Drive-by Ketchup

I love the post titles that some of you fellow-bloggers come up with, so I'm completely poaching two of them for today's post--Driving By (by HeatherV) and Ketchup (by Jen). So without further ado . . .

• William has gotten some awesome birthday presents this year, including Snap Circuits Jr. He's played with it constantly since opening it. Not sure if he's actually learning anything about circuits and electricity, but it's a pretty awesome toy, imo. He also received a bunch of cool Lego sets, several of which he has put together entirely by himself. I'm so impressed with his ability to do this, mostly because I completely underestimated him (I'm ashamed to admit) and assumed he would need my help. I mean seriously, I get lego stuff wrong all the time!
• The other cool gifts he got were a watch and a remote control helicopter. He is now officially a big kid. The concept of time suddenly clicked for him when he got the watch. Now when I tell him that he has 10 minutes, he gets it. He is also crazy about his helicopter and took it to school for his Superstar week. He got to fly it around his classroom and his friends were uber-impressed. Nothing's more awesome to a six year old than to impress your friends!
• Snails! 

About a month ago, William finally got to redeem his first big reward from his responsibility chart and he really wanted snails. Ed was pretty adamant about NOT wanting an aquarium in our house, and he told William that he could put the snails in our fountain pool on the patio. On the day that we were going to pick out the snail, our neighbor Charlie invited William over to play, so William asked if I would go get the snail so he could play with Charlie. So I went solo to pick out a snail, and for some unknown reason, I decided to get 3 snails. (WTF???) I brought them home and William was thrilled. We put them in a fish bowl in William's room because the fountain was still pretty cold. We put a rock in the bowl and fed them some algae pellets. Pretty cool. Overnight, one got out and we found it behind the dresser the next morning. We put a lid on the bowl and put the escaped snail in a different bowl. (We weren't sure if he was dead or not. He wasn't.) Finally, it warmed up enough to put the snails in the pond. Meanwhile, William noticed that one of the snails really liked to get on top of the other snail. Crap. (He also knows that that means they're "mating" but he doesn't actually know what mating means . . . yet.) So fast forward to last weekend when William runs inside and says, "Mommy--one of the snails laid eggs!" Sure enough, one of the snails laid eggs. I have no idea if they'll hatch or not. I have no idea what we'll do with them if they do. No one told me snails mate like rabbits. I clearly had not considered the reproductive habits of snails at all when I bought the damn things. As of now, we can only find two snails in the fountain, so the third one must have bit it along the way. But still, that's one snail too many. So we may be taking a trip to a local pond or stream for a little "release" party soon. I'll keep you posted! Never a dull moment, right?

• Soccer--William only has one more game left this season. He has shown a lot of improvement over the past few weeks and I'm very impressed with how engaged he remains throughout the game. He tries very hard and he seems to enjoy it, and that's exactly what I want for him. He hasn't scored a goal yet, but he's had a few assists, and he's taken the ball from the opposing team several times. He might even miss it a little bit when the season is over.
• Summer--ACK! How is summer here already? I've been working on our "summer list" in my head, looking ahead to figure out our schedule. I'm trying to decide on what pool to join this summer. I'm on waitlists for the two pools closest to our house. There's a pool with no waitlist not too far from our house, and it's $425 to join. Or we could pay $215 for a bounce pass to a group of regional pools. There are five in our area, with one that is very close to our house. But that is the pool that we like the least. It's very crowded all the time. And I'm not always impressed by how clean it is. The boys really like the other pools in the region, but they're all at least 30 minutes from our house, so going to them on weekdays are not an option, and even on the weekends, they're an all-day event. Still, $215 is a lot less than $425. I'm going to try to visit the $425 pool this weekend to check it out. And then I guess I'll make the decision. Either way--SQUEE!!! SUMMER!
• Since my last post, I've managed to be a little more productive. I synced my iPhone and transferred off almost a year's worth of digital photos. I also uploaded some new content for the boys and removed some apps I don't use. I also started Insurgent and stayed up way too late last night reading. (I decided to put down the other books that I wasn't reading anyway. I'll get back to them later!) Now I just need to blog about the boys' birthday parties and add a bunch of pictures, and I'll be good to go. So stay tuned!

Falling off the Wagon

Every day this week, it's been my intention to upload pictures to my blog (to add to the boys birthday letters, and the picture of my sister and her husband and the boys) and to blog about William's Mad Science birthday party. But each night I've sunk into my bed or the couch and watched TV or read magazines or perused Pinterest or Craig's List or Facebook or any of the other tempting Internet time-sucks. I can't think of anything productive I've done this whole week and I'm not feeling all that great about myself. No reading (other than magazines), no meal plan, no blogging, no QT with Ed, no cleaning, no laundry, no organizing.

BUT that was this week and now it's Friday, and I can move on. Tonight I'll focus on laundry and maybe the boys will play outside until it gets dark (and even after it gets dark). Tomorrow, after a soccer game and visit to Ed's grandmother (who needs prayers to get stronger and on her feet again), we'll drop the boys off with Ed's parents and Ed and I will have an entire 24 hours kid-free. I feel crazy pressure to use that time well--to not squander a single precious minute of it. So tonight will also involve coming up with a plan. Ed needs a new suit, so that will take up some of the time. We'll look at rugs at Pottery Barn and then maybe check out Costco, and maybe finally pull the trigger on one. We might look for desks at a furniture store. Maybe we'll just go over our list of priorities for the house and come up with an actual plan. Maybe we'll pick paint colors. ACK--too many possibilities!!!! Maybe we'll just go see a movie. LOL.

Whatever we do, I'm hoping it will recharge me and motivate me and get me geared up for the rest of May. I have been feeling the pinch of time lately, in so many ways. On a daily basis, I feel like I am shortchanging the boys with our long hours away from home. I hate that we get home and then it's rush-rush-rush to get through all the things we need to do each evening. We haven't even had time to enjoy all the wonderful birthday presents William received. And then it's rush-rush-rush in the morning to check off all the things we need to do to get ready for school and work. Adding soccer to our schedule has definitely made things a wee bit more difficult--more than I expected. I'm very glad William is playing and I think he's gaining a lot of skills and I hope he wants to do it again in the fall or maybe next spring. But the logistics of after-school activities is so freakin' hard! After this spring, I've decided that when Seth starts school in 2013, I am going to look for an after-school babysitter to meet the boys at the school bus, to cart them to activities and play dates, to allow them to PLAY AT HOME after school, which is what they want to do most of the time. I realize that things change--things always change. But I feel like it's only going to get more complicated as the boys get older.

In the meantime, I will take a deep breath and I will build up that momentum I had leading into last weekend, and I will keep trying--to be productive, to be organized, to be fun and kind and happy. I will notice all the wonderful and cute and amazing things my kids do. And I will feel so incredibly thankful for all that I have. Why, hello Wagon. Yes, I would like to get back on!

I Did It

I ran in a 4-mile race. I didn't run all 4 miles. But I signed up for it, I trained, and I followed through. That's pretty huge for me. The race was much hillier than I expected. In fact, the first mile was all uphill. So that was fun. (Not) I ran the first mile and alternated walking and running the rest of the race. I finished up with about a half-mile run, with an overall time of 56 minutes. I think in all, I probably ran 2 miles and walked 2 miles. I actually truly enjoyed it, though, and definitely want to do another one.

The boys were there to see me begin the race. In fact, they insisted on seeing me off. And when the race started, Seth clung to my legs and cried while Ed pried him off. All of the runners around me went, "Awwwww." Nice way to start a Mother's Day race, huh? At the finish line, I eagerly anticipated their proud and smiling faces, only to find no one I knew in the crowd. Ed had taken the boys (and my mom) to get something to eat, and they ended up at Silver Diner, where they were happily munching pancakes, bacon, and waffles while I trudged across the finish line. So now, of course, I have to enter another race because, dammit, I want them to see me cross a finish line!

When the boys finally did see me, they asked if I had won. They seemed a little disappointed that I hadn't, but hopefully they will understand that doing your best is more important than winning, and that following through on a commitment--even a commitment to yourself--is worth its weight in gold.

Happy 6th Birthday William!

Dear William,

It blows my mind that you are already six years old. It seems like just yesterday that I was riding home with you from the hospital, sitting next to you while you stared and stared at everything around you, taking it all in, not wanting to miss a thing. And yet, sometimes I can barely remember what you were like as a baby. You are such a big kid now, so independent and capable and full of knowledge. And you are also funny and silly and you love to make people laugh. You are an amazing kid and Daddy and I are so proud of you.

Your sixth year of life has been filled with so many new challenges and you have embraced them all with eagerness and honesty, feeling your way as you go. You are almost finished with kindergarten, and I am blown away by all that you have learned. You can read now, count money, and tell time--among the many other skills you have gained. You have kept a positive attitude and an open heart, and I love how much you love to learn. You have made lots of new friends and truly enjoy playing with and learning from others. You have continued with taekwondo this year and have made so much progress with your skills. And you played soccer for the first time this year. Even though you don't really love it, you give it your all when you're in the game, and I'm so proud of you for that.

Your interests this year have ranged far and wide, but you continue to mostly love non-fiction books and your favorite subjects have been the Titanic, snakes, and submarines. (And venus fly-traps!) You also still love to draw, and I am amazed by the detailed pictures you can draw, straight from your imagination. Speaking of imagination, yours is still going strong, and I love how you and Seth can play train, or rocket ship, or submarine, using everything from boxes to laundry baskets to chairs to beds. I also love how kind you are to Seth (most of the time) and how you encourage him and support him. I know it's not always easy to be his brother, and I appreciate your patience.

I also appreciate your patience with Daddy and me as we figure out how to parent a grade-school kid. We want so much for you and it's so hard to know when to step back and when to take your hand. We are so proud of you for all that you have accomplished this year, for all of the fears you have faced and the challenges you have conquered. You are so thoughtful and caring, sensitive and kind. I hope that you will always have these qualities as you navigate these school-age years. I hope that you will grow a thick skin and the confidence to know how loved and treasured and valued you are, not just by Daddy and me, but by your friends, teachers, coaches, and family. You are a joy to be around, and I am excited to see all the ways you will grow in your seventh year. In the meantime, just know how much we love you and how lucky we feel to have you in our lives.

Love forever,
Mommy

Remembering

I knew May was going to be a crazy month. A good crazy, but crazy. And I know I'm not a very organized person and that I'd have a hard time staying on top of everything. But OMG--I'm so disorganized and not staying on top of anything! I guess I should give myself a little more credit. No major disasters to speak of yet. But I swear--remembering shit is the BAIN of my existence. We've been over the whole list thing before, and I've tried in so many ways to be a list person. I've tried iPhone apps and post-it notes and pads of paper in my purse and spread sheets on my computer and I might just need to start writing things on my hands. 'Cause OMG, I HATE HAVING TO REMEMBER STUFF ALL THE TIME. IT doesn't help that Teacher Appreciation Week was this week. Actually, Seth's school celebrated a week ago and William's school has been this week. Every day for two weeks I've had to remember to bring something in (flowers, chocolate, doughnuts, cards) or have the boys make something (cards, pictures, clay sculptures) or give money to someone. Plus both the boys' spring pictures came in, so I've had to remember to write the checks for pictures and send them to school. I have to remember to write tuition checks because our school doesn't do automatic debit. (Damn them!) William has soccer on Wednesday and Taekwondo on Thursdays so I have to remember cleats and soccer ball and shin guards and water bottle and uniforms and belts. I have to remember the boys' allergy medicine every morning and Clark's butt ointment every morning and night. William's birthday party is this weekend, so I've had to remember to put together goody bags and to make lists of what I still need and keep track of how many kids will be there and call the Mad Science people to work out the details. I have to remember my workout clothes every day, and to charge my iPhone and Kindle and to download Downton Abby episodes so I can watch while I run. I have to remember to do laundry during the week so I have clothes to work out in. (So I don't have to dig a dirty sports bra out of the hamper like I did this morning.) I have to remember a snack for Seth to eat on the way home. I have to remember to get Mother's Day gifts for Ed's mom and my mom. (Oh crap! I KNEW I forgot something.)  I have to remember all my friends' kids' birthdays ('cause most of my friends' kids' birthdays are in May).  (And I know I don't HAVE to, but I WANT to and everyone else is so good about acknowledging stuff like that, and I suck at it!) I have to remember Seth's class performance, and to bring the camera (and extra batteries) so I can videotape it (which means I have to remember to videotape it) and William's class performance. And to bring Seth's backpack and water bottle to school on Fridays for their class walks. I have to remember dentist appointments and emails that I need to respond to. And thank you notes. And grocery lists. And the fact that we need paper towels and toilet paper. I have to remember to leave money for our cleaning woman every other Tuesday. (I LOVE having to remember to leave money for the cleaning woman every other Tuesday.)

I realize these are all things that most normal people handle with very little effort or angst. It's all a part of life and adult responsibilities. Yes, I have a calendar (both on my iPhone and in our kitchen). Yes, I try to do things the night before. Yes, Ed helps. A LOT. But I'm just not built to remember things. It hurts.

But, it feels better to get all of that out. And now I need to go make a list of what I need to remember to do before William's party. I hope all you moms out there have a fantastic mother's day! Send me endurance vibes on Sunday morning as I run (and walk and run and walk) in my first (and most likely last) race. Hopefully I'll be back on Monday with lots of happy things to say. :-)

Weekend Recovery

We had an awesome, fun, VERY busy weekend, and now I am sipping tea and enjoying the relative peace of my office cubicle. Our weekend highlights included:

• Ending Screen-Free week by playing outside Friday night until long after it got dark. We taped flashlights to bikes and scooters and the boys and our next-door neighbors played and played. They made wishes on the Wishing Star (the first star we saw), but then we decided that they had wished on Jupiter by accident, so they wished again on another star. After much-needed baths, the boys went to sleep at 10:00 p.m., completely exhausted and completely happy.
• Stretching Sreen-Free week into the weekend, which turned out to be not difficult at all. The boys woke up and played with toys, did puzzles, and helped make breakfast. I'm happy to report that they did not complain about no TV once during the entire week.
• Going to Taekwondo on Saturday morning and then to an 11:30 a.m. soccer game. William is doing really well with soccer. He stays engaged and tries really hard. I can't say that he "gets" it, or that he anticipates the action on the field. But he seems to enjoy it. Not sure he'll want to do it again in the fall, but we'll see. 
• Taking Clark to the vet on Saturday afternoon. He's an indoor cat and we noticed that his fur on his belly was starting to disappear. Turns out, he has infected/impacted anal sacs (Google it, I dare you), and when cats are in pain, they will often over-groom. He has licked his butt raw, so now he has to wear a cone around his head and we have to put antibiotic ointment on his butt twice a day for two weeks. He is miserable with his cone. But hopefully the ointment is providing some relief. The kids have never been to the Vet's office before, so it was a big adventure for them and they were very well behaved.

• Participating in a neighborhood block party on Sunday. The boys played outside pretty much the entire day. By the end of the afternoon, all 10 of the young kids on our street were out in full force, riding bikes, pulling each other in wagons, fighting, running around, having a ball. Our street neighborhood is small, and there are lots of personalities to navigate, but we are still extremely happy with where we live, almost one year later.
• Hosting my sister and her husband--Aunt Anne and Uncle Greg--for a visit. They live on the West Coast and we rarely see them. My sister had never met Seth! So the boys were super excited to see them, and they got to witness our neighborhood in all its glory. Kids were everywhere--including on our back patio at one point. Seth came out and had a meltdown at one point because all the kids were playing with his tools and wreaking havoc on his workshop. Although I wasn't thrilled with inability to share, it was a timely fit, and everyone quickly cleaned up and cleared out, and we enjoyed dinner on our patio and got to spend QT with Aunt Anne and Uncle Greg. I even took a picture! But I didn't download it from the camera yet.

 So that was our busy but exciting weekend. In between all of that, we went grocery shopping and I managed to run some quick errands while Ed took the boys on a bike ride along the bike trail near our house. I even mostly finished our laundry! May is living up to expectations, but so far, so good! Now if I can just get through this coming weekend--Baba's visit, soccer game, William's birthday party, 4-mile run, and Mother's Day! Hopefully it will be just as fun and exciting.

Monthly Wrap-up

Things are moving right along in the Hahn household. I'm trying not to FREAK OUT that it's May already. Trying not to freak when I look at our calendar and see it filled to the brim. Instead, I'm looking at the calendar and trying to see all of the awesome things we get to do in the next several weeks. Soccer practice, science night, soccer games, taekwondo, family visits (my sister who has NEVER MET SETH is coming--so excited, and my mom will be back for William's birthday), birthday party, school performances, dentist appointments, Mother's Day, 4-mile run, overnight date night.  So much stuff!!! We may even try to go camping over Memorial Day weekend. Maybe. Depends on the weather. And if there are any available campgrounds around here. Which is unlikely.

Anyway, with all of those things to look forward to, I better take a look back at April and see how things are going with my goals. In no particular order:

I have been keeping track of my spending better--updating my categories in Mint.com and paying attention to where my money is going. But that has not translated into reigning in my spending. Ack! I feel like I'm a little out of control. The other day at the grocery store, I spent $175. That's the most I've spent in a weekly shop, and I wasn't even getting stuff for a party or alcohol or any of the usual big-ticket items. I did buy laundry detergent and allergy medicine. But still. Ugh. I also bought a new dress from my fashion-consultant neighbor which is super cute. But I need to get shoes to go with it. So I went online and bought five pairs of shoes to go with it, with the plan to keep two (one pair to dress it up and one to make it more casual) and return the other three. Decent plan, but I don't usually spend big like that in one sitting. It was kind of fun!

Anyway, on to better things. RUNNING! Yes--I'm still training for the 4-mile run. No, I do not think there's any way that I will be able to run the full 4 miles. BUT, I'm doing better every day, running for longer periods of time and feeling pretty good. I'm mostly running on the treadmill, and now I've started watching TV on my Kindle while I run. I never want to run outside again! LOL. Anyway, It's possible that I'll be able to run about 2 miles of the race, and then maybe walk/run the rest of it. Even if I only run one mile, walk a little, run another mile, etc., I will still feel proud of myself. I'm sticking with it and not giving up. And I'm not turning 40 until the end of June, so maybe I'll still have time to reach my 5k goal after all!

Parenting--It's hard for me to judge myself on this goal. I think I'm doing pretty well. I haven't completely lost my temper in a while, and that's pretty good. I've read (and am reading) some good parenting books, so hopefully I'm implementing some of what I've read. They are awesome kids, and I'm pretty proud of them, so that says a lot.

Focus on my marriage/decorating my home/stop biting my nails/take more pictures/send birthday, etc. cards/blog more--all major fails at this point. Although Ed and I will get an overnight date night this month, so that's progress, right?

Clean my house more--CLEANING WOMAN!!!! Enough said.

Meal plan/prep more the night before--Doing pretty well with this (as noted in my last post). I still tend to get lazy about prepping lunches the night before, though. I'm usually scrambling in the morning, which is never fun.

Read at least 24 books this year--Right on track with this one. There are so many books to read right now, though! I get on the waitlist for e-books at our library, and then it seems like three of them become available at once. Ack! And then I have to read them before they become unavailable. So I'm sitting on Insurgent right now, so I can finish Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (which is crazy sad, but I'm compelled to keep reading).

So that's where I am. Not too shabby, I guess. The boys are happy. Life is good. I'm finally getting my hair cut and eyebrows waxed today. What more could a girl ask for?