Not Before 7: August 2011

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Monday, August 15, 2011

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Our May Beach Trip: Random Recordings

The things I want to remember about this beach trip….

Our favorite little science center had a new exhibit which allowed you to pet small sting rays. Apparently these little creatures are the, “Puppy Dogs of the Ocean.”

One in particular LOVED to be petted and kept coming over for more!

We brought some vehicles from home so C and D could “diggy dirt”. It was a good call!

This was the first year we had to keep an eye on the waves and one of our little swimmers. Until now, my kids have enjoyed the beach but kept a safe distance from the waves and currents.

Not this year. This was the year K (age 8) decided that fear of waves was a thing of the past and she just dove on in…literally.

Thankfully, this Florida beach has relatively calm waves compared to our Maryland beaches. (unless there is a storm out at sea)

She met an older girl in the ocean who took some time to teach her to body surf.

My cousin’s daughter enjoyed another older buddy to swim with.

And watching my child out there in the waves was such fun. Heck, I even decided to join her, forgoing my usual avoidance of that nasty ocean water!

C (almost 2) became obsessed with being wrapped up in a towel.

He loved it! Of course, being wrapped like this with no ability to use your arms in case you fall was deemed a bad idea by his mommy eventually.

He wasn’t happy to see it end.

My cousin, Trisha, hit the bait shop before visiting us at the beach. She brought with her a big ‘ole bag of sand crabs which sent D (age 4) screaming in terror while we all laughed. (He did calm down)

C immediately went after the crabs, having no problem with grabbing them right up with his hand. And D, after the initial terror, choose to catch them under sand toys and laugh with excitement.

After collecting them in buckets…

…everyone loved feeing them to the seagulls.

And yes, we thought my dad caught a fish with his bare hands. Boy were we excited…till we got closer and realized he was playing us all with his charades because the fish was dead.

I think vacation is mainly about being together, freed up to do things a bit differently than normal.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday helps parents focus on one of the many joys of parenting - the funny things that our little ones (and sometimes big ones) have to say.

Join in the fun and record the Tiny Talk overheard in your house! Publish a post on your blog and link us to the laughs. Then be sure to link to the blog carnival on this post so more bloggers can join in the fun.

The guidelines can be found here if you need them.
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Eric was looking for C (age 2) the other day.

Eric: (to no one in particular in the room) Where's C?
C: (small voice) I hiding.
Eric: Where are you? (looking and looking) Where are you, C?
C: I hiding.

Eric finally saw his little head behind the vase on our end table. He was between the wall and the end table "hiding".
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C's word: Poly-poly
Real Word: Roly-Poly

C's word: Pay Tshoot Tshoot. Pay Tshoot Tshoots.
Took me FOREVER to determind that is: Play Choo Choo. Play Choo Choos.
(which he says as he opens the basement door)

C's word: Diggy Dirt.
Real Word: I want to go dig in the dirt.
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K: Can you go on a date with a girl?
Mom: Sure. I go out on coffee dates and shopping dates with my girlfriends.
K: As soon as I can drive, I'll go out on a date with Maggie.
Mom: Well, that's gonna be awhile sweetie.
K: No. When can you drive?
Mom: You can't drive till you are 16 years old.
K: That's ONLY 8 years, Mom.
Mom: That's a long time.
K: No it's not. I've already lived that. I just have to do it again. It'll be so fast.
(sadly, she is probably right...)
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Your Turn:

The May Beach Trip: Ice Cream Surprise

Pretty much every evening while we are at the beach, we head to the local ice cream shop. It is only about a 2 block walk, so it is just so convenient that it is hard to resist.

But on this particular trip to our favorite location on our favorite vacation, we saw something that made us pause…

What’s that on the ground?

Hey….I know those people…they vacation here annually…

A special gift from Grandma and Poppy.

A special spot for our family for many years to come.

It’s kinda like having my own Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Kinda…

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Our May Beach Trip: Visiting Family

We love our trip to Florida each year. Each of us looks forward to it with such excitement. I have sure we’ll go twice a year as soon as the last child is over three and we can attempt the 15 hour drive more than once a year.

Mommy’s nerves can only handle so much!

But this year, the drive was wonderful because my parents and my in-laws flew to Florida and took C (age almost 2) with them! The drive was almost easy, especially in our lovely new 12 passenger van!

But I digress.

One of my favorite parts of this trip is seeing my family. Most of my mom’s side of the family lives in Florida, though some are beginning to move north! I love the opportunity to catch up with the family still down south.

Our traditional potluck Sunday night dinner has grown!

I am one of twelve cousins on my mom’s side, and am almost the oldest. It has been such fun to watch some of my younger cousins become parents.

And I get to hold their babies…

And experience the beach for the “first time” all over again…

This year my amazing hubby watched the kids so I could have dinner with my grandparents and one of my aunts!

Of course, what I love the most, is that my children get to meet and play with my aunts, my cousins, and my cousins’ babies! The family continues to grow and we continue to hope the bonds will develop with the next generation, staying connected one day on Face.book too!

And my little T enjoys seeing her namesakes: Grandma Patricia; Cousin Patricia; and my little Patricia!

Of course, relaxing with our own immediate family and BOTH sets of grandparents has become a special highlight.

We were able to grab two family shots that showed EVERYONE’s face!

My little stair step babies are growing…

And the beach allows us such precious time out of our normal routine to enjoy one another.

So I gotta agree with the shirts…

It sure is. And as I FINALLY document this trip, I can’t wait for May to come again!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Chaos

In case you missed my post about chaos, let me summarize the main point:

My house gets chaotic and messy.

Oh yes. Oh yes. It does.

And sometimes it begins to get under my skin, distracting me from the things that are actually important. I begin to focus on the mess. And I get distracted from enjoying this amazing journey with my four children. I forget about the wonderful blessing of our home and family. And I begin to whine and complain about mess. I let discontentment enter my heart and it builds into stress, dissatisfaction, anger, and breeds a generally unpleasant place for our family.

So in order to prevent the downhill cycle of my attitude when the mess begins to get under my skin , I try to remember a few things, little statements that help maintain my perspective:

1. Creativity often produces mess and chaos. It’s true. Kids zoned out in front of electronics aren’t all that messy. (and on some afternoons, that includes my kids) But in the midst of creative chaos, I like to remind myself that it is a GOOD THING!

2. Presence is messy. Absence is clean. My children are homeschooled and with me all day. Their presence is certainly messier than their absence. And if I sent them to school, I would have time to clean my house without their trailing chaos. But for now, we try to pitch in together, to organize when we can, pick up, and clean. But it isn’t quiet or neat from 9 AM to 4 PM like it could be. And I remind myself that that is MY CHOICE and I wouldn’t change it for a little neatness….at least most days I wouldn’t…

3. It’s not all their fault. I could use my evening time in a more productive manner. Sometimes I neglect to consider how much time I waste on FB and blogger and email and google reader and talking on the phone and reading and watching a movie and…well, you get the point. Not all of my time is accounted for in a productive manner. So the piles that get on my nerves at time can be considered partly my own doing. And I need to either buckle down and spend some free time cleaning OR just accept it, move the pile and move on.

4. More people = more mess. I guess this one is obvious. And when the majority of the house is under age 9, it definitely complicates the mess issue. More laundry to fold. More dishes to clean. More feet to track in mud. You get the point here.

5. Nighttime is coming. Nighttime is coming. Before little ones head off to bed, a big clean-up occurs so that they mess is gone when I come down to relax.

6. Perspective…This too shall pass. As with every stage of life, this one shall pass too. Children will move on and the mess will move on with them. I know that is true because my mom keeps her house wonderfully clean until she has her grandchildren for a few days. Then it looks like mine. So in the days that my house is clean and quiet, I have no doubt I will miss the mess.

And those are a few things I try to remind myself when I am frustrated by the creative chaos of my house.

In the meantime, we have spent some time this summer trying to reorganize and re-shuffle the furniture and the systems in order to have a more peaceful and relaxing environment for all of us!