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And that is what happens after a couple of semi-warm days and some rain. By Sunday morning there was nothing left except for a seriously saturated ground (due to the 2" of rain, not the melted snowman). By Sunday dinner, however, another half-inch of snow had accumulated on the grass. Sigh. Will this ever end?
This is what I came home to on Tuesday. Tuesday, March 25th. What kind of magic do we need to do in order to shoo away winter? Because whatever it is, I'll do it.
This kid. In so many ways, still such a baby. In so many others, a big kid!
The Good: Rhett really seems to know right from wrong, and he usually wants to do the right thing. He is a good friend to those at school, and the other kids seem to really like him. There are moments where it seems like the things we are trying to teach him are sinking in. His reading is really coming along. It's fun to be out and about, and he'll just ask what random words are, or what they mean. He and Ollie can be such good friends. When we put them to bed around 7:15, they are allowed to stay up until 8. They mostly just read books in bed, but sometimes we hear them playing or doing who-knows-what. He's become a much better eater as of late. He'll try most things and and has learned to eat things that are not his favorite. This is a major milestone for him. He is always making something out of paper. It could be a "good list," a schedule for our day, or just weird hats, crowns, or dioramas.
The Weird: He LOVES nutcrackers. LOVES. He talks to them, plays with them, denies all requests to put them away until next Christmas. I honestly have no idea where this addiction came from.
The Bad: He is a hoarder! The kid will grab stuff from the trash and hide it in the library, which he thinks is his secret place. And when I say "trash," I mean trash: empty cereal boxes, empty chip bags, little scraps of paper, whatever. So usually I have to go in and clean it up without him knowing. He's none the wiser. Tantrums! I'm shocked that at six years old, I'm still dealing with these from him. Sometimes it seems that he cries more than Ollie does. Maybe we didn't do a good job teaching him emotions management, but man, I am so done with these. So done. They do seem to be decreasing in frequency, however.
Overall, Chuck and I feel very lucky to have such a healthy, fun, energetic boy in our family.
Why yes, those are almonds taped to the bookshelf. Doesn't everyone decorate with hanging almonds?
I really wish that we could contain a birthday to just one day. I know it's up to me, but really, it just doesn't seem possible. Maybe next year.
We started the celebrations on Friday with early-morning present opening. We gave Rhett a watch (he's obsessed with knowing the time) and some Lego people. He got Legos for Christmas, but didn't play with them much. I can safely say now that all he needed was the little Lego guys. He also got some good books, a remote-controlled car (that he loves), money, and clothes. After playing with Legos all morning, it was off to school! Ollie and I dropped by his lunch with cupcakes for his classmates. They were adorable, if not a little greedy. But I guess (I hope) that comes with the age.
Immediately after school we whisked the boys and Rhett's friend Madeleine to Baltimore and a visit to its children's museum.
Saturday was a low-key morning followed by our babysitting group at our house. We had planned it that way so that we could call it a party, but not have all the work of inviting people. We had a gorgeous day so spent the first hour at the playground, then we got to eat pizza outside, and then more playing, ending with some TV. Perfect. Aren't these kids adorable?
Sunday was another low-key morning before church and then a dinner with our local family. It doesn't sound like much, but it was enough for me.
Six. The boy is six. Only one-third to adulthood!
P.S. And for anyone who has the time, here's his yearly interview. And if he'd only answer the questions a teensy bit more quickly, it would been forty seconds, instead of four minutes.
It should be pretty obvious that I love schedules and routines. I guess I'm like a little kid in this. But March, whoa. It's been anything but routine.
Normally, my life consists of:
early-morning runs on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays
track workouts with the girls on Thursday nights
long runs on Saturday mornings
Rhett at school every weekday
Chuck at work every weekday
regular church meetings
playgroup with Ollie on Friday
real dinners at the dining room table
But this March, my life consisted of:
later-morning, or even afternoon, runs
track workouts without the girls on Tuesdays
long runs on Saturday afternoons
Rhett not at school due to more snow days or sick days
Chuck at work, unless it's a snow day, but some days later because of testing in the schools
stake conference
lots of cancelled playgroups because of weather or illness
fake dinners all over the place, or even no dinner at all if we are sick
I know. It shouldn't be hard. And truthfully, it isn't that hard. It is, however, just enough to throw me off kilter a teensy bit. But after this insane weekend, I expect to return to my kilter. Monday you can expect a full post on birthday happenings (I have a six-year-old!) with pictures. Maybe even video.
P.S. Are you curious about our snow days? If so, read on: Our school system builds four snow days into the calendar, meaning our school year goes 184 days, not 180. However, we've had TEN snow days this winter, meaning we have to make up six of them so we can get our 180 days. Aye, but there's a rub. Our superintendent can apply (and has applied) for a waiver from the state exempting us from having to make up some or all of those days. In the past, if those snow days were declared states of emergency by the governor, the schools were granted these waivers. Remember snowmageddon (here, here, or here)? We didn't have to make up one day that year! So there's hope that we won't be in school through June 20th. We'll see.
We had plans! Lots of fun plans! But when Chuck and I woke up totally sick on Saturday morning, our bodies made other plans for us. Plans like, letting the kids watch lots of TV while we rested. Plans like, eating only saltines, toast, and a Slurpee (none of which stayed in our bodies). Plans like, totally ignoring our very, very, very good children as they played and didn't fight. Um yeah, so other plans. Even Sunday was ruined by Rhett's puking. Poor buddy. (I will say that a nearly-six-year-old is much better at making it to a toilet when compared to a three-year-old. For this I am oh-so grateful.)
This might be the best thing that happened to me the entire weekend. I tried cutting fabric with my Silhouette. Success! It's part of my brother and sister-in-law's wedding gift, but it doesn't reveal too much. I could get very addicted to this!
And the worst thing this weekend did to us was to give us yet another snowstorm. March 17th and snow. Ridiculous. The only reason I'm not pulling out my hair is that it's March and hopefully it will melt away quickly. It better. Also, Chuck is off too. It could be worse.
At least until the boys are both in school, I think I'll always have a hard time with motherhood. And who am I kidding? Probably even after. It doesn't mean I don't love my boys, it just means I don't love the ins and outs of mothering them. But I have been working on finding those joyful moments. I remember one from two Mondays ago, during what was hopefully our last snowstorm. Rhett had just gone down a sledding hill and then fell on the ground making a snow angel. It was a beautiful moment.
Then the other day, both boys were sitting at the little boys' table. Ollie took a big swig of milk, said a big, "Ahhhhhhhh," and then followed it with "BURP." He didn't actually burp, but rather, just said the word. We all enjoyed a good laugh.
And Wednesday, Ollie happily played with his salt. I love watching this child play so independently. I also love how long we let his hair grow.
I know these moments are rare, but knowing that they exist with probability greater than zero helps. And yes, I had to throw in math-speak because....
P.S. Happy Pi Day! So excited for strawberry crumble pie tonight.
Dear Congressman Van Hollen, Senator Cardin, Senator Mikulski, and heck, why not, President Obama:
My husband and I live in your respective districts. We live pretty regular, suburban lives. I am a part-time federal employee; my husband works for our local school system. We have two young sons. We are fortunate to have our jobs, our home, and especially each other. We are doing a good job taking care of ourselves.
At this point in our lives, I believe that the work you do has little effect on us. However, I would like to give you the opportunity to change that. And not only would you be changing our lives (for the better), but also the lives of many, many others. What is my proposal? Please please please introduce a bill to get rid of daylight saving time (DST). I'll even let you choose if you'd like to keep us on DST forever, or not; that matters not to me. I just want the time changing to stop.
Of course some people (like three or four) will argue against this. But don't listen to them; they're dummies. DST only has short-term benefits. In the spring, sure, who doesn't love the extra light in the evenings? But remember, time marches on and we would eventually catch up to that amount of daylight in the evenings. The research is clear: DST benefits no one anymore.
In conclusion, changing our clocks semi-annually is evil. It must be ended.
Sincerely,
erin
P.S. And to those of you who I may have called a "dummy," I apologize. I know you're not dumb. Just confused. Kidding! We'll just have to agree to disagree on this topic, however.
Not only did I make the pi day banner, but I did it Friday night. And now every morning before the boys are allowed to eat breakfast, I have them place their hands on their hearts and repeat these digits.
Kidding. Really. I Promise.
P.S. I decided the t-shirts were a bit silly, but not for next year's big party. Oh no, next year the entire family will be sporting pi day shirts.
P.P.S. Oh, and I think we've decided on a strawberry crumble pie with some lemon verbena whipped cream. I have no idea what lemon verbena is, but I guess I'll find out.
Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep...This is just your friendly reminder that next Friday, March 14, is Pi Day. Better start dusting off those pie cookbooks or perusing pinterest for the perfect pie recipe. And if you find it, let me know because I'm struggling to pick one. If it was up to Chuck, I'd make apple pie and only apple pie. If it was up to Rhett, I'd make Oreo pie. But it's not up to them. It's up to me. I just can't decide.
And remember there's more to Pi Day than just eating pie. Oh yes. I'm definitely running 3.14 miles that morning (but not in three minutes and fourteen seconds, sadly). Then I think I need a special shirt to match my special pi earrings. Hmmmm, why have I not done this yet? And a pi banner? How have I not made one of these? I smell some weekend projects...
P.S. Here is 2012's Pi Day wrap-up. And here was 2011. I have no idea what we did (or didn't do) last year. Wait--found it. Apparently we were quite busy and opted for simple oreo pie. It won't happen again. And don't forget next year's spectacular 3.1415 celebration that will be happening at our house. Save the date now, local friends! Or start saving for a trip to D.C. next year, non-local friends! This will be a non-missable event.
P.P.S. Thanks, wikihow, for clearing up how to shower, how to make people believe I'm British, and how to celebrate Pi Day.
And here we are again: getting ready for Yet. Another. Snowstorm. Do you know how much I am dreading this? How much I am loathing it? How much I'd love to share this precip with the dried-out western U.S.? A LOT. After our thousands of storms this winter (a teensy bit of hyperbole, I'll grant you), you'd think we'd be ready. I'm going to grade us on how we did based on this rubric.
1. Firewood. Thought about it. Meant to do it. Thought we'd have time to get it after church, but the rain was just too yucky. Grade: F.
2. Baking supplies. Check. We even have blueberries, so maybe blueberry scones? Grade: A+ (the '+' is for the blueberries).
3. Adult refreshments. Check. Runts and severely-discounted Valentines Day cinnamon bears. Also, for Chuck, chips and some of that nasty "cheese." Grade: A.
4. Activities for the boys. Eh. I'm sure we've got something for them to do, right? If not, movies it is! Grade: C.
5. Activities for me. Check. I can work on a gift for a friend or my sister's Christmas gift. (I know; I'm awesome.) Grade: A.
6. Charged camera. As I typed this Sunday afternoon, no, but then it reminded me to do so, so yes. Grade: B+.
Overall our GPA was a 2.883. Eek. That's not good. Better luck next time (which better be in late, late 2014, if not 2015 if not never).
P.S. As of Sunday morning, the models were predicting 8-12". But thanks to my fasting, Chuck later informed me we were then in a 4-8" band. And maybe I'm kidding about fasting for it. I'll let you be the judge.
P.P.S. Thinking of warmer times...
Joy in motherhood. Lately I'm having a hard time finding mine. I would love to say someday it'll come easy and be constant. That someday, I will relish in rolling around, tickling and giggling, and playing trains with my boys all day long. But these days? Nope.
However, I am trying to find just a singular piece of joy in my children each day. Just one. This, I feel, is doable. Hard for me, but doable.
So yesterday, my joy was seeing Ollie play with a parachute for the first time. You know, the ones that kids run under, the ones you bounce balls on. Ollie had never experienced one until then, and when he did, oh JOY. He just laid on his back on the ground, smiling the nuttiest grin ever. And while I watched him, yep. True joy. Maybe even as much as he was experiencing.
So here it is. I like it. I really like it. I don't think I love it, however. But it fills its purpose and so I think I'll keep it. Besides, I invested enough into it I better.
The Things I Like About It:
1. My choice of fabrics.
2. The size. It fits a binder. Or it fits a kid's water bottle plus diapers and wipes, snacks, and my phone, wallet, calendar, and ipod.
3. It goes over my chest. I really dislike shoulder-only bags.
4. The pockets are super handy. (There is one on the back and one inside.)
5. The grab handle is super convenient too.
The Things I Don't Like About It:
1. My choice of fabrics. I don't know what I was thinking getting something with so much white! It'll be grey in a matter of weeks.
2. The pocket hardware seems a little fancy for me, but I had such a hard time finding it, I just went with it.
3. The strap hardware was really hard to find. I ended up finding it on etsy from an Aussie.
4. The cutting! I think I had to cut 46 pieces before I could start sewing. FORTY SIX PIECES. Those of you who sew, know how tedious this is!
5. I had some issues with the zipper being weirdly-sized. It made for some sloppy construction at that point and it bothers me every time I look at it.
The Things I Didn't Like About creativebug:
1. The fabric requirements for the strap fabric was WAY off. A yard? Really? Maybe a quarter yard. Wasteful.
2. No response to questions submitted. No real way to ask instructor questions.
3. No guidance on where to buy the hardware. A lot of pattern makers will tell you where they got their stuff in a buying guide. (Hmmm...apparently they did have this but it was really hidden. Me no likey.)
4. The editing was terrible. I really don't need to see the instructor sew a 50" straight stitch. I do, however, need to better be shown how she did the lining.
5. For rectangular pattern pieces, I'd just as soon be given the dimensions so I could use my rotary cutter to cut them.
6. Ugh. Why can't you just use a standard zipper size?
7. When I cancel my membership (which I was loathe to pay for, but since hardware came from Australia, I used more than the 14-day trial), I have no print out of the instructions. I think that since I paid for the class, there should be something tangible. Instead, I had to take copious notes for the next bag, should there be a next time.
But like I said, I like it. I really do. Now just to take a flight somewhere!
A.S. I had something else for today, but didn't make enough time to write it out. You'll have to wait. And yes, an A.S. is like a P.S. but coming before regular text. Kind of like AM and PM. I would have put the third sentence in a P.S.S.-like paragraph but I'm pretty sure you can quickly figure out why I didn't.
I know prayers aren't supposed to be routine, but hopefully that's too much to ask a two-year old. Ollie insists on saying almost every family prayer we do, much to Rhett's delight. No matter any prompting we give him to start it differently, this is pretty much how each one goes:
Ollie: In the name of Jesus Father, thank you for the day. Thank you for the dinner. Please bless us that we won't have bad dreams about space grizzlies. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
And last night at dinner, Rhett added this to his prayer:
Rhett: And please bless me to have a dream where I can meet Brother [Bear] and Sister [Bear] again.
And this quote from Wednesday...
Me: Ollie! Stop splashing in the puddles! You're not wearing your rain boots!
Ollie: Sorry, mom, but that's just what kids do.
A picture just for fun.
P.S. I guess I should mention that space grizzlies are action figures in a Berenstain Bears book. Nothing fancy.
A friend's daughters just transitioned to bunk beds so I made her this little bag for books. Of course, Rhett hasn't used his in weeks because all his books end up where they sleep: Ollie's bottom bunk.
After seeing the tunics that my sister made for my boys, a colleague of Chuck's asked if I could make one for a special little friend of his. So I did. Thanks, emily, for a perfect pattern.
Another little friend's birthday present. I thought it appropriate for a Peter Pan party.
My lunch bag was dying, so I made one from this tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew. I love it. The inside is lined with Pul on the bottom so hopefully it will be easily cleaned if/when my lunch spills.
Chuck saw a shirt just like this online somewhere. I happened to have the solid tee, so I just whipped up the stencil. I think it's pretty funny.
Two days before Valentines Day, I decided I wanted a conversation heart banner. I knew we were expecting a big snow storm and thought it would be the perfect project. Of course, I finished it the first morning of our five-day weekend, but that meant it was up for Valentine's Day. I'm pretty much in love with it. It's made with fabric and the text is freezer paper stencilled on. And yes, there is one that says, "FAX ME." Why do you ask?
And about one day before Valentines Day, I decided to make these fun shirts for the boys. I promise it will never happen again.
And then Rhett decided he needed a new cape because his was too small. Of course, once it was finished and the smaller was bequeathed to Ollie, Ollie rejected it. He demanded one that looked just like Rhett's. Brothers.
I think I've mentioned that Marylanders go nuts when storms are predicted. There is a rush on the stores for three staples: bread, milk, and toilet paper. I wish I was lying. How long do these people think they'll be housebound? Two days, at most, right? And do they not have enough to make it through those two days? I know Mormons can be borderline hoarders with their food storage, but I still can't imagine not having enough on hand to avoid the crazy rush on grocery stores.
However, there are some things I do need for prep for being housebound for a couple of days. Here is my list:
1. Firewood. I don't plan on losing power (although that's a distinct possibility with our heavy, east coast snow), but if we're to be stuck inside, I want it warm and cozy. And if there's 16" of snow outside, I feel bad asking Chuck to go get it. But don't worry; I will if necessary.
2. Baking supplies. You know cookies will be made, right? So I better make sure my flour, sugar, and butter are stocked.
3. Adult refreshments for the end of the day. Being stuck inside with two boys who like to argue constantly requires the reemergence of a nightcap. For me, this was the aforementioned diet root beer and some red and blue tootsie rolls. For Chuck, Mountain Dew.
4. Activities for the boys. Sure, we have enough toys, in theory, to keep them busy. But you know how kids are, they don't want to play with any of them. So if playing in the snow doesn't last all day (which it did, thankfully, on Thursday), I must have some ideas for other things to do. Movies come to mind.
5. Activities for me. This includes shoveling (duh), but also things like craft projects or taxes.
6. A well-charged camera. For the following reasons:
Bad pictures taken at night, but you have to try, right?
Pictures of cute boys on Valentines Day morning.
Again with these snow days. Yesterday and today make days six and seven of our snow day tally for the school year. Isn't that obnoxious? We woke up to about 12", but then it turned all rain and the snow turned all sno-cone-y. It was super weird, but made for really good snowmen, as long as you didn't try to roll the snow. We watched a movie ("Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," not bad), played in the white stuff, made cookies while the menfolk and childfolk shoveled, rested (with naps and quiet time and taxes!), then played some more. Then our cute next door neighbors came over to enjoy our fire and eat some homemade pizza. If not for the disobedience and yelling (ahem, me), it was a lovely snow day! Now melt away please. Pretty please. A girl's gotta run off those dozen cookies she ate.
Who knows what today brings. I still can't believe this turned into a five-day weekend for all of us. Happy Valentine's Day!
I was totally wrong. There's tons of new stuff with my family and me; so what if it happens to be of the same humdrum variety?
Take, for example, our couch. Just think, last week it was slip-covered with a sheet. And then presto! Our very back-ordered slipcover arrived and we have a brand new couch. One that just dares our boys to destroy it. Locals--come over and sit on it! (But you might want to warn me first, so we can get a fire going.)
Speaking of a fire in the basement...I've taken to wearing Chuck's sweatshirts at all times when inside the house. Unless there is a fire, our house is a wee bit chilly. And his sweatshirts are just so much more comfortable than mine. I know that I don't look awesome, and I would only wear them outside to walk the dog, but if I'm hunkering down in the basement trying to avoid frostbite, then those sweatshirts are perfect. Just don't tell Chuck he's not getting them back.
My soda thing was short-lived. When we went to the grocery store on Saturday, I opted to not get it again. It just didn't really do it for me. Now where did I hide those Runts?
We made these yummy pretzel hot dogs Monday night. Everyone in the family loved them. We tried once before to make homemade pretzels and failed miserably. But these, for whatever reason, worked beautifully. And now that we're pros with pretzels, I think I should attempt these.
The boys have finally started "sleeping in" after three or so weeks of the later bedtime. Ninety percent of the time, they are sleeping until 6:15 a.m. or later. Sure, sometimes they fall asleep on Ollie's bunk and we have to separate them. Sure, sometimes they don't even make it to the bunk; they fall asleep in the papasan chair and stay there all night. But for us, this is a major, major success. Until daylight savings. CURSE YOU daylight savings!
Finally, a major storm is headed straight towards us. Pray for us that school isn't cancelled (it will be), that Chuck will be similarly cancelled (he won't be), and that all traces of it will be quickly erased from the face of the earth. I raise my fists in anger at you, Old Man Winter!
It's true. Ollie is adorable. I feel bad that I can't say the same for Rhett, and it's not that he's not cute, but he's just not at an adorable age. I mean, I certainly don't expect anyone to tell me that I'm adorable. It's just something you grow out of, and, sadly for Rhett, he has. But man, that Ollie sure is embracing it. And he's one of those who knows (or has been well-trained by Chuck and me) that he's cute. Need proof?
Rhett: Can I have some peanut butter please?
Me: Sure, after you say, "Mom and Dad, you are the greatest parents. I am happy to be your son."
Rhett: Mom and Dad. You are the greatest parents. I am happy to be your son.
Peanut butter given.
Ollie: I want some peanut butter too! Mom and Dad. You are great. Can I be your parent?
Ollie: Mom, I'm not all filled up. I need more food.
Ollie destroys my piles of folded laundry.
Me: Gosh, Ollie! Next time you can do the laundry.
Ollie: Okay, I will! I will be an adult!
Ollie was acting up in sacrament meeting during the closing prayer. A good friend, whom Ollie loves, was saying the prayer. We thought it might calm him down to see this friend praying.
Me, quietly: Look Ollie! Mr. Baba is saying the prayer.
Ollie, not even close to quietly: MR. BABA!!!
Mr. Baba: [Opens eyes, smiles at Ollie, continues to pray.]
We found out later that Mr. Baba enjoyed this shout-out. He said it made him feel like a movie star. Well, glad we could help out, Mr. Baba. Also, of course his name is not Mr. Baba. But for whatever reason, my children gave him this nickname.
Look how tender he is! He sat down next to Rhett and put his arm around him. Heart wringer!
Putting his favorite stuffed animals to bed with a story. When he describes it he says, "I'm reading a story to my babies."
