Those aren't kids!

Yesterday my husband's school offered a free health screening to employees and spouses. We both decided to take advantage of the program. My appointment was in the middle of the morning. I had originally asked my aunt to watch our youngest since she lives near my husband's school. She had a prior commitment, so we had to find plan B. I hated to ask my mom to come down because she would have to drive 40 minutes here, then I'd drive 45 minutes each way, so my 15 minute blood prick would turn into a 3 hour + time commitment for her. It just wasn't necessary. Finally, we decided that since it was so short and the little guy is pretty well behaved, he could just hang out in my husband's classroom for a few minutes. It worked out perfectly because he was showing a movie so it wouldn't be a terribly big disruption. HT was very excited, and I even had him dressed in the school's football jersey with his name on the back from when my husband was coaching. He had his coloring kit and couldn't wait to go to Daddy's classroom....right up until the time came to walk in the door. No amount of cajoling or prodding was going to get him to walk into that classroom. I even tried pushing him through the door, but he was grabbing the door frame. Finally my husband walked over and picked him up and carried him into the room. I returned only 10 or 15 minutes later and HT was happily sitting there playing with blocks and marbles. However, my husband picked him up and asked if he would say goodbye to the students, and the tears began to show. Later I talked to HT and discussed why he had been so excited and then got so scared. I realized that we always refer to my husband's students as "kids". To those of us in our 30's, that is exactly what teenagers are! But to a little preschooler, those teenagers are big people! He told me that he wasn't expecting big people and it scared him. Apparently he thought his dad taught people his size, or at least the size of his older siblings. As soon as we were in the van though, he wanted to go back, and has already asked if he can play football with them!

I'm still here

I'm still here and haven't gone anywhere. We had a very nice weekend, although it really went too quickly. This week is going to be pretty hectic. In the evenings, just Monday - Thursday, we have four baseball practices, one funeral visitation, one grad class, one meeting, one ballet class, and two parent teacher conferences (thankfully the guitar lesson is cancelled). We are still working on how everyone is going to get where they need to be when they need to be there. And Friday, we are leaving for my in-laws for a long weekend. We should be able to rest and I'm looking forward to that! In the meantime, please be patient with me if the blog is quiet this week!

Cardinals

This morning I was working in my kitchen, which has a window that overlooks the neighbor's front yard. Our neighbor passed away last fall, but before his death, he was a spectacular gardener. The flowers and plants that he had in his yard looked amazing every year. The house is currently up for sale, but there are many perennials coming up. This morning, I saw two bright red cardinals doing what can only be described as "playing chase" - flying and dodging through the plants. It made me smile and brought a beautiful moment of peace. I wish the same for everyone!

Proud Mom

I was a very proud mom last night! My oldest did a very nice job in his talent show and I got a few tears in my eyes. He's really been pushing us and his teachers lately, and it was nice to be able to take a break from that and just really be proud and happy for him. I was also very pleased for him that so much family was able to be there for him. I'm praying that this, something positive, can help him start making good decisions again.

Field trip and talent show

Today my youngest is on an all day field trip to the local children's museum. He's been so excited for weeks! We have a family membership so he is familiar with the exhibits and was already telling me yesterday which ones he wanted to be sure to see. My wonderful husband took the day to go with him, which he has done every year that the little one has been in preschool. It's so cute to see how much they both enjoy getting to spend this day together. And I'm very grateful for an entire day of quiet alone time at home!

This evening the oldest is performing in the school talent show. We are so proud of him for trying out, and even prouder that he made it! He will be performing with his guitar and chose to do the Marine Hymn in honor of my father-in-law, a former Marine. My mother, sister, and two grandmothers are also coming down to see him, and when he heard that he started getting nervous. I'm praying that he'll do well, and regardless of what happens I'll be a very proud mom!

Child's perspective

My oldest son asked me an interesting question at the dinner table last evening. He wanted to know if I wished I could be a child again. Honestly, no I don't. I do however, wish that time passed a little less quickly and that we had more relaxing times in our lives. I can't imagine going back to a time when these three little people weren't in my life. Probably shouldn't say little, as the oldest is almost as tall as I am! At the same time, I was happy to hear each of them say that they preferred being kids because it means they are relatively happy children!

My youngest just got excited because Dora the Explorer is on television. I said, "Oh, Dora is on!" He replied, "Yeah, it's your favorite Mom!" Uhm, not quite! I like to think that my TV taste is a little more sophisticated than that!

March not-so-Madness

I enjoyed watching all of the games this past four days, but I'm not too excited from here on out. I can live with the fact that the Flyers lost yesterday, but I'm really disappointed that there is no good "Cinderella" team to get behind. All of the #1 & #2 seeds advanced, and the lowest seed is #12 Arizona. It's really hard to view them as an underdog given their history...they were just having a rough year. So, I'll watch the games, but for me the season is pretty much over. That's okay though, because in exactly two weeks from today I'll be cheering for my beloved Cincinnati Reds on Opening Day!

Pinewood Derby

Yesterday was the Pinewood Derby for our son's cub scout pack. Last year he came in second place so we had high hopes. This year JC also decided to enter a car as a tag-along. The kids did well, but unfortunately no trophies were brought home this year. We were pleased however, that good family friends had a clean sweep of second place in all categories! The kids had a really good time and enjoyed making the cars. We'll try again next year!

The day after

We are all still basking in the glow of the Flyers victory from yesterday. Okay, maybe not all, the kids seem to have moved on but my wonderful husband and I are still very happy! He's a UD grad and I'm a Dayton area native so we remember a few pitiful years of Flyer basketball. Happily, this isn't one of them! We also stayed up and watched Ohio State lose in double OT. Such is life...I can be philosophical about that one!

The kids are less than pleasant today. We have several fun activities planned and the anticipation seems to be getting to the two youngest ones. They have done nothing, I mean nothing, but fight since they got up this morning (technically they took time to eat, but even that was treacherous)! They are currently isolated from each other which of course only makes them howl louder. Hopefully there will be either an attitude adjustment or a nap before this evening!

Go UD!

Life as a Dayton Flyers fan is pretty good right now. Not only did we manage to win the game, but we knocked Bob Huggins out of the tournament. It just doesn't get any better than this!

More basketball

Another day, another 16 games! I wasn't very excited with how most of the games turned out yesterday.  I'm one of those people who loves a really good upset! I did stay awake to watch WKY defeat Illinois. That I thoroughly enjoyed! We ordered in pizza last night, which has always kind of been a "first day of March Madness" tradition for me. Today UD plays at 3 or so, so dinner won't be until after the game is over.

Outside of the sporting world, we are really looking forward to our weekend. Our oldest has been giving us some behavioral trouble lately, and my husband and I are feeling tense and worn out. We are also looking forward with anticipation to spring break arriving! The kids and my husband have different weeks off, but it will still be a time to regroup as a family and we are looking forward to that!

My favorite day!

Okay, maybe today isn't the absolute most favorite day, but it's right up there. The NCAA men's basketball tournament begins today. I LOVE this weekend, especially today and tomorrow. How can you not love 32 games in about 18 hours. As Vitale would say, "It's awesome, baby!"

Almost, but not quite

I had some laundry to do this afternoon, and the weather is so gorgeous I decided to try and let it hang dry. Because of the angle of the sun this time of year, it didn't quite dry the clothes, but it was nice to know that we are getting closer to weather like that. While our weather can certainly be extreme, it is also nice to know that it has seasons. I can't imagine living somewhere that the weather was mild all the time. I'm sure it's great for some, but not for me. I'm looking forward to the coming of spring and summer, just as in six months I'll be looking forward to the coming of fall & winter. Not to rush things though!

Lazy morning

I've had a wonderfully lazy morning around here. The oldest two got off to school at their normal time, and the little guy was still sound asleep! Since he woke up he has been relaxing with his breakfast in front of the TV. I don't always allow that, but I figure if I'm relaxing this morning he might as well also! We hosted our monthly friends' gathering Saturday so I worked really hard last week to get the house picked up and cleaned. Since things are still pretty together, I get to think about other things, at least for the beginning of this week. This morning I've been working on getting pictures organized so I can scrapbook. I'm really just enjoying being in my sweats and not feeling guilty about doing fun things!

He's all boy

I am well aware of the fact that my youngest child is a boy. There are days though, when I am sometimes astonished at just how much of a boy he is! I find that I am sometimes unprepared for life with little boys. I only have a sister, and most of my cousins are females. I'm definitely not a "girly" girl though, as I don't like pink or purple, and my idea of a wonderfully romantic evening is watching ESPN. My little guy though, well he's definitely a boy. He loves dogs. He loves all dogs and he loves everything about dogs. He also announced earlier this week that he wants to drive a monster truck when he grows up. I explained there was no room to park a monster truck in the garage and he replied that wasn't a problem because he wanted it parked on the street where everyone could see it. He also told us Saturday that he wants a dirt bike. Yesterday while driving to my parents' house he was ecstatic because we twice passed John Deere dealerships. He has decided that he needs a full size tractor so he can show his friends. And yesterday when we got back from my parents, I turned on the TV and there happened to be drag racing on. He began jumping up and down and began yelling, "race cars, Mommy! Look at the race cars!" Yep, he's all boy.

Back from the doctor, again

I've returned from taking JC to the family doctor. Just a week ago I had HT in there for the exact same thing. I am not one who jumps to take kids in to see the doctor, but last week HT was pretty yucky. His cough was awful, and thick green stuff had started coming out of his nose. He's on heavy duty antibiotics, which terrify me only because I am highly allergic to it! JC didn't have the drainage, but the cough was a body wracking cough that made me hurt just listening to it. Sure enough, same antibiotics for her! She has a different cough medicine prescription because she is over 6 so that makes a difference. I've already heard hacking out of the oldest, but we are going to hope that I'm not back at the doctor's again next week!

Loving March!

There are two things I really love about March. One is the nicer weather, although I could use it just a tad bit warmer. The second is college basketball. I'm not really a season long college basketball fan, but I love March Madness! We loved watching UD win last night, but were disappointed that Miami couldn't get a victory. Then I stayed up ridiculously late watching a game I don't even care about, but the UConn/Syracuse game was so exciting it took six (that's right 6!) overtimes for someone to win. There was no way I was going to miss the end of that game. Needless to say I am seriously dragging today. JC is home today with what I suspect is the same bronchitis that HT has (doctor appointment is later today) so very soon we are having quiet nap time for us all. After all, UD has another game at 9 tonight. Go Flyers!

Are you kidding me?!!!!!

I understand the weather in Ohio is subject to change, but this is extreme! Yesterday we set a new record high of 76, and today it's 39? Are you serious?!!!!! I understand that this is closer to normal, but a gradual return to normal would have been easier to handle! I have to give my husband credit. He really knows me well. The other evening we were watching the news (specifically the weather), and he said to me, "You better prepare for the weather this week." I was confused, because there was no snow storm coming in that required a quick run to the grocery, or anything like that. He went on to explain, "You know you have sinus problems and this week is going to be tough on you." Sure enough, this morning I awoke with a sinus headache. Fortunately a couple of Tylenol Sinus helped the problem go away! If only there was a pill to make the cold temps go away!

Conflicts

I've been dealing with a lot of inner conflict lately. I'm not sure if it's the time of year, or the weather, or maybe me just being me. I'm struggling with what I feel vs. what I think I should feel, and what I want in life vs. what I think I should want. And while I love being home with the kids, I'm having a tough time feeling as I've got a "worth". The kids are older and more independent and I'm, well, I'm just not sure what I am. I'm sure many stay-at-home moms deal with these things from time to time, and I'm also sure I'll snap out of it. In the meantime any cheery thoughts sent my way would be appreciated!

Out of sync

This time change has really done us in! It's always hard to get out of bed, but today was particularly tough. No one wanted to get moving this morning and I couldn't blame them. It doesn't help that everyone is fighting colds and coughs as well. None of them are serious except HT who developed bronchitis and is on some heavy duty antibiotics. The rest of them are just coughing and congested. I'm not one who tends to medicate quickly, but even so I am beginning to run out of dosage cups! I'm hoping to have an uneventful evening so everyone can be in bed just a little early.

We had a great weekend visiting with the in-laws. It's always sad when they have to leave. We wish we could convince them to move here, but they love their hometown. I certainly understand that, but we do miss them!

Time passes

I know that time passes and that is a good thing, but right now it just seems to be passing too quickly. We watched some videos this evening of when the kids were younger, I just can't believe how quickly they've grown up! And I notice it in my in-laws as well. They are in their 70's, and on this trip they just seem a little older than just a couple of months ago when we were there. Time just seems to be passing so quickly!

It was a beautiful day though. JR had his last basketball game and scored a couple of points. The weather outside was gorgeous...perfect for no jacket and just to hang outside! This evening my wonderful husband has taken our daughter to the final UD game of the season. I'm just feeling very happy and blessed right now. I hope my friends and family can feel the same way!

Beautiful morning

It's an absolutely beautiful morning around here. It's 8:30 and already in the upper 50's...gorgeous! I think there might be a chance of rain later today, but I'm going to enjoy the temps AND sunshine while it lasts. My in-laws are arriving for the weekend and I think it's just going to be a great couple of days!

Nothing on the calendar!

Our lives have been pretty crazy the last few weeks. Nothing more than the ordinary family with three young children, I'm sure, but crazy none-the-less. We always try to eat family dinners together and scheduling them has proved challenging. It's not even really the kids right now. It's really my husband's many commitments. I understand though, that everything he does is wonderful and mostly for the "greater good". Today however, there is absolutely nothing, NOTHING, on our calendar! My husband claims it doesn't quite count because he still has to go to work, but I told him I'm going to be grateful, even for the few hours, of completely unscheduled time. It will be wonderful! I'm beginning to relax already!

It's getting warmer

I'm so grateful it's supposed to be getting warmer! Today when I woke up it was 12 degrees. Yikes! I think that ought to be it for awhile for the drastically cold mornings though, and maybe even for the season. It's not getting terribly warm, but I'll take what I can get.

We had a major breakthrough in the eating department this morning. HT actually ate oatmeal! I was astonished that he actually cleaned his bowl. That child is such a picky eater that I figured there was no way that was going to happen. Maybe he'll actually move on to things other than corn dogs and pop tarts now!

I'm trying to get my house picked up. The in-laws are coming this weekend. We are very happy because we haven't seen them since Christmas. The cleaning is going very slowly though. Tonight my husband has a meeting after school and then will go straight to his class so I'm a solo parent. Oh well, there is always tomorrow!

Another busy weekend

We had another busy weekend, but fun as always. Friday evening JR spent the afternoon with a school friend, and even got to go to the movie theater. He loved that! After a little sleeping in Saturday (only by the grown-ups, of course!) JR had another basketball game, then we treated the kids to lunch at Frisch's. The kids love that place because of the crazy straws they put in their drinks. That evening my wonderful husband took JR to a UD game (another victory!) then after bringing him home spent the evening at a guys' night. Yesterday was church, then we attended a hockey game that my 13-year-old cousin played in Dayton. Following that was dinner at my parents, then a quick visit to my grandmother. The older two fell asleep on the way home and went right to bed, and HT had a snack then tumbled into bed after them. The nice thing about the weekend is that it wasn't rushed or crazy, but we got to do lots of fun things. Fun times!