Idle hands.....

What is that saying? "Idle hands are the devil's tools?" Something like that right? I am sorry if I misquoted. The hands of a working single mother are certainly never idle. Lately it seems that no part of me is idle. I go from work, to feed cows, to softball, and then eventually am able to get home. 

Softball season is one of my favorite seasons. (second only to soccer season) Aeryn loves to plan and this year she is lucky enough to have "King Paul" as her coach. She is very happy with this. It is only every other year that she gets to be on a sports team with Grace since they are in different grades at school. This is the year. I love watching her skills develop and it certainly makes the time and effort worth it to see her smile. 

April was such a busy month I hardly had time to keep up with coursework, let alone blog. Aeryn turned 10 at the end of the month. A HUGE milestone for me as a parent. It seems like only yesterday that I looked into her eyes for the first time. And yet here she is, hard headed, opinionated and obstinate, just like her mother.

Meanwhile on the Alex front...Boy is raising a little boy different than my little girl. It seems like every diaper change is turning into a wrestling match. Though he is showing and interest in using the potty so maybe potty training will come sooner than expected. I certainly hope so. He is also louder, messier and far more active that Aeryn ever was. Or maybe it just seems that way. It seems like he is always into something, or eating something that he shouldn't be eating. Everything is delicious to this little boy. 

And even with all of my griping. Life is good. There is nothing that makes me happier than spending time with my kiddos. I know that in the future they will be happy and well adjusted individuals. And no matter how busy they keep me, it makes every second worth it. These hands are certainly no tool for the devil.

Spring time...

Softball season has started, and this at least is a sport that I can enjoy. Unlike basketball, which I do not enjoy, and did not realize that my child had developed skill in until the very last game. I should have been paying closer attention. Having an athletic child leads to a very busy life. But it is all worth it. Aeryn is luck enough this season to be coached by her favorite uncle who she calls, King Paul . This also means that she gets to be on the same team as Grace. Which could lead to some drama later in the season but I certainly hope not.

The daylight is lasting longer and I find that Aeryn is having a harder time getting to bed on time because of the lasting daylight. She just wants to stay up and enjoy the daylight when really she should be getting rest for school the next day. It makes me happy that we are getting closer and closer to the end of the school year.

There are already so many things that we will have to fit in this summer. Aeryn will be participating in a summer school program to increase her reading fluency. Or if not increase it, at least to avoid the "summer slide". Though she is still a bit behind in her grade level reading wise she is coming along great now that we have narrowed down where the difficulties are. We will also be training animals all summer long and having lots of quality family time. I had wanted to fit in some camping this summer but it looks like the only camping that I will be doing is at cattle shows. Aeryn would really like to go to four but I do not know if we are going to be able  to fit them all in.

Life itself feels really good right now. My children are happy, and I believe that I am happy as well. We look forward to the coming holiday in which I will get to cook a big meal and we wills it and gorge ourselves until we can not move. I will get to run, jump, and play with the kids. Maybe even take our bikes out for a bit.

Accidental friendships....

I have come to realize that not all friendships are the same. They come in different shapes, colors and sizes. Some are easy to just toss away like a stinky pair of sneakers and others are like that stretched out comfy sweatshirt that you just cant get rid of. Some friendships are started with the conscious thought "How can I be friends with this person? I should be friends with this person". Usually this thought goes along with figuring out just what being friends with that person could get you. There are those friendships that happen because they are expected. And then there are my favorite kind of friendships. The accidental ones.

The accidental ones are those friendships that you had no intention of having. But turn out to be so much fun that you do not know what you would do without them. Feeling like you have known someone for years and imagining the things that you can do together for many years to come. Those are the friendships that I like best. Hopefully those people who I cherish this highly know who they are.

One of my friends is allowing me to achieve a goal for my children that I did not think possible. And my children are getting more out of this experience than I ever expected. I have always known that I wanted to raise my children in a rural setting, around people who cared not just for themselves but for those around them. I want them to have solid, strong role models. The kind that will teach my children to be fearless and that anything is achievable if you put your mind to it. No matter how many times I say these things they are never quite as believable as when they are said by someone else.

I am watching Aeryn turn into this amazing little girl. Not that she was not amazing before. But there is something different now. A month ago she was afraid of ladders, now she scrambles up the ladder into the hay loft without a seconds hesitation. She does not whine or complain when being asked to do something to get the pasture ready for her cows to come home. (Of course this could be because she gets to ride on the back of a 4-wheeler)

Tonight I watched her trek her way to the back of the horse pasture where Lee, Zeke, Spotty (I hope that is his name), Zack, and Lola are. She was not alone of course. Yet she is the one that I had my eyes on. She did not have a care in the world. I could tell that she was chatting away about something. Her little body bounced with every step she took. Then came the horses. She moved closer to her companion as the ground shook. The sound of hooves sounded like thunder rolling through the air. And then she turned and I could see the absolute joy on her face.

This really is the kind of life I want for my kids. To be surrounded by good people, fantastic animals. This is the place where dreams are made and achieved. With the right tools, anything is possible.

All because of an accidental friendship.

I speak for the trees....

Last night was fantastic! Thank you Evelyn and Paul for having an anniversary which provided me with another opportunity to hang out with two out of three of your children. (I would have loved to have had the third one there as well but he was camping)

I took Aeryn, AmberMae, Grace, and My mother to see The Lorax. We had been waiting for it to come to the cheap theater near home. I had been a little hesitant to see it as I believe that Dr. Seuss is just something that you do not mess with. (I was not really impressed with The Cat in the Hat). However I really enjoyed this movie. I also enjoyed the time with family.

AmberMae pointed out that they have spent three out of the last four weekends at my house. It has been great. I am hoping to get out today with the four kids and ride our bikes. Though as I look out the window now, it looks a little dark and gloomy. So, it may just be a movie day inside.

I am thinking about surprising them with pancakes when they wake up. Only I can not remember if they like pancakes. That could be problematic. I guess I will just wait a little while and see what happens.

Feeling a little sluggish....

And again my poor blog has been neglected. And there has been so much going on to blog about! Bad me! I blame my IPad. Okay so really it is probably just my lazyness. Though I hardly ever get on an actual computer before. And I have not yet found a "Blogger" app for my IPad that I am fully satisfied with yet. Though it has made my life easier in a few other places.

So I am feeling a bit sluggish this week. I had set up a good schedule going to the gym and working out three or four times a week. However this week my mom was not feeling up to keeping the kids. So without a baby sitter, I have not gone to the gym and today I am feeling like crap for that reason. I really have to get outside today at some point and do SOMETHING.

We had vacation from school this week which meant no work for me! Hurray! This is both a blessing and a curse. I love being able to have a job where I get to spend school vacations with my children doing lots of fun family stuff. But I forget sometimes, how hard being a stay at home mommy is. It makes me appreciate the ability to get out and work. I love my children dearly, but on vacations I miss being at work.

Alex is walking now, or better yet, running. He has decided to take the whole "walking" process at full speed and barrels into everything. He usually falls down, looks around, laughs, and gets up do repeat the whole process. He thinks he is such a hot shot now that he is a bi-ped. However his new maneuverability limits the time I am able to knit. And I am pretty sure Aeryn is sick of hearing "Quick, catch your brother".

Alex had a WIC appointment not too long ago and he weighed in at a whopping 25 lbs and was 30 inches long. That means he is already half the weight of his sister! The nutritionist says that he is a very healthy and happy little boy. He is in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. Just a naturally big kid! I am blessed to have both of these marvelous children in my life. As I type this Aeryn is laying IN Alex's pack and play along with him reading him a book. I think he is more interested in just cuddling with his sister than what she is reading but it is a sweet thing to see. Loving these babies of mine!

It's all about the dolphins.....

Every year I hear people making New Year's resolutions that they are going to lose weight and eat better...They try it for two weeks or so and then completely give up. I would like to say that I have not made these things a New Year's resolution. I have made them a life choice. I am now almost two weeks into my program and not feeling the urge to give up just yet. In order to change my life I have joined two things, a gym, and Weight Watchers. Both are proven weight loss techniques. I have seen them work for so many people. Now I want to customize them to work for me.

Three times a week Nancy , Robert and I go into Keene and spend an hour at Fit Nation. If any of you are looking for a good gym, this one fits the bill. The staff is friendly and helpful, they are affordable and the atmosphere is comfortable. Nancy and I have become "work out buddies" each encouraging the other to push a little harder, and go a little farther than we normally would by ourselves. This kind of encouragement is definitely going to help both of us in our weight loss/fitness goals.


I am coming to love my time at the gym. So far it has proven to not only be healthy but to be a great tension reliever as well. There is nothing like going seven miles on a stationary bike followed by two miles on a treadmill to make a person relax a little. I have been bringing my IPad with me. I am able to just put on some music and read a book while I am walking or bicycling. This completely takes my  mind off how long I have been on the machine or how far I have gone until I complete my allotted time for the session. My next session is going to be Friday and my goal is to go 10 miles on a bike in a matter of 30 minutes. I am going 7.2 miles in 20 minutes so I feel that if I push myself just a little bit harder I can easily make my goal of 10 miles.

On one of our first couple nights I was talking to a friend about the endorphins that are released into your system during a good workout. Nancy, thought that I had said dolphins. So now it is fun to tell people that we are heading out to train our dolphins when in actuality we are off to kick our behinds at the gym.

I feel that for me, this is one of the best life goals that I can make right now. I was getting very complacent with my life, my food choices, and my inactivity due to my busy schedule. I have learned that I do not want to be that person. I want to be able to have the energy to play with my kids. I don't want to be tired all the time. And I desperately do not want to have to back on medication to handle the bouts of depression that I sometimes feel. Hopefully the physical activity will help me alleviate all of these problems. I guess we will just have to see as the time comes.

Who your friends are...

So it was brought to my attention that I had not posted in a while. And as I look back, yes, it has been a while. So Kelsey, this one is for you.

It has taken me a long time to learn who my friends are. And who they are not. The latter, believe it or not, is the harder of the two for me to figure out. But I can say that I am finally at a point in my life that I know who mine are. And they are people that I love dearly.

Last semester at school was especially trying for me. I just could not seem to get my act together. But there were a few parts of my day that I could always look forward to. I like getting to school early (Something I learned on those car rides in with Inge when my truck was broken). I am able to stop in and see the people that make me smile before the day actually starts. Before Jen had her baby I would stop and see her and then go see Jay before the bell rang. First block Latin was rough, but it was buffered by the fact that I got to spend second block with Kelsey.

Second block was my favorite part of the day. Not because I did not have a class to be in, but because Kelsey was assigned to the resource room. This girl has become such an inspiration to me while at the same time being my biggest cheerleader. And I love her for it. She is always there to listen when I have a problem and cheers whenever my kids do anything remotely exciting. For those of you who can not think of a person like this in your live, go get yourself one. But stay away from Kelsey, she is mine.

So as I sit here. It strikes me as funny that we teach our children in Kindergarten that everyone is there friend. This is so untrue. Everyone is not my friend and I do not like being forced into a situation where I have to say they are. Isn't that lying? And isn't that something we tell our children is innately wrong? Maybe my oppinion is a little bit off here. But I have watched Aeryn progress through school, and I have seen how mean some of these kids can be. And there are kids that I am actually happy that Aeryn is NOT friends with. Never would I want her to be friends with someone who intentionally hurts someone physically or mentally. And that is what is done every day.

So it makes me happy to know that I have a solid base of friends. And I am teaching her to build on as well. I want her to find someone as amazing as my BFF Jen, who is like a sister to me, or as wonderful as Kelsey, as kind as Peggy, as enlightening as Jay, or as funny as Rob. Without these people. I would not be able to make it through the day. And for them I am thankful.