Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Red Fish - Aug. 2011

My girls are in love with swimming.  The lessons are a great activity for them and they continue to make progress.  I love knowing that I can provide them with an activity they love and excel at.  There are so many other things that are hard that I would hate to take away something that is working so well.  The downside is that - swimming lessons in the winter drive me crazy.  Trying to get the girls dressed three times before noon is not something I look forward to.  We have to be dressed with coats, shoes and socks for the drive over.  Then they need to be changed into their wetsuits.  Then they must be redressed with hats to cover wet heads for the ride home.  Then, of course, they need a bath later.   The multiple costume changes are not the worst part.  The dreaded locker room is the worst part.

As soon as we get into the locker room my blood pressure skyrockets. Often one of the girls is crying because their lesson is over and they weren't ready to get out.  It never fails that someone tries to touch some truly nasty surprise discarded on the locker room floor.  My germaphobia goes into overdrive as I try to not freak out. I try to dress both of their wet little bodies as quickly as possible and divert any conversation away from the people around us.  These comments range from "Hey!  That lady with the white hair is nakie!"  to an innocent (but unfailingly LOUD) question about the body of someone changing in the locker room.  These questions have been known to turn my scalp purple with embarrassment. If by some miracle I am able to remain calm as I shove on shoes and socks we manage to leave with a shred of dignity.  If I let the stress get to me, it stresses the girls.  Then we ultimately have a tantrum as I try to shield their wet hair from the elements and get them into the car.  If we have a tantrum over carseat buckling - the world ends.

I'm hoping our locker-room situation will improve soon.  I convinced the manager to give me a code for the children's private dressing room.  They didn't want to give it to me since we aren't "members" but I convinced her to give it to me for all of the members sake.  I'm sure the ladies in the locker room will appreciate our absence.

 I've been taking a stack of books and markers and trying to really use the time alone with each kid while the other is taking their lesson.  I draw with them and read to them and teach them new songs.  It has helped eliminate their irritation at sitting on the side of the pool.  Plus I feel like I'm really getting something done during swim time.

Red Fish with her speech therapist

We've scaled back our speech therapy attendance last month.  This made me so happy but as soon as we scaled back, we had a big drop in intelligablity.  Red Fish had passed off dozens of three syllable words over the summer.  When the speech therapist brought them back out, Red Fish couldn't say a single one of them.  I was way more crushed than I should have been.  I took it personally because we should have kept practicing them and we have been slacking on speech lately.  It's so hard to get in enough time on everything.  After a few weeks of practice, Red Fish has made some awesome progress.  I just have to remember that this process is two steps forward, one step back.  She is a totally different little girl than she was a year and a half ago.  I just need to keep perspective.

The girls reading at the library

We've been going to the library a lot lately.  I usually let the girls each get five or six books. They always get at least one Fancy Nancy book, a few Clifford the Big Red Dogs, a princess book and something random. They cry every week when I take the books back.  They get very attached.  Hopefully it will stop being so traumatic because overall the library has been a good addition to our weekly schedule.  The girls love books and it has been nice having so many new ones around.
 
 
One of my goals for next year is to fit in more music.  We've been doing pretty well lately.  Now that I have finished up a huge kit of Family Home Evening lessons to try and make that run more smoothly, I think I will concentrate on more music things with the girls.  I made a few games for their favorite songs and they've learned almost all of the simple nursery rhymes and songs we have little books of.  We take those to the pool often.  They are good for practicing speech as well.  We have about 50 of them (from waterford.org) and the girls like that they are short and easy to remember.  That makes it sound like I am forcing them to memorize them or something but really they just do it because they love it.  It might be that Red Fish just really loves it and New Fish loves to copy her.  It's hard to tell the difference sometimes.

My friend Annie came and cooked a bunch of freezer meals with me the other day.  We zipped them up in her food saver and I've been preparing them every night for dinner.  It seems to be working well for us.  Dinner and housework are almost impossible for me to keep up on.  They are my nemesis.  I'm hoping that my new plan of making everything for a month in one day and freezing it will help with the planning, expense and time management all involved in keeping up with healthy meals.  The food saver really helps keep them tasting good as well.  (Hopefully I'm getting one for Christmas.)  Having Annie over to show me her quick meals was a huge help.  You know how everyone has those few standby meals that taste good and are easy to prepare?  I need yours.  Please send them to me to add to my stash.  Explain them to me like I'm a complete idiot.  When it comes to cooking- I am.  

We haven't done half of the Christmas things I thought we would.  Life is too crazy and the cold keeps us inside.  So we just keep moving on.  Sometimes I think we are trying to do to much and sometimes it feels like I can put enough effort in to be the kind of mom I want to be.  And that is a few of the things that are rattling around in my brain.

Alike?

This is a picture of me as a kid.  Who does it look like?

This Year's Card

Has this picture on it.  And it is the 2nd year I have copped out and not actually printed cards.  I just emailed them out and put it on my facebook again.  Don't take it personally- I just couldn't handle one more thing on my to do list.  I do wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Red Fish asked Santa for - a puzzle (the girl loves puzzles more than anyone I know), a rainbow dolphin, a donkey, and a baby jaguar.  The three animals change on a daily basis.  I'm glad she forgot about the dollhouse she was asking for before.

New Fish asked for- CANDY.  No toys- just candy.

Red Fish's Preschool Christmas Concert

 My darling Red Fish performed in her preschool's Christmas program.  They held it at the local theater I used to see movies at as a child.  The show was adorable.  Jingle bells, moraccas and a yawning Red Fish.  She yawned through the whole thing.  She did all of the actions to the songs and sang a few of them when she wasn't yawning.  She loved having an audience and was very pleased so many people came to see her.  I was proud that she wasn't afraid to get up on the stage.  I think my favorite part was before the concert.  Everytime one of her friends would come into the building they would run to eachother and hug- boys and girls alike. 

I tried to upload some video of the show but it isn't working.

Red Fish's wreath

The girls made paper wreaths to put in our front window.  A little acrylic paint.

New Fish's wreath

Happy Birthday Two Fish

 Today is Two Fish's 32nd birthday.  He got a cake at the gingerbread party last night and another one today at my side of the family's December birthday party.   I got him new shoes with a computer keyboard on the bottom.  Very fitting for Two Fish.  They are pretty flashy (for Two Fish.) 

We have been friends for a decade and married for over eight years. He is the love of my life.  I can honestly say, I am more in love with him now than I was nine years ago or even yesterday.  I love him for being a wonderful husband, wonderful father and wonderful person in general.

December birthday party

The December birthdays- J, my Dad and Two Fish

Gingerbread Night

 We spent the evening at Scott's brother's house doing our yearly gingerbread making.  It's a fun (and messy) tradition.  Every kid gets their own house to decorate and there is frosting and candy galore.  We've made soups the last few years so they get something in their stomach before the onslaught of sugar.

Red Fish's house and it's "flower garden"

 Red Fish got very into decorating her house.  We bought a kit that had four Snoopy houses in it so both girls got two tiny houses.  The red frosting makes Snoopy look like he was involved in a slaughter.  Scott's brother assembled the houses with melted brown sugar instead of frosting this year and they are incredibly solid this year.

New Fish's houses

 New Fish enjoyed sticking candy in her mouth more than on her house.  She is our resident sugar addict.  We have read several articles on the genetic links for sugar addiction like this one.  Poor New Fish never had a chance.  She got her sugar cravings from me!  Good thing her cousin E was at the gingerbread party.  New Fish loves her more than sugar and was following after her all night.  If E got more than two feet away from New Fish she would start calling E to come get her.

Hard At Work

Another Book & Seeing Stars

Teaching Montessori in the Home: Pre-School Years: The Pre-School Years (Teaching Montessori in the Home)

by Elizabeth G. Hainstock, Lee Davis

I'm not interested in starting an actual homeschool program for my kids but I'm always looking for new activities and ways to teach them things. I like the Montessori point of view.  This book had some nice ideas of projects to make for my kids.  There can never be enough activites or lessons in my mommy bag of tricks.

 Since our garlands didn't work very well the other day, the girls watercolored dozens of stars to string up around the house.  They never get tired of painting with watercolor.

Cousin Love

Babysitting tonight- there are three happy girls over here.  Little N is enjoying being fawned over.

Also finished my book while snuggling up the baby.

A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel
Kimmel has created a fabulous voice in this story.  It is delightfully funny and quick witted.  I laughed out loud at parts.  It is a quick and enjoyable read.

General Merriment

We've been busy being merry.  There has been plenty of Christmas stories read around here. We've been listening to Christmas music frequently.  Unfortunately New Fish is very picky about her Christmas music and if something doesn't live up to her standards she starts ranting about "stupid Santa music."

 

I rescued some coffee filters that someone was going to throw out and the girls have painted dozens of them with watercolors.  I planned to make garlands but the colors didn't come out that well on the recycled paper.  So I stiched a few piles together to make pom poms.  The girls are equally thrilled with them.   We went to drive through some Christmas lights, see reindeer and an ice sculpture.  We made candy and caramel apples with friends.  (sadly no pictures)  We have gingerbread houses to make, Santa to visit, and many other fun activities on deck.  It should be a great month.

 
Over the next couple of weeks I'm hoping to focus on the true meaning of Christmas a little more with my kids. I need to make sure my kids know that Christmas is not Santa's birthday.  I finished up a couple of Family Home Evening lessons on Christ's birth.  The girls have been playing quite a bit with their new little people nativity.  I'm so happy they love it and so happy they are leaving my other nativities alone now.

Recent Reads

Crossing To Safety by Wallace Stegner

The ""high life, the conspicuous waste, the violence, the kinky sex, [and] the death wish" are not in this book.  It is about everyday life, friendship, tragedy, mistakes and simple joys.  I loved Stegner's writing.  It is poignant and simple and he talks about friendship and relationships in a way I relate to.  I loved how real and honest the characters felt- their imperfections and stolen moments of grace.  The only downside to the book was that there were a few thin spots.  Important eras of the main characters' lives and relationships were glossed over, even when they were pivotal to the plot.  I kept wondering when Stegner would fill us in but he never did.

The story follows two young  married couples from their first meeting through their lives up until the death of one of the wives. Stegner says the two couples "meet in Madison, and are at once drawn together, braided and plaited into a friendship.  It is a relationship that has no formal shape, there are no rules or obligations or bonds as in marriage or the family, it is held together by neither law nor property nor blood, there is no glue in it bu mutual liking."


I especially loved the relationship between the two women.  There is something about a truly wonderful friendship that can stand the test of time and distance that is almost miraculous. "But Charity and Sally are stitched together with a thousand threads of feeling and shared experience.  Each is for the other that one unfailingly understanding and sympathetic fellow-creature that everybody wishes for and many never find."


I will definitely be reading more of Wallace Stegner's writing in the future.

The Elegance of A Hedgehog

by Muriel Barbery, Alison Anderson (Translator)

I saw the film (in French with subtitles) last month on a strange day for me. I had been dwelling on dark events and the movie preyed on that. Perhaps the strange feelings of seeing the movie followed me into the book.  The whole concept threw me for a loop a little. It was well written but I didn't enjoy it as much as I was told I would.   I can't shake the feeling so I don't feel I can review it properly.

Another Tree

 

My little child labor force of personal home decorators has been hard at work.  First they had to paint a background for the tree.  Some paintings were watercolor, others tempera.  Then the tree itself painted on contractor's paper.  Now they are busy making ornaments.  Round 1 was foam collages.  Next they are planning watercolored stars.  We may have to make another tree soon.  The entire house should be covered with Christmas decor in no time.

Homemade Ornaments

We made homemade ornaments this week.  The girls wanted their own tree 

(that they are allowed to touch) to decorate all by themselves.

 We used sculpey this time because we've had terrible luck with salt dough ornaments in the past.  I cannot figure out the right temperature and time to cook them so they won't explode.  The girls got really into rolling out the sculpey and using their little cookie cutters.  Painting the cooked ornaments was serious business.  They put a lot of care and thought into them.  It was really sweet.

After the paint dried we put little ribbons on them and the girls were thrilled to hang them up.  They are hung mostly on two branches of the tree.  I think it was rebellion against me because I made them keep the ornaments on the big tree spread out.  They can't wait to move the ornaments around again tomorrow.

My babies and their Christmas tree