Winter is in the air. I can feel it’s nippy touch on the breeze, it’s darkening in the clouds. I am not ready. Not. At. All. Ugh. I guess it’s time to dig out the winter gear and assess who needs what for this new season. This might be the year I wear two pair of pants. And gloves 24/7. I repeat, ugh!
Eve decided to eat one. This is her opinion on raw quince.
Think this is enough to make quince jelly?
After several weeks of maxin’ I am ready for some relaxin’! Today was perfect. Exactly what we’ve been needing. A “do nothing” day. Alan had to go to a conference (no “do nothing” day for him!) but the rest of us chilled at home, in PJs. Eve woke up with wet PJs but when she heard it could be a pajama day she zipped right back upstairs to grab some clean pajamas. I did some long-overdue exercising, we tidied up after last nights party, we did a lot of reading, including a full chapter of On The Blue Comet (the kids LOVE the book Mema, thanks!), we played games, we did puzzles and built block towers (photos from Lex may be posted soon). I made it to 5:30pm before pulling out my to-do list to write down a few things for next week. I even went so far as to REST during quiet time. We haven’t even had quiet time in ages, what with the kids both being in school in the afternoons now and our string of super busy weekends, but today we all had a nice quiet time. I brewed a cup of lemon tea and plopped my butt on the couch for a cozy date with Real Simple magazine. It was niiiiiiccceeeee……
Tomorrow I’m hoping for more of the same, but it will be punctured by a few chores. We have to go dishwasher shopping in the morning and meet a new babysitter in the afternoon. Both things that need doing (our dishwasher is currently running with the aid of a paper clip! Seriously! Darn technology! But that’s for another post, another day) Otherwise I hope we can do more relaxin’ and less maxin’ for one more day.
Inspired by a local blogger’s Cocktails and Crafts parties, my friend and I decided to see if we could get a group going as well. Tonight was our inaugural party.
I was thinking about making ghost feet pictures (like this), but the idea of eight little kids with painted feet running lose in my house didn’t sound appealing. The paint would be washable, of course, but it still sounded risky. Instead we made two tissue paper crafts.
Ghosts and pumpkins
We had lots of fun, including mummy pizzas and warm apple cider (with a little something extra in it for the grownups) and oatmeal cookies.
Eve and I practiced making these crafts earlier in the week, so when it came time tonight she was happy to lead the effort. She helped dole out the supplies and did her best to explain the directions. Most of the kids participated, but a few couldn’t tear themselves away from the vast array of trucks in our living room.
In the end my living room was a disaster, the kids were exhausted, and we were all excited to do it again next month! At someone else’s house! :) We had a really fun group tonight and we have the November party on the calendar, so I hope we can make this a regular thing.
Chaos, in a good way :)
Alan is reading bedtime stories so I’m going to take a quick minute to post a few more pictures from today. Can’t leave you with lo-qual cell phone pictures for too long!
Loooong socks!
Eve and her daddy
I'm regularly impressed with the amount of detail that goes in Lego cities. Look at the diving guy right in front? Several other guys have legs raised as though they are mid-step.
See the boat in front, docked. The guy on the boat is stepping off. The horses in the background have water to drink (Eve's doing). So much detail!
A too-close picture of my sweet boy.
Eve, coloring at the WW meeting (where I did not make Lifetime, but I did not gain either!). We ran errands all day in the rain and she was a trouper! She can be such a sweet little friend to have along.
Eve pulled her socks mostly off so they were long and floppy, then she ran around the house yelling "floppy socks, floppy socks!" I ran after her with the camera, but she wouldn't pose for a picture. Lex decided to help by taking her down!
"Quick mom, take a picture!" he yelled. We all had fun :)
Our final CSA share for the season. Lots of winter squashes. The bag in the back is full of onions and shallots and garlic and the like. Now to do something with all that food....
Eve’s class at school is learning colors and to that end they are supposed to wear certain colors on certain days. Today is black day and she insisted on ALL black! She wore her black pants and shoes, Lex’s black shirt and hat, and Alan’s black socks, pulled all they way up! They go well above her knees! She’s so funny. She wouldn’t smile for a picture, but she behaved perfectly during our super busy morning of meetings and errands, so I’ll take the crazy face. :-o
Packing for my day, again. Is it any wonder I’m tired?
This is week six of the “maintenance phase” on my Weight Watchers journey. Tomorrow I am supposed to weigh in no more than 2lbs over my goal weight. Sadly that isn’t going to happen. After you hit goal you’re supposed to add additional points to your daily target and see if you can maintain your weight instead of continuing to lose. For various reasons I screwed things up on the first day, gained several pounds on our DC trip, and haven’t seen that goal weight since. These past two (hundred?!?) weeks have been super busy and I’m struggling to find time for me. Time to prepare healthy food, time to exercise, time to breath. So tomorrow I will weigh-in and my maintenance phase will continue until I can get it together and get that goal back in sight.
Seems like there should be plenty of motivation, right? Right?!?
Quote from Pinterest
I say there wasn’t enough time for me these past few weeks, but really that’s just an excuse. I make the schedule. I agree to the playdates. I … hell, I can’t even remember all else we’ve been doing. I make the excuses. Why? I seem to be unable to hold on to motivation for any period of time. Every now and again I’m able to grasp it and make good progress, but then it slips away and I make cookies (I have a counter full of cinnamon oatmeal craisin cookies right now!) Where does that motivation go? Why can’t I keep it?
I took a magazine quiz today. It’s been awhile since I’ve done that. It wasn’t a sexy Cosmo quiz, but flipping through the pages of O magazine I saw one called “Tap Your Motivation” which was intended to help me identify my motivation style. Awesome! That’s exactly what I need!! So I grabbed a pen and some scrap paper and thought hard about each of the ten questions. Then I tallied up the scores and eagerly flipped to the outcome. According to Martha Beck there are five motivational styles: Connection, Security, Influence, Accomplishment, and Enlightenment. Guess how I scored? Moderate on all but Enlightenment. Apparently Enlightenment is not for me. That’s good to know, I suppose, but I scored EQUALLY on all the rest. What’s that all about?!? What am I supposed to do with that. I was hoping for some clear THIS MOTIVATES YOU outcome that I could latch on to and rock this thing! (“this thing” being life in general!) Instead I get a lot of moderate. Not really surprising, I am a very moderate person in all aspects of life.
Anyway, I guess the moral of this story is “don’t get to excited about magazine quizzes,” a lesson I learned in my youth but apparently forgot. Lesson two: don’t eat a dozen cookies the afternoon before a weigh-in. Sigh.
The playground is a prime place for children to learn social skills and how to play well with others. Apparently it can also be a tricky place for parents, finding the balance between their own parenting style and that of others. That said (poorly), I think I offended a mother or two at the playground today.
We went to the playground at Eve’s school today. At pick-up time I mentioned to the other parents that I was going to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take the kids to the playground for awhile. I extended an open invitation to all within earshot to join us. That might have been my first mistake.
Eve walked us out to the playground, telling us the rules along the way. She shushed us at one point and whispered “This is the quiet hall. Everyone be quiet.” Lex tried to talk and got a very stern shushing (stern face, shush finger, and all). She made us walk single file and when we got to the exit door she said, “Now we hold hands.” Holding hands we walked up the path to a gate, where she announced in her big voice “Drop hands and go play!” Then she took off running to the playground.
The kids and I played together for a few minutes before two other mothers came with their children. For this post they will be known as Little Girl and Little Boy. I’m acquaintances with both mothers, though much more friendly with Little Girl’s mom because she and Eve get along well and we’ve talked about playdates and gone to the library together. Let me add here that the more time we spend with Little Girl, the less I like her. Is that awful to say of a five year old? Eve, however, loves her!
Eve, Little Girl, and Little Boy all took off playing. On one side of the playground there is a large hill with woods at top, sports fields surround the rest of the playground. I was playing with Lex and chatting with the other mothers when I suddenly noticed that Little Boy was playing alone and the girls were gone. I started looking for them and Little Boy helpfully led me right to them, in the woods at the top of the hill. Eve crying because her shoe was stuck. I helped her out, told all of the kids (Lex had joined us by this point) that the woods were off limits. During this conversation I found out that Little Girl was trying to get away from Little Boy and Eve was following along. I asked them to play nicely, out of the woods! It took a little convincing and it left me with a weird feeling at how eager Eve was to do exactly what Little Girl was telling her to do. That’s not the girl I’m raising! The strong willed, independent girl I know and love. Suddenly she was willing to sit on the sidelines and not play just because another little girl told her to. Weird.
I went back to playing with Lex but I kept an eye on the preschool group. After a few minutes I noticed that Little Girl was again leading Eve away and behaving quite rudely towards Little Boy. I couldn’t hear her words, but her body language was definitely not friendly. I debated briefly about what to do and then decided to mention it to Little Girl’s mom. We’re friendly, after all. I told her nicely what the kids were doing and why Little Girl kept leading Eve away, in front of Little Boy’s mom because there was no way to do it otherwise. Mom went over and talked to her daughter for a minute and came back saying all was taken care of. I went back to playing with Lex (was I offending the moms already? I suspect they were talking about me at this point.)
A few minutes later I saw the girls, followed closely by the boy, heading off into the woods in a different direction. I hollered LOUDLY for Eve to come back. Then I took off in her direction. Poor sweet Lex, once again left playing alone. Little Boy came back but the girls kept going. Little Girl’s mom headed their way as well and got to them first. Since I saw them coming back to the playground I stopped to grab Eve’s backpack and tell Lex that we had to head home. I met Little Girl’s mom along the way and told her that we were leaving. I was super nice about all of this, but honest, and told her that if Eve keeps leaving the playground then I have to take her home. I don’t think many parents practice the “immediate consequences” method of parenting. I often get funny looks when I make my kids leave a place for bad behavior. While I was saying goodbye to Little Boy’s mom, Little Girl’s mom went over to talk to the kids. When I got there Little Girl tried to argue with me. She gave me a harder time than Eve did. Eve just whined and fussed, telling me that she only ever wants to be with that little girl, never with anyone else. I found myself uttering the words, “If she ran into a street full of cars would you want to follow her there too?” Yes, was her reply. Where is my smart girl?!?! Ugh. I think Little Girl’s mom was put out that we left. I was nice to her and her daughter, but I need to stick to my discipline strategy. I’m not willing to waive on that. I try not to anyway!
By the time we got to the car Eve had forgotten about things and was happy to be heading home. I know she was tired. They both are after school. Heck, I’m tired by 4pm too! I tried to close my mouth and reign in my crankiness for the drive home.
Now I’m ignoring the kids to write this post. Mostly for myself. For some reason I feel very worked up by this. I just explained to Lex that sometimes when you have something on your mind it helps to write it down. Some people use a journal or a diary, but I use this blog. I promised him that I would be happier and calmer afterwards. Fortunately they are sweet kids and they’re playing on their toy computer on the floor behind me. I feel better already. Deep breath, return to center.
Now if I can just make it through the rest of the day without eating the rest of the Nilla wafers I bought “for the kids.” Eve just said “Mom, I’m hungry. Can I go get a piece of fruit?” I must be doing something right!