Another Birthday Latte

Tomorrow is my birthday. In this post-Facebook era, hundreds of people will be informed somewhere on their home page to be sure to wish me a Happy Birthday. I just looked at my credit card bill and apparently I have already treated myself to a few birthday goodies. Next year is a big birthday, one that ends in a zero, I informed my husband months ago that we will be having a huge party for that one.

Tomorrow is just another day. Or so I would like to pretend, but with 3 kids, it's impossible to downplay a birthday. We will have candles and cake, I'll get some homemade cards and I'm using it as an excuse not to cook all week (I never really cook anyway). My kids will be excited and I guess that's what matters. And me, I'm meeting a friend for a birthday latte. With the week I'm having, that's all I really need to make it a great day. Next year we'll really celebrate a birthday.

A Roadtrip Latte

We're a roadtrip kind of family. Mary Jane is 5 and she has never been on an airplane, but she has been to New York, Chicago, South Florida just to name a few places. Last weekend, for Labor Day, we once again piled in the car for a trip to my husband's hometown for the annual Melon Festival. We're a little more comfortable than we were on the drive a year ago since we now have the comfort of a third row in our new car. Of course, we had to put all of our luggage in the top carrier since our dog and pet rabbit made the trip with us.

The drive up was fairly uneventful (for an 11 1/2 hour journey), the kids ate snacks, played with the animals, and watched lots of movies. We had a nice weekend. We spent too much money on carnival games, saw some of Rob's old friends, and even took a trip to an indoor water park - not my idea of fun, but sometimes that doesn't matter. The drive home (3 days later) was looong - 14 hours. We haven't seen rain in months, but we saw plenty of it while driving through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia. All that rain got everyone thinking about water, and so there were lots of bathroom stops along the way.

This latte came to me around hour 12 when we stopped for dinner at chick-fil-a and heard lots of chatter about the tornadoes which had just passed through town. Don't worry about little things while on a road trip. If you and your kids eat nothing but fast food for a day, you will survive. But, take my word for this, while a latte or two on the road is great, be sure to watch everyone's liquid intake for the day.

A Back to School Latte

We survived. We made it through the first week of kindergarten, second and fourth grades. The kids have great teachers and at least a few friends in their classes. Getting up early, long days, keeping up with assignments - it's wearing me out, I can't imagine how the kids must feel. A new school year and new routine is a big adjustment for all of us.

I have to admit that I don't hate having a little time to myself each day. Apparently I'm not the only one. When I went for a post-drop off jog on the second day of school, I ran into at least half a dozen other moms either out for a walk, jog, or just enjoying a latte at Starbucks (yes, my jogging route ends up there, I use the walk home to enjoy my iced soy latte).

As the weeks wear on, we seem to be falling into a routine. Mornings aren't fun, but we're making it work, and we seem to be getting homework done in a timely manner. Mary Jane's teacher has only called me twice (so far) to tell me that there are some issues keeping Bunny put away. Bunny has stayed home from school the last few days. Gymnastics, karate, and yoga will start soon, and preschool starts tomorrow - I'm now a parapro in the 2 year old class.

I'm sure another year will go by too quickly, but I plan to find some time to catch up on writing

lattes. My back to school latte is this - pack a water bottle in each child's backpack, and find out what type of latte to bring the teacher on occasion. She deserves it!

A Birthday Latte

Birthdays always make me cry. Not my own of course, I'm already planning a big party for my 40th next year. It's my kids birthdays that get to me. If I slow down to take in the moment when we sing happy birthday to one of them, I'll tear up despite the chaos of lots of not so little kids excited about yet another birthday party. Since my girls' birthdays are only 3 days apart in May, we always have a big party weekend during which we get all of our celebrating done. Mason always feels a little left out of all of this since his birthday isn't till July. Here is the result, he starts planning 2 months in advance. By the time we finished our family celebration last night (with another krispy kreme doughnut cake), I was ready for Mason's 9th birthday-palloza to come to an end. I get it, my first-born is growing up.

Earlier this summer (yes, I realize that my last blog was spring-break), we went to Chicago. While there, we took the kids to Navy Pier and to the Children's Museum there. It's possible that it was our last visit to a Children's Museum, Mason was too old for many of the activities and quickly bored by others. I also felt like my kids were among the some of the older ones playing in the children's area at the Botanical Gardens last week. I felt a little bit of longing for simpler times as I watched the young moms chasing their 2 and 3 year old children around. Not that I want to go back, but at 5, 7, and 9, my kids are no longer babies by any measure.

It's all changing as it does every year. My kids have strong opinions which is good, I guess, and it keeps me on my toes. Still, watching them grow-up is bittersweet. There are times when I'm no longer their favorite person, and they don't need my help the same way they once did - not that I wish they still needed me to dress, change, and feed them, but at times I wish they would let me put them in the clothes I pick out. I guess that for now, I'll just keep drinking my venti, soy, iced lattes from Starbucks and try to enjoy each day - even the frustrating ones.

A Dandelion Latte

Spring Break 2011 has come and gone. I had big plans (as always) for trips to the zoo and museums, maybe an outing to the Botanical Gardens. The break got off to a fantastic and early start with our long weekend at the beach in Naples, FL. After a 1400 mile round trip, our new Volvo is officially broken in. We had a lovely few days with great friends we rarely see. As is often the case, I seem to be the only one who missed a few spots with the sunscreen. We returned home literally minutes before a terrible spring storm that uprooted trees and knocked out power for days in some very nearby neighborhoods.

On Wednesday of Spring Break week, the kids and I opted to take a walk to a nearby park that Mason & Charlotte like to call "Charson Lake." It is conveniently located right next to Starbucks and the book store. It was a beautiful day for a walk, and our little adventure took up most of the afternoon. Thanks to a neighbor who was out working in his yard, we also got a little gardening lesson and my children experienced the novelty of dialing a number on an old fashioned rotary phone. Of course, we also picked up a latte and a few new books for all. Along the way, in typical 4 year old fashion, Mary Jane stopped to pick every dandelion she saw so that she could blow the seeds off of it.

Don't get me wrong, of course I would have loved spending the entire week at the beach, but since that wasn't an option, at least I realized, once again, that we don't need big activities to have a great spring afternoon. Take some time to pick a dandelion while you're on your way to get a latte.

A Latte of Advice

I use to read parenting books and magazines. When Mason was little, I would read all sorts of things trying to make mental notes to remember when he was older. Then he did get older - I hate that he keeps doing that. For about a year after Mary Jane was born, when Charlotte & Mason were 2 and 4, I was in survival mode. I was exhausted, and I realized that reading beauty tips for moms and ways to make healthy snacks from scratch just made me want to cry. I was lucky to get a shower and 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

I cancelled my subscription to Parents Magazine because I couldn't take the guilt. I read about all of the things I wasn't doing to be a good mother, and it made me feel terrible. Somehow, we all survived, and even thrived. Now that they are (yikes) 4, 6, and 8, I'm entering a new stage in parenting. Rob & I are raising a little boy who is so much like us that sometimes we have a hard time communicating with one another. I'm learning that I can't and shouldn't try to control so much of my children's lives. Some of the advice is actually helping us have a calmer, happier home.

There is still guilt. While I am trying to "celebrate calm" with "love and logic" (2 current preferred parenting methods around here, I still run into moments when I have no idea what to do. I told Mason that he is my guinea pig for parenting. He told me that I didn't learn anything about raising girls who like American Girl Dolls from him. We have our moments. My advice is not to listen to too much advice. I've found that escaping to Starbucks really helps as well.

A New Car Latte

I guess the first rule of a latte and a new car is to watch out for spills. As much as I enjoy the aroma of a good latte, the new car smell is pretty great, too. Yes, we got a new car. It's a beautiful new Volvo XC90, and we finally have a 3rd row. The kids are thrilled, we'll see if they still love it after we drive to Chicago and back in June.

We still have our faithful 4 Runner. It's still going strong at 105 thousand miles, and it is now Rob's primary vehicle. It has been a great car, and I even wrote a latte about it last year. Here it is...

I recently rolled past 90,000 on my 2003 Toyota 4 Runner. Those miles all belong to this family, and I couldn't help reflecting a little on where we've been on our journey.

We bought the car brand new about a week before Mason's 1st birthday. We needed 4 wheel drive for Colorado, and we needed a place to put both a carseat and an excited 80 pound dog. 2 weeks after we got it, we took a 2 week road trip that started in Denver and included stops in Atlanta, Hilton Head, Boone NC, Ohio, and the Twin Cities to name a few spots. As a doting first-time Mommy, I spent much of that trip riding in the back seat so that I could entertain Mason who was still rear-facing in his carseat. Over the next 2 years, while still in Denver, we took trips to Vail, Aspen, Mount Rushmore, and Jackson Hole. Our sweet dog Sadie took her last ride in the back of the 4 Runner, and her nose prints were on the back windows for a long time after she was gone.

Once we moved back to Atlanta (loading up the top carrier for the ride), we soon added the third carseat to the back. Our kids don't have lots of extra space, but they do now have a DVD player for long car rides such as our annual trips to Hilton Head and Ohio, and 2 trips last year to Washington DC with a side trip to New York City.

All of those big trips add up to alot of miles, but most of the miles are probably from trips to the mall, doctors, karate classes and ballet, the zoo, and botanical gardens, and, of course, the coffee drive-through. In other words, everyday life with 3 kids who are getting bigger by the minute.

I realize that 90,000 isn't a huge milestone (hopefully) for vehicles these days. We're planning on keeping our 4 Runner for as long as we possibly can. It's not the greenest car out there, but at 25 miles a gallon on the highway, it's not a bad way to get my crew around town. My latte today came to me as I drove around town drinking a latte, take a break from all of the chaos of the holidays to reflect on your journey - and don't forget to buckle up for the ride.

Snowed In

One week, a whole week of snow days. This is unheard of in Atlanta, but here we are getting ready for a week off of school which will be followed by a 3 day weekend. Like most moms around me, I am in full-on survival mode. It has helped that we didn't lose power, and Rob has been able to get out to restock our kitchen with milk, bread, and take out bbq.

Here are a few other items that I realize are a necessity if you happen to find yourself snowed in with 3 active kids for an entire week just one week after Christmas break:

1. Sleds - Rob managed to snag a few from the hardware store before the snow and ice hit

2. Coffee - lots of it

3. Neighbors with kids - so soon after Christmas break, my kids needed more than just each other to play with

4. Facebook friends - Social networking is a great thing, and many other Atlanta moms have been online to share in the fun and pain of this week at home

5. A husband who is willing to get out and about

6. Video games - the Wii was a huge help this week, we could only stay out sledding on ice for so long

7. Patience - mine is starting to wear thin

Finally, when everyone feels up to it, you should go out for a latte! The walk to our local Starbucks was a welcome outing this afternoon!