Ten points if you know where the title of this blog came from! Back to the point at hand--it's birthday party planning time in the Hahn household. Seth's birthday is April 22 and William's is on May 13--Mother's Day this year. Seth's birthday coincides with two of his life-long friends in his class, so last year, we brilliantly combined their birthday party into one. This year, we're doing it again and holding the party at the National Zoo. One of the other moms planned the whole thing, so all we have to do is show up, bring cupcakes, and write a check! And, of course, pray for good weather! His party will take place the week before his birthday, so on his actual birthday, we're going to have a little neighborhood party.
William, meanwhile, has been all over the map as to what kind of birthday party he wants to have. We finally settled on a Mad Science party, where a "scientist" from Mad Science comes to our house and entertains the kids for an hour. William is excited about it, but I'm just realizing that it's going to mean a lot of work for me since we're having it at our house. And we have to figure out how many kids William wants to invite. Fortunately, we're past the point where he has to invite everyone in the class. Whew! I don't think my house could accommodate 24 kids! But even 10 or 15 kids is going to be a lot! We're holding the party the day before William's actual birthday. Because this year, William's actual birthday is on Mother's Day! Poor kid has to share his spotlight with Mom. (Something tells me Mom is not going to get much of that spotlight!) So that will be a busy weekend indeed.
And that's because on William's actual birthday--Mother's Day--I'll be running in a 4-mile race. Aghhhh! It's official. I registered today. I'm running with a friend who has four boys (age 5 and under) and my neighbor, who has a son and a daughter. Our team name is "For the Boys--and Girl." I'm planning on making a t-shirt with a picture of Ed with the boys on the front, and a picture of William on the back with "Happy 6th Birthday William" on it. I think I must be crazy for signing up to do this. Y'all know my history with (and aversion to) exercising. And my decidedly un-goal-orientedness. I don't set goals and actually meet them! That's so unlike me! But here we are--in six weeks, I will run 4 miles. Cray cray.
So that's where things stand this Friday. Williams's spring break started today (he's at his school's spring break camp today) and we're headed to NC next week. I likely won't post much (if at all) but we're planning on having an awesome time! My goal for the week (look at me getting all ambitious now!) is to TAKE PICTURES. Doesn't seem like it would be so hard and yet . . .
Happy Spring everyone!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Finally . . . and Reward Chart Brilliance!
We hired a house cleaner. Woo-hoo! I can not tell you how excited I am about this. It's way, way, way overdue. She's coming every other weeks and will clean bathrooms, the kitchen, dust, mop floors, even change sheets on beds. Her first visit will be in two weeks, so I will clean one last time this weekend. Of course, there is always maintenance in between. We pretty much vacuum once or twice a week regardless, so that won't change. And I'll still have to wipe the toilet seats often. (We're working on it, peoples.) But omg--I'm already feeling so relieved.
So in other news, I had to take YET ANOTHER sick day yesterday. That's three weeks in a row that I've had to take a sick day. This time it was Seth again, with an unexplained fever. On Sunday night he was feeling warm and his temp hovered just under 100. He wasn't acting sick, though, and had no other symptoms. The same on Monday morning. Since it was under 100, I took a chance and drove him to school. He was happy, energetic. I got to my office and then got an email at 10:00 a.m. saying his temp was 100.4 and I needed to come get him. Gah! By the time we got home, his temp was 101 and he was clearly not feeling well. He vegged on the couch and then took a long nap and when he woke up, I gave him Motrin. By dinner time, he felt fine and polished off steak, green beans, and potatoes for dinner. Go figure. Of course, he has to stay home today because his school has a 24-hour fever-free policy. So Ed's on duty today.
And for the brilliant part--most of us already know how brilliant our friend LauraC is. She devised a point chart for her boys that provides positive incentives for wanted behavior. Her kids earn points for doing certain things, and they can cash those points in for rewards. The concept is nothing new, of course. I've seen variations of Laura's chart hundreds of times. (Well, a lot, anyway.) I peppered Laura with a hundred questions about her chart and its implementation. Ed and I discussed it but we were really hung up on the rewards part of it. We did not want to reward our kids for doing things that they're supposed to do. But on the other hand, what we're doing now isn't really working. And as the authors of Freakonomics will attest to, incentives are everything when it comes to human behavior. Soooo, after Laura's results with her chart were so successful, we took the plunge.
We want William (and Seth, too) to take on more responsibilities, which in turn will build self esteem. We also want him to focus on the tasks at hand and do them without needing reminders. For our chart, he has to do things like wake up with a good attitude, get himself dressed, clean up after himself, do his homework/daily reading, pick up his toys, etc. He gets a point for each job he accomplishes and he can choose from a list of rewards, This is where the brilliant part comes in , and it's what I didn't understand when Laura explained the chart to me and talked about it's success. He has to CHOOSE his rewards. He has to decide if he wants to watch TV, or eat dessert, or save his points for something bigger--like a movie at the movie theater, or a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium. So when we get home, if he says, "Can I watch something?" I'll say, "You have ___ points. Do you want to spend XX now on TV, or save them for something else?" So far this week, he has chosen NOT to watch TV. Amazing. It's not me telling him whether or not he can watch something. HE'S making that decision. Duh! (Actually, the brilliance is in using the delayed gratification tactic and applying it to TV-watching. Although I've tried this before in a simpler way--"You can finish watching this show OR you can take a longer bath OR I'll read an extra book to you." Maybe the difference is the alternative to TV watching hasn't been motivating enough. Or maybe William has just reached a maturity where he can appreciate delayed gratification. Who knows.)
Anyway, I feel like I've been so dense in not seeing this aspect of the rewards chart before. Of course, we're only in the first week of it. And I'm tweaking the point values, trying to figure out how to make the rewards easy enough to earn so that he stays motivated, but hard enough that he's really earning them and not getting everything he wants. Last night he bought dessert (he had to finish his dinner first), but he fastidiously stayed away from the living room while Seth watched TV. And he's also made his bed in the morning three days in a row because he gets an extra point for that. Score! As with all things, we'll see how long this lasts. I'm not good with starting new habits and following through on things. I'll probably forget about it and will lapse into my old ways. But maybe not. Maybe William will stay motivated. So a HUGE thank you to LauraC for all of her patience and answers and for getting the whole ball rolling.
So in other news, I had to take YET ANOTHER sick day yesterday. That's three weeks in a row that I've had to take a sick day. This time it was Seth again, with an unexplained fever. On Sunday night he was feeling warm and his temp hovered just under 100. He wasn't acting sick, though, and had no other symptoms. The same on Monday morning. Since it was under 100, I took a chance and drove him to school. He was happy, energetic. I got to my office and then got an email at 10:00 a.m. saying his temp was 100.4 and I needed to come get him. Gah! By the time we got home, his temp was 101 and he was clearly not feeling well. He vegged on the couch and then took a long nap and when he woke up, I gave him Motrin. By dinner time, he felt fine and polished off steak, green beans, and potatoes for dinner. Go figure. Of course, he has to stay home today because his school has a 24-hour fever-free policy. So Ed's on duty today.
And for the brilliant part--most of us already know how brilliant our friend LauraC is. She devised a point chart for her boys that provides positive incentives for wanted behavior. Her kids earn points for doing certain things, and they can cash those points in for rewards. The concept is nothing new, of course. I've seen variations of Laura's chart hundreds of times. (Well, a lot, anyway.) I peppered Laura with a hundred questions about her chart and its implementation. Ed and I discussed it but we were really hung up on the rewards part of it. We did not want to reward our kids for doing things that they're supposed to do. But on the other hand, what we're doing now isn't really working. And as the authors of Freakonomics will attest to, incentives are everything when it comes to human behavior. Soooo, after Laura's results with her chart were so successful, we took the plunge.
We want William (and Seth, too) to take on more responsibilities, which in turn will build self esteem. We also want him to focus on the tasks at hand and do them without needing reminders. For our chart, he has to do things like wake up with a good attitude, get himself dressed, clean up after himself, do his homework/daily reading, pick up his toys, etc. He gets a point for each job he accomplishes and he can choose from a list of rewards, This is where the brilliant part comes in , and it's what I didn't understand when Laura explained the chart to me and talked about it's success. He has to CHOOSE his rewards. He has to decide if he wants to watch TV, or eat dessert, or save his points for something bigger--like a movie at the movie theater, or a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium. So when we get home, if he says, "Can I watch something?" I'll say, "You have ___ points. Do you want to spend XX now on TV, or save them for something else?" So far this week, he has chosen NOT to watch TV. Amazing. It's not me telling him whether or not he can watch something. HE'S making that decision. Duh! (Actually, the brilliance is in using the delayed gratification tactic and applying it to TV-watching. Although I've tried this before in a simpler way--"You can finish watching this show OR you can take a longer bath OR I'll read an extra book to you." Maybe the difference is the alternative to TV watching hasn't been motivating enough. Or maybe William has just reached a maturity where he can appreciate delayed gratification. Who knows.)
Anyway, I feel like I've been so dense in not seeing this aspect of the rewards chart before. Of course, we're only in the first week of it. And I'm tweaking the point values, trying to figure out how to make the rewards easy enough to earn so that he stays motivated, but hard enough that he's really earning them and not getting everything he wants. Last night he bought dessert (he had to finish his dinner first), but he fastidiously stayed away from the living room while Seth watched TV. And he's also made his bed in the morning three days in a row because he gets an extra point for that. Score! As with all things, we'll see how long this lasts. I'm not good with starting new habits and following through on things. I'll probably forget about it and will lapse into my old ways. But maybe not. Maybe William will stay motivated. So a HUGE thank you to LauraC for all of her patience and answers and for getting the whole ball rolling.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Soccer
We signed William up for spring soccer this year. His season gets under way on Wednesday with his first practice. He's on a team with 3 other kids in his class, so I'm hoping he'll feel comfortable right off the bat. He's never played a team sport before, so we'll see what happens. We had a choice of playing either t-ball or soccer, and he chose soccer. So I guess if he doesn't like soccer this year, we'll try t-ball next year.
Speaking of sports. on Friday night his school held a big event called "March Mayhem." It was a huge fundraiser for the elementary PTA. The elementary school teachers play the junior high school teachers in a basketball game, and there's a big raffle for themed baskets donated by each class. William's PE teacher and his assistant teacher both played in the game and William had a blast watching them and cheering them on. He sat on the bleachers with four of his buddies and they all looked so grown up. And so cute! Maybe next fall he'll want to play basketball, too. He also mentioned hockey again, and said he wants to take more ice skating lessons. Aghhh! Too many choices! But I want him to find what he enjoys so we'll keep looking.
Anyway--back to soccer. Since his first practice is Wednesday, this weekend we needed to get his gear--cleats, shin guards, soccer shorts, and a ball. I missed the big exchange sale--where families bring their gently used gear for sale or exchange. And there isn't a used sporting goods store close to us. So we headed to the closest sporting goods store and got William all decked out for a mere $55. (Gulp!) That's okay--it will probably all go to Seth eventually. And then resale. William was happy with his gear and played with his soccer ball in the afternoon. I'll get some pictures of him on Wednesday at practice. The only problem with practice is that it starts at 5:30, which means we'll have to figure out how to get him there on time. But we knew going in that it would be tricky!
So other than soccer prep, we didn't do a whole lot over the weekend. The weather was pretty dreary on Saturday so the boys played inside and we all took a nap on Saturday afternoon. (The perfect thing to do when it's wet and cold outside!) On Sunday afternoon, it got nice again and the boys played outside for a good three hours. Love it! I did force myself to go for a run on Sunday morning. (Even though it was still drizzling and cold outside.) I'm supposed to run 4 miles on Mother's Day, but I'm beginning to feel doubtful that I'll ever be able to run that far. Three minutes without stopping was a struggle this weekend! But I will not give up. So this brings me to my request--give me you workout tunes! I need to make a good running mix. I don't really care about pace at this point--just name some tunes you love to run to. I'm hopelessly outdated when it comes to music. I never listen to current stuff, so I need all the help I can get. Thanks in advance!
Speaking of sports. on Friday night his school held a big event called "March Mayhem." It was a huge fundraiser for the elementary PTA. The elementary school teachers play the junior high school teachers in a basketball game, and there's a big raffle for themed baskets donated by each class. William's PE teacher and his assistant teacher both played in the game and William had a blast watching them and cheering them on. He sat on the bleachers with four of his buddies and they all looked so grown up. And so cute! Maybe next fall he'll want to play basketball, too. He also mentioned hockey again, and said he wants to take more ice skating lessons. Aghhh! Too many choices! But I want him to find what he enjoys so we'll keep looking.
Anyway--back to soccer. Since his first practice is Wednesday, this weekend we needed to get his gear--cleats, shin guards, soccer shorts, and a ball. I missed the big exchange sale--where families bring their gently used gear for sale or exchange. And there isn't a used sporting goods store close to us. So we headed to the closest sporting goods store and got William all decked out for a mere $55. (Gulp!) That's okay--it will probably all go to Seth eventually. And then resale. William was happy with his gear and played with his soccer ball in the afternoon. I'll get some pictures of him on Wednesday at practice. The only problem with practice is that it starts at 5:30, which means we'll have to figure out how to get him there on time. But we knew going in that it would be tricky!
So other than soccer prep, we didn't do a whole lot over the weekend. The weather was pretty dreary on Saturday so the boys played inside and we all took a nap on Saturday afternoon. (The perfect thing to do when it's wet and cold outside!) On Sunday afternoon, it got nice again and the boys played outside for a good three hours. Love it! I did force myself to go for a run on Sunday morning. (Even though it was still drizzling and cold outside.) I'm supposed to run 4 miles on Mother's Day, but I'm beginning to feel doubtful that I'll ever be able to run that far. Three minutes without stopping was a struggle this weekend! But I will not give up. So this brings me to my request--give me you workout tunes! I need to make a good running mix. I don't really care about pace at this point--just name some tunes you love to run to. I'm hopelessly outdated when it comes to music. I never listen to current stuff, so I need all the help I can get. Thanks in advance!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Over Parenting?
As the boys played outside last night after dinner (a dinner of cereal, hot dogs, and asparagus), I was talking with one of our neighbors and her boyfriend about how much parents supervise their kids today versus when we were growing up. I was lamenting the fact that my kids insist on playing out front and riding their bikes, rather than playing in our enclosed back patio, which means I have to stand outside with them and supervise. At what age can I send them outside and not feel like the neglectful parent? We laughed about all the unsupervised time we had outside as kids and all the antics we managed to pull off without killing ourselves.
Of course, 2012 is a much different time than the 1970s and 1980s. And we live in a much more urban area than where I grew up. There's a lot more traffic and a lot more crime. But still, what are my kids missing out on by not being able to explore and interact with other kids and make decisions completely by themselves? And what am I neglecting to teach them about responsibility simply because I never leave them alone outside? I lecture them over and over about not walking or riding into the street without looking first. About keeping their eyes up when they're walking and paying attention to what's around them. We've gone over stranger danger and where they live and phone numbers. All of those things are good and important. But I feel like they should have more independence than I'm giving them. (Well, William should. Maybe not Seth--not quite yet.)
I realize, too, that part of the reason I stand outside while my kids play is because they want me to. My kids have an aversion to doing anything without me. And I fear that this is completely my fault. I fall victim to working mommy guilt--the idea that I'm away from my kids all day, every weekday, so when I'm home, I need to give the kids all of my attention. I need to soak up as much time with them as I can. I need to make the most of the time I have with them. Of course, this means that I often neglect myself, and worse, I often neglect Ed. Not good for my sanity nor my marriage. It's ironic that studies show that moms today--even moms who work full time outside the home--actually spend more hours per week with their children than moms did 20 and 30 years ago. More time than moms who stayed home full time! (See this article, for example.) So what gives? I'm starting to completely buy into the idea of "benign neglect" that's also been floating around the media lately. (Just Google it and you'll see what I mean.)
But how do I get the kids to buy into the idea of benign neglect, given the fact that I've been a hoverer for most of their lives? Therein lies the dilemma. The bigger dilemma, however, is how do I convince myself that I'm not missing out on anything by not being present with my kids? At the risk of using a laughable cliche, where's the balance? I want independent and responsible kids, and I don't want them to feel neglected and I want to know them and I want them to feel close to me. Is that really too much to ask?
Of course, 2012 is a much different time than the 1970s and 1980s. And we live in a much more urban area than where I grew up. There's a lot more traffic and a lot more crime. But still, what are my kids missing out on by not being able to explore and interact with other kids and make decisions completely by themselves? And what am I neglecting to teach them about responsibility simply because I never leave them alone outside? I lecture them over and over about not walking or riding into the street without looking first. About keeping their eyes up when they're walking and paying attention to what's around them. We've gone over stranger danger and where they live and phone numbers. All of those things are good and important. But I feel like they should have more independence than I'm giving them. (Well, William should. Maybe not Seth--not quite yet.)
I realize, too, that part of the reason I stand outside while my kids play is because they want me to. My kids have an aversion to doing anything without me. And I fear that this is completely my fault. I fall victim to working mommy guilt--the idea that I'm away from my kids all day, every weekday, so when I'm home, I need to give the kids all of my attention. I need to soak up as much time with them as I can. I need to make the most of the time I have with them. Of course, this means that I often neglect myself, and worse, I often neglect Ed. Not good for my sanity nor my marriage. It's ironic that studies show that moms today--even moms who work full time outside the home--actually spend more hours per week with their children than moms did 20 and 30 years ago. More time than moms who stayed home full time! (See this article, for example.) So what gives? I'm starting to completely buy into the idea of "benign neglect" that's also been floating around the media lately. (Just Google it and you'll see what I mean.)
But how do I get the kids to buy into the idea of benign neglect, given the fact that I've been a hoverer for most of their lives? Therein lies the dilemma. The bigger dilemma, however, is how do I convince myself that I'm not missing out on anything by not being present with my kids? At the risk of using a laughable cliche, where's the balance? I want independent and responsible kids, and I don't want them to feel neglected and I want to know them and I want them to feel close to me. Is that really too much to ask?
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
A Long Time Ago . . .
. . . (back in February) LauraC had a little contest where she posed a bunch of questions and gave a Starbucks card to the person whose answers entertained her the most. Well, I'm nothing if not a procrastinator, so here are my answers! (In case you were jonesing to know more about me!)
1. What is your favorite Girl Scout cookie? Definitely Samoas.
2. What is the one item on which you always splurge? Fresh fish/seafood at the grocery store. And Shiner Bock beer. Or alcohol in general--I always feel like that's a splurge.
3. What's the best book you've read in the last 10 years? There's no way I could pick just one. I loved the Hunger Games trilogy. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The Book Thief.
4. What is your favorite summer drink? Thanks to LauraC and Lindsay, it's now Margarita Punch!
5. Spring or fall? Spring (I love fall, too. But spring is such a welcome change from winter. Whereas I love summer, so fall isn't quite as highly anticipated.)
6. If you are not doing your dream job right now, what would it be? I love what I do, but in another life, I think I'd want to go into early childhood development.
7. Is there a better movie role model than Maude? Probably not. (My mother loves you already btw!) Although Susan Sarandon has played two of my favorites, Louise and Annie Savoy.
8. If you had $100 to spend at Target, what would you buy? Baskets and picture frames.
9. Have you ever tried boxed wine? If it was good, what was the brand? Probably, but I don't remember it.
10. If you could meet one blogger who would it be? Liz Gumbinner of Mom 101.
11. If I could photograph you doing anything, what would it be? Running, because it's so completely out of character for me and it's hard to believe I'm actually doing it. I need proof!
Now that I've answered those questions, there were a few questions that Laura answered that I also want to answer:
12. Where do you buy most of your clothes? I hardly ever buy clothes, but when I do, it's usually L.L. Bean, Lands End, Kohls, J.C. Penney, or Chadwicks. And mostly on-line.
13. Is there a song that you always have to sing aloud every time? Pretty much any Disney song from the 90s. And Party in the USA. And Indigo Girls. And pretty much any song I know the words to.
14. Do you prefer beach or mountains and why? I'm a beach girl, born and raised in Florida. The beach is endlessly entertaining and calming to me.
15. Do you still hang out with any of your childhood friends? My three besties and I have known each other since middle school (and some of us since elementary school). We get together faithfully once a year (which I blog about here, here, here, and here) and my life would feel so empty without them!
16. If you were deserted on an island and could only have 3 beauty items, what would they be (not basic hygiene)? My face lotion (Oil of Olay Complete sensitive skin with SPF), lip balm of some sort, and I don't know what the third item would be. Am I alone on the island, or with other people? If I'm with other people, then maybe eyeliner.
(Thanks for the inspiration LauraC!)
1. What is your favorite Girl Scout cookie? Definitely Samoas.
2. What is the one item on which you always splurge? Fresh fish/seafood at the grocery store. And Shiner Bock beer. Or alcohol in general--I always feel like that's a splurge.
3. What's the best book you've read in the last 10 years? There's no way I could pick just one. I loved the Hunger Games trilogy. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The Book Thief.
4. What is your favorite summer drink? Thanks to LauraC and Lindsay, it's now Margarita Punch!
5. Spring or fall? Spring (I love fall, too. But spring is such a welcome change from winter. Whereas I love summer, so fall isn't quite as highly anticipated.)
6. If you are not doing your dream job right now, what would it be? I love what I do, but in another life, I think I'd want to go into early childhood development.
7. Is there a better movie role model than Maude? Probably not. (My mother loves you already btw!) Although Susan Sarandon has played two of my favorites, Louise and Annie Savoy.
8. If you had $100 to spend at Target, what would you buy? Baskets and picture frames.
9. Have you ever tried boxed wine? If it was good, what was the brand? Probably, but I don't remember it.
10. If you could meet one blogger who would it be? Liz Gumbinner of Mom 101.
11. If I could photograph you doing anything, what would it be? Running, because it's so completely out of character for me and it's hard to believe I'm actually doing it. I need proof!
Now that I've answered those questions, there were a few questions that Laura answered that I also want to answer:
12. Where do you buy most of your clothes? I hardly ever buy clothes, but when I do, it's usually L.L. Bean, Lands End, Kohls, J.C. Penney, or Chadwicks. And mostly on-line.
13. Is there a song that you always have to sing aloud every time? Pretty much any Disney song from the 90s. And Party in the USA. And Indigo Girls. And pretty much any song I know the words to.
14. Do you prefer beach or mountains and why? I'm a beach girl, born and raised in Florida. The beach is endlessly entertaining and calming to me.
15. Do you still hang out with any of your childhood friends? My three besties and I have known each other since middle school (and some of us since elementary school). We get together faithfully once a year (which I blog about here, here, here, and here) and my life would feel so empty without them!
16. If you were deserted on an island and could only have 3 beauty items, what would they be (not basic hygiene)? My face lotion (Oil of Olay Complete sensitive skin with SPF), lip balm of some sort, and I don't know what the third item would be. Am I alone on the island, or with other people? If I'm with other people, then maybe eyeliner.
(Thanks for the inspiration LauraC!)
Monday, March 19, 2012
No Really, I'm Still Here!
I have no idea why I haven't been blogging. Well--it's partly because my laptop is still broken and I've been busy at work. Also because the weather has been GORGEOUS, and combined with the time change, we've spent just about every evening outside with all the neighbors--pushing our daily bedtime to the max. And there really hasn't been a whole lot of blog-worthy thoughts going through my head. So, I will try to do some catching up, bullet-point style, to get myself back in the groove.
- Last week, Seth was sick. I think it started off as a cold, but he ended up wheezing and had a slight fever. So we stayed home on Tuesday and Wednesday. Which happened to be gorgeous days. Nice!
- Today, William is home sick. He woke up yesterday morning with a fever and then started vomiting. Fortunately, the vomiting stopped around 2 p.m., but he still had a fever around 2:30 a.m., so we're home. I kept Seth home, too, rather than driving him to D.C. Did I mention that today is also a gorgeous day? Darn. (Where's the sarcasm font when you need it?)
- I finished my mega-huge project at work. It will never actually be finished--there will always be improvements to be made and new info to add--but it's launched! Check it out: States in the Senate
- I am gearing up to FINALLY start doing some home decorating. I know--been saying this for a while now. But we're coming up on our one-year anniversary of living here, and since we've pretty much DONE NOTHING, I think it's time to actually start doing something.
- Speaking of actually doing something, I started my training for the 4-mile run on Mother's Day. I'm doing C25K, and have finished the first two weeks. Today starts Week Three, Day 1. I've been doing two workouts a week on the treadmill and one workout outside. Seems to be working okay so far. But street running is definitely harder than the treadmill. Especially since my neighborhood is hilly.
- The boys are doing well. I'm trying to remember what we've been doing over the past several weeks. I took the boys to the science museum in Baltimore a few weeks back, and to the World-War-II-era submarine they have docked at Inner Harbor. They really enjoyed both. The boys went to Ed's uncle's farm on Saturday and had fun riding horses, the tractor, the ATV, and the Gator. I stayed home to clean. (I definitely got the short end of that stick!) In between those events, I have no idea what we've done. (This is why I need to keep up with my blogging!) Seems like there were some birthday parties we attended. Some family events. Lots of hanging out at home, playing. Lots of trips to Target and the grocery store.
- Speaking of Target and the grocery store, I have been spending so much money lately at both of those places. I can't seem to get a grip on my finances. We hardly ever eat out, and I pack William's lunch every day, and I've been buying fresh fish about once a week. So all of those things are factors. But wow--I'm torn between trying to be really frugal on the one hand, but then just saying--Eff it, I don't have to nickel and dime myself to death over groceries! We can afford it. I can buy fresh seafood and organic, free-range eggs and chicken when I feel like it! I'm sure there's a happy medium. I think my first step is to get back on the Quicken bandwagon and track my expenses so I know what I'm really spending.
- Speaking of eating at home, I've been doing pretty well with the menu planning and the follow-through.It's been hard to put dinner together once we get home, though, no matter how much planning I've done. The boys want to play outside, and the rest of the neighborhood is out. And frankly, playing outside and socializing is always preferable to food preparation!
- That's about all I can think of. See--told you there aren't too many blog-worthy thoughts rolling around in my head. Time flies and life marches onward. Things are good and I can't really complain. Spring break is coming up and the boys and I will be heading to North Carolina to visit Baba and Uncle Chris. We'll stop at LauraC's on the way home. I was definitely looking forward to time off, but after all these sick days, I'm not feeling quite as needy! That's okay--I'm still looking forward to the trip.
- Looking forward--my goals are to keep up with my reading (finally finished 11/22/63), keep up with my C25K training, and focus on getting my house in order. And I'm still working on better parenting. This has been a good month, for the most part. Of course, there's always room for improvement on that front. Hopefully you will hear more from me in the future!
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