I have a habit of setting goals and making resolution that I have no intention at all of keeping. I say "I think I'll stop watching so much TV after the kids are in bed" But I love tv, and therefore, have no actual plan to stop watching it. I say I'll get up an hour earlier everyday and go for a walk. But you know what? A walk at 7am is really no different than a walk at 11:15am except for the fact that I am less likely to get lost in the cranberry bog because I am actually functioning at 11 as opposed to 7. So this summer, all my goals are things I actually want to do. I think that significantly ups my chances of fulfilling them.
Here they are, my Summer 2010 Resolutions:
1. Travel, but not too far. Visit Boston, Nantucket, and take at least one camping trip before the summer is over.
2. Keep in touch with Julia, Hayley, and Ace's classmates and try to meet up with them for a playdate or a trip to the park or beach at least once a week.
3. Teach the kids the joys of sleeping late and eating breakfast at 10am, in our pajamas.
4. Keep the tv off during the day but don't be an stickler about it. If the kids want a movie day with blankets on the floor and popcorn, I'm all in.
5. Use rainy days wisely to get the house clean and organized, use sunny days wisely to get outside and enjoy the beach.
6. Take a walk alone at least three times a week. Try to run for at least a few minutes of it.
7. Take a lot of pictures.
8. Eat as many meals as possible outdoors (bonus: cleaner kitchen floor)
I'm sure I'll add to the list as the summer gets closer, any suggestions are welcome!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Busy
I knew this weekend was off to a good start when I realized at 8:20pm on Friday night that Friday Night Lights was on (and recording). For those who do not possess my skills at the fine art of the DVR, 20 minutes after a show begins is the perfect time to start watching if you can't wait a second longer to see a show but don't want to have to sit through 18 minutes of commercials. And just as my beloved FNL did not disappoint, neither did the rest of the weekend.
Saturday was T-ball (Ace "nailed it"-according to Ace) and soccer (the game was a tie which is the best possible outcome for Hayley because she doesn't like anyone to be disappointed). Then we went to McDonalds. Since we moved here we have been really good at avoiding fast food but our fridge had no lunch food to offer except one slice of bread and a lot of string cheese so I caved and went through the drive thru. Ace proclaimed it the Best Lunch Ever because we got a collectible Shrek glass AND the happy meals were in boxes, not lame-o bags. When Andy got home from bike riding we went to run a few errands and ran into one of Julia's teachers at the Home Depot. The rest of the time in the store Julia was peering down every aisle searching for her other teacher because she thinks they do everything together. She was disappointed not to find her and had trouble understanding that her teachers had lives that did not involve each other and the school. When we got home Andy watched a movie with the kids and started dinner so I could take a long walk alone. It felt great and wore me out. The kids were wiped out too so that made sleeping in on Sunday even sweeter.
This morning (and I use that word loosely since it was close to noon before we did anything today) we had pumpkin pancakes and bacon, cleaned up the house, and went to the park. Lucy took our breath away with her bravery on the big slides. We cooked out tonight and watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs before putting the kids down for an early bedtime.
It was such a great weekend, I hate to see it end. Andy works a 7 day work week this week to get in some flight time so it will be a while before we have this kind of family time again.
I asked all the kids before bed if they had a fun weekend and they all said yes. Except Julia. She said she did not have any fun. I asked why not and she said, "Because, I wanted to go to dunkin donuts and I don't know how to drive there." Just goes to show you, you can't please everyone.
Saturday was T-ball (Ace "nailed it"-according to Ace) and soccer (the game was a tie which is the best possible outcome for Hayley because she doesn't like anyone to be disappointed). Then we went to McDonalds. Since we moved here we have been really good at avoiding fast food but our fridge had no lunch food to offer except one slice of bread and a lot of string cheese so I caved and went through the drive thru. Ace proclaimed it the Best Lunch Ever because we got a collectible Shrek glass AND the happy meals were in boxes, not lame-o bags. When Andy got home from bike riding we went to run a few errands and ran into one of Julia's teachers at the Home Depot. The rest of the time in the store Julia was peering down every aisle searching for her other teacher because she thinks they do everything together. She was disappointed not to find her and had trouble understanding that her teachers had lives that did not involve each other and the school. When we got home Andy watched a movie with the kids and started dinner so I could take a long walk alone. It felt great and wore me out. The kids were wiped out too so that made sleeping in on Sunday even sweeter.
This morning (and I use that word loosely since it was close to noon before we did anything today) we had pumpkin pancakes and bacon, cleaned up the house, and went to the park. Lucy took our breath away with her bravery on the big slides. We cooked out tonight and watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs before putting the kids down for an early bedtime.
It was such a great weekend, I hate to see it end. Andy works a 7 day work week this week to get in some flight time so it will be a while before we have this kind of family time again.
I asked all the kids before bed if they had a fun weekend and they all said yes. Except Julia. She said she did not have any fun. I asked why not and she said, "Because, I wanted to go to dunkin donuts and I don't know how to drive there." Just goes to show you, you can't please everyone.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Brother and Sisters
The sun is back, it is our first week without story hour on Thursdays so we have a free morning and I'm using it to catch up on facebook and blogs and enjoy the breeze coming from my open windows. Lucy is feeding me her yogurt pretzels and Ace is in his firestation practicing manuvers (although to the unknowing observer it may look like he is in his bedroom dancing with a foam battle axe).
Lucy has slept the past two nights from 12-7 (she goes to bed at 8 but gets up around 11:30 to nurse). It may be a fluke but boy, does it feel great to get 7 hours of sleep. She also doesn't ask to nurse much at all during the day. After 5 years without a break, I am ready to stop nursing but my heart does hurt a little thinking that this is really it, my babies are all kids now. You know what is great, though? Watching them be kids together. I love to walk into a room and see them all doing something together, hiding out in the rocket tent, reading books together, running in the yard playing sardines (although Lucy always gives away their location by yelling at whoever is supposed to be finding them, she is worried that they are the one that is lost). When Lucy wakes up in the morning, it is usually Julia that gets to be the first to say good morning. Sometimes I don't understand what she is trying to tell me and Hayley knows right away. The other day I made Lucy mad by wiping yogurt off her face and she ran to Ace for a hug. Maybe sometimes I wish I was her only Most Important Person but seeing her get closer to her brother and sisters everyday melts my heart. My childhood revolved around my sisters. My mom and dad were there of course, someone had to provide the popsicles. But when I think about who was there when I was happiest, it is my sister's faces that come to mind first. They invented personalities for my dolls, they helped me reenact our favorite episodes of The Brady Bunch, they played with babydolls when it wasn't cool anymore so we could be "grown ups" together. I know how lucky I am to have them so I know how lucky my children are to have each other.
(Ace taking Lucy for her first walk, July 2009)
Lucy has slept the past two nights from 12-7 (she goes to bed at 8 but gets up around 11:30 to nurse). It may be a fluke but boy, does it feel great to get 7 hours of sleep. She also doesn't ask to nurse much at all during the day. After 5 years without a break, I am ready to stop nursing but my heart does hurt a little thinking that this is really it, my babies are all kids now. You know what is great, though? Watching them be kids together. I love to walk into a room and see them all doing something together, hiding out in the rocket tent, reading books together, running in the yard playing sardines (although Lucy always gives away their location by yelling at whoever is supposed to be finding them, she is worried that they are the one that is lost). When Lucy wakes up in the morning, it is usually Julia that gets to be the first to say good morning. Sometimes I don't understand what she is trying to tell me and Hayley knows right away. The other day I made Lucy mad by wiping yogurt off her face and she ran to Ace for a hug. Maybe sometimes I wish I was her only Most Important Person but seeing her get closer to her brother and sisters everyday melts my heart. My childhood revolved around my sisters. My mom and dad were there of course, someone had to provide the popsicles. But when I think about who was there when I was happiest, it is my sister's faces that come to mind first. They invented personalities for my dolls, they helped me reenact our favorite episodes of The Brady Bunch, they played with babydolls when it wasn't cool anymore so we could be "grown ups" together. I know how lucky I am to have them so I know how lucky my children are to have each other.
(Ace taking Lucy for her first walk, July 2009)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
I was up late last night and up early this morning. When Julia came home from school, she wanted to rest so we could go to the playground after we picked up Ace and Hayley. I had a long list of things that needed to be done around the house and I wasted a lot of time trying to find a pogo ball on Amazon so I didn't get it done in time. But I told Julia we could go to the playground anyway. When I picked up Ace he started fighting with Hayley and I got annoyed quickly. I told them if they could not stop fighting we would not to the playground (I secretly hoped they would fight just one more time so I would have a good excuse not to go to the park) and they kept fighting, and we didn't go to the park. It was a sunny day and we missed it because I was too tired.
Ace wanted to sing all his songs for us tonight but he kept stopping and starting and shushing everyone. I got irritated and told him he had 10 seconds to sing us his songs or we were going to just go to bed. He kept shushing and stopping and starting the same song and we ended up going right to bed.
I never did get my long list of housework done either. It wasn't a great day, and tomorrow it is supposed to rain. I think I''ve learned my lesson, when God gives you a day of sunshine and a chance to listen to your child sing, just shut up, soak up the sunshine, and listen to the music.
Ace wanted to sing all his songs for us tonight but he kept stopping and starting and shushing everyone. I got irritated and told him he had 10 seconds to sing us his songs or we were going to just go to bed. He kept shushing and stopping and starting the same song and we ended up going right to bed.
I never did get my long list of housework done either. It wasn't a great day, and tomorrow it is supposed to rain. I think I''ve learned my lesson, when God gives you a day of sunshine and a chance to listen to your child sing, just shut up, soak up the sunshine, and listen to the music.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Mother's Day Tea
Today was the Mother's Day Tea at Julia and Ace's preschool. As well as being a day to celebrate how incredibly lucky I am to be their mom, it was also study in how different two siblings can be.
Julia is in the morning preschool. She has been so excited about the performance they were going to do, she has been counting down how many "sweeps" are left until the Mother's Day tea and this morning she was up bright and early dressed in the ladybug dress my mom made, her sparkliest shoes, and her Birthday Girl crown. I laughed (on the inside) at how funny it is that the girl who wants the least attention loves the most attention-grabbing clothes. All the way to school she talked about the songs they would sing and the dancing they would do. She kissed me goodbye in the classroom and suggested I go home and shower and get into some prettier clothes.
When the kids came walking out, Julia was all smiles. Then, she realized how many people were there. The smile faded and her eyes got wider and wider. She danced about half the time, the other half she stood with her hands in her pockets and unintentionally flashed the audience by pulling her dress up over her head. In other words, she was Julia, and perfect. I loved every minute of her performance and was so proud of her. After the 10 minute show was over, she was so exhausted. She is an introvert by nature, these situations where she is expected to be extroverted (which may or may not be a word) just suck the energy right out of her. We shared a cookie and some lemonade and I told her I was so proud of her. I asked if she had fun singing and dancing and she said "No." and ate another cookie. We went home and she just wanted to lay down and watch her shows. It had been a very long morning for her.
At 2pm I went to see Ace, who is in the afternoon program. He had also been talking about nothing but Mother's Day Tea for days. When he walked out with his class, he waved to everyone, blew me a kiss, and skipped up to the front of the room. When it was his turn to read from the dinosaur book, he read his rehearsed line and then continued on with two or three extra facts. When they sang, he sang loud. When the danced, he danced with enthusiasm. After his 20 minute show, he was totally energized. He wanted to recap the entire performance, talk about our favorite parts, show off his dance moves some more. He was still bouncing around talking about the day at 6pm. He was Ace, and he was perfect.
They are so very different, and I am so very lucky.
Julia is in the morning preschool. She has been so excited about the performance they were going to do, she has been counting down how many "sweeps" are left until the Mother's Day tea and this morning she was up bright and early dressed in the ladybug dress my mom made, her sparkliest shoes, and her Birthday Girl crown. I laughed (on the inside) at how funny it is that the girl who wants the least attention loves the most attention-grabbing clothes. All the way to school she talked about the songs they would sing and the dancing they would do. She kissed me goodbye in the classroom and suggested I go home and shower and get into some prettier clothes.
When the kids came walking out, Julia was all smiles. Then, she realized how many people were there. The smile faded and her eyes got wider and wider. She danced about half the time, the other half she stood with her hands in her pockets and unintentionally flashed the audience by pulling her dress up over her head. In other words, she was Julia, and perfect. I loved every minute of her performance and was so proud of her. After the 10 minute show was over, she was so exhausted. She is an introvert by nature, these situations where she is expected to be extroverted (which may or may not be a word) just suck the energy right out of her. We shared a cookie and some lemonade and I told her I was so proud of her. I asked if she had fun singing and dancing and she said "No." and ate another cookie. We went home and she just wanted to lay down and watch her shows. It had been a very long morning for her.
At 2pm I went to see Ace, who is in the afternoon program. He had also been talking about nothing but Mother's Day Tea for days. When he walked out with his class, he waved to everyone, blew me a kiss, and skipped up to the front of the room. When it was his turn to read from the dinosaur book, he read his rehearsed line and then continued on with two or three extra facts. When they sang, he sang loud. When the danced, he danced with enthusiasm. After his 20 minute show, he was totally energized. He wanted to recap the entire performance, talk about our favorite parts, show off his dance moves some more. He was still bouncing around talking about the day at 6pm. He was Ace, and he was perfect.
They are so very different, and I am so very lucky.
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