Thursday, June 26, 2008

Summer's Here, and the Time is Right.... for Losing my Freakin' Mind!

We've quickly switched gears in our household, from school mode to summer mode, and it feels like just the same amount of work for me, that's for sure!

My two girls have been enrolled in activities at the Boys and Girls Club this week, so the three of us our out of the house shortly before 9:00 a.m., so they can both be on time.

My oldest daughter has been taking gymnastics, and with the oppressive weather we've been having, she's going into the Club looking all cute, put together and perky, and coming out all red-faced and dragging! :) She loves it though, and it's been really good for her to burn off some of the never-ending energy she seems to have. I've even let her stay past her dismissal time of 12 noon, so she can hang out with some of her new playmates she's met this week and have lunch at the Club with them. Too bad lunch (which to me, means a slice of pizza and a drink) to her means candy and junk from the vending machine! Ah, well...guess you're only a kid once, right?

My little one has been enjoying her summer "camp" sessions with a group of other kids her age. I pick her up every day at noon, as well, in the toddler playground located behind the Club (weather permitting, of course) -- and more likely than not she's soaking wet from jumping in the sprinkler, and has had more than one bucket of sand dumped in her hair! After struggling with her to get her to leave the premises (I still can't seem to figure out why I have to fight with her to go most mornings, then fight with her to leave in the afternoons!), she does a quick rinse off in the bucket next to the gate leading back into the Club, then it's on with her Crocs and into the car.

Once home, she has a quick bath, and then her lunch, and then a nap. Of course, that's on a good day. There have been some days where she won't nap, and chooses to whine miserably instead. Those are the days when I feel like pulling my hair out by the roots!

I've allowed my son to take this week off from any activities. I figured, after all of the hard work he put in to make sure his projects were finished and passed in, he deserved a little de-stressing time. He's been sleeping in late, and only popping downstairs to eat and use the bathroom. I've barely seen him! That's why I was so suprised to see him emerge bright and early this morning, wanting to go to the Club with us this morning. I guess he figured that there just might be life outside of this house, after all.

I did ask him to speak to the Director while he was there, to find out if there was a job that he could do there for some part of this summer. The Club has various volunteer jobs that they assign Youth Leaders to work for. Not only would it be good for my son to be productive and useful, but it will also teach him responsibility and help him to "pay back" to the Club a bit, since they've been so very good to us. We'll see how well he does with that undertaking.

Next week is their "off" week. I figured it would be good for them to have a week with activities and a week without. Hopefully, the down time won't prove to be too much of a mistake, and I won't have to pull them physically apart from one another!

Wish me luck! :)

7 comments:

Susy said...

Commented on last blog

Susy said...

I just read Don's blog and Oh I don't want any more kids I'm 50 and done! Plus having 10 and 11 pound babies is why the doc said no more because they kinda bent me out of shape! But if we could of had 1 more we would of.

By the way consider yourself tagged for the What I love list..... would love to know!

Mama C. said...

I would have loved to have had at least one more, too, Susy. But, because of all of the health problems I had before, during, and after my last pregnancy, my husband got so scared that he went and had a vasectomy shortly after she was born. Figures... the ONE time I don't want him to follow through with the doctor's and he does!

The morning of the surgery, I waited with him in the pre-op area, kissed him goodbye as they took him off to perform the procedure, walked out of the hospital, got into my car and bawled my eyes out!

It was such a hard thing for me to come to grips with -- the "finality" of it. Knowing there wouldn't be any more beautiful, chubby cheeked babies created with love by the two of us.

But, like I said on Don's blog, sometimes you just have to listen and pay attention to the signs that are given. I always pictured myself having four children. During the drive to the first ultrasound appointment, my husband and I were quabbling back and forth about the sex of the baby. I knew, from the dreams I'd been having, that we were having a girl. He kept INSISTING that it was a boy baby, which he'd never done with any of my previous pregnancies. We'd always been in sync with one another on the sex of our children.

When we got to see that little "rice krispy" inside of us, I noticed another little, non-viable sac. My fourth baby. Our daughter was supposed to have been a twin, but we lost the second baby early in the pregnancy.

Once I allowed myself to recover from the grief of not having any more children, I realized that I DID have my four, as I'd always known I would, only one of them paved the way for our daughter to come forward into our lives.

I know this may sound strange, but I know in my heart that little one was a boy, and I've named him Daniel. And, I know I'll see him again.

As for you, my dear... fifty isn't old, by today's standards. But, if it's not safe for your body to carry your babies, then it's probably best for you not to. Like my husband said to me, he'd rather have his wife around for a long, long time than to sacrifice my life for another baby.

xox,

C.

Susy said...

Are you sure you aren't a Mormon.....I want to Thank you for your post about my father. As a matter of fact it has been 3 months today..I went back to see his picture and noticed your comment. That was very kind!

Mama C. said...

I've never been baptized a Mormon, no. But, I guess I am really aware of my spirituality, and truly do believe that a Higher Power watches over me. The difficulty comes with waiting for prayers to be answered in God's time! :)

The love you feel for your father is part of the fabric of your own life, Susy. It's part of what makes you a good wife, a good mom, and a good person. He helped to instill that in you, and that is such a wonderful legacy.

Susy said...

We seem to have the same ideas about life, kids, pretty much everything! Even down to the Playdough and Legos ie: Don's blog. That is so cool. I was reading all of your blog and smiled quite a bit! I feel like we could be hang out friends if lived by each other.

Mama C. said...

What a really sweet thing to say, Susy! I'm really, truly flattered that you think of me that way! :)

Isn't it funny, how some people just "click" right away? I'd definitely be your "hang out buddy", too! :)

C.