Okay, so I lied...

I know I said I was going to start getting the kids to bed on time, now that the Olympics are over and school is in full swing. But c'mon... now its the Democratic National Convention! I grew up in a family that was conscious of the history going on in the present. I remember watching moments on TV that would become historical moments now the being taught in my children's school books. Because. They. Were. Important. I grew up being aware, in whatever way a child can, of what was going on in the world.

That is one of the gifts I can give to my children. I am proud of the fact that my 4 year old has been able to pick out Barack Obama and John McCain and Hillary Clinton on the cover of a magazine for months now. I am proud that when my 9 year old's class was asked, last spring, who was running for president, he was able to name at least 5 names, democrat and republican. The morning after a big primary election he would ask, on the drive to school: "So how did they do last night mom? Who came out on top, Hillary or Barack?" When a certain Senator from Illinois came to a town not far from my own, on a blustery January day, we took our kids out of school to see him. And on another cold and snowy night in February, we bundled them up, with our home-made posters in hands, and caucused for the person we believe in. (Click on the underlined words to see my previous posts.)

So when this woman took the stage last night, in front of a national T.V. audience, to introduce America to her husband, yes, I let my kids stay up and watch it. How could I not?

Here's the final part of her speech: (My apologies for the cable news commentary at the end, I really was just looking for the last 2 minutes of her speech, that were truly electrifying.)



In the end, I think a few bleary eyes before school some mornings are worth it, to be able to give my kids an understanding of where they are in this world, and how they are impacted by so many events going on in this country.

And who knows, I may be grooming my own political dynasty. I'd be okay with an "Owen in 2040" or a "Lauryn in 2048" ticket!

What we've been up to lately

Owen has begun his 4th grade year of school. So far, "back to school" has been a good thing. He is in a 4th/5th grade combo class. (This is a compliment to his maturity and academics... we're so proud!) But this originally brought forth a bit of apprehension, not knowing all of his classmates, will the work be too hard, etc. But as you can see by his photo before the 3rd day of school, (of course I forgot to take the traditional photo on the first day of class) the apprehension is all gone!

We have done a bit of celebrating to start off the school year. Like using the "free ice cream cone" certificates the kids earned for their summer reading...

...going out to eat... and seeing a family movie.


I've taken advantage of my mother's summer bounty of tomatoes (I didn't plant a single plant this year. I fully regret this.) and made her curry. I can't say it tasted as good as hers, and I didn't use enough "elbow grease" to get my chapatis thin enough... but it all still tasted good enough for me to eat curry for 5 days straight. Now I have a mouth sore from all the acid and spice. It was totally worth it! (How does it look, mom?)

Despite me making separate meals for the kids, they have latched on to my childhood memory of curry suppers -- rice, ketchup and chapatis. Don't laugh. I still think it tastes good.

We've attempted to get to bed on time, so we're not tired for school. It hasn't worked very well. If we haven't been staying up to watch the Olympics, we've been begging for one more book, one more chapter, one more game, one more... something. It has been hardest on Lauryn. She doesn't start Pre-Kindergarten until Monday, and doesn't see any good reason why she should go to bed when Owen does... she doesn't have to get up early.

My attempt at moving bedtime along one night completely backfired. "Let's get all your baby dolls tucked in for the night, then you can go to sleep too." Of course every doll needed new pajamas, a bed, blankets, pillows, and of course a book. "Okay, Lauryn, I'll read your babies one book before bed." "No, mommy, there are 8 of them, they each need a book." Sigh. 8 books, 8 pajamas, 8 beds, and about 55 minutes later... they were all in bed, and so was Lauryn. (She was only feigning sleep in the below picture... she too required at least 4 books before she was ready to sleep.)

Now that we're settling into new schedules, new lists, new plans, I felt the need to organize with a chore/activity list for the kids that they can check off everyday. I'm hoping it will create fewer arguments. But I'm not holding my breath.

Do you think printing it on yellow paper will make the chores somehow seem more bright and cheery, and less dreaded? Here's hoping for that one...

Oops! The staycation post

Oops! I started a post some time ago, about our staycation. I forgot to finish it. And now that I actually have, it is posted in the order that I originally planned to post it. Click here, if you're interested in checking it out.
Enjoy!

Defending (the) Champion(s)

I feel the need to defend the reason my kids have been staying up late; the reason we have spent hours glued to the television instead of enjoying the unseasonably cool August; the reason we haven't gone to the park, or the zoo, or really anywhere except school (another post on that coming), work and the grocery store in the past week or so.

We've been watching history being made.

I'm a total sucker for the Olympics. I always have been. I remember watching Mary Lou Retton in the 1984 games. I bounded over the sofa for weeks to come, trying to replicate her vaulting skills. In truth, it wasn't weeks, it was years. My parents finally enrolled me in gymnastics to save the furniture. That's not an exaggeration. While I never quite made it to Olympic skill (okay, I never made it anywhere close) I spent about 6 years of my youth going to weekly gymnastics classes, tumbling, back-handspringing, swinging from the bars, balancing. I loved it. I finally quit when I hit my growth spurt (5' 4" is huge for a gymnast) and towered above the rest of my classmates. (And I knew that my small town school didn't have a gymnastics team, like the larger towns on either side of ours. If they had, well, I might have stuck it out...)

Maybe I'm sentimental (yes, I am), maybe I am a dreamer (yeah, sorta), maybe I'm just a sucker for the way they put video in slow motion, add dramatic music, and focus in on tears of mothers' faces (heck, even the Olympic commercials sometimes make me tear up.) I am unashamed of the pure, raw emotion I feel (and express) when I see Olympic dreams come true before my eyes. Its really frickin' cool.

So, I've been letting Owen stay up way too late on his first few days of school, to watch Phelps win one ... and another... and one more... and another one. I've pleaded with Lauryn to just wait to go to bed, until she can see one more floor routine. One more vault. One more swim. One more race. One more medal ceremony. One more mother , with tears flowing down her cheeks.

Of course Michael Phelps has been a large part of this. To say he is impressive is almost an insult. He's amazing. But he's also a really good example. Bullied and teased as a kid for having big ears, long arms and big feet (two of which play a major role in his swimming skill -- I'm not sure the ears have anything to do with it); dealing with ADHD; living without a dad around, raised by a single mother and two sisters -- this guy took all of that, and turned it into the motivation, drive, determination, sheer will to become one of the greatest athletes of all time.

As the most athletic kid of my family (I'm not being boastful, my sisters would agree), I was involved in gymnastics, volleyball and track. I never competed in gymnastics. I never made the 1st string team in volleyball. I never placed higher than 2nd (and that only happened once) in high jump (I wasn't much of a runner). But I tried. I competed. I practiced. Literally, from age 6 until 18, I was involved in some sort of organized sport. And. I. Loved. It. It kept me busy. It kept me in shape. (It allowed me to gorge myself on chips and candy and somehow keep a great physique. Sigh.) It taught me to keep going, to never quit, to stay involved.

And sorry if you're hearing the Hallmark Card music fade in over my little speech. Sorry if you're ready for me to step down from my soapbox. Sorry if my enthusiasm doesn't seem genuine enough, or if you think I'm just caught in the dramatic commercialization that the Olympics have become.

But I'm not going to apologize for sleep-depriving my kids. I'm not going to apologize for not going to the park, or spending an evening outside. I'm not going to apologize for calling for the kids to come to the TV every time I see a Phelps story come on, or for making them stop practicing piano to see another race. THIS is history being made. THIS is where dreams are born and how motivation turns into determination. And I'm not going to apologize for exposing my kids (and myself) to it. We all need a little bit of inspiration, once and a while. And at the very least, I'm going to immerse myself into it. Every. Four. Years.

(My littlest Olympian doing her "gymnast moves" while we watch the games.)

(My biggest Olympian reaching for the finish at one of his swim meets this summer.)

I owe you all....

Been taking a break from blogging. You've probably noticed. I have a thousand blogs running around in my mind... tons of new pictures to share... many new perspectives that have yet to be realized by my fingers hitting the keyboard.
They're coming.
We've been busy with the end of summer, family in from out of state, gatherings, events, vacations, sports, back-to-school preparations, new work schedules.... I'm tired just thinking about it all!
In the meantime, I'll share one of my favorite pictures of the summer:

This is Lauryn, relaxing at the pool during one of Owen's swim practices. Its just one of my favorites. She was having such a great morning.

More blogs to come.... eventually.