Grandma: So, do you like Colorado?
Amanda: No, it sucks.
Grandma: What, really?
Amanda: Yes, it sucks.
Me: Amanda, don't say that, it's not nice to say that word.
Amanda: Well it does, it snows all the time.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Another Recap
Yep, it's been forever since I've written. The problem with this is the longer out it gets, the less I want to write because there is so much to catch up on. Plus, we've had a lot of company and for some reason I don't like to write when we have people here. We've done so much and so little in the past couple of weeks I don't know where to start and how much to tell. Ugh! So I think about writing a lot, but then I don't because I get wrapped up in something else and then it just seems so daunting. The summer will be like that, mostly because we are traveling a lot and I don't really like to blog from other people's houses, but also because every day will run into the next and before you know it two to three weeks will have passed and I will have written nothing. Dead space, white air. Again, ugh! So I will try to get you up to speed and it will be boring and not as funny but then I won't feel so bad and can just pick up and move on until this happens again in a few weeks.
So, the last I wrote I told you about the wonderful, amazing weekend I had with my college besties April and Renee. My high from that weekend lasted several days. I still smile just thinking about it and cannot wait to see them in mid-July at April's house in New Jersey. A couple days after that was the fourth grade presentation of Colorado history. You know you are in trouble when even before the presentation starts they tell you it's going to be a "lengthy program" because there are five fourth grade classes. Way to get everybody excited for Colorado history. Lucky for me I don't know a lot about Colorado or it's history so I found it pretty interesting and may have even learned a few things. Plus, the presentation turned out to only be an hour which isn't horrible. I would have learned a lot more but when you give fourth grades a microphone apparently they don't know how to talk slowly so I missed a lot just because I couldn't understand what they were saying. They finished off with John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" which was pretty cool. Overall much better than I anticipated, but I'm a true believer in the theory that if you don't have very high expectations for something then your expectations are usually exceeded.
That same afternoon that I was enlightened by Colorado history my niece, Megan, flew in from Michigan. She just finished her first year at the University of Michigan. I wanted her to come visit last summer but it was pretty crazy with her graduation and wanting to hang out with her friends and other obligations and us moving and everything that happened with my brother, so I thought this year might work out a little better. On top of the fact that we really needed someone to watch the kids while we went to the Denver 1/2 marathon that weekend and our babysitter can't babysit on Sundays because she's Mormon. Yeah, I need to find another babysitter who can babysit on Sundays.
So Megan came to visit and didn't really have anything specific she wanted to do while she was here, so I made her come do everything I do on a daily basis. I brought her to Lifetime with me and she got to meet my trainer and the other people in my class and do class with me for a few days. I think she enjoyed it, maybe not, but I liked having her there with me. Otherwise, we just kind of hung out, ran errands and did a little shopping. Very low key, but nice to spend time with her and catch up.
Two days after Megan arrived Charlie's brother, Ivan, arrived. He came to do the 1/2 marathon with Charlie. So it worked out that they went together and started the race and ran about two miles together and then finished separately. I went with my next door neighbor and we did the race together and stayed together until the end. But everybody was happy when it was over so it was all good. Ivan and Charlie had some time to catch up and hang out and shop, which Ivan likes to do because he lives in Mexico and everything is uber expensive there, for the few days that he was here. The kids loved seeing him and even after he left Amanda kept saying she was going to marry him. Some day she will sadly realize that just can't happen.
The day after the 1/2 marathon was my birthday and we didn't do anything fabulous but I'm too old for that anyway. I like to be recognized, but don't have to have any kind of big celebration. Megan and I went out to lunch so I was good. Charlie got me a heart rate monitor which doesn't sound exciting but was exactly what I wanted but forgot to ask for so I was pretty excited. I get to try it out in my class next week. Yay!
On Friday Charlie's mom came in for the weekend. This was her first time visiting since we moved so it was great to show her where we live and show her around Colorado a little. We took her and Megan to the Garden of the Gods on Saturday where we looked at but didn't climb Pikes Peak and let the kids crawl around on the rocks. This is the second time they've been there and they really love it. Every time we go we are pressed for time so they don't get to stay long but they still have a blast.
Megan left on Sunday and Charlie's mom left on Monday and at that point the kids had two weeks of school left. Tomorrow is Field Day, which like everything else is a bit different than it was in Texas, but they are really looking forward to it. Then next Thursday is their last day of school and they are home with me for weeks and weeks. Except we aren't going to have much down time. We will be jetting off before you know it to see lots of friends and family.
So that's it, you didn't miss much. Lots of end of the school stuff that I hate and wish didn't all happen all at once at the end of the year. Amanda is already out of school so I'm dragging her to the gym and much to her chagrin she's actually enjoying it. Except if you ask she'll totally deny it. There's a million things I want to do before the kids are out of school and know I won't get them done and I'm trying to be okay with that. It's just a lot easier to throw out all their crap when they aren't there, know what I mean? But we'll be gone so much this summer it won't have time to bug me and the time that we are home we'll just want to relax, so it's all good.
Five more days, we're almost there.
So, the last I wrote I told you about the wonderful, amazing weekend I had with my college besties April and Renee. My high from that weekend lasted several days. I still smile just thinking about it and cannot wait to see them in mid-July at April's house in New Jersey. A couple days after that was the fourth grade presentation of Colorado history. You know you are in trouble when even before the presentation starts they tell you it's going to be a "lengthy program" because there are five fourth grade classes. Way to get everybody excited for Colorado history. Lucky for me I don't know a lot about Colorado or it's history so I found it pretty interesting and may have even learned a few things. Plus, the presentation turned out to only be an hour which isn't horrible. I would have learned a lot more but when you give fourth grades a microphone apparently they don't know how to talk slowly so I missed a lot just because I couldn't understand what they were saying. They finished off with John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" which was pretty cool. Overall much better than I anticipated, but I'm a true believer in the theory that if you don't have very high expectations for something then your expectations are usually exceeded.
That same afternoon that I was enlightened by Colorado history my niece, Megan, flew in from Michigan. She just finished her first year at the University of Michigan. I wanted her to come visit last summer but it was pretty crazy with her graduation and wanting to hang out with her friends and other obligations and us moving and everything that happened with my brother, so I thought this year might work out a little better. On top of the fact that we really needed someone to watch the kids while we went to the Denver 1/2 marathon that weekend and our babysitter can't babysit on Sundays because she's Mormon. Yeah, I need to find another babysitter who can babysit on Sundays.
So Megan came to visit and didn't really have anything specific she wanted to do while she was here, so I made her come do everything I do on a daily basis. I brought her to Lifetime with me and she got to meet my trainer and the other people in my class and do class with me for a few days. I think she enjoyed it, maybe not, but I liked having her there with me. Otherwise, we just kind of hung out, ran errands and did a little shopping. Very low key, but nice to spend time with her and catch up.
Two days after Megan arrived Charlie's brother, Ivan, arrived. He came to do the 1/2 marathon with Charlie. So it worked out that they went together and started the race and ran about two miles together and then finished separately. I went with my next door neighbor and we did the race together and stayed together until the end. But everybody was happy when it was over so it was all good. Ivan and Charlie had some time to catch up and hang out and shop, which Ivan likes to do because he lives in Mexico and everything is uber expensive there, for the few days that he was here. The kids loved seeing him and even after he left Amanda kept saying she was going to marry him. Some day she will sadly realize that just can't happen.
The day after the 1/2 marathon was my birthday and we didn't do anything fabulous but I'm too old for that anyway. I like to be recognized, but don't have to have any kind of big celebration. Megan and I went out to lunch so I was good. Charlie got me a heart rate monitor which doesn't sound exciting but was exactly what I wanted but forgot to ask for so I was pretty excited. I get to try it out in my class next week. Yay!
On Friday Charlie's mom came in for the weekend. This was her first time visiting since we moved so it was great to show her where we live and show her around Colorado a little. We took her and Megan to the Garden of the Gods on Saturday where we looked at but didn't climb Pikes Peak and let the kids crawl around on the rocks. This is the second time they've been there and they really love it. Every time we go we are pressed for time so they don't get to stay long but they still have a blast.
Megan left on Sunday and Charlie's mom left on Monday and at that point the kids had two weeks of school left. Tomorrow is Field Day, which like everything else is a bit different than it was in Texas, but they are really looking forward to it. Then next Thursday is their last day of school and they are home with me for weeks and weeks. Except we aren't going to have much down time. We will be jetting off before you know it to see lots of friends and family.
So that's it, you didn't miss much. Lots of end of the school stuff that I hate and wish didn't all happen all at once at the end of the year. Amanda is already out of school so I'm dragging her to the gym and much to her chagrin she's actually enjoying it. Except if you ask she'll totally deny it. There's a million things I want to do before the kids are out of school and know I won't get them done and I'm trying to be okay with that. It's just a lot easier to throw out all their crap when they aren't there, know what I mean? But we'll be gone so much this summer it won't have time to bug me and the time that we are home we'll just want to relax, so it's all good.
Five more days, we're almost there.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The Best Birthday Surprise Ever
Remember I told you how I had to change Sarah's birthday party from the day of her birthday to the week before? Because Charlie had a surprise for me and he wouldn't tell me what it was? He wouldn't even tell the kids, he's too smart for that, because I asked them too. Well, on Friday I found out what it was.
About a week ago he told me to be ready at 1p on Friday. I asked him if I need to pack a bag and he said no. That made me a little sad but I was still intrigued. He finally broke down and gave me a little more information on Thursday night when I asked him what I needed to wear on Friday. Going out for dinner but jeans and a nice shirt are fine, yes I lied you should pack a bag and you can wear anything you want on Saturday but you have to be back to spend the afternoon/evening with Sarah because it's her birthday. Sounds good.
Friday morning I took Amanda to school, went to the gym, picked her up and came home and took a shower. About 20 minutes later Charlie came home. I still wasn't sure what was going on but wasn't totally surprised when the doorbell rang. However, I was incredibly surprised to see standing on my front porch two of my oldest and best friends, April and Renee. I cannot explain how overcome with emotion I was to see them. Things have been not horrible but just a little rough the last couple of weeks and this was the exact medicine I needed - to be with old friends who know me better than anyone and can make all my troubles go away in an instant.
We went downtown for the afternoon/evening and had an amazing lunch with the best bacon appetizer, called Man Candy, that you will ever have. Then we went to the hotel and just hung out and talked and talked and talked for a few hours. We went out for an amazing dinner and talked some more. We stayed up late but not too late and then had a yummy breakfast before going to an adorable little hotel spa where Charlie had scheduled mani/pedis for us. All in all a fantastic day. Then we came home and hung out for a bit before everybody went out to celebrate Sarah's birthday for dinner. By last night we were exhausted and didn't say much but just reveled in being together. Strange, that's one of my favorite times when we are just all talked out and are enjoying the silence together. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love these girls.
This morning I took them to the airport, but instead of being sad I am so excited to see them again in just two short months in New Jersey. And it will be short and the time will fly because there is only four more weeks of school before our summer adventure begins and then it's all going to happen in a whirlwind. But it will be a good whirlwind full of friends and love and fun.
Thanks to Charlie for always showing me he loves me so much and for planning this months ago, thanks to Renee and April for not hesitating to come out to surprise me and to share a little bit of their Mother's Day with me away from their families and thanks to the kids for taking it in stride and welcoming our friends like the family they are. I loved every minute of it!
About a week ago he told me to be ready at 1p on Friday. I asked him if I need to pack a bag and he said no. That made me a little sad but I was still intrigued. He finally broke down and gave me a little more information on Thursday night when I asked him what I needed to wear on Friday. Going out for dinner but jeans and a nice shirt are fine, yes I lied you should pack a bag and you can wear anything you want on Saturday but you have to be back to spend the afternoon/evening with Sarah because it's her birthday. Sounds good.
Friday morning I took Amanda to school, went to the gym, picked her up and came home and took a shower. About 20 minutes later Charlie came home. I still wasn't sure what was going on but wasn't totally surprised when the doorbell rang. However, I was incredibly surprised to see standing on my front porch two of my oldest and best friends, April and Renee. I cannot explain how overcome with emotion I was to see them. Things have been not horrible but just a little rough the last couple of weeks and this was the exact medicine I needed - to be with old friends who know me better than anyone and can make all my troubles go away in an instant.
We went downtown for the afternoon/evening and had an amazing lunch with the best bacon appetizer, called Man Candy, that you will ever have. Then we went to the hotel and just hung out and talked and talked and talked for a few hours. We went out for an amazing dinner and talked some more. We stayed up late but not too late and then had a yummy breakfast before going to an adorable little hotel spa where Charlie had scheduled mani/pedis for us. All in all a fantastic day. Then we came home and hung out for a bit before everybody went out to celebrate Sarah's birthday for dinner. By last night we were exhausted and didn't say much but just reveled in being together. Strange, that's one of my favorite times when we are just all talked out and are enjoying the silence together. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love these girls.
This morning I took them to the airport, but instead of being sad I am so excited to see them again in just two short months in New Jersey. And it will be short and the time will fly because there is only four more weeks of school before our summer adventure begins and then it's all going to happen in a whirlwind. But it will be a good whirlwind full of friends and love and fun.
Thanks to Charlie for always showing me he loves me so much and for planning this months ago, thanks to Renee and April for not hesitating to come out to surprise me and to share a little bit of their Mother's Day with me away from their families and thanks to the kids for taking it in stride and welcoming our friends like the family they are. I loved every minute of it!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
In A Perfect World
I've been a tiny bit negative lately, so I'm going to end the week on a positive note just to show I still have a little sunshine inside of me. I'm not sure if I ever told the story of how we got the playset in our backyard, but here we go.
When we decided that we were going to move and we told the kids, one of the incentives that I gave the girls was that we would get a playset. We had a pool at the old house so we didn't have any play structure and even if we did I wouldn't have sent the kids out to play in the back by themselves because of said pool. So it was a big deal that we were going to get a playset in the new backyard.
While we were looking for houses my main concern was that the backyard was big enough for a playset. Sure, there were lots of other things I wanted it to have, but it absolutely had to have the backyard. We looked at some amazing houses that had tiny yards that we had to turn down until we finally found our house that had a reasonable backyard and a whole lot of other things that I was looking for as well. Then we just had to get the playset.
The first month that we were in town I took the kids to a showroom and we fell in love with their playsets. The problem was that the first one I picked out with all the things we wanted a) was too big for our backyard and b) was $12,000. Um, yeah, no playset. Turns out that one was for a real playground, not a backyard. So we looked around at other places and mulled it over and kept looking and still couldn't make a decision. The girls were patient but kept asking when the playset was coming. Finally we took Charlie back to the showroom, picked something smaller that was also 40% off and had it installed some time in November, right before it got cold and started to snow. Not the best time to install a playset.
Now the kids wanted the playset because it was cool and they love to play outside. At least the girls do, Andy is a little glued to the computer and Mindcraft lately. The reason I wanted the playset was so if they girls wanted to go outside I didn't have to take them to the park and also so that they could play and run off steam while I was making dinner and I didn't have to worry about them. We also got a screen for the patio door so I could hear them while they were outside. The other reason we got the playset is because Charlie and I have always wanted our house to be the party house. Okay, maybe not the party house, but we want our house to be the place where all the kids play and hang out so that a) we know where our kids are and b) so we know what our kids are up to.
In the end, it was a win win for everybody. Except that nobody ever came over to play on our playset. Half the kids in our cul-de-saq had never even seen it (except for the top because it is much taller than the fence - please don't tell our home owners association, I fear what will happen if they actually measure it). Fast forward to Tuesday. It was a pretty nice afternoon and the girls were outside in the backyard. Andy was grounded from electronics for the day so was absent from them computer and decided to go play out front when he heard kids outside. I was making dinner. The next thing I know it got really loud in the backyard and all the neighborhood kids were in the back playing on the swings and the monkey bars and the slide and even the hammock that I was convinced Charlie put out too early. They were all having a great time, the scene that I had waited months to see.
School is out in a few weeks, hopefully they will be back all summer. Just hanging out, playing and making fun memories for years to come.
When we decided that we were going to move and we told the kids, one of the incentives that I gave the girls was that we would get a playset. We had a pool at the old house so we didn't have any play structure and even if we did I wouldn't have sent the kids out to play in the back by themselves because of said pool. So it was a big deal that we were going to get a playset in the new backyard.
While we were looking for houses my main concern was that the backyard was big enough for a playset. Sure, there were lots of other things I wanted it to have, but it absolutely had to have the backyard. We looked at some amazing houses that had tiny yards that we had to turn down until we finally found our house that had a reasonable backyard and a whole lot of other things that I was looking for as well. Then we just had to get the playset.
The first month that we were in town I took the kids to a showroom and we fell in love with their playsets. The problem was that the first one I picked out with all the things we wanted a) was too big for our backyard and b) was $12,000. Um, yeah, no playset. Turns out that one was for a real playground, not a backyard. So we looked around at other places and mulled it over and kept looking and still couldn't make a decision. The girls were patient but kept asking when the playset was coming. Finally we took Charlie back to the showroom, picked something smaller that was also 40% off and had it installed some time in November, right before it got cold and started to snow. Not the best time to install a playset.
Now the kids wanted the playset because it was cool and they love to play outside. At least the girls do, Andy is a little glued to the computer and Mindcraft lately. The reason I wanted the playset was so if they girls wanted to go outside I didn't have to take them to the park and also so that they could play and run off steam while I was making dinner and I didn't have to worry about them. We also got a screen for the patio door so I could hear them while they were outside. The other reason we got the playset is because Charlie and I have always wanted our house to be the party house. Okay, maybe not the party house, but we want our house to be the place where all the kids play and hang out so that a) we know where our kids are and b) so we know what our kids are up to.
In the end, it was a win win for everybody. Except that nobody ever came over to play on our playset. Half the kids in our cul-de-saq had never even seen it (except for the top because it is much taller than the fence - please don't tell our home owners association, I fear what will happen if they actually measure it). Fast forward to Tuesday. It was a pretty nice afternoon and the girls were outside in the backyard. Andy was grounded from electronics for the day so was absent from them computer and decided to go play out front when he heard kids outside. I was making dinner. The next thing I know it got really loud in the backyard and all the neighborhood kids were in the back playing on the swings and the monkey bars and the slide and even the hammock that I was convinced Charlie put out too early. They were all having a great time, the scene that I had waited months to see.
School is out in a few weeks, hopefully they will be back all summer. Just hanging out, playing and making fun memories for years to come.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Probably Not a Candidate For Mother of the Year
I have not been feeling like a very good mom lately. More specifically, I've been feeling like a very crappy mom. The kids don't listen to me at all, they don't really seem to want to be with me that much, and I have lost all sense of control. I especially feel that spiraling with Amanda. I'm not sure what I did differently or wrong with her than the other two, but she wants to do things her way and could care less about what I want. It is a constant negotiation or battle with her. Yet again, she's three so that could be a lot of it.
I'm kind of at a loss and have been feeling a little down about it. What makes it worse is that it's the last month of school and during the last month of school there are a million activities and shows and end of the year things that for some reason they are unable to spread out throughout the year. So as things are winding down and all the parents are trying to get as much done as possible before the kids are home for weeks on end in the summer, the school is trying to get you to come to everything. Field trips, shows, donuts with Moms, it goes on and on.
Last week Andy brought home a permission slip for a field trip. It's at a place that is actually only about five minutes from our house. He asked if I could come. I'm happy he still wants me to come on his field trips, because some fourth grade boys are not interested in having their mom around anymore, but it's very difficult for me to do school functions when I have Amanda (not to mention that I have to take and pick her up from school) and the school rarely wants siblings to attend anything so I declined. I could see he was really disappointed but there's not much I can do.
Today I was helping Sarah do her Spanish homework, which is really difficult since she probably knows more Spanish than I do. Charlie was supposed to help her over the weekend but we got busy and forgot (which sadly we do a lot when it comes to Spanish homework) and the class is tomorrow so it needed to be done. Let me just say this, it didn't go well. It was late and she was tired and she didn't want to do it and neither did I. We had to do everything through a translator because some of the words I didn't know and some I wasn't sure of the tense. We weren't very happy with each other when we were done.
Then Sarah started talking about her field trip, which is the week after Andy's. She told me that I could come but I couldn't ride the bus and I had to stop her and tell her I wouldn't be able to make it. I think that pushed her over the top because she started telling me how I never do anything for her (remember the birthday party she had three days ago?) and I don't care and I don't like her and so on. I should have just ignored it all but I'm not so good at that so finally I said, "Sarah, you're doing a really great job of making me feel like a horrible mom." Her response? "Well you're doing a really great job of making me feel like a horrible daughter." Touche.
At that point I told her it was time for bed, which it was, and we needed to go upstairs. I let her go into the bedroom and I stopped on the stairs to momentarily check Facebook and someone had posted this poem:
It was what I needed to calm down a little, take a step back, and realize that tomorrow is another day. I am not perfect and there are many days when I am not great, but we'll keep plugging along and hopefully when they are older they will remember the good days and not the bad. I need to not be so hard on myself, but I'd like to think that the good mothers are because the bad mothers don't know the difference.
I'm kind of at a loss and have been feeling a little down about it. What makes it worse is that it's the last month of school and during the last month of school there are a million activities and shows and end of the year things that for some reason they are unable to spread out throughout the year. So as things are winding down and all the parents are trying to get as much done as possible before the kids are home for weeks on end in the summer, the school is trying to get you to come to everything. Field trips, shows, donuts with Moms, it goes on and on.
Last week Andy brought home a permission slip for a field trip. It's at a place that is actually only about five minutes from our house. He asked if I could come. I'm happy he still wants me to come on his field trips, because some fourth grade boys are not interested in having their mom around anymore, but it's very difficult for me to do school functions when I have Amanda (not to mention that I have to take and pick her up from school) and the school rarely wants siblings to attend anything so I declined. I could see he was really disappointed but there's not much I can do.
Today I was helping Sarah do her Spanish homework, which is really difficult since she probably knows more Spanish than I do. Charlie was supposed to help her over the weekend but we got busy and forgot (which sadly we do a lot when it comes to Spanish homework) and the class is tomorrow so it needed to be done. Let me just say this, it didn't go well. It was late and she was tired and she didn't want to do it and neither did I. We had to do everything through a translator because some of the words I didn't know and some I wasn't sure of the tense. We weren't very happy with each other when we were done.
Then Sarah started talking about her field trip, which is the week after Andy's. She told me that I could come but I couldn't ride the bus and I had to stop her and tell her I wouldn't be able to make it. I think that pushed her over the top because she started telling me how I never do anything for her (remember the birthday party she had three days ago?) and I don't care and I don't like her and so on. I should have just ignored it all but I'm not so good at that so finally I said, "Sarah, you're doing a really great job of making me feel like a horrible mom." Her response? "Well you're doing a really great job of making me feel like a horrible daughter." Touche.
At that point I told her it was time for bed, which it was, and we needed to go upstairs. I let her go into the bedroom and I stopped on the stairs to momentarily check Facebook and someone had posted this poem:
It was what I needed to calm down a little, take a step back, and realize that tomorrow is another day. I am not perfect and there are many days when I am not great, but we'll keep plugging along and hopefully when they are older they will remember the good days and not the bad. I need to not be so hard on myself, but I'd like to think that the good mothers are because the bad mothers don't know the difference.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Brithday Parties and BBQs
This past weekend was the first of our action packed weekends in May. Since Sarah's birthday, my birthday and Mother's Day all fall in this month, it's a little stressful for Charlie and filled with lots of celebration. I had originally scheduled Sarah's birthday party next weekend, since her birthday is on a Saturday this year, but Charlie told me he had something special planned for me on Saturday and I needed to change it. I was happy and annoyed all at the same time. Luckily I had not sent out the invitations yet and it was super easy to change so everything went smoothly. The only thing that stressed me out was that nobody in this world knows how to RSVP to anything so I had to hunt a few people down to find out if I needed two or three lanes for bowling.
That's what Sarah picked for her party this year, bowling. We don't bowl a lot, but that is one consistent activity we do as a family and we usually have a pretty good time. So we invited all the girls in her class and one neighbor and then slowly, painfully waited for all the RSVPs to come in. Luckily with the one friend that we let Andy bring so he didn't annoy the girls, Andy and Amanda we had exactly enough people before having to add a lane. Everybody had a good time, or so it seemed, they had pizza and cake, bowled and opened presents and then it was over. Wonderful. One of the most low key, easy parties we have ever done. Not as awesome as the glow-in-the-dark gymnastics party we did last year, but perfect for this year.
Saturday afternoon the girls played with Sarah's presents while I made cookies and Andy played at a friend's house until Charlie took him to yet another birthday party. The girls were exhausted by about 7p so it ended up working out pretty well. Sunday morning we got up and took the girls to swimming and then did a few last minute things for a small BBQ we were having. I have a couple of high school classmates that live nearby that I really wasn't close with but knew and haven't even seen since we graduated. We decided since we still don't have any friends that we need to start somewhere so we invited them over. They turned out to be really cool people. We also invited a family that just moved from the town where we lived in Texas. We didn't do anything socially with them there, but our kids went to the same preschool and I know how hard it is to make friends so though they could use a break from all the unpacking. Charlie also invited a friend from work that used to work with him at the airline.
So a small group, but still entertaining and everybody seemed to get along pretty well. I forgot how much we love to entertain and have people over, even people we don't know that well. I've missed it more than I realize. Sunday afternoon after everyone left Charlie played some Wii with the girls while I went on a nine mile walk. I haven't really walked since I rolled my ankle on Easter and since I am supposed to do a 1/2 marathon in two weeks I decided I better get a few miles in. It wasn't pretty, but I got it done.
This weekend is Sarah's real birthday and my surprise (which I thought was for Mother's Day but apparently is for my birthday which is the following weekend) and three baseball games for Andy. A few days later my niece comes in and then my brother-in-law. It will be crazy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
That's what Sarah picked for her party this year, bowling. We don't bowl a lot, but that is one consistent activity we do as a family and we usually have a pretty good time. So we invited all the girls in her class and one neighbor and then slowly, painfully waited for all the RSVPs to come in. Luckily with the one friend that we let Andy bring so he didn't annoy the girls, Andy and Amanda we had exactly enough people before having to add a lane. Everybody had a good time, or so it seemed, they had pizza and cake, bowled and opened presents and then it was over. Wonderful. One of the most low key, easy parties we have ever done. Not as awesome as the glow-in-the-dark gymnastics party we did last year, but perfect for this year.
Saturday afternoon the girls played with Sarah's presents while I made cookies and Andy played at a friend's house until Charlie took him to yet another birthday party. The girls were exhausted by about 7p so it ended up working out pretty well. Sunday morning we got up and took the girls to swimming and then did a few last minute things for a small BBQ we were having. I have a couple of high school classmates that live nearby that I really wasn't close with but knew and haven't even seen since we graduated. We decided since we still don't have any friends that we need to start somewhere so we invited them over. They turned out to be really cool people. We also invited a family that just moved from the town where we lived in Texas. We didn't do anything socially with them there, but our kids went to the same preschool and I know how hard it is to make friends so though they could use a break from all the unpacking. Charlie also invited a friend from work that used to work with him at the airline.
So a small group, but still entertaining and everybody seemed to get along pretty well. I forgot how much we love to entertain and have people over, even people we don't know that well. I've missed it more than I realize. Sunday afternoon after everyone left Charlie played some Wii with the girls while I went on a nine mile walk. I haven't really walked since I rolled my ankle on Easter and since I am supposed to do a 1/2 marathon in two weeks I decided I better get a few miles in. It wasn't pretty, but I got it done.
This weekend is Sarah's real birthday and my surprise (which I thought was for Mother's Day but apparently is for my birthday which is the following weekend) and three baseball games for Andy. A few days later my niece comes in and then my brother-in-law. It will be crazy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Kid Quote of the Day
Amanda: Mommy, I'm hungry.
Me: Me too!
Amanda: Mommy, can I have candy?
Me: That isn't really food.
Amanda: Please?!? I'll be your best friend. I will never, ever be your best friend if you don't let me have candy before lunch.
Me: Me too!
Amanda: Mommy, can I have candy?
Me: That isn't really food.
Amanda: Please?!? I'll be your best friend. I will never, ever be your best friend if you don't let me have candy before lunch.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Pleasant Surprise
When babies are little you talk about the witching hour. That is the time when it is either getting close to their bedtime and they are about the have a massive meltdown or when they are up past their bedtime and in the middle of a meltdown. They can't communicate to you that it's coming, but you know it is. Well, it doesn't just happen with babies.
Amanda's time is 7:00. She starts to get really cranky around 6:00-6:30 and if she doesn't eat by 7:00 she is a nightmare. Usually eating gives her a little more energy and therefore a little more time, but most nights she is crying and begging me for food while I am trying to make dinner. I refuse to feed her because I don't want it to replace the real food we are having at meal time, and it is a delicate balance that I most often lose.
Last night it was the same thing. Andy came up from his man cave in the basement right about 7:00 and Amanda was already moaning and groaning about how she cannot eat peas because she hates peas. I said, "Andy, Amanda's crying, what time is it?" just to see what he would say. He immediately answered "seven o'clock" and smiled. We've had this discussion before and I've explained to him that if Amanda is losing it, it is most likely around 7:00. A little inside joke with my 10-yr-old. I wish we had more and they weren't filled with so much conflict.
So Amanda complained all through dinner that she couldn't eat peas and she was so so tired and her pasta didn't have enough alfredo sauce on it and whatever else she could think of to complain about. She just really wanted to go to bed. Then Sarah started in. She was tired too and blah, blah, blah. I don't know, I can't remember it all and it starts to turn into whining so I just shut it out.
Of course once they have eaten, and yes Amanda ate all her peas because dessert was on the line and she likes dessert more than she hates peas, they are full of energy and start running all over the house. This isn't just an expression, they were really running up and down the halls and in a big loop from the living room to the dining room to the kitchen. They weren't doing it quietly either, especially since we have wood floors, they were yelling and laughing and pounding on the floor.
Eventually we finally got the kids to head upstairs while Charlie and I finished eating and picking up the dishes. Lately bedtime is such a battle because they go upstairs and then just start giggling and tickling and messing with Andy and goofing off. I hate it. Hate. It. But last night they decided to surprise us. All three kids got dress in their pajamas, brushed their teeth and went to the bathroom before we got upstairs. Charlie kind of clued into what was going on so stopped me on the steps and we just hung out for a bit. Andy read the girls two books and then they got into bed. When we finally decided it was safe to go into the bedroom the girls were already tucked into their bed and only needed a kiss goodnight.
So nice, so refreshing, so wish they would do that at least once a week.
Amanda's time is 7:00. She starts to get really cranky around 6:00-6:30 and if she doesn't eat by 7:00 she is a nightmare. Usually eating gives her a little more energy and therefore a little more time, but most nights she is crying and begging me for food while I am trying to make dinner. I refuse to feed her because I don't want it to replace the real food we are having at meal time, and it is a delicate balance that I most often lose.
Last night it was the same thing. Andy came up from his man cave in the basement right about 7:00 and Amanda was already moaning and groaning about how she cannot eat peas because she hates peas. I said, "Andy, Amanda's crying, what time is it?" just to see what he would say. He immediately answered "seven o'clock" and smiled. We've had this discussion before and I've explained to him that if Amanda is losing it, it is most likely around 7:00. A little inside joke with my 10-yr-old. I wish we had more and they weren't filled with so much conflict.
So Amanda complained all through dinner that she couldn't eat peas and she was so so tired and her pasta didn't have enough alfredo sauce on it and whatever else she could think of to complain about. She just really wanted to go to bed. Then Sarah started in. She was tired too and blah, blah, blah. I don't know, I can't remember it all and it starts to turn into whining so I just shut it out.
Of course once they have eaten, and yes Amanda ate all her peas because dessert was on the line and she likes dessert more than she hates peas, they are full of energy and start running all over the house. This isn't just an expression, they were really running up and down the halls and in a big loop from the living room to the dining room to the kitchen. They weren't doing it quietly either, especially since we have wood floors, they were yelling and laughing and pounding on the floor.
Eventually we finally got the kids to head upstairs while Charlie and I finished eating and picking up the dishes. Lately bedtime is such a battle because they go upstairs and then just start giggling and tickling and messing with Andy and goofing off. I hate it. Hate. It. But last night they decided to surprise us. All three kids got dress in their pajamas, brushed their teeth and went to the bathroom before we got upstairs. Charlie kind of clued into what was going on so stopped me on the steps and we just hung out for a bit. Andy read the girls two books and then they got into bed. When we finally decided it was safe to go into the bedroom the girls were already tucked into their bed and only needed a kiss goodnight.
So nice, so refreshing, so wish they would do that at least once a week.
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