Mother's Day

I have been waiting to publish this post until I captured a picture of my children all together. Clearly this was a monumental feat, as Mother's Day was 2.5 weeks ago. 

I confess that I have not been a fan of Mother's Day for a while. Like my birthday, this holiday is a day of reflection for me. Another year has passed. What have I done? How have I improved? What is going well? What is not going well? I seem to get stuck on the first question and the last, focusing on the ways that I fall short, particularly as a mother. The list is lengthy. So this year, instead of having a bad attitude about not being the mother I want to be, I decided to make Mother's Day like my birthday, and make sure my kids were glad, for one day, that I am their mother.

So I bought each child a journal that I intend to write in. I'm thinking of letters on their birthdays, at milestone events, or when I think they might need a boost. I want them to know that they are loved. Even if they don't feel that right now, eventually they will. That little project made me feel better and I thoroughly enjoyed "my" day when I shifted the focus elsewhere.

On Mother's Day I spent some time with the kids, cleaned up the kitchen (hopelessly messy with the remnants of Tyler's "business" assignment for school), and let Garry sleep in. I taught sharing time. Garry fixed a fantastic meal for dinner (it's not often that a new recipe is a hit around here). The kids gave me a necklace and a set of earrings and, ironically, a journal where they all wrote notes to me instead of giving me cards. I love it!! What fun traditions we are starting!

I also celebrated Mother's Day with Gavin and Lexi at school. They both had little programs for the moms, as well as lunch! At Lexi's school, the teacher provided the food, and at Gavin's, I brought a picnic that we enjoyed together.  Both kids gave me sweet treasures, along with the memories of being with them at school.

Lexi's class and art work:

Gavin's class and art work:

I love my kids and sure hope that they know it!

May Letters

Dear family (in my home and otherwise),

Sometimes happiness comes in a box...

...or a basket.

Thanks for the birthday gifts.

Love--Me

...

Dear weather gods,

Snow boots and swimming suits in the same week is bizarre.

Yours Truly--Confused mama who is bidding winter farewell, no matter what

...

Dear National Do Not Call Registry,

Despite having filed my home number with you three(-ish...seems like 20) times , I still receive telephone solicitations on a regular basis. I am tempted to block all solicitors' calls and blast back that message I've seen on some front doors. It goes something like, "We've found Jesus, we like our vacuum, and our roof is fine, thankyouverymuch." Do you know it?  I think it ends with "...unless you're selling girl scout cookies..."

I'd ditch our home phone except that my children would have no way to call me when I'm gone. Hmm....there's an idea.

Impatiently--Current Resident

...

Dear Wells Fargo,

Thanks for being good to us. Garry sure has been good to you for ten years! Thanks for the extra five days of paid time off, for the steak lunch Garry's boss paid for, and for his early release last Friday.

With appreciation--The employee's wife

...

Dear Colorado Springs Utilities,

Our electricity usage has inexplicably decreased by half over the last year. I have no idea what's happening, but thank you for the credit on our bill.

Thankfully--Equal-pay customer

...

Dear daughters,

The fact that both of you soiled your underwear in a 20-minute period while we were away from home reinforces my belief that storing multiple pairs of back-up clothing in the van is a must. Kate would probably agree, as she's the one who ended up in a diaper. I am glad that one of you refused to eat breakfast before school, and so had a zip baggie of cereal that we could use for...um...waste. Ew. That was gross.

Resignedly--Still a diaper-changing mama

...

Dear Subway,

I am sorry that one of the afore-mentioned incidents happened on your premises.

Sincerely--Your customer

...

Dear Coats & Clark,

You make transparent thread. I sew scout patches to olive drab shirts. It seems that we would be a match made in heaven (or Troop 512). However, my sewing machine hates you. Patient as I was about starting over and over and over, I simply couldn't tolerate the mess you made in my bobbin compartment, not to mention the fact that you wouldn't complete an actual seam. And so I return to matching threads to patches. *sigh*

Yours (or maybe not) in sewing--A wannabe seamstress

...

Dear Hobby Lobby,

Why don't you carry Guterman thread? Let's hope Lexi doesn't noticed the slight shade differential in the seams of her bed curtains, since I RAN OUT OF THREAD during the final phase of the eternal sewing project I am attempting for her birthday, and I didn't want to drive to another store when I had already driven to you. Bah.

Secretly--President, Overly-Ambitious Anonymous

...

Dear May,

You are just as harrowing as December, minus the snow and ice. Wait...

Yours in scheduling--Mother of four school children and a toddler who naps

...

Dear friend with a husband and father in the hospital,

Your stress is palpable. Man, I wish I could help. I sure love your family.

Love to you--Your mom's former-but-always visiting teacher

...

Dear Landsharks,

I am sad that you changed your policy and no longer allow kindergartners to run in the one-mile race. Gavin was totally planning on it, telling everyone about his "big race." He was so disappointed. However, after processing the disappointment for a while, he said, "Mom, can I do Landsharks next year so I can run the mile?" I guess he's resilient.

Speedily (or not)--A mom raising a runner

...

Dear LG,

Our dishwasher--or rather, your dishwasher in my kitchen--is broken. Do know how lame this is for a family that generates so many dirty dishes? Garry has ordered one of your fancy heating elements and will attempt to make the repair himself. We'll see. Until then I am remembering the days of washing dishes by hand when I was a kid, and feeling guilty for the lack of character-building parenting in my current home every time I pass out paper bowls and plates at meal time. I am trying to believe that, as a friend pointed out, we might be conserving water while killing trees.

Sadly--A lazy mom

...

Dear Not Me,

Thank you (but not) for sitting in the stroller and breaking the seat, and for taking off the front wheel simply because it is removable. Seriously, I don't know how the idea of LEAVE IT ALONE never enters your head!

Crying with frustration--Fed up

...

Dear Kate,

Stop being so ridiculously cute. It's really hard to discipline a cherub, except when said cherub is acting decidedly un-heavenly. Then it's easy.

Lovingly--Yo mama

...

Dear AEES teachers,

We love you, which hopefully is obvious by the tedious process required I created for myself to make these posters. I don't know when I'll learn to pass on projects like this. Maybe you can teach me.

With gratitude--The Bartle boys' mom

...

Dear Anthony E. Wolf,

Your book is especially resonant in my life right now, but I think you could have emphasized your points about ornery teenagers without all the swearing. Doesn't that mean you're as immature and un-creative as they are? 

Harshly--A desperate but picky reader

...

Dear self,

It has taken a year, but I am glad you f.i.n.a.l.l.y figured out that relocating Kate's clothes to the lower drawers would nearly eliminate her incessant need to invert the laundry baskets and use them as ladders.

With relief and gratitude--A slow learner

...

Dear Saturday evening,

You were just perfect for a walk. Ahhhh....

Appreciatively--A fresh air lover

...

Dear child with a pink obsession,

Your outfits are always creative, but the nightgown-boots-jacket-helmet combo especially amused me.

Mama

...

Dear Not Me,

Whatever possessed you to put a marker inside of a jar of burning wax is beyond me, but I am sure you enjoyed seeing the results of the experiment. Bursting glass and dripping wax are always funny, right?!

With suspicion and annoyance--Your exhausted mother

...

Dear Lynn the attendance lady,

You always laugh at my children when we stop by the middle school to drop off a child or an item. It is true: they are crazy. That day I brought in four children between the ages of two and four (one is hiding behind the bench) was especially chaotic, but only because we had to wait 20 minutes for you to locate my son.

With a smirk--Zach's mom

...

Dear band director,

We've got another percussionist in the family. He will probably practice.

Excitedly--Tyler's mom

...

Dear Pinterest,

I found this wreath and LOVE it, but I think I am not up to such a project. Maybe next summer? (Because surely I'll have more free time then...hahahahahaha...)

Yours in pinning--A recovering ambitious crafter

...

Dear friends and family,

Thank you for supporting Tyler in his required-for-school business. He is too young to appreciate that soliciting money from loved ones is uncomfortable for his parents. Nevertheless, he loves to cook and is excited to sell his made-from-scratch crescent rolls, which, I promise you, will be delicious. A dozen rolls are $4.50 and will be available on Saturday, just in time for Mother's Day. It's not too late to order!

Thankfully--A Tyler's Tongue-Tingling Tasties marketing strategist

This post is huge.

Here we are, more than a week since I last blogged.  I don't know where the time goes.  I mean, I do know where it goes...to kids and cleaning and lots of time in the car and naps (yep, I take 'em) and my calling. Occasionally my time goes to friends or projects or exercise or playing the piano or other household tasks. But mostly my time goes to kids and eating and sleeping (not enough on that last one...people always say, "Man, you're yawning a lot!  Do you ever sleep?"  The answer is "Yes, but not well, and clearly not enough.")

So I'm catching up, mostly for family history's sake, on this here blog.  I know in a few years I'll be glad for the little snapshots of our daily lives.  Although if I progress at my current rate then my posts will never make it into a book for us to enjoy....

Last Friday Lexi had a ballet recital.  She was super nervous, and she doesn't like people--particularly unfamiliar people--to look at her.  However, we bribed her with a special ice cream treat if she got on the stage and danced to all the songs, and dance she did! I'll admit to shedding a tear or two.  I was so proud of her for overcoming her fears, and watching her do something she loves was a delight.  Her little solo performance toward the end screamed, "I'm a dancer!"  I loved that.  Professional photos and video will be delivered soon, but for now these pictures capture evening just fine.  The one with Lexi applying lip gloss before the recital is the sweetest thing!

Tyler's Pinewood Derby was also last weekend.  He conceived the shark shape, and Garry helped with shaping on the saw. Father and son worked together on details.  It was fun to watch them share a project.  Overall, Ty's car was middle-of-the-road in terms of speed, but it was a happy day.  Next year at this time we won't have a cub scout, but the year after that, Gavin will be a Wolf and we'll run through a few more derbies after that.

Lexi has learned to cross the monkey bars.  She just figured it out while we were playing at the park the other day.  It's been a real growing-up time for Lexi: riding a bike, dancing on stage, saying "r's" correctly, crossing the bars, and learning to read.  Yep, she did it: she read her first book this week.  I had no idea she was ready!  We'll keep working on her new-found skill. This video shows her first attempt at this particular book, which was only the second one she had ever tried.  After a few days, she has already improved, and her enthusiasm continues to grow. Much like potty training, I have not pushed this skill. Lexi was ready, and so it happened.

Gavin is really hard to motivate in the mornings.  He's the only kid we have who will sleep in, and he's just so s.l.o.w. to get ready for school.  No matter how much I help the process along, Tyler is always stressed out about being late because of Gavin's dawdling.  On this particular day I was extremely agitated by the time I dropped the boys at school.  I had remained calm, but I was boiling inside.  

I can never keep up with the laundry.  I don't know why I don't fold a load at a time.  Actually, I do: I'm always switching the loads between running here and there, and I just throw the dry stuff on the treadmill.  Oh, laundry...  I happened to fold that particular six-load stack (or was it eight?) in 35 minutes.  Bam.

I got a new haircut this week (with bangs, which look goofy in this photo) and colored it myself using professional product (I have sweet hook-ups).  It was initially darker than expected, but I really like it now.  Good-bye highlights!  I'm so happy with the change.

Kate has had some really rough days since the time change on Sunday.  Stubbornness and tantrums have reigned supreme.  Sunday was not a happy day, particularly at church.  She cried herself to sleep in my arms while I was sitting on the sidewalk behind the building.  I wanted to do the same thing. (Note: I think the video below is hilarious, but I think laughter has to be my coping mechanism for Kate's constant crying.  Don't watch it if you don't like screaming.  Haha.)

Garry and I had a very rare date on Saturday.  We went to a little ballet recital for one of my former Beehives.  Our admission was free (thanks, Sarah!), so we splurged on a babysitter and a Texas Roadhouse onion blossom (dairy free=healthy, right?) that evening.

Tyler's bones are healing perfectly, so he got a new short-arm cast.  Washing his arm between casts felt sooo good.  This time Tyler chose a green cast.  The cute nurse gave the girls "fake casts" that they loved.

The weather has been mostly lovely this week, so the kids and I have spent a lot of time at the park.  Sometimes we go alone and sometimes with friends.  Between some morning walks and our park trips, the fresh air and sunshine have done good things for my mood.

Garry taught an Excel class to about 100 people at work on Thursday.  He spent long hours preparing, but got great feedback from the higher-ups who attended his class.  This week he got a bonus and a raise, so we are happy that he is being recognized for his hard work and achievements. Go Garry!

You'll notice I don't have any pictures of Zach. He is reluctant to appear in photos, and honestly he's not home very much.  He goes to school at 7:00 to practice in the band room, and then stays after school until 4:30 for basketball practice. He has been playing on a YMCA basketball team, too.  That season ended on a sour note, but Zach's skills are improving, as is his love of the sport. The last two weeks have been really rough in the attitude/behavior department, so we are glad for the happy and calm days when they come.

Overall, things are going well here...busy and crazy and messy as always.  That's just family life, right?