Up For Adventure

If you know me well then you know that I am perfectly comfortable with hanging out on the couch scrapbooking, or playing board games with my kiddos. This summer I am really trying to embrace being outside as much as possible. Previous summers I did the same, kind of - I would spend as much time as possible floating in a pool. This summer I have dug rocks out of my lawn, put together seven flower beds, gone berry picking (which I have always loved), and ventured to a place I had never been, but now love. One of Mad Man’s friends went to a cool waterfall in the beginning of summer. So I put it on our bucket list. Now, I really don’t enjoy driving and this was about an hour away, so summer went on and I almost forgot about the waterfall. The weather looked good yesterday, and I got my dad on board so the kiddos and my dad and I (plus one of T Bear’s good friends) went off on an adventure. I drove, Poppi Man navigated. We had no idea what to expect, which I think was part of the fun for me. Maybe I’ve been watching too much Bachelor in Paradise, but I felt the need for an adventure. So we hiked the trail, which was an easy hike thankfully, and found the steps down to the waterfall. There were other people there wading in the water so we decided to join. Mad Man is so much fun on an adventure. He embraces it right from the start. He had his shirt, socks, and shoes off before I said it was okay to go in!  The girls joined right in. We walked along the slippery, jagged rocks, through the truly frigid water; it was amazing!  Poppi Man went right under the waterfall and the kiddos got very close to it. It was a truly special day; one I am not likely to forget. We explored the other trail when we got out of the water!  It was an excellent way to spend a day. I am looking forward to more adventures. To showing the kiddos that it’s okay to not know exactly what to expect. To embrace the unknown. To live in the moment. To try something new. I am starting to find myself more and more when I am in nature; it’s a beautiful thing.

  

What is it about August?

August is basically a month long Sunday for me. You know the anxious feelings that arise on Sunday mornings that scream “the weekend is over!” That is how the entire month of August feels to me. It’s not the hopeful summer will last forever vibe that July brings. It’s the oh no September is almost here and there is no time to do anything feel. Now, I realize that these are not wholly rational thoughts, but none the less they persist. So what do we do about it?  Tackle August. I’m trying to use up every ounce of every day this month. I’ve checked off summer bucket list items. I’ve made to do lists. I’ve  tried to plan every possible fun thing I can. The result so far is mixed: yes I have accomplished a great deal by taking this approach, but what have I missed?  I haven’t taken many moments to savor the beauty of a summer with a nine year old and six year old. They will never again be this age and we will never have these precise moments. By feeling the dread of September and schedules and routines, I have overlooked the joy of the lack of these during August. So August I see you. I see the days dwindling. I feel the nights getting cooler. I am going to embrace you as you race toward September. And if I am able to conquer you then I will work on taking on Sundays. Enjoy the journey. Be present. Live in the moment. I’m trying. Sometimes I need a reminder, but I’m trying.

Parenting through a separation

Marriage is hard. That is an insane understatement. Maybe I never thought marriage should be hard. You have two people who fall in love, build a life together, start a family...sounds beautiful to me. The reality for me was not beautiful. It was laborious, disappointing, and ultimately unsuccessful and heartbreaking. After almost thirteen years of marriage we decided to try for a separation “a chance for  us to figure out how to be happy” is what we told the kiddos. Sweet, innocent, devastated kiddos - whose life was changed forever by that lame statement. I am going to try to write my way through this. It is in no way meant to be a tell-all, or a blame-game. I am going to focus on how I am parenting through this - which if I’m being honest has shown some of my lowest points of parenting. That certainly fits my theme of a roller coaster - which when I initially named my blog was meant to simply capture the highs and lows; I had absolutely zero notion of how low it would go.

Summer Bucket List 2015

Making conversation during meals with a six year old and a three year old is not always easy or appealing. A few weeks ago, in an attempt to avoid potty humor the kiddos and I came up with an idea to list all of the things we wanted to do over the summer. Here is our list, which took several meals to complete and allowed me not to hear tooting noises for the duration of the creation of our list!

1. Picnic on the property

2. Roast marshmallows

3. Camp on the property

4. Sleep outside

5. Sleepover at Mima and Poppis

6. Plant flowers

7. Start a garden

8. Make the ponds on the property pretty

9. Go for bike rides

10. Go star gazing

11. See fireworks

12. Go for four wheeler rides

13. Play on the playground

14. Have a pic in at the playground

15. Go to Gilbert Lake

16. Blow bubbles

17. Go on a water slide

18. Take swimming lessons

19. Go for long walks

20. Have family game nights

21. Have movie nights

22. Go to Wildwood, New Jersey

23. Build a sand castle

24. Go to the drive-in

25. Try to plan a trip to Disney World

26. Go swimming in a pool, a lake, and the ocean

27. Have play dates with friends - outside

28. Eat outside

29. Go on a hike

30. Have an outside dance party

31. Get ice cream from the ice cream man

32. Play boardwalk games in Wildwood, New Jersey

33. Catch lightning bugs

34. Make S'mores 

35. Fly kites

36. Go climbing

38. Go berry picking

39. Play outside

40. Go to the zoo

41. Visit Auntie

42. Move!!

43. Build a new house

44. Try new foods 

45. Go flower picking

Halloween 2015

Happy Halloween 2015! I love Halloween; I always have. This year everything is a little crazy because we are still waiting for our new house to be done, so we are living in limbo! Luckily, I knew right where our decorations were stored - well, some of them. We decorated with what we had on October first, like always. Pumpkin carving was definitely lacking this year, since we spend very little time in our "apartment" (which is a half a house attached to my in-laws). Normally I go crazy with the pumpkin designs, but we really only had one night available to carve. So, Mad Man wanted Chase from Paw Patrol which was fun. T wanted something Descendants, which I didn't figure out, so she carved her own! It was so much fun watching her figure out how to work the carving tools and the determination she had to get it just right was awesome!  As always I try to squeeze every drop of fun out of the month of October. We trick or treated at the mall, a retirement village, the college, and two neighborhoods. Fun!!

Fact or Fantasy

I don't like change. At all. It is not something I embrace and it is not something I am comfortable with. So, I try to keep my babies as babies in spite of the fact that they are now six and a half and three and a half. I also have always been a fan of some of the blurred lines between fact and fiction. There was a TV show I loved - I think it was called Fact or Fiction? To me it didn't always matter if it was actually fact or fiction, I liked the entertainment value. Recently, watching Inside Out (awesome by the way if you haven't seen it!), and I laughed so hard when the boxes of facts and opinions got dumped and mixed up. There was a great line to accompany that - something like "it happens all the time." So my ability to answer all of my little ones questions is sometimes quite challenging. 

My T Bear is quite intuitive. She consistently asks questions about God and Heaven, the afterlife, and if certain things are real. I want her to maintain her childlike innocence for as long as possible. Tonight, after watching one of her favorite shows Sofia the First she asked me if wee sprites are real. Umm... There certainly is no manual for how to answer that question! I said, "yes, I think they are." Her response was, "no, they are fantasy." Wow. Okay. What does any 2015 mom do?? Google it. Thankfully the first response we found confirmed that they are in fact real but you cannot see them unless you have some crazy ability to see through their "curtain." Wow. Who writes this stuff anyway?? That answer was sufficient for now. Then I feel guilty for hiding the truth of the world from her. I want her to believe in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, wonder, magic...everything an innocent little girl should believe in. At what point is that wrong? Does it matter? I mean, I believed  in Santa until my parents had to literally show me that they were the ones leaving the presents. I turned out okay, at least in my own estimation!

High: Realizing just how intuitive my T is. 

Low: Facing the reality that my babies will not be innocent babies forever. 

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 12

Both kiddos loved this one! Eli was in his own bathtub filled with marshmallows (of course - what else would an elf bathe in?) in our bathroom. T Bear thought it was funny; Mad Man just wanted the marshmallows!

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 13

I'm so bummed I didn't get a picture of this one! We have an outdoor decoration hanging inside on our stairway. It has a Santa, a reindeer, an elf, and a snowman on it. Each is climbing a different part of a ladder. Eli made himself at home on the reindeer's antler. The kiddos loved it!

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 14

Oh Christmas tree! T found Eli right away. She has been waiting for him to be in the tree! 

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 15

My grandfather carved and painted a few of my Christmas decorations. I hold them dear. It is fitting for Eli to be hanging upside down on one of the Santas that my grandfather created. He loved Christmas and was a fun-loving man. I bet he would have gotten a kick out of this whole Elf on the Shelf concept!  He would have been seriously creative. Here's to you Grandpa. 

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 16

This is one of my favorites so far. Every year I bring out all of my old Christmas stuffed animals, along with the new ones the kiddos have accumulated. I always take a perspective picture with the kiddos and all of the animals. Of course Eli has to have a snuggle with these stuffed animals!

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 17

Let the holiday baking commence! T couldn't believe Eli was on my mixer! She thought he was going to be covered with dough! So much fun! Plus, this location meant no baking for me today! Bonus!

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 18

I am really proud of Hubby for this one!  He had mentioned wanting Eli to go fishing, but we didn't quite know how to stage it. I fell asleep with Mad Man so it was all on Hubby, and he came through! This scene looks great!

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 19

Hubby had to take care of Eli's location again. I like this one. Kiddos liked it too. Eli in the kitchen with some of their cups, "drinking" some liquid delight!

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 20

Last night T Bear wanted to leave Eli a treat. So sweet. She left out some Hershey Kisses and a little cake. For this spot I had to make sure Eli was appreciative. So, he wrote a little note and was planted on top of the wrapping paper. T loved the note!  Success!

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 21

This is a must every year. Hubby hates these big Christmas balls that I hang; I adore them. Apparently, Eli loves them too! T said she knew he would be on one!

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 22

Eli is really getting into the toys now! T couldn't believed he had strapped himself in! M thought it was hilarious (plus, he was able to spot him first this time!). 

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 26

This was our last day with Eli this year. I feel sad. I had the kiddos say good bye to him and wish him a great year. To think that the next time they see him they will be a year older is sad to me. Rationally, I know I cannot keep them babies forever, but I wish I could. I wish I could bottle up their innocence and the sweet way they talk to this little elf doll. I wish I could make them believe in the magic of the season forever. I was watching The Polar Express with the kiddos the other day, and realized I relate to the main character. I still believe in the magic of Christmas and want to instill that belief in my kiddos. Hopefully I am. 

For Eli's last location I really stumped the kiddos. I put him in Sophia the First's castle. It is near out pellet stove and the kiddos really had a hard time finding him. Mad thought he already flew back to the North Pole! With a little help they found him. Another successful year. I really love this time of the year. 

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 23

I love this one! Eli needed some fun in his life so I set him up playing Old Maid with a few of his friends! Both kiddos thought this was funny!

Our Elf on the Shelf 2014 Adventures: Day 24

Who wouldn't want to cuddle up with their holiday stuffed animals? Eli looked super snuggly "reading" a book to his new friends. The kiddos had a really hard time finding him today!