Super Skate Floor Clean Boogie

Sometimes, when you want to get the kids to do a job it helps if you can find a way to make it fun (ok now I'm singing Mary Poppins in my head.) Yesterday we needed to get some cleaning done and I was determined to get help. Because seriously, I just can't do it all myself. Primarily because if they are playing while I am cleaning it is just one big tornado of mess everywhere except where I just cleaned. Fun stuff.

Anyway, I really, really didn't want to mop. Yet, the floor was extremely dirty and my mom will be here tomorrow. Plus I haaaaate it when the floor is filthy, so I was trying to think of a way to really quickly get it clean.

So I pulled out every cleaning towel I own, dunked them in soapy water and told them to skate the floor clean. It took about 10 minutes, they had fun, I did the wood floor while they did the tile, and then we were all set to go to the pool. It also helps to come up with a completely fun (if utterly ridiculous) name for it.

While the floor may not be *as* clean as if I had properly done the job myself, it looks pretty darn good. We'll be using this technique again.

Running Update

I posted a little about running on Deep South Moms yesterday. There I told you about how sometimes I feel like my mind has to push my body through when it wants to quit, and other times my body has to keep pushing even when my brain tells it to stop.

Here I will tell you a funny story. Right after I submitted that post into queue, I went up to our community fitness center to run because it was way, way, way too hot to run outside. I get on the treadmill, and my Ipod wouldn't work. Undeterred, I did my 5 minute warmup, then started to run. Then I stopped because I felt really off balance. Plus there was no music. So, just when I start to think I've got it all figured out I realize that I'm not all that awesome. I have a very defined set of circumstances in which I can run. Outside. Early. And with music, please.

So, maybe that's more ironic than funny. Or maybe it's just me, who knows. Today I ran for 26 minutes, with music, outside. It felt great. Really.

Summer Plan

Everyone is feeling much better today, and as such my house is full of activity, and tattling, and bickering, but mostly just a lot of activity!

I love that my kids love to play. It makes me smile. But sometimes all that whirlwind of chaos gets to be quite a lot for my peace loving self to handle. So, since fevers are gone and they feel good enough to wheel each other around on their suitcases (which I stopped lest the suitcases break) around in circles all over the house, I figure they feel well enough to hit the pool this afternoon. I have some cookies in the oven to bring with us, and a few hours there should tame the wild things down!

I am a big proponent of having a plan. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" rings true and I've proven it time and again. But I tend to go overboard and plan too much and that just ends up being a disaster too. So, I have a loose schedule I intend to follow. Included therein is some educational time. Hopefully cleverly disguised as fun. But, for the most part our afternoons are wide open and I do indeed intend to spend many of those hours splashing around at the pool. The boys are totally onboard with that part of my agenda. Really the goal is to wear them out so they crash at bedtime and sleep til 7. Right now they are up before me, and I am still getting up at 6 to run at least 3 days a week.

I'm sure it will take some fine tuning to hit that balance between getting them tired enough to sleep in, while not getting them so tired they are merely cranky and insufferable. I'm sure we'll get there though.

I've got it all planned out. Now I just need to plan what to do with the entire week in which my children will be in Oklahoma and it will just be me & Kevin home and a lot of that time he'll be working. Imagining this simultaneously makes me feel elated and anxious. We've gone on trips without the kids before, but I can't think of a time where I've been home with no one else for more than a few minutes. I'm quite sure I'll find lots of things to occupy my time. Then it will be time to drive to OK to meet them and relieve their Grandparents who I am all too sure will be exhausted and very happy to see us.

So that's the plan. More or less. We'll see how it all goes.

Summer!

We are happily embarking on a first day of summer vacation! Woohoo! Let's relax, and play, and enjoy it kids!

What do you mean you don't feel good? Oh wait, you do feel a little warm. Sigh.

What better way to start out summer vacation than half the kids coming down with fevers. They aren't sick sick. They feel well enough to play Wii. So there's that.

Hair Cut

We (or I should say Kevin) cuts all of the boys hair. It's pretty easy with the clippers and it seems logical and frugal and time saving.

Sometimes, the tools get left out. Last haircut the clippers were still plugged in and Ben got them and I yanked them out of his little hands before any damage was done. THIS time everything was uplugged (and still on the bathroom counter.)

The Damage:

The Fix:

The Lesson:

Always put the clippers up high, out of reach, and out of sight immediately upon finishing hair cuts.

Also, Ben is still cute even when he's bald.

It's Almost Here

My thoughts regarding school ending/summer vacation are along these lines...

(In the mornings) Is school out yet? Why are they still getting homework? How is it that it is so hard to get out the door still? COME ON SUMMER!!!


(5 minutes after they arrive at school).... Ahhh sweet peace! I love school. Man, what am I going to do this summer?

(While trying to get from our morning errands/activities to get Zack fed and to preschool on time) Man I'm ready for summer. All this driving is for the birds! Can't wait to have some UNstructured time.

(Randomly) Summer is going to be a disaster. I must get a schedule together. We need STRUCTURE!

(At pick up time) Grumble grumble. No one else is still in school! Why do we go so late? Let's bring on the summer.


(5 minutes after they are all home) Maybe Florida will adopt year round schooling*...

It seems I change my mind on this topic about 17 times per day, or roughly once every waking hour. Consistency never really was my thing.


*kidding about that... I am totally a fan of the kids getting a break.

Notes

Sometimes in the midst of frustration, something small makes your day.

I've been struggling lately. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is. Kind of nothing, and kind of everything. Which makes no sense. Which is another thing I struggle with. If I had to try really hard to pinpoint it all I guess it would boil down to this job is hard. I can work all day and never ever get it all done. But enough with the whining...

Because, you see the reason I work so hard is those four little guys up there in that blog header. Four boys rapidly growing and changing and presenting me with new challenges. One of those little boys (Mark) made my day this morning.

I wrote a note to his brother on a post it note to remember to turn in his lunch money so he could actually eat lunch (the check has been in his folder since Friday.) The next thing I knew I was finding post its all over the house. "I love mom," "Happy Birthday Mom," and my favorite, "Go to bed on time, mom." It made my whole day and I made sure to tell him about it. I also made sure to tell him when he came home from school how I thought of him every time I saw one of the notes.

Now I need to make sure to put post it notes on my shopping list.

PS. I forgot to mention it's totally not my birthday, not even close :)