Boys

I have a particularly energetic little 5 year old boy. I think that I am being accurate when I say "particularly energetic"- I do have 2 other little boys you, know, and he definitely has them beat.

If he doesn't expend some energy before school starts, he is hopping in place doing his math.

But it is hard to fit it in. Basically, if I take him on a run I have two other kids to lug with me. Same with bike rides. So I am trying to get creative.

Yesterday we went to the dirt lot and found a dead mouse. One day soon we are going to go hang out in the ditch across from our house. I need to be more proactive about getting him down to the cul-de-sac and letting him ride around and around and around. I am planning to let him run with me on the track at the Y and get him into the pool 3 times a week.

My mom says I will only make him stronger.

And maybe I will. All I know is that the backyard - though it is great - doesn't cut it. He needs larger open areas.

So I time him as he runs down the street.
And I find trees for him to climb.
And Monkey bars for him to conquer.
And arrange for sword fights and wrestling with dad.

But he really needs more.

Like a farm. With a barn. And a dog. And manual labor.

Maybe someday.

Until then I will be finding ways to keep him running. Like a little hamster on a wheel in a cage. Or something like that.

Any of you have boys? How do you get them active?

If I Were to Write a Parenting Book...

It would be filled with useful chapter titles such as:

"How to downsize a child's rock collection without tears"

"Nap 101: Mathmatical equations to figure out how many minutes a child can nap while still being ready for bed at a reasonable time"

"Secrets to artfully guide your child to find all the 'I SPY' items in record time"

"How to convince your child that not everything you give him needs to be anaylzed for suspicious material"

"Quick reference guide for dangerous swallowed items"


With a special chapter for your kids:

"KDIY (Kids Do it Yourself): How to build a Clubhouse utilizing 3 bent nails and 4 1/2 partially painted pieces of lumbar"

What subjects would be useful for me to add? Tell me, please!

A sticky situation

Here are some pictures from family camp...

A 2 year old amongst sand with a peach...what could be better (or more messy) than that?
Oh wait, I can think of a few things....

He is one determined 2 year old...

And so happy in the water...

Deacon thought he was just about the coolest guy ever...

The rescue dolphin was a hit...

Don't think this was EXACTLY like the game was to be played...

Watch out for your head!

Lincoln thought floor hockey was awesome!

The ETC

Remember the DTR's of college life? Ok, maybe you don't. Maybe it was just a christian college thing. Anyway, a DTR (or determine the relationship) was code for "serious discussion to see where we are at".

Right now I am trying to find time for Noah and I to have a ETC (Evaluate the Content) discussion.

Evaluating the contents of our house...

Evaluating the contents of our bank...

Evaluating the contents of our minds...

Evaluating the contents of our hearts...

Evaluating the contents of our days...

Our weeks...

Our months...

We are so busy spending time with family and friends. Doing projects and keeping up with the house. So busy teaching and volunteering. Childraising and making time for our own "favorite things".

What to leave out?

Do we need to leave out anything?

Maybe there is enough extra time wasting activities in there that would loosen the schedule if we could eliminate them...

We will see.

By the way, Noah hates DTRs. And I am pretty sure he also hates ETCs.

But, he loves me :)

Controversial Monday: Creating Drama on Social Networking Sites

Sometimes inspiration doesn't strike until late at night, hence the timing of this post.

Sometimes I get a little strange late at night, hence the subject of the post.

But all that aside, what do you think of adding a little soap opera drama to facebook; or twitter?

You know stuff like:

Julie is:

"Wondering what to do with some newly acquired info...it could prove disasterous for a lot of people"

"Requesting prayer for a highly touchy family situation...won't go into details"

"Wishing everyone didn't hate me so much"

"Sorry that relationships are (sob) so hard (sob)"

"Trying to reconcile her two best friends"

"Contemplating removing people from her friends list. Some 'friends' can be so hurtful"

"Wishing that more people would get her sense of humor"

You know...statuses that are written precisely to be vague and sensationalistic just to get people to ask, "what is going on?" or "I hope it is not me!"

Appropriate or not?

'Cuz I am really considering putting some good ones on there.

You know, just to shake things up.

What happens when a "Foodie" is married to a "Non Foodie"

The above is a picture of a pie Noah made last week. Banana Cream with a whole wheat chocolate crust. It took a lot of time to make, and a lot of really weird ingredients. My personal mantra is "If 2 ingredients you don't recognize, it may be time to avert your eyes".

But I think that way because I am not that into food. I like food, I like to eat but I don't really care if it is fancy. I don't care if it is the same thing over and over and I don't care if I have to eat quickly in the midst of chaos.

Noah, on the other hand, likes different, interesting, fresh cooking. He would go to restaraunts daily. He gets tired of things if he has them twice in the same month. And he likes his meals to be slow and quiet, full of stimulating conversation and definitely devoid of screaming, whining and the refusal to touch anything that is not a meatball.

So anyway, last week he made the pie, and this week I am doing once-a-month cooking. With a random book and 27 random recipes that we've never tried. It should be an adventure.

Here is the conversation:
J- "I am going to do once a month cooking, and I need to schedule it after the grocery trip that I have to spend $150 at so I can use my $8 off coupon."

N-"I have no idea what you just said, but ok"

J:- "It'll be great. I will make these 27 random recipes and we will be able to eat all month and it won't cost that much money and they will probably even last longer because we don't eat regular supper every night of the week. Like you know, Weds when we are at church."

N- "right, and of course there are the ordering pizza nights and the nights where we need to eat out."

J- "The point of this is to cut down on the amount of times we order pizza and eat out."

N- "I am not so sure about this. There is something to be said for fresh food, grilling, eating out and pizza."

J- "Just you wait, it will be great".

To be continued next month...

The End of Crazy

The other day I was running around the house simultaneously throwing stuff out, formulating a new budget and dreaming of once a month meal preparation plans.

I stopped in front of Noah (who was just standing there leaning against the counter) and said, "do I get kind of weird when I don't have any shifts at work?"

He raised his eyebrows and said, "Yeah. Just a little. You need a shift. Soon."

I keep getting cancelled for my shifts at the hospital. Not enough sick people, I guess.

The other night the phone rang and I glanced at the caller id. It was work. I knew they were calling to cancel my shift. My second thought after that was, "I need to clean and sanitize all the phones!"

I get too much sleep.
I have spare time.
So I do weird things.

Going through Noah's childhood memorbilia, sorting through random boxes in the basement, digging out large areas of sod. And then I get all budget crazy. And than the best stuff happens: I meal plan. I write lists of foods I could make. I make banana bread. I make cookies. I compare prices at grocery stores.

Now, my house isn't really cleaner. Because I don't really clean. I sort, I organize and things tend to get a little messier before they get better. Or before they have the potential to get better.

But I finally didn't get cancelled for a shift.

So maybe I will be a little sleep deprived.

And I little less hyperactive.

And maybe things can get back to normal.