I'm nervous to even write this out loud, but I'm thinking about giving the "unplugged" lifestyle a whirl this summer. By that I mean no (or very limited) TV or computer for one whole summer. Will that turn mommytown into crazytown? Stay tuned...
If you are already unplugged, I want to hear from you! How do you make it work? Plug in for a second and leave me a comment, will ya?
This idea is still in the thinking about it stages. I reserve the right to come to my senses at any moment. : )
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Same as it ever was
"And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?"
This song was running through my head yesterday as I sat in the Lake Anne Elementary school cafeteria listening to Emma's future principal talk about the class of 2022. (!) The school reminded me so much of my old elementary school--maybe it was just that they were both built in the 60's? Maybe all elementary schools just have that ineffable elementary school aura about them? I don't know...I'm new to this whole parent of a school-age child thing. I told Brandon that I had never felt like such a grown-up before in my entire life, never mind that I was drinking grape juice and eating animal crackers as I said this. Not even when they handed Emma to me wrapped up like a burrito in the delivery room, did I feel this much like a "parent." Maybe it's because I remember my own parents so well when they were at this stage of things? Is our minivan their station wagon with the wood paneling? Same as it ever was...
I think Emma is going to *LOVE* kindergarten. That is an understatement...I think she's going to luff it, lerve it. The school has an emphasis on learning through art, so every hallway, every surface of the school basically is covered with awesome kid art. I think I would rather see a bunch of kid art sometimes than go to a museum (that is a horrible sentence, sorry). I love seeing the worldview of kids through art. You can tell that this school encourages the really creative kind of art making and not the everyone-make-the-same-apple-tree kind of art making. I love that. I told Brandon that the halls of the school reminded me of our house. That's sort of what you want out of an elementary school isn't it? And a house, for that matter.
As we got in our large automobile to head home in the rain, I felt like my heart was as big as our backseat. I am so excited for what the future holds. How did we go from burrito-wrapped Emma to kindergarten Emma so quickly? If you stop too long to think about how sad it is that those years are gone, you'll miss everything. So, I'm consciously choosing excitement over sadness, anticipation over regret.
The other day we were walking to the Y and we saw a beautiful ____ tree in bloom (I don't really know my trees). I said to the kids, "look at that beautiful tree." Emma said, "That's the kind of flowers I want to have for my wedding." I laughed and said, "Your wedding! We're already talking about that!" And she said, "Yes, when I grow up, I'm going to get a husband and get married." And then Charlie said matter-of-factly, "And then you'll die." I nearly died laughing. I think this is how I imagined my life when I was little too. I pretty much thought: I'll grow up, get a husband, get married, have babies and then I'll die. I never really envisioned my baby's first day of kindergarten or watching my kids play soccer (another first that happened this week). I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure how I got here, but I'm glad I'm here.
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?"
This song was running through my head yesterday as I sat in the Lake Anne Elementary school cafeteria listening to Emma's future principal talk about the class of 2022. (!) The school reminded me so much of my old elementary school--maybe it was just that they were both built in the 60's? Maybe all elementary schools just have that ineffable elementary school aura about them? I don't know...I'm new to this whole parent of a school-age child thing. I told Brandon that I had never felt like such a grown-up before in my entire life, never mind that I was drinking grape juice and eating animal crackers as I said this. Not even when they handed Emma to me wrapped up like a burrito in the delivery room, did I feel this much like a "parent." Maybe it's because I remember my own parents so well when they were at this stage of things? Is our minivan their station wagon with the wood paneling? Same as it ever was...
I think Emma is going to *LOVE* kindergarten. That is an understatement...I think she's going to luff it, lerve it. The school has an emphasis on learning through art, so every hallway, every surface of the school basically is covered with awesome kid art. I think I would rather see a bunch of kid art sometimes than go to a museum (that is a horrible sentence, sorry). I love seeing the worldview of kids through art. You can tell that this school encourages the really creative kind of art making and not the everyone-make-the-same-apple-tree kind of art making. I love that. I told Brandon that the halls of the school reminded me of our house. That's sort of what you want out of an elementary school isn't it? And a house, for that matter.
As we got in our large automobile to head home in the rain, I felt like my heart was as big as our backseat. I am so excited for what the future holds. How did we go from burrito-wrapped Emma to kindergarten Emma so quickly? If you stop too long to think about how sad it is that those years are gone, you'll miss everything. So, I'm consciously choosing excitement over sadness, anticipation over regret.
The other day we were walking to the Y and we saw a beautiful ____ tree in bloom (I don't really know my trees). I said to the kids, "look at that beautiful tree." Emma said, "That's the kind of flowers I want to have for my wedding." I laughed and said, "Your wedding! We're already talking about that!" And she said, "Yes, when I grow up, I'm going to get a husband and get married." And then Charlie said matter-of-factly, "And then you'll die." I nearly died laughing. I think this is how I imagined my life when I was little too. I pretty much thought: I'll grow up, get a husband, get married, have babies and then I'll die. I never really envisioned my baby's first day of kindergarten or watching my kids play soccer (another first that happened this week). I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure how I got here, but I'm glad I'm here.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Hands-free blogging
Really wanting to write a post right now, but have no hands to do so. Need some sort of magic blog helmet that I can wear and just download thoughts to. I have so many things I would do if only I didn't have have a handful of baby most of the time...
1. knit--I'm pretty into knitting these days. It's sort of a theoretical obsession though because anytime I actually have the hands to do it, I have to do other annoying things like unload the dishwasher or fold the laundry.
2. Write. It looks like I can sort of do this with limited hands, thanks to my sling, but it is painfully slow as I keep having to stop and bounce up and down and fend the kids off of the keyboard, lest they hop on noggin.com.
3. cook something that's not spaghetti and meatballs or quesadillas. So sick of these two dinners.
4. Spend time developing all my cool invention ideas like magic blog helmet and baby paci helmet (device for keeping paci in baby's mouth). Most of my ideas are of the helmet variety.
Okay, bouncing and telling kids they can't use the computer while typing one-handed is for the birds.
1. knit--I'm pretty into knitting these days. It's sort of a theoretical obsession though because anytime I actually have the hands to do it, I have to do other annoying things like unload the dishwasher or fold the laundry.
2. Write. It looks like I can sort of do this with limited hands, thanks to my sling, but it is painfully slow as I keep having to stop and bounce up and down and fend the kids off of the keyboard, lest they hop on noggin.com.
3. cook something that's not spaghetti and meatballs or quesadillas. So sick of these two dinners.
4. Spend time developing all my cool invention ideas like magic blog helmet and baby paci helmet (device for keeping paci in baby's mouth). Most of my ideas are of the helmet variety.
Okay, bouncing and telling kids they can't use the computer while typing one-handed is for the birds.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Greetings from the Weeds
It's tempting not to blog right now because I really don't have a lot to say that's positive. I'm not feeling well...kids are all a little sniffly and under the weather, but not sick enough to be still and watch tv. They were actually spitting on Teddy this morning (unsuccessful attempt at blowing raspberries at him, I think) and so now Teddy is showing signs of being sniffly.
Do you ever have those days when you feel like you're babysitting your own kids and you're just waiting for the real mom to come home so that you can go home and do your algebra homework and talk to your boyfriend on the phone? I feel like that right now. Brandon is out of town--something that is becoming more and more frequent. It's now more of an exception if he's in town for the whole week. I feel like I'm the only person in charge here and that is really scary and overwhelming sometimes.
There are so many people with real problems that are so much bigger than my non-problems. I got an email from a friend today asking for prayers for her friend who is probably losing her newborn baby today in the NICU. The email made me cry and I hid out in the bathroom for a few minutes and prayed for the baby and his mother and for me to get my head on straight and start appreciating my own children and my own life a little bit more. But then a few minutes later Charlie spilled a jar of tiny buttons all over the floor and I could feel my blood pressure start to sky rocket again. And then I just felt guilty because my moment of redemption was only like 5 seconds long.
Sometimes I am able to see my life with a wide angle lens, rather than a telephoto one and I can see that someday I will tell pithy stories about this time...that I will laugh at how hard everything was and realize that it didn't last forever and that my children can now wipe their own bottoms and noses and don't have to be bribed to brush their hair. But right now I am only able to see the micro view of everything. Right now, I am "in the weeds"--restaurant lingo for having too many tables sat in your section at once.
Just now Charlie asked me for tape....all of our tape is stuck to itself and would require a much more patient lady than myself to pick at it until it becomes un-stuck to itself. On a better day I would laugh about the tape, but today I want to throw it across the room. Or set it on fire. Can you set tape on fire?
Anyway, where was I? I really am wishing that we still lived in little villages, you know as in "it takes a village..." I want to live in that village. I want to be like, hey fellow villagers, here's the kids, I'll be at the starbucks the next village over if you need me. Catch you later!
I need a break is what I'm trying to say. But a break is not an option right now. So, there you go. And I feel like a bad mom for wanting a break from my precious children who are currently hitting each other with palm leaves made in Sunday school.
Sorry, no craft ideas or recipes or cute kid stories today. But thanks for listening anyway. Gotta go make dinner now. T minus 2 hours till bedtime. Come on 8 o'clock!
Do you ever have those days when you feel like you're babysitting your own kids and you're just waiting for the real mom to come home so that you can go home and do your algebra homework and talk to your boyfriend on the phone? I feel like that right now. Brandon is out of town--something that is becoming more and more frequent. It's now more of an exception if he's in town for the whole week. I feel like I'm the only person in charge here and that is really scary and overwhelming sometimes.
There are so many people with real problems that are so much bigger than my non-problems. I got an email from a friend today asking for prayers for her friend who is probably losing her newborn baby today in the NICU. The email made me cry and I hid out in the bathroom for a few minutes and prayed for the baby and his mother and for me to get my head on straight and start appreciating my own children and my own life a little bit more. But then a few minutes later Charlie spilled a jar of tiny buttons all over the floor and I could feel my blood pressure start to sky rocket again. And then I just felt guilty because my moment of redemption was only like 5 seconds long.
Sometimes I am able to see my life with a wide angle lens, rather than a telephoto one and I can see that someday I will tell pithy stories about this time...that I will laugh at how hard everything was and realize that it didn't last forever and that my children can now wipe their own bottoms and noses and don't have to be bribed to brush their hair. But right now I am only able to see the micro view of everything. Right now, I am "in the weeds"--restaurant lingo for having too many tables sat in your section at once.
Just now Charlie asked me for tape....all of our tape is stuck to itself and would require a much more patient lady than myself to pick at it until it becomes un-stuck to itself. On a better day I would laugh about the tape, but today I want to throw it across the room. Or set it on fire. Can you set tape on fire?
Anyway, where was I? I really am wishing that we still lived in little villages, you know as in "it takes a village..." I want to live in that village. I want to be like, hey fellow villagers, here's the kids, I'll be at the starbucks the next village over if you need me. Catch you later!
I need a break is what I'm trying to say. But a break is not an option right now. So, there you go. And I feel like a bad mom for wanting a break from my precious children who are currently hitting each other with palm leaves made in Sunday school.
Sorry, no craft ideas or recipes or cute kid stories today. But thanks for listening anyway. Gotta go make dinner now. T minus 2 hours till bedtime. Come on 8 o'clock!
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