Growing Up

I just got back from my lunch break. Today was my oldest's first elementary school field trip. Actually, it's a day of "firsts": first time going to school for a full day, first time on a school bus, first time on a field trip without one of us.

I had to work today, since it's Easter this weekend - lots of preparation going on at the church today. But my boss and coworkers were totally cool with me taking a longer lunch, so I met up with his class at the park to eat lunch.

While there, I observed several things: 1) being a kindergarten teacher takes a special gift - a gift which I do not possess; 2) my kid loves his teacher and classmates; 3) suddenly, my baby has become a kid.

My son is becoming more independent. It makes me happy and sad. I hope we're doing a good job raising him...regardless, he's growing up.

One Year Down, One to Go

School is back in session, and while we are celebrating several important school-related milestones in this house, there is one that brings a sense of giddy anticipation: my husband has hit the halfway mark in his MBA program. That's right - he has two semesters left. Two semesters, albeit, of difficult work, long nights, study-filled weekends, and, for me, weeks filled with higher-than-usual hours of single-parenthood. Two semesters, and then we're freeeeee!!

Now, I know it's totally selfish of me to be so excited as I daydream about our lives a year from now. I promise, I love my family, and would (ahem, do) sacrifice my own hopes, dreams and desires in order to do what's best for them. I know my primary role as a mother is to chauffer, manage schedules, help with homework and piano practice, watch sports practices and games, and maintain our house's level of cleanliness. I know it and I love it. But I am excited for the day when I'm not trying to figure out how to be in two places at once; knowing that, as the kids get older and get involved in more activities, I won't have to juggle activities alone, or ask my parents to help out once again, helps get me through the day.

I also know I'm not alone in this eager anticipation. It's tough for my hubby to miss out on activities because he has homework or group meetings; it's tough on the kids when he's not able to put them to bed or take them to soccer practice. May 2011, we can't wait to see you - we shall ring you in with fanfare like no other month of the year!

I feel guilty for even thinking this way, let alone admitting it to the world at large, but here goes: I am looking forward to the freedom that will be added to my own schedule in a year. The freedom to spend more time writing, reading, hitting the gym, working on albums and creating cards, and maybe, just maybe, taking a dance class or two a week. When I don't have to squeeze 65 minutes out of every hour, when I don't have to feel guilty for leaving the boys at home with their dad when he has tons of homework. When I don't have to feel guilty for asking for help, even though I know the others in my life are just as burdened.

It will be glorious. But it's still 9 months away...

Oceans

Just took the kiddos to see Disneynature's Oceans. Really, really great movie - tons of cool footage, and educational without being too preachy. Zach loved it, and constantly tried to speak over narrator Pierce Brosnan, wanting to share facts about ocean creatures that he's learned from watching Life on the Discovery Channel. Alex, meanwhile, asked if the movie people could put Cars on instead, then fell fast asleep.

I heart my kids.

I must confess to eating movie theater popcorn (I know; less than 24 hours after my post about eating well); however, I would like to state that I limited my intake, and I filled our bellies with a good, healthy lunch beforehand, so as to minimize the popcorn munching. I'm only human.

http://disney.go.com/disneynature/oceans/

My Own Food Revolution

Jamie Oliver has inspired me. His "Food Revolution" show, website and petition have all encouraged me to rethink the food I serve my family, and the food and drink I put into my own body. Over the past few weeks, I've started making changes to our diet. I've started making chicken nuggets from scratch for the boys - being 3 and almost 5, it's one thing I know they'll eat regardless. I've cut soda from my diet almost completely - this is a big deal, since I had been averaging 32 oz PER DAY prior. Each meal I serve to my kids has one serving of protein, two servings' worth of veg, one serving of fruit, and a dairy. We've cut fast food out almost entirely, the exception being the occasional Chick-Fil-A lunch, Qdoba dinner or Dominio's Pizza.

I've discovered that cooking is rewarding and actually pretty easy. I've even started experimenting - this is the dinner I made tonight:

I had a bunch of mixed veggies, frozen and fresh, left over from previous meals this week. I also had an extra block of tofu - Sprouts had them on sale for 99 cents. So, I threw it all into the wok, and created a stir fry.

Then, I added a Japanese-style sauce I had in the fridge from a previous meal. The recipe is from the Wagamama cookbook Seth brought home from his last business trip to London. I also added a little toasted sesame seed oil, because the soy sauce in the sauce mixture smelled a little overpowering, and I thought the sesame oil would balance it out. I cooked up some buckwheat soba noodles to add to the stir fry. The kids will always eat noodles.

Table is set! I just bought some gorgeous strawberries and blackberries at the store - both on sale, and both perfectly sweet. The boys have been drinking lots of water since we bought them these cool Camelback water bottles.

After tasting mine, I randomly decided to add feta cheese. I know; Japanese-inspired stir fry with tofu...and feta. ??? It was really tasty, though.

Happy boys filled their tummies with this dinner. They ate every bite!

Having watched "Food Revolution" since the first episode, I've learned that food does matter. Even making these small changes has, I feel, made a difference in my family's health and well-being. The boys, thankfully, have always loved veggies, and I want to make sure that continues for the rest of their lives. They're both getting close to being in school; I'll probably send lunch with them when the time comes, so I know what they're eating. My next adventure: growing some of our own veggies in our backyard. We'll see how that goes - gardens are definitely outside my comfort zone!

If you haven't yet, please sign Jamie's petition to change the food served in American schools. It takes 30 seconds, but makes a huge difference. http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution The website has tons of great, easy, TASTY recipes for free, and you can even catch up on the episodes of the show. Thanks, Jamie, for making a difference!! xo

T.G.F.Bleach

Today, I am extremely grateful to whomever created bleach. Having two (yes, two!) potty-trained children is a blessing: the convenience of not hauling diapers around, the $40/month we save, not to mention, the lack of general stenchiness in our house. It's wonderful.


However, I am learning that two little boys who both use the potty can also have its drawbacks. Namely, the tendency of said boys to attempt to use the potty at the same time, which inevitably leads to, for lack of a better term, "pee wars". Yes, my children have learned to "fight" via their streams. This then leads to the toilet equivalent of "ring-around-the-tub"...which is disgusting.


So, tonight, I was forced to attack my toilet and its surrounding floors and walls with bleach water. I felt bad, since the toilet had never done anything bad to me, other than being too cold first thing in the morning. Still, it had to be done. I like to think the toilet and surrounding area breathed a sigh of relief at finally being clean, smelling like floral-scented bleach instead of...well, you know.


Clorox, you have my undying gratitude. By the way, we have a date: I have two more bathrooms who need your love and my attention.

Sickness equals more snuggle time. What a trade-off...

I know it's perverse, but I love that extra cuddliness is a side-effect of a sick kiddo. Not that I want my kids to ever be sick, but when they are, I love that they want to snuggle with me.


Having boys means I deal with a lot of things I'm not, by nature, too excited about: fascination with dirt and other grossness, building with Legos, discovering facts about dinosaurs, pretending to be a race car or firefighter, and the inability of little boys to sit still for more than 30 second intervals. Usually, they're too busy running around, jumping on/off stuff, playing with Legos/dinosaurs/cars, etc, to spare anything but a few seconds to give me a hug or smooch before they're back to being busy.


When they're sick, however, our "quality mom-son time" quota gets a much-needed boost. Suddenly, I'm in high demand; rather than playing or running around, my little men will actually sit on the couch, snuggled right up to my side, resting their warm little faces on my chest, for hours. We could stay that way all day, our only disturbances being bathroom breaks, food/drink replenishment, and switching of dvds. It's heavenly.
I pray for my sons' good health daily, but am grateful for the little illnesses that let us reconnect...even if it is just until the antibiotics kick in.