Day 127 -Sidetracked

I didn't get my blog homework done because I was too distracted with craft show work and Disney reservation making...more on that another time!!

Day 126 - Water Day

The kids spent a lot of time in the water today. First we went to a friend's pool, then we had water slide time at home, and then we had a short swim at the neighbor's pool.

Maria is starting to get very brave in the water. She just started putting her face in the water a couple of weeks ago, along with jumping in off the side.

She really surprised me tonight when she jumped off the diving board!!

Next thing you know, she'll want her training wheels off...

Day 125 - Game Time

I love it when I learn something and then can turn around and use it with my kids. At my tennis class today, we played a game that really kicked my behind. It was so fun I had to use it to get my kids up and running.

You will need about 4 balls per person. Put all of the balls in the middle of your playing area. Then come up with a "home base" for each player. At tennis we used our rackets, but at home we used a tote lid, a hula hoop, and a big frisbie. Spread the home bases evenly around the ball pool.

The goal is to get 4 balls onto your home base first. You can take a ball from the middle pool or from another player's home base. Stealing is key and makes it more fun. It turns it from a race into a strategy game.

You can put out less than four balls per person to make it more challenging (think of musical chairs.)

Luke and I played it with 2 players, the same amount of balls, but each of us tried to get 5.

Try it! It's so fun!

Day 124 - Out of Touch

Chris is definitely the news watcher/listener around here. When NPR is not on the radio then it's Fox News or CNN on TV. He tries to learn about the war and things happening overseas to use as ammunition for when it's his turn.

Since he left in March, our TV watching habits have changed. I've made a favorite list on the remote control with all of the kid friendly channels so the kids can flip it themselves and I don't have to worry about what might end up on the screen.

I about died the day Micheal Jackson died. Not because I was sad or anything. It was because I switched favorite lists to watch CNN for a bit out of curiosity...and then I could not get the kid's channel list working again. I thought it would be the end of me. It took me two days of trying to figure it out before I found the remedy.

When Chris was home this weekend, he of course wanted to watch the news. I would not let him switch favorite lists. My sanity is that important. So, we looked up the channel numbers on the internet and hand punched them into the remote. Ah...technology.

So, all of this kid channel watching has kept me up to speed on Sponge Bob and Pokemon, but way behind on pop culture and the news. I might be the only person in the world not watching the Micheal Jackson memorial today. I'm so glad I get to keep those hours of my life. I'll take iCarly any day.

Days 120 - 123 Fourth of July Blur

Thank goodness Chris came home this weekend. Earlier this year we thought he wouldn't be able to leave California for the 4th. I was dreading getting on a plane with the 3 kids to visit him, even though we would have had a great time out there. Someday I really want to see Joshua Tree National Park. But I can wait.

It was a quick and fun weekend. Here are some of the highlights...

We went to his family's home in Illinois. Mother Nature delivered a wet and soggy day for the family party.
All the rain led to a cancellation of the fireworks show, so we had to make do with what we brought. The kids really didn't miss the big ones.


Today we went to Lake Michigan. We figured out the beach is the only place that Luke doesn't get in trouble. He loves building in the sand.


Maria, on the other hand, loves the water. We couldn't keep her out of it today.


It was Elise's first trip to the beach. She chilled out in the shade all day and cooed at the seagulls.


We got home and got Chris back to the airport for his return flight. So, now it feels like normal again. Except that Luke is crying about missing his dad. Hopefully that will subside.

I told him our family is like a puzzle with one piece is missing and if we are patient that last piece to the puzzle will show up before we know it.

I hate wishing away time, but I am really looking forward to this being over.

Day 119 - Maria the Thinker

Over the last few days Maria has really been wondering about things. It's been a never-ending series of "why" questions. Here are some things she's been wondering about:

Why do we have windows?
Why do we have walls?
Why do we have bottoms?
Why do we have eyebrows?
Why do we need toys?
Why do we have beds?
Why do birds fly?
Why do we get mail?
Why does Venus have poisonous gas?


And then yesterday she asked:
Why do we have a Dad? Is it for love?

That one was easy to answer.

Chris is on his way home. Tomorrow will be a happy day!

Day 118 - Hand Me Downs

Over the years I've slowly been parting with Luke's old clothes at garage sales and consignment sales. It's hard for me - I'm a sentimental pack-rat. Those baby clothes are so darn cute.

We brought all 3 kids home from the hospital in the same outfit...I'll never be able to get rid of it. But each year, the save pile gets smaller as the baby days get farther and farther into the past.

I saved all of Luke's baby clothes and not knowing Maria was going to be a girl until it was too late, she spent a lot of time in blue and gray. She didn't seem to mind.


And now Elise is following suit. I rescued these sweatpants from the garage sale pile this year. I think they look so sweet on her. Well, I think anything looks sweet on her. She is quite the cutie.