Blast (off)!

Working 9-5:30 on Saturdays always stinks, but especially in the summer.  I get up extra early to unload the dishwasher, start a load of laundry, and get something figured out for dinner before I leave.  Then, on the way home, all I can think about is getting dinner on the table, finishing the laundry and other house work that needs to be done while at the same time enjoying some weekend time with my family.

Today, as I drove down my street, I passed the kids who were out for a ride on the Barbie Jeep.  As I pulled in the driveway, the Barbie Jeep sped towards me, and all I could hear was the deafening cry of three children chanting,

Rocket!
Rocket!
Rocket!

They excitedly informed me that daddy had promised they could go blow off a rocket when mommy got home from work.  They didn't care that dinner wasn't done, and a trip to the grocery store was in order before dinner could be on the table.  They didn't care that none of the day's dishes had even made it into the dishwasher, and were piled up in the sink.  They didn't care that the same load of laundry I had put in the wash this morning was still there.  They didn't care that the kitchen counters were a mess, that every toy in the family room was out on the floor, that the backyard looked like a bomb had exploded.

They were excited, giddy about the idea of going down the street to blow off that rocket.  It took every bit of strength I could muster to put on a happy face, grab the camera, and walk down there with them.

They took turns doing the countdown and pushing the launcher button on the remote control.

They shrieked with delight as the rocket blasted in the air, and counted the number of seconds it remained airborne.  They chased the rocket, eagerly following it's descent pattern until it landed on the ground. 

They found great humor when the rocket landed in a neighborhood tree, and watched eagerly as daddy and a neighbor problem solved how to free the rocket from it's snare.

They watched through binoculars, recorded data in a notebook, laughed, ran and smiled for the entire half-hour we were down there.

And when we finally did come home?  The house was still a mess, the dishes still weren't done, the laundry still wasn't finished.  Mommy still had to make a trip to the grocery store before getting dinner on the table, and we ate at the time we're usually getting ready for bed.  But once we were finally tucking the kids into bed for the night, all 3 proclaimed the rocket blasting to be the best part of their weekends.  How can you argue with that?

Full Disclosure: A Day in History

One of the things that I like most about social media is the ability to stay connected.  Whether it be playing around on Facebook, or reading other people's blogs, stay-at-home moms like myself find a way to connect with other people at a time in their lives that might feel quite isolating.

On the other hand, one of the things that I hate most about social media is the "toot your own horn" epidemic that it creates.  Moms that rely on their Facebook status or most recent blog post to brag about their kids, what a wonderful mom they are, what nutritous meals they feed their children, what wonderful places they take them and experiences they give them.  Blah, blah, blah.  I choose to let it all hang out ... the good, the bad, and the ugly.  On Facebook, I'm just as likely to be complaining about my children as I am to be praising them.  Just as likely to mention how bored I am, as I am to mention what a fun day we just had.  Just as likely to admit to my shortcomings and mistakes as I am to my victories and accomplishments.

So, in order to keep this blog as realistic as possible, let me offer this amendment to my most recent post about taking the children to the Museum of History.  Lest any of you should be left thinking, "what a great mom", or "how wonderful are her children", I want to be sure that I'm fully disclosing the following:

Before getting this cute shot of all of the kids sitting with Abe Lincoln on the bench outside ...

I had to utter the words, "Kara, get your finger out of Abe's nose!  And Jack, get your finger out of your nose!"
 

Before getting this darling shot of all 3 kids posing on the steps to the courthouse, there was a lot of whining, fighting, arguing, and threatening by mommy.  I had also just finished saying, "Kara, take your thumb out of your mouth and smile!"  (notice the left thumb, freshly removed from mouth, poised to go back in once the photo was taken?)

Once inside of the pioneer home, we spent more than our fair share of time going inside of the outhouse, pretending it stunk, and running out of there.  What can I say?  We like poop humor.

And when the day was over, we ended it like we end most family activities in the summer time, eating ice cream:

Final disclosure:  mommy has gained 5-10 pounds this summer with all of the ice cream eating that has been going on!

Now excuse me while I go update my Facebook status with the following:

Sitting around in my pajamas, updating my blog, while my kids are parked in front of the television.  Again.

A Day in History

Some of the best days I have with the kids are days that start out with no plan.  Days where we're just sitting around the house one minute, and packing a picnic lunch and heading out the door the next ... with no plans or destination in mind.

Today we did just that, and found ourselves having a picnic lunch outside of the county's Museum of History.  I took a gamble and decided that there had to be something inside of there that would appeal to the kids, and knew full well that the airconditioning alone would appeal to me on such a hot, humid day!

The building where the museum is housed is amazing in itself.  It's the old county courthouse where Abe Lincoln himself practiced law as a young attorney.  The kids really enjoyed being able to walk around a real courtroom, and taking turns acting as judge and jury, and taking the witness stand ...

A temporary exhibit in the museum this summer was a look at how and what we eat, and the differences in kitchens from the 1800s to today.  I loved looking at the kitchen of the 1970's, and pointing out to the kids that we had the same fride and macrame owl when I was growing up!

The kids weren't nearly as interested in the kitchen displays as I was, but they sure did enjoy playing in the play kitchen area at the end of the display while mommy looked.

Their favorite part of the history museum, by far, was the pioneer home exhibit.  There, the kids were able to try on some of the clothes of the period, and use tools and utensils of the day to perform daily chores.  They played in that area for well over a 1/2 hour, and begged not to leave!  I'll have to keep this place in mind on a cold winter's day!

Some of the best days I have with the kids aren't planned.  They're days where we wander and explore and find something to do to keep ourselves busy.  And sometimes we find a place like this one ... that will surely be added to our "things to do" list from now on!

Friends!

A little over two years ago, I was deeply saddened about leaving yet another community which I had grown accustomed to.  Another town where I made friends, join groups, started to feel established, and then had to leave it all behind.  It took me a while to get into a groove once moving to this new town.  I didn't have the energy or desire to put myself out there for the entire first summer we lived here.  I didn't feel like joining groups, meeting new people, or getting connected in yet another new community.  I just simply didn't have the energy to do it all again.

Luckily, those feelings only lasted a little while, and eventually I began to come around.  I got the kids signed up for schools and programs, joined some local moms groups, began meeting neighbors, and establishing our family as members of a new community.  And I'm so gald that I did!  Having other families to  hang out with on a Saturday night is great.  Friends that we can laugh and talk and have drinks with while our kids play together and have fun themselves?  Priceless!

Getting "connected" with your community and the people around you is hard work sometimes, but so worth the investment!

Blackmail

We've all been there.  You bring home a guy that you've been dating for a while, and mom, dad, and the whole family take great pleasure in doing their best to embarrass you.  They pull out every story and anecdote they can think of that makes you look like a fool.  When you're really lucky, they might even be able to pull out the dusty old photo album and show some accompanying photos of you in various states of nakedness, awkwardness, or plain old ugliness.

It's painful, it's embarrassing, and I can't wait until the day I can do the same to my own children.  There's sure to be lots of talk about how much Jack liked playing with his sisters.  And their girl toys.  Specifically, a certain mermaid named Ariel. 

Faith

"Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to."  - George Seaton

Home: Summer

We've moved around quite a bit in the last 10 years.  Leaving 3 houses in 2 states, you're bound to miss the "good old days".  Maybe not the house as much as the events of your life while you were living there.  The friends you had, the neighborhood you left behind, the parties you hosted, the babies that were born there.

Every time you flip through a photo album, you search the background for pieces of what you remember about your old house.  That carpet, the way your furniture was set up in a room.  The toys and decorations you still have today, and the things that you had forgotten you ever owned.

Every house has it's own story, it's own set of memories, it's own former "life".  Every house you ever live in contributes something to who you are.  And in every house resides a little piece of each person that has ever lived or visited there.  This is where we live, and no matter what the future holds, part of us always will.

We interrupt this summer day ...

with a special report:

a tree is still considered "base" when you are playing tag,

you can still drink water right out of the hose without getting sick,

an afternoon in the sprinkler is still fun,

decisions CAN be made using the "Bubblegum, bubblegum in a dish" method,

a good game of "Duck, Duck, Goose!" never goes out of style,

and if you lie on your back in the grass, you can still find shapes and pictures in the clouds.

Don't forget to remember your inner-child this summer.  And don't forget to take some time to stop and smell the flowers.

You may now go back to your regularly scheduled day.

A Picture Speaks a 1,000 words ...

...but a video clip says even more:

Toy Story!

Knowing that the 3rd movie in the series was set to be released this summer, I began introducing the Toy Story characters and first two movies to Jack at Christmas time.  I wanted him to love them and the movies as much as I did!
Well, after 7 months I'd have to say we were successful ... he's a fan!  And we have the paraphernalia to prove it!

The best part of the day?  I got home from work at 6:15, we decided to go see the movie at 6:30, and were sitting in our seats at the movie theater for the 6:50 show time.  That type of speed and spontaneity have beenunheard of for the past 7 years of our lives, when any trip outside of the house involved diaper changes, packing a bag, and bringing bottles/food for the little ones.  I'm thrilled that we're past that part of our lives, and entering the part where we can just pick up and go on a moment's notice ... but, like Andy's mom in the movie, a bit teary-eyed that it has so quickly become a thing of our past.

On the Way Home: Milwaukee

On our way home from Door County, we don't always have time to make a stop in Milwaukee or Oak Creek to visit our old friends and favorite places ... but this year we did!

We stopped in Milwaukee for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants from when we lived there, LaFuente.

You know that a restaurant might not be in the best neighborhood when you find this posted on the door:

Despite the neighborhood, the restaurant is amazing.  They have a beautiful outdoor patio with fountains, but sadly we had to pass on outdoor seating that day.  No matter how pretty, something about eating in 90-degree heat with 100% humidity just isn't appealing!  Unless you happen to be drinking margaritas.  Since we weren't, we ate indoors and enjoyed some of the best chips and salsa in town.

Yum!

Door County: Outside

Luckily, our entire trip wasn't a wash-out.  The 4th of July was a fairly decent day, although windy with some drizzle during the fireworks.  It rained a lot of the rest of the time, but we managed to steal some time in between the raindrops to get outside and do what we love most ...

playing in the sand with Grandpa Buck

going for nature walks

playing in the water with Luke

building sandcastles down by the water

going for a quick swim

taking a ride on Auntie Jen's SeaDoo

playing mini golf for the first time

Door County: around Bailey's Harbor

Another idea we had was to take lots and lots of pictures around Bailey's Harbor.  The dark, rainy, foggy conditions didn't really allow us to take many photos, but we got a good start on a collection that we hope will grow each time we visit!