how we cope

This week has been going pretty smooth, considering we are down one - an important one at that - dad.  Over the past few days I have been trying to stick to a few guidelines...likely things that I should stick to all the time but feel the importance of leaning on even more while aaron is away.

1. Stick to our rhythm - while is is slightly disconnected here and there due to work/school/daycare - we still actually do have a rhythm in our home.  When the isabelle and owen know what to expect life is much easier.

2. Mornings: Send them outside - this has been actually an exciting new addition.  It is just warm enough (-5...?!) to send the kids out the door in the morning prior to leaving.  The excitement of 15 minutes of outdoor play seems to do wonders - they rush to get dressed and brush teeth...isabelle has even been helping owen get his snow gear on.  score.

3. Don't go rogue on meals - This week we stuck to things I knew my kids would eat.  There was one minor hiccup - owen literally threw his bowl of lentil soup off the tray (adele at least was pleased with this)....otherwise every night we have all sat down and actually ate all our dinners.  

4. Serving dinner as it comes - By the time we get home, on the days that we work, it is nearly 6:00 PM.  When there are two of us we usually split the saga - one of us entertains while the other cooks.  This is something I obviously just can't do...so I start slinging food as it comes.   This is something I normally don't do because I like us all to be sitting together and eat our full dinner together...but honestly...we still do sit together...it just might mean half our dinner was eaten party style. 

 5. Enlist help - From anywhere possible, this week it has been mostly from the kids.  Isabelle is on dog and cat feeding duty and owen helps me clean up after dinner (honestly discovering that a wet cloth will keep owen preoccupied for 30 minutes has been a miracle).  We also have a mother's helper who will be coming over tomorrow...she is wonderful and will give me a break to clean my house and   maybe accompany us shopping.

6. Dance parties - As soon as we get home I make sure to put on music - it always inevitably lightens any of our cranky moods and after dinner clean up is just the right time to dance out any frustrations.

6. Knitting and a sweet -  Knitting helps me relax and after the kids are tucked away and dreaming of sweet things I am on the couch knitting up a storm.  And while a glass of wine would be great company to this right now...chocolate...in any form seems to fit the bill.

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so with that..we are 5 days down and 3 more to go until daddy comes home again

Tuesday can't come quick enough.

march madness

No I'm certainly not referring to what might be happening with college basketball (no that is far beyond my scope of interest)...just what is happening within our own house at the moment.  Between Aaron on and off the road for the majority of this month, work, being sick (again with a stomach bug...i tell you this is ridiculous), spring arriving with negative temperatures, more snow, and a growing belly (and growing pains front his belly) I feel like I am in some sort of weird side show circus.  We have all gone a little looney, so bare with me folks...we will get through this bear of a winter and someday I will have motivation to pick up an actual camera...until then here is a dump from my phone.

this is how we all feel about puffy winter coats and car seats.

first day of "spring"

at a free ballet cinderella ballet performance at Dartmouth
also the day before I got sick (oh yes...owen got sick too...)

they got really good at preoccupying themselves
once they realized every time i got up i puked

a new vacuum to do some serious spring cleaning
owen is really into shooting things with the hose
can't imagine where he got that from...ahem....:)

fancy...

I suppose someday I might just get some heat for these photos but the kid loves himself some "fancy leopard" and slippers....just as much as his big sis.  I mean...who doesn't want to wear sequins?

Thanks grammy for the bag of decades old ballet costumes and slippers...:)

ding ding ding...round 2

So February was bleak...I am still mad at it and ready to completely abandon the notion of ever being apart of the month again (i don't know what that means either...if you are wondering...but just go with it).  But honestly - when I smack myself into reality - it wasn't all that bad.  We have a lot of love in our family, through all the colds- we are all actually really healthy people, food on the table, a warm home....and so on.  Life is really pretty good.  And one of those silver linings in February...one that just seemed to get lost...was that we found out we are having a baby boy.  Yes, after two surprises I just didn't think I could hold myself back - I just needed to know this time.

I don't know if I can say "I knew", but I can definitely say that this baby reminds me a lot of Owen as he continuously...night and day...kicking and punching my bladder.  He seems to be constantly moving...and well I suppose he is just getting ready...because he has a lot to keep up with.

Yes...life is good.

whistle while you were (or work...obviously i didn't review that title before clicking publish!)

A bucket of hot soapy water laced with a little essential oil and a request to wash the walls - that, my friends, will sometimes solve a mysterious tantrum, spilt milk, pulled hair or a tower knocked to the ground (by a fierce monster of course).  Sometimes it is just that simple...