I would post more often but my brain is not cooperating. I shall provide two recent examples.
Example #1
It took me two days to figure out how old Jake was. Someone asked me and I began to count out the months since August but I got interrupted. I remember trying to finish counting before the conversation ended but never got to it. I still count on my fingers for this kind of higher math, so this was a very complicated and involved operation. For the rest of the day I kept trying to return to the problem without being able to finish it. The following day, same thing. By the afternoon I was asked again while out and stopped everything to count it out on my fingers. Embarrassing? Yes. Necessary? Totally.
Example #2
I needed to reimburse my brother for a group Christmas gift. Yes, it's May. Last week the stars aligned - I found the note cards, envelopes, a stamp, and had the cash in my wallet. After dropping Morgan off at her tumbling class on post, I went to drop the letter in the mail and was so proud of myself! Not even five minutes later as I looked in my bag, I saw the cash sitting there on top where I'd stashed it for a moment to handle a little one's tantrum at the post office. UGH! I finally got it together and sent the money today - a week later.
In my defense though, this month has been fun and busy:
- We had cousins Lizzie and Miles come for Easter and Spring break while their family made a whirlwind trip through the Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland. Memay and Grandpa Mark stopped in for the Easter festivities and we ate real good as always because that's what we do best together!
- McKay turned 6 and we threw him a birthday party with a handful of his friends. Post with lots of pictures is almost finished, just needs a few edits.
- I painted our main room (entry, dining, living, hallway) a sunny, butter yellow and LOVE the facelift! Why anyone uses dull flat wall paint is a complete mystery to me! You can't wash off dirt and smudges so it looks as bad as our banged up matte finish hard wood floors. Ugh! Three and a half years with small children in a small space with flat paint - I couldn't stand it any longer. I stated my intent to undertake the project at the end of February to most anyone who would listen, had a designer friend help me select a color and give me room layout pointers, and then couldn't find a time to paint until last week. Two months of brooding over it. The two weeks beforehand, I stress-ate thinking about how to fit it into my life. I essentially couldn't start a coat until the kids went to bed around 7 and it took me until 1 to finish most nights. Wash, tape the walls, a primer coat or two, plus two coats of paint should do the trick but it would be a multi-day project.
Ryan was supposed to go to Dublin with some friends from work one weekend so I set that as my target weekend. I found a babysitter to come take care of the kids' needs that Saturday so I could just focus on painting. But then Ryan's flight had issues and was delayed so he bailed on the trip and we went to pick him up. This actually turned into a godsend because Ryan took all the kids to Sensapolis all day Saturday and I got to take care of the washing, taping and primer uninterrupted! Heavenly! And listen to whatever I wanted! He tried not to look deflated when they got home, but he was totally hoping I'd have the job all done. I was quite pleased with being able to finish what I did and considered it a victory!
I dove back in Monday night, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night to finish up. The tape job I did stuck too well and it had to be surgically removed. This was a bit complicated with my assistants being three years old and 8 months. Jake followed me around like a puppy dog, enjoying pulling himself up on my varied postures of hunched over, kneeling, or standing as I removed the tape with an blade or dull kitchen knife. He was content and quiet and I was gettin' it done so the scenario worked for us both! Many times I'd look down and marvel that I'd forgotten what a silly little scene it must have been! But oh how I love the facelift and that little man! Both are totally worth the sleep deprivation!
- In addition to trying to get myself to soccer on Monday nights after the kids are in bed, I've added tennis lessons. I've always wanted to learn how to play the game but my one attempt at a pick up game with Lorry and Ryan led Lorry to advise I really needed actual lessons. I didn't know how to hold a racquet or hit the ball. Pretty big components to the game! Another one? In tennis you don't stop the ball with your body. You have to position yourself at a distance so the racquet can do it's job. Not rocket science, I know, but this is a bit mind-blowing for my brain and body at the moment. I spent my entire first lesson telling myself over and over "this is not soccer, don't stop the ball with your body." My instructor laughed out loud when I told her. I think she was just relieved that there was a true reason for my brain-body delay. But I'm loving my lessons and had to take advantage of having a fun good instructor at my disposal. I will not be entering or winning any tournaments any time soon as Ryan and the kids can attest, but at least I'll have a clue. For FHE last night we took the kids to the courts and hit balls together. It was really fun and I did it again with the boys today who had today off for Germany's equivalent of Labor Day.
Example #1
It took me two days to figure out how old Jake was. Someone asked me and I began to count out the months since August but I got interrupted. I remember trying to finish counting before the conversation ended but never got to it. I still count on my fingers for this kind of higher math, so this was a very complicated and involved operation. For the rest of the day I kept trying to return to the problem without being able to finish it. The following day, same thing. By the afternoon I was asked again while out and stopped everything to count it out on my fingers. Embarrassing? Yes. Necessary? Totally.
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| Easton can't get enough of his little buddy! |
Example #2
I needed to reimburse my brother for a group Christmas gift. Yes, it's May. Last week the stars aligned - I found the note cards, envelopes, a stamp, and had the cash in my wallet. After dropping Morgan off at her tumbling class on post, I went to drop the letter in the mail and was so proud of myself! Not even five minutes later as I looked in my bag, I saw the cash sitting there on top where I'd stashed it for a moment to handle a little one's tantrum at the post office. UGH! I finally got it together and sent the money today - a week later.
In my defense though, this month has been fun and busy:
- We had cousins Lizzie and Miles come for Easter and Spring break while their family made a whirlwind trip through the Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland. Memay and Grandpa Mark stopped in for the Easter festivities and we ate real good as always because that's what we do best together!
- McKay turned 6 and we threw him a birthday party with a handful of his friends. Post with lots of pictures is almost finished, just needs a few edits.
Ryan was supposed to go to Dublin with some friends from work one weekend so I set that as my target weekend. I found a babysitter to come take care of the kids' needs that Saturday so I could just focus on painting. But then Ryan's flight had issues and was delayed so he bailed on the trip and we went to pick him up. This actually turned into a godsend because Ryan took all the kids to Sensapolis all day Saturday and I got to take care of the washing, taping and primer uninterrupted! Heavenly! And listen to whatever I wanted! He tried not to look deflated when they got home, but he was totally hoping I'd have the job all done. I was quite pleased with being able to finish what I did and considered it a victory!
- In addition to trying to get myself to soccer on Monday nights after the kids are in bed, I've added tennis lessons. I've always wanted to learn how to play the game but my one attempt at a pick up game with Lorry and Ryan led Lorry to advise I really needed actual lessons. I didn't know how to hold a racquet or hit the ball. Pretty big components to the game! Another one? In tennis you don't stop the ball with your body. You have to position yourself at a distance so the racquet can do it's job. Not rocket science, I know, but this is a bit mind-blowing for my brain and body at the moment. I spent my entire first lesson telling myself over and over "this is not soccer, don't stop the ball with your body." My instructor laughed out loud when I told her. I think she was just relieved that there was a true reason for my brain-body delay. But I'm loving my lessons and had to take advantage of having a fun good instructor at my disposal. I will not be entering or winning any tournaments any time soon as Ryan and the kids can attest, but at least I'll have a clue. For FHE last night we took the kids to the courts and hit balls together. It was really fun and I did it again with the boys today who had today off for Germany's equivalent of Labor Day.
