February Wrap-Up

I wish I could get my blog mo-jo back, so I would feel like posting more often. But alas, my days have fallen into a routine that does not include blogging. It's not that I don't think about subjects to blog about. Because I do. Just about every day I think of something that would make a good conversation starter, or something funny or cute or endearing that the boys said or did, or some clever observation about kids and parenting and life when you're 40. But at the end of the day, after kids and commuting and working and commuting and kids and dinner and homework and and cleaning and bathing and tucking and kissing and re-tucking and re-kissing, there is no more output left. My motivation to do anything more than mindlessly surf Facebook, watch TV, or read a magazine(or--gasp--a book! Which isn't mindless and does require brain functionality and thus doesn't happen as much as I'd like) is gone.

But since today is the last day of the month, I thought I'd make a herculean effort to get some of the jumbled thoughts I've been having out of my head. So here goes:

• My kids are awesome. They totally suck, but they are awesome and I love them to death.
• William is finally (finally!) reading chapter books by himself. His reading skills are fine (even slightly above average) but he struggles to stay focused on the page when he reads. He loses his place and his eyes move all over the page and he gets easily distracted. He figured out that it helps to place a card underneath each sentence as he reads to help him keep his place. (I would try to put my finger under each word as he reads, but he repeatedly informed me that first graders DO NOT POINT!) And it also helps when we look at the pages ahead of time to go over any words that he might not know. When he gets tripped up by a word, that often causes him to get distracted. The really great part is that he has strong comprehension of what he reads. So that is very positive.
• In the car the other day, Seth asked if boys could marry boys and girls could marry girls. I haven't really had this conversation with the boys because it hasn't come up before and we don't watch the news much. Anyway, I gleefully answered that Yes! Boys could marry boys and girls could marry girls in Washington, D.C., and in Maryland. Yay! But not yet in Virginia. Boo. We all decided that was really unfair. It was a short and sweet conversation, and hopefully, the first of many.
• We've booked Seth's birthday party (at a minor league baseball game--can't wait!) and are working on William's. I'm trying to convince him to have an indoor swimming party because it's the cheapest option for the most number of guests, and God bless him, William wants to invite his whole class. I think I almost have him convinced.
• The boys got haircuts. It seems like they need haircuts all the time so Ed took them and told the stylist (barber?) to give them both short cuts. They both ended up with close-to-buzz cuts. They're still pretty cute, though.
• This is what a "photo shoot" looks like with my boys:

• I went on a field trip with William's class to the Museum of Natural History. It was a lot of fun, but we only had 45 minutes of "free" time. I led a group of 5 kids--3 boys and 2 girls. They had a tough time agreeing on what to do. We went to the dinosaurs first, and then the mummies, which led to an exhibit on the forensic evidence left behind by the graves dug up at Jamestown. At which point the girls informed me they were going to have nightmares and could we please get out of there. We ended with insects and then the field trip was over. Fun stuff!
• Weekends have been pretty good around here. William had sleepovers two weekends in a row. This past weekend, our neighbor had both Seth and William over to watch a movie, and Ed and I got to watch Argo uninterrupted. (LOVED Argo. So glad it won best film!) Yay for spontaneous date nights and awesome neighbors! Seth came home after the movie and William stayed to spend the night. I love that he does great at sleepovers with friends.
• I almost wrote that I can't wait until Seth has sleepovers, but I caught myself because I can wait. Time is flying by way too quickly. I need to savor all of Seth's 4-year-old deliciousness before it's gone.
• That's enough for now, I guess. I know I've had some profound and deep thoughts lately, but I'll be damned if I can conjure them up right now. So this will have to do. My next post will probably be about spring break at the rate I'm going. Man--I'm so glad March is here. I'm ready for spring. But still--time could slow down and I'd be okay with that, too.

Valentines

In years past, we have always purchased valentines in a box (or bag). Transformers or Spiderman or one year, playdough minis. In pre-k, William signed his own name on all the envelopes. Last year, he wrote his friends' names and his own name on each card.

This year, William had other ideas. He wanted to give his friends personalized valentines--the shape of each state (or country) where his friends were born. I gently tried to dissuade him by showing him cool store-bought valentines (Phineas & Ferb! Scratch-off bookmarks!), but he stuck to his guns. So I dutifully emailed the parents of his classmates and asked them where their children were born. Most of them replied. The teachers provided the ones who didn't. In thinking about how we wanted to make these valentines, our choices were pretty limited. We don't have a printer at home, and I couldn't find any good graphics of states that we could print out. Also, we were working against the clock. His teachers had wanted the valentines turned in by Monday morning, but I didn't even get all the state info until Tuesday evening!

So quick and dirty was the way to go. I found state shapes online that I could cut out and then trace onto construction paper. I could have had William help with this step, but he has 22 classmates and I could anticipate with great clarity how that endeavor would go. Addressing and signing the cards would be hard enough. SO, on Monday night, after a school meeting and drinks with friends, I came home and traced 14 Virginias on red and pink construction paper and cut them out. At work the next day, I found the other states and printed out labels that read, (as dictated by William) "I'm glad you were born (in Virginia)!" (or whatever other state--or country--his friends were born in). When we got home on Tuesday night (late, I might add, thanks to State of the Union traffic), William got to work putting the labels on the states, addressing and signing them, and adding stickers to decorate them. After dinner/bath/homework/reading/bed I traced and cut out the rest. On Wednesday morning, William addressed and signed those and added sticker, and BOOYAH--they were done. (A day early! Or two days late--whatever.)

Now, I probably could have pushed William to just go with the store-bought cards. But here's the thing. I'm terrible with follow-through. The boys come up with ideas all the time that I vaguely commit to ("Sure--we can do that some time") and rarely follow through on. My biggest struggle with myself is follow through, and I don't want to pass that along to the boys. I want them to see that when you want to do something, you make it happen. In this instance, it was a very small thing, in the grand scheme of things, to make happen. And I'm glad we did.

Now, in all this scurrying around to get William's valentines done, I don't want you to think that poor Seth got ignored. He did not want store-bought valentines, either. But he liked my suggestion that I cut out hearts and we could write his friends' names on them and decorate them with stickers. (Way easier than states!) At first, he wanted to write his friends' names and his name. But then he decided I should write his friends' names. And later, he decided that I should write his name, too. LOL. We got his valentines done in a jiffy, and this morning, he delivered the valentines to all his friends' cubbies. The best part, however, is that I think Seth has internalized his mom's disorganized ways and has decided that there is a better way to live. Before delivering his valentines, he got a clipboard and clipped the list of his friends' names on the board. Then he got a pen and as he put each valentine in a cubby, he checked that friend's name off his list. When he was all done, he double-checked his work. God love him!

So that's our valentines tales for 2013. Tonight I will make heart-shaped pancakes for the boys (along with bacon and fruit) and Ed and I will enjoy fondue after the boys go to bed. Happy Valentine's Day!

The State of the Hahns 2013

It's that time of the year--time for my annual State of the Hahns Address. In the past, this time of the year has not always been pretty. In fact, in some years, I distinctly remember feeling like the State of Hahns was downright miserable. Until now, January has not been a kind month to the Hahns. It took me a few years to realize that January/February are pretty much the worst freaking months of the year. There's the post-holiday letdown, the sick season, the lack of sunshine, the cold, the drudgery of housework and homework and work work and kid-raising. I almost always feel like the Hahns are struggling at this time of the year.

But this exercise, reporting on the State of the Hahns, has actually been a really good way to pull my head out of my ass get some perspective, to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and to remember what is important. This year, more than ever, I am reminded of the big picture. I am reminded of what really matters. Love. Patience. Kindness. Joy. Not taking anything for granted. Letting go of the stupid things that stress me out. The truth is, the State of the Hahns is in constant fluctuation. There are bad days. And really bad days. And really good days. And so-happy-I-think-I-might-burst days. And that is never going to change. And I don't want it to change. There's a quote I love by Gordon B. Hinckley:

Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.

 So, the State of the Hahns is not blissful--at least not on a daily basis. And not even most of the time. And probably not even a lot of the time. But the State of the Hahns is ready--ready to embrace the good and to deal with the bad. Ready to take advantage of the really beautiful vistas and ready to learn from mistakes and grow and figure things out as we go along.

The State of the Hahns is humbled by how fortunate we are. And optimistic about everything that the future has in store for us. The State of the Hahns is okay--okay with knowing that we are not perfect and we will make mistakes and we will hurt each others' feelings and we will kiss and make up and we will tell each other we're sorry and that we love each other and that we are in awe of everything that makes each one of us wonderful and special and such a gift to this family and to this world.

The State of the Hahns is strong. Maybe not as strong as it has been. And not as strong as it will be. But strong in the knowledge that remembering what matters will always steady the ship and guide her home.