The Bike

For her 4th birthday, we got Jackie a bike.  She was very excited about it and couldn't wait to try it out.  Until she realized that it wasn't that easy.

We live on a dirt road and that does make things a little more difficult.  However, it's not just the terrain that she struggles with.  A combination of a bike that's a hair too big and some coordination that we're still waiting to catch up to her long-skinny body make for a difficult time trying to ride this bike.

We finally had a minor breakthrough a few weeks ago.  She was able to move her feet around the peddles more than once and get the bike going a little ways!  She was pumped and already starting to ask about all the places she can ride now.

**Just to clear things up, when I said she got the bike going a little ways, I'm talking 25 feet.  She still has MUCH work to do on her bike!  She'll get there though!

Our First Family Vacation

We finally did it!  We took our very first all-family vacation.  We loaded up the Durango, purchased items to help keep the kiddos entertained, and left Kansas for a three day drive out to New Jersey to visit family.

Here's how that went...

DVD Players:

Probably the best thing we purchased before the trip.  Portable DVD players hooked to the headrest of the front seats.  The girls took turns picking movies and were entertained for at least part of the trip.  The way home found them watching the same 10 episodes of Paw Patrol.  A gift from Aunt Janice before leaving.  

Stops along the way:

I packed lunches for the drive so we could stop at rest stops to have a picnic.  This was great.  The girls loved chasing birds and running around.  Although no one told Jackie about flies and picnics.  Jackie hates all things bugs.  Except lady bugs and rolly pollies...those apparently are ok.  Flies will cause a screaming/crying panic.  I've tried explaining that they're just "rolly pollies with wings" but that didn't work.  Ethan finally convinced her to just say "Shoo Fly" and that would work.  

The girls experienced their first hotel stay complete with "special beds" and swimming pools.  They looked forward to each night because that meant a swim and cartoons that we don't usually have at home.

Aunt Beth and Uncle Chris' house:
Normally, when the girls get to see their cousins it's back in Kansas at Grandma's house.  This time they got to invade a new space complete with cotton candy grapes, new and different toys, a puppy, and a working piano.  They did a great job sleeping on their "special bed" and attended their very first parade on the Fourth of July!  They loved the candy and thought the fire trucks were VERY loud!

Boy or Girl?
Ethan and I found out about mid-June whether the new baby is a boy or girl, but we kept it to our selves.  We wanted to have a reveal cake for the girls, and what better place to do that than on vacation in New Jersey.  With the recommendations from Aunt Beth and Aunt Janice I found a cute little bakery to make us a cake.  Jackie really wanted a girl, so when she cut the cake to find out the inside was BLUE I was worried she would be upset.  Nope.  Cheers all around!  Here comes a boy!  **I will mention that Jackie has already put in her request for next time we have a baby.  She asked to make sure that a girl baby gets put in there next time.** :-)

We love the power of connecting people and technology.  All our family back in Kansas were able to be a part of the big reveal thanks to multiple iPads and iPhones and Facetime!

The FREE Zoo!
This place was seriously awesome.  I've been to some free zoos in my life, but nothing like this.  Big animals, lots of interaction for the kids, and all just for a free-will donation.  It was packed, but for good reason.

The Beach!
The girls' first experience with playing in the ocean.  Their faces say it all.  

Aunt Janice and Uncle Ron's House:
Waterbaloons, Sweedish Fish, and a trampoline made for a good time each day, as it would anywhere.  But there's magic at Uncle Ron and Aunt Janice's place.  Magic in dissapearing bed times, rules about when you can have candy, and you always get dessert, even if you don't finish your dinner!  The girls loved playing with the puppies, running around, and playing games with Aunt Janice.  Aunt Janice went out of her way to try and win "favorite aunt" status.  The girls were definitely sad to leave and still ask if we have any of the candy like Aunt Janice did.

Bowling!
Another first for Jackie and Kat.  The had a blast!  The bowling ally we went to had great ways to make this fun for toddlers.  They even had cute little toddler bowling shoes!

The Aquarium:
We decided to hit the Aquarium in Camden on our way home.  The girls loved seeing all the fish, touching the star-fish and watching the sharks overhead.  It was a jam-packed Friday at the Aquarium and both Ethan and I thought it would have been better on a less-crowded type of day.

The long drive home:
We really pushed it to get home, mostly by accident.  The second day on the road Ethan half-jokingly said "I thought about suggesting to push on to Burlington and stay the night with your parents if we make it to St. Louis by a decent time. Ha-ha."  I didn't take it as a joke, and we pushed on.  It meant a 12 hour day in the car, which was not fun for the girls...we did what we could to "sweeten" the deal.  Plus we spent the night in a King size guest bed and only had a 2 hour drive home the next day.  Definitely worth it!

We had a great time on our first vacation.  We now know that the girls can handle long car rides as long as there's Paw Patrol in the DVD players and snacks to pass back.  After this a long weekend trip to Colorado doesn't sound too bad :)

Nap Time

I have to admit it.  I haven't been one who has been too sentimental about different stages the girls go through as they grow.  I didn't cry when I stopped nursing them or when I put away size 1 diapers.  Talking, daycare, old enough for activities at the Y...non of those made me feel all sad because my babies were growing up.

I really think this is more because I have been more excited about the new "stage" they are entering than sad about leaving a stage behind.  However, today I resigned myself to give in and let Jackie leave a stage behind that I am truly sad about.

Naps.

I knew it was coming by spring time this year.  She was taking shorter naps and even had a few days here or there where I would catch her just playing and not really sleeping.  Throughout the summer, she would nap two or three days in a row and then it would be a battle to get her to stay in the room and sleep the fourth day.

And today, I made the weekday decision to stop making her take a nap.  This decision did not come easy.  I cherish nap time.  Because it's also my rest time.  My time to watch Netflix, work on school stuff, or eat a snack without beggars wanting bites.

There is one time I look forward to more than nap time.  Bedtime.   The last few nights have been a real bear to get Jackie to stay in her room after teeth, prayers, and story.  Fighting us and getting our of bed for a good two hours.  (Any guesses how long nap time usually lasts??)

So I gave in.  Hoping that taking nap time away would make for easier bed time, at least during the week.  Weekends are a little more flexible for now, plus she may just be all tuckered out by the weekend and need a little snooze to get her through.

I just hope Katerina lasts a couple more years...

Officer Jackie

I believe there is a very good possibility that our 4-year-old may become a police officer.

She loves to make sure people are following the rules.

She loves to report it when others (especially her sister) break said rules.

And she knows, without a doubt, that when approaching stoplights you GO on green and STOP on red.

The following took place this afternoon when we were driving home from the dentist.  Ethan, who is notorious for hitting every red light through town, approached a stoplight.  The light turned yellow and he decided to keep going.  Technically....he probably should have slowed down, but it was still yellow.

Then it turned red.

Jackie saw it.

"Dad, you went on that red light."

"Didn't you see that it was red?!?"

"Daaaaadddd your not supposed to drive when it's red!"

"Green is go and red is stop, you didn't stop you went!"

"Did you think it was green?  No!  It was red.  You didn't stop!"  -- This is where I completely lost it.

"I saw it turn red."

"Here's another light, it's green you can go.  If it turns red you have to stop."

The same 4-year-old who doesn't have the attention span to color a picture, lectured us on stopping for red lights for over a mile.

We were in tears.

I don't know what my children will actually grow up to become, but I can tell you one thing.  If Jackie doesn't choose a career that allows her to enforce rules or laws, I will be very surprised.

PS...I totally expect our first parent/teacher conference to have some sort of reference to Jackie being "bossy" or a "tattle-tale."  I just hope to turn those terms into "leader" and "enforcer" someday!  :)

The Reality of a Working Mom

As I attempt to figure out this ever-changing balance between working full time as a teacher and doing all the things that motherhood require I have come to this realization.

Most of the time my kitchen looks like this...

A majority of the school year my desk looks like this...

In a perfect world I would be both a night owl and an early bird.  I would have a spotless desk at school and grading would be up-to-date and my lessons and activities in the classroom would be top-notch.  My kitchen would be clean, laundry folded, and I would read books, play dress-up, and make crafts with the girls.

But that's not my reality.

My reality is constantly trying to decide what is the most important thing for me to do at each individual moment of the day.

That means the majority of my time at school is spent researching, developing, and reflecting on lesson plans, activities in class, or long-term projects I want my students to create.  The flip side of that is, I am constantly behind on grading and my desk top is both neat and organized four days out of the school year.  The first day, day after Thanksgiving Break, day after Christmas Break, and after Spring break (that one's a maybe...).  I can stack the piles of papers to appear to be neat when I have a sub coming, but that's just for show.

I have attempted to address grading in a different way so that the assignments I grade are ones that are really worth the time I spend.  I attempt to do very little at home.  I have to have a separation between my school life and my home life.  I take stuff home to grade every weekend.  I rarely do it.

At home I fight a constant battle of clutter and dishes.  The girls are just starting to get old enough to help a little and actually do it well.  There are days where I make them help me unload the dishwasher, pick up clothes and toys off the floor, and wipe down counters and bathrooms.  I really try to have them involved in this aspect of living at home, this way they grow up with it as a reality and it's not a shock when I ask them to fold towels as teenagers.  I do admit, at times, it is just easier and faster for me to do it by myself, and that does happen.

But I also want to play with them, read them stories, and enjoy them at this young, silly, carefree age.  I know it's not going to last, I know that when I say "I can't wait for them to be more independent" that the day will come when they are independent and I'll be wishing for the little pitter-patter of their feet running in to tell me another "great idea."

It's a balance.  Things have to be sacrificed.  I'm learning to live with a little clutter and a messy desk in order to spend time with the more important aspects of each job I have.

I'm a work in progress.  As are all mamas, daddy's, and families.

Standing in the Kitchen

For as long as I can remember, I would stand and eat in the kitchen.  I'd hold a bowl of cereal or a plate of eggs and lean back against the counter while I scarfed down my food.  Usually too fast.  

My mom hated it when I did that.  

"Go sit down and enjoy your meal at the table, you don't need to stand."

I don't know why I liked standing in the kitchen to eat.  I just did.  

Now I know.  

It was foreshadowing. 

To life with kids. 

This morning I attempted to sit at the table and eat my breakfast. 

And the following ensued. 

I sit down with my eggs and oatmeal.

Katerina:  "Can I have a bite?"

"Bite pleeeeaaassseee???"

No.

"Want a bite" (in an attempt to crawl on my lap)

Ugh...OK.  One bite and then go away.

Jackie:  "Mommy I want can I have some breakfast please?  I want eggs and sausage."

Katerina: "Me eggs too please!"

Ok...I'm just warming some up that were leftover.

Sit back down to my breakfast...good thing it was too hot to eat right away.  

Katerina: "I have boogies.  Need keenex"

Get up to get Kleenex and wipe a yucky nose.  

Sit back down to breakfast.

Katerina: "This spicy, need drink.  Juice mama..... please"

Get up to get sippy cup of juice left over from yesterday.

Sit back down to breakfast.

Katerina:  "Juice all gone.  More please."

Ugh!  Get up again, fill juice cup.  "Jackie do you want juice?"  (Trying to predict the next question.)

Sit back down and finally finish breakfast.

-------------------------------------------

This is why I stood up to eat.  It was preparation for motherhood.  If I would have stood in the kitchen to eat that breakfast, I wouldn't have had to share bites, and I would have been right within arms reach of all the items the girls required in the early AM.  

Lent. An Opportunity

As a kid, Lent was always a time when we would "give up stuff."

I didn't really understand the true reason why.  In elementary school, I knew it was something we did for church.  Middle school, I still knew it was for church, but it was also a challenge.  By high school I had grasped the concept that it was supposed to be a sacrifice.  That's about it.  Church and sacrifice.

Now that I'm an adult and have wrapped my brain (and heart) more around my faith, I understand it better.  It's not just 40 days of giving up stuff.

It's an opportunity.

An opportunity to improve your life.  To become more like Christ.  To better yourself in any way.

Here are the opportunities I am seizing these 40 days:

The opportunity to grow in my calling as a wife and mother.

I am giving up social media from the hours of 4:00 to 8:00 in the evenings.  (Except for Mondays when I participate in two Twitter Chats on education.)  I know, there are people who give up Facebook/social media the entire time.  That's not what I'm going for.  The purpose of this isn't to stop using social media. It's more me to stop using it in the precious few hours that I have awake with my kids.  For me to use those four hours in the evening to be a mom, be productive, and timely with my tasks.  Doing dishes and cleaning up after dinner would be a lot faster if I wouldn't stop to scroll through Facebook, or get stuck watching Tasty cooking videos.

The opportunity for me to grow in my faith.

I am going to read a book.  I usually only really read books during the summer.  This one is different. My mom gave this book to me.  The Kansas City Diocese gave out these books free to all the parishes to distribute to their congregations.  My mom picked one up for me and said it was a good read.

The opportunity for me to be a servant to others.

I started a Random Act of Kindness journey this year.  I would like to finish it.  Little surprises that bring joy to others.

The opportunity for me to pass on the traditions of Lent to my children:

TV is off.  At least until after dinner.  Since colder weather has been upon us, it has become almost routine for me to ask the girls "what movie do you want to watch when we get home," as we drive the seven miles home from daycare.  They pick a movie, and then another, and another until bed.  It has been helpful to me and entertaining to them.  But, I am promoting bad habits.  TV on while we eat instead of focusing on conversation and good table manners. Girls sitting in front of the TV while I work around the house, instead of involving them.  This will be their first official "Lenten penance." A chance for them not only to see what we do, but participate as well.

I pray for a successful and meaningful Lent.  I pray that I am a better wife and mother, mindful of how joy spreads in the smallest ways, and more faithful.

Blessings to all this Lenten Season!