Epic Summer Sunday #1

Today was amazing. And not just because C moved up to the kindergarten room at church (I may have teared up a little).

We really had no agenda once church was over, and the day was just so sunny, and I was just craving bacon...so we headed downtown to Crave.  We'd heard that they had a good brunch and we knew they had outdoor seating, so we figured we'd give it a try. Turns out that Sunday brunch is a tasty buffet with a lot to choose from and it includes a mimosa (for the grown-ups, obviously). Kids eat free-- bonus. We stuffed ourselves silly and then headed over to the Reds team shop.

C needed a new Reds shirt since she's outgrown her others and passed them on to her little brother. She chose a Votto shirt (a girl after my own heart...One Ordinary Dad got me an authentic Votto jersey for my birthday). B had fun playing with foam fingers.

Up next we headed to the park down at The Banks. When going to downtown parks, we generally prefer Washington Park, but we were already parked and decided to play at The Banks instead. Before we got much playing in, we thought it might be fun to rent a Surrey Bike and ride along the river. The day was absolutely gorgeous. One Ordinary Dad and I sure got a workout, but we enjoyed the view.

After an hour, we returned the bike and then finally got around to playing in the fountain and swinging on their big "porch swings" that overlook the river.

We ended our afternoon with some Orange Leaf fro-yo (Crave gave us coupons for 2 free ounces each).

It was a day well spent and we are all spent. I have 2 days left of school with my students and then a half day teacher work day on Wednesday.

And because I haven't mentioned it here yet, One Ordinary Dad went back to work in the non-profit world a couple of weeks ago. He likes his job so far. The kids have a babysitter coming to the house in this transition time, but C will be in all-day kindergarten next year, so with only one kiddo needing childcare, we knew it was time. We knew we couldn't move forward, pursuing some dreams of ours without a second income. God has blessed us immensely and we're excited to be in this new phase. I've never had both kids on my own all summer (One Ordinary Dad's previous position was reduced in June 2011, when B was a baby, so we've had lots of family time the last two summers with both of us at home). This will surely be a fun adventure!

~One Ordinary Mom

*Note: I am cautiously titling this post with the "#1" in the hopes that there are more epic summer Sundays in our future-- not necessarily doing the same things, but just enjoying things around our city that are new to us. :-)

To My Children, On Mother's Day

Hey Kids,
I realize if left to your own devices I'd probably wind up opening an ill-fitting princess dress ("oh, it doesn't fit you, mommy, well that's okay, I'll wear it") and a Hot Wheels car. Or chocolate that you'd ask me to share (and of course I'd say yes).

And while I'm always going to appreciate anything you give me, I want you to know that it's not about the "things." In fact, as you grow older, it's the intangible stuff that will mean more. The "things" you can't really buy.

Like being a decent human being. That would be a great gift. Don't be lame at life. And don't be a bully either. Besides, bullying someone is just false power. Be humble. Be thankful. Be willing to turn the other cheek.

And reading. That would be another great gift. No, I don't want you to buy me books (well, okay, I do like books), but you doing the reading-- you reading every day-- that would be awesome. Life is short in the grand scheme of things. I'll never get around to reading everything there is to read. So I need you to pick up the slack and tell me about the things you read that I haven't read. Reading makes you a better person, so give me the gift of knowing you read every day.

Have faith too. Jesus thinks you're just as rad and special as I do, so trust in Him. Mommy would like nothing more than to see you grow in your faith. There will be times when you think He's distant, but I promise you He's not. I promise you He has great plans for you. Have faith.

Travel and take lots of pictures. I realize that's not something you can "give" me, but sending a postcard is something you can "give," so it counts. I birthed you into this great big world and it would be a tragedy if you didn't get to explore beyond our small, Midwestern corner of it. And I don't collect little silver spoons or thimbles, so seriously, just send a post card.

That's really it, kids. I know you can't read this and I know that none of this would make sense to you right now, at 5 and 2, even if you could read it. But it's what I want. For you to be good people who love Jesus and reading and who send their mama a postcard when they travel.

But until then, your Crayola pictures and handprints with poems and plastic bead necklaces are perfect. You are perfect. You are the reason I get to celebrate this holiday.

And I love you.

Love,
Mom

P.S. I know you'll think it's creepy one day, but I don't think I will ever get tired of watching you sleep.

Sometimes...Life

Sometimes life gets busy. And things go by the wayside...like this blog. My bad, but I make no apologies. We've been busy.

Busy getting ready for dance recitals.

Busy planting food. One Ordinary Dad built the raised bed. Our backyard isn't flat or sunny, so the ideal place for planting is actually at the top of our driveway. Last year we did small pots and planted fruits and veggies from seed. We had a small yield. Seeds are hard, y'all and I am not a green thumb. This year we decided to start with starter plants. We already have romaine lettuce ready to eat!

Busy tending flowers. C likes to help and watering the plants is now one of her daily responsibilities.

Busy hanging out at the zoo.

Busy pretending to be a turtle.

Busy crafting (One Ordinary Dad made this beauty for my birthday...it hangs on our bedroom wall now). It's made of wood from a potting shed in our backyard that was falling down and disrepair.

Busy celebrating 31.

Just. Plain. Busy. (Too busy to bother watermarking these, so don't steal them, okay).

Life is like that though. The school year is winding down, vacation plans are firming up (One Ordinary Dad are thinking of escaping for one day while we're in California for a wedding and hanging out with the Mouse at Disneyland), the temperature is staying warmer, our windows are open, lawnmowers are humming, the grill is fired up often, and well, life is happening.

And in the rare moments when we have peace and quiet and stillness, we're reading out on the porch with a glass of wine or watching movies, or relaxing with friends, or cheering on the Reds. Blogging just kind of ends up at the bottom of my list of things I want to do in the still and quiet moments. But it was time for an update to let you know that yes, my few dear readers, we are very much alive and well. Hopefully summer vacation will bring more opportunities to update.

~One Ordinary Mom

Spring Break

Spring break has come and gone, well at least for this mama. Sweet C has spring break this week.

If I had to compare this spring break to something tangible, I would say it was quite like a roller coaster. Spring break started off cold and with a dusting of snow (a low point for sure). The kids still got to play outside a little. And I got to mess around with my camera (I'm getting a lot more confident at shooting in full manual mode and not using the flash when I can avoid it).

My parents arrived into town on Tuesday (high point). On Wednesday, we spent the day at my Great Aunt's house, one of my favorite spaces in the world, in Kentucky (definitely a high point). Some other family that live close by stopped in and we had a mini-family reunion of sorts-- the big get together is at the beach this summer.

Wednesday also brought the news of the passing of my uncle (lowest point of break). He was a good man. Over 10 years ago he was diagnosed with cancer and not expected to live a year. He beat the odds and spent Easter in Heaven this year.

From there we hit a series of high points. On Thursday, I helped in C's classroom and reaffirmed that I could never teach young kids...but it was fun for 2.5 hours. Sweet C and B got to meet their new cousin that afternoon; she was born on 3/18. C is in love with her and keeps asking when she gets to have a baby sister. No, I am not expecting.

We also went to Jump and Jacks. C went to a birthday party there a week ago and hadn't stopped talking about it since. So we decided to head there Thursday night with my parents.

Friday, C had her Easter Chapel Service at preschool, followed by an egg hunt (I volunteered to help hide the eggs...no joke, there were like 1000 of them).

Then it was off to our local conservatory for some spring pictures.

The bunny came Saturday evening and left treats, books, crafts, and a few toys. B woke up with a low fever and stayed home from church. It disappeared after a few hours, so we headed to One Ordinary Dad's aunt and uncle's house for Easter dinner.

Last night we hit a low after our streak of good days. Just as I was turning off the light to go to bed, C got out of bed and puked all over the hallway. She continued to get sick every fifteen to thirty minutes or so for the next five hours, before her body finally called it quits. B woke up with the return of his mystery fever (though we think it's molars) and wanted to be held or needed Tylenol in the midst of all of this, so One Ordinary Dad camped out in the bathroom with C until it was safe to move her to the couch, while I took on B and administered Tylenol and snuggles when needed. No one slept much, so I stayed home from work today. C seems to be on the upswing and is keeping crackers and water down with no issues. B's fever is gone, but he's drooling a ton. One Ordinary Dad and I have Clorox-ed the house, washed and changed sheets, drank copious amounts of coffee, put out new toothbrushes, and are looking forward to watching the Reds Opening Day game later this afternoon.

Tomorrow I head back to school. 45 more school days left until summer vacation (definitely a high). One Ordinary Dad has a third interview with a company (yes, he's planning to head back to work if the right job offer comes his way since C will be in kindergarten all day next year) on Wednesday (another high). And it's April...which means yours truly has a birthday right around the corner.

So go away stomach bug, hopefully and prayerfully C is the only victim. And go Redlegs!

~One Ordinary Mom :-)