Solving the worlds problems... in the bathroom.

That's right ladies and gents!

I can solve the worlds problems in the bathroom!

Last week a friend texted me.  You know those mommy problems?  The ones when you have the moment you think you can handle EVERYTHING and then you realize you can't?  That's one of those.

Yep I can solve it!

Two weeks ago the boys were yelling at each other about something trivial.  Somehow, my mommy powers kicked in and I was able to solve the problem while getting in a two second break in the bathroom.

Surprised?  I know right!

It's always amazes me that a simple thing as "going to the bathroom" becomes the place you fix everything.  Sometimes it's the one space I can pull out my phone for a few seconds and catch up on the day.  Sometimes it's the one space I can check my hair and my teeth then run out the door.

BC (Before children) the bathroom was something totally different.  When I had kids then it became the place to run to in and out of nap times.  Now that my babies are older, I actually get to use the bathroom like a "normal person".  However it doesn't mean the same thing.

I'm still solving problems in the bathroom by yelling "wear pants!  It's cold out" or "stop fighting, give it back!" or sometimes " sit down right now and I will deal with you when I get out".

So here is a mom..... solving the worlds problems in the bathroom.

Weekends off!

Do you remember what it's like to have a weekend off?  To have nothing planned?  nothing to do?

yeah.. me either.

Every once and a while I have a weekend that seems to be off.  Maybe one or two things happening, but generally a weekend where nothing is planned.  But not always.

This weekend is one of those.  I had on my schedule to go to the bridal shower at church.  It's a post bridal shower.... if that makes sense.  The couple got married in the summer but there wasn't enough time in their schedule for a bridal shower then so they are having one now.

Then Sunday was church and hanging out with our neighbours.

But... kindergarten had another plan.

Those cute, sweet, germy kids helped to infect me!  I got "the cold".  You know... that one that everyone gets when coming back to school?  Yea... that's me.

So instead of a nice chilling out weekend... I'm snuggled up in bed, or on the couch, in a blanket.

I guess it's a good reason to not clean right?

Thankfully my hubby has some awesome plans and he and the boys (and the boys down the road) have done a big bike ride.  We are also hosting a bit of a games afternoon here.  I'm excited to see how the boys do with our new games!

I'm just lucky to have a rest.  While it's not an actual "weekend off" I did enjoy resting.

Mom's Night Out

Have you seen it?  Seriously?  If not, stop reading and go watch it. 

Right now.

GO!

ok are you back now?

I just watched this movie the other night and it was awesome :)  I loved it.  I'm not one to really promote movies but this one was so great.

I was really challenged by the main character.  She is a "mommy blogger".  I kept remembering that I loved blogging. 

who am I kidding... I LOVE blogging!

I just never seem to have the time. 

Yes, I'm basically a stay at home mom, and I only "work" 1.5-2 hours per day but still... not enough time!

I miss being able to put my "voice" out into the world.  Not long ago I was told that I need to be careful with my words and what I say online.  How I let the world in on my own life, and how people see my family, my friends.  Ever since then I haven't written a lot.  I've been so worried.  It was the hardest criticism I've had and I took it to heart because of those who told it to me. 

Now...

Now I want to be back into my life.

I want to share my world, my world view, my world!  It's mine to share and I am going to do it.

Sure... I'm going to piss people off.  I'm going to make people laugh.  I hope I will make people see our little family, our little world.

So here we go!

Sad Mail Reminders

I've finally had the chance to go through the mail from Friday.  And you know what I found?  A mailing from "Enfagrow".  It was some samples for children 12 to 36 months. 

who knew... you still get samples after you bury your child.

I didn't think it would bother me so much but it did.  I'm unsure how to handle all of this.  I mean, really it's something I can throw out.  And yet... somehow I just can't.  It's been sitting on the chair beside my chair in the living room. I am sure I will toss it soon but I'm just not there.

Can you believe my baby would have been almost 2 years old if he had survived on his born to heaven date?  And if he was born on his actual due date he would be just over a year and a bit. 

A year!  wow.  Walking, talking and being as cute as ever. 

Instead he is in heaven. 

Oh how my life has changed in such a short period of time.

While I am so blessed with my family on earth, I am equally as blessed with my family in heaven.

So today, I miss my baby.  More than ever...

Tomoorrow, Tomorrow........

Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of school?

Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of grade 4/2?

Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of a new meal plan?

Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of following a teaching plan?

Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of me going to a gym?

Crazy right?


I've been counting down to the end of summer for a while now.  I'm excited to go back to work and to see my friends/teachers/students.  It's so exciting!

But now.  Now that school is here it's hard to believe. 

Tomorrow I will take the "first day of school" photos; the boys will pack their lunches and put them in their new backpacks; Arnold and I will walk the boys to school.  We will watch as the kids get organized into the classroom lineups.  I'll keep taking pictures of them going into the school with their classes.  Arnold and I will then walk home, hand in hand.  He will leave for work, most likely on his bike.  And I will do a few odd jobs around the house, then head to work at school.

I will be working on getting our family on a new healthy meal plan.  I'm hoping it works.  Not just for the boys, but for me as well. 

I'm also working on following a teaching plan!!  How cool is that?  I'm very excited to follow plans that have been set out and organized for the year.  Every week something new, and something planned out.  It will be really amazing to watch how the year unfolds!

Not only that, but my friend and I are joining a gym :)  Crazy right?  Seriously thought... we are joining a gym.  It's a three month trial to see how much we go.  Who knows!

So Tomorrow..... tomorrow, we open our eyes and we see how our lives move on this school year.

As the summer whines down.....

Today is chilly.  Or at least it was at 7am when my husband, God bless his soul, went outside to check on our little campers. 

It reminds me of how summer is coming to a close.... or in my house "whining" down.  Seriously... whining.  The kids the last few days/weeks have started to get this grating tone in their voice.  Halfway between a whine and a cry.  With a bit of a "I'm smarter than you are" feeling to it.

I'm done :)

I'm done with summer.

Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE summer time.  I feel so accomplished (generally).  It's like a fresh start for me.  A fresh start to get myself in order.  You know.. lose weight (I gained), be more active (my butt print is in the kitchen/living room chairs), go biking (nada), and spend more time with the kids (check!)

But now I'm done.

Completely over it.

I'm ready for school

Who's with me?!?

I saw a facebook post today from a friend of mine that I wanted to share:

There's really nothing as effective as school vacation to make me think that teachers aren't paid enough for what they do. Particularly good ones, which we have been fortunate to have here so far. Thank you, teachers!! (Now, can school start up again before I lose my mind?!)

It's just how I feel.  Completely.  I'm ready to get back to school before I lose my mind.  And to those great teachers who take care of our kids!

As my summer comes to a close (I'm back to "work/volunteering" next week) I want to say that it has gone well.  My kids have done 4 weeks or organized camps, 1 week of "Camp Heslop" and 2 weeks of chilling.  Next week they hang out at home with Uncle Jack for a large portion and help me out at the school!

I'm excited to see how my planning for my program I will be running at school goes this year.  I'm excited for the changes that are happening (Kyler going into grade 4 and Quinton into grade 2).  I'm excited to see how the classroom I volunteer in changes.  We have so much planned and so many cool ideas.

I'm just excited for a new season in our lives.  My family thrives on routine and going back to school is a great one!  It should be amazing!

1...2...3!!

What's the deal with 3? 

I mean 3 kids always seems to bring on the "oh wow!" and you never know if it's a "WOW great job, I could never do it!"  or "WOW... are you crazy?  that's more kids than hands!"

3 is my favourite number for kids at a center at school.  3 kids is enough to get along or to evenly split the problem.

Most parents use it to be their "magic number".  How many times have you heard "When I get to 3 you had better _______________.  1 (pause) 2 (bigger pause... and sometimes leads to 2 and a half) 3!"

But then you get to 3rd. 

3rd place

When did 3rd place become bad?  When was it a horrible thing?  When did people stop watching the 3rd place WINNER!  I mean come on!  They won 3rd place!  Go you!!

We are NOT a sports family at all.  In fact, I still haven't figure out what kind of family we are.  I want to say we are a musical family.  But K and Q can't keep a tune to save their lives.  They LOVE to sing but dang... not in any sort of melody written down.  Arnold and K love to do the sound board and make people sound good... so maybe that's where we are?  Maybe that's the kind of family?

We aren't really sports related.  Arnold does Archery sometimes, and we are looking into getting him out to a club again.  I used to (and want to again) do tri's.  But aside from the kiddos swimming, cycling on their own time and Kyler now doing track we haven't really done much as far as sports go.  We don't really have something our family really gets behind.

However... it's slowly changing.  And I love that.

This year we have watched the Olympics!  The kids are so interested in skiing.  I tried to get them into lessons but apparently that's something you have to do in... SEPTEMBER!  who knew!

This year we have also downloaded all the soccer games with the Netherlands in them.  We want the kids to see soccer.  They are so excited.  It helped a lot that their gym teacher also did soccer with them at the end of the year.  They were fantastic about the games.  Even knowing the outcome we ended up with our favourite players and were very excited to watch soccer with the boys.  Kyler is very into it.  He loves watching the players and encouraging them on and scrunching up his face when they fall and get hurt.  It's so amazing to watch him.

Last night our "team" (the Netherlands... hello Dutch family!) played the semi-finals game.  And one of those "I just know" feelings was on me.  I just knew that they were going to lose.  I don't know why but I did. 

I don't have the ability to watch the game live so my phone and I were refreshing every few minutes to see how it was going.  The last part was so hard for me... I don't think I've ever pulled the menu down so many times to get up-to-the-second information.

When the game was over my facebook filled up with posts of "good try guys" "maybe next time" "we are out!" "amazing run"  "it's over"

One post was from a dear friend and it said "Another amazing run by the Oranje! Feeling sad that its over, but very proud of my Dutch heritage.  Hup Holland Hup"

I responded by saying "You know third place is still up for grabs"

 

She wrote "Nobody cares about third place...LOL...but yes it is, and we will be watching!"

 

I burst out laughing!  I almost spit my pop out on the computer. 

 

Then I got thinking... she's right.  No one really seems to care about third place.

 

Why is that?

 

Do we really think that only first and second are the best and third really is the "worst" as the saying goes?

 

When I was a kid, 3rd place was horrible.  I hated being anything but the best.  But now, if my babies get third place in anything, I'll be their biggest cheerleader and will be so proud of them.

 

Why?

 

Because there is always room for improvement.  ALWAYS!  And third place give them the chance to improve.  I'll be there to help them.  To encourage them.  To tell them they are awesome.

 

Just now is our family experiencing "who got more A's, Kyler or Quinton"  " who is better at _____"  "who can do _____ the best"

 

We aren't really a competing family.

 

But we are a family who cares, who encourages, and who loves.

 

No matter what place we are. 1st, 2nd or even 3rd.