Day 181.

The kids and I met one of my old roommates downtown for breakfast this morning at Yolk. Yum, that place is good and I recommend it if you live (or visit) in the Chicago area. Anyhow, this post is not about Yolk.

We took the metra up there, and then were going to take the bus home. So, after breakfast, we walked six blocks to the bus stop (mind you, the metra was 1 block from Yolk - but we would have had to wait another 45 minutes for a train). We waited 30 minutes, then watched the #6 go right past us (one street over) and not stop at our bus shelter - you see it is Taste of Chicago time, and I forgot the bus would be on it's alternate route. :(

We had to then walk the six blocks back to the Metra station - quickly - so we didn't miss the train we should have just waited for 45 minutes earlier. I didn't have a stroller. But, we made it. Why?

I am grateful to have a child who is willing to walk.

For the first four years of her life, Dylan has not been much of a walker. Why walk when there is a stroller there for me to sit in? Why walk when you could wear me in the sling? Why walk when you could carry me? But now, post-four-year-old birthday, she suddenly wants to walk more places. Granted, I still need the stroller as back-up for many of our long outings around the neighborhood. I'm just not willing to coax her back 1 mile from the library...not worth it. But most often, unless she's recently expended a large amount of energy, she's willing to start out walking. Thank goodness for her willingness this morning. Not only did we walk probably a total of 2.5 miles on this outing all together, little Noah was walking this too. And THAT consisted mostly of him running, then whining of fatigue, then me carrying him for a few blocks, then me setting him down and starting the cycle all over again. So, thanks, Dylan, for making my life easier and enjoying our city stroll. You rocked.

Day 180.

There will be a day when my 2 year old son falls down and gets hurt, and I can't make it better. Uggghhh. I don't even want to think about that...he's such a smoochable, loveable squishy little guy.

I am grateful for kiss and make it better.

Today while I was sitting on the toilet (sorry, this is my story), Noah was trying to get up on the barstool in the next room and he fell off (barely). I could hear the commotion and then hear him start to cry (with a slight fakeness to it I need to add). I called him in to the bathroom for some comfort and he came in, half whining, half crying.

Me: What happened?
Noah: I try to climb up on the barstool and I falling down. (Crying, half-fake crying)
Me: Oh, ouchy, where does it hurt? Do you want me to kiss it?
Noah: Yes.
Me: Where should I kiss?
Noah: Kiss your cheek.

So, I thought he meant "Kiss MY cheek," as in "I hurt my cheek."
I leaned down to kiss him on the cheek, just as he turned and tried to kiss my cheek. It was like an awkward first date kiss where you aren't sure if you are kissing cheek to cheek or lips (except it was my 2 year old son, so it wasn't awkward). And we ended up kissing each other on the lips. Oops. I figured it out this time, and turned my cheek toward him so he could kiss MY cheek.

Somehow, that made things better.

Day 179.

I have been feeling like a discipline machine lately. Dylan seems to get into these fits of rage (mostly involving heat and humidity and her intolerance of it) and she just loses it. I have yelled more than I would like to admit in the past week - I just really try not to parent in high volume. But lately, I just feel backed into a corner, and have no other choice.

So, when I'm able to not discipline, I take that route. I'm trying to make extra note of times when I can just roll with the punches and not have to micromanage their every move.

I am grateful for laughing instead of scolding.

The kids and I were playing The Picnic Game while Jason was installing their air conditioner before bed. We had a wonderful time playing together, and it was time to put the game away and get ready for bed. But they were being silly and pretending to eat the cardboard food, eat the cardboard plates, and then eat the picnic blanket and game box. It was funny at first, but then got a little crazy, and I just saw them getting all wound up before bed. So, my instinct was to calm them down and get them to listen and follow directions, putting the pieces back in the box, and getting ready for bed. But if I would have done that, I would have missed a great moment. A moment where they both were hysterical together, running around the room being silly, pretending together, and really wanting me to join in the fun.

So, I checked my instincts, and couldn't help but start giggling. They laughed harder because they saw I wasn't going to scold them for not putting the game away, and we all had a fun little time.

I guess it's simple, and obvious, to take these joyous moments with your children and revel in them. But when you're in the day-to-day life of a mom, trying to get everyone fed, dressed, changed, pottied, teeth-brushed, encouraging them to clean up, share, listen, express themselves, play, and have fun...you forget. It is about raising them to be good, respectful human beings that will make this world a better place, but you can also take some time to stop and smell the roses.

Day 178.

Saturday, June 27, 2009.

My kids have never been to a carnival or fair. They rode the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier and carousels at malls, but that's about it as far as rides go. I should have know how much they would love this stuff - both of their parents are thrill-seekers (in the amusement park sense).

I am grateful for carnies.

If there were not carnies, there would be no carnival rides. And what child should not experience "Dizzy Dragons" or the "Fun Slide?" Mind you - when I was a kid (did I seriously just say that?) - these rides were not $3.00 each. I guess this is why you stop at two kids.

So this evening we attended Geneva's Swedish Days with our dear friends the Laws. Our kids had a blast and especially enjoyed the crazy jumping thing where they got to get strapped in and bungee up and down on a trampoline for 2.5 minutes...for the small price of $6.00 each. That was actually a bargain - the looks on their faces were worth three times that. I only regret that I did not have the video camera. Dylan might as well have been floating her way up to heaven - she looked that happy.

Day 177.

Back home again, and although our life is about as different here as it could possibly get from life at the cabin, it's a good life. I currently hear a baby crying as if she's in the next room, as well as a few other random conversations out the window - summer life in the city with your windows open!

I schlepped the kids on a few errands this morning, as I'm having a big reunion picnic for all my Bradley Method® couples tomorrow out at the Point. I wanted to get some brats, some steakburgers (not hamburgers...STEAKburgers), and some veggieburgers for grilling out at the lake. So, we headed up north to stop at an amazing place that was worth the 45 min drive.

I am grateful for Paulina Meat Market.

Seriously, if you are ever on the north side of Chicago for any reason, it's worth a stop at this place. I'm sure towns across America have something of this sort, but for a city as big as Chicago, it's really cool to have a place that has been locally based for 60 years, and still has that hometown flavor and customer service.

The nicest old man helped me select my Tomato Basil Bratwurst (the brat special of the month) and my delicious steakburgers. My mouth was watering, even with the raw meat everywhere (which usually just isn't my thing to see it...so in my face). And he offered my kids a free slice of their homemade bologna. Ummm...bologna. Yuck. I mean, actually YUM, I love bologna, but I also know how disgusting it is for you...and I am pretty careful about what goes into those growing bodies of theirs. Call me a little nutritionally overprotective, but they've never tried bologna. So, I figured, HEY, we're at Paulina Meat Market, it's a special occasion. We drove all the way up here from Hyde Park, why the hell can't they have a slice of bologna?!

So they did, and they loved it. And he gave them each a second slice.

Day 176.

Thursday, June 25, 2009.

We have to leave the cabin today, and we are all a little sad.

I am grateful for my parents' cabin.

What a wonderful place to retreat to. It is the right amount of "on the grid" and "off the grid" for me. We didn't have internet, which for Jason and I, who usually spend our evenings dual-laptoping form the couch, it was a good break. My cell phone didn't work out there either, which was probably a blessing too.

So, we played together, ate together, washed dishes together, hot tubbed together, and slept together. It was fun, and it was simple. I hope someday we might live closer, so that we can visit the cabin more often. Until then, our special visits a couple of times each year are all that much more special.

Day 175.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009.

I am desperate for my kids to learn to swim. I regard it as a potentially life-saving need. Thus, I am currently looking into swimming lessons for them both. We tried lessons with the Park District last Nov/Dec and they were unsuccessful. Not the teaching/learning part as much as just the getting to the lessons in 10 degree weather and enjoying them part. The water was cold, the locker rooms were colder, and then your hair froze when you stepped outside. For me, who already hates indoor pools, it wasn't worth it.

So, I need to find something this summer (fast! The summer suddenly seems to be half over) to give my kids some much-needed instruction. In the meantime, the hot tub at the cabin is sufficing for these few days.

I am grateful for hot tubs.

It's freaking hot here, so we're not cranking up the heat. Rather, we're keeping it a nice "cool" 90 degrees and enjoying the water in the midst of the humidity. The kids are having a blast in there. They can both actually touch the bottom (Noah, BARELY, and he just figured this out and was brave enough to do it today on the third trip in) so that makes for a fairly safe, stress-free soak for us all. Other than the random pool games we have to make up, Dylan and Noah are mostly content with jumping and splashing around, playing with all the rubber duckies Grandma and Grandpa put in there, and occasionally braving the "underwater" world.

The both LOVE the water, but don't know how to swim, and are scared of going under. THAT is why they need swimming lessons.