Monday, March 29, 2010

Things I've been doing lately, in no particular order:

1. Being hooked on The Pioneer Woman's blogOh.  My.  Goodness.  This woman is awesome.  I totally love her!  I was poking around online looking for some new recipes, dinner ideas, etc.  Somehow that led to my finding her blog and spending a ridiculous number of hours (yes, hours...not all in one sitting though, OK?) reading her story of how she met her husband.  I have never read such a romantic love story in all. my. life.  Seriously.  You have to read this. 

2. Reading  The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  (I know that's supposed to be underlined but I don't know how to do that!)  I'm actually venturing into something a little new...a college friend (from Furman!) got in touch with me (gotta love Facebook) and asked if I'd want to contribute to the website he works for, as in, do I want to write some book reviews?  Uh............sure!  :)  This is new for me, I've never written a book review.  Only book reports, like in middle school, when I'd basically skim the book the day or two before the assignment was due, then summarize the back cover or inside flap and call it a report.  I don't think that's going to fly this time.  So I've actually been reading the book.  Well, procrastinating on reading the book.  Little did I realize that once I agreed to do this, I'd be thrown back into high school, with that same feeling of "oh, man.  I have to do this assignment."  Or like those dreaded summer reading lists that I always used to put off until the last two weeks of August.  (Not that I'm complaining; I really do want to do this!)  It's just funny how it has that distinct "homework" feeling to it.  Well anyway, I devoted this past weekend to getting down to business and READING the book, which, once I got started, went quickly, and now I'm looking forward to the writing part.  I think that will be the easy part; we shall see.

3. Contemplating life.  Seriously.  Ooops, that's the second time I've used the word "seriously."  I don't know what's going on with me, but I have been seriously deep in thought lately.  Distracted during the day, lying awake with my mind racing in the wee hours.  I guess that's all I'll say because...there could be strangers reading this blog!   Or worse, people I know!

4. Various and sundry mom-related activities - my favorite kind!  This week, when/if the rain lets up, we'll be going out to do our second annual Easter egg tree.  That was great fun last year and it reminds me of Mam-Mam.  Abby & Nolan will both be playing tee ball this year - fun!   A little nervous about how Nolan will do with this 4-year-old attention span, but it's tee ball for Pete's sake. 

Let me see if I can rustle up some pics...

 Abby figured out how to cross her eyes...

Nolan, not so much.

OK, now I remember how I got my (self-appointed) title of Mother of the Year.  This is just pathetic!  These are all the pics I have to offer?   I promise to get my camera out and do better next time around.

But, in my own defense, it has been late winter/early spring in western PA.  I'll paint a little word picture for those who have never experienced such a time in such a place: dreary...cold...cabin fever...we're all driving each other nuts...we've done all the creative indoor activities that we can think of all winter long, and now Mommy is just fresh out of any more ideas, and soooooo looking forward to summer it's not even funny....OK.  Can I be off the hook now?  A little?  ;)

Well, in order to not end on a whiny, complain-y note...let me do a little bragging on my kids...consider this your "spoiler alert" - if you don't want to hear me get all obnoxious about my wonderful, super-smart, super-awesome, funny, adorable, intelligent kids, then stop reading now.  You've been warned.  I'm serious, it gets bad.

Our dear little Abby, her kindergarten teacher informed me, is reading and writing on a second grade level.  Yep!   I was only a little surprised at that.  You should see the things she does around the house.  She writes messages to all of us, she makes herself little "to-do" lists before she goes to bed each night - for the next day.  In her dresser drawer, I found a detailed plan for an April Fool's joke she's planning to play on me.  She just finished reading her first "chapter book" - 100% by herself.   The girl is freakin' smart!

And then there's her brother, who at 4 years old, can count by ones, twos, fives, and tens...to well beyond 100.  Trust me, I've been privileged to hear it, number by painstaking number, MANY times.  Oh, so many times.  We figured out one day that the little thermometer in our car can be switched back and forth from Fahrenheit to Celsius.  Our little Nolan kept asking me to "push the button" - F to C, C to F.  OK, Nolan...let's give the button-pushing a rest?  So one random day, the temp was on Celsius, and from the backseat, I heard Nolan tell me what the temp was in "F."  Fahrenheit.  I was like, whaaa?  I pushed the button, and sure enough.  The kid is freakin' smart.  Oh, AND he can also read large parts of books - especially Dr. Seuss books - pretty much by himself.  AND he's starting to write.  Did I mention he's 4 years old?  (Hey, I told you it was going to be obnoxious...)

So that's that.  For now.  I have to get myself and the little guy dressed & ready to go play with a friend this morning...then who knows what.  I have a list of "nagging tasks" to do that's a mile long, maybe I'll try to knock out some of those today.  It's cold & rainy (shocker!) so it's a good day to do it!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The new 'do


I love new haircuts. :) 

Monday, March 8, 2010

A hot mess

Mother of the Year, indeed.  If ONLY I had the presence of mind to get a pic!  I can add another thing to the ever-growing list of things I swore I'd never do as a parent (you know, back when I was a perfect mom - before I had any kids).  

Abby's get-up she went to school in this morning consisted of: a pajama shirt covered by a zip-up hoodie sweatshirt, jeans that she got as a gift - they are huge in the waist and short in the legs, with little embroidered things all over - I hid them, but apparently she found them today.  Cinched tight with a belt, no less, creating a balloon effect at the top.  Novelty green & purple ankle socks, and boots that remind me of Napoleon Dynamite's moon boots.  But at least they cover up the socks and flood pants.  Oh, and a turquoise wooden beaded bracelet - the finishing touch. 

My alarm went off at 6:30...after I dragged myself out of bed, I came downstairs to find that she was already dressed.  Like a designer on Runway, she stood by her outfit.  She was SO proud of it.  Maybe on another day I would have been more insistent, but today I just didn't have the heart to tell her to change.

Letting my child put together her own outfits and wear them out of the house...check.

That got me thinking...what else is there?  What else do I do that I swore I'd never do?  Dare I go there?  Deep breath...

- Owning a video game console...check
- Letting my kids watch TV, even obnoxious shows like (gulp) Spongebob...sigh, check*
- Cereal for dinner on nights that I just can't muster up the energy...check
- "Because I'm your Mommy and I said so"...check, and proud of it
- Licking my thumb and wiping sticky stuff off of faces...check (sorry, kids)
- Not using spanking as a disciplinary measure...check
- Finger-combing hair when I've realized that we forgot to brush it before leaving the house...check

*the dreaded Spongebob show is by far the most objectionable show they watch.  By far.  Nevertheless, they love it.  And what's more, I have to admit...it's pretty funny.  It does get turned off when it gets too obnoxious.  I really have no idea how it all started, letting them watch that show.  You wanna criticize?  Go ahead, I'm sure I deserve it. 

The list could probably go on, but those are the things that used to make me say, "What kind of parent...?"  I guess I know now.  ;)