Recently...

My kids are playing so well together right now that I almost feel that I shouldn't be in the same room with them for fear of ruining the whole thing.  I mean, I just heard them give the Little People pig a time out.  Why do I want to mess with that?  So, I figure I have a couple minutes to vacuum or write lesson plans.  Or start a blog entry. 
As I have clearly not had the time to write much in the last week and a half, it isn't for lack of ideas.  Here is some randomness from recent times:

• My kids are surprisingly well-adjusted.  Or maybe they are just tired of us.  After all, they have been stuck with two teachers as parents and, thus, stuck with both of us all summer long.  I for one have enjoyed it, but at the end of the summer, leaving them can go one of two ways:  the screaming-and-crying-because-they-are-so-used-to-being-with-us-that-they-are-like-barnacles-stuck-to-our-legs-as-we-try-to-make-our-exit way, or the "See ya!  Good riddance!" way.  Well, there were no tears as we left last Friday for the weekend to head to the fabulous wedding of one of my bff's.  And when I called my sister (who so kindly watched the kids for us) to see if anyone wanted to talk to me, Cortlan literally said, "That's a 'No thanks' for me."  Ummm...ok?
• Thinking the whole thing was a bit of a fluke, I braced myself for the kids' first day of school this week.  But, the two bounded out of bed in the morning, got ready with no resistance, and happily ate their banana as we kissed them goodbye.  It was like we hadn't skipped a beat since dropping them off at the beginning of June.  At the end of the day, they were both happy and smiling and looking forward to going back the next day.  Whew!  Now if only the morning routine would stay so smooth...
• A few things about running:  There are only three weeks left until the big Race Day.  I am feeling good.  But I can't believe how just three days back at work totally affects how I feel when running.  I am sure I will get used to it to a degree, but I will SO miss my morning runs.  And not wearing heels all day.
• A question:  Could it be that summer seems even shorter now because a day is less of a percentage of our lives as we age?  A four-year-old's summer is almost 5% of his life.  A 34-year-old's summer is only about 0.5% of her life.  Yes, I calculated it.  I have come to terms with my nerdy side.  And I think it is a pretty good theory.  I mean, it does seem that summer is about 10 times shorter than it used to be, right?
• Cortlan started gymnastics on Wednesday.  He absolutely loves it, and I am so happy about that.  It is apparent to me, however, that he has inherited my athletic prowess.  (Keep in mind that I did not make the volleyball team when I tried out in 9th grade.  I don't think I have ever in my life hit a softball.  And my golf skills are reserved to the occasional mini-golf excursion, which is great if the high score wins.  Yes, I run, but that requires no coordination.)  But, he is having fun and I enjoy watching him.  Everly, on the other hand, could deal without having to wait through the entire class.  I have to work on something else to occupy her.
• And speaking of Cortlan, he has actually been sliding more towards the helpful side of the spectrum, the other side of which being hindrance.  Kids always want to help.  It just happens to be that, most times, them helping really just means more work for the parents.  The other day, though, the kids and I were sweeping the grass clippings off of the sidewalk, shoveling them up, and dumping them into the wheelbarrow.  At one point, I had to take Everly inside to go potty, and when I came back, Cortlan had cleaned up and entire pile of clippings, and I didn't even have to clean up after him.  Today, John said to him, "You have been a really big help recently.  I can't wait until you can do plumbing and fix the car."  Cortlan replied hopefully, "I can plumb the car today!"  Maybe we will keep him from the tools for a while.

The Good, The Bad

I figure there is always two sides to the coin, always some good and some bad about everything.  Or, something nice and something that kinda sucks.  Here are a few examples:

Kids growing up:
Kinda sucks: We will never get to experience this again.
Kinda nice:  We will never have to experience this again.

Having a broken dryer:
Kinda nice:  Having a great excuse to not do laundry.
Kinda sucks:  People tend to still wear fresh clothes every day.  The pile is growing.  And growing.

Training for a half marathon:
Kinda nice:  I am pretty sure my legs haven't looked better since high school.
Kinda sucks:  My second toenail on my left foot will never be the same again.  I hope a pedicure can at least disguise it a little bit for the wedding I am in this weekend.

Kids that sleep until 8AM:
Kinda nice:  I get to sleep til 8 AM, also.  Or, I can set my alarm and have a cup of coffee, check my e-mail, and go for a run all before they wake up.
Kinda sucks:  The fact that I will have to wake them at 6 AM to get to school on time.  I am pretty sure that is going to be torturous for all involved.

Going back to school:
Kinda sucks: Um. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. But man I am going to miss the summertime freedom to hang out with John and the kids, run in the morning, plan the day on a whim, and sleep.
Kinda nice: The return of structure and routine, the chance of a great group of students, the opportunity to start fresh and do things even better this time around.

Here is to focusing on the positive.

(Feel free to add your own in the comments!)

On eating and growing

Two quick things:

1.  While Everly seems to have recently experienced a growth spurt, growing 2 full inches since April and going up two shoe sizes, I think that Cortlan might be at the beginning of one.  For breakfast this morning, he had a bowl of oatmeal, a ton of grapes, one and a half eggs, several pieces of turkey bacon and a glass of juice.  The other night at dinner he had four helpings of a chicken pasta dish I concocted, and I think he would have had more if there had been any left.  The night before, he ate a burger the size of which I could barely finish, plus extras of the sides.

2.  Forget PB&J (ok, not really), I love that my kids couldn't get enough of this lunch:

tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil, crusty bread from the bakery, olive oil and balsamic...yum!

Balance

I realize in my life that one of the most important things contributing to my sense of happiness is balance.    Work, play, family, friends, self, and exercise...all priorities in my life, all with their place, all necessary in my "big picture."  I find my stress levels rise as soon as the balance shifts too heavily towards one thing or too far away from another.

And here we are, August 11, with the start of school just around the corner.
And any balance that I have achieved this summer will soon be gone, and I will have to find a new balance.  And that really stresses me out. 

How do I spend the last days of summer?

Do I relax on the deck and read a magazine?  Do I paint the walls?  Do I play on the floor with my kids?  Do I get on the computer and do some school work?  Do I go for a run?  Do I go to the museum or to the pool with the kids?  Do I go shopping?  Do I organize?  Do I go visit my friends?  Do I clean the house?  Do I set up playdates?  Do I get a babysitter and spend some time with John?  Do I take a moment to write a blog post?

How do I spend the last days of summer?  And how am I going to do all of the things that I want to do once school starts?

The reality is that I am not going to be able to do all of the things that I want to.  But hopefully, I will be able to find some balance. 

Balance is something I need to be happy.  Balance, however, is one of the hardest things for me to achieve.

But as I begin this new school year in a couple of short weeks, my resolution is to continue to strive towards that goal.  Balance...and perspective. 

Some recent favorites

My favorites over the last two weeks:

• Visiting with friends, some of which I haven't seen in years, most of which live two or more hours from me, all of which I love to pieces and wish I could see more often.
• Cuddling my friend's twins that are seven weeks old and still smaller than my babies ever were.
• Hearing the news that another friend just had her baby after a long pregnancy through what surely seemed to her like the hottest summer on record, and that they are all doing well.  (Welcome to the world, baby boy!)
• Going on nature walks with John and the kids and Elly, our boxer.
• Managing to run 32 miles in one week and reaching a new milestone of 10 miles.
• Eating cherry tomatoes right off the plant.
• Watching Cortlan smile ear to ear at gymnastics, which he just started, which he loves more that I have ever seen him love anything he has ever done.
• Attempting to make ice cream with my kids and nieces. 
• Relaxing on the couch, in the air conditioning, watching movies with John while the kids sleep peacefully.
• Swimming.
• Reading.
• Thinking.

A Must Read (not by me)

Ok, I am sorry.  Twice in a row now I am just stealing thoughts from someone else.  But honestly, I am in the middle of cooking dinner and don't have time to write a well thought-out post at the moment.  But I just read something fantastic that I just wish that every person that will ever interact with a little girl, including my daughter, will read.

Here it is.  Enjoy:  How to Talk to Little Girls

Manners List

In March, Parents magazine inluded an article titled, "25 Manners Every Kid Needs By Age 9."  I would also argue that adults could use an article like this as a little reminder every now and then, though perhaps with some editing.  I was just sorting through a few things in a lame attempt to organize a bit and came across the article.  I was planning to keep it, but as I saw it for the first time since putting it in a random folder in March, I decided that I would instead throw the article away and include its contents here.  Because, really, the odds of it becoming anything more than clutter is pretty slim at this rate.  I hope this isn't violating any copyright or fair use policies, but again, though I agree with nearly all of it (and would even add to it), it is not my own work - it was written by David Lowry, PH.D. and published by Parents magazine.  Here goes:

1. When asking for something, say "Please."
2. When receiving something, say "Thank you."
3. Do not interrupt grown-ups who are speaking with each other unless there is an emergency.  They will notice you and respond when they are finished talking.
4. If you do need to get somebody's attention right away, the phrase "excuse me" is the most polite way for you to enter the conversation.
5. When you have any doubt about doing something, ask permission first.  It can save you from many hours of grief later.
6. The world is not interested in what you dislike.  Keep negative opinions to yourself, or between you and your friends, and out of earshot of adults.
7. Do not comment on other people's physical characteristics unless, of course, it's to compliment them, which is always welcome.
8. When people ask how you are, tell them and then ask them how they are.
9. When you have spent time at your friend's house, remember to thank his or her parents for having you over and for the good time you had.
10. Knock on closed doors - and wait to see if there's a response - before entering.
11. When you make a phone call, introduce yourself fist and then ask if you can speak with the person you are calling.
12. Be appreciative and say "thank you" for any gift you receive.  In the age of e-mail, a handwritten thank-you note can have a powerful effect.
13. Never use foul language in front of adults.  Grown-ups already know all those words, and they find them boring and unpleasant.
14. Don't call people mean names.
15. Do not make fun of anyone for any reason.  Teasing shows others you are weak, and ganging up on someone else is cruel.
16. Even if a play or an assembly is boring, sit through it quietly and pretend that you are interested.  The performers and presenters are doing their best.
17. If you bump into somebody, immediately say, "excuse me."
18. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and don't pick your nose in public.
19. As you walk through a door, look to see if you can hold it open for someone else.
20. If you come across a parent, a teacher, or a neighbor working on something, ask if you can help.  if they say "yes", do so- you may learn something new.
21. When an adult asks you for a favor, do it without grumbling and with a smile.
22. When someone helps you, say "thank you."  That person will likely want to help you again.  This is especially true with teachers!
23. Use eating utensils properly.  If you are unsure how to do so, ask your parents to teach you or watch what adults do.
24. Keep a napkin on your lap and use it to wipe your mouth when necessary.
25. Don't reach for things at the table; ask to have them passed.

Here's to hoping my kids have these manners someday...hopefully sooner than later.

(There.  Now I can throw that article in the recycling bin and get back to work.)

Beach Rewind

Wow!  Only seven posts in July?  Yikes!  Can't believe August is here already.  So much happened in July that, well, I didn't even have time to write about it.  I guess a good place to begin would be vacation.  Here are some high(and low)lights:

The GPS told us that our trip should take about 10 hours.  We left at 11PM and got to Emerald Isle, NC at 12 PM the next day.  Yes, that is 13 hours.  Of that 13 hours, at least 45 minutes was spent in a McDonalds in a Wal-Mart because we forgot that Chick Fil A was closed on Sundays.  Why 45 minutes?  Well, the kids are unbelievably slow eaters and Everly fell off her chair and needed ice on her head.  (You should have seen the goose egg.  Yikes.)

Cortlan has now been to the beach three times and Everly, twice.  Kids change a lot in a year and it is nearly impossible to predict how they will like something that they haven't experienced in that length of time.  Will they be annoyed by the sand or love it?  Will they run into the waves or away from them?  Will they want to spend five minutes or five hours at the beach on a given day?  There was no telling until we got there.  I am happy to say that they loved the sand and the surf.  Everly enjoyed the waves so much that she was barrel rolling into them and staying under the water for longer-than-I-would-ever-expect amounts of time.  Cortlan had just as much fun (though without his face in quite as much).  They both enjoyed the boogie boards, and they both enjoyed digging in the sand and making sand castles.

Much of our time was spent on the beach due to the perfect weather, and just being in and by the water was really a fun time.  The water was great, and the sun was shining.  One night, we did go to the Pine Knoll Aquarium and really enjoyed that, as well.  It was pirate night.

Post-Mustache, Pre-Eye Patch

In the past, we have taken some of our best family pictures at the beach.  After embarrassing myself a little with an over the top obsession with trying to get my family to cooperate during even one single picture taking attempt, I realized this wasn't going to be the year for good pictures.  It took me until late in the week to give it up, so to my family and friends that were on the trip:  Sorry for my far too many stressful "smile and say cheese" moments.  But family:  next time, could you cooperate even a little?  I mean, had we gotten it right on one of the first several hundred attempts, I wouldn't have had to torture you with several hundred more.   Even though we didn't get quite what I had envisioned, I can't complain about the memories we captured.