want to. It's ok to tell her no. Just walk away." Wtf? Why not encourage your kid to be pleasant or kind or even outgoing? Ugh.

September 8, 2011

September seems to be a month of beginnings. School has started, Autumn seems to be knocking at the door and Religious school has begun for Izzy.

 School thoughts: it's ever so much easier to structure a day on paper than it is to apply that structure to the actual hours and minutes. I had planned to stretch activities out over the entire day but it seems to be easier to condense it into an hour or two in the mornings. Poetry/music time is a soothing way to start the day and them we transition straight into writing practice or math. Neither of these subjects takes long and before I know it, we can cover art and craftwork and be done long before lunch. I think I need to find some more math-related activities. Sorting/counting objects might extend the lesson a bit and give her a better idea what the math lessons are actually meant to apply to in the real world.

 Autumn thoughts: I wish our trees changed colors more noticeably. We spent a week in Colorado just prior to starting school and while the leaves weren't changing yet, there was definitely the promise of beautiful colors to go along with the crisp weather and soft breezes. I told Chad I would bring cooler weather back with us but I never imagined it would actually co-operate. But we went to bed in Amarillo on Saturday night and awoke to temps in the 60's and cool wind. Very nice. Also: you're welcome.

 Religious school: we've only had one class and the Sunday we were out of town, there was no class because of the holiday. She seemed to have a great time and every time I mention up-coming Sunday classes, she is shocked and happy that it will repeat every week. I suppose that's only to be expected... until recently, big events for her have been single-day affairs: birthdays, holidays out with family, dinners with friends.

 Oh! I forgot! We have "pre-ballet" classes weekly, too. We made up the skipped class yesterday and I have to say, I'm so glad I didn't sign up for the Wednesday slot on a regular basis... it was super hectic and Lily was being an anger ball. At least this time we got to watch on the tv in the lobby. The first day, the tv wasn't set up yet and they'd pulled the shade on the viewing window. The second class, we all got to watch for a while through the window but when some of the girls stopped paying attention or started crying, that ended. What I did see of Izzy was super encouraging. She pays very close (for a 4 year old) attention to the teacher and when it's her turn to practice a new bit, she immediately assumes a 'pose' and flutters around the room. I hope her joy in this continues because it could turn into a lifetime love of dance.

 Things I need to work on this week: better time management, scheduling a re-do for Izzy's mikveh bc she completely lost it when I had mine and did Lily's, cleaning off the kitchen counters, putting laundry away faster.

 I miss Megan. Our playdates are probably more for me than they are for Izzy... it's just so nice to have a local mommy friend that I can be open with and enjoy her opinions and insight.

August 4, 2011

Yesterday, I started the 30 Day Shred. Oh. My. Stars. And. Garters. When I was done, I could barely walk, I was wheezing a bit and dripping sweat.

I've actually been working out for the last 3 months or so. How am I still so out of shape??

I'll blame summer... no one wants to work out when it's day 10,000 of 105 degrees or more. Also, it's hard to work out consistently when you have a child in the house who DOESN'T nap and therefore wants to use the tv during prime sweatin' time. Yeesh. Kids. ;)

Anyway. Today was... let's see... yesterday was day 1... add the 1... carry the zero... Yes. Today was day 2. It wasn't NEARLY as hard as I anticipated and halfway through the third circuit, I found myself thinking "I thought there would be more to do?" So yay! Maybe yesterday was just a shock-day because I hadn't done these specific workouts before? I've been doing Jillian Michael's Upside Down Ab workout for the last 3-4 weeks. Maybe I'll see even quicker results if I do the upside down ab bits in the morning and the Shred at night? Hrm. Worth it?

Anywhoo... feeling good about myself, feeling good about life in general.

Also, I adore my husband. He is THE best thing that ever happened to me and I should tell him that every single day and twice on Sundays. e

August 1, 2011

Last month, we reached our 7 year anniversary. I find it hard to believe that it's actually been that long since our wedding day. It doesn't seem like it could have been that long ago. But here we are, a 10 year old, 4 year old and 2 year old later.

Some highlights of our 7 years:

Well, clearly, the honeymoon. Never having been to Mexico before, it was quite the experience. Mismaloya, the churches, the coast/bay... all fond memories and examples of the beauty of Mexico. We've daydreamed ever since about having a house there for vacations.

Buying our house. I don't recall it as particularly stressful, but it was certainly an adventure. Seeing all the houses we didn't want and then finding this one, that seemed so perfect... it all just happened gradually and it's sometimes hard to imagine we ever lived anywhere else. I remember the pastel Dr Seuss houses we saw in Mesquite before we found this one... I wonder to this day who lives there and if they are as weirded out as I was.

The girls. I didn't realize how big an impact they would have on our lives. Well, I knew it would change everything but I suppose I didn't realize how much I would change in response to them. I wouldn't say I'm more patient with people in general but I am certainly more understanding of human nature and maybe a bit more forgiving.

Ben. Well, he was 19 months or so when the boy and I started dating. He was 3 when we got married. His growth has been amazing to watch and he's becoming quite the young man. It helps that he's nearly as tall as me... hard to treat him like a child when he can look you square in the eye! He's had his ups and downs over the years. This summer was a really good one with him... we spent time on the water, going random places, hanging out with friends when we could. He's made new friends in the neighborhood and I think that helps him feel more at ease. Peers do wonders for your attitude and general well-being.

Trips to Oregon/Colorado. We've been to Oregon twice and Colorado (together) once. Road trips are still a bit of a struggle with small kids but definitely worth the effort. Oregon has beautiful scenery and where we've visited is wine country. If we could live there, we probably would. Colorado was on the chilly side when we visited my Grandparents. Izzy was just shy of 2 1/2 when we made the first trip and then was actually 2 1/2 when I took the girls up again with my parents and she still remembers my Grandfather, the layout of the house and the snow we saw. Hoping to make the trek again soon so she can cement those memories a bit more now that she's older.

August 1, 2011

I'm trying to be patient and understanding but really, I cannot wait to have my husband back. So much of his time has been taken up by one of two things lately: work or legal issues. I try not to complain about work because it's not as though he can suddenly cut his workload in half and spend more time at home. What has to be done, has to be done, and largely by him. When it comes to the legal stuff, it's a bit harder to be patient. After 9 years, I still feel like that can monopolize his time and attention in a way with which I simply cannot compete. Maybe things are drawing to a close of some sort, maybe they're not. Regardless, it's frustrating to wait it out, hoping for calm, happy evenings.

Related: Ben went back to his mother's house on Saturday. It's a strange feeling, not having him here. The girls periodically look for him and I find myself waiting for him to come down to breakfast. He plays well with the girls and has been trying very hard to contribute around the house.

We introduced a chore/reward system and even though it's only been in effect for a week, he seemed to get the hang of it and was getting quite good at checking his progress himself. I have a hard time delegating certain tasks. The old saying "If you want it done right, do it yourself" is one that strikes home for me. As much as I might complain about doing certain chores around the house, it's very often easier?/less complicated? to do it myself than it is to tell someone else how/when/why to do it. However! if I want help with things, I have to ask, right? So some things are being handed off to the chilluns and they're stepping up admirably. Ben has been taking out trash, keeping their bathroom reasonably clean, making his own bed and the like. Izzy struggles with the concept of chores but likes to dust and help put clothes away so I'm taking advantage of that. Lily has only really mastered feeding the dogs so I can imagine that's gonna get heavy rotation in her chore list.