If you're looking for a good laugh (at my expense), read no further. This is serious stuff!
I am on my way back from a 7-day retreat ~ away from children, responsibilities, household tasks, phone calls, lunch making, driving to school, driving from school...etc.
I am returning to a day that begins by 5am if not sooner and "ends", hopefully, by 8pm (which just means all children are sleeping but doesn't mean it will last through the night). After 8pm comes, I finish cleaning the kitchen, folding the laundry, returning email, completing work assignments, making lunches..... if you're a mom - you understand.
Going away for a week was a gift from my husband in honor of my upcoming 40th birthday.
The desire - and subsequently - the need to get away began as December 6th (my birthday) was fast approaching, and I realized I hadn't achieved the personal goals I set out for myself... things like regular exercise, eating healthy, and losing the rest of the baby weight I've been carrying with me the last almost-seven years. I was finding it difficult to achieve my goals and was becoming increasingly desperate to succeed.
I decided to do a 5-day juice fast led by Jill Schneider, a woman who healed herself of malignant cervical cancer through fasting. The fast was taking place in Georgia - my old stomping ground from grad school days - and was a perfect setting for me.
But, I'm not writing to tell you to do a juice fast (though you should). I am writing as a mom who advocates for a mother's self care and commitment to maintaining her identity within motherhood. In my day to day life, I feel like I spend a lot of time focusing on this but my week away was....
TRANSFORMATIONAL
The second I set foot on the plane and realized I was free from obligation, entertaining, working my schedule around the needs of my children - I felt different. I had time to contemplate. As with anything, when we are in the midst of something, it is difficult to obtain a proper view. An elephant in the living room - if you were flat up against it, would it look like an elephant or a gray wall? We often don't realize what a blurry view we are getting.
I knew I needed a break. By the end of the day, I was exhausted (still am - but in a different way). I often didn't have the energy to finish my daily tasks. I didn't have the space or the vision to remember who I was, what I liked to do or what I needed to nurture my self.
So, I'm writing this post (which I'm going to abruptly end) to say that as much as I have advocated for mom self-care in the past, I am going to increase my efforts 100-fold. Because, not only have I learned that it is crucial for your sanity. I have also learned that - upon returning - you are now two weeks behind (doesn't matter how long you were gone for) on laundry, phone calls, homework, children's need, cleaning the house, talking with your husband, etc.... and that the desperate need to "get away" will return much sooner than you would have ever thought.
March 5, 2008
February 6, 2008
This is a Test. This is Only a Test.
My time was interrupted by lunchtime. Ellie was up, and my babysitter was still out with Isaac. So it was Ellie, me and a jar of peas. I didn’t want to waste any time – my motto is “As long as I’m doing something, I’m getting it done.” So, I brought over my lunch and decided to interview her.
I posed my first question. “What exactly is spirituality?” She ignored me and looked outside. Or, was that her answer?
My babysitter returned and took Ellie from me. I was left to my own demise. I thought M&M’s might help. They didn’t. I had been struggling with this one for awhile.
My spirituality is kept in a big, green box on the top shelf of the closet in my daughter’s bedroom. It contains records of my soul searching, dreams of changing the world and memoirs of events that I had found spiritually uplifting.
Probably the most extraordinary and life changing event that occurred in my life was the births of my children. Not for the physical experience of birthing and raising children (though that was and continues to be pretty intense) but for the spiritual experience of which I, still, cannot quite put my finger on.
What I do know is that my children observe intently and learn immensely from every action I make. And, that means I have a lot of work to do improving the way I live and ensuring that I am living according to the values I believe in.
I want my children to learn from me - how to respond appropriately when they feel so angry they could explode. I want them to watch me as I take action in the community standing up for the things I believe in. I want them to hear me communicating in a way that allows them to feel comfortable and unafraid of words. I want them to believe that their purpose in this world has a lot do with how they relate to others, what contributions they make to the generations after them and that the bigger picture - though harder to see – is often more important. These are life long lessons and ones I continue to face on a daily basis.
I don’t want my children to feel the wrath of their impatient mama. I don’t want them to be afraid of getting yelled at if they do something wrong. I don’t want them to wonder if their mommy and daddy love each other. I want my children to feel a calm and peacefulness whenever they are in their home. I want them to be ok with making mistakes. I want them to feel they can explore life in their own unique way. I want them to always know how much their mommy and daddy love them.
I don’t want my children to be envious of what other children have or get to do. I don’t want my children to do things only because someone asks them to. I don’t want my children to be waited on hand and foot or to get everything they ask for.
I want to teach my children to appreciate whatever it is that they have- no matter how much or how little. I want my children to take the initiative and to do mitzvoth (good deeds) for others. I want my children to learn that life has rewards and life has disappointments and they can live successfully through both.
Teaching my children how to live and how to strive for higher ground is a difficult task. Therein lies the spiritual journey of motherhood and the harsh reality that we don’t always pay attention to daily life, nor live up to our own expectations. Within the ordinary are such extraordinary moments – each one containing invaluable impact on the generations to follow. Life is the test and finding spirituality is the means with which to survive.
It is a few hours later and my sitter has left. Isaac is asleep and Ellie won’t nap. I didn’t quite reach my thoughts yet. I think the answers lie in the Hershey’s Kisses I’m about to eat....
Don’t cry over spilled peas. Life will hand you many messes. A wet paper towel can clean most of them up in a jiffy.
If you scream loud enough and long enough, someone will answer.
Explore the world as though you are seeing it for the first time. Each moment is a new moment in life and we have the opportunity to seize it or let it pass us by.
It takes persistence to master a task. Whether it’s learning to hold a spoon or learning to be awake through life, success takes persistence.
Balance is hard. Unless you have a big rump like my third born son, it’s not so easy to maintain balance. You have to work at, keep trying and changing positions and make adjustments when necessary.
If you can laugh, you stop crying. We have to take any event and transform it into something that will enable us to grow.
Explore. There are always new things to discover, and things look different from different viewpoints.
Family is important. It’s your foundation for all your life lessons and whether you have bad experiences or good experiences– there is still a lesson inside.
Strong communication is important and so is learning how others around you communicate – what is said and not said, how it is said, what you think someone means and what they really meant.
Pulling hair is not a successful outcome of conflict.
A poopy diaper is just a poopy diaper. There is nothing spiritual about it.
I posed my first question. “What exactly is spirituality?” She ignored me and looked outside. Or, was that her answer?
My babysitter returned and took Ellie from me. I was left to my own demise. I thought M&M’s might help. They didn’t. I had been struggling with this one for awhile.
My spirituality is kept in a big, green box on the top shelf of the closet in my daughter’s bedroom. It contains records of my soul searching, dreams of changing the world and memoirs of events that I had found spiritually uplifting.
Probably the most extraordinary and life changing event that occurred in my life was the births of my children. Not for the physical experience of birthing and raising children (though that was and continues to be pretty intense) but for the spiritual experience of which I, still, cannot quite put my finger on.
What I do know is that my children observe intently and learn immensely from every action I make. And, that means I have a lot of work to do improving the way I live and ensuring that I am living according to the values I believe in.
I want my children to learn from me - how to respond appropriately when they feel so angry they could explode. I want them to watch me as I take action in the community standing up for the things I believe in. I want them to hear me communicating in a way that allows them to feel comfortable and unafraid of words. I want them to believe that their purpose in this world has a lot do with how they relate to others, what contributions they make to the generations after them and that the bigger picture - though harder to see – is often more important. These are life long lessons and ones I continue to face on a daily basis.
I don’t want my children to feel the wrath of their impatient mama. I don’t want them to be afraid of getting yelled at if they do something wrong. I don’t want them to wonder if their mommy and daddy love each other. I want my children to feel a calm and peacefulness whenever they are in their home. I want them to be ok with making mistakes. I want them to feel they can explore life in their own unique way. I want them to always know how much their mommy and daddy love them.
I don’t want my children to be envious of what other children have or get to do. I don’t want my children to do things only because someone asks them to. I don’t want my children to be waited on hand and foot or to get everything they ask for.
I want to teach my children to appreciate whatever it is that they have- no matter how much or how little. I want my children to take the initiative and to do mitzvoth (good deeds) for others. I want my children to learn that life has rewards and life has disappointments and they can live successfully through both.
Teaching my children how to live and how to strive for higher ground is a difficult task. Therein lies the spiritual journey of motherhood and the harsh reality that we don’t always pay attention to daily life, nor live up to our own expectations. Within the ordinary are such extraordinary moments – each one containing invaluable impact on the generations to follow. Life is the test and finding spirituality is the means with which to survive.
It is a few hours later and my sitter has left. Isaac is asleep and Ellie won’t nap. I didn’t quite reach my thoughts yet. I think the answers lie in the Hershey’s Kisses I’m about to eat....
Don’t cry over spilled peas. Life will hand you many messes. A wet paper towel can clean most of them up in a jiffy.
If you scream loud enough and long enough, someone will answer.
Explore the world as though you are seeing it for the first time. Each moment is a new moment in life and we have the opportunity to seize it or let it pass us by.
It takes persistence to master a task. Whether it’s learning to hold a spoon or learning to be awake through life, success takes persistence.
Balance is hard. Unless you have a big rump like my third born son, it’s not so easy to maintain balance. You have to work at, keep trying and changing positions and make adjustments when necessary.
If you can laugh, you stop crying. We have to take any event and transform it into something that will enable us to grow.
Explore. There are always new things to discover, and things look different from different viewpoints.
Family is important. It’s your foundation for all your life lessons and whether you have bad experiences or good experiences– there is still a lesson inside.
Strong communication is important and so is learning how others around you communicate – what is said and not said, how it is said, what you think someone means and what they really meant.
Pulling hair is not a successful outcome of conflict.
A poopy diaper is just a poopy diaper. There is nothing spiritual about it.
September 24, 2007
JUST DISCOVERED: Greatest Cleaning Tip Ever
WOW! My house smells great. It looks clean! And, I hardly did anything. Here are the simple steps to acquiring what I have:
Step One: Put your lemon scented Mr Clean in a bucket and mix with water.
Step Two: Locate an empty 18 gallon (or above) sized tupperware.
Step Three: Walk around the house and put any stray items in the Tupperware container (to be put away later, of course)
Step Four: Sweep (quickly). There is a great sense of accomplishment from sweeping a pile into a dustpan. Watch how good you feel once you're done.
You're done!
By now, the bucket of lemon scented Mr. Clean has permeated the entire house. You can move it to your laundry room and allow it to continue to spread its long lasting scent.
If you feel really ambitious, you can even mop an area or two of your house. No need to do the whole thing ~ just a little makes the house smell and look great!
Title Renamed: JUST DISCOVERED: Greatest Cleaning TRICK Ever
Step One: Put your lemon scented Mr Clean in a bucket and mix with water.
Step Two: Locate an empty 18 gallon (or above) sized tupperware.
Step Three: Walk around the house and put any stray items in the Tupperware container (to be put away later, of course)
Step Four: Sweep (quickly). There is a great sense of accomplishment from sweeping a pile into a dustpan. Watch how good you feel once you're done.
You're done!
By now, the bucket of lemon scented Mr. Clean has permeated the entire house. You can move it to your laundry room and allow it to continue to spread its long lasting scent.
If you feel really ambitious, you can even mop an area or two of your house. No need to do the whole thing ~ just a little makes the house smell and look great!
Title Renamed: JUST DISCOVERED: Greatest Cleaning TRICK Ever
September 20, 2007
"If Mom Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy"
Recently, I was invited to participate in a community conference for women put on by a local organization. The conference title was "The Oys and Joys of Parenting" and the part I was to be involved with was called "The Revolving Door Syndrome: Stepping Out of Existing Patterns". The goal was to provide practical tips to moms in order that they might walk away with some concrete ideas on how to bring more joy into daily life.
I should have paused when I first read the title of "my" section. "Stepping Out of Existing Patterns" doesn't necessarily speak to the goal of helping moms put more FUN into their days. And, after our first couple of meetings, I should have paused again.
I was asked to take the title and brainstorm (on the spot) how I would go about leading this segment of the conference. My brainstorm was then merged with whatever ideas already existed and I was asked to go to it. Start creating a list of ideas we can share with moms. I talked to friends. I sent out a mass email recruiting creative, FUN ideas. I spent hours at night researching ideas from Mommy websites.
When I'm asked to participate in something, I don't say yes unless I'm going to give it my all. All you need to do is mention MOTHERHOOD, and I'm on board (at least until now). As of yesterday, I have been asked to remove myself from the conference committee. It appears (and I suppose I should agree) that I am on a different page.
Part of my problem is that I asked for clarification of what page we were supposed to be on in the first place. It was my feeling that the direction we were going was not the intended direction as I understood it. The task of coming up with practical, FUN ideas to share with moms turned into suggestions such as: "creating a family cheer" (if you think this is a good idea, you should stop reading right now. you don't belong here) or "surprise your child with a treat or a note in their lunch". Now, the latter is not necessarily a bad idea but does a mother really need to be told to do that?
My dilemma turned into the focus of the actions suggested. They were set up to put a smile on the child's face. How might this benefit the mother? "A happy child leads to a happy mother", I was told. (or vice versa, I added) But, I'm not really into creating a world where my child always has to be happy so that my day goes much better. I am more interested in providing ideas for the MOTHER to use to manage the day to day tasks of motherhood with a good attitude, to provide innovative and FUN ideas to get her through those moments... the OYS that were mentioned above.
One of the women on this committee made a suggestion to another mom who was having a difficult time getting her children to sit down (all at once) for breakfast. She suggested setting the table with a fun tablecloth, buying paper goods and inviting the children to a breakfast party. This, in my opinion, was something FUN for the children as well as useful for the mother. From that, one may even come up with other ideas to be used on a daily basis to assist with the difficulty of gathering everyone at the breakfast table.
I suppose there is a reason for everything. This experience has led me to throw out every how to get your child to sleep, eat, behave, listen, love you book that I own. Why can't parenting just be parenting? My mom didn't have all these crazy books that she had to refer to before she made a decision about what kind of shoes to buy me when I was crawling or to help her determine which stroller would be most ergonomically correct for my growing spine or how to balance life with three children born in five years.
Why does so much work and effort have to put into adding a little JOY into the lives of your children or into your own life, for that matter. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily living, we forget to take pause to do the little things that mean so much.
Why do we need to be trained on Nurtured Heart Parenting or Parent Effectiveness Training or Parenting with one eye closed, one hand behind your back and one foot dragging one small cling-on child? I'd like to see the research that says "this parenting technique is the one that puts more children into Harvard than any other" or "children who have been parented with this technique and ONLY this technique are more successful in later life".
Don't get me wrong. I love hearing new ideas; I talk to my friends about what they do in certain parenting situations, I call my mom for ideas all the time. I value learning and I model that for my children as well. What it all boils down to - in my eyes - is that we need to LOVE our children, we need to FOCUS on the things that are important in life and learn to BALANCE those things with the mundane responsibilities we all have and we need to MODEL for our children the VALUES we feel will help them become successfully functioning human beings in the greater society!
I should have paused when I first read the title of "my" section. "Stepping Out of Existing Patterns" doesn't necessarily speak to the goal of helping moms put more FUN into their days. And, after our first couple of meetings, I should have paused again.
I was asked to take the title and brainstorm (on the spot) how I would go about leading this segment of the conference. My brainstorm was then merged with whatever ideas already existed and I was asked to go to it. Start creating a list of ideas we can share with moms. I talked to friends. I sent out a mass email recruiting creative, FUN ideas. I spent hours at night researching ideas from Mommy websites.
When I'm asked to participate in something, I don't say yes unless I'm going to give it my all. All you need to do is mention MOTHERHOOD, and I'm on board (at least until now). As of yesterday, I have been asked to remove myself from the conference committee. It appears (and I suppose I should agree) that I am on a different page.
Part of my problem is that I asked for clarification of what page we were supposed to be on in the first place. It was my feeling that the direction we were going was not the intended direction as I understood it. The task of coming up with practical, FUN ideas to share with moms turned into suggestions such as: "creating a family cheer" (if you think this is a good idea, you should stop reading right now. you don't belong here) or "surprise your child with a treat or a note in their lunch". Now, the latter is not necessarily a bad idea but does a mother really need to be told to do that?
My dilemma turned into the focus of the actions suggested. They were set up to put a smile on the child's face. How might this benefit the mother? "A happy child leads to a happy mother", I was told. (or vice versa, I added) But, I'm not really into creating a world where my child always has to be happy so that my day goes much better. I am more interested in providing ideas for the MOTHER to use to manage the day to day tasks of motherhood with a good attitude, to provide innovative and FUN ideas to get her through those moments... the OYS that were mentioned above.
One of the women on this committee made a suggestion to another mom who was having a difficult time getting her children to sit down (all at once) for breakfast. She suggested setting the table with a fun tablecloth, buying paper goods and inviting the children to a breakfast party. This, in my opinion, was something FUN for the children as well as useful for the mother. From that, one may even come up with other ideas to be used on a daily basis to assist with the difficulty of gathering everyone at the breakfast table.
I suppose there is a reason for everything. This experience has led me to throw out every how to get your child to sleep, eat, behave, listen, love you book that I own. Why can't parenting just be parenting? My mom didn't have all these crazy books that she had to refer to before she made a decision about what kind of shoes to buy me when I was crawling or to help her determine which stroller would be most ergonomically correct for my growing spine or how to balance life with three children born in five years.
Why does so much work and effort have to put into adding a little JOY into the lives of your children or into your own life, for that matter. We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily living, we forget to take pause to do the little things that mean so much.
Why do we need to be trained on Nurtured Heart Parenting or Parent Effectiveness Training or Parenting with one eye closed, one hand behind your back and one foot dragging one small cling-on child? I'd like to see the research that says "this parenting technique is the one that puts more children into Harvard than any other" or "children who have been parented with this technique and ONLY this technique are more successful in later life".
Don't get me wrong. I love hearing new ideas; I talk to my friends about what they do in certain parenting situations, I call my mom for ideas all the time. I value learning and I model that for my children as well. What it all boils down to - in my eyes - is that we need to LOVE our children, we need to FOCUS on the things that are important in life and learn to BALANCE those things with the mundane responsibilities we all have and we need to MODEL for our children the VALUES we feel will help them become successfully functioning human beings in the greater society!
August 21, 2007
100 Extra
"It hurt me a hundred times extra", Ilan said to me this morning as he began to describe WHY his injury from last night was worse than your typical injury. "I landed here and here," as he pointed to the side of his thigh and his face, "but because of the power of the aggressor (his friend, Ben) and the way I landed (he demonstrated) and how fast I was moving, it was 100 times worse."
Prior to the injury, as the boys were deciding the rules for this wrestling/fighting/swording game, my friend Susie and I continuously said "stop/no good/bad choice/etc" and then shrugged and waited for the injured party to arrive. As it turned out, it was Ilan, the oldest of the bunch.
As Ilan went on to describe the scene at the injury, the other people involved... etc - his words melted together and all I heard (loud and clear) was "VELOCITY times FORCE times ACCELERATION = INJURY TIMES A HUNDRED."
WHAT? How does this little six year old brain think of these things? The detail. The description. The thought behind what happened. Behind Ilan's voice was the ringing of my husband's - his deep understanding of everything and his ability to describe it all to anyone who will listen, his curiosity and need to search for the answer to every question asked, down to the pickiest detail, and about stuff that makes you turn your head and ask "You think about that? How did you even know to think about that?"
Aaaah, the things I'm going to learn as we go deeper into the year of first grade.
Prior to the injury, as the boys were deciding the rules for this wrestling/fighting/swording game, my friend Susie and I continuously said "stop/no good/bad choice/etc" and then shrugged and waited for the injured party to arrive. As it turned out, it was Ilan, the oldest of the bunch.
As Ilan went on to describe the scene at the injury, the other people involved... etc - his words melted together and all I heard (loud and clear) was "VELOCITY times FORCE times ACCELERATION = INJURY TIMES A HUNDRED."
WHAT? How does this little six year old brain think of these things? The detail. The description. The thought behind what happened. Behind Ilan's voice was the ringing of my husband's - his deep understanding of everything and his ability to describe it all to anyone who will listen, his curiosity and need to search for the answer to every question asked, down to the pickiest detail, and about stuff that makes you turn your head and ask "You think about that? How did you even know to think about that?"
Aaaah, the things I'm going to learn as we go deeper into the year of first grade.
August 12, 2007
Life Lessons in Laundry
One "surefire" (according to the rules of motherhood) way to get things done around the house is to involve your children. I decided to test this theory the other day with my almost five year old. I had many baskets of laundry to fold.
We set out folding laundry, and I passed him the dish towels which he would fold into rectangles and then squares. I was surprisingly impressed with his work. But, then he eyed the bed sheets. "I want to fold those", he stated - no fear in his voice (personally, I'm terrified of the sheets, especially the fitted ones).
I decided to give him a shot at it. He was so thrilled with his results, he wanted to fold another... and another.... and another. I started calculating how much time it would take me to refold the sheets, how much time I had just wasted inviting my child to participate in this folding task with me and when I'd be able to refold the sheets so Aaron wouldn't observe me doing it.
And, then, I stopped. Who really cares about wrinkled sheets, or clothing, for that matter? (except my husband) They just wrinkle back up when you sit in your car for 20 minutes in the 100+ degree heat in Arizona.... so what does it matter if you put them on already wrinkled? In my book, that's a time saver! Likewise, with sheets. I'm just going to stretch them across the bed anyways. They'll straighten out then. As long as I can put the abstractly folded sheets onto the shelf in the closet where they belong without taking up space from some other towels, sheets or extra piece of clothes' property - it will be ok.
I smiled at Aaron and thanked him for folding laundry with me (and silently thanked him for another important life lesson), and we carried the basket of laundry reciting "teamwork" as we headed to the linen closet to put it all away.
We set out folding laundry, and I passed him the dish towels which he would fold into rectangles and then squares. I was surprisingly impressed with his work. But, then he eyed the bed sheets. "I want to fold those", he stated - no fear in his voice (personally, I'm terrified of the sheets, especially the fitted ones).
I decided to give him a shot at it. He was so thrilled with his results, he wanted to fold another... and another.... and another. I started calculating how much time it would take me to refold the sheets, how much time I had just wasted inviting my child to participate in this folding task with me and when I'd be able to refold the sheets so Aaron wouldn't observe me doing it.
And, then, I stopped. Who really cares about wrinkled sheets, or clothing, for that matter? (except my husband) They just wrinkle back up when you sit in your car for 20 minutes in the 100+ degree heat in Arizona.... so what does it matter if you put them on already wrinkled? In my book, that's a time saver! Likewise, with sheets. I'm just going to stretch them across the bed anyways. They'll straighten out then. As long as I can put the abstractly folded sheets onto the shelf in the closet where they belong without taking up space from some other towels, sheets or extra piece of clothes' property - it will be ok.
I smiled at Aaron and thanked him for folding laundry with me (and silently thanked him for another important life lesson), and we carried the basket of laundry reciting "teamwork" as we headed to the linen closet to put it all away.
June 25, 2007
continuation
So, I discovered this afternoon that Aaron has the same cry when he gets hurt as he has when you know he is not really hurt but he's freaking out anyways. I discovered this when he received a blood dripping dent in his forehead after ramming it into the door knob while chasing Ilan and Isaac.
Shortly thereafter, Jeff, our swimming teacher arrived and - believe it or not - it was another cocky moment in motherhood. I was changing Ellie's diaper, waiting for him to ring the bell. I noticed poop in her shorts - how did that get there? It must have been left over from this morning. Did I mention changing a poopy diaper during my first shift? A few minutes afterwards, I still smelled something. I lifted her up, smelled her, couldn't find the source anywhere. When I got up from the floor, I noticed poop on my foot, my pants, the carpet.... I'm still not sure what happened.
When Jeff arrived, only one of three was eager to go swimming. After the first one went in the pool, the other two wanted to go in too. So, instead of taking turns like they normally do, we took advantage of the (rare) moment. I quickly put Ellie down for a nap, and she went to sleep this time. One might think a mother could have 60 minutes to catch up on dishes, dirty tables, pajamas still lying around, the laundry in the dryer - on the dryer - and waiting to go in the dryer - but, no, I played secondary lifeguard.
It was well worth the hour. To see my children - two of whom have hated the water since they were six months old - enjoying themselves was pure ecstasy. Ilan was the worst of them. He hated baths as well as the pool, and here he was going off the diving board and swimming - really swimming - to the side. Aaron was the stubborn a** who, unless he could do what he wanted - play on the raft - would cry and whine and scream for 30 minutes straight. He was diving off the side of the pool - like a leaping bat all spread out - splashing into the pool and swimming back to the stairs. Then there was Isaac, who I haven't even pushed into swimming lessons yet because I want him to enjoy the pool. He decided he wanted to swim - with Jeff - today. He was jumping off the side into Jeff's arms. He was putting his face in the water and blowing bubbles. He was playing on the stairs, having a blast. Jeff bounced back and forth between them and I bounced wherever he wasn't, running inside to get shoes for my burning feet and a camera so their Daddy could see them when he got home tonight (did I mention he is out of town?).
Swimming ended. Ellie was sleeping. Bathing suits came off, clothes went on, snacks were had. Minutes later, I decided we would take Ilan to his karate class. I put everyone in the car without their shoes on, told Ilan to get in his karate uniform and, at the last minute, woke Ellie. We went to karate, three of them staying in the car and watching a movie on the VCR my brother-in-law won at a charity auction and kindly gave to us to install in our car. Karate lasts an hour. Now, we're home. They already ate dinner (it's 5:33pm). They are playing. I am typing and Ellie is in the saucer whining because it's time for her to go to sleep.
I put Ellie down, get everyone else in pajamas, watch as they play in the bounce house that now occupies my bedroom. We bought it when Aaron was younger thinking it would help to release some of his energy. They bounce. I create a meal plan for Friday night when we always have a dinner and usually have guests. I put Isaac to sleep. Ilan and Aaron take turns on Club Penguin (moms of young children - check it out - a great website for young children www.clubpenguin.com). Ilan and Aaron go to sleep. Aaron comes out of his room to give me his worries he forgot to give me. Ilan comes out of his room to get cold, cold, very cold water. Aaron comes out to ask how many hours until morning. Ilan comes out to ask why the sun is still out if it's night time. I warm up leftovers for dinner. I'm ready for bed.
I turn around and notice the pile creeping over the edge of my sink. My dishwasher is clean and I have to unload in order to re-load. I see the shoes on the floor, the pile of swim suits and towels, the three baskets of laundry waiting to be folded, the toys spread out on my bedroom floor from the last half hour of the day (I am always amazed at how quickly a clean room can be destroyed - even when under supervision). I check the clock. I need to get some sleep before I have to wake up with Ellie.
Oooops, I hear somebody crying. Gotta go!
Shortly thereafter, Jeff, our swimming teacher arrived and - believe it or not - it was another cocky moment in motherhood. I was changing Ellie's diaper, waiting for him to ring the bell. I noticed poop in her shorts - how did that get there? It must have been left over from this morning. Did I mention changing a poopy diaper during my first shift? A few minutes afterwards, I still smelled something. I lifted her up, smelled her, couldn't find the source anywhere. When I got up from the floor, I noticed poop on my foot, my pants, the carpet.... I'm still not sure what happened.
When Jeff arrived, only one of three was eager to go swimming. After the first one went in the pool, the other two wanted to go in too. So, instead of taking turns like they normally do, we took advantage of the (rare) moment. I quickly put Ellie down for a nap, and she went to sleep this time. One might think a mother could have 60 minutes to catch up on dishes, dirty tables, pajamas still lying around, the laundry in the dryer - on the dryer - and waiting to go in the dryer - but, no, I played secondary lifeguard.
It was well worth the hour. To see my children - two of whom have hated the water since they were six months old - enjoying themselves was pure ecstasy. Ilan was the worst of them. He hated baths as well as the pool, and here he was going off the diving board and swimming - really swimming - to the side. Aaron was the stubborn a** who, unless he could do what he wanted - play on the raft - would cry and whine and scream for 30 minutes straight. He was diving off the side of the pool - like a leaping bat all spread out - splashing into the pool and swimming back to the stairs. Then there was Isaac, who I haven't even pushed into swimming lessons yet because I want him to enjoy the pool. He decided he wanted to swim - with Jeff - today. He was jumping off the side into Jeff's arms. He was putting his face in the water and blowing bubbles. He was playing on the stairs, having a blast. Jeff bounced back and forth between them and I bounced wherever he wasn't, running inside to get shoes for my burning feet and a camera so their Daddy could see them when he got home tonight (did I mention he is out of town?).
Swimming ended. Ellie was sleeping. Bathing suits came off, clothes went on, snacks were had. Minutes later, I decided we would take Ilan to his karate class. I put everyone in the car without their shoes on, told Ilan to get in his karate uniform and, at the last minute, woke Ellie. We went to karate, three of them staying in the car and watching a movie on the VCR my brother-in-law won at a charity auction and kindly gave to us to install in our car. Karate lasts an hour. Now, we're home. They already ate dinner (it's 5:33pm). They are playing. I am typing and Ellie is in the saucer whining because it's time for her to go to sleep.
I put Ellie down, get everyone else in pajamas, watch as they play in the bounce house that now occupies my bedroom. We bought it when Aaron was younger thinking it would help to release some of his energy. They bounce. I create a meal plan for Friday night when we always have a dinner and usually have guests. I put Isaac to sleep. Ilan and Aaron take turns on Club Penguin (moms of young children - check it out - a great website for young children www.clubpenguin.com). Ilan and Aaron go to sleep. Aaron comes out of his room to give me his worries he forgot to give me. Ilan comes out of his room to get cold, cold, very cold water. Aaron comes out to ask how many hours until morning. Ilan comes out to ask why the sun is still out if it's night time. I warm up leftovers for dinner. I'm ready for bed.
I turn around and notice the pile creeping over the edge of my sink. My dishwasher is clean and I have to unload in order to re-load. I see the shoes on the floor, the pile of swim suits and towels, the three baskets of laundry waiting to be folded, the toys spread out on my bedroom floor from the last half hour of the day (I am always amazed at how quickly a clean room can be destroyed - even when under supervision). I check the clock. I need to get some sleep before I have to wake up with Ellie.
Oooops, I hear somebody crying. Gotta go!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)