Summer

Summer With my Kids

This summer is nearly over! 

Just a week before school. Here is my favorite picture of me and the kids this summer at the Allentown Arts festival.

Just about every blogging guide I've read says never to write about how i'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I just realized that I haven't posted here in just over a year. I'm probably not supposed to go on and on about the uncomfortable realities that made it so hard to write anything in this space. Besides, there are a few things that are even too close and too personal for even a blogger to casually post. It seems those circumstances are beginning to resolve themselves. And it means some big giant positive changes, will be coming our way. Life is never what you'd expect!

I spent a lot of time with the kids this summer, it has, been my biggest joy! I am so incredibly thankful for them, they put the sparkle in my life in a lot of ways.

I will say that I've missed writing here. Even if I've managed to post on my other (artsy) blog, this was where I where I talked about being a mother. Princess A is going to kindergarten next week, so I'm entering a whole new phase of mothering. Its good, I can't wait to see what she does with it. K-dog, well second grade awaits, he seems confident that he's got it covered.

Fall has always been my favorite season.

It always seems like a new school year is really the time for new beginnings. So here we go!

Springing thru Spring

spring

There just hasn't been any time to post in the last month. Not to mention that laptop with a few of my planned post is currently --DEAD--.  It is so so so sad. We've also been so busy in the last couple of weeks of spring. Of course we had Princes A's 3rd Birthday Party, and it was about the most fun fishy party anyone could have. I also had the opportunity to show paintings in the local Sp@ce 224 Gallery. I signed up to take a section of the Architecture Record Exam, so if you see me out at of coffee shop with my nose in a text book, you know why. There was also poetry workshops, an Architecture for Humanity Chapter here in Buffalo, the continued process of moving into our house, getting the yard ready for warm weather. Did I mention knitting, painting, and a genuine job hunt on my part? How is it that I am typing this right now? 

Did I mention that the our dear 3 year old as almost entirely given up naps?  When people ask, "how have you been?"  I nearly always answer, "busy, very busy."  I've only recently come to realize that I'm not complaining. I actually like being busy.  I've learned that I do need breaks from time to time, but active and engaged with my family, friends and community is my bliss. You'd also have a hard time getting me to ever stop painting again. It's only possible because there are things that I know I may never get around to, and I've nearly accepted this in my life, nearly.

I like to take on projects and challenges for myself, I'm happiest that way. Things won't really quiet down over the summer, and K-Dog is starting "real" school in the fall. I'm kind of looking forward to the excitement. More post on all of our goings on are to come. Are you anything like me, do you find that you like being busy?

The Problem of Time

I have two small(ish) children, (please take a moment to meet seeds.) We have two cats. My sweet, talented and ambitious husband has a day job, and is starting a business. This in reality means two jobs. I am trying to find a least one or two careers for myself. I have two blogs, and about two tons of extra-curricular interest, too many to list here. We only have one car, and strangely only one me.

Managing time is the biggest problem I seem to have. This is not an exhaustive list, but it helps. This is how get to all the things I need to, and sometimes I get to do the things that I want to.

• Let some things go. There is cat hair on my duvet. I did not send out any cute holiday cards or organize the cookie exchange this year. I said no. I let some things go. This is the most difficult thing to do. If you read a few blogs – especially ‘Mom-themed’ blogs, you could start to believe that there are women who do “do it all”. They have perfectly behaved children who were potty trained at 18mo.; they blog about designing a line of hand painted greeting cards while their artisan bread rises but only on their days off from underwater Sanskrit brain surgery. Fact: there are people out there who do MORE than you do. So what? It is your life. Spend a little time to prioritize, draw a line and everything below it, LET IT GO. Give yourself a little acceptance. This has given me a handle on my time. It may sound trite, and that’s because you will never have the time to knit that sweater or write that novel or learn to oil paint if the cat hair on the duvet is keeping you up at night. I just read a great blog post about even reusing a few towels to cut on the laundry.

• A little organization goes a long way. I am the least organized person that I know. I know that it is not my nature. If you are someone who can find the stamps right now, I commend you. I know I have a lot to learn. One of my new year’s resolutions was to use organization as a way to get stress out of my life. My 5yo son hates to get dressed in the morning. It takes forever, it takes tears, and it often takes the entire family to get an appropriate type and quantity of clothes on the boy. In the last couple of months, I have started laying out the kids’ clothes the night before. It takes the exact amount of minuets to select skivvies and a sweatshirt, but not the ever-precious and bleary-eyed morning minuets. The same goes for planning meals out for the week, instead of trying to come up with some thing on the way home from swim class. Even, steal one of my dinner (now!) ideas. Whatever that all consuming, stress inducing, time-suck there is, see if a little bit of planning and organization can take some of the stress out of it.

• Use the Technology. I know you have a computer, (or at least a smart phone). There right now you have more technology readily available than all of our fore mothers combined. The trick is to use it and not let it use you. You gotta love the UPC scanning shopping list like Grocery IQ but ultimately you have to get the time to actually go to the store! There are two applications that I rely on: Google Calendars and Toodledo. I use the calendar because I can easily share a “family calendar” with my husband and this facilitates sharing a car, and making plans. It online, in our phones, there is no excuse for not knowing when swimming ends, or Joey’s birthday party starts. The real key is when you are proposing an all family underwear shopping trip, be sure to put it in the penciled-in until the Steelers are out of the play offs. I use Toodledo mostly to prompt me for recurring items, like getting to that cat hair on the duvet. It helps to know that everything does not need to be done right now!

How to you get everything in? I’d love to add a few more tools to my tool kit, because who wouldn't just want to spend more time playing with those two cuties in the picture up there.