I'd originally wanted to head to Bang! Bang! Pie Shop to enjoy their biscuits that I miss so much, but the cool, drizzly morning put a cabash on enjoying their lovely outdoor area. They have seating inside, but it's a little cramped and would have made managing the kids significantly more difficult. Containing high-strung kids in a small public area is not in the top 5 of my relaxing activities, so I took a pass. Those delicious biscuits will just have to wait. My other idea was to hit up the Maggie Daley park, which I'm dying to get the kids to, but again, a rainy park isn't much fun.
By foregoing the above, we finally found time to take advantage of the open swim time at the YMCA. I've been wanting to get over there, because Lainey has been resistent to this round of swim lessons. I thought maybe a little family fun time might revive her enthusiasm for the water. Looks like it did the trick, because she has been asking when she gets to go swim lessons non-stop. Fingers crossed for no tears this Saturday!
Of course there were tears when it was time to LEAVE the pool, so I went with my best parenting tactic--bribery. This time it was the promise of muffins (which ended up being cupcakes.) Nothing like the promise of sweet, sweet sugar to stop a tantrum cold in its tracks. That sugar fix backfired at home, however, when we tried to plop the kids in front of a movie, so we could enjoy a quiet cup of coffee. They could not sit still or keep their voices below a shout. They were all over the place, tackling each other, jumping on the furniture, and racing in circles--the movie went unnoticed and our coffee went cold, as we played defense against leaping children and flying toys.
I may not have had a quiet cup of coffee, but I did get spoiled with gifts! Lainey made me a ladybug flower pot (how appropriate!) and Nick presented a hand-painted picture frame. Mark outdid himself yet again in the gift department and bought me a beautiful silver necklace with Nick and Elaine's silhouettes. I love it so!
The kids were pretty exhausted from the morning and took very long naps, and I indulged in one myself--a treat I haven't enjoyed for quite some time. Mark took care of dinner that night while I snuggled on the couch with the kids and watched a Wild Kratts marathon. All-in-all a pretty great Mother's Day!
Almost four years later, I still have moments when I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that I'm a mother. That idea I grew these two wonderful little beings inside me and am responsible for raising them into independent, capable, compassionate (I hope) adults, humbles, scares, inspires, and leaves me in awe and wonder. It's a huge, complex job, full of obstacles, rewards, failures, and successes. And I'll keep trying every day for the rest of my life to be a better mother, teacher, and friend to them. How did I get so lucky?
By foregoing the above, we finally found time to take advantage of the open swim time at the YMCA. I've been wanting to get over there, because Lainey has been resistent to this round of swim lessons. I thought maybe a little family fun time might revive her enthusiasm for the water. Looks like it did the trick, because she has been asking when she gets to go swim lessons non-stop. Fingers crossed for no tears this Saturday!
Of course there were tears when it was time to LEAVE the pool, so I went with my best parenting tactic--bribery. This time it was the promise of muffins (which ended up being cupcakes.) Nothing like the promise of sweet, sweet sugar to stop a tantrum cold in its tracks. That sugar fix backfired at home, however, when we tried to plop the kids in front of a movie, so we could enjoy a quiet cup of coffee. They could not sit still or keep their voices below a shout. They were all over the place, tackling each other, jumping on the furniture, and racing in circles--the movie went unnoticed and our coffee went cold, as we played defense against leaping children and flying toys.
I may not have had a quiet cup of coffee, but I did get spoiled with gifts! Lainey made me a ladybug flower pot (how appropriate!) and Nick presented a hand-painted picture frame. Mark outdid himself yet again in the gift department and bought me a beautiful silver necklace with Nick and Elaine's silhouettes. I love it so!
The kids were pretty exhausted from the morning and took very long naps, and I indulged in one myself--a treat I haven't enjoyed for quite some time. Mark took care of dinner that night while I snuggled on the couch with the kids and watched a Wild Kratts marathon. All-in-all a pretty great Mother's Day!
Almost four years later, I still have moments when I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that I'm a mother. That idea I grew these two wonderful little beings inside me and am responsible for raising them into independent, capable, compassionate (I hope) adults, humbles, scares, inspires, and leaves me in awe and wonder. It's a huge, complex job, full of obstacles, rewards, failures, and successes. And I'll keep trying every day for the rest of my life to be a better mother, teacher, and friend to them. How did I get so lucky?
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| And the best gifts of all... |
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