Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Life is busy. Some days are harder than others, but they are consistently filled with the daily routines that keep my family fed and happy.

I admit that I can get bogged down with the unexpected events that life throws at me. Things break, kids get sick, and life happens, sometimes all at once. When I’m tired and my kids are stressing me out, I let trivial stuff really throw me off center.

Despite the momentary bouts with life’s challenges, I try to adjust my world view over the holidays. I have a wonderful husband, two healthy kids, and extended loving family. My husband and his parents will be able to join us this Thanksgiving. We are lucky my husband doesn’t have to work, because so many people are flying this week.

I have friends with less stable family life, sick children, and a spouse who is deployed and/or working this Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my situation. Sure, it is crazy being married to a pilot, but he is here with us this week. Being together as a family, makes this Thursday a real holiday to celebrate.

Happy Thanksgiving

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
As we fill our bowls with candy, get our kids dressed up and lace up our comfortable Trick-or-Treating shoes for today’s festivities, I would like to take a moment wish a Happy Diwali to those who celebrate. Over the weekend, our family enjoyed the annual festival of lights, celebrated by people of various faiths who originate from the Indian subcontinent.

We celebrate Diwali by hanging up lights and lighting candles, cooking up delicious foods, getting our house clean, exchanging small gifts and sweets, and participating in a short prayer service. Now that Haley is getting a bit older, it’s fun to explain to her what these rituals are all about. There’s even a fun app I downloaded on the iPad which explains the Diwali origin story—gotta love modern technology!

The parable of Diwali is about the triumph of good over evil—a pretty universal theme. I like to think of it as a reminder to spread positivity, love and light to the people you care about and everyone you encounter. Haley seems a bit incredulous about this ideology, saying: “I don’t love all people because I don’t like their clothes.” I’m still hoping something sticks. I like to think she’s getting something out of these annual rituals even if she doesn’t realize it.

I’m wishing all of you a year of good health and happiness. And let’s not forget the holiday that kids can universally get behind; have a safe and happy Halloween!

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
I love the way having children has forced me to enjoy all holidays. Before, I might have had all the best intentions of cooking, decorating and celebrating to the extreme, but I’d rarely carry them out. Although I may not always achieve holiday magic perfection, I now try my best to give my kids a fun experience each time.

The local nurseries here hold fall festivals in October, and at Haley’s insistence, we’ve been to the one nearest us twice so far. She loves the haunted house, the petting zoo, and the pumpkin patch. It was truly adorable to see Haley guiding her little brother, making sure he didn’t miss a thing.

We brought home a pumpkin from the patch and the kids were so excited about carving it. We dug out all the pumpkin “goop”, but it got too late to carve so we decided to wait until the next day. By then, the entire inside of the pumpkin was covered in mold! Oh well. Best laid plans. This just gives Haley an excuse to visit the nursery yet again.

Obviously, parenting is very hard at times, but it’s fun, too! We want to give our children the best life, but we should also appreciate the life they give us.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Mother’s Day is this Sunday. I appreciate moms everyday, but the official holiday is a great way to celebrate motherhood. It’s hard to believe I’ve been a mother for almost nine years. Being “Mom” can be very challenging at times, but I know I’m blessed to be a mother of two healthy, loving boys.

I got to spend the last two weeks with my own mother. We don’t get to be face to face very often, but when we do, I enjoy every minute we share. My mom is a saint in my eyes. She is a hard working mom who raised three girls. She would drop anything to help anyone, has an obscene amount of patience, love, support, and almost always has a smile on her face.

As a little girl, I can remember times where she was so busy with work, church, family, and life in general, but she would always stop and put her daughters first. She’d stay up until midnight grading papers or planning lessons for her class, because she preferred we had a home cooked meal and family conversation. She hauled three kids around to sporting events at different times and locations, and I barely remember  carpooling because she wanted to cheer us on. I know I’m biased, but she is a gem.

I’m certain my mother will read this blog post, so this week is a shout out to her for all the memories we’ve made, ups and downs, lessons learned, and her example of motherhood I try to mimic. Mom, you make your kids and grand-kids proud. Love you and Happy Mother’s Day!

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
Haley is always so excited for the Easter Bunny to come to our house. This year was no exception. And while Hudson didn’t exactly know what was going on, he did love the goodies in his basket as well as the egg hunt. I led him around the yard and helped him gather plastic eggs from the grass. Maybe he was confused, but he went with it!

This time of year I’m often reminded of my own childhood Easters. We had family friends who always had the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt at their house. I remember those events so fondly. My whole family attended. I always wore a pretty dress. I loved running in and seeing my besties. We had a festive lunch and then it was announced—time to hunt! I’m sure there were squabbles about who got the most eggs and who “cheated” (probably the older boys), but I honestly don’t remember any of that. What I remember is stuffing my face with candy, laughing and playing.

I hope when my kids grow up and look back on their Easter celebration, they will remember them fondly. I try to get them treats they will like and make coloring the eggs a fun bonding experience. I think Haley is really starting to get into our annual Easter traditions and I’m sure Hudson will too in the coming years. While many families enjoy the religious aspects of the holiday, for us it’s just about family fun. And I love any excuse for that.

From Friday Mom – Erin:
We’re preparing for a relatively low key (I hope) weekend with Charlotte and Rory.  Rory is very jazzed about the Easter Bunny coming.  Although when asked this morning what he thought might be inside the eggs the the Bunny brings, he informed me that he would be bringing socks and fruit snacks.  I hope the Easter Bunny got that memo. . . 

Charlotte is having a mini-egg hunt with some of her classmates from school tomorrow.  I’m excited to see how she does with it.  I’m also glad that she’ll get a warm up before getting run over  by her brother on Sunday morning.  Given her tenacity, I imagine she’ll do just fine with both events, but I’m quite curious to see whether she “gets it” or not.  As I recall, the difference between Rory’s egg hunt at 1 and 2 was remarkable. 

Obviously there is more to Easter than egg hunts and candy stashes, but it’s definitely another one of those times when I relish the joy of being the one “in charge” of the activities I used to love so much when I was young.  And it’s doubly fun getting to see the “firsts” a second time around with Charlotte.  

Here’s hoping to a successful, calm, and sunny weekend with lots of laughter and family.  And maybe even some good behavior in church.

Happy Easter!

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Spring is here. I’m ready for sunny, warm days and flip-flops on my feet. There have been a few warm days already, but it chilled down this week. I’m ready to pack up the winter coats and break out the shorts. Spring doesn’t last long here, it gets HOT quickly and summer takes over in the deep south.

The only thing I could live without is the horrible allergies that come with the pollen bloom. Geez! The pollen has been severe, and the boys and I were miserable the last two weeks. A few hours at soccer practice and we are covered in pollen and sneezing with itchy eyes. Everything outside is covered in a bright yellow dust, and we are running out of tissues.

Only time and rain help the pollen wash away and subside. There will only be a few days after the pollen and before the oppressive heat of summer when we can enjoy the beautiful green of spring and pollen free fresh air. The hot and humid temps will be here before we know it. Fingers crossed the Easter bunny will bring us some relief.

From Friday Mom – Erin:

Happy New Year!

We wound down 2015 with good friends and a home cooked, family friendly meal of tacos, lots of toddler giggles, late bedtimes for the kiddos, football for the grown-ups, and early bed times for mom and dad.  Despite our best intentions, the holidays have not brought the rest and relaxation we might have hoped.  Both my husband and I ended up far busier at work the week between Christmas and New Years than we would have liked.

Between welcoming Charlotte into our home and undergoing a seismic change in my job, 2015 has left us reeling somewhat.  The chaos of the holidays was no different.  Even in our “downtime” we were in seemingly perpetual motion.  We are hoping 2016 brings a little less excitement and perhaps a little more time to stop and be present in the moments that are passing by all too quickly.

So today, rather than celebrating with any types of high impact activities or outings, we are camping out on the couch with more football, fuzzy slippers, and PJs (maybe even all day).  We’ll have plenty of snuggles, probably the occasional breakdown, perhaps a few more baby steps from our little girl, and a weekend of early bedtimes to rest up for another crazy year.  I can’t think of a better way to savor family and the joyful anticipation of a new year ahead.

From Friday Mom – Erin:
Watching the holidays through the eyes of your young children is a truly, truly magical thing.  We’ve been so busy over the past month that we haven’t been able to partake of too many “extra” holiday affairs, but the glow on Rory’s face (and sometimes Charlotte’s) while we’ve undertaken the few choice things we have done has been a terrific sight to behold.

From helping daddy pick out a tree to helping me make break-n-bake cookies, his enthusiasm for the holiday has been infectious.  He’s still talking about going to see Santa, and he LOVES opening his Advent calendar gifts each morning.  We’ve even been able to milk Santa’s naughty and nice list for a few spells of better than usual behavior, too.

On Christmas eve morning, we sat down to create what ended up being a fairly homely looking gingerbread house.  It was the second year in a row and is becoming our little Christmas eve tradition.  His focus is remarkable, and his excitement for placing the little fruit candies in precisely the right place is almost too much to bear.

Of course there will be presents– in multiple rounds.  But as Linus will tell you, that is not what Christmas is all about.  For me, right now, this Christmas is about creating and keeping the magic alive for two young children whom I love with my whole self.  Whatever the tradition– whether extravagant or simple–we are loving sharing traditions of our own childhoods, and creating new ones as a family.  And I am looking forward to sharing the new and old with our extended family this weekend.

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
This year, our Christmas plans are different than years past. My husband has to work on Christmas day, and my children’s holiday school break is two weeks long. So, we decided to travel “home” to Pennsylvania for holidays. It’s been years since I’ve shared Christmas morning with my folks, and I look forward to sharing time with our entire family.

The boys and I flew in over the weekend, and managed to get a standby flight, despite the busy travel season. My husband plans to meet us for a few days over the holiday break, but we’ll miss him on the 25^th. As an airline pilot, that’s to be expected, especially your first year. The boys did great on the plane ride, and I was able to get a few minutes of shut eye.

Jack and Tate made sure to write Santa a letter explaining our holiday plans to him. Our elf, Zack, delivered the letter directly to Santa. I’m trying to keep my stories straight this year to preserve the innocence of my two “Santa Believers.” The boys more skeptical this year, and they ask questions about Santa. I’m sure they will figure it out eventually, but I hope they continue to believe as long as possible.

We are very excited to be with extended family this year on Christmas. I hope you get to do the same, too. Merry Christmas!