Crunchy Peas

eventful

This weekend we managed to squeeze in:

The race. The girls had so much fun. We won first place for best outfits. Thrilling because they didn't place in their division (tough competition) and because I was their stylist. Ahem, it also pays to have an in-house graphic designer, thanks Carl for help on the shirts. I'll take credit for the pink lipstick that I loaned them.

A movie. Emma finished The Hunger Games series last week. She flew through the books, reading all three of them in two weeks. I took her to see the film and was halfway tempted to slip into the screen next door and watch this instead. But I was glad that she thought me cool enough to sit next to her and so I stayed (she might think differently next time because one of my junior mints dropped on my skirt and melted into an embarrassing chocolate mess- NERdy). Wow, I can see why she was glued to the books. Good show. 

Piano recital. A very nice ending to this year's lessons. They've worked hard and I am always so proud and impressed with their poise. You can be sure I had butterflies for them. 

The first swim of the season. Three cheers for Carl who yanked off the cover of our pool, repaired the filter, gave it a vacuum, and shocked it all in one afternoon.  Crazy girls were too excited to wait, brrrr. As for me, I'll need a few more 90 degree days before it's warm enough to swim. 

Ian and Laurel were first class cheerleaders all weekend long. Thanks babies.

Whew! Busy days.

Next up: Carl is traveling. I am on my own to navigate another week chalk full of parenting, schooling, cooking, cleaning, shuttling. (repeat, repeat, repeat)... 

Deep breath. Ready or not here we go. Just keep smiling.

misc

We've had a couple of nice quiet days. Some days are beach days and some are just more home-based and low key.  You know the kind: catching up on laundry/snacks and schoolwork on the patio/play dough at the table/ handwashing dishes that have been piling up because we are spending all of our time outside- those kind of days. They're good too. It's nice to change up the pace.

Things are wrapping up for the school year. We are in the midst of all kinds of "end of the school year" type events: recitals, picnics, award ceremonies, etc. I made these sugar cookie bars to take to one of them last night. Ugh, yes that was me who took that bite...and several after that. Crap. I love baking, but I need to someone to snatch it out of the oven and run off with it so that I don't eat it! (At least let me take a picture of it first?) They were good.

I also made this salad. I'm a sucker for Top Ramen. It was my go-to after school snack for like 6 years when I was younger. Eating it with cabbage somehow made it seem  more like a grown-up meal and healthy? Probably not, but tasty!

The lilacs and other flowering shrubs are blooming. I've been bringing them inside everyday by the armful. Fragrant and lovely. I hope my kids remember that their mom was always feathering the nest. 

Carl's cousin took some really great candid pictures of us on Mother's Day. I'd like to do this with them. Cute right? Putting it on my to do list.

The girls are competing in a race this weekend, it's always a good time. I wrote them a little pep talk on the chalkboard. How are you messing up your kids today?

A couple of you asked about the bathing suit I was wearing the other day. It's this one, and it's on sale! You should definitely buy it. It's very forgiving. I would know.

I also think I forgot to mention that I've relocated. I'm living here now- but just for the summer. Feel free to deliver french toast, and coffee every morning. I'm not sure that I have electricity... just a slight inconvenience with a view like that.

Okay, leaving you with these words:

"Inner beauty, too, needs occasionally to be told it is beautiful."

-Robert Brault

Go tell someone.

No apologies

I've been thinking about the things that I often have to say sorry for. I'm guilty of several of things already this week. Repeat offenders like:

staying up too late

not doing the dishes the night before

eating too much

losing my patience

speaking harshly

being too afraid

being judgemental

not applying sunscreen to the tops of my feet

not listening- really listening

becoming too attached to ideas or people 

giving up too easily

speeding 

planting cucumbers the day before a wind storm (I lost them all)

planting tomatoes the day before a wind storm (I lost 1 of 4)

hanging on to relationships with people who are "takers"

being late

talking more than listening

not having better boundaries

giving away too much of myself

forgetting hand sanitizer

saying "It's okay" when it's not

saying "I understand" when I don't

not brushing and flossing twice a day

cutting my hair above my shoulders

being ungrateful

being discontent

not charging my camera battery

But there's another list too. Some things I'm never sorry for- or at least I try not to be. No regrets when I:

pray

get up early

laugh with my kids

exercise

smile at someone

offer a compliment

drink water

tell the truth

wear deodorant

call my Grandma

save money

use my imagination

take the extra time to make good coffee

take the stairs

say thank you

give gifts

forgive

kiss

hold tight

act like a fool

love without conditions

get up in the middle of the night for a birth

wear my seat belt

buy fresh flowers

take pictures

talk openly

finish projects

lick the beaters when making cookies

clean out a closet

wear cute underwear

buy nice sheets

have friends for dinner

love with an open hand

What about you? What are the things that you're not sorry for?

Beach Day

With a forecasted high of 90 degrees, I don't care if it's mid-May or mid-January. We're going to the beach! I had a cooperative little crew this morning and we got some exercise, breakfast, chores, schoolwork, a lunch packed, and the car loaded before 9am! I even burned a new cd for our 45 min drive. Lots of loud singing along the way.

The lake gets drained in the winter to accommodate all the melting snow that trickles down in the Spring. You can see that I swam around those pilings during the summer...the water was very low today. Funny, it sure felt like freshly melted snow :) Brrr.

It was okay, we decided to work on our tans instead. (Obviously my legs have some catching up to do!) Oh who am I kidding? I'm not a tanner. Apparently some people are. I am not one of them. Just burn and peel, burn and peel. Too bad.

Besides, who could be bored with buckets, and shovels, and tons and tons of sand?

Oh yes and ducks. Ian is really more like a puppy than he is like a little boy. He was chasing those poor little guys everywhere.

Mmmm, feels good to have sand between your toes.

Yep, just another hard day at the office.

The first beach day of the season. I'm a happy girl. 

verbs in the present tense

Thanking:  I had a very nice Mother's Day-- hopefully you did too. I snuck out early for a bike ride (which didn't work well for the whole "breakfast in bed" idea that the girls had cooking up). You gotta get up pretty early in the morning to beat this mama outta bed. We did recover, however, and the day turned out to be lovely. 

Missing: Of course Mother's Day is always a little bittersweet for me. Obviously, I miss of my own mom. I saw this quote the other day and I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I think it might be true. It's hard. Missing people is hard. 

Planning: Whoa. The summer is filling up. Summer camp, golf clinics, VBS, swim team, class reunions, a triathlon, tennis lessons-- I think I'd better start eating my Wheaties. It's going to be busy! I finally just printed out blank copies of May-August and wrote it all down. It helped to see the whole summer in front of me at once. It also made me realize that we're going to have to be intentional about enjoying several lazy days in between.

Enjoying: Breakfast on the deck. After getting some early morning exercise it's nice to put my feet up and listen to the birds. Eggs + salsa + grapefruit + coffee + quiet = happy start to the day. 

 

Avoiding: This guy. He has deadly aim with the hose. He will attack you...even if you repeatedly ask him to "Stop! Put it down! Ian, listen to Mommy!" He's vicious-- even in Grandma's back yard!

Exploring: We are spending a lot of time outside. Last week we walked around the island. It's days like those that make it seem impossible to put the girls in a classroom next year. I'm still really on the fence. 

Listening: I'm on a country kick these days. I think I might have a little crush on Luke Bryan.

Get More: I Don't Want This Night to End, Luke Bryan, Luke Bryan Videos

I think that's enough verbs for one day. Be back soon.

These little people are the light of my life. I will never know why I was counted worthy to be their mom, but I'm going to spend every single day loving them the best that I can (even if they come into my bed, one by one, at the crack of dawn).

Happy Mother's Day!!

::38::

Today was Carl's birthday. The celebration began early with homemade cards and a couple of gifts.

The kids just couldn't wait for him to wake up. For the last several weeks Carl has had to travel to company headquarters for work. It's usually only overnight, but we're used to having him here- working remotely from home. We've been missing him.

Then it was off to the country club for breakfast.

Too bad we couldn't go out and play, it was a gorgeous day. (We had all the monkies with us, and I wouldn't dream of taking them out on the course yet. There are rules, and ettiquette, and collared shirts and stuff.)

Ian is just dying to drive the cart. That'll be the day!

In our family, when it's your birthday you get to pick whatever you want for dinner. So of course meat was on the menu tonight in the form of grilled flank steak. Also strawberry lemonade...

and chocolate peanut butter squares. (I'm warning you not to make them-- dangerously good!)

Then we inaugurated the new patio with a little fire.

It was a perfect day to celebrate another great year. Sure do love that guy. (Thanks for the rabbit ears Laurel)

Happy Birthday Carl! Thirty-eight looks good on you.

the garden is in

Nothing like some manual labor, 

some good sweaty work,

and some dirt under your fingernails, 

to ease your mind a little. 

I put the whole garden in yesterday- as in every last plant and seed.

We are growing: cucumbers, peas, 4 different kinds of tomatoes, carrots, radishes, yellow summer squash, zucchini, bush beans, red peppers, 2 varieties of basil, parsley, french lavender, orange mint and peppermint, cantaloupe, watermelon, spinach, kale, romaine, butterhead, and green leaf lettuce.

I love jobs that you can stand back from and see a finished project. A lot of the "work" I do on a day-to -day basis is more ambiguous. Reading to the kids, or taking time to listen doesn't necessarily "show up" the same way as something more task oriented (like planting 200 square feet of garden).

Also, I got dirt on my face, which looks pretty cool. Maybe I could be a farmer after all?

I didn't have much help. In typical male fashion, Ian busied his hands elsewhere. He was happy to supervise (and test out the new patio). Oh, funny boy. 

I took a risk in planting this early, and naturally we had 30 mph winds today. I'm afraid to go out and see the damage. My risk-taking track record hasn't been very good lately. Grow little plants grow. Please. Fingers crossed!!

thinking spot

 

One of those nights that I just couldn't turn off my brain...or my heart. Those two- brain and heart, they are so often at odds with each other.  What am I going to do with them? If only they could just agree, or get along. It would make things so much easier. I finally gave up on restful sleep and tip-toed out at 5:00am. 

I found a thinking spot and tried to let them work it out. I'm not sure that I am any closer to making peace between what I know (brain)  and what I feel (heart)... but I climbed hard enough and fast enough to make them quiet down for a while. 

And...I caught the sunrise. Lovely way to start the day.

in between

sunrise:

sunset:

In between there was: 

a 40 minute run

luke-warm coffee gulped down on the way out the door

quick trip to wal mart (awful)

bubble blowing in the back yard

the concrete truck in our driveway again

weed pulling in the garden (already)

(look at my tomato plants!! redic. i'm sending them outside tomorrow!)

strawberries and cheese for lunch

math and spelling

geography and picture narrations

laundry (always)

a walk to the mailbox

hurt feelings

iced coffee (feeling better)

(directions here. make it. you won't be disappointed)

dinner prep

mess making (I'm a pro)

swim lessons

some laps

a 20 minute car-ride conversation about "non-violent communication" (awesome parenting moment for me)

smoothie making/drinking

a bath

kisses goodnight

and a resolve to just let today be what it was and tomorrow be what it will