Our summer so far has been a mixture of bangs and whimpers, the unexpected and the monotonous.
The first week was a bit of catch up - filing, cleaning.
That first Saturday, we had planned to go see the movie Brave, starting our summer off with a bang. Kate cried the whole morning, refusing to go. The boys finally decided to go by themselves.
As they were getting ready to go, Kate whispered: Okay, mommy. When they go, we are going to go too and meet them there.
Me: Um, what?
Kate: We are going to surprise the boys at the movie.
Me: Um, what?
We rushed around the house after they left and were able to meet them there.
David: What the?
That was unexpected. And a good surprise.
My brother, sister-in-law and niece were visiting last week from Washington (the state, not the capital). We spent some time with them in Albany with my mother and Long Island with my father. My brother Conor and his girlfriend Meredith joined us on Long Island. There's something so comforting about being around family. It had been the first time we had ALL been together in about 2 years. We swam almost every day. And barbecued. And laughed, harder than I've laughed in a long time.
This week feels like catch up again - cleaning and laundry, some napping and reading, soccer and swimming lessons.
We are all home together this summer, all summer. Some days work, some don't. The trick is finding a good balance between family time and alone time.
And, hopefully figuring that out before August.
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Saturday, July 14, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Kate-isms
Mike was having the kids pick up the basement. It's a disaster. And the two of us are a bit sick of tripping over all the kids toys.
Kate came up from the basement stomping her feet.
Kate: It's not fair. You're the boss, but daddy's acting like it. Tell him that I don't want to pick up.
Oh, the things Kate will say to get out of cleaning.
I have nightmares about what her teenage years will be like.
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Kate came up from the basement stomping her feet.
Kate: It's not fair. You're the boss, but daddy's acting like it. Tell him that I don't want to pick up.
Oh, the things Kate will say to get out of cleaning.
I have nightmares about what her teenage years will be like.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, June 11, 2012
Same point, different view
Our house is a cape, which simply means that the kids bedrooms are downstairs, ours is upstairs.
It's nice and not nice. It's nice having some kid free space, but I miss having us all on one floor.
Our first summer in the house, David was just a couple months old. And he would wake up so early in the mornings. We would get him from downstairs and sit him between the two in front of a window at the head of our bed. And he would sit there, content looking up at the trees, while we motivated ourselves to get out of bed.
This morning, David woke up really early. Well, early for me. I told him to get a bit more sleep. He came back about 15 minutes later and climbed into bed with me.
Me: Just 10 more minutes, okay David.
David: okay
He was laying and looking up through the window at the trees. It reminded me of that first summer.
I don't know that a picture would ever really do it justice. The quiet of the moment, the light reflecting off his eyes, the branches of the trees creating a shadow across his face.
But, it's those moments as a parent that you can always recall.
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It's nice and not nice. It's nice having some kid free space, but I miss having us all on one floor.
Our first summer in the house, David was just a couple months old. And he would wake up so early in the mornings. We would get him from downstairs and sit him between the two in front of a window at the head of our bed. And he would sit there, content looking up at the trees, while we motivated ourselves to get out of bed.
This morning, David woke up really early. Well, early for me. I told him to get a bit more sleep. He came back about 15 minutes later and climbed into bed with me.
Me: Just 10 more minutes, okay David.
David: okay
He was laying and looking up through the window at the trees. It reminded me of that first summer.
I don't know that a picture would ever really do it justice. The quiet of the moment, the light reflecting off his eyes, the branches of the trees creating a shadow across his face.
But, it's those moments as a parent that you can always recall.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, June 9, 2012
This door is always open
"Logic will get you from A to Z; Imagination will get you every where else." - Albert Einstein
I'm not sure if you know this or not. And, I fear I may be warning some of you too late.
To think of the danger (danger!) lurking in the most unexpected, surprising of places!
There are sharks that inhabit the river that separates the children's room from the rest of the library.
Now, thankfully, there is a bridge and stepping stones to help one cross. I have seen many an adult though forgo these safe routes and venture across the river.
Kate and I were at the library the other day and came to the crossing in question.
Kate: Mom! Wait! The sharks!
Me: Should I take the bridge?
Kate: No, I brought my magic wand. When I do this (waves wand around) it will make our shoes magic and we can walk across the water without the sharks getting us.
Me: I'm a little nervous. Are you sure I won't sink into the water?
Kate: Watch. (waves her wand and steps out onto the water). See?
Me: Thanks Kate.
And I was able to cross without incident.
And we were able to pick out some books from the children's room.
On the way out of the children's room we encountered a bit of trouble.
Kate: Oh-oh.
Me: What's up?
Kate: I lost my wand. I thought I put it here (pats her skirt). But it's not there. Maybe it fell out.
Me: Oh-oh.
Kate: Did you bring a wand?
Me: I forgot mine.
Kate: We can't cross.
Me: Let's take the bridge.
We took the bridge and sort of had to leap from the end onto the purple and green squares.
Sometimes the sharks know when you forget your wand and wait at the end of the bridge for you to fall in.
I'm glad Kate was with me to help me see the sharks and get me across.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I'm not sure if you know this or not. And, I fear I may be warning some of you too late.
To think of the danger (danger!) lurking in the most unexpected, surprising of places!
There are sharks that inhabit the river that separates the children's room from the rest of the library.
Now, thankfully, there is a bridge and stepping stones to help one cross. I have seen many an adult though forgo these safe routes and venture across the river.
Kate and I were at the library the other day and came to the crossing in question.
Kate: Mom! Wait! The sharks!
Me: Should I take the bridge?
Kate: No, I brought my magic wand. When I do this (waves wand around) it will make our shoes magic and we can walk across the water without the sharks getting us.
Me: I'm a little nervous. Are you sure I won't sink into the water?
Kate: Watch. (waves her wand and steps out onto the water). See?
Me: Thanks Kate.
And I was able to cross without incident.
And we were able to pick out some books from the children's room.
On the way out of the children's room we encountered a bit of trouble.
Kate: Oh-oh.
Me: What's up?
Kate: I lost my wand. I thought I put it here (pats her skirt). But it's not there. Maybe it fell out.
Me: Oh-oh.
Kate: Did you bring a wand?
Me: I forgot mine.
Kate: We can't cross.
Me: Let's take the bridge.
We took the bridge and sort of had to leap from the end onto the purple and green squares.
Sometimes the sharks know when you forget your wand and wait at the end of the bridge for you to fall in.
I'm glad Kate was with me to help me see the sharks and get me across.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
How to know you are clean enough
We recently replaced our hot water heater.
I don't think I realized how far gone our hot water heater had been -- until I took a shower. A nice, long, hot wonderful shower.
I usually try to sneak one in before the kids wake up, but I'm not a morning person and my first thought is "coffee", not "uninterrupted shower". So, showers end up being quick so we can get wherever it is we are going.
So, last week, with our glorious new hot water heater, I was probably taking my time a bit. And both children were awake. The door was open, and I could hear their whispers and giggles.
David came in the bathroom first laughing.
And threw cold water on me in the shower.
(editors note: I may have taught them this trick.)
Kate followed soon after and did the same.
Both missed, and I play acted being cold and appalled.
sigh.
That might have been a mistake.
What followed next was a steady barrage of cold water.
I decided I was clean enough.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I don't think I realized how far gone our hot water heater had been -- until I took a shower. A nice, long, hot wonderful shower.
I usually try to sneak one in before the kids wake up, but I'm not a morning person and my first thought is "coffee", not "uninterrupted shower". So, showers end up being quick so we can get wherever it is we are going.
So, last week, with our glorious new hot water heater, I was probably taking my time a bit. And both children were awake. The door was open, and I could hear their whispers and giggles.
David came in the bathroom first laughing.
And threw cold water on me in the shower.
(editors note: I may have taught them this trick.)
Kate followed soon after and did the same.
Both missed, and I play acted being cold and appalled.
sigh.
That might have been a mistake.
What followed next was a steady barrage of cold water.
I decided I was clean enough.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, May 4, 2012
The days are just packed
One day last week ...
7:45 am -- wake up to David saying, "Mom. Can I play video games?" Me: "No. I need five more minutes David ... "
8:10 am -- actually get out of bed.
8:10 - 9:00 am -- wake up Kate, eat, get dressed, drink copious amounts of coffee, somehow manage to leave the house with everyone in clean clothes and underwear.
9:00 - 10:00 am -- dance at the Little Gym for Kate.
10:15 am -- David's friend comes over, nice visit with friends mom, more coffee.
10:45 am - 12:45 pm -- boys (and Kate) play outside, lunch on the deck, try to catch butterflies, light saber battles, couple innings of baseball.
12:45 - 1:15pm -- boys go to school , quick visit with Mike.
1:30 - 3:30 pm -- Kate and I have a lovely afternoon with a friend and her daughter, drink more coffee.
3:30 - 4:30 pm -- David comes home, quick pick up of the house, mistakenly sit on the couch and don't want to move for the remainder of the night.
4:30 - 5:30pm -- watch baseball game at the high school.
5:30 - 6:00 pm -- pick up pizza, then David at game, then home.
6:00 - 6:30 pm -- eat dinner, discuss the highlights of the day.
David: Why do the days go by so quickly?
6:30 pm - chat with mom, pour large glass of wine.
7:00 pm - ? -- watch Mets game, Kate falls asleep snuggled beside me, David rewinds and replays highlights of the game as we watch tv.
(he's snuggled beside me, helping me write -- he doesn't want you to know he's stinky, but I made the mistake of sitting on the couch again so a bath will have to wait until tomorrow).
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I love video games.
7:45 am -- wake up to David saying, "Mom. Can I play video games?" Me: "No. I need five more minutes David ... "
8:10 am -- actually get out of bed.
8:10 - 9:00 am -- wake up Kate, eat, get dressed, drink copious amounts of coffee, somehow manage to leave the house with everyone in clean clothes and underwear.
9:00 - 10:00 am -- dance at the Little Gym for Kate.
10:15 am -- David's friend comes over, nice visit with friends mom, more coffee.
10:45 am - 12:45 pm -- boys (and Kate) play outside, lunch on the deck, try to catch butterflies, light saber battles, couple innings of baseball.
12:45 - 1:15pm -- boys go to school , quick visit with Mike.
1:30 - 3:30 pm -- Kate and I have a lovely afternoon with a friend and her daughter, drink more coffee.
3:30 - 4:30 pm -- David comes home, quick pick up of the house, mistakenly sit on the couch and don't want to move for the remainder of the night.
4:30 - 5:30pm -- watch baseball game at the high school.
5:30 - 6:00 pm -- pick up pizza, then David at game, then home.
6:00 - 6:30 pm -- eat dinner, discuss the highlights of the day.
David: Why do the days go by so quickly?
6:30 pm - chat with mom, pour large glass of wine.
7:00 pm - ? -- watch Mets game, Kate falls asleep snuggled beside me, David rewinds and replays highlights of the game as we watch tv.
(he's snuggled beside me, helping me write -- he doesn't want you to know he's stinky, but I made the mistake of sitting on the couch again so a bath will have to wait until tomorrow).
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I love video games.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Curiosity killed the cat, you know
We've lived in our house for almost 6 years now. It is also the first house Mike and I have ever owned.
We aren't super handy when it comes to home repairs. And all those years ago when we were looking for our first home, we didn't want a house that needed a lot of time, money, effort, labor, work in general.
The house we bought seemed to fit that criteria.
Funny thing about that, though:
1. Our house is old. Not 1880s old, but 1950s old. And things wear a bit over time and need to be replaced, fixed, etc.
2. The previous owners fancied themselves handy. Like super handy. But, alas, they were not. Not at all.
The previous owners daydreams of handiness has proven to be troublesome. There's a lot about our house that seems weird or oddly constructed. Usually when we look into fixing the oddity, we uncover something the previous owners "fixed!" or "made!"
A lot of it we fix as we go along, like the super glued molding.
A lot we ignore for the time being, like the sink in the basement bar that's missing pipes to drain it (it currently drains to a bucket. Why they would put in a really nice bar with a sink that doesn't drain sort of baffles me).
Somethings have to be dealt with immediately, like replacing the 1950s cloth wiring that they ran on the basement floor to provide electricity to the finished part of the basement. It was smoking. And sparking.
So, this should come as no surprise:
This is our hall closet that I put shelves into this weekend. The closet and front door to our house are in sort of awkward positions. And the floor slopes funny by the closet. And the front door never really seemed finished.
There's a large piece of particle board that's been screwed into the wall. I decided to unscrew and see, just for giggles, what was behind it.
It was a large, gaping hole filled with insulation.
(duh.)
I didn't get all the screws out, but it was pretty obvious that is was a large, gaping hole filled with insulation.
We think it must have been a window at one point. And the closet was and door were probably added on at some point. Which would explain a lot about that part of the house.
We firmly secured the large piece of particle board back into place.
That's going to be mentally filed under things I'm going to ignore for the time being.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We aren't super handy when it comes to home repairs. And all those years ago when we were looking for our first home, we didn't want a house that needed a lot of time, money, effort, labor, work in general.
The house we bought seemed to fit that criteria.
Funny thing about that, though:
1. Our house is old. Not 1880s old, but 1950s old. And things wear a bit over time and need to be replaced, fixed, etc.
2. The previous owners fancied themselves handy. Like super handy. But, alas, they were not. Not at all.
The previous owners daydreams of handiness has proven to be troublesome. There's a lot about our house that seems weird or oddly constructed. Usually when we look into fixing the oddity, we uncover something the previous owners "fixed!" or "made!"
A lot of it we fix as we go along, like the super glued molding.
A lot we ignore for the time being, like the sink in the basement bar that's missing pipes to drain it (it currently drains to a bucket. Why they would put in a really nice bar with a sink that doesn't drain sort of baffles me).
Somethings have to be dealt with immediately, like replacing the 1950s cloth wiring that they ran on the basement floor to provide electricity to the finished part of the basement. It was smoking. And sparking.
So, this should come as no surprise:
This is our hall closet that I put shelves into this weekend. The closet and front door to our house are in sort of awkward positions. And the floor slopes funny by the closet. And the front door never really seemed finished.
There's a large piece of particle board that's been screwed into the wall. I decided to unscrew and see, just for giggles, what was behind it.
It was a large, gaping hole filled with insulation.
(duh.)
I didn't get all the screws out, but it was pretty obvious that is was a large, gaping hole filled with insulation.
We think it must have been a window at one point. And the closet was and door were probably added on at some point. Which would explain a lot about that part of the house.
We firmly secured the large piece of particle board back into place.
That's going to be mentally filed under things I'm going to ignore for the time being.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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