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Getting Ready…
Posted on February 26, 2012 by srlsfamily
Leaving soon for a trip to Orlando. The kids have been counting down the days but I have a lot of stuff to do before we go.
This weekend we have been very busy.
First, the boys’ basketball team and the girls’ cheering squad had their last games. We ended up being late for the girls’ game so missed practice but got their just in time for the game. It was a nice to see the progress all of the girls have made.
The boys played against a team that looked like they had teenagers on it! Riley is the tallest one on our team and they had 5 boys who were taller than him. Despite that, they played great. It was an amazingly high scoring game. Matthew was in the thick of it the entire time and ended up scoring 8 points. Riley score 16 points and showed amazing sportsmanship. He was guarding a boy who was about a foot taller than him the entire game who was practically semi-pro. The kid was really aggressive and had his hands in Riley’s face the entire time. Toward the end of the game, the guy reached around him when Riley was making a fast break to the basket and scratched him across his face – and then tried to grab the ball but Riley grabbed it and right back and scored. As he was running down the field, I could tell his face was bleeding and he was crying and rubbing his eye. Despite that, he kept playing. I was so proud of him. For the effort, he got two ”stars” – one for EFFORT and one for Christlikeness. He was so cute after because a lot of the kids were emotional about the loss and were crying – he was embarrassed because he had been teary in the game.
This morning, we all slept a little late. Then, I started cleaning. I heated up my coffee three times and still only drank about 1/2 of the cup. I just kept getting bogged down with different projects. I made Chicken Parmesean in the crockpot to put on when we left at noon for dinner. It ended up being really great! Meanwhile, while I was cleaning in the kitchen, Riley folded about 5 loads of laundry. My God, I finished cleaning and was heading upstairs and he had finished all of the laundry and then everyone put theirs away.
Then we had the end of season celebration – and then stopped at a couple of stores to get some supplies for the trip. So, now 1 out of 4 are in bed (Addi got some benadryl for her cold and a bath and is out fast!) and the rest are clean and we have most of the electronics prepped and ready to be packed. Can’t wait to go to bed.
Filed under: Family, Mothering 4, Uncategorized | Tagged: vacation. | 1 Comment »
Incognito…
Posted on February 19, 2012 by srlsfamily
Riley asked me today about my blog…I had to admit that I haven’t posted for a while. Then I looked and found out that I hadn’t posted since January 5th…WOW! Maybe if I say I am incognito then that can be my excuse (instead of just uninspired…)
- Picture from go-parga.com
We have been swamped with school and work. Over Christmas I had to work and then I had one week off and was on one of the hardest services I cover for two weeks. Meanwhile the kids started Upward Basketball and Cheerleading. There was a minor snafu in the beginning as the boys were placed on different teams but we were able to get that fixed pretty quickly. But, given that this league is designed around grade levels, I have been spending nearly my entire Saturdays at the Church where the league is sponsored. The girls either have practice and a game starting at 7:30 or 8:30 and going for an hour and three quarters. Then the boys have a game starting at either 4 or 5 pm. By the time we are done, it is time to go home and cook dinner.
Both the girls and the boys are really enjoying the league this year. Riley is the tallest kid on the basketball team – so he’s been getting a lot of good advice from the coach and is much more of a team player this year. In fact, this week, apparently, the coach asked him not to shoot but to pass to this one boy on the team during the 2nd half of the game so that this boy could try and score. He did such a good job of not shooting it everytime he got the ball – it was very inspiring. I am definitely seeing a really nice young man developing in him. Matthew is making so much progress with basketball. He has scored in almost every game they have played. He has been really a good sport when they lost (which up until yesterday – they had lost 4 and tied 2) and is the best passer on the team. He has switched almost exclusively to a regular shot on the basket instead of the “alley oop” shot he has used the last two years. He is really aware on the court of where the ball is. He gets right in the middle under the basket and – despite being the smallest on the team – he has gotten some rebounds. This league plays man-to-man and the one thing he needs to get is playing on his man. He is continually trying to get open that he sometimes forgets when to play defense and when to play offense. So yesterday they won the game and he was sooooooo excited. He said to me on the way home…”I can’t believe we really won a game finally!” This morning he had come into my bed and he woke up and gave me a hug and then said “I am so happy we finally won a game yesterday!”
The girls are doing fairly well with Cheerleading too. These Kindergartener’s are a little like herding cats to get them to practice but we have ten cheers that they have learned and one dance routine. It probably isn’t the best idea having them cheer at 8 or 9 am because they are really unable to focus at that time of day. But they look so cute. Next week is the last game and I am going to try and video tape them. so…maybe I’ll have another post.
As for me, I have two grants due in the next 4 weeks so I am a little overwhelmed. So, I may or maynot be able to update before then…
Oh yeah, and I have a conference in Orlando the last week of February and decided to take the kids with me.
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Night of tears…
Posted on January 5, 2012 by srlsfamily
It has been a night of fighting/grumping/and bickering. The kids are swinging between playing and at each other’s throats. I am totally done – wiped out. I don’t think there will be much done tonight. First Matthew and Riley…then Matthew and Amalia…then Addison and Matthew —all with an overview of Riley screaming and bothering everyone and not wanting to do homework.
I finally gave up and separated them all – which usually works but the “wanted” to play. It was definitely a melatonin night. And it worked great because all 4 are in bed asleep at 7;50 pm.
(on the otherhand, I got some paperwork that has been hanging over my head done this week and I nearly have a clean desk)
Filed under: Family, Mothering 4, Mothering boys, Single Parent | Tagged: bickering, sibling rivalry | 2 Comments »
I guess it could be the opposite…
Posted on January 4, 2012 by srlsfamily
So, R. has taken to bathing 2 and 3 times a day. The other night he was so grumpy and I put him to bed early. He called down to ask if he could take a bath and so I let him. He did pretty good without any supervision – well, except for not letting the water out. Last night – after basketball practice- he had trouble sleeping. At 10 pm when I went to bed (I’m so exciting, I know- don’t be jealous) he was up in his room making a fort out of all of the pillows. He asked if he could take a bath and went into the bathroom and proceeded to take one. This am, he came into my bed a few minutes before the alarm went off and we were talking. I asked him how he thought we could get him to be less disruptive in the mornings. He said he would stay upstairs for 20 minutes while the other kids ate breakfast. As we were heading downstairs – he called and said…Mom, I’m taking a bath.
So, I thought boys got stinkier not cleaner at this age?
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Happy New Year
Posted on January 1, 2012 by srlsfamily
It is hard to believe that a new year is here. 2012 …I was thinking the other day about how there was such hype about 2000 and the millenium and now…amazingly…in the blink of an eye…it is 2012.
My life has changed so much in the last 12 years.
I was just taking on the part of my job that I totally love and has become such an integral part of me.
I was preparing for my life as a mom and could have never imagined how much heartache – and heartjoy it would bring me.
I would get to work for 7 years with someone who set the standard for honesty and communication, and who taught me so much about how to be a leader…and I endured his departure despite the personal sadness it caused me.
I lost my mother – who I miss almost everyday and wish that she could know my children.
This year I have endured the most stressful year of my career and it has brought me to my knees on more than one occasion. I have wondered if it was worth it and whether I should “pack it in”. And I have had the blessings of friends who have picked me up off my knees and helped me to keep moving on.
I look forward to 2012. I will keep moving forward and know that the right path will show itself.
I hope that you all have a year filled with more blessings than sadness – but enough sadness to recognize your blessings and the wisdom to dwell on what is important and not on what isn’t.
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The death of innocence…
Posted on December 13, 2011 by srlsfamily
Over the weekend we went to Dollar Tree to get some staples and some “jingle bells” for the Annual Jingle Bell Jam at one of the elementary schools. While there, I let the kids pick one thing to get. Matthew picked a watch – and in response to that – Amalia picked one that had a plastic Belle attached to the cover.
This morning at breakfast I saw that Belle was no longer on the watch – but she is wearing it. So I asked…
And she said…”I took it off and put it in my backpack because my friends were making fun of me for liking Princesses!”
I’m so sad for her…do kids really grow up so fast that you can’t like Princesses in the 1st grade?????
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Three Things…
Posted on December 9, 2011 by srlsfamily
Monday evening I picked up the kids a little early and while driving home we were discussing what homework we would be doing and Riley interrupted me and said…
“Can we all sit around the Christmas tree and say 3 things we love about each other first?”
(Crickets)
“Of course…what a great idea!”
…and so we have done that every night we have been home this week.
(I would like to say that it has grounded them and led them to be more eager to do homework when we finally had to…but not so much…)
But it has been a great way to hear what they think and have the express what they like about each other.
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Decorating the Tree
Posted on December 6, 2011 by srlsfamily
Yesterday we pulled out the indoor decorations from the attic. This is my most dreaded activity of this season – and if I am honest, has prevented me from decorating on a couple of years pre-kids. (I have to add that putting them away might be a close second in hated activities and has resulted in a Christmas tree being up in February on a couple of occasions as well!)
But, after yesterday, I have to admit that I might have a few years where these activities won’t bother me so much. Why you ask? Well…Riley was so excited to put the tree up that he:
1) Put 2 loads of laundry in the machines and folded and put away 2 loads -so that we could clear the hallway to safely bring the supplies downstairs
And
2)He went up the attic stairs and handed me down the supplies and he happily went back up there to put the empty boxes away!
This is the first year that he also knows about Santa and we have been talking about him keeping the magic going for his brother and sisters. He has done a good job except for a couple of times where – when angry with me – he has threatened to tell the Santa secret. But he has been able to calm himself enough before he did. Yesterday he was reading to us from the latest “Diary of a wimpy kid” book and he got up and whispered in my ear…”I am going to skip this next page because it talks about the Santa secret”… And then proceeded to read the next page.
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Weekend
Posted on December 3, 2011 by srlsfamily
Finally a weekend off – no calls. Today is a busy day with grocery shopping and one friends birthday on the agenda. I haven’t been grocery shopping since November 1st weekend (except for buying the turkey for Thanksgiving)…so we will head out ot Costco to get staples while the birthday party is going on.
This morning I got up early to do some baking and cleaning. We had some back up in the sewer outside the house this week so my laundry had built up and I have about 4 loads to do (and hopefully fold and put away this weekend). I have cinnamon rolls for breakfast in the oven now and am going to buy some supplies for making some Christmas gifts.
Lunch supplies for the next 2 weeks are also on the list …(there were some sparse supplies and some unusual combinations this week to say the least!). I have…despite my tendencies toward procrastination and succumbing to the stress of trying to think about what to serve each day…been really successful at making and packing lunches 4 out of 5 days every week of the school year so far.
Tomorrow we don’t have any defined plans and I am hopeful I can get off my butt and brave the trip to the attic to get the Christmas Tree and inside decorations down and put up. Next week we start Basketball (for the boys) and Cheerleading (for the girls). I am going to have to think about what to have for dinners.
I have nearly finished the shopping list for Christmas. Just one more present for each of the girls and then some socks and underwear (did your mother’s give you socks and underwear in your stocking each year like mine did?) and candy for the stocking stuffers. Given that my sister and her kids cannot come to our house this year the tree will look a little sparse but all of the kids are getting one present that they really like / requested and a couple other ones that I know they will like. I am really trying to stick to the 3 gifts (like the wise men) approach. They will get extra things from some friends of mine and it is plenty.
Meanwhile today I ordered a family gift for all of them. I have been thinking of a Kinect XBOX 360 program but have been wavering about more screen time and saw this today and knew it was the better choice…all of my kids love to sing and dance to music and I (hope) this will give us things that we can do instead of individuals doing games…
This Memorex MKS-SS1 SingStand Home Karaoke System is on sale at Amazon for $59.00 (originally $99) is perfect. The boys can attach their ipods to it and then we can use the microphone to sing along and practice their moves. I also bought an extra microphone for $16.99. I’m looking forward to this on Christmas day.
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