the boys of summer, and where's my margarita again?

sanemom June 20, 2012

The sprinklers are on, the heat is here, and school is out … how’s your summer going so far? We’re in the thick of trips and playdates and visitors and parties, and it feels good but a little crazy. I’m looking forward to things settling down a bit, but honestly it doesn’t look much like it’s going to for awhile.

What were your summers like as a kid? I remember long days of games and the backyard pool and firefly catching. Books too, lots of books. Speaking of which, if you haven’t checked out Bridget’s new book On a Hot August Afternoon yet, please do. It’s a great summer read, and as she points out in a recent blog post, one of the central themes is assumptions. How we make them all the time, and yet really have no idea what the whole story is. It really relates to parenting and relationships, and how we tend to judge or jump to conclusions when it’s the last thing we’d want someone to do to us.

Q of the Week: What is/was your relationship with your mom like?

sanemom May 14, 2012

Fynn’s dinner plan, which didn’t actually get made in the end, he opted for soup. Can you guess what it is?*Mother’s Day is over, I hope yours was a good one? The highlight of mine was my boys making me both breakfast and dinner, which I thoroughly enjoyed. A brief nap in the sun in the backyard was also delightful!

I know the day can be fraught with many things, if you’ve lost your own mom or a child, or long for kids, or whatever your burden may be, I hope there was joy in it somewhere. In thinking about all that I got to wondering what your relationship with your own mom is, or what did it used to be? I know it’s likely to run the gamut, and changes over time, but I’m really curious. Best friends and first person you call? Brief contact? None at all?

finding beauty in the fragments

sanemom April 23, 2012

April’s almost over, and I’ve felt a bit like I’m floating above the surface of things most of the month. Not quite grounded, not quite flying, just a wee bit untethered. I’m guessing it has to do with the recent possibility that we might actually be moving out of the city before the year is out. Something we’ve longed for for years, but not found a way to accomplish until recently.

Q: Do you find time to play?

sanemom March 12, 2012

Quick question to start of the week, it’s been awhile since I asked one. Do you give yourself time to play? I mean relaxing and enjoyable time to do fun and maybe whimsical things, like your kids do every time they get a chance. I don’t just mean getting down on the floor to build block towers with them, but doing something playful for your own enjoyment.

Monday Meme : Give Me 5?

sanemom January 30, 2012

Found this walking home from the park yesterday … had to laugh!I’ve been a little down and prone to navel-gazing lately, so decided to lighten up a bit today. It is warmish and sunnyish after all, and while I might be hoping for a good foot of snow to play in, I’m not too bummed that I can still wear my flip-flops when I run to the corner store!

Five quick questions for you, in no particular order …

1. Current or most recent book read?

2. Right-handed or left?

3. Number of years you’ve been a mom?

4. Worst sickness/injury you’ve ever had?

5. Fictional character you most identify with?

Thanks, and happy Monday!

The Dishrack Wars

sanemom January 8, 2012

Yes, they’re clean in my book, despite the need for some steel wool …

Dish washing is a chore in our house which technically falls to whoever didn’t make dinner, but in reality it’s usually whoever doesn’t put the kids to bed. I make dinner, he puts the kids to bed, and at least half the time I wash the pile while he tackles the kids and wrestles them into bed. Somehow over the years though it’s evolved into a wee competition. Not the washing part (he does it more thoroughly, no question, but I get it done faster) but the stacking part.

Is your holiday calendar empty enough?

sanemom December 5, 2011

Today’s crafty moment : Glass “bracelets” so we can tell whose is whose. This time of year can be utterly chaotic, with the invitations and obligations tripping over each other to make a tangled web of shoulds and coulds. It can cause tension and drama, but I hope that’s not happening to you? My life has changed enough in the last couple of years that it’s now easier to follow the KISS principle, mostly thanks to homeschooling. We have a cello party this week, and our own holiday party next week, but other than that the calendar is pretty clear of obligations on our part, and has left room for family and friends to come visit which I’m really looking forward to :).

On holidays and allergies and food ...

sanemom November 28, 2011

Holidays seem inextricably linked with food, which makes it joyous for some, torturous for others, and probably a mix of both feelings for most of us. Spending more time in the kitchen, cooking things that you don’t make any other time of year, and eating more often and more heavily than usual. It’s tough to keep it simple, and for many it becomes a depressing struggle with weight. How is it going for you so far this season?

What are you thankful for?

sanemom November 21, 2011

I’m not sure I could ask anything else this week, other than what are you thankful for? It’s American Thanksgiving, and I went on about the subject of general thankfulness a few days ago, so it’s hard not to ask … can you share 5 things you’re thankful for this week? Here are the first 5 that pop into my head …

When's the last time you were sick?

sanemom November 14, 2011

The garbage pail under my desk when I started this post, which was last emptied yesterday …This is an utterly self-serving question, because I’ve been miserable for the last 5 days with a cold/sinus mess. It’s a genuine question though, because when I’m down for the count, it really puts a lot on those around me. I’m the glue, the scheduler, the gap-filler, the teacher, the most-of-the-time cook, the laundress, etc. and when I can’t do more than 20% of my usual tasks it gets pretty chaotic pretty fast.

What's your biggest priority on a daily basis?

sanemom November 7, 2011

I read a SteadyMom post a couple weeks ago and the simple point was that her goal for each day was peace. Simply peace. It was more important than accomplishing lots of things, or making fancy meals, she wanted the motive behind the day’s choices to be a desire for peace.

To be honest, I first sniffed at it a bit because I thought about all the reasons why that’s not possible.

The delights of being irresponsible

sanemom October 10, 2011

Happy Columbus Day, and belated Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends! Hope your weekend has been a good one. It’s been a crazy whirlwind here, and I’m still touching down. We had family from Quebec in town for a couple of days, and at the very last minute (around noon today) it was decided that they’d take my boys back to Montreal with them for a couple of weeks. They left at 4:30! I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, but it might over dinner as my husband and I have a belated anniversary dinner, sans kids. Yay for a real honest-to-goodness-I’m-actually-going-to-miss-them-soon break!!

I forgot my son's chess class today ...

sanemom October 3, 2011

A Cool sculpture at the Bring To Light festival we went to this past weekend. I think fall has stolen my brain cells, I swear they’re leeching away as the sun gets lower in the sky! It wasn’t until two hours after D’s chess class started that I noticed last week’s class in my planner, and realized I never wrote it in for today! I’m not feeling badly about it and am thankful that he was at the library with his dad at the time, so by the time he got home he didn’t care all that much about it. Mom forgot, plain and simple!

Where do you get your inspiration?

sanemom September 19, 2011

We spent the day yesterday at the 2011 NY Maker Faire, and to say it was inspiring is an understatement. It’s a gathering of inventors and hackers and crazy artists in the realms of science and techology and crafts and engineering and art. There were many hands-on demonstrations, oodles of booths, a giant recycled dragon on wheels, a life-size Mousetrap game, MakerBots printing everything imaginable, a car covered with singing fish, crazy costumes, robots, and sound-activated Tesla coils shooting out real lightning. If you have any maker crazy kids in your house, I can’t recommend it enough. I think we all came home full of ideas, and my boys’ schooling today is centered around capturing their memories for future use. It was an amazing day.

Tripping Over Strings, and you?

sanemom September 12, 2011

My nephew hard at work this summer with some of his birthday tape …Well, I finally stopped making excuses, and we started school today! It went remarkably smoothly, thanks to some established habits from last year, and I hope the rest of the week goes as well. I do NOT plan on waking up extra early to bake special GF scones for the next 4 days however, the lovely piles of yummy dust they ended up being. (Note to self, do not try new recipes before you’re fully awake, and especially not before 4 growling stomachs are dragged to your table to start their day! Spoon bread would be a better name …) To keep the day going smoothly, I have to get my thoughts out in a mere 15 minutes so we’ll see how that goes.

Q of the Week : How excited are you by back-to-school?

sanemom September 6, 2011

Image courtesy of D Sharon Pruitt via Flickr.For NYC, it’s back-to-school week (and I know many others are in the same boat), while some of you have had it in session for a few weeks already. We’re running a bit behind my intended start date of today, but I’ll have it put together in the next couple of days. We started up morning Checklists again at least so there was some little bit of a return to routine this morning!

Q of the Week : How often do you have dinner with friends?

sanemom August 22, 2011

The kids distracted by a movie during dessert …

At the beginning of our trip, the boys and I were invited over to an old friend’s house for dinner. By old I mean we’ve all known each other since we were kids, and the stories are simply endless. Between us we have 5 kids, and they all get along well so the adults actually had time to talk without interruption! Reflecting on the trip, I realized that it’s been rather a long time since we’ve had people over, other than for a party.

Q of the Week : What's your song?

sanemom August 1, 2011

Becky and I at her partyOne of my SIL’s was in town this weekend, for what’s become her annual birthday bash at our place. She’s slow but able to live on her own, and relishes her rare weekend in the city for many weeks before and afterwards. Her tastes are simple, which makes it pretty easy to please her. We always have plenty of Coors Light, steak, and Push It by Salt n Pepa. I admit that my tolerance for the song grew after about the 12th repeat with the volume cranked, but perhaps I was just tuning it out? I did truly enjoy her enjoyment of it though, and even did a little rocking to it myself while cooking dinner. I’m not sorry the CD went back home with her however! It’s definitely her song.

Q of the Week : When's the last time you moved?

sanemom July 25, 2011

As I’ve hinted before, I’m kind of itching to move. In fact, I asked the same question a couple of years ago, and still nothing much has changed around here! It really doesn’t look like it’s happening any day soon either, but I’m mostly hopeful that it still will. I have a girlfriend who just moved with her two young ones, and another that takes the jump in a few weeks with her newly-minted son in tow. Moving with kids adds a whole other level of stress, my last two moves I was either pregnant or had a toddler.

Q of the Week : Meme Monday!

sanemom July 18, 2011

Fynn in his dad’s latest foam creation, made for “Alien Day” at his art camp last week. I’ve got to keep it light today, fighting the blues and the heat here.

Without further ado then …

1. Breakfast today?

2. Last book read?

3. Coffee or Tea?

4. Kept your last name or took your spouses?

5. Word you overuse a lot …

6. Oldest person you know personally?

7. Something you’re really good at …

Thanks for playing along! Hope your week is looking good. It’s my last one with only one kid here, we make our way up to NH (somehow) this coming weekend to pick him up!