What's Going on Here?

Not really that much.

I purposely underscheduled us this summer. It's been slow and I'll say, right around 97% happy. A typical day is eat, swim, play and repeat. Throw in a few trips a week to the library, some reading, a Costco/Target run, some visiting and weekend entertaining and that about sums it up around here. We have also been doing plenty of cleaning and fixing up/organizing the homestead and I have been getting the kids involved in that part of the routine without too much of a fight. Some days it seems a little monotonous but the quick cure for that is the thought of school starting up again in 3 1/2 weeks and that just makes me feel thankful that we have these easy summer weeks to be slow and just play.

Emily and Sarah stayed with my mom last week. It was a fun trip for them and a fun vacation for me! Wyatt and Eva could not have had a better week. The got along beautifully. Not a fuss, not a fight, only harmony. It was a gift. I kept thinking something must be wrong with me because it was all too easy. Wyatt and Eva took care of each other in all practical ways and they decided when and what to play, when to read, when to swim and eat and sleep. Tony would come home from work and we would literally have complete sit-down conversations while the two little ones occupied themselves and then marvel at the fact that we had complete sit-down conversations while the little ones occupied themselves.

Our second summer camping trip was almost just as much a success as the first one. We camped at New Brighton beach. It was cold but still really nice to be at the beach. Last year we scouted the campground for potential good sites to try and reserve for the future and we numbered them in order of goodness and desirability. Back in February when I made the reservation I was ecstatic to find three consecutive days at our #3 best camping spot pick. It's really really hard to get reservations at this campground, you literally have to be online the very second that it opens up for 8 a.m. booking online on the first day of the seventh month prior and even then it's likely that someone will snatch up the one you want before you get a confirmation, these people must have faster computers, I don't know. So, I was super thrilled with my good fortune that one of our top picks was available for the three nights.

After almost a two-hour drive, we pulled into the campground and made our way to our reserved spot. Tony looked at me with a funny face and said "this is not the one we picked." I said back to him, "yes it is, you wrote down #3 for this spot." Tony looked for a while like he was in shock, this was not a spot he would ever pick. It was on kind of a steep slope, way in the back of the park, far from the bathroom, second farthest from the ocean and really close and somewhat too personal with our neighbors who were the farthest from the ocean. Our #1 and #2 picks were oceanfront, and this one, why did we pick this one? Hmmm, no wonder it was available!

I'll never understand that one, but #3 was in his handwriting, not mine. Anyway, from the minute we got there I was determined to make the best of it because I knew that we were stuck there for three days and nights and I was trying to be optimistic about it and not let it ruin our trip. Turns out, it was fine after all. Our neighbors weren't that bad, the table was level and there was a level spot for our tent. The bathroom thing wasn't such a big deal either, we only drank enough to stay minimally hydrated and also because we had rented a U-Haul and brought our bicycles! Tony got that idea when we were pulling out of our last campground two weeks prior and he saw a family coming into the campground towing a small U-Haul. We sort of snickered about it at the time, but then after some thought, it seemed like a brilliant idea! And it was! As soon as you get over the fact that you are the hillbilly family towing the U-Haul into the park, it ain't that bad!

We had plenty of beach time and camp time. It was cold nights and mornings but sunny and comfortable during the day. We strolled Capitola and watched the wanna-be surfers. We bicycled, we ate well [because we are getting pretty good at camp food prep] and we even entertained Tony's brother Rafi and his family at our campsite one night. The whole trip was kind of nice with only a couple of easy to fix snags. I don't remember complaining, I may have whined once or twice but I honestly don't think I complained.

So our summer camping series is already over, I won't pretend that I wasn't a little bit relieved when we put all the camp gear back in attic storage, but it was worth the effort again.

On the homefront, still no garden, but big plans complete with a scale diagram on graph paper! One major thing that was accomplished this month was the long awaited remodel of Sarah and Eva's room. A ceiling to floor paint job and all new furniture complete with a bunk bed! I will post pictures as soon as I can get a before and after picture together to show you what a dramatic change we have made. Still no camera for me, my hungry hard drive is going to think I don't love him anymore.

That's what's going on here. Happy Summer 2010 to you too!

Keeping on the Sunny Side.

I found this post at Kind Over Matter today and I intend to print it up, frame it, and hang it someplace prominent where my kids might read it occasionally. I find it particularly inspiring since my best days are when I consciously block that negativity from creeping in. I know it's way easier said than done, but I find awareness makes the difference.

It was easy to stay positive on this beautiful day. During piano lessons for Emily, the rest of us waited at the park and played, yes I played too! Later we took a long bike ride with our wee one still in training wheels, which made it a long slow bike ride [barely fast enough at times to keep my bike from falling over]. And it was hot, but not under the giant shade tree at another park where we ate our lunch. After a bit more playing, we biked over to the library, slowly again. Then home, through a brief meltdown the last few blocks from the pokey one with training wheels. Can't really blame her, it was a long way on training wheels, and it was really hot, and she didn't really know how close we were to home.

The pool never felt so good to me after that bike ride. The kids are always asking me to swim with them and usually my answer is "not now, later, I have to do [something]" It was so great.

I rewarded Eva for her pushing her little legs harder and making it so far on her bike by painting her fingers and toes after the swim, something she has been asking me to do for weeks now. She is so happy with her little pink nails, and it only took a moment, I think I only dipped the brush in the bottle twice.

Today was all about the fun of it, and making four little people very happy. And staying positive. My house is a mess, I didn't get to any of the things I had on my list. It's after 5 p.m. and I have no idea what dinner will look like, even so, I'm giving myself an A+ for today.