Gimme a Break!

Although Spring Break has come and gone for this year, the memories will live on.

Believe it or not, this was my first Spring Break trip ever! Seriously. I never even spring-breaked in college. That makes me sound way geekier than I fool myself into thinking I was. But it is true. We didn't have week-long spring breaks in my elementary, middle, and high school years. And when I was in college, I used spring break to go back to my summer job and work for that week. (My parents were waaay generous with the private school tuition and all, but still....)

Anyway, so now...at last...a spring break.

And it was fun. Not in the bikini, beach, and boys kind of way. More like a Princess, Power Ranger, and Pizza Planet kind of way. A vacation full of Disney-powered fun. We had such a fun time at Disney last summer, hubby and I decided to take the kids back again now. It was just the 4 of us this time, and at first the kids were skeptical about going back without grandma and grandpa and a slew of cousins, but in the end, they seemed to adjust just fine. A week with the Mouse seems to have that effect.

On the down-side, it was sure crowded (understatement of the week!) and I'm not in any hurry to head back during spring break-time again, but still...It was a ton of fun.

And you know, fall break is only 6 months away.

My Gift To You

Hey, Moms! Here's a fun little birthday tradition for you to consider next time you have a super kid adding another candle to the cake: Birthday Interviews.

I wish I could claim this idea as my own, but the truth is, I read it in a Family Fun or Parents-type magazine. It goes like this....
Every year on your kid's bday, conduct a little interview. Ask about favorite things - color, movie, food, toys, friends, stuff like that. Spend about 3-10 minutes in question and answer mode, depending on your and/or your child's attention span...and on the level of cooperation. Record the interviews on a dedicated tape/DVD/whatever you use. One tape per kid. The dividends won't pay off until you've done this a couple of times, but eventually, it gets to be a fun time for you and the kids. I've been doing this for the last 3 years now. Q and I sat down a few days ago to watch his first 2 interviews before taping this year's version. He could hardly believe how "little" he used to be. He laughed at some of his answers and guffawed at some of his "favorites" back then. For my part, I tried to hold back a few tears, as I could hardly believe how little he used to be, or what some of his favorite things were back then.

But as different as our reactions were to the interviews of old, we could agree on this: Chocolate Birthday Cake is the best. Good taste (buds) run in the family.

You Are Only as Old as (Your Technology Makes) You Feel

Despite my claim to being a world-class multi-tasker, I am obviously not as good as advertised.

Mom? check

Wife? check

Full-time corporate cube-dweller? check

Blogger?.....Blogger? [insert crickets chirping]

(BTW, if you grew up in the 80s, you should have heard that as Bueller?...Bueller?... Right? Didn't you?)

Anyway, so in an effort to improve my efficiencies and free up a little more time, I've finally made the leap into the 21st century. I now (drum roll, please) electronic bill pay.

Yup, hold your gasps. I e-pay. (What? You thought I'd give up TV??! Oh come on....)

Do you find it hard to believe that a young, hip chick like myself was kickin' it old-school (do kids still say that these days?) and writing checks? Me of the iPod, DVR, and Blackberry. Me of the text message and Twitter. (Ok, I don't Twitter, but it made the sentence sound good, no?)

So, yes. For years I hadn't bothered to set up electronic bill pay. What was I thinking? It is way easy and super convenient.

And so, feeling quite proud of myself, I mentioned this to my mother the other day during a phone chat. I was thinking maybe I could encourage her to do the same. Lend a helping hand. Pay it forward.

And guess what? I barely had the phrase "electronic bill pay" out of my mouth before she says, "Oh, yeah! Isn't it great?"

What? My mother out-teched me? Oh man. Sure, my folks had high-speed internet and GPS long before we did, but still.

What's next, mom?....Facebook?

The Eyes Have It

I have this photo on my computer's desktop. Earlier today, as I fired up the ol' laptop, Keira came over, looked at the picture, and said, "I have tiny eyes; Quinn has big eyes."

"You think so?" I asked.

"Yeah, momma. Quinn has big eyes. You have big eyes. Daddy have big eyes. Keira have tiny eyes."

So this is when it starts, I thought. When she starts to notice that she looks different than the rest of us. It always seems to start earlier than you think it would.

"So who else has tiny eyes?" I ask, expecting her to rattle off the names of the Asian girls in her preschool class or the names of her playgroup friends. Instead, she says this: "Aunt D***."

Once again, she surprises me. Leave it to the girl with tiny eyes to be the one to open mine. Besides, she takes after one of my sisters in terms of her eating habits (they both think M&Ms are a food group in and of themselves). It only makes sense that she'd take after the other sister in some way as well.

Now, if she's just take after someone in the family with a set of good listening ears, we'd be all set.

The Little Brother He's Always Wanted

Quinn often mentions that he'd like a little brother. Not really so little. He'd like about a 4- or 5- year old brother, which in his mind is a way better playmate than a 3-year old sister. See, this boy is wise to adoption and knows that bringing children into your family as an infant isn't the only option. "Next time we adopt, mom," says Quinn, "let's get one that isn't so little....and a boy."

Anyway, we aren't on that path. Not now anyway. But it was Quinn's weekend to have his class' Flat Stanley. We had a laid-back weekend with FS, and "our" homework is to document this in the class notebook. When with other classmates, Stan has been to the Indianapolis Sailing Club and to a football game with a former Colt, among other glorious events. Here, it was pizza and watching The Tigger Movie. Do we go all out for Valentine's Day or what?

FS also went to Quinn's basketball game on Saturday morning (where Quinn finally scored his first basket!). Maybe little Stan is a bit of good luck. I'm sure Q would like to have him along for his next game. I know that from my standpoint, Stan was much easier to entertain in that little gym than K. He also doesn't whine, complain that he's hungry 20 minutes after not eating his lunch, and he never has to use the restroom when you are in the far reaches of the grocery store with a whole cartload of stuff.

Maybe Q is on to something. As far as little brothers go, FS is nearly perfect.

The Winds of Change

The winds of change are blowing here....or, at the least 50-MPH-blow-shingles-off-your-roof winds. But other change is brewing.

Remember the last post? Miss Getting Her Own Breakfast?

Well, she's now Miss Answer the Phone and Keep Track of the Household. In other words, I think she's gunning for my job!

A couple of days ago, I call the house as I'm on my way home (yes, on my cell, while driving, still legal here....oh come on, you know you do it, too!). This is my usual practice. The I'm-on-my-way-What-are-we-having-for-dinner phone call. The difference is that this time, Keira answers. At first I think that her dad must've handed her the phone so she could chat with me (our house phones are set with "special" rings for me, hubby, and grandma, so they know right off who is calling). But, as the conversation continues, I realize that nope - Keira found and answered the phone all on her own. Those of you who know me well (and therefore know my sense that I must control everything) realize the gravity of this: my 3-year old was on her own with a phone! The trouble that could come from this! I shudder at the thought! And, this part goes without saying: where is the supervising adult???

Anyway, not only does she answer, but she proceeds to tell me everything that is going on in the house (hence answering my unspoken question about the whereabouts of her father): Q playing his Nintendo DS, Daddy in the laundry room (he redeems himself!), and kitty downstairs. When I ask what she's doing, she simply replies, "Talkin' to you, momma."

Alrighty. Enough said. Not only are her organization skills impressive, but she answers truthfully and succinctly. Probably overqualified for politics, but some greatness awaits, I'm sure.

It's Snow Problem

Well, apparently it takes a snowstorm to get me to post. Twelve and a half inches fell on Indy yesterday and I've got the school closings to prove it. But unlike my last post, where I seemed all oh-my-gosh-I-can-hardly-stand-to-be-cooped-up-with-little-people, I wanted to add something brighter to this space. Something that says, "I like being with me kids. Really. And I'm so glad I got to spend 2+ years at home with them without the worry and stress that comes with outside employment." So, here we go.

This morning, as I saw Q's school name go scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen, I crawled back into bed and decided that the first remote check of e-mail and voicemail could wait another 30 minutes or so. And a few bleary-eyed minutes later, it was feeling like the old days again. When Keira woke up (thanks to Mr. Q-isn't-for-Quiet), she sleepily asked to eat "beck-fist" in her PJs. Usually, Monday through Friday, my response is a kind and gentle not-today-we-have-to-get-to-school/work/preschool/all of the above. But today, I said yes. Once we hit the kitchen, as I sneak in a e-mail/voice-mail check, Keira rummaged through the freezer to find her waffles and plopped them down by the toaster. This part...not so much like the old days (where I lovingly put the waffles by the toaster). But nonetheless, I got a kick out of her 3-year old self-sufficiency. And at the same time, I managed to feel a twinge of guilt - - couldn't I have just waited until after the waffles to check e-mail? Some mom I am.

But you know what? She didn't mind one bit. In fact, she was very proud of herself. When I told her what a great helper she was, she did a monkey dance around the kitchen. Keira clearly wasn't thinking that she had a lame-o corporate mom who was more worried about teleconferences than her daughter's nutrition. (At least I hope not!) She seemed to be thinking, "Aha! I got to do something for myself! And I did it! I can do it! Yea, me!!"

And then I thought, OK- so you really can't have it all (this I've figured out over the last few months), but you don't have to blame yourself for every little thing. For all those times I've feel like a bad mom for one reason or other (like going back to work, for a big one!), the real opinion that matters is that of the kids. You know, no harm - no foul. If they don't perceive it as bad, I don't have to either. I'll have plenty of other things to beat myself up over the coming years, I might as well give myself a break where I can.

So Miss K - have at it. Soon you'll be making your own breakfast and signing your own permission slips, all in the time it takes me to reply to voice-mail.

Besides, she's got management written all over her, don't you think?

I Don't Know How I Did It

Here's how it went down....

Friday: Too darn cold here, school was cancelled. Kids home, mom therefore home, too, albeit working from home (armed with laptop and Blackberry). Heavy doses of TV and video games seems to work OK and gets us all what we need.

Saturday: Hubby putting in his every-4th-weekend shift, so again - mom home with kids. Still about 50 degrees below zero (an improvement on 100 below previous 2 days). Trying to limit activities involving TV with some degree of success but wishing it was springtime so we could run it off outside.

Sunday: See Saturday.

Sunday afternoon: Fighting over the V-Motion (kids, not mom). Whining about who just won Hullabaloo. Kicking. Throwing basketballs near very large and expensive HDTV. Lost blankets. Lost Nintendo DS (actually just hidden). And nearly, a lost mind. (Did I mention somewhere yet that amidst this all, about 3am Saturday morning, I think, Keira woke up with a 102.7 fever? No? Not yet? Ok. Consider it mentioned now.)

And guess what's next? No school again on Monday. Thanks for all you did, MLK; but this is a little much.

Someone, please remind me: how was it that I was a resident of Stay-at-Home-Mommyville for over 2 years? Was I a happy resident? Did I emotionally scar my children while living there? I'm sure it was a very lovely place, I just can't seem to remember it all right now. Give me a minute....

In the meantime, enjoy the lovely new spring-like blog background. I had to think-spring as a remedy for cabin fever. (As a life-long midwesterner, I really do love the change of seasons, but after about Jan 5, I'm done with winter. And as all midwesterners know, spring is always, always too short.)

Anyway, as I said, enjoy the new background, cuz there are no new pix this time around. I did get an awesome new camera for Christmas, but I just have get more adept at making it talk to my less-awesome laptop.

Oh. OK - fine. Stop whining like the kids. I'll post a couple of photos. Sheesh. I know that's why you all stop by anyway. ;-) Plus, this will provide photographic evidence that indeed, no kids were harmed in the production of this weekend.

Happy Now?

Yeah, well...another 3 weeks....another vacuum in bloggerland. Apparently this whole back-to-work thing is cramping my style more than I thought. But that's another post. (So is our fabulous Christmas, my Nintendo DS Brain Game addiction, and so on.)

Here's tonight's topic (it'll be short and sweet: Leverage is on TNT in 18 minutes!....Yes, I may be back to work, but I still make time for TV!): Quotable Quotes from Quinn and Qeira...I mean, Keira....I wanted it be totally alliterative, but I guess 3 out of 4 Q's ain't bad. Anyway, here we go...

1. "I not very happy wif you!" - Keira, after I put her in a mini-timeout for excessive use of toothpaste. As it turned out, I wasn't very happy with her at that moment either.

2. "You know what they say, Save money. Live better. Wal-mart." - Quinn, after reluctantly agreeing with his dad about saving his money instead of buying more Kooky pens. I think he watches a bit too much TV.

3. "Each sold separately." - Quinn, to Keira, while playing "store". When your son sounds like a TV commercial as a part of his normal speech pattern, you can confirm that, indeed, the TV is on too much. Or his brain is too sponge-like. Or both.

4. "Mommy, I love you most of the world." - Keira. Just because.

And yes, I am very happy with her now.

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We hope you all are having a great start to 2009!