Inspired

I will admit it was in a funk that I found the following inspiration. I was just tapped out. I was sobbing listening to Enya and surfing the web when I came across this website called ZenHabits. I read the following story and it touched a part of me.

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn’t say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, “Do you have a fixed parking space? I’ve noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot.” To which he replied, “Since we’re here early we’ll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don’t you think? Imagine my face.

And so it is with this in mind I begin my day. Simple kindness being my goal.

some days

Some days are great and other are less than ideal and then there are the other days....like the one today. It is a completely even day. At first I took it to be a bad day but as the day has revealed itself it is just even.

Not too much has been going on. Boot Camp is continuing to kick my butt in a good way. I need to go to bed earlier though because I am wiped out. I wish I could do at least one sit up but the boot camp guy assures me that it will come. Everyone else in the class can do at least 25 at this point.

Jack has a friend over and they have mostly played XBox. I feel like maybe they should be doing something else, something more, but they are happy and it is hot.

Evelyn and I sat down to organize the Lego's. I am not sure the appeal in that activity but it has one. We are on a break.

I made yummy iced coffee and am quite proud of myself. I know it is a basic thing but in the past when I have attempted it, it tastes like gross water. Even Allison my little coffee connoisseur gave it a thumbs up.

So this is a fairly boring update, but I just felt like writing.

Skunk

I suppose owning a dog lends itself to the inevitability that one day you will be washing skunk smell off your dog. It was quite comical. The tomato sauce had a mild improvement. He still has skunk smell but it no longer transfers....you can pet him and not get skunk smell on you. The furniture and carpets are safe, however he still smells bad. I will have to try something else tomorrow. This morning I began the day with a hike up the blue hills with my boot camp. It was a bonus activity. Jack came with me, Charlie too. They were to be my cover if I needed to lag behind, but they both put me to shame, often in front of me. We climbed the red dot trail, the observation tower and came back down the hill in 50 mins. I thought I was going to pass out at one point but mostly I kept up. I was the last one up and the last one down but I did it. Boot camp has only been a week but I already feel that thing everyone has told me for years, about exercising. It makes you feel good-more energy. I do need some more sleep though. I have been burning the candle at both ends lately and that just doesn't work out so well for me.

So off to bed "early" although I know 11 is not early enough.

Boot Camp

So my first week of Boot Camp down. I am hurting but proud. I am by far the worst in the class, but for some reason it doesn't bother me as much as I thought it might. Today was "Ab" day. We were suppose to start out with 25 sit-ups. I could do none. Yes none. The boot camp guy had to push me up....but insisted just by trying I was making progress. Embarrassing-yes. I was able to do most of the other ab exercises at least a little. I am hurting though. But getting up and working so hard makes me feel good in spirit. I have heard for years the benefit of physical exercise on your mental health. I am seeing it to be so true. I have felt so much more awake these last four days. I fear that I need a program though....that I won't be able to keep it up on my own, but I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

Saturday he is running an extra class to go up the red dot trail. I think I will go but probably will bring the kids and Charlie....that will give me an excuse to lag behind. Plus I think it would be a nice way to start off the day.

So nothing big going on here. I have my cousin's wedding tonight. He is getting married for the third time. But he invited the kids, who can not believe that they get to go to a wedding. So it should be fun.

I am behind on my school work for NEMTEC. I had figured I need to write about 10 lessons a week in order to meet the November deadline. I have been doing about three a week. I need to push myself more. It is hard when the kids are awake. I need to get in a certain mindset and when they interrupt every three minutes I loose focus. At night I am tired. But this is important to me so I should push myself more I guess.

Of American Girl Dolls and DS

For about two solid years Evelyn has wanted an American girl doll and Jack a DS. I waited for a long while to make sure these were true wants and not just a "new thing everyone else has." They continued to want them. The doll was more of a money issue than a parenting one. The DS had me worried because ,as it was when Jack was bored he would read. I was so afraid the DS would takes books place. But in the end they got them. It actually worked out really well. Lots of aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends chipped in so that we could get these gifts for them. So they got something they really wanted. I think it helped them to value the gifts more as well. They took the time to read every name on the card and then thank them afterwards, all on thier own. I was so proud. The fear about the DS was indeed warranted since he has barely stopped playing it for two days. Last night I said to him that I was hoping he would be able to figure out a way to balance the DS in his life. He needed time for eating, playing, reading, running, bike riding, etc. He asked me if I would create a schedule for him. I said no. I told him I want him to figure it out but if it seems like he isn't balancing then I will have to remind him. He said it would be much easier if I just told him what to do......well isn't that the case for us all=) What a mean mom. Hopefully he'll figure it out. I really don't want to be the DS police. That does not sound fun at all.

I love the doll. I have to admit. I have braided its hair twice now. There is something about those over priced, overmarketed dolls. Every woman at the birthday party needed a chance to look at her. I want to get her new clothes. She is a cool doll.

Allison was a good sport. It is hard for her to have a party be about Jack and Evelyn but not her. She did get a "little sister" gift that Evelyn picked out for her "so she didn't feel too sad about not getting gifts". I am never sure if that is the right thing to do. It feels right, but it logically doesn't seem right. It is not her birthday. But she is little and it is hard to live in a house when everyone else has new toys but you....right?

Today was NOT smoothing

Today was rough. The day would have been perfect except my littlest one decided to make it miserable. Let's just say that when she jumped into the waist deep super gross public garden fountain- it was NOT the worst part of the day.

My peace was not in full force but I tried my best.

Smoothing

Evelyn: "it is very smoothing"

Me: "do you mean soothing?"

Evelyn: "SOOTHING is not a word!........no smoothing. Like it is not rough it is smoothing."

So I am hoping for a smoothing day. The transition from school to being back at home as gone fairly well. I was on such a high being at school though and the ho hum- ness of summer vacation days with the kids leaves me wanting a little more. I have had a decent week and proud to say that although dinner has not been stellar I have accomplished more than super Dad Joe did. I guess it should not be a competition and I shouldn't compare, but I did it anyway. I was so afraid he was going to make being home with all of them look easy- becuase I don't think it is- but he didn't he made it look just about as hard as it is. Sure Daddy is more fun, but Mommy has taken them fun places and has been reasonable in her requests. Also the "cleaning room fairy" cleaned their rooms and left a little note for them telling them to enjoy their clean rooms. I am hoping a gesture of kindness will prompt them to care more about their rooms than all the previous nagging and reminding I had been doing. I learned so much at NEMTEC especially how little we need to "be in charge" of children. I know most of it is directed to the classroom teacher but it applies at home as well. So I will try my calm approach of guiding and not leading my children today all through Boston Swan Boat adventure. I already have a headache so we'll see how peaceful I can remain.

I do miss school though. I miss too the groove I was in while there. I still have tons of work to do to meet my November deadlines but I have lost my grove and it is much harder at night now to sit down and write lesson plans that are so painstakingly detailed.

The Tooth

My baby lost her first tooth today. Truly lost it. She apparently swallowed it while eating some goldfish crackers. It is very sad to truly loose your first tooth. The irony is that we were visiting friend's of ours today and Allison's friend was telling the story of how she accidentally swallowed her tooth during her dinner the night before and that the tooth fairy had come last night.

Allison wrote the tooth fairy a note and her sister assured her that the tooth fairy is very nice and understanding. Let's just hope the tooth fairy is on the top of her game tonight......she has been known to forget to come to our house-silly fairy.

And so summer begins

Evelyn's Horse Shoe birthday brownie

Allison "watching" fireworks
My three gymnastists

Now that school is over my summer "vacation" begins. School was more of a vacation than being home with the kids, but of course being with them is wonderful as well. Today we went to Grammie's pool and Allison was brave enough to try some things without a floaty. All the old people at the pool were friendly and happy to see kids (it is hit or miss with the nice old people).

Evelyn is seven now, which is SO hard to believe and Jack will be 9 next week, another impossible reality.

Our Fourth of July party at Jim's was wonderful fun as usual. It wasn't as crowded as in years past so I liked it even more. My niece Jillian thought she could swim and jumped in the pool, followed by her father (fully dressed with an iPhone in his pocket). Jillian is fine the iPhone is not. My newphew James said my name and made my whole day. There were lots of yummy chocolate cookies as well. We came back and watched our nieghbors fire works out the front door.

Right now my kids are all outside. It is bed time and I am sure they are being eaten alive by mosquitos but I think I will let them play a few minutes more. True childhood moments should be respected. They are in the middle of an elaborate game with Billy the kid across the street. There are teams and plans and lots of excitment and everyone in being included, a rare treasure.

I am still on a high from being at NEMTEC. It was so healing to reread all those things that inspire me to be a better teacher, mother and person. Maria Montessori was a cool lady. Trusting the child is such a simple but powerful philosophy. I have fortunantly brought home lots of her philosophy and I can actually see the change in the kids, thier attitude to me, and to eachother. I even like writing lesson plans this time around. It will be a long while until I am a lead teacher but I think when I finally get there in 2011 I will be ready in mind and spirit.