Still Here

I promise I haven't given up blogging. However, every time I think about blogging, my mind draws a blank on what to post. Combine that with the busyness of the Holidays and I've got a pretty good excuse for letting my blog languish for a few months. I think I will continue the languishing until the start of the New Year! Have a Merry Christmas!

Picture taken by Chasey in Hobby Lobby - I think.

I am so old!

Scott, showing Taylor how to tune a radio.

My Run

It really didn't start out that bad. Just a few lazy drops of water coming down here and there. Those few drops started to multiply when I rounded the second turn. By the third turn the drops turned into snow and a fair amount of it. By the time I made my last turn home it was coming down fast. And to top it off, I was running straight into the snow, so my eyeballs weren't very happy. In general it is not a good idea to close your eyes while running so I ended up holding my hand up to my face to shield my eyes. Welcome to winter.

A Revelation

I just figured something out and I thought I'd share.

There have been some days lately that are busy. Very busy. As soon as the boys step through the door after school and after a quick snack I usually have them hop stepping to one of several things. Piano practice, homework, scouts or sports. This is usually accompanied by whining, whining, whining and more whining. They have other ideas about what their afternoon should look like which include playing with friends, some more friends and finally a couple more. I totally get that and understand and I try hard to make that happen. But there are some days when I can't.

So here's what I learned. If I include them in the planning and preparing they are MUCH more likely to do what needs to be done. It's not perfect. I still get some protest, but it is much less. So, every night or morning we gather around our family calendar and look at the day ahead of us. What is scheduled, who needs to be where and what needs to be done. And then we talk it over, problem solve and confirm plans for the afternoon. So when they walk in that door in the afternoon they already know the plan and they understand why.

What a difference. Funny. Kids are like adults. They don't like to be ordered around anymore than we do. And they also like to know what is going on and why. If we include them in the planning, they feel more responsible and more willing to do what needs to be done. And I feel less like a drill sergeant barking out orders and more like a nicer mom. It is a win win.

Blur

The days have been moving fast and have been busy lately. I haven't had time to do much other than try to keep up. This Fall has seemed unusually full this time around.

 

School started, and with that began the transition to schedules, carpooling and homework. Some of my kids transition quickly and others take awhile to get back into the swing of things.

Taylor started middle school this year, so we have had to adjust to two different school schedules. I took Taylor over to his school a few times to let him practice with his locker. I wanted to make sure he was comfortable doing the combination and getting it open.

Owen started first grade, and Ben Ben moved up to 4th which leaves me and Chasey at home alone all day. That hasn't happened in a long time. I have really enjoyed it so far!

We also started with a new piano teacher and a new lesson time. Owen started taking as well.

One weekend Scott and I went up to Logan so he could ride in the LOTOJA bike race again. He opted to ride just one leg of the race this time around, although he confessed to me after, that he wished he could have ridden more. Who wants to bet that he will ride the entire 206 mile race again next year?

The wives drove around in the van chatting and eating very unhealthy food while the men were riding. And can I tell you, by the end of the day I was exhausted. Is that the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard?

We have also been doing some interior work on our home. We are in the process of finishing Scott's office above the garage, putting in the rest of the cabinetry and getting some window treatments. Seriously. I love houndstooth.

We celebrated Owen's 7th birthday! He has so many friends, we invited them all, and they all showed up to the party! It was a very loud and chaotic hour and a half.

Even though I have been out of the workforce for 12 years, I have continued to keep my Social Work license current. Last year they changed the requirements to renew and I found myself needing to complete 20 hours of continuing education. After himming and hawing (are those words?) about it, I made a last ditch effort and did all 20 hours last month, finishing just days before my license expired. But I did it!

What else has occupied my time? Sports of course. I haven't even started.

Taylor is playing soccer and Bennett and Owen are both playing flag football. Right now our evenings and afternoons are full of games and practices. Luckily this chaos is all condensed into about 5 weeks. Only 2 1/2 weeks left and my schedule opens up considerably! All I know is that when I'm not coordinating and calendaring their sports activities, I am cheering them on at their games.

I do have some free time here and there when I am not being a mom. I continue to run several times a week. This keeps me healthy and happy. Although my hip no longer bothers me, my IT band flared up big time after my race. So I pulled out my ChiRunning book and I have been working on my running form ever since. I started out by video-taping myself running. ("So that's what my butt looks like while I'm running") I have switched to semi-minimalist shoes and most of my runs I focus on my form, which means slowing way down, listening to little to no music to focus (not fun) and running with a metronome (really not fun). I can't make any info-mmercial claims about it right now, but I'm definitely glad I am working on it. I also know that it is a process and something that takes a bit of time to perfect.

Reading continues to be my entertainment when I can find a minute here and there. It seems I am never without a book within arms length of myself. I usually have my nose in one while I'm waiting for kidlets in the many carpools that I am a part of. You do what you can to find time!

And last but not least, I have been slowly updating our photo albums and I am almost done! Plus, I've got a little book making project that I am excited to start. But that will have to wait a few more weeks. Only one project at a time and this one will have to wait until the albums are finished.

And lest you think it is all roses and chocolate over here, we seem to fill in the creases and cracks with our fair share of fighting, arguing, temper tantrums, dirty bathrooms and mysterious smells. I have been really trying to focus on being positive in my communications with my kids and being patient. Some days are better than others, but I will continue to work on it.

Whew! That was a long post! Have a Happy Fall!

Signs

2 signs that I have seen recently that I liked.


                                                        This one at a furniture store.

 

And this one at a pet store.

 

Our Son is Engaged!

I would like to announce that our son Owen Jeffrey Kimball is engaged to be married!  It is a little sooner than we expected, but I'm sure they will be very happy together.

I wasn't too surprised to find out about this engagement when last night as I walked downstairs I overheard him telling his brothers, much to their amusement,  that he was going to ask a girl to marry him the next day at school.  He was even practicing getting down on one knee and saying those famous words, "Will you marry me?" as his brothers were giving him tips on how to do it right.

Up until that point, I didn't realize he even had a girlfriend.  But, I calmly found out that her name is Kate and they have known each other for a very long time.  Ever since school started last week.  "How do you know that she likes you?" I asked.  "Because she chases me around at recess." he replied.  A very sure sign of affection indeed if you ask me.

He originally wanted to give her this lovely box that he made at art camp this summer as a sign of his love.  However, after thinking it over, he realized that his teacher wouldn't let him take something that big out to recess.  His next idea was to get a silver twistie and make it into a ring.  But after he finished, let's be honest here, it looked cheap.  I thought at that point, maybe this idea would fizzle and I forgot about it.

But, after school today I asked him if he proposed.  And sure enough he did.  He decided on giving her a plastic bracelet and key chain that he found in his hoarding drawer.  A much better option if you ask me.  "And what did she do?" I asked.  "She took them and went back to her friends" he replied.

And there you have it.  An engaged boy.

Hmmmm why do I get the feeling this kid is going to give me grief in a few years? :)