Know what’s awesome? I get to take time during the day to chaperone a kindergarten field trip with my little dude. He was so excited to have mama has his partner on the beach scavenger hunt!
Working from home is the best ever…
Photo taken at: Barrington Beach
Pour yourself a cup of coffee and let’s catch up:
DOING:
For the last few days, we’ve been outside as much as humanly possible. Its incredible what a dose of fresh air and sunshine can do for the soul. We’ve been biking, running, playing soccer and basketball, drawing with chalk, taking walks, exploring… and generally just enjoying this burst of spring.
Along with the spring air, I’ve been gripped with a bout of spring cleaning. I decided to (finally) organize the basement. When we moved in last August, it was SO HOT that I just couldn’t organize down there. So we just kind-of closed the door and left it all. Now I’m trying to go through and make sense of everything. The questions that keep popping in my head:
Why did we move this?
Why do we even OWN this?
What is this?
Where did this even come from?
I’m about half way done. I’ve collected about 15 bags of trash/donate and I can’t lose steam now, as we have a truck from Big Brothers Big Sisters coming on Monday to collect our boxes of outgrown clothes, toys, games, books and who knows what else!!
FEELING:
Overwhelmed. Life has gotten extra… something. I’ve feeling like I’m in over my head in a lot of areas – especially parenting. I truly thought that after potty training, nothing could be worse. But I was not prepared for the tween growing pains, getting three children to get along, the sheer volume of nagging involved in getting three little people to get schoolwork done, practice instruments and get out the door on time.
THINKING:
About being apart. We have many wonderful friends here in Rhode Island, but the fact remains that all of our oldest and dearest (and most related) friends are far, far away. We have Skype and texting and chatting and Facebook and phone calls, but I am still craving actual face time. It breaks my heart to see someone struggling and not be able to go visit or help because I’m too far away. I’ve been trying to plan out ways we can see everyone as soon as possible.
EATING:
We went out for Indian food on Sunday and have been eating leftovers for lunch every day. Is there anything better? It was the first time in months we went to an Indian Restaurant. I miss the $8.95 All-You-Can-Eat buffets in West Philly!
DRINKING:
My new favorite wine. Our friends here honeymooned in Portugal and love Portuguese wines. They have me hooked!
READING:
Crazy Love
. Only on Chapter 2 and I can already feel this one is a game changer.
WATCHING:
I just finished watching Chuck on Netflix. LOVED IT. I was sad when it was over. I need a new show. Any suggestions?
THANKFUL FOR:
My husband. He got me a ticket to fly out to spend a weekend with my sisters and attend my nephew’s first birthday. Just the therapy my heart needs!
LOVING:
My new boots. They’re even better than I imagined…
What’s up with you?
Gracie was REALLY excited for the first day of school.
Colin… not so much.
But the excitement of riding the bus was enough to cheer them up!
And they’re off!
Its a new era. We no longer have babies, toddlers or preschoolers. We have KIDS.
Its bittersweet.
Colin: Mom, I really need a cell phone.
Me: Who are you going to call?
Colin: Grandma. Marcus. Uncle Chris. You know. My people.
I mean, he’s FIVE.
“Mom I have a LOT of work to do when I grow up if I’m going to be a builder and a race car driver AND a motorcycle racer. And I want to do everything in the world so I may not be home much!”
One minute she’s asking to buy a book that – upon my skimming – includes kids talking about being gay and bi and whathaveyou. (Let’s just call it “mature content” not suitable for a 10-year-old.) And she’s upset and confused when I say no.
The next minutes she’s asking to buy a stuffed animal with her birthday money.
This in-between stage is rough.
She’s so big, but not quite. She wants to be a teenager, but not quite. She still wants to play with toys, but I think she feels a little silly sometimes. Like she’s too big to be having fun. Its so hard to predict how she will react to things or what she is thinking.
While I am loving seeing her grow up and seeing her change into a young woman, its so painful sometimes. Like when you see that adolescent awkwardness starting to peek through the little girl exterior. Like when she wants to talk to me about something she heard or saw at school that confuses her. Like when she wants me to help her do her hair so she looks pretty. Like when she wants to confess who she has a crush on. I love that she will share with me (and yes, I know that won’t last forever!) but it also breaks my heart a little.
I want her to hang on to her childhood as long as she can. To keep playing. To keep begging me for stuffed animals. To keep from growing up too quickly.
While putting the Christmas decorations away this weekend, I managed to tweak my back.
Fun.
So it hurts to bend over. Or sit down. Or get back up. Or reach for things. Or lift things. Or move, really.
Its so annoying. I hate being sick. I feel fine, except for having to rest my back, so I’m slowly going crazy… as the house falls apart around me. I need a maid until I feel better to keep the house together and get things together while I’m laying around. Since we all know that moms don’t get sick days and somehow I’m going to have to figure out how to keep things running while not moving as much as I can.
Who has some good books to read?
Just yesterday she was so little. So sweet and so little.
Today…. my heart can hardly take it.
She is growing up so fast. She keeps reminding us that she will be ten. And almost a teenager. She’s so proud. She can’t wait. She’s getting so big – so responsible. She is working so hard at school, at sports and music…
Its all rushing by. Soon she will be ten. And then a teenager. And then… gone.
I want to slow her down.
