It is a celebration with my husband because he is an AWESOME dad and his greatness needs no explanation around here, just ask any one of our kids. They go running to him every day when he gets home from work. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!" He lets them get muddy and grass stained. He lets them do adventurous (cough cough..dangerous) activities that I would hesitate over. He lets them get their hands dirty. He lets them swim in the bathtub. And supposedly he gives better kisses, because mine our too sloppy and our one daughter always wipes mine off her face...!?? He also gives great hugs and he says, "I love you" every day and night.
It is also a sad day for me because my own father has passed.
I'm feeling a bit melancholy as I sit here and type this at 1:37 AM (the only time it is truly quiet in this house). The only thing that keeps coming to my mind is that I'm so thankful my husband is the father to our kids, that my dad was to me. Our children get to enjoy living as kids and not having a care in the world because he works very hard to provide that for them. My father liked my husband when I first introduced them, while we were dating. My dad probably knew a lot more than I did at that time and he's probably wishing he could say..'I told you so!'
In my mind, my dad spends his days sitting on a John Deere in heaven with charcoal heating up on a Weber ('cause GOD knows a real man doesn't use gas!'), smoking and drinking a beer, while he laughs at all the goofy things our children say and do, while we try to keep up with them!
And I owe a 'thank you' to my father-in-law, although I doubt he'll ever read this. Even before we knew my dad was terminally ill, my father-in-law had always done the 'dad' type things for us and continues to do so. He endlessly helps us do repairs with our house. When he visits he can't sit still. He will mow the lawn. Fix anything that needs fixing. Clean anything 'outdoors' because he still likes to live in the '50s stereotype, but that's ok, because I'm not great at using a power washer. He'll run to the hardware store. And he also makes our kids very happy. I do say 'thank you' and appreciate everything he does do for us. I know if my dad were around, we'd probably have so much help, I wouldn't have a honey-do list for my husband!
Happy Father's Day!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Rainy Days and Mondays
Love the Carpenters...love them! I need to find my records because a cd just doesn't sound the same.
Yeah..it's been raining for what seems like a monsoon season around here. Enough with tornadoes and thunderstorms, high winds and endless rain! I'm getting a bit annoyed and tired of it. It's not like a cool rain that brings the temperatures back to normal and the humidity ceases. No. It seems like this rain just keeps coming and brings more humidity with it. I think mother nature needs to give it a rest so we can enjoy summer!
This is the prelude to a dry, cool summer, right? And this week I'll be able to turn off the AC, open the windows and sit outside without mosquitos, right? And our plants will be flourishing because they've had so much rain? And the kids will go to bed so soundly because they've played outside all day and are just exhausted? And the rest of my summer will be as sunshiney as the dress Karen Carpenter is wearing?!?!?!?!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Summer Is Here
In a previous post, I said my summer started June 1st. It's here.
I'm not a huge fan of summer. There is a list at least a mile long of the reasons I dislike it, but every summer since my husband and I have had children, I try to make the summer about them, rather than myself. I remember having great summers as a kid. I want them to experience all that 'greatness.' I remember being outdoors all summer long and I don't remember any of the negatives that tend to bring me down as an adult. I really try to see these 4 months through my kids experiences and appreciate summer's potential and what I can relearn and experience again.
Summer's BEST through my children's senses:
1. Sand.
The texture through fingers and toes excites them. Whether it's 4 new bags in the sandbox, a huge cup of water poured over it, or feeling it flow out of the hole intended for the umbrella in the middle of the sandbox; the FEEL of sand is gritty, crumbly, pasty and pure summer fun!
2. Playgrounds.
Whether it be the new one we are so thankfully inheriting from a very generous neighbor or one of the many in the park district, the sensation of flying down a curly slide..even better on your tummy, swinging to the sky (and then jumping off!), standing at the top of a tower and yelling down at friends or jumping onto a fireman's pole and sliding down till your butt hits ground is exhilarating enough to want to do it over and over and over again. I wish there was an adult sized one around town! I still enjoy swinging. Tire swings...even better!
3. Popsicles.
No matter the size or the flavor, these are always a culinary, cool-down, delight. Oh, each child does have a flavor preference (changing daily) and because they usually come 50 in a box, there is never a problem finding the favorite color and plenty to share with the neighborhood kids.
4. Swimming.
We are all signed up for lessons, thanks to some local parent input! I haven't decided on what size pool we will have in the backyard, but we will have one soon. Splashing is one of summer's best feelings and the cool water feels so good on a hot summer day. Sometimes, they don't even mind being tossed in by mom or dad!
5. Bugs.
Worms (best after a rain). June Bugs (hearing them crunch as they get whacked). Wasps (watching them create a nest is so cool). Bumble Bees (seeing who can find the hugest ones over a row of flowers is so exciting on an early morning). Flies (the thrill of being able to wield a fly swatter at age 5...pure excitement). Gnats (gnat hats...the huge gathering of them that sometimes assimilates over one's head for no apparent reason and then follows that person...a child AND adult conundrum). Spiders (long legs is fine, hairy little ones scampering across the bedroom floor, late at night at very high speeds is worthy of a high pitched scream) . Mosquitos (can't stand the bites, but being able to identify them and tell mom every 5 seconds where a new one has landed is very informative and preventative in nature). Lightening Bugs (Best summer bug of all time! The more you can catch, the merrier your home-made Mason jar flashlight will be).
6. Small town Carnivals.
Sugary, greasy goodness! And oh the rides!
7. Fun driving with the windows DOWN!
Our kids, like our Beagle, love to have their face skin flapping near an open vehicle window. I accommodate this request as much as possible because we usually ride with windows down, no radio on and lots of laughing and giggles coming from the backseat. And the fun driving comes into play on an open stretch of road (Devil's Washboard Road in Glasford is a good stretch of road OR the hills on W. Middle Road from behind the Peoria Airport heading to Cameron Lane!) and slightly speeding or swerving just to create that fluttery stomach feeling!
8. Minimal clothing.
I think our kids have been exhibitionists since birth. They didn't inherit that from my husband or myself! But, if they could get by in just undies while playing outside, they would. I try to accommodate their 'lifestyle' by purchasing tank tops, comfortable thin shorts and flip flops, so as not to make the neighbors talk. 'This' bare minimum is required to play outside and seems to be 'ok', but they still insist on getting totally soaked or filthy down to the covered parts!
9. Garden Hose.
The pure thrill of grabbing it while mom and dad are engrossed in yard work and THEN finding out that you have control of it and can hose whatever you want with shockingly cold water!! Oh the joy!
10. Slip-n-Slides.
The longer the better. As a kid, I learned you could put several together OR...add on with black, industrial strength garbage bags. We have a really great hill in our front yard and the kids are now at the age where you don't have to 'toss' their body down the slide. Adding greasy sunscreen makes them go even faster..or so I was told.
11. Ice Cream.
Any kind. ANY WAY...in a cone, soft serve, waffle cone, banana split, milk shake, Breyers, Edy's, Blue Bunny, DQ, Spotted Cow, or any treat from a local Dairy Barn type...serving it up from a window! (OK, this is probably MY summer's BEST but, the kids never complain when I say ice cream)
12. Trails and Paths.
The mystery of not knowing where you'll go or what you'll find and then the discovery of the end can entertain sight, smell, touch and feel. Taste might not be so good on a trail, but because of our kid's ages, taste happens. My husband and a neighbor recently mowed paths through a field that we share between our houses. The kids run through there almost every day coming to the back door with a new discovery or finding.
13. The night sky.
Where we live, we can see so many stars and their patterns at night. We can also see city lights (Yes, Peoria has a skyline!) and we also have the BEST lightening shows. We can't wait for July 4th!!
14. Hot Dogs and S'Mores.
In asking my kids what their favorite things about summer included, they said...'the food.' So I asked, what kinds of foods do you like? And knowing full well they would not give me the answer of 'the delicious Sea Bass dad grills' or 'the perfectly grilled Ribeye with sweet potato fries,' it came out exactly as I imagined. Hot dogs and s'mores. Cooking anything where you can use a iron stick with a sharp poker on the end...OVER FIRE...is pure KID FUN in the summertime!
In talking with our kids and creating this list, I remember summer being a GREAT BIG LOAD of sensory overload and never wanting it to end. August comes way too fast. Slow down. Get lost. Get sticky. Stick out your tongue and taste raindrops. Because at the end of a great summer day is an underwater sea adventure waiting in a bathtub full of bubbles with mermaid Barbies and 32 oz. tumbler cups for drenching siblings!
I'm not a huge fan of summer. There is a list at least a mile long of the reasons I dislike it, but every summer since my husband and I have had children, I try to make the summer about them, rather than myself. I remember having great summers as a kid. I want them to experience all that 'greatness.' I remember being outdoors all summer long and I don't remember any of the negatives that tend to bring me down as an adult. I really try to see these 4 months through my kids experiences and appreciate summer's potential and what I can relearn and experience again.
Summer's BEST through my children's senses:
1. Sand.
The texture through fingers and toes excites them. Whether it's 4 new bags in the sandbox, a huge cup of water poured over it, or feeling it flow out of the hole intended for the umbrella in the middle of the sandbox; the FEEL of sand is gritty, crumbly, pasty and pure summer fun!
2. Playgrounds.
Whether it be the new one we are so thankfully inheriting from a very generous neighbor or one of the many in the park district, the sensation of flying down a curly slide..even better on your tummy, swinging to the sky (and then jumping off!), standing at the top of a tower and yelling down at friends or jumping onto a fireman's pole and sliding down till your butt hits ground is exhilarating enough to want to do it over and over and over again. I wish there was an adult sized one around town! I still enjoy swinging. Tire swings...even better!
3. Popsicles.
No matter the size or the flavor, these are always a culinary, cool-down, delight. Oh, each child does have a flavor preference (changing daily) and because they usually come 50 in a box, there is never a problem finding the favorite color and plenty to share with the neighborhood kids.
4. Swimming.
We are all signed up for lessons, thanks to some local parent input! I haven't decided on what size pool we will have in the backyard, but we will have one soon. Splashing is one of summer's best feelings and the cool water feels so good on a hot summer day. Sometimes, they don't even mind being tossed in by mom or dad!
5. Bugs.
Worms (best after a rain). June Bugs (hearing them crunch as they get whacked). Wasps (watching them create a nest is so cool). Bumble Bees (seeing who can find the hugest ones over a row of flowers is so exciting on an early morning). Flies (the thrill of being able to wield a fly swatter at age 5...pure excitement). Gnats (gnat hats...the huge gathering of them that sometimes assimilates over one's head for no apparent reason and then follows that person...a child AND adult conundrum). Spiders (long legs is fine, hairy little ones scampering across the bedroom floor, late at night at very high speeds is worthy of a high pitched scream) . Mosquitos (can't stand the bites, but being able to identify them and tell mom every 5 seconds where a new one has landed is very informative and preventative in nature). Lightening Bugs (Best summer bug of all time! The more you can catch, the merrier your home-made Mason jar flashlight will be).
6. Small town Carnivals.
Sugary, greasy goodness! And oh the rides!
7. Fun driving with the windows DOWN!
Our kids, like our Beagle, love to have their face skin flapping near an open vehicle window. I accommodate this request as much as possible because we usually ride with windows down, no radio on and lots of laughing and giggles coming from the backseat. And the fun driving comes into play on an open stretch of road (Devil's Washboard Road in Glasford is a good stretch of road OR the hills on W. Middle Road from behind the Peoria Airport heading to Cameron Lane!) and slightly speeding or swerving just to create that fluttery stomach feeling!
8. Minimal clothing.
I think our kids have been exhibitionists since birth. They didn't inherit that from my husband or myself! But, if they could get by in just undies while playing outside, they would. I try to accommodate their 'lifestyle' by purchasing tank tops, comfortable thin shorts and flip flops, so as not to make the neighbors talk. 'This' bare minimum is required to play outside and seems to be 'ok', but they still insist on getting totally soaked or filthy down to the covered parts!
9. Garden Hose.
The pure thrill of grabbing it while mom and dad are engrossed in yard work and THEN finding out that you have control of it and can hose whatever you want with shockingly cold water!! Oh the joy!
10. Slip-n-Slides.
The longer the better. As a kid, I learned you could put several together OR...add on with black, industrial strength garbage bags. We have a really great hill in our front yard and the kids are now at the age where you don't have to 'toss' their body down the slide. Adding greasy sunscreen makes them go even faster..or so I was told.
11. Ice Cream.
Any kind. ANY WAY...in a cone, soft serve, waffle cone, banana split, milk shake, Breyers, Edy's, Blue Bunny, DQ, Spotted Cow, or any treat from a local Dairy Barn type...serving it up from a window! (OK, this is probably MY summer's BEST but, the kids never complain when I say ice cream)
12. Trails and Paths.
The mystery of not knowing where you'll go or what you'll find and then the discovery of the end can entertain sight, smell, touch and feel. Taste might not be so good on a trail, but because of our kid's ages, taste happens. My husband and a neighbor recently mowed paths through a field that we share between our houses. The kids run through there almost every day coming to the back door with a new discovery or finding.
13. The night sky.
Where we live, we can see so many stars and their patterns at night. We can also see city lights (Yes, Peoria has a skyline!) and we also have the BEST lightening shows. We can't wait for July 4th!!
14. Hot Dogs and S'Mores.
In asking my kids what their favorite things about summer included, they said...'the food.' So I asked, what kinds of foods do you like? And knowing full well they would not give me the answer of 'the delicious Sea Bass dad grills' or 'the perfectly grilled Ribeye with sweet potato fries,' it came out exactly as I imagined. Hot dogs and s'mores. Cooking anything where you can use a iron stick with a sharp poker on the end...OVER FIRE...is pure KID FUN in the summertime!
In talking with our kids and creating this list, I remember summer being a GREAT BIG LOAD of sensory overload and never wanting it to end. August comes way too fast. Slow down. Get lost. Get sticky. Stick out your tongue and taste raindrops. Because at the end of a great summer day is an underwater sea adventure waiting in a bathtub full of bubbles with mermaid Barbies and 32 oz. tumbler cups for drenching siblings!
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