Monday, Funday

Monday is a great day at our house, because Tim is home. It is the only day that he is here when the kids get out of school and for dinner. Today, he took Oli to get fitted for new braces. I stayed home and went to spin class, then did work. When they got home, miles woke up. We decided it was "man day," since I had more work to do. So I dressed miles up in his best man outfit, and the brothers and their dad watched some batman.

It's Me Again

So I am probably the most absent blogger on earth (or in the blogosphere, as the case may be). But I am writing/presenting a paper on Mommy Blogs at a conference next Saturday, so my own blog has been on my mind. It often is. I always think "I should blog this," but I never seem to find the time. If I get online, I either work, go on Facebook, read other blogs, or go on babycenter. If I don't blog as I think of it, I never go back and recapture it. The moment is lost. So, after 2 hours of researching other Mommy Blogs, I figured I would recommit, jump on, and capture the moment.

I have months worth of things to say, months worth of pictures to post. Some highlights:

Mac's birthday -- A fun day at the King of Prussia Mall with a few of Mac's friends, mini-golf, and a way to expensive trip to the candy store (where you pay by the 1/4 lb) where I made the rookie mistake of letting the kids fill up their own candy favor bags.

Work -- We have renegotiated time and space several times to give me the amount of time I "need" to get my work done. I often feel like a prima donna, but it has come out that I really need more time to do my own stuff. Tim leaves for work at 1, comes home at 10, and I do everything in between. Plus, he works weekends. He has been so supportive about helping me find the time, and I also had to realize that I might have to sacrifice (read: get up earlier) to fit everything in. It may not be fair, but I know I am not the only mom getting up before 7 am (this is a joke, b/c I know almost every mom gets up before 7 am. Heck, almost every adult gets up before 7 am. except Tim.) Work is getting back on track, but I am also working on making some longer term adjustments to help ensure that I get tenure.

Miles -- He is so cute and such a joy. I knew that I would love having another kid, but I had no idea how great it could be. I forgot how much I love the baby stage, and I am really looking forward to all of the toddler stuff, too. His personality is emerging more every day, and I couldn't love him more.

Oliver -- We are currently debating holding him back v. promoting him to first grade. The experts are weighing in on both sides, and I fear making a decision that will damage him for the rest of his life. Only half-joking. He continues to be cute and love super heroes. He also just joined the adaptive swim team at the Y. He, of course, says he hates swimming. But I say he loves it. So there.

Mac -- She continues to lead the pack in terms of spirit, energy, and opinion. We are still waiting to see if, like Anikan Skywalker, she will use her power for evil or good. There is no doubt that either way, she will rule the universe. She has also emerged as a wonderful helper in the world of 3 kids. She is my extra set of hands, and I often have to remind that she probably does so much more than the average 8 year old, with minimal complaining (about helping -- she does complain about almost everything else.)

Tim -- Continues to work at the martial arts school owned by our friends, and seems to enjoy it. I wonder if he misses having his own school, and ask occasionally, I think that he does, but he also likes not having all of the responsibility. Tim recently started coming to church, and accepted Jesus as his savior. It has been one of the biggest and most wonderful changes that I could have asked for.

There is more, so much more, but since I don't have any pictures to add to this post, it will wait for another time...soon.

So that is how it's going to be...

Wasting precious babysitting time (which I would rathe be spending with kids anyway) while my computer is tied up trying l to copy 5,233 items from downloads to desktop, b/c I accidentally dropped them there instead of dragging them all the way to the trash. My computer was moving too slowly, so i thought that might help. Joke is on me. Now will have to sort downloads from regular desktop stuff. My day started off so productive and I was so optimistic. Add on a trip to campus where driving time plus pping was as long as the actual visit, a call from mac's teacher that took up the first half of my bonus babysitting hour, having to rerecord the dame video for my online class jonless tham 3 times, and the second half of my day has been anything but.

Must recapture valentine groove. Kids loved their gifts, surprised
Tim with a wawa gift card and valentines trail mix that I have all but finished myself, and snuck in a green tea latte. All good stuff.

My computer is now frozen.

So that's how it's going to be...

Story time

Reading at bedtime has always been a huge part of our nighttime routine, and miles is starting to enjoy it, too. Tonight, Mac is "special guest reader," which means she is taking over the reading responsibilities for the whole family, rather than doing silent reading while I read to oli. Mac, of course, has a flair for the dramatic, so it is pretty entertaining when she takes over. Of course, I like it when she does silent reading, too, because it is do gratifying to see her dig into a book for her own pleasure.

Lately, I've been tired and somewhat rushed during bedtime. But since it is Sunday, I had a lot of help today. So I still have a prett good energy reserve. Plus, I just had dinner, ice cream, and four (yes four) banana, oatmeal, chip cookies, so maybe it is just the sugar keeping me going. Either way, it is nice to have a relaxed bedtime with the kids.

Success!

After a fails attempt last week in which I got all 3 kids to the Y only to find that I forgot my wallet, we made it (late) to a swim class for oli. I've been wanting to sign him up for months but never did it. Here we are and he is having a great time. It was all worth it!