How I would spend a day

Julia at Working Mommy Wednesday asked how I would spend a day to myself. All I need is one word - sleep.

Of course, after sleeping as much as I want, definitely all through the night, and possible until 9 a.m. or so, I might go for a hike, take a nice hot bath and read something. But most importantly, I would sleep.

My day really isn't complete without Matt and the kids, so I would definitely want them to join me, AFTER I SLEEP. :)

I cried

The other day, watching my kids play in the park, I had tears in my eyes.

Was it because I was sad to see how grown up they are getting? No.
Was it because of how sweetly they play together? No
Was it because one of them fell and broke their neck? No.

It was because Anne Marie went down the slide.

This picture, taken more than a year ago, was the last time I saw her go down the slide. See the look of fear in her eyes? Last week, she went, not once, but several times, and not just on the little slide, but the big, twisty tube slide as well. I was in tears.

From Zoo and Thomas 7 weeks

It seems ridiculous that I would be in tears. Kids go down slides all the time. But not my daughter — slides are one of her very long list of fears. Her fears include the skull toy at Costco, the dinosaur toy at the library, any stuffed animal that talks, swings, dust bunnies, walking into a pool by herself (even down the stairs), playlands in fast-food restaurants, jumpy castles, those Shrek watches that were recently in McDonald's happy meals and more.

My biggest fear is that she will be so afraid of things that she won't get to experience life. I know she's 3, and I'm probably being silly, but I think about it a lot. So, when one day out of the blue, I saw one fear crossed off her list, I was beyond ecstatic. I was also relieved. So I cried.

A few days later, she tried the small, little kids' waterslide at the pool, again without any prodding on my part. I asked her if she wanted to do it again, and she said, "no," but when I asked her if it was fun, she said, "yes."

I couldn't be more proud. :)

Ten things we still need to do before the snow flies:

1. Go to the Tetons and Jackson.

From Denise and Greg visit

We haven’t been since Anne Marie was this old, and we only live two hours away. For shame!
2. Go camping. Thomas has never been. My mom has mentioned that it’s crazy to want to go camping when your kids are 3 and 1, but I think it could be awesome.
3. Ride my bike.
4. Go to Craters of the Moon. This will be awesome in the fall. Again, we haven't been since Anne Marie was this small, and we've even driven right by it.

From craters 2008

5. Go to Yellowstone. Last year, we took a very cold October trip to Yellowstone. It could be an awesome tradition, and, again, we’re only two hours away.

From yellowstone

(Yes, she's crying, but I swear she had fun).

From yellowstone

6. Sleep in our backyard. I promised Anne Marie we’d do this.
7. Watch some stars.
8. Go to the drive-in movie theater. This week they are showing Salt and The Other Guys, and I kind of want to see both of those. I don’t know if the kids do, though. ☺
9. Paint a room in our house. We bought paint for every room in our house four years ago. We’ve painted 2.5 rooms. I think we can do another one this year.
10. Lose a pound or more. I would go for five or more, but even one would be nice.

Anne Marie says...

From Redfish 2010

I know all kids say cute things, but the stuff that comes out of my daughter's mouth is just something else. Here's some examples:

"Mama, I guess XXXX(kid from daycare) and I are in love." When I ask who told her that, she says, "I don't know. No one. Whatever."

"Mama, I love the slide so much I can hardly speak. I will always hold the slide in my hand." I have no idea what this means, but it's very dramatic.

Listening to a radio ad about something being a "rip-off". "Mama, watch out! The rip-offs could take your house."

Listening to NPR, where the host introduces a comedian by saying where you could "bump into him." "Oh no Mama, they're going to bump into him! They shouldn't bump into him."

Listening to NPR, with back-to-back stories about a cop-killer and a recall of pain killers. "Oh no, mama, a cop killer. OH NO MAMA, A PAIN KILLER!"


Talking to her brother: "Perhaps we should play 'Ring around the Rosy."

Driving in the car. "Where are we?" me: Blackfoot Anne Marie: Oh, I have never seen this beautiful place called Blackfoot!

Just a note — Blackfoot isn't really all that beautiful, and she has been there before. She just likes to add some excitement now and then.

Saving the evening

Julia at Working Mommy Wednesday asked for a money-saving, time-saving, etc. tip. Here's what has saved my life this summer.

When I get home from work, my immediate instinct is to start dinner. I don't want my children to starve.

That plan doesn't work, AT ALL.

Instead, I've been taking 15 minutes to read a book, sit on the couch or just cuddle. It doesn't sound like a time-saving tip, but the kids are happier, and I think dinner actually gets on the table faster. Sometimes, I put pasta water on to boil, then go to the couch, read a book, talk to the kids about their day, and, about the same time as the pasta needs to drop, I've got happy kids ready to either help me or play happily with each other, as opposed to having wild beasts who want to eat me alive as I desperately try to cut vegetables.