Mother's Day Wrap Up

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While I of course missed my boys over Mother's Day weekend, I had a wonderful time with my sister and her family in California. I started the trip with a lovely evening with some girlfriends from Sun. Caching up, enjoying an amazing dinner on a beautiful night, and a visit by the cops made for a very memorable evening.

The stay with my sister and her family was so much fun. I got to spend a ton of baby time with my new nephew and make a trip to the coast and do some wine tasting as well. I wish I could have been more help, but I did watch the baby so the parents could play some golf and have lunch downtown. I also enjoyed casual time chatting and hanging out in the gazebo with my sister and her husband. Time with family is so precious to me.

When I returned home, Marshall had gone to the craft store with the boys over the weekend. A wonderful coffee mug and creative t-shirt greeted me on Monday. Unfortunately, the t-shirt is size small so most of you won't see me sporting it around any time
soon :)

The Magic of a Sewing Machine

We are so fortunate to have after-school enrichment opportunities at D-man's school. All year long he has been enjoying martial arts (he just got his orange belt!), yoga, and Mad Science. This quarter he has also been participating in a "production" where the children have been dancing, acting and writing their own screen play. D-man has been enjoying this a great deal and is excited to have the final production soon.
Of course, dress rehearsal was on Thursday and I sent D-man with his black pants and orange shirt. Because it was not the final costume, he was embarassed and attended dress rehearsal in his street clothes. Alas, more motherhood guilt. Thank goodness for a dear friend with a sewing machine. The sadness that was his costume is now a wonderful ensemble thanks to some $5 fabric (D-man's eyes lit up when I showed him the tiger fabric) and her sewing machine. For the small price of a sushi dinner, my friend and her sewing machine worked magic. Both boys were mesmerized by the machine and what my friend could do with it. Both boys pulled up stools on either side of my friend and the sewing machine. Not only did she craft an awesome costume for D-man, she fixed T-man's pillow pet's ear.
For all the things I am, I am not good at crafts. I'm not good at it and because of that, I don't particularly enjoy it. I've only sewn a couple of things in my life. And that was 30ish years ago in 4H (for anyone keeping tabs, it was a beach cover up, needle holder, and pin cushion). After seeing what a few stiches could do and the joy it brought to D-man's face, I might have to rethink how I can be more crafty. Maybe that button isn't so hard to sew on after all. Or maybe, this is just a chance for me to appreciate the sewing talent of my friend and how an old sewing machine can remind us how a simple machine can bring some joy into our lives. Then again, it often is the simple things that bring the most joy. This was just a wonderful reminder of that.

The Continents: The Bane of my Existence

This week, D-man brought home yet another map of the continents. For three plus years, he has known his continents. No teacher since his wonderful preschool teacher has pushed him to do more. At least he got "extra credit" for labeling some or the countries he knows (and yes, these are thanks to preschool too).

Maybe my expectations are too high, but I've heard that the goal of a school should be that each student learns something new everyday. Is that hard? You bet, but we owe it to the kids to make sure that school is appropriately challenging for each student.

Do his teachers know that he knows the continents? You bet. Let's brush up on other countries or the states (given it has been 2 years since preschool he has certainly forgot some of these by now). Or how about extra work on discovering some interesting facts about these continents? Anything that is more than repetitive and mind numbing. D-man still thirsts for knowledge. I just worry that more and more of boring, unchallenging work will lead to a loss of this appetite. And truly, just being ok with mediocrity is not good for the future for our kids. Indeed, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn't happen for my children. Starting with the continents.

Happy Hour

Sunny day. On the porch. Friday afternoon happy hour. Sharing a "beverage" with my boys. Perfect. Sent from my BlackBerry. Please forgive any typos.

Mother's Day Gift

A great morning greeted by my two boys. Here's the Mother's Day gift from my youngest which he had hidden in his room. What a wonderful way to start my day. Hugs and excitement about me being back home. Nothing like a four year old saying, "I missed you." That is the best gift. Sent from my BlackBerry. Please forgive any typos.

A Mother's Guilt

Yesterday, I flew from Denver to San Francisco to see my sister and spend some time with her family (and my new nephew). It will be the second Mother's Day away from my kids (that means I've missed 40% of my youngest's Mother's Days). In 2008, my kids were too young to know. That's not the case this time. My eldest cried and proceeded to go through every weekend of the year to try and figure out why my trip had to be THIS weekend. I tried to say that we should treat every day like Mother's Day, but he wasn't buying it. This is a "pacific" day for us to be together. And with that, the "Mom guilt" kicks in.

I once had a friend tell me that she wished someone would have warned her about "Mom guilt." I couldn't agree more. Who knew I would feel guilty for not buying the right baby food. Feeling guilty for doing dishes instead of playing with my kids. Guilt for not volunteering more, for dragging kids all over town to run errands, etc., etc. And, yet I need to give myself a break. The kids are well-adjusted (so far) and our house is a pretty happy place. Most days I find myself thankful for the wonderful life and family I have. I come home happy and looking forward to spending the evening together and sharing the stories of our days with each other.

So even though the "Mom guilt" still lurks here and there (and will be around a bit this weekend now thanks to my eldest), I know the boys will have a great time with Marshall. And when I return, the boys and I will appreciate each other a bit more. While I love my children beyond words, as Claire on Modern Family stated last night, "sometimes they drive you nuts." And a little time away (even if it is Mother's Day) is good for everyone.

Pretending Spring is Here

We spent this weekend pretending that spring has actually arrived. Considering today is May 1st, we shouldn't have to try this hard. The boys played outside on Saturday and D-man went to the zoo with a friend - luckily there was no rain as was predicted. On Sunday, we decided to head down to the Roxborough State Park south of Denver to go on a hike. The good thing about setting out on a hike when it is 39 degrees, you pretty much have the park to yourself. We went on an easy 1.4 mile hike and the boys were great. We saw two deer, some birds, and just enjoyed the time outside (even if it was a bit chilly). As we continued to try and will Spring to Denver, we BBQed brats, corn on the cob (roll corn as T-man would say), and potatoes. Sooner or later, we'll win and the nice weather will be here.

Easter 2011

A few pictures of our Easter activites - dying Easter eggs, checking out the Easter baskets, and searching for eggs. Was a fun morning and D-man was very patient while we waited for T-man to wake up. Always thankful for special time with our boys.