Family Life

Summer Fun: Little Things Edition

July 24, 2012 by Tori Leave a Comment

Sunday afternoon my oldest was begging to go outside and blow bubbles. Now mind you, some of you may not know we are in the midst of an obscenely hot summer that threatens to melt your faces off each and every day, but we are and it’s miserable to me since the humidity has been steadily climbing. So I countered with an offer of going out after dinner when the sun is beginning to set and it is not quite so hot.

After a dinner, during which Kidlet Two spills her plate not once, but twice, we proceed out to the backyard with bubbles being the highlight of the evening.

The kids had a blast playing with bubbles. We have one of those no-spill bubble containers with the giant wands so Kidlet Three was pulling out the wand and blowing while holding it about a foot from his mouth. Too cute! The girls darted back and forth between the swing set and the bubble station.

I snapped a few pictures. At one point I asked them to get together for a group shot. This is what they gave me.

But it reminded me how much simple experiences mean and how much fun it can be. I’ve been so caught up in the stressful parts of life lately and it was nice to step back a little and just enjoy the moment. It’s time to do that more often, I think and stay in the moment with the kids and the spousal unit.

We’ll have to come up with another simple activity soon. What simple things do you like to do?

Balancing Life

July 17, 2012 by Tori 3 Comments

After weeks of being the busiest I have been in some time, it just sort of hits me that balancing all the aspects of life is probably what makes all of it the most difficult. There’s work, home, activities, time with the kids, time with the spouse, time with myself, etc. The list just goes on and on.

After a day at work, I come home and debate what all I can do before I fall comatose to my pillow. Do I try to write something even though I feel sluggish and mushy-brained? Do I do something relaxing? Do I try to clean up our pig sty?

There are so many things competing for my attention that it is overwhelming and before I know it, I’m paralyzed into inaction.

And I know this is something I need to work on. Picking something that I can accomplish and doing that. It’s the underlying philosophy of so much.

But until last week, I felt as though I was walking around in a haze. It finally broke and though I am still tired in the evenings, I no longer feel immobilized by all the demands.

I just need to tackle a few and get moving on those. Even if it’s just a little at a time.

Changes

March 8, 2012 by Tori Leave a Comment

Over the last few weeks, I’ve neglected my blog and not posted my goals for 2012 like I said I would. But it’s all been with good reason. I am actually crossing things off the list!

We are also seeing a more normal schedule around here, so as we all adjust and are not drop dead tired all the time, I expect to have more time for hobbies and slowly get rid of my super messy house.

Most of this has been caused by the fact that I took a new job at a new company. Better pay, better hours and more flexible schedule made the decision easy. Especially given the fact that my old job was up in the air given all the layoffs occurring at all levels in that company. There are still layoffs going on, so I’m glad to be somewhere else.

I’ll dig out my goals list and post it soon, including the items I have marked off as accomplished! That last part is so exciting.

Daily Digest 12/28/11

December 29, 2011 by Tori Leave a Comment

This week has been one full of exhaustion so far. I think all of the holiday fun wore us all out.

Tuesday evening, I came home from working, stopping by the store, picking the kids up and then heading home to cook dinner and get a few other things done. Mind you, on the nights I stop somewhere it is close to 7:00 by the time I walk in the door at home. So, I get home and the husband is sitting on his bum, watching TV.

I get more than a little frustrated. There is laundry to start and dishes to do in addition to fixing the meal and getting everyone ready for bed now. Eventually I lost my cool and told him all about it. Only I wasn’t very nice about it.

Yesterday I came home and he was doing laundry AND dishes. I forgot to tell him thank you. I am going to go do that now.

Failed Plans

December 28, 2011 by Tori 2 Comments

2011 has not been a kind year for me My mind is usually scattered more than a stack of 100 $1 bills in a hurricane breeze. I am a full time working mom with three children age five and under. On a typical day, I am gone from the house about 12 hours.

Most days I feel exhausted and overwhelmed. Those are the main factors I attribute to most of my absent-minded professor syndrome.

But these days it seems to be no matter what strategy I use to tackle the overwhelming tasks stacked against me, something comes along that blows my plan out of the water. It’s hard to watch things slip through the cracks month after month.

So I’m strategizing how to tackle 2012 and conquer my obstacles. That will be an upcoming post.

NaNoWriMo Progress

November 12, 2011 by Tori 3 Comments

So we are between a third and halfway through National Novel Writing Month. I am behind, which I expected. But I am now taking my week of vacation, so I hope to be able to catch up among other things.

I will admit I have been getting up a little early to squeeze in a few words most mornings, which if I did this regularly, I could probably write year round. It’s a habit I need to build because I love writing. It’s fun, relaxing and just a part of me.

This last week, my husband has been exceptionally helpful around the house, so that makes my life easier too. I’ve crossed the 3k mark on my NaNo novel, which was a random idea I did for one of the Sunday Flash Fiction Challenges from Absolute Write. Best place on the interwebs evah!

I am looking forward to doing this though, so I am going to keep trucking along.

We’ve Started School

October 29, 2011 by Tori Leave a Comment

Note: I started this post in the beginning of September, but I’m just now getting around to finishing, editing, and posting this particular post.

The start of the 2011 school year hallmarked a new era for us. Kiddo One started kindergarten and it’s been very fun and she’s very excited. Our schedule’s very busy as we try to navigate all the driving around to drop off her siblings and get me to work. Plus she started soccer so I’m coaching my first U6 soccer team. That’s enough to keep us busy most nights and the poor little thing, she’s all worn out by the end of the day so I try to take it easy as best I can on the weekends and we do fun things together. I’ve been trying to get out and do things the kids love because it feels like all I do is go to work, fix dinner, put the kids to bed and fall asleep during the week and then I’m trying desperately to cling on the weekends and I still haven’t figured out how to squeeze more hours of the day because I’m exhausted as it is.

I get up as early as I can and try to stay up late as I can handle most nights but I fall asleep in the chair waiting for the kids to fall asleep or I want to do something interesting but my brain is blank. I’m so exhausted I just want the downtime to not do anything and let myself recuperate. It’s making doing the hobbies that I enjoy and the opportunities I want to pursue very, very difficult.

My husband is not home most of the time on the weekends. He’s always out doing something that he likes and I am stuck all alone with all the housework and all the kids, and it’s making it incredibly difficult. Things are going to have to change in so many aspects of my life. I don’t know what I’m going to do. Between my marriage, my job and how the combination of those factors affect everything else, I’m maxed out physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The urge to just give up is so great. If I wasn’t incredibly stubborn, I’d have never made it this long.

There’s a lot of soul searching in my future. In the meantime, I have to go deal with two sisters that have not stopped fighting since school started.

Crazy Busy

August 24, 2011 by Tori Leave a Comment

I promise I have plenty of things to blather on about around here, including the fact that Kidlet One started kindergarten this month!

However things have been nuts and we’re learning a new routine in addition to the smaller two not sleeping well at night.

Once things calm down, I’ll get all chatty and talk about all the new things going on.

Theme Park Fun: Holiday World

August 20, 2011 by Tori Leave a Comment

At the end of July, we did our annual trek to Holiday World for some summer fun. Despite it being a Tuesday, the place was packed. We had a great time.

When we arrived, the kids rode some rides in the Rudolph’s Reindeer Ranch section.

Kidlets One and Two riding the Carousel

Then we went up to Holidog’s Funtown where we arrived just in time for one of the shows. Kid Two loves music and dance. She watched and watched before trying her hand at some of the dance moves.

Kidlet Two trying her hand at the dance moves.

We ate lunch and then headed over to Splashin’ Safari where we tried out the new Safari Sam’s Splashland. Before we even made it back to the dressing rooms to change clothes, Kidlet Two fell asleep. Once we were changed, we headed back to the regular park section where Kidlet One had a few more things she wanted to do.

Kidlet Two slept while Kidlet One rode the kids rollercoaster.

Everyone except the husband slept on the way home. It was an incredibly fun, exhausting day.

Not that I’ve been to many theme parks, but Holiday World is definitely the best I’ve ever been to. Not only is there free sunscreen, soft drinks (lemonade & water included) and wifi, but the park is clean, the staff is friendly, and there are plenty of safety features to help locate any separated children and parents.

I downloaded the iPhone app before we left, but I didn’t really use it because we were all together. Also new this year were scannable bracelets that you could load money to and then use at nearly any location within the park. I think both of these features would be excellent for taking pre-teens and teens on trips to the park.

Each year the park works hard to bring a great experience and they deliver every time. I love all the things we can do together as a family.

Exhaustion

July 24, 2011 by Tori Leave a Comment

It’s the story of my life lately. Kidlet Two is not sleeping for whatever reason. She goes to bed for a few hours and wakes for about three or so hours for whatever reason. It makes me very tired, though.

I had initially assumed it was some sort of developmental phase, but now I’m starting to wonder if she might be growing. Both nights she demanded a drink and a snack. I’m going to experiment tonight and see if she sleeps better. Last night was a slight improvement, though she did end up in our bed.

In the meantime, I will be fantasizing about sleep and more coffee.