Sunday Reflections

The kids are asleep, 2 snack baskets are packed for this week, and I'm taking a few minutes to look back on my weekend. It was a good one, but not what I had planned. Our first plans for Friday night were cancelled because of a friends' sick 7 year old, we then had to cancel other plans when Charlotte came home from school with a fever (she's fine now).

Saturday night, Rob & I hoped that we would be able to go hear friends' band play, but we couldn't find a sitter. I do have lots of new numbers, though. Instead, we invited a neighbor over for an improtu cookout. Today we followed our Sunday routine of Sunday school, church, lunch followed by a lazy, rainy afternoon.

In the midst of it all, I did some laundry,, grocery shopping and even a little cleaning. Not a bad, uneventful weekend. So here's my Sunday latte - be flexible. If you had asked me last week what I had planned for the weekend, I would have given a very different answer than the way it turned out. That's ok, we still had fun and good lattes.

Fill in the blank

Here is a little known fact about me, I always read the last page of a magazine first. I never do that with books, but magazines ususally have an interesting one page feature or article that you can read in less than 5 minutes. Coincidentally, that is often all the time I have for reading.

I got my latest issue of Redbook Magazine in the mail today, and I immediately turned to the last page which is ususally little blurbs about "You know you're an adult if..." This month is different. A few readers fill in the blank of the following sentence, "I love my ______ life!" It is a sentence that is used for the cover interview each month. Cindy Crawford apparently loves her "beach" life. After reading the 3 little stories from readers who love their "remarried, uncertain, and whole" lives, I started trying to fill in the blank of my own life. Here it goes...

"I love my MOMMY life!" I love that I get to go to the zoo and storytime, read to kindergarten classes, and help out in 2nd grade. I accept the challange of trying to balance activities with downtime, trying to make sure that at least a few vegetables are eaten each day, and trying to keep clean clothes available for all. I also love the fact that I get to have a break from being a mommy every now and then so that I can catch up with my husband, family, and other adults.

My latte for today is to fill in the blank, "I love my ______ life!"

Allergies

Today I have a serious latte - be aware and considerate of children with food allergies. As the mother of a child with a peanut allergy, I find it very frustrating when another parent acts inconvienienced by my child's allergy. My 5 year old is allergic to peanuts. I have know this since she was 1. She's never had any serious problems, but I usually carry an Epi-pen for her just in case. Now that she's in kindergarten, she is no longer in the protected, peanut-free preschool environment.

Food allergies are very real, and very scary. We went to the allergist yesterday for a check-up, the last time Charlotte was tested, she was 1. I was shocked at how quickly and severly she responded to the peanut test. It was a good reality check for me, and I now have extra Epi-pens so that I'll never be without one if needed.

Like many people my age, I didn't know kids with severe food allergies when I was growing up. I know that there are alot of theories about why allergies have become so prevalent now. For whatever reason, they are out there. If Charlotte touches peanuts, she gets a rash. This will be an issue for her entire life. For now, the best I can do is ask the parents in her class to please not send any peanut product for snack at school, and I hope that no one is too put out by my request. The good news - there are no peanuts in lattes or in the side of whip cream that Charlotte occasionally gets as a Starbucks treat.

Sunday Reflections

Now that we have the 1st week of school behind us, routine is starting to set in. I just looked back, and it has been close to a year since I first wrote about Sunday reflections and lessons. Days of the week did not matter as much during the summer, but today we headed back into the school year with Sunday school at a new church. The kids do not seem to have been affected by all of the potential upheaval of this summer.

As we get into the new school year, I, once again, am trying to figure out how to get organized. I almost said "how to stay organized" but I need to get there first! We put new beds in the girls' room this weekend, and so I took everything out of their room and sorted it in the living room. I know that my husband would have loved to see more things go into the trash or get rid of piles, but I do feel like we at least got a handle on the inventory of barbies, dress-ups, and doll house accessories.

I think I'm reaching a point where some of my lattes might sound repetitive if you were to read them all together. I don't think anyone is actually going to go back and do that, so I guess I'm safe if I just go ahead with this latte - take it one room at a time. If you have kids underfoot, it is almost impossible to get everything organized at once. The task will seem much less overwhelming if you break it down into manageable pieces. One of these days I might get through enough of everyone else's things, that I even find time to organize my own stuff. Of course, it's only 4 months until Christmas and we'll need to reorganize then to make room for new toys!

First Day

I just set my alarm clock for tomorrow morning. Other than to awake for an early start to a road trip, it's the first time I've done that in a while. Tomorrow is the first day of school, 2nd grade and kindergarten for our family. I will admit that I didn't do a great job of getting everyone off of the summer schedule, but they did manage to get to sleep fairly early tonight. I expect that the morning rush for the first week won't be too bad, it's the 2nd week that gets exhausting.

For now, we have new shoes (which felt funny to Mason after wearing Crocs all summer), backpacks, and lunchboxes ready to go. Charlotte is much more independent than her brother, and I don't predict any apprehension about starting a new school. It's a new chapter for all of us, one that has many lattes ahead, I'm sure. I'll admit that I enjoyed the break from a schedule during the summer, but I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine. On that note, my back-to-school latte it to take it one week at a time, and have everyone pick out their clothes each night before bed.

End of summer...

...and what a summer it has been! I realize that I took a break from lattes this summer (and actually switched to decaf), but there is lots that I could say about what I call the Summer of Indecision. I just reread what I wrote about decisions in January. When I wrote that post, I had no idea what sort of decisions Rob & I would make for our family this year. I won't bore anyone with the details, we made a very tough decision and then we unmade it. We're not moving across the country, and the for sale sign is now gone from our front yard. We feel good about our choice, and we're going into the new school year with an increased appreciation for the friends, family, and community around us.

Despite all of the indecision, it has been a great summer simply because my kids are growing up. Of course, I miss having a little one, but, at the same time, I love that my littlest one is now 3. It was a summer without diapers or cribs, and a summer of watching 2 amazing little swimmers while Mary Jane paddled around. As a family, we survived several long car trips (including one with a broken air conditioner), and we enjoyed lots of time together.

Mason & Charlotte start school on Monday. I am more relaxed than I have ever been at the beginning of school. Charlotte is growing up, and she will start kindergarten at the elementary school. It is bittersweet, but she is excited so I am too. I am looking forward to a new routine of school, homework, activities, and Toyota Free Tuesdays. This year I will have a little more time when all of the kids are in school. The plan is that I will cook more and have a cleaner house. I also plan on making lattes part of my routine again so look for more to come.

Packing

I have been packing since I was seven or eight - packing to go back and forth between my mom and dad's houses, packing for camp, packing for weekend visits to my grandmother's house in East Tennessee, etc. It has never been a task that I enjoy, but it is necessary.

Now it is 25 years later and I'm packing for 5. Well, technically my husband packs for himself, but he also traveled around Greece for 2 weeks with less stuff than I take to the park with the kids so I usually add a few things to his bag. We're having the year of the roadtrip in our family, and right now I'm trying to pack for a week at Grandma & Grandpa's house. The good news is that we no longer need to include things like diapers or portable cribs. The bad news is that we need to include most other things.

The kids try to "help" by packing up toys which they wish to take along. We'll usually take about 1/3 of what they pack and they probably won't look at their toys until we return home. I think that after years of packing I have finally learned (sort of) that less is more. It is alright if everyone wears the same outfits more than once on a trip, and kids very quickly overcome any disappoinment regarding a toy which didn't make the trip. I have even cut way back on the snacks that I take along for long car trips - fewer choices usually mean fewer diagreements.

My packing latte is this, make sure you have the most important items, and the rest will (after a little bit of stress) fall into place. I always feel better about 30 minutes after we leave the house when I realize what it is that I forgot. As my mother always said, "You can just buy as you go."

Free Time

A funny thing happened today- this morning, for the first time this summer vacation, I got up, packed 3 little lunches, rushed around getting everyone ready, and took all 3 kids to day camp. I dropped them off at 9:30 (really it was closer to 9:45) and for the first time in about a month, I had 3 hours to myself. What now? They will be at camp every morning this week. I have a dentist appointment on Wednesday and a trip to the eye doctor on Friday.

It's now summer in Atlanta, 90 degrees before noon and about 200% humidity so power walking is out, and I don't belong to a gym. Of course, my first stop was Starbucks which is a treat these days. Believe it or not, I've been making soy, mocha lattes for myself at home most day. Next, I ran to the mall to make a few returns and exchanges of various kid items, and finally, before carpool line, I ran to the grocery store to grab a few things to pack in tomorrow's lunches.

There you have it, nothing earth-shattering, and nothing that I couldn't have done with the kids in tow. After 4 weeks of spending most of our time together, I think that this week is a good break for me and for the kids. We've had lots of fun so far, and I am still glad that we don't have too many things on the calendar for now. This summer has had plenty of unexpected twists and turns, we don't need lots of scheduled ones. That said, for the sake of sanity, my latte to you is to schedule some down time for yourself if at all possible. Even if you spend the time doing a few kid-related errands, it's nice to get a little time without the kids along for the ride.

Camp

Camp brings different things to mind for different people. In these days of over-scheduling, it seems that every person and place around is offering some sort of camp. $200 to spend the week building forts, cooking, swimming, etc. Last week I took my kids to the zoo where we saw campers from Zoo Camp. Mason asked me if he could go to Zoo Camp sometime, and I told him that we were having our own private zoo camp as a family.

For me, the word "camp" brings one place to mind, the summer camp I attended as a child, teenager, and counselor. I returned a few times after college for the annual reunion of former attendees, and recently, thanks to Facebook, I have reconnected with many of my childhood camp friends. This year I went to the reunion for the first time in 10 years, and I took both of my daughters. It was amazing to watch Charlotte do many of the things I once did there in a place that is remarkable unchanged in the last 20 years (flush toilets are a nice addiditon since my camper days!). Several of my old friends were also there with their children who will be campers with my kids in the coming years. My baby sister is also a counselor there this summer.

I realize that not all summer camp experiences were like mine. CJL (my old camp) provided a great backdrop to my high school years, and I love that I can now share it with my daughters. So here's my latte today - share an experience from your childhood with your children. It could be a place, an activity, even a favorite recipe.

One side note: I realize that my lattes have been anything but daily, I'm going to try to get back into a routine. Look for more soon!

A Great Big Bag

As the mother of 3 (ages 3, 5, and almost 7), I'm trying to navigate a relatively unscheduled summer vacation.  I've quickly realized that I need to be prepared for anything!  Without realizing it, I guess that I had gotten lulled into the ease and schedule of the school year.  It has been a while since I've had full days to plan with all 3 kids, but I'm quickly getting back up to speed on what it takes to keep everyone happy.  Here is a list of the things you might need with you at all times:

1. A change of clothes for anyone under the age of 10 - you just never know what type of accidents might happen and you don't want to cut everyone's day short because you don't have the right wardrobe.

2. Lots of water - My kids each have their own water bottles that are with us at all times, but I have to carry a backup supply as well.

3. Sunscreen - This is a no-brainer, and it should be an SPF of 50+.  Last night, after 2 hours in the pool during peak sun hours, Mason told me that his shoulders hurt.  It is actually the 1st time he has ever gotten a sunburn, and now we all understand the need to reapply regularly.  Luckily Charlotte (who is very fair like her mom) was wearing a bathing suit with a t-shirt style top.

4. Colored pencils and paper - Summer in the south is not a good time to carry crayons around in your bag, trust me.  Colored pencils serve just as well and make much less of a mess than markers.  You never know when you'll need to entertain everyone for a few minutes.

5. The right bag - It would be great to just have one bag that went everywhere with you each day, but that doesn't work for summer outings.  You need a pool bag that is big enough for towels, goggles, toys, comb, etc., and a backpack that is comfortable to carry on trips to the mall, zoo, etc.  A shoulder bag/purse might work for trips to the bookstore, playdates, and, of course, Starbucks.

6. Snacks, snacks, snacks - Take advantage of the summer and the chance to get fresh fruit, I love when we take a snack break and all the kids eat is fruit.  Goldfish, crackers, teddy grahams, are all good choices also.  If you're meeting friends, make sure you have enough to share just in case.

Be prepared!  That's my latte today, be prepared with a bag of tricks and plenty of coffee at home so that you don't have get everyone dressed and out the door before you enjoy your daily latte.