Sunday, November 30, 2014

Organization and Warmth: Breathing In a Sigh of Relief

When winter comes, I crave hibernation. I know I should get outside and be in nature - or at least my backyard - but really when it comes down to it, I just want to be warm. My favorite seasons are the warmer months- spring and summer, so it just doesn't feel natural for me to be outside until I actually get outside and know that it is alright out there too. I really enjoy winter hiking with just my husband. I don't have to worry about someone being too cold or tripping and face planting into the snow. I don't have to worry about having to hold another human being who has been zapped of all of his energy in the cold woods. It's nice to just focus on me and my husband. Keith and I went on some amazing hikes (with snowshoes and without) last winter. It was so memorable because we worked as a team and thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated our surroundings.

But back to the warmth. I cherish being warm and cozy and inside. The past five days have been enjoyable because we accomplished a lot in our home organization. Mother nature dumped around 8 inches of snow on our area the day before Thanksgiving. We visited my father on Thanksgiving and when we returned the next day, we decided to use this opportunity to clean. We focused on the inside of our home and our garage all to better utilize the small space that we have. We realize that if people in the city can live in small apartments with multiple children, we can do it in our 1,000 square foot house. The way to get better use of our space is to part with items we don't use.  We've been on a kick to minimize toys in the house: a few months ago I placed a whole bunch of toys that weren't getting played with into three Rubbermaid bins. Keith stored those in the garage attic.

 In the house. we have a great organization system of colored bins and fabric boxes, but we weren't actually keeping our toys separated or organized, so it felt messy and chaotic, not clean and organized. Any and all toys were thrown in whichever box was empty and the kids played with barely anything they had because nothing was in the same place. If you have small kids, then you know how multiple pieces comes with one measly toy set. So Friday I tackled the chaos and organized EVERYTHING. The way to keep the organization, of course, is to ensure that our youngest doesn't dump everything in her path, which she is prone to do lately. And if she does, to put it back that day. Otherwise, we get lazy and it winds up in whichever bin is available, and then the vicious cycle towards chaos begins. Keith also created four bins for each of us to store the winter accessories like hats and gloves and scarves that we use on a regular basis.

Yesterday, we reduced clutter in the entrance way of the house by removing coats and jackets and bags that weren't being used and by placing our shoe bench in our vestibule, which is an unheated room in between our garage and our house. Then, we cleaned out our garage of bulky, broken, or unused toys or other household items and placed them in the front of the house, where they are sure to be taken if the garbagemen don't take them first.

Today, we're just relaxing in the warmth our cozy, organized house has to offer.





Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Her cats

Bevin is in love with kiwi and Clem. If they won't stay on the bed to endure her love she crawls under the bed to find them. Thankfully kiwi is such a good sport and usually takes one for the team. 

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Today || Volume 9

Today was a rough day. Bevin was up half the night, and that meant we were all up half the night. I had grand plans to go hiking and keith wanted to organize the house. But the morning started off slow because we were all tired, and it never quite gained momentum. We did our chores, the kids ate the entire morning and Keith and I were sitting on the couch drinking our caffeinated beverages wondering to ourselves the age old questions on our days "off" "what are we doing today?"
 Before we knew it it was time for bevin to nap. Lately she refuses to be put down for naps (meaning she will wake up the second you set her in the crib). Also? Her nap sucks the life out of our day because it is smack in the middle of the day- usually around 12 pm and sometimes ending around 2. Keith decided he needed a break and Cole really wanted some time alone with me, so we decided to divide and conquer. I took Cole on a hike and keith gave bevin her nap while catching a little extra sleep himself. 

Cole and I had a fun time hiking. He climbed some rocks, we played a little hide and seek and, because there was no cranky toddler dictating our every move,  I let him set the pace for the most part. 


Stopping in the middle of the trail to check things out is how Cole likes to hike. 

About to go "climbing"

It was an unusually warm Veteran's Day. In the sun it felt like it was in the low 60s. 

I took around 15 silly pictures first before he'd pose for this "normal" shot...

He really is such an awesome hiker. 

He was so excited to be the leader on the plank trail. 

The woods just have a way of bringing me peace of mind. 

A few hours after we got back home I managed to get a sunset light selfie. 









Monday, November 10, 2014

Balance

I am forever trying to find a balance between work and home. Between my husband and time to myself.  Between my kids and my students. We all know how difficult it is to juggle different roles during the course of a day. Even within my workday I wear different hats for different people.

 The trouble for me has always been my commute. I work so far from where my family lives. I've spent years resenting this fact. How dare they expect me to stay after work for a meeting- I live an hour away! How dare she wake up at 1:30 a.m! I have to wake up at 4!! Sometimes on bad days I still feel like I've wasted two hours sitting in the car when that could've been spent playing in the backyard with my kids or taking them on a spontaneous afternoon trip to Spring Farm, the kind I am famous for.

But most days now I get work done in the car. How is that? I plan a lot in my head. I strategize lessons, think about how I will couch a writing activity or how I will help them develop their thesis statements. It's strange because for the past seven years I spent my car rides listening to audio books because I always felt like I didn't have enough time to read for pleasure. Too much of my "free" time was spent grading and planning. But now with children, on the weekends there really is no time to plan or grade.  When I did, I'd give up chunks of my Saturday or Sunday to prepare for the upcoming week only to switch gears midweek and spend more time at work on planning and less on grading like I had originally intended. It felt like a royal waste of time.

But I realized this school year, pretty much by accident, that instead of listening to books I can listen to my favorite music (READ: Mumford & Sons, Lumineers and Passenger) I can get a lot of focused creative thinking done while driving. I also think about my lessons when I'm sitting in our recliner in the dark waiting for sleep to take over both of the kids. It's a way  I can keep myself from interacting with the kids (and thereby inadvertently waking them up) and it's the ONLY way I can keep from getting annoyed that I'm sitting in the dark yet again waiting for them to fall asleep. 

I have, by no means, found the perfect balance or the perfect solution to the working-mom-who-has-to-bring-her-work-home problem. I still have to grade sometimes on the weekends and if not then on weeknights when I'm completely and utterly exhausted from being up since 4 a.m.! But this is a step in the right direction and for that I am grateful.

Today || Volume 8

Last night I was given two huge reasons why I am so thankful to have two loving children who genuinely care for one another.
#1 Cole was having a difficult time accepting that he could not watch another tv show and did not feel compelled in the least to join Bevin in the nighttime routine we know here as "TIME FOR A BATH!!!!" So I said to Bevin: "come on let's take a bath and Cole can join us if he wants. If not, his loss." Even so, instead of going straight to the bathroom, she took a detour and headed to the living room where Cole was having his tantrum sprawled out on the floor. She walked up to him, bent down and put her cheek next to his. Because he was so wrapped up in his agony of not being able to watch another episode of Word Girl, he pushed her away. This did not deter his baby sister. In another sign of comfort, she put her cheek to his and leaned in. Although I had to prompt him to accept his sister's gesture, he soon realized this would be a perfect opportunity to play and before I knew it he was back to his normal self, wrestling with her on the floor. And she was happy that he was happy again. Also? She LOVES wrestling with him.

#2 Fast forward to a little while later and they are both in the bath together playing and laughing and having a grand ole time, when all of a sudden he hugs her and tells her he loves her and gives her kisses and she hugs him back and I was sitting there trying not to cry from happiness at this heartfelt dedication of love on both their parts. Dear reader even though I could not (regretfully) capture that moment digitally (phone usually stays in other room during bath time), I will never forget their wet arms wrapped around each other and the sweet look of love in their eyes.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Today || Volume 7

Word explosion! The past few weeks have been a veritable word explosion for our little girl. And this week she has started speaking in sentences. 
Last night she said "you be puppy" as she tried to get me to read a book about puppies and tonight she said "Cole poop" outside the closed bathroom door while Cole did his business in private. She tortures the cats on a daily basis and will not hesitate to tattle on Kiwi if she is even the slightest bit hurt after practically sitting on the poor cat. 

She also likes to try to eat from Cole's plate after she's done...

And she loves trying out kitchen utensils. Here she thinks the fork will help her with the banana. Anything is better than the squeezing and squishing she usually does!

She's a really good listener. This is what she does when I tell her to lay her head down.

And this is my fave of the two of them posing for me in the backyard at sunset a week ago...