Something dawned on me this evening on the way home to the zoo. I've become one of those mothers that spends her evenings and weekends shuttling her Heathens around to multiple activities. How did I reach this point? How did I allow this to happen after I swore when they were little that I wasn't going to do this?
Let's take a look through the schedule for Monday thru Friday. All these events are taking place after school. And between the end of school and going to bed, I require three additional things from my Heathens. 1. They WILL sit at the dinner table with the rest of the family for the evening meal. 2. They WILL take a bath. 3. They WILL do their homework. Keep in mind that bedtime is 8 pm for everyone.
Mondays
4-6 Tristan has swim team or
5:30-7:30 Tristan has football
4:30-6 Gavin has ballet
6:30-8 Tristan has scouts
6:30-7:15 Landon has swimming
7:15-8 Gavin has swimming
Tuesdays
4-6 Tristan has swim team
6:30-7 Tristan has drum lessons
Wednesdays
4-6 Tristan has swim team or
5:30-7:30 Tristan has football
3:30-5:30 Gavin has youth club
4-5 the Asst. Zookeeper and I have dance lessons
Thursdays
4-6 Tristan has swim team
7-8 Gavin has cub scouts
Fridays
4-6 Tristan has swim team or
5:30-7:30 Tristan has football
Now, the weekends...
Saturdays
2-3:30 Gavin has ballet
Tristan has swim meets these days
Sundays
Sunday School & church for all 3 Heathens
Lunch with the Asst. Zookeeper's family
Tristan has football games
I don't think that I've over scheduled the Heathens, despite what it looks like on paper. It is a lot of running here and there, no question about it. But the Heathens have all asked to participate in these things specifically. They only thing we required them to do is take swimming lessons until they are competent swimmers. Heathen #1 chose to add swim team after he finished with lessons.
Maybe I am crazy. But I keep looking at my neighbor's kids who just graduated the last two years. Her children do nothing but play video games and talk on the phone. They were involved with nothing. Their house is/was much calmer than my zoo - I never saw them dash out the door on the way to something. But, in six years of living next to them, I don't ever recall them being excited to do something when you talked to them. They were just "blah."
Oh, well. So I'm crazy for having the Heathens involved in things. I was at their age and so was the Asst. Zookeeper. And we both loved it. The Heathens are happy - in the end, that is all that matters.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Another First Day
This morning was Heathen #3's first day of 4-Year-Old Preschool. He started asking last night at 8:30 if it was time for him to get dressed yet. And he continued asking every half hour until he fell asleep around 11:30.
He was very excited this morning and was certain to make sure we had his nap mat and his bag of extra clothes ("Just in case I puke everywhere.")
He also made sure I got out the camera and took several pictures of him with his stuff. It was sort of sad. Today was the first day of his last year of being little. Next year, I throw him to the wolves at the elementary school!
He was very excited this morning and was certain to make sure we had his nap mat and his bag of extra clothes ("Just in case I puke everywhere.")
He also made sure I got out the camera and took several pictures of him with his stuff. It was sort of sad. Today was the first day of his last year of being little. Next year, I throw him to the wolves at the elementary school!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Labor Day Weekend - Monday
And Monday morning, we were up, bathed, and in the car on the way to Grove City at 8:30 am! Woo hoo!
After dropping the Asst. Zookeeper at ground school, the Heathens and I headed out for our own adventures. The previous weekend, we had seen a forge that offered tours but we had run out of time before it closed for the day. That was our first stop!
Wendell August Forge was amazing! Although it was a holiday and the craftsmen were not working, we were still able to get a tour. The Heathens were able to walk through the work benches and touch the tools. It was awesome. Everything they make is completely made by hand. The boys were able to make their own hammering art project, similar to the way the craftsmen do. Heathen #1 made a fox, Heathen #2 made a dog, and Heathen #3 made an airplane since the Asst. Zookeeper was at jump school. The Heathens have all asked if we can go back next time we're in Grove City!
After we left Wendell August Forge, we headed for Eat-N-Park for lunch. And after that, it was off to Living Treasures Animal Park in Moraine. We had visited the one in Donegal last summer and the Heathens loved feeding all the animals.
Moraine's park isn't nearly as big as the one in Donegal, but I thought it was much nicer. We spent a good two hours feeding every animal imaginable. And, of course, I had to make the boys stop at the picture spots. At least Heathen #1 still plays along!
Of all the animals we saw, this guy below had to be my favorite. He was just watching people walk past and watching all the children in the area. Seems like a no-nonsense kind of guy!
Labor Day Weekend - Sunday
Sunday morning, I had a date that requires some explanation.
Saturday morning, my phone rang. It was Skinny Minnie wanting to know if I needed a date for the craft festival this weekend. I had borrowed her to go last year since I don't have any little girls of my own. She wanted to know if I would borrow her again. How do you say no to that?
I picked her up on Sunday morning around 11 am. We trooped over to the festival and spent three hours happily poking through the craft booths. She bought two purses, a ring, and a pin for her teacher for Christmas. She's a serious shopper - those purchases were made with a good bit of thought!
After a slice of pizza and some orange soda, I took her back home. I had a really good time with her. She's fun to spend time with and we always enjoy it.
At home, it was time to round up the Heathens to head for the family holiday picnic. My oldest brother-in-law borrowed a soft serve ice cream machine from a company for the weekend. My Heathens ate themselves sick on ice cream all evening. But who could blame them!
Saturday morning, my phone rang. It was Skinny Minnie wanting to know if I needed a date for the craft festival this weekend. I had borrowed her to go last year since I don't have any little girls of my own. She wanted to know if I would borrow her again. How do you say no to that?
I picked her up on Sunday morning around 11 am. We trooped over to the festival and spent three hours happily poking through the craft booths. She bought two purses, a ring, and a pin for her teacher for Christmas. She's a serious shopper - those purchases were made with a good bit of thought!
After a slice of pizza and some orange soda, I took her back home. I had a really good time with her. She's fun to spend time with and we always enjoy it.
At home, it was time to round up the Heathens to head for the family holiday picnic. My oldest brother-in-law borrowed a soft serve ice cream machine from a company for the weekend. My Heathens ate themselves sick on ice cream all evening. But who could blame them!
Labor Day Weekend - Saturday
We had such a busy weekend (as always), that I'm going to make this entry as individual days!
Saturday, we rolled out of bed at the crack of 10:30 am. :) It was a holiday after all! But then we remembered that we were following the Asst. Zookeeper's father to Chambersburg for a family wedding. Which meant bathing and dressing the five of us and being at the meeting place at noon. Lovely!
Believe it or not - we pulled out of the Zoo at 11:40 am. We are never early for anything. Ever. Just doesn't happen. We're never horribly late - but usually a minute or two behind schedule. We pulled into Nana's driveway (the meeting place) at 11:50! We were very excited to make it somewhere early. And then I realized we had left the card at home. The Asst. Zookeeper offered to run us home to get it - which would make us late getting back. We decided to mail the card and stick with being early!
Now, traveling with the Asst. Zookeeper's father is always a treat. The man travels for a living, frequently driving to New Mexico or Canada and back every week. He's a horrible driver and is the world's worst tailgater. Between Johnstown and Windber, we counted 5 partial lane changes where he started to change lanes and then changed his mind. He also had is turn signal blinking on one side and then would turn the other. It amazes me that no one has killed him in a fit of road rage yet!
The wedding was actually a renewal of wedding vows for a cousin and her husband. They were married in March, but it was a civil service. This time, they wanted to have a religious ceremony. It was very simply and nice. The dresses were beautiful and of course, the bride was breathtaking. The church was beautiful as well!
The rest of our day is in my previous entry.
Saturday, we rolled out of bed at the crack of 10:30 am. :) It was a holiday after all! But then we remembered that we were following the Asst. Zookeeper's father to Chambersburg for a family wedding. Which meant bathing and dressing the five of us and being at the meeting place at noon. Lovely!
Believe it or not - we pulled out of the Zoo at 11:40 am. We are never early for anything. Ever. Just doesn't happen. We're never horribly late - but usually a minute or two behind schedule. We pulled into Nana's driveway (the meeting place) at 11:50! We were very excited to make it somewhere early. And then I realized we had left the card at home. The Asst. Zookeeper offered to run us home to get it - which would make us late getting back. We decided to mail the card and stick with being early!
Now, traveling with the Asst. Zookeeper's father is always a treat. The man travels for a living, frequently driving to New Mexico or Canada and back every week. He's a horrible driver and is the world's worst tailgater. Between Johnstown and Windber, we counted 5 partial lane changes where he started to change lanes and then changed his mind. He also had is turn signal blinking on one side and then would turn the other. It amazes me that no one has killed him in a fit of road rage yet!
The wedding was actually a renewal of wedding vows for a cousin and her husband. They were married in March, but it was a civil service. This time, they wanted to have a religious ceremony. It was very simply and nice. The dresses were beautiful and of course, the bride was breathtaking. The church was beautiful as well!
The rest of our day is in my previous entry.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Falling Spring Road
I finally got to do something with my Heathens today that the Asst. Zookeeper has always been able to do and I never have.
It's a normal part of conversations at our zoo for the Asst. Zookeeper to share with the Heathens something that he did as a small heathen and then drive us to that location for the boys to see. He went to the same elementary school my Heathens attend. Played on the same playgrounds. He's always been able to share part of his childhood with them simply because this is where he grew up. I've never been able to do that before today, and I've always been a little jealous.
Today, I had my chance.
The Asst. Zookeeper's cousin got married today in Chambersburg, PA - a place I lived for four years while in elementary school. It's a great town and I've always remembered it happily. After the wedding, I was able to get us from the church over to my old elementary school. We stopped for about an hour for the Heathens to play on my old playground. It was really cool to see my Heathens on the same swings that I played on and on the same sliding board.
We drove past my old house - which is now yellow instead of the pale green that my father painted it. And the two big maple trees are gone from the front yard. The cow pasture behind it is gone as well, replaced with a strip mall. But it was still my house. I could still walk through it in my head and recall where all of the furniture sat inside when I lived there. I could even tell you the color of the carpet on the floors and the designs on the comforters on the beds from 20 years ago.
It was a really great walk down memory lane today. And for the first time, I got to share that with my Heathens.
It's a normal part of conversations at our zoo for the Asst. Zookeeper to share with the Heathens something that he did as a small heathen and then drive us to that location for the boys to see. He went to the same elementary school my Heathens attend. Played on the same playgrounds. He's always been able to share part of his childhood with them simply because this is where he grew up. I've never been able to do that before today, and I've always been a little jealous.
Today, I had my chance.
The Asst. Zookeeper's cousin got married today in Chambersburg, PA - a place I lived for four years while in elementary school. It's a great town and I've always remembered it happily. After the wedding, I was able to get us from the church over to my old elementary school. We stopped for about an hour for the Heathens to play on my old playground. It was really cool to see my Heathens on the same swings that I played on and on the same sliding board.
We drove past my old house - which is now yellow instead of the pale green that my father painted it. And the two big maple trees are gone from the front yard. The cow pasture behind it is gone as well, replaced with a strip mall. But it was still my house. I could still walk through it in my head and recall where all of the furniture sat inside when I lived there. I could even tell you the color of the carpet on the floors and the designs on the comforters on the beds from 20 years ago.
It was a really great walk down memory lane today. And for the first time, I got to share that with my Heathens.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Bus Stop Styles
The morning bus stop is the bain of my existence. Heathen #1 is old enough to put himself on the bus - bless him. In fact, he likes the fact that I hide in the house and no one sees me. You have to love 6th graders.
Unfortunately, Heathen #2 still needs an adult at the bus stop. Which means I have to be out on the road with him at 8:05. Ugh. It wasn't a problem when I worked. We'd be out there on time. I'd be showered, and dressed for work, complete with makeup. And I would be chipper.
Yeah. Not so much anymore. Heading into my second year of staying home with the Heathens, I've started setting an alarm in the kitchen to remind us to head out for the bus. We missed the bus several times last year and I don't want to do that this year.
I don't mind having to drive the Heathen to school. I just don't want anyone to see me in my bus stop fashions.
Gone are the days of being dressed for business with hair and makeup in place. Usually, I'm throwing a jacket over my sweatshirt and heading out the door in my glasses and my pajama pants. On chilly days, like today, I had on socks with my flip flops. Coffee cup in hand as I shuffle down the front steps.
Two years ago, it was my neighbor lady that was dressed like she just rolled out of bed. Standing there in my business attire, I was always jealous. Now the tides have turned and she's heading off to work as soon as the bus pulls out. And now she's jealous of me in my socks and flip flops. That's a fashion statement that I never thought anyone would envy!
Unfortunately, Heathen #2 still needs an adult at the bus stop. Which means I have to be out on the road with him at 8:05. Ugh. It wasn't a problem when I worked. We'd be out there on time. I'd be showered, and dressed for work, complete with makeup. And I would be chipper.
Yeah. Not so much anymore. Heading into my second year of staying home with the Heathens, I've started setting an alarm in the kitchen to remind us to head out for the bus. We missed the bus several times last year and I don't want to do that this year.
I don't mind having to drive the Heathen to school. I just don't want anyone to see me in my bus stop fashions.
Gone are the days of being dressed for business with hair and makeup in place. Usually, I'm throwing a jacket over my sweatshirt and heading out the door in my glasses and my pajama pants. On chilly days, like today, I had on socks with my flip flops. Coffee cup in hand as I shuffle down the front steps.
Two years ago, it was my neighbor lady that was dressed like she just rolled out of bed. Standing there in my business attire, I was always jealous. Now the tides have turned and she's heading off to work as soon as the bus pulls out. And now she's jealous of me in my socks and flip flops. That's a fashion statement that I never thought anyone would envy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)