The Busy Season

The picture is blurry.  It was taken indoors, with movement, and on a cell phone.  But I still love it.  My husband took this picture and texted it to me.  My son is the one with the ball.  I heard he did pretty good during tryouts.  I can't wait to watch him playing in the games.  Basketball is a new sport for our boy but I know he's going to do well and I'm already proud.  This boy has been playing baseball since the age of 5 and wants to continue playing in hopes to make it on a college team.  He also plays trumpet for the third year but I'm not sure if that's something he'll stick with once he reaches high school.  He completed cub scouts and is now in his first year with the boy scouts.  This active boy doesn't do well with just sitting still.  He'll ask to play video games but usually isn't on longer than fifteen minutes.  He'll turn on a television show and glance at it for about five minutes before going outside to play.  He wakes up with the energy and sometimes I have to plead with him to calm down.  In school he's quiet and not active at all but when he's home he's all over the place.  I shouldn't be mad about it knowing that there are a lot of boys who constantly sit around playing video games and watching television.  Seeing my kids active and not lazy is important and I'm glad it comes naturally for him. 

During the school year our weeks are crazy.  If there's homework they need to do it as soon as they get home but usually they either don't have homework or have the chance to do it in school.  They come in the door and grab a snack and are usually outside to meet with friends.  I prepare dinner early so we can eat before having to run the kids to wherever it is they need to be that day.  Monday is tap, Tuesday is scouts, Friday is praise and ballet.  Lately there have been basketball open gym and tryouts thrown in there and soon practice and games will start.  Then in the spring comes baseball.  There is nothing on schedule tonight so I'm looking forward to some rest with the family.  The schedule for this weekend is already packed with plans.  I love the busyness from this season of life and am soaking it all in because someday the kids will be grown and all of this rushing from here to there will be over.  I know I'll miss it. 

In the daytime while my husband is at work and the kids are in school I spend the day cleaning, grocery shopping, and spending three hours at my job in the cafeteria.  I feel rushed trying to get it all done and sometimes I feel anxiety when thinking of all that needs done.  This morning I felt a panic attack starting.  So, that's why I decided to take a break, do some deep breathing and just focus on something else for a moment.  The stuff that needs done will get done.  I have to stop worrying.  I really do enjoy the life that I live and the responsibilities I have.  It just feels disappointing when I spend so much time cleaning but then look around and notice that so much more needs done.  My kids are old enough to take care of their own messes and they do but it still doesn't feel like enough.  This too will be something that will change over time.  The dust will always come back, the floors will always need vacuumed, the dishes and laundry will always need washed ... but all of these toys will one day be gone.  The house will one day look more empty.  So I need to learn to enjoy the chaos because someday it's going to be different. 

I feel guilty when I stop to write in this blog, or when I take the dog for a walk around the neighborhood, or take a moment to read or exercise.  But those are things that are important for my mental and physical health.  We all need some me time, even during the busy season. 

Happy First Day Of Fall

Today is the first day of fall, although I think Mother Nature forgot to check the calendar because here in Pennsylvania we reached 90°.

This year I decided to wait until the first official day to start decorating.  A lot of people like to decorate in the beginning of September but as for me, I wanted to hold onto summer for as long as possible.  Today is autumn.  Today I can bring out the boxes from the attic and fill the house with everything orange, yellow, pumpkins and scarecrows.  I'm going to wait until October to put out the Halloween things.  I want to enjoy the seasons as they come.

Tonight B has her tap class.  This is her fifth year of dance.  M has basketball tryouts.  This will be his first year playing basketball.  He's also playing trumpet with the 6th grade band, in his first year of boy scouts and will be back to baseball in the spring.  Almost every evening is busy with some activity which means I have to get dinner prepared early and we all have to rush to eat it up.  It's important for us to have kids that are active but sometimes it feels like maybe they are too active.  That's better than sitting in front of screens all the time.  They go days without picking up a video game.  Although the television seems to be on more often than I'd like.  But, hey, they need that chance to chill out.  School for them both seems to be going well so far.

I've been spending a lot of time getting caught up on housework and also doing a ton of reorganizing and decluttering.  The downstairs, which is used as a playroom, is finally organized and looking more like a livable space rather than a storage area.  My goal was to have this house looking clean and organized and it's taking a lot of time but I'm finally seeing so much progress.  A messy house gives me so much anxiety.  I'm finding the less we have the better it is to keep things clean.

Even with everything going on we went out and purchased two new members of the family.

Meet Louie and Nutmeg.  The kids named them.  Since our rabbit died last year it's been quite a heartbreak for us, especially for my daughter.  After the kids held some guinea pigs at the fair a few weeks ago they've been asking if they can get their own.  The original plan was to get hamsters but they changed their minds and wanted these adorable babies.  They are so tiny but will grow to be full size guinea pigs in no time.  It was only yesterday when we brought them home so they are still scared and needing to get used to their new home.  I'm not sure what I got myself into but the kids are so happy with them.  I just hope they continue to want to care for them.

My Girl Is 8

I'm a little late with this post but a few weeks ago my baby turned 8 years old.  I keep saying it, but time is flying!

Unfortunately, I had a mandatory meeting at work and that lasted almost 8 hours.  She was so mad at me for leaving and as I sat in the auditorium listening to what I felt was nonsense and unrelated to my job in the cafeteria I felt really guilty about leaving her.  When I gave birth to my son, my firstborn, I became a stay-at-home mom.  It was important to me that I would be at home with my children full-time and not have to leave them in the hands of anyone else.  It's been a great experience and one I'm thankful for.  Getting a job in the cafeteria meant that I could still be home when the kids are home and I love it.  The extra income has helped a lot.  I'm required to have a certain amount of hours of training/meetings each year and this meeting plus the two hour one the day before covered it.  I just hated leaving my daughter on her special day. 

My husband had the day off and took the kids to a place nearby where the kids can jump and slide on inflatables.  I'm glad they had fun while I was away. 

When I came home we met my parents at Old Country Buffet for dinner.  Then we came home to have cake and open presents.  She was pretty excited about all her gifts, which included a Barbie camper that she had asked for. 

We also surprised her with tickets to see Darci Lynne at the fair next month.  If you don't know who Darci Lynne is she is a young ventriloquist who won America's Got Talent.  She's my daughter's favorite on the show.  We saw her at the airport in D.C last March when we were coming back from Disney World.  

I can't believe my girl is 8.  She's really growing up.  She still loves Barbie's and baby dolls.  She has a lot of friends in school.  I see her in the cafeteria surrounded by lots of girls and she's always laughing and joking around with them.  At home she will be asked by friends to play at their houses.  It's been hard for me letting her go but I can't stop her from being the social butterfly that she is.  She's very sweet and super sensitive.  She's also getting ready for her fifth year old dance and loves it so much.  

She's struggled a bit with school but seems so determined to do better this year as a third grader.  I'm so proud of her.  

Here's to an amazing year, Baby Girl!  I love you so much.

Lazy Morning

This week has been back to school, back to a regular routine, and a whole lot of busyness. 

My mornings start by getting the kids ready for school.  Even though they are 8 and 11 years old they still need constant reminders to stay at the table until breakfast is finished and to brush their teeth and take their vitamins.  The morning is go, go, go until they get on the bus.  Then I take the dog for a walk around the neighborhood, do a little of my own exercising downstairs where we have a little home gym set up, and then get my shower.  Then starts some housework until it's time to leave for work.  I put in my three hours in the cafeteria and that has been chaotic.  There were changes made and it's hectic, and it's also going to take time getting back into the groove of everything.  I really like the people I work with, even tough at times there seems to be a bit of drama.  Isn't there always when working with a group of women?  I ignore it the best I can and go about the day.  I try to be energetic, outgoing, and joke around a lot.  I also do my best at doing my job and also offering more help if there's extra time.  But this week it seems like there's no time to even stop and breathe.  It will get better and I still love it.  Then I go home and continue on the housework until the kids get off the bus.  Since it's the first week they haven't had homework yet.  Then I make sure dinner is ready when my husband gets home and the evening is a bit more relaxing ... for now.  Soon the sports and dance will start and the evenings will be as rushed as the mornings are. 

Today, though, I'm taking a break. 

Even though there is laundry in the washing machine and the dishwasher is going, I'm not planning on doing much else today.  I'm sitting here, with the dog at my side, and I'm getting caught up on some writing.  I've been working on a novel and it's going well.  I'm still in the beginning but I know exactly what I want this story to be from the beginning to end.  I sometimes feel guilty about stopping the housework to relax but if I can get a novel complete and published then that could be a little money coming in.  If it works out.  It's not an easy process and certainly not a quick one, but it's a dream I've had for as long as I can remember. 

So today is a lazy day.  A day when I'm going to sit here and relax and write until it's time to go to work.  Then when I get home I may continue on the story.  Last night I made lasagna and the leftovers will be enough for my husband and I.  My dad plans on taking the kids to dinner and a movie tonight.  It's a rainy morning so the dog and I skipped our walk. 

I also need to rest my mind.  There's so much that's been going on in my life lately.  I've been spending a lot of time in prayer lately asking God to change my heart and I can feel those changes taking place but I need to figure out how to process it all.  Maybe I'll save all that for another blog post.  For now, I better get on with my lazy day. 

New School Year 2019-20

It's hard to believe summer vacation is over.  Today we are back to school.  I have a third grader and a sixth grader.  It's amazing how fast these years go by.

This will be my son's last year in elementary school.   Next year he's going into middle school and I'm not looking forward to it.

Today was also my first day as well.  This is the third year working in the cafeteria at their school.  I love it!  It's just three hours each day and it's so much fun. 

The first day was hectic but it was nice getting back into the routine.

Here's to a new school year!

27 Years In Pennsylvania

This month marks 27 years since my parents and I have moved to Pennsylvania from Long Island, New York.  A lot has happened in these 27 years.  I currently feel grateful for my experiences here but in the beginning of the move and many years after I felt so hurt over it.

My brother and sisters are a lot older than I am.  My brother was married and having children while I was still a toddler, my oldest sister was married when I was in second grade and my other sister graduated high school when I was still playing with dolls and using my imagination.  Then I entered junior high and was allowed to wear makeup and hang out with friends at the mall and movies without adult supervision.  I was finally feeling like I was growing up.  I enjoyed school and was getting A's and B's.  My best friend was Merissa, who on the first day of 7th grade looked at me and said, "hey, do you want to be my best friend?"  We spent a lot of time together either at my house or hers or walking around the mall or seeing the latest movie.  It was definitely a great year and I was looking forward to moving up to 8th grade with my friends and then heading to high school and graduate from the same high school my brother and sisters did.  In my mind I thought I was going to stay in the same house until I was ready to leave it.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

New York is expensive, money was tight.  My parents put all their money into a business that didn't work out.  My dad, a retired police officer, worked as a car salesman and my mom had her own house cleaning business, but none of that was enough to make ends meet.  My grandparents lived with us and moved to Pennsylvania so my grandma could be close to her sister, my Great Aunt Alice.  After my parents visited them they decided it was best for us to move there too.  It was a much cheaper state.  My parents could sell the house, buy a house here without having a mortgage, still need to work but could relax.  The first family who looked at the house decided to buy it.  So, with my brother-in-law driving the moving van and with me in the backseat of our Oldsmobile Calais with our Boston Terrier we were on our way to our new life in Lancaster, PA.

I hated it.  I absolutely hated it.  We spent a few months in an apartment and I started 8th grade in a middle school filled with snobs.  I did make a handful of friends but everyone looked at me as if I was an alien from another planet.  People weren't so kind to New Yorkers around here.  Some people easily adjust to moving.  I didn't.  Then when we found a house and moved in I had to change school districts.  I hated that too.  Again, I made some friends, but I also experienced many hard things.

It wasn't all that bad but it wasn't what I wanted.  I wanted to be on Long Island with my friends and my family.  I felt robbed.  That led to years of depression and suicidal thoughts.

Now, 27 years later, I focus more on the positives.  I've met a lot of great people here.  If I hadn't lived here I wouldn't have met my husband and we wouldn't have brought our two children into the world.  I do believe they were brought into this world for a reason.  Whatever the reason, God has a plan for them.  If all I went through was only to bring them into the world then I am grateful for the experiences. 

I also realize that being out of Long Island means no beaches but we do have this view of the Susquehanna River. 

These photos were taken while my son and I were hiking together.

I truly believe that life is what we make it.  I wish I could have realized that 27 years ago.  When I go back to Long Island it doesn't feel like my home anymore but it wasn't meant to be my home.  Also, home doesn't have to be the place where you were born.  Anywhere can be made a home.  It's sad to know we aren't close enough to family where my kids can be with their cousins.  That's one of the many things we miss out on.  We have each other though and that's enough.  I'm thankful for that.

We've traveled to many places and many states but when I go back to Long Island I feel a little disgusted as to how run down it's become.  I'm glad I left it.  If I stayed until adulthood I probably would have left it anyway.  A lot of people have.  I only wish that my attitude was different as a teenager here in PA.  I hated it here, refused to see the good in it.  Now at 40 years old I see things differently and with a better perspective.  My only regret now is not having a better attitude from the very beginning of the move.  I can't change the past but I can only be better from here on out.

Thank you God for almost three decades in this beautiful state.  I'm done taking it for granted. 

Girls Week and Scout Camp

Last week the guys ventured off to boy scout camp, which left us girls at home.  We called it Girls Week and it's been the best girls week we ever had together.  I wanted to make sure I kept my daughter busy.  After the two skin cancer surgeries and a lot of time hiding my face at home it was nice to finally get out again. 

The boys left on Sunday and we went to the grocery store to get food and snacks for the week.  That night was a terrible storm that knocked the power out so we read books and made crafts by flashlight. 

On Monday I had registered her for a cupcake making class in the next county and she was so excited about it.  We were expecting more storms with flash flooding and I was concerned about it but we made it there and back with only light drizzling.  She had a good time.  She received some lemonade, cupcakes, icing and someone who instructed her and the other kids on how to create unicorn and rainbow cupcakes.  They turned out pretty great for a 7 year old who has never used a piping bag before.  I was impressed. 

She's never been a fan of cupcakes and didn't like the taste of these but the experience was fun and well worth the price. 

On Tuesday we stayed home so I could do some housecleaning.  She watched some movies, we read books and did some crafts.  She reached her 800 minute reading goal for the summer reading club at the library, which was pretty impressive.  She's never managed to get it done this quickly before. 

On Wednesday we headed back to the next county for some shopping at the mall and a visit to my parents house.  She went swimming in their pool and we had burgers made by my father.  Then we went to see Annie at a dinner theater.  My dad purchased these tickets as an early birthday present for her. 

Annie was one of my favorite movies when I was a child.  I watched it over and over again to the point that it annoyed my parents.  On Tuesday night we watched the movie and I remembered every word.  The live show was a bit different and very well done.  She loved it! 

On Thursday we worked on some Legos that we purchased at the mall and then I took her to a bouncy place that we haven't been to in years.  It was the final big thing we did.  Later that evening we made brownies to surprise the boys. 

On Friday her dad picked her up and took her to the camp so she could spend the day there with them.  That gave me a chance to stay home and get some cleaning done because we left quite a mess from girls week.  I love my quiet time but I was already missing her and that fun girl time we had.  I was also missing my guys.  They came back Friday evening.  They brought me back a coffee mug and a lot of stinky, dirty laundry. 

The guys went on and on about how much fun camp was.  Even my husband had a great week.  I'm so glad I signed our son up for the scouts.  He seems to really love it and it's taught him so much and gives him a chance to make friends with common interests. 

I'm thankful my husband texted pictures throughout the week. 

 

This week my son's been going to band camp for school.  He has also found interest in playing the trumpet and learned pretty quickly.  On Friday he will put on a performance for us at the school.  

Today the girl had a dentist appointment to get some cavities drilled.  I really felt bad that she had to go through this.  It makes me feel that I'm not getting the mother of the year award for sure.  I really do try to make sure they stay on top of their dental hygiene and I hope this is the last experience she will have like this.  I was so nervous because she's always been very sensitive to pain, except those few times she got stung by a bee.  She has no reaction to bee stings but will cry and whine about everything else.  So, I was scared for her.  I thought she was going to throw a fit but she surprised me.  She even shocked the dentist who told her she was the best child patient he ever had.  He thanked me for raising such great kids.  They really are great and I'm super proud.  She sat in the chair and was completely still the entire time.  The dentist couldn't believe it.  He's always telling me stories of other kids who have come into his office and has always seemed impressed that mine are so well behaved.  She's been bugging me to allow her to get her ears pierced so I told her if she behaved for her appointment she could get it done.  It worked!  Then on the way home I bought them milk shakes.  I guess I'll have to figure out what day we can go get those ears pierced.  

I'm so proud of my kids.  They're amazing individuals.