Who would have thought that a family's schedule could be so complicated, when the oldest child isn't even five? And yet, here we are. Every day this week except for Friday I have at least two different things going on (not counting preschool). Next week may actually be worse, although the events are heavily backloaded on to the end of the week, so the early week may be quiet. Then you plan in a few currently unscheduled activities, when moms suggest park time post-preschool or call last minute to figure something out.
Plus, this summer is looming, with summer camps and other activities to be decided on. Birthday parties, camps, classes ... some of which are already booked up, and it isn't even officially May.
And we live a pretty low-activity life! It's amazing that moms ever get anything done, frankly. Especially moms of preschoolers. Now, don't get me wrong—I vastly prefer to have too many opportunities to do things to having no opportunities, but it does lead to situations like this:
A fellow mom and I had made plans to get our kids together Wednesday afternoon. She catches up with me post-preschool to say that she can't do it Wednesday, another commitment has come up. To which I reply that that works out well for me, as I also had another commitment come up for Wednesday. Then we decide on Thursday instead. Five minutes later, as we're loading our kids in the car, both of us spontaneously freak out, realizing we'd forgotten what day we'd just decided on, and then had to reconfirm for Thursday.
Seriously, can someone just implant my calendar into my arm for greater ease of scheduling? Cause I know it's only going to get worse from here!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
book report XVI
Just catching up on my book stack a little!
Recently read (all new, too!):
Robert Ballard, Exploring the Titanic. I thought this one might not be too edifying, as it's basically a kids' version of the story of and the finding of the great ship. But really it was very detailed and fact-filled, and the pictures were excellent. A very nice addition to the Titanic section of my library.
Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff, and Patricia Kuhl, The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind. I find the premise of this very interesting—that while we're teaching and studying our children, they're simultaneously performing experiments on us. It's a very different way to think about parenting, and I found a lot of the examples they used from their research highly fascinating. But I also thought there was a lot of dry material and maybe in places too much information, making it a little hard to follow and leaving me without a lot of solid memories of what I'd read.
Helene Hanff, Letter from New York. Hanff is perhaps best known for 84, Charing Cross Lane, a chronicle of letters she exchanged with the staff of a bookstore in London from her New York apartment. While that book is on my shelf, I haven't read it yet. I did see the movie, and was unimpressed, although I blame that largely on my dislike of Anne Bancroft. I've never seen her in a role that didn't make her seem like a mean, bitter woman, and this one was no exception. As a matter of fact, it was difficult to read Letter from New York without putting Bancroft's face and mannerisms on the writer, and that was a shame. Because Letter from New York was a lovely book. First written as a series of radio broadcasts on the BBC, the entries consist of vignettes from a New York life. They range broadly across all sorts of topics, but what comes across very clearly is that this is a woman who loves New York and loves her life there. Made me homesick ... but also made me reflect that you don't have to live in New York to love your home and love your life. If each of us were to write a monthly vignette about our lives, would genuine love and enjoyment be the end result when someone read them altogether? And if not, wouldn't that be a good goal?
Recently read (all new, too!):
Robert Ballard, Exploring the Titanic. I thought this one might not be too edifying, as it's basically a kids' version of the story of and the finding of the great ship. But really it was very detailed and fact-filled, and the pictures were excellent. A very nice addition to the Titanic section of my library.
Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff, and Patricia Kuhl, The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind. I find the premise of this very interesting—that while we're teaching and studying our children, they're simultaneously performing experiments on us. It's a very different way to think about parenting, and I found a lot of the examples they used from their research highly fascinating. But I also thought there was a lot of dry material and maybe in places too much information, making it a little hard to follow and leaving me without a lot of solid memories of what I'd read.
Helene Hanff, Letter from New York. Hanff is perhaps best known for 84, Charing Cross Lane, a chronicle of letters she exchanged with the staff of a bookstore in London from her New York apartment. While that book is on my shelf, I haven't read it yet. I did see the movie, and was unimpressed, although I blame that largely on my dislike of Anne Bancroft. I've never seen her in a role that didn't make her seem like a mean, bitter woman, and this one was no exception. As a matter of fact, it was difficult to read Letter from New York without putting Bancroft's face and mannerisms on the writer, and that was a shame. Because Letter from New York was a lovely book. First written as a series of radio broadcasts on the BBC, the entries consist of vignettes from a New York life. They range broadly across all sorts of topics, but what comes across very clearly is that this is a woman who loves New York and loves her life there. Made me homesick ... but also made me reflect that you don't have to live in New York to love your home and love your life. If each of us were to write a monthly vignette about our lives, would genuine love and enjoyment be the end result when someone read them altogether? And if not, wouldn't that be a good goal?
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
the return of the sun
Yes, we finally have achieved some warm weather here! We've spent most of the last four days outdoors, gotten lots of sun and fresh air, and generally basked in the radiant warmth.
And where has it gotten us? Well, let's see. My kids are tired, cranky, sunburnt, and generally not far removed from the poor attitude that I was blaming on the winter blahs. I'm tired, cranky, suffering from a summer cold, and definitely not feeling any more patient than I was during the winter blahs. When you're huddled up in coats, dashing from car to house to try and stay as warm as possible, it seems like all you need is a little sun and a little heat as your panacea for everything that ails you. Then you get it, and you realize there's more to it than that.
Not that this realization is going to help my children return to their old sweet selves, or me develop more patience ... but at least I'm not going to be expecting better temperatures to make all the difference.
Hoping for a more positive experience to share tomorrow!
And where has it gotten us? Well, let's see. My kids are tired, cranky, sunburnt, and generally not far removed from the poor attitude that I was blaming on the winter blahs. I'm tired, cranky, suffering from a summer cold, and definitely not feeling any more patient than I was during the winter blahs. When you're huddled up in coats, dashing from car to house to try and stay as warm as possible, it seems like all you need is a little sun and a little heat as your panacea for everything that ails you. Then you get it, and you realize there's more to it than that.
Not that this realization is going to help my children return to their old sweet selves, or me develop more patience ... but at least I'm not going to be expecting better temperatures to make all the difference.
Hoping for a more positive experience to share tomorrow!
Monday, April 16, 2007
5 things that make me happy, III
It's Monday, it's the first day of "School vacation week" (vacation for whom, I ask? Cause no one I know is enjoying it!), and my children have been ... challenging, to say the least. So, time to think about the positives!
1. Lists. Making them helps me organize my thoughts, and crossing things off them makes me feel that I've accomplished something.
2. Hot baths with Bath & Body Works bubble bath. Nice, luxurious soaks in foamy bubbles with exotic scents. Need I say more?
3. Coffee. I've said it before, and I'm saying it now. It's good stuff. (Although Charles tried a sip of my latte today and pronounced it "yucky"—which is exactly why I let him try it!)
4. Clean floors. I mean, in the sense of everything being picked up. I often forget exactly how much that lifts my mood, but it's amazing how well it works.
5. Chatty friends. Twice today, my mood was saved by being able to pick up the phone and chat about nothing. It's not everyone I can spend a long time on the phone with, but I'm grateful for everyone with whom I can.
And now, to enjoy #s 2 and 3, and then to bed. Hopefully for a better day tomorrow. Perhaps the weather could be persuaded to cooperate and create some semblance of a spring day. I mean, it is April—are temperatures above 40 really so much to ask?
1. Lists. Making them helps me organize my thoughts, and crossing things off them makes me feel that I've accomplished something.
2. Hot baths with Bath & Body Works bubble bath. Nice, luxurious soaks in foamy bubbles with exotic scents. Need I say more?
3. Coffee. I've said it before, and I'm saying it now. It's good stuff. (Although Charles tried a sip of my latte today and pronounced it "yucky"—which is exactly why I let him try it!)
4. Clean floors. I mean, in the sense of everything being picked up. I often forget exactly how much that lifts my mood, but it's amazing how well it works.
5. Chatty friends. Twice today, my mood was saved by being able to pick up the phone and chat about nothing. It's not everyone I can spend a long time on the phone with, but I'm grateful for everyone with whom I can.
And now, to enjoy #s 2 and 3, and then to bed. Hopefully for a better day tomorrow. Perhaps the weather could be persuaded to cooperate and create some semblance of a spring day. I mean, it is April—are temperatures above 40 really so much to ask?
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
book report XVI - Perry Mason roundup
As you might expect, I worked my way through a fair number of books while sitting in hotel rooms trying to get my children to nap! Here are the Perry Masons I've finished recently:
Case of the Nervous Accomplice: This one had a good hook, and I liked the "client" character more than most. But it also got a little too complicated and the wrap-up felt a bit rushed.
Case of the One-Eyed Witness: This was a new one, never read it before! I liked it, although they made the eventual denouement pretty obvious. But there were definitely some blind alleys that turned out to have an interesting ending, and some twists that were fresh and surprising.
Case of the Terrified Typist: Gardner must have had quite a time thinking up twists on how to get Perry involved in these cases. In this case, even though it was a reread, I didn't catch up to the ending until it happened—always a satisfying way to finish a mystery!
Case of the Gilded Lily: Again, a fresh take. I enjoyed the departure from the Mason-front-and-center style the books usually take, and the glimpse into someone else's head instead.
Case of the Demure Defendant: Honestly, I don't remember much about this one. The legal technicality took center stage, and made it less interesting than usual.
And, finally, Case of the Sun-Bather's Diary: Again, a bit too much complexity. Could've done with a couple less twists and a little more depth.
Case of the Nervous Accomplice: This one had a good hook, and I liked the "client" character more than most. But it also got a little too complicated and the wrap-up felt a bit rushed.
Case of the One-Eyed Witness: This was a new one, never read it before! I liked it, although they made the eventual denouement pretty obvious. But there were definitely some blind alleys that turned out to have an interesting ending, and some twists that were fresh and surprising.
Case of the Terrified Typist: Gardner must have had quite a time thinking up twists on how to get Perry involved in these cases. In this case, even though it was a reread, I didn't catch up to the ending until it happened—always a satisfying way to finish a mystery!
Case of the Gilded Lily: Again, a fresh take. I enjoyed the departure from the Mason-front-and-center style the books usually take, and the glimpse into someone else's head instead.
Case of the Demure Defendant: Honestly, I don't remember much about this one. The legal technicality took center stage, and made it less interesting than usual.
And, finally, Case of the Sun-Bather's Diary: Again, a bit too much complexity. Could've done with a couple less twists and a little more depth.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
the long, long trip
10 days, 9 nights, solidly on the road. Two days to drive to Columbus, a day and a half with BIL and SIL, a drive into northern Ohio, two days with my aunt and father, drive back to Columbus, a day and a half in town with Lou, then to Cincinnati and back for a pre-Easter dinner and time spent with my mother's oldest brother's family. Then two more days to drive home. Egad.
All in all, the baby I think enjoyed the whole thing the least, because she got the least sleep (comparatively). She couldn't settle in on her inflatable bed (although we did confirm that the ReadyBed is the better brand—the knock-off version that we started her off on was inferior in many ways), and so spent hours trying to settle down at night. Or, rather, with us trying to settle her down while she roamed the room, enchanted with her freedom and the presence of her brothers to annoy and keep awake. She was very glad to see her little Princess bed when we got home.
The boys liked parts of the trip (they're huge fans of BIL and SIL, loved the pools in the hotels, and got a huge kick out of the portable DVD player and hand-held cheapo games from Target we invested in pre-trip), but spent all night every night arguing over the covers. (Yes, they even woke up in the middle of the night to complain about this issue. Which I know, because I was awake for it all, while dh slept right through. Must be nice to be the one who wears the earplugs.) Interestingly, Charles was not that happy to be home. He told me today he wants to go back to a hotel ... because of the swimming pool!
More on the rest of the week later. I got in toto the least amount of sleep, since I had to pick up small children who fell out of bed and mediate between squabbling boys all night for 9 nights running, and am still exhausted. Overall, I think it was a good trip. The long drives were pretty nice, the kids were reasonably well-behaved considering everything, and I did get to spend a full 10 days eating out for every meal. Coming home to the idea of cooking was not inspiring.
All in all, the baby I think enjoyed the whole thing the least, because she got the least sleep (comparatively). She couldn't settle in on her inflatable bed (although we did confirm that the ReadyBed is the better brand—the knock-off version that we started her off on was inferior in many ways), and so spent hours trying to settle down at night. Or, rather, with us trying to settle her down while she roamed the room, enchanted with her freedom and the presence of her brothers to annoy and keep awake. She was very glad to see her little Princess bed when we got home.
The boys liked parts of the trip (they're huge fans of BIL and SIL, loved the pools in the hotels, and got a huge kick out of the portable DVD player and hand-held cheapo games from Target we invested in pre-trip), but spent all night every night arguing over the covers. (Yes, they even woke up in the middle of the night to complain about this issue. Which I know, because I was awake for it all, while dh slept right through. Must be nice to be the one who wears the earplugs.) Interestingly, Charles was not that happy to be home. He told me today he wants to go back to a hotel ... because of the swimming pool!
More on the rest of the week later. I got in toto the least amount of sleep, since I had to pick up small children who fell out of bed and mediate between squabbling boys all night for 9 nights running, and am still exhausted. Overall, I think it was a good trip. The long drives were pretty nice, the kids were reasonably well-behaved considering everything, and I did get to spend a full 10 days eating out for every meal. Coming home to the idea of cooking was not inspiring.
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