Put bubbles in the kiddie pool

I was looking through my pictures today.

I remember this one time when I was about 7 years old. It was summer and we lived at the apartments on Las Lomas. I was next door playing with my neighbor, Lisa, and we decided to go swimming in the kiddie pool. Someone got the idea to pour a big bottle of bubbles into the water and as we played and splashed, the water started sudsing up. We swam around and around and around in circles and the water got more and more and more bubbly until we were up to our necks in bubbles. We were having the best day EVER! I can still remember thinking that "This is the most fun I've ever had."



Now, you can probably guess that I have had other fun since then. But this memory strikes me in a way other fun memories don't. And that's like this...I don't abandon myself to the fun anymore. There is a controlled containment to my fun now. I don't mean a, "I'm a grown woman and I can't act irresponsibly, so hold back on the crazy" kind of containment. I'm talking about a holding back. I don't think I really let myself enjoy certain things because deep down inside I think that it isn't dignified or mature. I think as I've gotten older, even though I am having fun in a given moment, the rest of life and the weight of it keeps my feet a little too soundly on the ground. I can't remember the last time I just threw my head back and let myself thoroughly enjoy the moment, and that makes me a little bit sad. I don't want my girls to hold back on their enjoyment of life, but here I am...their primary example.

So, I think I'm going to try and take a few notes from that girl in the picture. Don't take life so seriously. Lighten up, Shan...enjoy the moment. Be a seven year old girl once in a while and put bubbles in the kiddie pool. You just might have "the most fun you've ever had!"

...the possibilities

Ten o'clock in the morning is the best time of day. It's my favorite time of day. I have been up since seven. I have (usually) showered, made and eaten breakfast and carpooled. I might have even run an errand or two. Now my entire day is before me, what will I get done? There is still the promise of a productive day. Or a day of pleasure. Maybe both. I could clean the whole house or go to a movie. I could do six loads of laundry while scrap booking or be planning next week's menu and grocery list and I might even make it to the store before school is out. Aahhhh...the possibilities at 10am.

Nine o'clock at night is the worst time of the day. It is my least favorite time of day. I am tired. I have been running around since the girls got home. I have helped with homework, made snacks, made dinner, and probably run to the store for an emergency ingredient to a project that is due tomorrow. I have corralled children into showers and harassed them into brushing their teeth. I desperately want to climb into my comfy bed, but I still need to wash the dishes, make tomorrow's lunches and wash P.E. clothes so someone doesn't get detention. Aahhhhh...if only it were 10am...

Friday

Em and Meg left for Winter Camp Friday afternoon.

Abbey received a "Learner of the Pack Award" (her school mascot is the coyotes) at school for her academic excellence and her love of reading. Her certificate was good for a free kids meal at Claim Jumper!

Last night, Daddy decided to take her on a date to use her certificate. They sat down at their table and ordered. Abbey ordered baby back ribs with macaroni-and-cheese and fries. Chad had butterflied shrimp. While they waited, they colored and drew and did the activities on the kid's menu, but the crayons kept breaking.

Chad said they had a great time talking and eating. As they were leaving, he asked her,

C - "So, how was it?"

A - "Great food, crummy crayons."

And that's what it all comes down to folks...

Keeping the Sanity

Monday was a school holiday. It had been raining here for most of the weekend and we were all going a little stir-crazy. Oceanside... here we come!

Lovely. Peaceful. Replenishing. Soothing.... Then back to life and reality. :)

Thinking

Who knew that thinking could be such a non-productive, time wasting activity?

Chad is out of town for the moment. Whenever he is gone, the part of my brain that allows me to function goes with him. He left about 5 days ago and it has been exactly that long since I have accomplished anything worth talking about. Laundry? Nope! Dishes? A few. Dinner? Barely. That's it. I've been on the computer or pacing up and down the stairs wondering, "What did I come up here (or down here) for?" Yesterday I didn't shower until 9:30pm and then I got right into bed. What was the point of that?

I have, though, been thinking a lot. I have spent hours thinking about what I should be doing, what needs to get done, what errands I need to run, but nothing has been accomplished! Most of my thoughts have been fragments that start off going somewhere but end up... My brain is like a ping pong ball bouncing around inside my head. My inner dialogue looks something like this:

• I really need to go to the grocery store for... (FOR WHAT!??!)
• Megan needs her shirt washed for Fri... (OK, I'll get on it! Oops, I forgot.)
• Did Abbey put her homework packet... (in her folder, on her desk, where? where was I going with this line of thought?)
• I need to get some new recipes... (for what? dinner? breakfast? a party? am I going somewhere? did I sign up to bring something?)
• Taking a walk right now would do me so much goooooo... (GOOD, GOOD! That's what I'm trying to say!)

I'm currently having a week where appointments WILL be missed and friends will be left waiting for me somewhere we arranged to meet last week while my brain was still working...

So, if you were left waiting for me in some fashion this week, I forgot to return your call, or you had coffee by yourself yesterday, please forgive me. Chad will be home in a few days...

Valentine's Day Sleepover

A week or so ago, my mom and I planned to have a Valentine's Day Sleepover for the cousins at our house!

Mom and the kids arrived at around 4pm and within the first 30 minutes, Ethan was minorly injured and went home to mom and dad. So, now it was a Girl Night. Plans didn't change but we did talk about bras at dinner... :)

Anyway, first we had Make-Your-Own Pizzas! Emily even got fancy with the dough twirling!

Next, we did a Treasure Hunt. Mimi did the clues. The big girls read the clues and the little girls figured them out.

Everyone got a prize at the end.

After the treasure was eaten (chocolate, of course!) we made yummy, sticky, PinkPopcornBalls-on-a-Stick.

We stayed up late and watched Secondhand Lions.

In the morning we had waffles and sausage for breakfast and then pampered our feet with pedicures. We had a soaking station and a painting station. Everyone picked a different color polish.

Let's do it again next year! (Hey other cousins, you're all invited too...!)

SISTACULAR!

A "Sistacular" (Megan named it...) is a celebration just for sisters. A night to hang out and make fun food. (Abbey was having a "friendtacular" with her friend Lynn across the street.)

Tonight our menu included:

Sliders with steak fries and onion rings
Molten Lava Cakes
Cherry Cheesecake Tarts

Each of the girls had their own recipes to be working on. Emily made the Sliders and Megan made the Cherry Cheesecake Tarts. Em and I made the Molten Lava Cakes together.

After the dishes were done, we settled in to watch Miss Congeniality. Nothing like a little sister time...

How did I spend my time before computers? I can't remember...