Keeping the summer (standards) bar low

Hello, August!  I can not believe that we are already in August, and that school is a month away!  I find myself pulling back, thinking of all the things I still want to do with the children while they are home.  We made a summer list at the start of the season, and we have only ticked off a couple of items.  Hopefully my summer laziness will end, and I will kick it in high gear so that we can have some fun times before the school routine starts. 

We have had such high temps lately (90s) and with no A/C, I wilt around high Noon.  In the morning, we have a leisurely breakfast, which involves a lot of coloring in between bites.  Then we go out, sometimes for a walk, or to a park but usually to the store for things we need.  Then, the afternoon lazies begin. Gianna has dropped her afternoon naps.  Bode hasn't napped for a couple of years.  So that leaves just 1 child napping in the afternoon.   I have gotten into a really lazy, really horrible habit of turning on the TV and letting Bode and Gianna watch a show every afternoon.  I usually nap beside them, or surf the internet.  It is just a poor excuse of time.  I also find that Bode and Gianna are usually whiney and irritable after watching 2 shows. They whine to watch more shows. "Just one more!" is what I hear as soon as I grab the remote. When the TV goes off, the crying starts.  I don't know what happens but I do know that TV viewing is just not a good thing!  So this week, I resolve: NO MORE TV.   

I did buy a tiny inflatable pool for the children.  They love it.  Bode and Gianna will get in and splash around for hours. (I won't put Nico in there because...I'm paranoid. I don't trust myself not to turn my back for a second. Nothing has ever happened in the bath or otherwise, but I don't want anything to happen..if you know what I mean.) I usually just sit in a lawn chair and watch Bode and Gianna jump in and out of the pool.  I will use the bubble wand for Nico, who just loves chasing bubbles, or squeals with delight when he is surrounded by bubbles.  Nico also loves playing soccer, as he is our most "sporty" child yet.

I have not been very productive this summer. What is my excuse?  I just feel so tired all of the time! That is my only reason. And maybe I am the tiniest bit intimidated with the 3:1 ratio, especially in large spaces, like museums, where one could get lost.

A part of me wants to keep things simple (walks, bubbles and a wading pool) and then the other part of me screams, "Do more! Get out! Show them the world!" etc.  I think that while they are all little, I think things should stay simple for as long as possible. (Yes?) 

xo

Lately

We are still here.  

Last week, I felt like I was losing my mind.  It's been hard, these past few weeks, with a lot going on.  I've been telling RWF all summer, "I need a break." Well my break finally came. The babies spent two nights at "Camp Dawnie" where they enjoyed oodles of attention from Uncle Craig, Aunt Dawnie, Aunt Debbie and Grandma. They went to the zoo, out for breakfast, to the park, etc.  I think they also enjoyed sugary snacks and TV.  Awh, camp! They had a blast and smile every time I ask them, "Did you have fun?" As for me, I missed them like crazy. I was tearful, and thinking about them constantly. The house was too quiet. There were many moments when I considered just packing Nico up and driving over to Syracuse to pick up my other two babies. But then I told myself that this break was very much needed, and I would probably not get another chance for "alone" time, as school is starting soon.  So I tried to tolerate the quiet and missing my children. I think Nico enjoyed "only child" status, but he is thrilled to have his sibs back.

I have some anxiety about school.  I'm so glad that Bode is going to a private school right now.  Today we drove by the public elementary school that he would attend, and it looked huge. I can only imagine that the class size is as enormous as the school.  Afterwards, we went to the park (attached to the school) and the children played on the playground while I watched, standing beside Nico (in his stroller).  Bode and Gianna were up on a slide structure, high up.  And as I looked at them, I saw this boy push Bode.  I blinked.  I thought, "Surely I did not just see that kid push my son."  But yeah, he pushed him. He pushed him again. This boy was Bode's size, so I don't think he was older (does it matter? No.). Bode just stood there, and kind of looked at him.  I could tell Bode didn't know what to do, and wouldn't do anything to challenge this kid. Then this boy pushed Gianna.  And after he pushed her, he stood behind her, wrapped his arms around her and picked her up.  He stood there, with his arms wrapped around her, lifting her...what he was going to do, I don't know. Gianna was rigid in this boys arms, her feet not touching the ground. She didn't say anything but her eyes were looking around, looking for help.  "HEY!" I yelled and ran over there. I climbed the structure and got real close to him. "HEY! LET GO OF HER NOW."  I nearly ripped his head off. I was thisclose to becoming physical with this kid. I could NOT believe what I was seeing and my blood was boiling.  He stood there and looked at me.  He didn't blink.  But I could see a ripple of attention behind his face.  I took a breath (I was seriously about to LOSE IT) and  sharply hissed, "Don't ever do that again.  Not to her. Not to him. Not to anyone."  And then I remembered my children. They were staring at me, scared.  I said, more calmly, "We don't push. It's not nice. Someone could get hurt. Especially up here."   Bode found his voice, and echoed, "Yeah, we don't push."  Gianna repeated, "Yeah, we don't push." The boy still stood his ground, as if to let me know that he wasn't impressed. I turned around, and found the boy's mother, her face hidden behind huge sunglasses, tucked into her iPhone, oblivious.  "Hey!" I yelled, "Your son just pushed my children!"  She looked up, and weakly called toward him, "Don't do that!"  The boy ran over to her. They had a brief exchange, and then  he was off again. I stood there, my whole body shaking.  How in the world do I release my children to this?  I know that I can't control everything and everyone. I know that my children can't live in a bubble. But the idea that my children are going to be subjected to mean behavior, to this....oh, it rattles me. 

As for the rest of the summer (we still have over 2 weeks until school starts), I don't know.  I will try to pack in some more park days (hopefully without mean behavior), gardening, farmer's market trips, etc.I guess we will just enjoy the schedule-free time that we have right now.  

Happy Wednesday.

xo

Cooler mornings and last day of camp!

Chilly morning

This week has been so wonderful, weather-wise!  It has gotten down to 48.  We wake up to a chilly house because our house is opened up all day and night.  We have been putting footie pajamas on the baby, and everyone wears fleeces in the morning. In the afternoons, it's been low 80s. Hooray! I of course love this weather.   I know it won't last, but I'm going to enjoy it while we have it.  

I have started Fall shopping! Hooray!  It is my favorite time of year, and back-to-school shopping is probably one of my most favorite activities, ever. But more on that later.

A warm and stripey outfit today

Bode and Gianna  have their last day of camp today.  They've had fun, but it's definitely been rough in the woods. They've gotten bitten by mosquitos all over, and Bode has blisters on his  heels.  I think Bode enjoys playing with new friends, but Gianna has a harder time friending others, because she is the youngest of the bunch. Yesterday when I dropped them off, Bode ran off with a friend and Gianna lagged behind. I stopped, midway to my car and looked at her. She stood there and looked at me.  And my heart  hurt a little bit, wondering if she wanted me to stay or if she wanted to go with me. I told her that I loved her and to have fun. She yelled back, "Okay, take care!" But she still stood there and watched me. Finally I took a deep breath, blew her a kiss, and walked to my car, hoping that she would have fun.  As I pulled out of the driveway, I looked back and saw that she had joined Bode and his friend.

I keep debating back & forth over whether Gianna should go to school with Bode.  (Bode is going to a Kindergarten that ranges in age from 3-6, so Gianna could go there, too.) My first response is No, because I think she needs an experience independent of Bode. On the other hand, I think it might be helpful for her to have Bode around to show her the ropes.  It's hard...we want to do what's best for her (and Bode) and all we can do is make our best decision based on what we know, right?  I get a little freaked out, knowing that I will have two babies in school this Fall. Luckily, I will have one baby at home with me!

Oh, how I love you.

I have no plans for the month before school starts. I imagine that we will fill up our days with swings, water fun and other summer activities. Hopefully some relaxed downtime/play is just what the monkeys need before the Fall school schedule begins!

Happy Friday.

xo

The weekend, a big change, and camp!

Shortly after joining his company and getting acquainted with his "team," RWF told me that he works with a lot of young people.  On Friday, we went to a picnic for RWF's department. At the picnic, I could see what he meant. He does have a lot of young people working with him, and I felt so old!  I actually thought, "So the tables have turned. I'm no longer the youngest at the office, bidding my old crow manager and his stodgy, Talbots-attired wife adieu when they depart from the company "forced fun event." Mais non.  This time, I am the old crow wife, clucking her tongue at her children, yet smiling brightly while greeting the young worker bees in RWF's department. Yikes! Reality sets in again.  RWF works with a lot of nice people!  I was happy to meet them and "enjoy" the hottest day of the year (!!!) with them. (Man, it was so hot. I threatened RWF several times that if we did.not.leave.this.minute....well, you know. In reality, we stayed until 7:30. It cooled down a bit after the sun started to set.)

Let it be known, that whenever I see Nico's little face, I think, "Oh, my love," and my heart folds itself up into a little origami something-or-other because I just can not get over this baby. He is so precious!

Bode is getting so big. He is definitely going on "5." Not that I really know what "5" is, but he is looking older, acting older, and talking older.  Now, I can no  longer placate him or stop undesirable behavior with a redirection. Now, when I try to placate or redirect behavior, he argues back or tells me "why" what I am saying or doing won't work. He is just too smart for me.  And it's not just personal things that he is smart about (smart alec, sometimes) but brain-smart, too.  The other day, RWF turned on a space program, and without any introduction at all, Bode announced, "Oh that is one of Jupiter's moons, Endura."  We sat in silence until the narrator of the show confirmed that yes, we were in fact looking at one of Jupiter's moons, Endura.  (Honestly, I can't remember if the moon was called "Endura" or what it is called. Look it up. Or ask smartypants Bode sometime. He'll tell you.)

"Hi, I'm 5 going on 42, and a future employee at NASA"

And as you know, Gianna is a big 3 year old. She does not like to be left alone so I have to accompany her to the restroom every time she goes, and she now insists that her closet light be turned on every night as a night light. But, she no longer sleeps with her baby dolls or animals. She sleeps alone in her crib, with just her Hello Kitty blanket. And every night, she tells me exactly what to do, as if I'm some amnesiac that is charged with putting her to bed every night:  "Put on my Hello Kitty blanket. Turn on my fan. Turn on my closet light. I want to see my pretty dresses. (channeling Vanna White, I dutifully open her closet door, with a flourish, and show her pretty dresses to her) Oh, so pretty! Give me my bah-bah and say Goodnight to me." She says all of this quickly, like an order, with barely a breath in between as I go through the paces. 

And now that I've written that, I wonder, does she miss our routine?  See, that has all changed, because on Sunday there was a big change to our routine.

On Sunday, RWF and I just bit the bullet and moved Gianna's crib into Bode's room.  A short 2 hours later, and the verdict was in: Gianna will be moving back into her own room! What happened was this:  to be expected, they were both soooo excited to be sharing a room that they couldn't sleep.  Bode let Gianna out of her crib TWICE, and accompanied her downstairs to check in with us over silly stuff, like, "Hey guys, Gianna needs to go potty." (oh really? )  I was occupied because I was nursing Nico to sleep. So RWF had to deal on his own. The second trip downstairs occurred around 8:30 PM, which is 1 1/2 hours past their bedtime.  And I was about to have a heart attack, thinking of them tripping and falling on the stairs as they made their way down in their giggly, wired, sleep-deprived state. I told RWF, "This will not do. I can not sleep knowing that they will be going up and down the stairs all night."  Luckily, RWF threatened them with immediate separation if they did not return to their beds and GO.TO.SLEEP!  It worked. 

And to be expected, they both got up at the crack of dawn (5 AM) and yes, walked downstairs and attempted to wake me up (and Nico!), but RWF intervened.

There are so many issues.  I am trying to put Nico down in the evenings after I put Bode and Gianna down for bed.  So if they continue these shenanigans during the week, I'm not going to be able to deal with the situation and put Nico to sleep.  Plus, there is still the whole frightening stair issue (Gianna does not go down the stairs without an adult holding her hand. The fact that she was walking down (and up) the stairs with Bode, who is not so stable himself, gives me heart palpitations!) And then there is of course the idea that Gianna has already lost a lot of sleep (over 1 night), and who knows how long she'll be able to go at this pace.

So. Miss Mia Gianna will most likely be back in her own room by the end of the week.  Hope that you enjoyed the mini sleep-over, kids!

9 AM and they are both already exhausted!

The two monkeys are back in camp this week. It will be the last week of camp before school starts.  Gianna was not so gung-ho this morning about returning to camp. It could be that she is tired from last night. Who knows.  She was fine when I left her.  

Is that snowman laughing at me?!

She did insist on wearing a snowman hair bow this morning. And I had to wonder, is that a statement, that, like her mother, she is so over this stupid, hot, humid Northeast summer, or is it a harbinger of things to come (snowy freeze-your-ass-off winter)? 

Happy Monday.

xo

First day of summer!

We kicked off the first official day of summer by going downtown to the carousel.  Today is its official opening day. We got there too early.  I have lost my phone. So I asked a man, who was painting the sign outside the carousel (the age & height requirements), for the time.  He told me that it was 10:30.  We had half an hour to wait. I suggested that we walk up to Starbucks for a coffee/treat.  But Gianna would not budge.

I promised her that we would come back when it opened. But she just clung tightly to the bricks.  I started walking off without her, strolling Nico with Bode at my heels. But Gianna ignored us. So we turned back. We stood and waited. And waited. And waited.  

Finally, the little carousel worker bees (and more kids) showed up.  I got in the queue to buy tokens. Then came the fun part: getting the two toddlers on the carousel horses while wearing a baby.  The thing is, these carousel worker bees are not pleasant (despite being two grandmotherly-looking types). They are often rude.  (My brother will vouch for this rudeness, as he experienced it first-hand, twice.) So when I asked the lady if I could roll my stroller (carrying my baby!) into the carousel, she said No.  N-O.  So I put Nico into the Ergo, and raced after Bode and Gianna, who had already got onto the carousel and were standing impatiently by their chosen horses, ready to ride.  I hoisted them up there, not very gracefully. I apologized to Nico for squishing him while picking up his siblings. 

I did not get any pictures of the babies on the carousel. I had to stand in between Bode and Gianna for safety reasons (of course) and so my hands were busy. Plus, I was wearing Nico.  Bode and Gianna were wearing great smiles during the carousel ride! They were very happy.

Afterwards, we walked a little bit and then had ice cream at Ben & Jerry's.  You have to have a cold treat on the first  official day of summer, right?! It must be in the rules.

I love Nico's smiling face here!

Since she was a baby, she's loved ice cream. 

Bode is a very cautious ice cream eater.

"Ben & Jerry"

I want one of these swings. They are so relaxing (except when you have two toddlers jumping around  like monkeys).  Actually, I wouldn't want this monstrosity in my yard.  So I'll just have to pop down here for a relaxing swing and some ice cream.  (wink)

What is on your summer to-do list?  We've crossed off two items today!
Happy Summer!
xo

School's out for....Bode!

Before school ended for summer, Bode's class had a picnic in the park (across the street from his school).  It was a pretty crazy time for me before the picnic, involving feeding a baby, getting myself dressed, cutting up a watermelon, and a last-minute errand, when I got a call from a mom for help with the teachers' gifts. 

Miss Amy and Nico

We arrived late, and Bode was thrilled to see us.  "There's my mommy!" he announced, much like he did at the Mother's Day Tea (where I had also arrived late).  Again, there were chuckles from other parents.  After some time, Miss Amy approached me and asked, "Since this is the last day of school, do you think I could hold this beautiful baby?" (meaning Nico, of course, since he was the only baby present) She walked around, holding Nico, for a very long time.  Nico knows her, in that she always talks to him at drop off and pick up. So I think that Miss Amy has been waiting for the opportunity to hold Nico for awhile!

Bode, Derek and Gianna

The park has a sprinkler area.  A couple of moms had brought swimsuits for their daughters.  I didn't think that the sprinkler would be turned on, so I hadn't even given this any thought.  That did not stop my son and daughter from running in, around and over and over this sprinkler!  They had a blast, as did all the children (who also joined in, fully clothed).  

We love Miss Amy, Bode's teacher.  She is a gentle, loving person who just seems to give everyone  that she encounters respect and her full attention.  I am curious to know how much time passes before Bode asks about Miss Amy! She has been his teacher for 2 years now, and I know that her gentle ways are a balm for Bode on his school days. 

Miss Amy Lee, and Miss Amy looking at the scrapbooks

Like last year, the children decorated scrapbook pages for their teachers.  Each child had 2 pages with photos of himself, and was tasked with decorating the pages any way he wanted.  Bode wrote his name (he's really into writing his name everywhere these days!) and plastered the pages with stickers of planets, stars and moons. 

As a going away present, Miss Amy gifted Bode a very special necklace that she made for him.  She explained to me that she had picked out special charms for each child.  She winked, and said, "When you see Bode's, you will know..."

He loves it.

When it was time to leave, Miss Amy gave me a hug and a kiss, sadly saying, "I love you all..."  I swallowed the lump in my throat and said, "We will see you next year. Remember, you have Gianna!"

We will miss going to preschool, and we will miss Miss Amy and Miss Amy Lee. But, as I said to Miss Amy, we will see her next year.  And Mr. Bode Wm will have a whole new adventure at a new school,  with new teachers, as a KINDERGARTNER!

But first, let's enjoy the summer.

xo

Morning traffic jam

On our way to camp in the morning, we are always stopped for horse crossings.  I love seeing the beautiful horses walking from stables to tracks.  This weekend is opening weekend for the race track.  I hope to expose the babies to the horses a little more during this race season (without, you know, the crazy race atmosphere).

After we dropped Bode at camp, Gianna and I took Priscilla for a walk. Priscilla is getting more stubborn about going outside.  I feel bad that she is so miserable, but also insist on "kicking her out" first thing in the morning.  She usually clings to the side of the back door until I let her back in again.  I can't always get her to the dog park, and she refuses a walk around our neighborhood with me (the flies!). Sometimes she wakes me at 2 or 3 AM because she needs to go the bathroom. This is not an ideal situation for any of us. 

See ya

I'm ready for camp to be over.  Bode is suddenly speaking differently. It is a combination of a baby voice (think, "wittle" for "little") and a New Yawk accent ("buttah" for "butter") (combined example, "I wan a wittle peanut buttah on mah sanwich!").  I can only imagine that this new style of speaking is coming from a camp friend. It unnerves me.  I am constantly correcting him, as I will not have him speaking like that.  

Happy Thursday.

xo

Farewell, Summer

This afternoon around 4 PM, Bob called me.  The babies had woken up from their naps and had already eaten a snack. "What are you doing?" he asked. I explained that the babies were up and I was trying to decide what to do. It's been such a hot week. I've had a hard time motivating to get everyone outside. "Well," Bob continued, "I'm downtown and you know, the farmer's market is going on."  Within a few minutes, we were headed downtown to meet Bob at our local farmer's market. 

See this dude?  See what he is doing? See the popcorn flying?  Kettle corn.

Bode scored his third bag of popcorn this summer. The bags are HUGE. I asked if it was possible to get a mini bag. The lady who manned the register shook her head No, but took pity on me and gave me another plastic bag, so that I could spoon out a smaller portion for Bode to eat from the humongous bag we purchased.

Bode ate and ate and ate while we walked up and down the street, looking at the produce and other foods.  I was taking this picture of Bode when I spotted the firemen.  I spy with my little eye....

We sat on the street curb and watched the people walk by.  We enjoyed the shade and thought about dinner. 



We dined at an outdoor table covered in a plastic red-checked table cloth and ate falafel, pita and hummus.

It was the perfect end to summer.

xo