Thursday, February 28, 2013

Vegas Vacation


I woke up from my third nap today and am finally accomplishing something before I have to start working again.  60 to 65 degree weather and sunshine during the day were a welcome relief to the snow dumping on our home state. We spent five nights in Las Vegas. So far my kids seem absolutely unaffected by my absence. This is the first time we’ve left Sidney longer than three nights. I don’t know what I did to have children so independent, but it certainly makes my life easier.



Who would have thought Las Vegas has so many beautiful Chinese New Year displays in its casinos. We are not and I repeat not gamblers, so the gambling isn’t completely relevant. Instead there’s beautiful architecture, great food, nice hotels, mountains around the city, and plenty of places to spend quality time with my husband. I think this is so important for married couples. We’ve been married almost 16 years, so I think I have a right to some opinion. I see so many people around us spending zero time away from their kids. What happens after the kids are gone? We spend 18 years raising our kids out of what we hope is 40 or 50 years married. Descending my soapbox. 





Thursday, February 14, 2013

Musings and Mindless Thoughts


This is going to be a super quick post so please don’t judge on the grammar and punctuation too harshly! Good thing that’s not the line I use with my customers. That’s the problem with blogging and work. They don’t coexist well together, and I’ve never juggled two kids, activities, Valentines to make, baths to give, kids to feed, geriatric cats to hang on my every move, and a husband that I think lives in this house somewhere (just kidding), and working this much. It’s a blessing that will allow us to make some much needed changes in our lives in the coming months. More on that at a later time, but it will certainly create more family time. At least that’s the objective.

I looked over at Sidney, and I see a little girl that’s no longer a toddler. I know you’re probably thinking duh isn’t that obvious? Seriously, I looked over tonight at her carefully selecting stickers and for the first time could see her in kindergarten next year (WHAAAA!). Good thing she still has those adorable cheeks. I almost came apart the day I realized Eli no longer had the chubby toddler cheeks that little kids have. He’d go nuts if he knew I was writing that for all the world to see.
So what’s up? Eli is practicing his trombone with vigor. It only took one song that sounded somewhere between a cross of St*r Wars and a military anthem, and he can’t wait to perform it in March. Sidney told me this morning she wants to read. I can’t believe how much more she’s learning in preschool than when Eli was the same age. If you recall last year at this time we were in the throes of sensory issues in school. We have seen a positive shift. She still has them, but she seems to know how to work with them when she’s in various situations that are causing her stress. We witnessed it for the first time on Sunday during the children’s sermon.

It’s really hard for kids with sensory issues to sit in a group and listen. Sometimes kids have a fidget ball or the teacher has them sit in the back. Obviously, it’s good that she’s in some random situations that test her a bit. Church is a safe place that’s controlled and obviously supportive if she’s having an off day. We’ve informed the person that does a majority of our children’s sermons what’s going on, so when she starts reaching around and pulling at her clothes, she knows what’s going on. I couldn’t have been prouder Sunday as I watched her work through what was happening. It was visible that it was hard for her to sit with nothing. In the pew she draws or finds something to occupy herself. Of course this includes the ladies in church that seem to endlessly dote on her every move.

Okay, I’m off to bed in a few minutes. Getting ready to go out of town with Tom and friends in the coming weeks. This will include a flight. The longest I’ve been away from Sidney. Eli is only concerned it’s only a week and not two weeks. He was here when we went to China with my parents. My mom claims he never so much as made a false move while we were gone. Yes we are blessed, because Sidney is equally as independent. I say it’s because I’m always here. They’re sick of me. Okay I’m really done now.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Nighttime Ramblings


It’s late, and I’m half asleep, but I’m determined to get in a blog. I’m solo for the next couple of hours while Tom works very late. It’s 10pm. Something about the remodel at our local car dealership and needing to install the system that sucks the exhaust out of the back of the car while it’s being worked on inside. Things I never knew, but I guess all this has to take place while they are closed. Therefore in a few minutes I will become one with the couch while listening to the din of my favorite nighttime viewing, old episodes of Fr*sier.

Sidney went from puke funk to a cold. I can’t believe I’m about to write this, but frankly the kid produces more snot than anyone I’ve ever seen. She’s such a healthy kid. She typically only has a cold for about four days. I’ve never seen anything like it. While the rest of us are hacking and coughing upwards of seven days she has an almost freakish way of being completely rid of something in a few short days. She’s only been on antibiotics twice since she came home.  Knock on something, she has only missed one day of school this year, and this was only because she had the stomach flu which only lasted for about a day.
 My cub scout became a boy scout over the weekend. Do you ever wish you could freeze time? I don’t know if this comes from the fact that Sidney is going to kindergarten next fall if everything goes as planned that’s another reminder my kids are growing up. Sometimes I wish I could freeze it all. Especially this age in preschool. I could still be a superhero in her eyes. I don’t ever want it to change!

Time to close my eyes.