Even if mother nature hasn't gotten on board - it seems as though it is, indeed, summer. Sadie's last day of school was on Tuesday. She has had a great year and in some ways, I'm sorry to see it end. On the other hand, I am happy for the break, for all of us. No more sorting through homework folders and remembering to sign forms and send in trip money and make lunches...ahhhh...
So, we began summer vacation yesterday with about an hour and a half of a back and forth with our neighbors that went something like this:
Ring, ring.
"Is it going to be a beach day? Should we go to the beach?"
"Doesn't look like it. Let's go out for lunch and hit a playground. I'll call you when I'm showered."
Ring, ring.
"It's me again. I haven't showered, but now the sun is out. Should we go to the beach?"
"Maybe. Let's wait a bit and see if the sun stays out. Call me when you get out of the shower."
Ring, ring.
"I still haven't showered, but now it looks cloudy again. Should we go out to lunch?
You can see where this is going. Back and forth like that until finally at noon, with kids starving, we decided just to go to lunch. We headed up to Pier Village and had lunch outside at Stewart's. After lunch, the kids decided they wanted to go down on the beach. What started out as a casual stroll on the sand quickly transformed into four little kids, fully-clothed, managing to get pretty wet and sandy. Ah well, they were having fun, so Carolyn and I just sat and relaxed and let them do their thing. Around 3:30, the rain came in, so we headed home and I gave the girls a bath (sand, remember?) and then had Eden take a bit of a nap in preparation for an anticipated late night.
After dinner, we took the girls and Abby down to the boardwalk in AP. We strolled, had ice cream and then at 9pm, enjoyed a nice firework show. I had been hearing fireworks from there every Wednesday since Memorial Day weekend, and I had promised Sadie that once school was out, we could go. We got home around 9:30 and I got the girls (including Abby, who was sleeping over) to bed. Not bad for a first summer day. I'm at work today, but I've got the next five days off, so hopefully, summer will really get into full swing.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
just random stuff on my mind
it is a quiet, rainy day today, a good one to just spend some time putting to paper computer screen some of the things I've been thinking about lately.
First and foremost, this weather needs to change. I don't ever remember such a rainy spring as this one. It is downright depressing already. We're still in long pants and long-sleeved shirts most days, it has been so cool. And the day after day of constant rain (only briefly interrupted by a little bit of non-precipitous gloom) is taxing. My mental health is definitely tied to my relative exposure to the sun (hence the reason the Oregon years were brief) and I am feeling it these days. The beach club is opening this weekend, it is disappointing to realize that we won't be going. Frankly, we've been to the movies, we've been shopping, we've been to the library...we're running out of rainy day activities. My summer schedule starts next week and the thought of being cooped up with the kids most days is not a pretty one.
Good segue for my next topic, which is parenting. I have to say, even though I am wishing, hoping, praying for some nice weather soon, the thought of being stuck in more often than not this summer is not inspiring the same sort of panic and fear that it has in years past. I don't know if it is that now that Eden is three, we're really truly just past the hardest part of parenting (until we hit the teen years) or what, but we're definitely on a nice roll with things. We're at the point where the pleasure I get from being with the girls far outweighs anything else. For some natural mother types, maybe this is no big thing, but I can assure you, it hasn't always been the case for me. It wasn't too long ago that the thought of a couples only trip was a much sought-after fantasy. Now? Let's put it this way...I just booked our second trip to Disney. The girls have really just become these fun, funny little people and I can't imagine an extended period away from them. That's not to say that I don't enjoy an adult night out (I do!), but I don't have that same sense of desperately needing it the way I have in the past. This is a nice place to be, emotionally. :)
Back to the Disney trip. I can't believe we are doing it again, so soon. Trust me when I say that we are not "Disney People"... but somehow, we were thinking about where to get away next spring and the fact that the kids wanted to go back so badly just swayed us and the next thing I knew, I had booked the room. I know it will be a good time - and, it feeds my desire to plan, plan, plan. I'm already thinking about driving routes and dining reservations and park touring plans. I'm hopeless!
Other things on my mind - working out. I've really ramped it up lately (last-minute panic about bathing suit season, perhaps?) and I'm feeling good. I've stopped focusing on distance or speed or time so much and am just trying to stay focused on the general goal of being active, in some way, every day. So, that means that one day I might spend 45 minutes in the gym, the next day I might take a 2 hour bike ride and the next it might just be a brisk walk after dinner. It all feels good - and my mind and body are both the better for it.
I guess that's about it for my random babbling. Now I'm off to do my dry weather dance. ;)
First and foremost, this weather needs to change. I don't ever remember such a rainy spring as this one. It is downright depressing already. We're still in long pants and long-sleeved shirts most days, it has been so cool. And the day after day of constant rain (only briefly interrupted by a little bit of non-precipitous gloom) is taxing. My mental health is definitely tied to my relative exposure to the sun (hence the reason the Oregon years were brief) and I am feeling it these days. The beach club is opening this weekend, it is disappointing to realize that we won't be going. Frankly, we've been to the movies, we've been shopping, we've been to the library...we're running out of rainy day activities. My summer schedule starts next week and the thought of being cooped up with the kids most days is not a pretty one.
Good segue for my next topic, which is parenting. I have to say, even though I am wishing, hoping, praying for some nice weather soon, the thought of being stuck in more often than not this summer is not inspiring the same sort of panic and fear that it has in years past. I don't know if it is that now that Eden is three, we're really truly just past the hardest part of parenting (until we hit the teen years) or what, but we're definitely on a nice roll with things. We're at the point where the pleasure I get from being with the girls far outweighs anything else. For some natural mother types, maybe this is no big thing, but I can assure you, it hasn't always been the case for me. It wasn't too long ago that the thought of a couples only trip was a much sought-after fantasy. Now? Let's put it this way...I just booked our second trip to Disney. The girls have really just become these fun, funny little people and I can't imagine an extended period away from them. That's not to say that I don't enjoy an adult night out (I do!), but I don't have that same sense of desperately needing it the way I have in the past. This is a nice place to be, emotionally. :)
Back to the Disney trip. I can't believe we are doing it again, so soon. Trust me when I say that we are not "Disney People"... but somehow, we were thinking about where to get away next spring and the fact that the kids wanted to go back so badly just swayed us and the next thing I knew, I had booked the room. I know it will be a good time - and, it feeds my desire to plan, plan, plan. I'm already thinking about driving routes and dining reservations and park touring plans. I'm hopeless!
Other things on my mind - working out. I've really ramped it up lately (last-minute panic about bathing suit season, perhaps?) and I'm feeling good. I've stopped focusing on distance or speed or time so much and am just trying to stay focused on the general goal of being active, in some way, every day. So, that means that one day I might spend 45 minutes in the gym, the next day I might take a 2 hour bike ride and the next it might just be a brisk walk after dinner. It all feels good - and my mind and body are both the better for it.
I guess that's about it for my random babbling. Now I'm off to do my dry weather dance. ;)
Monday, June 15, 2009
the rain.
really, the rain can stop at any time now, and it would be more than fine. This has to be the rainiest spring I can remember - and considering I spent three springs in rainy Oregon, that's saying a lot.
Friday was my last 'kid-free' day off until September. Although I would have loved a quiet day at the beach with a book, I didn't delude myself into thinking that this was actually going to happen. Instead, I made lemonade out of the crappy weather, so to speak, and had a great day, anyway. I hit the gym, got a pedicure, met my mom out for lunch and then went shopping. All stuff that I never seem to have the time to do. So, it was a good day.
Saturday, the rain did actually halt for most of the day to give us a break. We took the girls on their first 'mountain' (and by mountain, I mean, off-road, trail ride) bike ride. We rode around Manasquan Reservoir. It was great. We loved it, the girls loved it (Sadie kept yelling "this is awesome!" every time we hit a down hill) and I have no doubt we've just found a new activity to add to our weekend repertoire.
Yesterday was again, rainy and gloomy until about 3pm. We mostly puttered in the morning, then went out for lunch and finally got outside in the late afternoon. We had dinner up at my parents' house so the day ended up being pleasant and busy enough in spite of the weather.
All in all, it was a good weekend, but I'm really hoping that we can put this crap weather behind us now. The beach club opens on Saturday and I will be seriously disappointed if we can't get there. That's all for now, I guess....
Friday was my last 'kid-free' day off until September. Although I would have loved a quiet day at the beach with a book, I didn't delude myself into thinking that this was actually going to happen. Instead, I made lemonade out of the crappy weather, so to speak, and had a great day, anyway. I hit the gym, got a pedicure, met my mom out for lunch and then went shopping. All stuff that I never seem to have the time to do. So, it was a good day.
Saturday, the rain did actually halt for most of the day to give us a break. We took the girls on their first 'mountain' (and by mountain, I mean, off-road, trail ride) bike ride. We rode around Manasquan Reservoir. It was great. We loved it, the girls loved it (Sadie kept yelling "this is awesome!" every time we hit a down hill) and I have no doubt we've just found a new activity to add to our weekend repertoire.
Yesterday was again, rainy and gloomy until about 3pm. We mostly puttered in the morning, then went out for lunch and finally got outside in the late afternoon. We had dinner up at my parents' house so the day ended up being pleasant and busy enough in spite of the weather.
All in all, it was a good weekend, but I'm really hoping that we can put this crap weather behind us now. The beach club opens on Saturday and I will be seriously disappointed if we can't get there. That's all for now, I guess....
Monday, June 8, 2009
The better the weekend...
The harder the Monday! It was a great weekend - and went by much too quickly.
Friday, I had the day off, as did Sadie. We decided to have a 'girls' day', complete with lunch out, a movie (Up) and a little shopping. It was a lot of fun, and so nice to spend such an extended bit of time with just Sadie. I did feel a little guilty, though, when I picked up Eden. Such is the plight of us moms with more than one child, I suppose. Anything good and special with one, is usually marred by the feeling of guilt over what the other one isn't getting to do. Ah well...it was a good day.
Saturday we went to a 1st birthday party for one of our neighbors. My, oh my...what a party! We had intended to just go for a bit to be polite, but we ended up staying for seven hours. First of all, this was like no other first birthday party I've ever been to. There were a zillion people there. Someone counted and reported that at one point, there were 47 kids there. Tons of food and the liquor flowed (and flowed!)...a bounce castle for the kids...definitely a good time. We stumbled home just in time to get the kids to bed and everyone slept late, late, late on Sunday.
Yesterday, aside from being a picture perfect day, weatherwise, was our 11th anniversary. The girls insisted on making us breakfast (toast) and we spent most of the day at the beach. It was lovely - the perfect day and the perfect way to celebrate our family.
Friday, I had the day off, as did Sadie. We decided to have a 'girls' day', complete with lunch out, a movie (Up) and a little shopping. It was a lot of fun, and so nice to spend such an extended bit of time with just Sadie. I did feel a little guilty, though, when I picked up Eden. Such is the plight of us moms with more than one child, I suppose. Anything good and special with one, is usually marred by the feeling of guilt over what the other one isn't getting to do. Ah well...it was a good day.
Saturday we went to a 1st birthday party for one of our neighbors. My, oh my...what a party! We had intended to just go for a bit to be polite, but we ended up staying for seven hours. First of all, this was like no other first birthday party I've ever been to. There were a zillion people there. Someone counted and reported that at one point, there were 47 kids there. Tons of food and the liquor flowed (and flowed!)...a bounce castle for the kids...definitely a good time. We stumbled home just in time to get the kids to bed and everyone slept late, late, late on Sunday.
Yesterday, aside from being a picture perfect day, weatherwise, was our 11th anniversary. The girls insisted on making us breakfast (toast) and we spent most of the day at the beach. It was lovely - the perfect day and the perfect way to celebrate our family.
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