Fusion Pilates for Pregnancy, opinionated audience edition

Overheard while trying to follow an exercise video this morning:

"This looks too easy!" "That's because you're not pregnant."

"You look like a doggie, Mommy." *

"Why are you breathing like that?"

"You don't look like the lady on the t.v."

"Why do you always use the wrong side when they say 'left' or 'right'?"

"I can do that! I do that all the time, anyways!"

"Why are you sweating from stretching out?"

"Will I have to do this, too, when I am pregnant?"


*I don't know if that comment was because I was on all fours, or because of the panting.....

Summer In My Eyes

This is Katie, the oldest daughter. I am currently 10, about 4 months until new baby and my 11th birthday. I have finished Elementary (congrats to other family members who have graduated in some way, I will not say names) school on June 17,2010. The ceremony was about 1 hour long!! I enjoyed my last time teasing there, though it's ALWAYS hard to say goodbye. I have (naturally) been having dreams taking place in Middle School. Here's the funny thing, though: In 4th grade, I had a dream where I was at some school but didn't belong there. The kids were all older. This year, though, I visited the same place, but I belonged there (but of course, forgot my book bag) !!! Isn't that ironic? This summer we've worked on the pool, organized the craft room, and cleaned. My friend has been at the beach, and therefore I am slowly crumbling inside. The pool should be ready at the end of the week, there's the 4th of July and fireworks, and summer has only just started. While the girls play Violent polly pockets (burning houses, murders, psycho person), Mom exercises, and Dad changes from his work clothes, I feel contented. Oh, and I got straight As again, but there's summer homework!!! Boy, summer is good.

5 steps to achieve peace (not the political kind, but still nice)

I have discovered the secret to summertime peace and happiness!

Here are the steps, they are very simple but require a decent amount of stamina in the beginning.

1- Make a big, special breakfast and while the children are snarfing it down declare that today is a Cleaning Day.
2- Write detailed, very specific, very long lists for every child - even the ones who can't read.
3- Commence cleaning, circling around every once in a while to point out the things the children have done half-heartedly, and make them do it again.
4- Every time someone claims to be done, inspect the work closely.
5- If it isn't perfect, make them re-do it. If it's okay, give them something else to do.

At the end of this you will have two things: a sparkling house, and complete peace and quiet as the children are all afraid that making eye contact with you might generate more housework.

Ahhhhh.

Sumer Is Icumen In

We have declared today the first official day of summer for our family!

Due to the insane amounts of snow this winter, the girls were in school until Friday. However, the teachers gave up somewhere around the end of May and the weeks left were basically nothing but a collection of parties, picnics, field trips and more parties. Add to that Katie's elementary school graduation (pictures and video will be forthcoming), the yearly birthday-party-a-thon that ensues among Beth's friends, who for some reason were all born within two months of each other, and various other getting-ready-for-summer activities ....and you have one worn out family!

This morning, Katie and I got up early and took a nice long walk. Later on today the girls and I are going to run to the store for milk and then finish organizing our new "craft room." These are the day's activities. We are chilling, man.

Our annual hot weather life of leisure has officially begun! Ahhhhh. As soon as I get around to making lemonade, I'm going to enjoy a nice cold glass of it.

Making the case for having more kids

I wish that there was a way to use an embedded link during actual, face-to-face conversations. It would make responding to people who are clearly puzzled by the size of our family so much easier! I could just say, "Here- read this. We aren't as crazy as we look."

The Breeders' Cup from the WSJ. Read it, there's some cool stuff in there.

Overheard

Katie to Lucy, "Don't pick your nose!"

Lucy to Katie, "I'm not picking, I'm just cleaning it out."

When "suffer the little children" means actual suffering

I like to think of myself, ten years and soon-to-be six kids into motherhood, as a veteran parent. I don't claim to know a whole lot about a whole lot, but I know my kids fairly well and we have finally reached a stage where I have confidence in my role as their mother. This isn't to say that I am never overwhelmed or frustrated or at my wit's end, but at least I have finally realized that I just need to ride the crappy times out, and things will work out. Where my "veteran" status shows, in my opinion, is in public where the girls are almost always mannerly, sweet, calm and collected. Although it used to happen more than I would like to admit, I can't remember the last time I found myself overwhelmed and in tears in a public place.

Actually, I mean the last time before today.

Chris got up early and went to mass alone this morning, as he had stuff to do and the rest of us couldn't go to mass until noon, once we had returned Katie's friend after a sleepover. Taking the kids to mass solo isn't a huge deal anymore. Chris did it all the time when I was working, since I usually had to go to the too-late-for-the-little-girls Saturday evening mass, and he never had a problem.

It just wasn't my day, though. Lucy tripped and fell on her way out the door, and although we had bandaged her bloody knee, she never really recovered. She was whiny and demanding from the get-go at church, and the deck was stacked against us as it was a bilingual mass, which to the girls just means twice as long as usual.

At one point, I hauled her to the back and discussed rather vigorously where her behaviour had gone wrong, and what she needed to do to get things back on track. We seemed to be in agreement, so back into the church we went.....Five minutes later, I was staggering under the weight of her squirming 3 year body as I beat my way to the back again while she screeched at the top of her lungs, "I am really mad at you!"

I had to take her outside, because she was too loud even for the back of church. There we stood, my screaming toddler and I, as my eyes filled with frustrated tears and I felt like I was 3 years old myself.


Lesson learned: there is no such thing as a veteran parent. I may have a better idea of what I am doing now, but all that really means is that I have a dim flashlight as I still grope my way through dark territory. I don't think there is a point at which I will be able to sit back and congratulate myself on having it all figured out. That's probably half of the point of having kids in the first place: you teach them, they teach you. I am finding their "humility and growing patience" curriculum to be pretty effective.

The Before of Biztown

I am Katie,10years old, in 5th grade. There is a field trip that we have . It is called JA Biztown. You have a job and a company. It is like a mini town. There's a mayor, even. The companies are City Hall, Restaurant( Papa Johns), Financial Planning, Tech shop(Best Buy), T.V. Station, Insurance, Bank, Utilities, Newspaper, UPS Delivery & Supply Center, Science Lab, and Radio Station. First, we had to decide what job we wanted. I couldn't decide between radio or newspaper reporter. I decided radio reporter in case my friend got her job. Then we filled out resumes and application sheets. Then, parents came in and we all had an interview! I had a dad, he really liked me. Especailly my sisters. Also, I was his last interview, so he might have remembered me better. Then in 4 days after that(we got interviewed on Friday) we got our result. Almost no one got their first chioce job. I guess that made me feel better, because I got my job!!!!! My friend didn't though, but at least she likes her job. Then we got together with our group( I have the best group ever!!) and had meetings. We made ads and prices . Our name is the Around the World Radio, or A.W. Radio. Our slogan is: Listen! Do you hear that sound? It's our radio station travlin' the whole world round. We go THIS MONDAY, JUNE 7!!! Any questions, please comment. I will say how it was after we go.