When I drive to or from our Saturday morning runs at the park, I set the radio to the local classic rock station and listen to the Acoustic Storm. Maybe it's on your classic rock station, too. If so, it's worth a listen to hear the greats play their greatest in the purest form possible. I love it. Really love it. And when you hear a very familiar song played acoustically, you hear the lyrics so differently, so completely.
This one came on the radio on the way home today, and it really moved me. I've heard this song a thousand times, but for the first time ever it really spoke to me. Don't ask me what it said or what I got out of it other than a real sincere love for it.
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Friday, June 10, 2016
Elizabeth's Day
I spent a fabulous day with a fabulous girl.
Brian and Matthew were at a scout event all day, so Elizabeth and I got to spend the whole day together. It was much like last week when Matthew and I had a day of fun.
After breakfast today, Elizabeth and I went to downtown Phoenix and spent a few hours at Ben's Bells. I've mentioned it before, but if you haven't checked it out yet, you really should. Click here.
On the way back, we stopped at Kohl's. She's growing so fast that she needs a new swimsuit, and she also wanted to try to find a Harry Potter t-shirt. Tomorrow she is going to her friend's birthday party, which is a ten-hour Harry Potter movie marathon, and she wanted to be as festive as possible. haha We had luck on both counts, so she's all set.
We had lunch at Mod Pizza, and then we went to Michael's to get some clay and tools for the birthday girl. We were pretty tired from being out and about, so we had some silent reading time. Then we went to get ice cream sandwiches. It's only fair! (Though I'm pretty sure I'm the one who's really making out on this deal.)
We had leftovers for dinner to try to clean out the refrigerator, and then we watched Mrs. Doubtfire tonight. Though we have to finish that movie tomorrow. It was on television, and it would run for seven minutes and then play seven minutes of commercials. During one of the breaks, we counted nineteen commercials. That movie should not take from 7:45 pm to 11:00. Ridiculous.
Other than, our day was pretty sweet!
Brian and Matthew were at a scout event all day, so Elizabeth and I got to spend the whole day together. It was much like last week when Matthew and I had a day of fun.
After breakfast today, Elizabeth and I went to downtown Phoenix and spent a few hours at Ben's Bells. I've mentioned it before, but if you haven't checked it out yet, you really should. Click here.
On the way back, we stopped at Kohl's. She's growing so fast that she needs a new swimsuit, and she also wanted to try to find a Harry Potter t-shirt. Tomorrow she is going to her friend's birthday party, which is a ten-hour Harry Potter movie marathon, and she wanted to be as festive as possible. haha We had luck on both counts, so she's all set.
We had lunch at Mod Pizza, and then we went to Michael's to get some clay and tools for the birthday girl. We were pretty tired from being out and about, so we had some silent reading time. Then we went to get ice cream sandwiches. It's only fair! (Though I'm pretty sure I'm the one who's really making out on this deal.)
We had leftovers for dinner to try to clean out the refrigerator, and then we watched Mrs. Doubtfire tonight. Though we have to finish that movie tomorrow. It was on television, and it would run for seven minutes and then play seven minutes of commercials. During one of the breaks, we counted nineteen commercials. That movie should not take from 7:45 pm to 11:00. Ridiculous.
Other than, our day was pretty sweet!
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Knight of the Arts
The last month of the school year ran away from us, so I'm trying to catch up. One of the best year-end events was Elizabeth's school's Knight of the Arts. The band and orchestra performed. The improv troupe entertained, and the work from all the art classes was on display. Here are some photos from that evening.
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| Elizabeth's taxidermy raccoon |
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| Her dragon eye is at her eye level. |
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| Her cupcake is the pink one with a green apple slice. |
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| That's her slice of pie on the bottom left. |
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| That whole display was making me hungry. |
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| Matthew with Noble the Knight (I was disappointed they didn't go with Knighty McKnightface.) |
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
What a Chore
As we were coming home from the library this afternoon, the kids and I stopped at the mailbox. I handed Matthew the key and asked him to get the mail. He used to love the privilege of doing this job, but today he said, "You should start paying me for this, you know." At first I was taken aback by his rudeness. Then I decided to see if I could make his attitude work for me somehow.
Me: I will gladly pay you $5 a week if you pick five things to do to help out around the house and do them without complaining or me having to remind you to do them.
Matthew: Ok! I will...
Me (noticing Elizabeth is already into this idea): No. When we get home, you write them down. We'll review them together and sign a contract.
I admit that my kids don't get an allowance and don't have any set chores that they are expected to do. I've tried chore charts several times. The kids get excited about it for a bit, but then it turns into more work for me with holding them accountable, marking stuff off, and divvying out coins and such. I can't be bothered with nonsense. This five chores for five dollars idea sounds simple enough, and both kids agreed.
It will come as no surprise that Elizabeth came home and wrote down five chores. She's planning to set the table for dinner, dry the dinner dishes, take out the recycling basket daily, take the trash and recycling bins to the curb weekly, and clean the playroom every Monday. We both signed it, and she's on her way to earning this week's prorated paycheck of $3.
Matthew also quickly picked up a pen and paper. Only his list of chores looked quite different:
1. Take out trash.
2. Play computer to keep quiet.
3. Drink water.
4. Build Legos
5. Watch Good Mythical Morning
I read his list and stared at him.
Me: Matthew, only one of these items is truly a chore.
Matthew: You're always telling me to be quiet and drink water!
Me: Yes, but what are some other things that I ask you to do on a regular basis?
Well that had him stumped. I told him to really think about it. He's sleeping on it. I guess my chore tomorrow is helping him figure this out.
Me: I will gladly pay you $5 a week if you pick five things to do to help out around the house and do them without complaining or me having to remind you to do them.
Matthew: Ok! I will...
Me (noticing Elizabeth is already into this idea): No. When we get home, you write them down. We'll review them together and sign a contract.
I admit that my kids don't get an allowance and don't have any set chores that they are expected to do. I've tried chore charts several times. The kids get excited about it for a bit, but then it turns into more work for me with holding them accountable, marking stuff off, and divvying out coins and such. I can't be bothered with nonsense. This five chores for five dollars idea sounds simple enough, and both kids agreed.
It will come as no surprise that Elizabeth came home and wrote down five chores. She's planning to set the table for dinner, dry the dinner dishes, take out the recycling basket daily, take the trash and recycling bins to the curb weekly, and clean the playroom every Monday. We both signed it, and she's on her way to earning this week's prorated paycheck of $3.
Matthew also quickly picked up a pen and paper. Only his list of chores looked quite different:
1. Take out trash.
2. Play computer to keep quiet.
3. Drink water.
4. Build Legos
5. Watch Good Mythical Morning
I read his list and stared at him.
Me: Matthew, only one of these items is truly a chore.
Matthew: You're always telling me to be quiet and drink water!
Me: Yes, but what are some other things that I ask you to do on a regular basis?
Well that had him stumped. I told him to really think about it. He's sleeping on it. I guess my chore tomorrow is helping him figure this out.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Back in the Saddle
When Brian was getting his bike ready for his Sunday morning ride this weekend, I asked him if he wouldn't mind airing up my bike's tires and checking out the gears. It'd been a while since I'd last taken Pearl for a ride, but summertime is a nice time to take a break from running and jump on the bike.
So early Sunday morning, I pulled on my old bike shorts and jersey, clipped on my helmet, slipped my hands into the gloves, put my phone into my bag, and off Pearl and I went. We headed for the canal--the only place I feel comfortable riding--and tackled eleven miles. It felt good. The only thing that really hurt was my butt. And also maybe my elbows because they aren't used to supporting my upper body for forty minutes straight. But it was a nice ride.
The morning was calm, it was still relatively cool, and lots people were out and about. I saw some of the same people I used to see. One guy waved and yelled from across the water, "Hey! Long time, no see!" It was nice. I'm glad he's still out there walking every day. Good for him.
In short, I'm looking forward to more rides this summer. Riding is easy; the machine does most of the work. If it wasn't such a literal pain in the butt, a person could ride for a really long time before getting tired. It's also a simple way to rack up the miles. I've fallen behind in the last few years, so it will be nice to log longer distances. I normally ride at least ten miles because it doesn't seem worth it to get everything together for anything less. There's a bit more work than getting dressed and running out the front door, but I think the lower impact workouts will benefit my body more these days. I'll still do my daily walks, think about starting strength training, and keep my three-mile run at the park on Saturday mornings. That's the plan, Stan.
So early Sunday morning, I pulled on my old bike shorts and jersey, clipped on my helmet, slipped my hands into the gloves, put my phone into my bag, and off Pearl and I went. We headed for the canal--the only place I feel comfortable riding--and tackled eleven miles. It felt good. The only thing that really hurt was my butt. And also maybe my elbows because they aren't used to supporting my upper body for forty minutes straight. But it was a nice ride.
The morning was calm, it was still relatively cool, and lots people were out and about. I saw some of the same people I used to see. One guy waved and yelled from across the water, "Hey! Long time, no see!" It was nice. I'm glad he's still out there walking every day. Good for him.
In short, I'm looking forward to more rides this summer. Riding is easy; the machine does most of the work. If it wasn't such a literal pain in the butt, a person could ride for a really long time before getting tired. It's also a simple way to rack up the miles. I've fallen behind in the last few years, so it will be nice to log longer distances. I normally ride at least ten miles because it doesn't seem worth it to get everything together for anything less. There's a bit more work than getting dressed and running out the front door, but I think the lower impact workouts will benefit my body more these days. I'll still do my daily walks, think about starting strength training, and keep my three-mile run at the park on Saturday mornings. That's the plan, Stan.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Matt's Big Day
Last Friday, Elizabeth spent the day with her friend at Phoenix Comicon. We've never been, but it's a four-day festival of all things sci-fi and fantasy and comic book. Her friend's mom won free tickets, so they decided to see what it was all about. They had a good time, and judging by some friends' photos from the event it is really quite a sight to see. People get really into it!
So while she was out, Matthew and I had a day of fun. I pretty much let him choose what we'd do all day and where we'd go and what we'd eat. That's a lot of decision making for a nine-year-old boy, but if anyone knows what he wants, it's Matthew.
So after breakfast, we drove Elizabeth to her friend's house, stopped to play at a park for just a few minutes, and then went to the theater to see "The Peanuts Movie." He'd seen it with his grandmother a few months ago, but I hadn't. It was one of those summer movie fun movies so we happily sat in the cool theater while the temperature outside quickly rose. After the movie, we came home for a while so he could build with his Legos until lunchtime. Then we went to his favorite restaurant--Panda Express. It's not my favorite, but it was his day so that's where we went.
After lunch, we picked up his friend Eli and headed over to Xtreme Air. It's one of those trampoline places. For two hours straight, those guys jumped and flipped and played dodgeball. They had a good time and burned off some energy. Again, we were thankful to be in a cool place because it was a really hot day. Eli's Tae Kwon Do class started right after that, and it was in the same shopping center so we dropped him off there. Yay for fun efficiency!
Next, Matthew and I went out for a late afternoon snack at a place I've been wanting to try. I surprised him with the idea, and he was all for it. We went to Sammies in downtown Chandler, and it was really awesome. We split an ice cream sandwich made of two scoops of "fruity loop" ice cream (not my first choice but, again, it was his day) between a soft, warm chocolate chip cookie and a chocolate chocolate chip cookie. We both loved it, and now we both want to take everyone we know there.
We got home and we relaxed by watching a few short episodes of his favorite online show--Good Mythical Morning. It's a funny YouTube show in which two hipster guys from North Carolina "do weird things so you don't have to." Rhett and Link test theories, perform disgusting taste tests, do hilarious sketches, and show funny videos that are innocuous and age-appropriate for kids Matthew's age. He loves it, and those guys are pretty funny together. One of the episodes we watched was "Will It Hot Pocket?" They had previously asked viewers to suggest crusts for Hot Pockets, and then the two of them filled these suggestions (like French toast, a pickle, smoked salmon, and more) with steak and cheese and then tasted them to see if they do, indeed, Hot Pocket. It was equal parts entertaining and gross.
By the time dinner rolled around I thought we'd go out for pizza, but Matthew had a different idea. "Mom, can we have Hot Pockets for dinner? Please?" I can honestly say that I have never driven to the store at 6:15 pm for the sole purpose of picking up Hot Pockets for dinner. But now I can. They weren't good, but they weren't bad. I think homemade hot pockets might be worth a try sometime, without funky crusts though.
So the rest of the evening, Matthew built Legos with Brian and then watched some Mythbusters on TV. It was a pretty darn good day for Matthew. He was a happy--and surprisingly grateful--boy.
So while she was out, Matthew and I had a day of fun. I pretty much let him choose what we'd do all day and where we'd go and what we'd eat. That's a lot of decision making for a nine-year-old boy, but if anyone knows what he wants, it's Matthew.
So after breakfast, we drove Elizabeth to her friend's house, stopped to play at a park for just a few minutes, and then went to the theater to see "The Peanuts Movie." He'd seen it with his grandmother a few months ago, but I hadn't. It was one of those summer movie fun movies so we happily sat in the cool theater while the temperature outside quickly rose. After the movie, we came home for a while so he could build with his Legos until lunchtime. Then we went to his favorite restaurant--Panda Express. It's not my favorite, but it was his day so that's where we went.
After lunch, we picked up his friend Eli and headed over to Xtreme Air. It's one of those trampoline places. For two hours straight, those guys jumped and flipped and played dodgeball. They had a good time and burned off some energy. Again, we were thankful to be in a cool place because it was a really hot day. Eli's Tae Kwon Do class started right after that, and it was in the same shopping center so we dropped him off there. Yay for fun efficiency!
Next, Matthew and I went out for a late afternoon snack at a place I've been wanting to try. I surprised him with the idea, and he was all for it. We went to Sammies in downtown Chandler, and it was really awesome. We split an ice cream sandwich made of two scoops of "fruity loop" ice cream (not my first choice but, again, it was his day) between a soft, warm chocolate chip cookie and a chocolate chocolate chip cookie. We both loved it, and now we both want to take everyone we know there.
We got home and we relaxed by watching a few short episodes of his favorite online show--Good Mythical Morning. It's a funny YouTube show in which two hipster guys from North Carolina "do weird things so you don't have to." Rhett and Link test theories, perform disgusting taste tests, do hilarious sketches, and show funny videos that are innocuous and age-appropriate for kids Matthew's age. He loves it, and those guys are pretty funny together. One of the episodes we watched was "Will It Hot Pocket?" They had previously asked viewers to suggest crusts for Hot Pockets, and then the two of them filled these suggestions (like French toast, a pickle, smoked salmon, and more) with steak and cheese and then tasted them to see if they do, indeed, Hot Pocket. It was equal parts entertaining and gross.
By the time dinner rolled around I thought we'd go out for pizza, but Matthew had a different idea. "Mom, can we have Hot Pockets for dinner? Please?" I can honestly say that I have never driven to the store at 6:15 pm for the sole purpose of picking up Hot Pockets for dinner. But now I can. They weren't good, but they weren't bad. I think homemade hot pockets might be worth a try sometime, without funky crusts though.
So the rest of the evening, Matthew built Legos with Brian and then watched some Mythbusters on TV. It was a pretty darn good day for Matthew. He was a happy--and surprisingly grateful--boy.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Friggin' Summer
Summer. It's here. And unlike summer when I was little, these weeks are not much fun these days.
It's hot. I mean really hot. We were spoiled with a cool May, and now the sun is shining its fiery rays upon us and all we can do is stay inside. And since I'm inside, I'm going through the closets and the drawers and the pantry. When I'm working so hard and feeling so guilty that Matthew is on the computer for far too long than is necessary I think, why was I so excited for summer?
So then I take a break and we chat. Or play a game. Or snack. And then he gets bored with me and decides the computer is way more fun. Whatevs. I have more to organize so it's fine. Except it's really not fine so tomorrow we are going to a morning movie, out to lunch, and then he's taking a friend to a trampoline place in the afternoon. Elizabeth is going to Comicon with a friend. I don't know what that's all about either, but I guess her friend's mom got free tickets so they are going. I'm sure it will be entertaining, and she's happy to spend the day with her friend instead of with me and Matthew.
I wish our trip was sooner. I really want to go. We all need to go! I've been researching and planning between closets and drawers because I, admittedly, need frequent rewards. Don't judge. I'm already in a bad mood. Brian requested his days off for the summer and fall, and his boss says he can't approve the October vacation at this time because things are so up in the air about their move to a different site. This move has been in the works for five years or longer, and the possibility of Brian not being able to be off during fall break just about makes me want to scream at this point. I know I shouldn't bite the hand that feeds, but are you kidding me? If they've waited this long to move, they can certainly wait two weeks. He's not the only family man with kids who have two weeks off in October and whose wives have planned road trips or bought airlines tickets. Those jerks are going to force them to miss their vacations? That's nonsense. And mean. And totally unnecessary. Anyone with or without a business degree can see the benefit in keeping your veteran employees happy AND getting your full rent out of October. Move the last two weeks of the month, guys!
Sorry. I'm literally hot and bothered. On an high note, I'll leave you with this photo. It's our dream campsite in Yosemite. Someday. Without a doubt, after the move.
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