It's life...with my kids

So I've been sort of absent from my blogs lately and much of that has to do with my busy life with kids, school work, house work, my job at the gym, etc. etc. etc. blah! blah! blah!  Simply said, I let life take over and failed to keep to my routines and rules for maintaining a healthy daily schedule.  I suddenly found myself tackling everything on the to-do list...time for a honey-do list.  What was I thinking?!?

My almost two year old has recently realized that he can be independent - gosh it's like they know when they're supposed to start that terrible two thing.  I have never really believed in terrible two's with my other kids, but this time I'm thinking it's a real thing.  Anyway, he's so darn cute it really doesn't matter much to me.  He's a happy camper 90% of the time.  The other 10% we sit and enjoy each other's company and all is well in the end.

My six year old is into reading, a lot!! That's a good thing right!? It is, don't get me wrong.  However, sometimes, I don't want to read anything nor do I want to be read to.  This is when I pull patience fromt he depth of my soul and just listen to her read.  I usually fall asleep and then she wakes me by saying, "oh no, now I'm going to have to read it again!" GREAT!! "You know what, your daddy hasn't had a chance to hear this story, let me go get him, HONEY!!!"

My 14 year old wants to be a photagrapher but she doesn't want to have to study very hard to get good grades.  There are more important things to consider, such as, clothing, hair, shoes, her social network...Yeah!  She's your average teen.  Example: three weeks ago she was failing Spanish.  That was an embarrassing call from her Spanish teacher who offered to tutor her after school.  Embarrassing because I had to inform her that I, her mother, am spanish and speak, read, and write fluently.  Her response, "OH."  I took away the iPod, forced her to study, talk to me in spanish and work on extra credit to bring up her grade, which she did as of yesterday.

My 17 year old is realizing that more sometimes means less in the end.  He is a musician, wants to become a music educator and a concert choir condutor.  He has the potential, the voice, the talent and the motivation--no doubt, he makes me tired with all he does.  However, doing so much was costing him well needed practice time, which I gently mentioned and he said "I can handle it mom."  Well his voice teacher made the same comment about doing too much --" focus on being prepared and practicing your music, that's all you need to do right now."  He agreed.  Hmmmm, funny how when I said it the effect was completely different.  Oh well, what do I know, I'm just a parent.

Today I will get my schedule organized and my to-do list in order.  Everyone will get a to-do list this week.  Then maybe, just maybe, I'll regain MY time to do what I want on or off line.  My toddler will continue to steal my heart for that 10% of the time he feels he needs mommy comfort, my six year old and I will be reading much, much earlier in the day and leaving the night-time reading to daddy, my 14 and 17 year old will continue to learn from their mistake and hopefully reach their full potential.   I am proud of my kids--they occupy my space, my time, my life, and they make us oh so happy!!

Back to school but not for long

I realized this morning as I was seriously enjoying my early morning time alone, that there are 3 weeks left before school lets out. This is good and bad. I always look forward to having the kids home and not getting up so early, eating breakfast together, doing stuff around town, etc. But then for some reason the younger kids never do sleep in when they should. It seems like on the days they don't have school, they get up earlier. It's a pattern I've learn to accept. My teens on the other hand would sleep until noon if I let them, and I do sometimes.

Flor (my mother in law) asked me what we had planned for vacation. I always feel a little awkward answering this because I think she thinks we should do something. Apparently it is an American tradition to plan a vacation away from home during the summer months. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, where I was born, when school let out for the summer simply meant that the kids would play all day outdoors, eat fruit ripened on the tree, make home-made helado (like italian ice),go down to the river for the day, hang out with the neighborhood kids and come home before the sun goes down. There were no major trips planned, no money sucking adventures to go to, just a simple summer. We did occasionally go to the beach, which for us was about 3 hours of away. We also visited family members who lived a little further away but that was it.

We have gone a few summer vacations, the American way, summer house rented by Flor and Dulce and another time we rented a Condo in Florida and it was fun, I will admit to that. Although I felt like I needed a vacation after my vacation. I don't ever feel the need to begin planning a week-long summer trip. I just take each day as it comes and if I see an opportunity for us to go do something fun and we have to spend a couple of days there then we go, if not, we're not too far from the beach, 2 major rivers each with a beach area as well and a few amusement parks.

Then there's our back yard. it's not huge and it's not fenced in but we have great neighbors and a lot of kids in the area. So this summer I plan to turn on the water sprinkler, fill up the water balloons, fill up a kiddy pool, and enjoy the outdoors right here, where it's free, fun and full of smiles.