Summer Bucket List

With our oldest son about to enter kindergarten, this summer feels a bit like our last hurrah.  Realistically, I know that there is much more fun ahead, but emotionally I can't help but wonder if we've done everything we want to do.  Have we made the most of our time together during these pre-school years?  So, in an effort to make sure we got out and had some serious fun this summer we made a summer bucket list.  The list really helped us prioritize all the things we wanted to do.

Our Summer Bucket List:
Mom

1. Lakeside camping
2. Date with each of the boys
3. Movie with my hubby
4. Craft retreat

Leon

1. Canoeing
2. Slot car racing
3. Baseball at the park with hard bat and ball (so easy to please)
4. Fishing

Dad

1. Canoeing
2. Playing music with some guys in the hood
3. Mountain biking
4. Camping

Eli

1. Go to the girls' house - the girls are our neighbors, whom he adores.  (Another easy one to check off the list - done)

There's some nice overlap between our lists so those are definitely the biggest priorities.  In fact, we've already been able to cross a few of these off our list.  We've managed to fit in lots of baseball and we've booked a lakeside campsite for later this summer.  Actually, we booked two as we're going during the week so there was lots of availability and it will give us added privacy and flexibility with naps and sleeping.  We're planning on having our fire at the second campsite so that the hubby and I can hang out by the fire after the kids go to sleep.

Last weekend we took all three kids to Devils Fork State Park and paddled to a great swimming spot.  There are no pics of all of us in the canoe as Ada was miserable in her life jacket so we canoed as fast as possible to our destination and got her out of that bulky, thumb-sucking preventer super necessary life-saving vest.  We had a great time, Ada included, and we managed to get some cute pics even thought our camera is on the fritz so we only had our plain old basic cell phone.

Ada kept sticking her head in the water to drink it so we took it as a sign that she was thirsty. 

We totally canoed with the stroller - you know, just in case we wanted stroll through the red clay or sandy hills, lol. 

Leon loves life under the water.  He spent most of his time searching for fish. 

The boys enjoyed a snack break in the canoe. 

You can barely make out the boys in the distance canoeing back to the boat ramp.  Ada and I returned on foot.

Leon finally caught a fish!  We didn't see a single fish (unless you count the dead one on the shore) until we returned to the boat ramp and then he caught one in a ziploc!  He was thrilled and then heartbroken when we had to leave.

Since our life got a little less crazy (read about our -or my - craziness here) we've really been trying to focus on our family and spending lots of time together doing the things we love.  Our bucket list has helped and the kids felt like they had a say in our summer plans.  Why shouldn't they?  So, what's on your family's summer bucket list?

The Freedom of Parenthood

I am sometimes guilty of focusing on the the restrictions of parenthood - we can't come and go as easily, the bedtime hours are shot (lately that seems to be from 8 - 11, argh), vacation is expensive, the cost of eating out adds up and our two-year-old often struggles in such settings so why bother, laundry is an endless chore, naps restrict us to the house during certain hours (not that I'm complaining about nap time - trust me), and so on.  So, in keeping with the spirit of the Fourth of July holiday I am reflecting on the many freedoms of parenthood.

My awesome baby-daddy doing some serious puddle jumping with the boys on  Mother's day.

1. The freedom to be silly
   We adults tend to worry a bit too much about what other people think.  Kids, especially young ones, don't really care.  Not so great when they bust out a full blown tantrum in line at the grocery store (candy at the checkout should be illegal), but pretty fabulous when it comes to their imagination and playfulness and some of this rubs off on us adults.  I've seen some really awesome dads playing various roles during rousing games of princess, moms pretending to be evil villains so their miniature super heroes can defeat them, puddle jumping, hill rolling, bad-basketball-playing, mud fighting, and everything in between.  You never have to worry about looking foolish because you're doing it for your kids (and you know you're having a blast), so go on and be silly.
2. The freedom to be frumpy
   Don't get me wrong, I love dressing up and looking my best, but parenthood does not lend itself to that everyday.  I know some mamas will disagree and say that you should look your best everyday, but that's just not for me.  Some days I like to steal those extra minutes of sleep, role out of bed and into a full blown kid-centered day.  And I'm pretty confident that when I roll into the grocery store corralling my three kiddos with my hair looking a bit too greasy shiny, not-so-slight circles under my eyes, and more than one spit up, paint or obvious food stain on my clothing ain't nobody gonna say nothin.  And I like it that way because for me that's real.
3. The freedom to see things through the eyes of a child
   In the time between being a kid and having kids how many times did you stop to watch a deer by the side of the road or watch the ripples when you threw a rock into the water?  How many times did you strike up a conversation with the garbage man because his truck and his job are fascinating?  Or try for hours to catch minnows in a stream?  Everyday I see things in a different, more colorful and more beautiful way because of my children and I am so grateful.
4. The freedom to be a big dork
   Remember in high school when you would purposefully not wear pink on Valentine's Day or orange on Halloween or red, white or blue on the fourth of July?  Well, I do.  And now I stress just a little if I don't have something festive to wear.  For Valentine's Day this year I made my own heart sweater from this super simple tutorial.  For real, I didn't just wear pink or red I rocked a homemade heart sweater (sweater itself was from Goodwill, but I DIYed the heart).  And I got lots of compliments from other moms, my kids loved it, and so did I.  For St. Patrick's Day I upcycled a too tight green tank top (see picture below) by adding some shamrock print to the sides and bottom and you better believe I wore it in public.  It's fun to get just a little too into the holidays and right now my kids think it's great.
5. The freedom to be assertive
   I've never been the most assertive person, but now that I have kids I really don't have a choice.  I need to teach my kids to stand up for themselves so when there is a wrong we point it out, talk about it and try to make it right, if it's within our control.  It can be taking from others, cutting in line, or speaking up for those who can't speak for themselves.  I distinctly remember waiting in line at the gas station with my brother to buy a pack of gum.  We must have been about 8 and 6.  As we started to step up to the counter a man, more than old enough to know better, stepped right in front of us and began to checkout.  The cashier said nothing, but I remember her looking at us.  My mom must have walked through the door just in time to see it because she marched right up to him and said, "Excuse me. My children have been waiting patiently and you cut in front of them."  He grumbled, but moved out of the way.  I will never forget her standing up for us like that.  Of course, there are many more dramatic examples of her standing up for us - it's just what you do for your kids - but this example illustrates how even the smallest situations can have a big impact.  Thanks, Mom!
6. The freedom to find myself
   I studied marketing in college, went on to work as a marketing assistant at a local mall, and then became the communications director for our local chamber of commerce.  It was all great, but it was what I did, not who I was.  After my first son was born I went back to work at 3 months but my heart wasn't in it.  I didn't feel like I was giving 100% to my job or my sweet babe.  I decided to quit my job, start a super small business that I could do with my son and try to eek out every precious moment of his infanthood.  That started me on this journey.  The journey to discover who I am and who I want to be.  To discover what is important to me and what is worth my precious time.  My children led me back to my sewing machine, deeper into my roots and on this road to become a DONA certified birth doula.  I can't imagine going back to the work I used to do.  Not because it's not important or not fun, but it's just not me.  A birth-loving, breastfeeding, scatterbrained, craftaholic mama to three amazing kiddos - yup, that's me.

The plain-tank-turned-festive-shamrock-shirt, lol.

So, while it is true that parenthood can be restrictive, today (technically yesterday, but I have yet to go to bed so it's still July 4th in my book) I am celebrating all the ways that my kids have set me free.  Thanks, my brilliant babies.  I'd love to hear how your kids set you free?

Letter Ball: fun with phonics

My eldest son began to show an increased interest in letters this past winter.  He was curious about how to write them, the sounds they make, and the words they form.  We try to let our children take the lead and show us what they want/need to learn.  We play with letters in the standard ways, writing words, notes to faraway friends and family, reading signs, picking out letters and sounds from words in books, etc.  But I wanted really capitalize on this increased interest by having some fun with phonics.

This activity is super fun, can be played solo or in groups, and can be adapted to fit lots of interests and abilities, ie. sight words, which we will be doing this summer, numbers, which we have done in the past, addition and subtraction, colors, animal sounds, etc.

The supplies:

• markers/crayons
• 26 pieces of paper - mine were approx. 3x4 (or 13 if you use front and back)
• a soft stuffed ball
• paper plates (optional - gives a larger target and could also be decorated)
• painters tape - or other removable tape

Depending on the age and attention span of your child, you can either prepare the game ahead of time or your child can help.  I was pleasantly surprised that my son wanted to write the letters himself.  He confidently wrote most of the alphabet, needing to see examples of B, J, K, Q, R, U and Z.  We wrote one letter on each piece of paper.  We originally used crayon, but later traced over it with purple marker to make it easier to read.  We then folded over the painters tape, stuck it on the back of the letter paper and stuck them on the wall.  We used 6 letters at a time with a few inches of spacing in between.

We put a wood block on the floor, but you could use any placeholder, like the painters tape.  Leon stood behind the line with the ball and as I made the letter sound he threw the ball to hit the letter.  We did two tries per letter.  If there were letters that he struggled with we would come back to them before switching out the letters for another set of 6.  Then we switched it up and I would say a word and Leon would throw the ball to hit the letter that the word started with.  I started out easy with letters I was sure that he knew well to build his confidence and then gradually made it more difficult by putting letters that he sometimes confuses in the same set of 6 - like the sounds made by C and S.  

Struggling

I had a few things I planned to post over the past few days, but I've just not been feeling it.  My family is struggling with an issue that seems to be consuming me.  It's on my mind constantly, affecting my sleep, my relationships. It is a situation that feels hopeless, endless and lonely.  I know I need to breathe and and think positive, but right now I'm struggling.

I don't wish to go into detail, but know that our immediate family is healthy.  Good thoughts are welcome and appreciated.