Catching fireflies

After a busy week, a busier weekend, and lots of surprises (did I mention, we SOLD our house?!?) G and I decided to have a backyard bonfire with the kids. So, last night, we had the kids gather wood and set out the chairs, while we made some cocktails and got ready to make s'mores. The night was perfect. No wind. Warm. Quiet. It was the absolute right time to relax by the fire and celebrate with the family.

Recently, I have been spending more time reading to the little schueys. Books like Green Eggs and Ham, Oh the Places you Go, and Sam the Firefly have been read over and over again. Loving being outside (in the dark), Sam the Firefly really struck home with my kids. So. Last night, we (G and the kids) decided to catch fireflies. I sat back, enjoying my cocktail, taking pictures.

These kids ran around the backyard like little monkeys. Running into each other and stealing the bug catcher at every corner.

I think all in all, the kids caught 5 fireflies. They were pretty good at it. Too bad I cant make any money off of this talent. Its not like they are gonna be the next Cosby Kids or anything. Damn it. Right?

A lesson I did learn, however; is- buy more than one bug net. My kids do not share well. But. I think they only beat each other with it a few times. No permanent damage.

Oh and. If you wanna keep the fireflies alive, you gotta drill holes in the jar. Oops. Next time I wont have cocktails during family night. Especially since Mondays are Kettle B(h)ell Day. Bonfires, fireflies, and cocktails the night before make it even tougher to function after hurling kettle bells. I cant decide whether my body starving for oxygen this morning was from my intense work out, or all the firefly fun from last night. Its kinda a blur. 

Of course, the kids wanna do it all over again tonight. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, Garth. Get the matches. And the bug catcher.

If you are feeling adventurous, stop by.

Lots of love.

Where 'my' sidewalk ends...

When we were kids my GeGe used to read us poems by Shel Silverstein. I think we read the book, Where the sidewalk ends a 100 times. In fact, these hilarious poems may be responsible for my dry, sarcastic sense of humor. Or my dysfunctional upbringing may be to blame for my personality? Who really knows. Anyways, to this day, my little sis and I can still quote some of these funny quips and lines.

Poems like Ickle me, tickle me, pickle me too, The yipiyuk, For sale, What a day, and My rules all filled our days with laughter and sparked our imagination.

As an adult, as a mother- some of these poems mean a little bit more. This man. This poet, taught many lessons with his words. Words as a child I thought were silly but as an adult, these quotes have meaning and purpose.


I hope that with these same poems, I can teach my little schueys life lessons, love, and happiness.

In all seriousness. Without arrogance or annoyance. I love my life. I love my kids. Even when they throw my cell phone down the laundry shoot. Even when they splash in the toilet- with my toothbrush. Even when they color on my walls and my car with sidewalk chalk. Even when they put Fruit Loops Cereal in the DVD player. Even when they make me crazy.

Crazy with crumbs in my bed....

crumbs in bed, crumbs in bed.
oh how I wish I had soup instead.
crumbs in bed, crumbs in bed.
oh how I hate crumbs in bed.

To Lucy and Hudson-
When you eat snacks in my mommy's bed, please remember to eat them on daddy's side.

xoxox,
mama

Jello, scrambled eggs, and exercise

Many of you have learned that if I am not juggling 18 balls. I'm not quite satisfied. So. With an obsession to continue my effort to stay fit, healthy, and avoid boredom- I joined a kettle bell class. For anyone out there picturing me ringing bells and collecting spare change, you're wrong. Picture this instead-

Me. Sweating, straining, hurling weights in between my legs while squatting. Over and over again. For an hour. No bells ringing. No soft Christmas music. And definitely no money being thrown at me.

Since I was new to this whole kettle bell thing. I was entirely unaware that there is a significant cardiovascular component involved in this particular exercise. Thinking I was gonna "add" to my work out, I decided to run intervals for an hour before I tried these kettle bell (demons). Pft. Yeah. Right. Good plan (not).

Have you ever gone rollerblading- for a year straight? Yep. That's what my legs felt like. J-E-L-L-O.

Even better. This workout was enjoyed at the very beginning of my day. So me and my jello legs had lots of stuff to check off our ToDo list:

(pick toys out of) laundry, pry Hudson's hands from Lucy's hair (more than once), endure grocery shopping with 2 little Schueys (pulling hair), plan my week, find my sanity.

You know. No big deal. Oh yeah. And Mondays are family night.

Thank god it is Tuesday. And my legs feel like scrambled eggs. If scrambled eggs had a hard time sitting, standing, and walking stairs.

I can't wait for next Monday.

Morning Coffee

You know it is going to be a good day when you realize the coffee you are drinking is really your co-worker's. And then she tells you there is MiraLax in it.

Perfect.

Strawberry picking

I have always said, everyday is an adventure. Today, my adventures took me and my kids strawberry picking. I have taken my kids apple picking and pumpkin picking. I have even taken my kids fishing. I (we) have always survived. My kids have enjoyed the sweet taste of fresh apples, the spice of homemade pumpkin pie, and occasional salty bite of a leech. But. I have never taken my kids to a big, open strawberry field, handed them a bucket, and let them loose.

Having done this before, my girlfriend Rebecca assured me it would be "fun." So. We packed up a few juice boxes, poured ourselves a coffee to go, grabbed the 6 closest kids we could find (ok, our kids plus two little friends) and piled into Rebecca's minivan. Once we got to the strawberry farm, we slathered on the sunscreen, picked out our buckets, and secured an ideal picking spot.

Me with 6 kids, pre-picking. Notice the naive smile?

We had a strategy. We would each stand and block all the kids in one row of strawberries, working our way into each other. Our goal- pick as many, juicy, red strawberries as we could carry, the whole time hoping our children would pick their little hands tired.

One row? Good plan.

The summer sun was warm. The day was perfect. Our kids. Well, they picked a few strawberries, tried a little patience, but had a lot of fun.

For every one strawberry I picked, both of my little Schueys ate two.

I had a hard time making any head way.

It didn't take long for me to realize that I needed to recruit the older kids to pick strawberries for me. So, I quickly turned into a bit of a strawberry pimp. Only my little pickers paid me in juicy, red, fruit.

the direct result of strawberry pimping

Today was an adventure. It was fun. Yes. Rebecca, you were right.

My kids had such a good time. They chased their friends, giggled, and enjoyed being children. And an added bonus, the fresh air tuckered them right out. They both fell asleep in the car on the way home. Can you say- "quiet time?"

 

Me with Rebecca. I think our smiles are little forced. These smiles are trying to hide itchy legs and tired hands.
All kidding aside, it was a day well worth the $1.35/pound of strawberries. See Hudson's stained face? Yep. All the kids needed a good rinse when we were all done.

Happy Summer, with love-

Rosie's Babies

My mom used to read this book to me and my little sis.

Now, Boppa reads this book to Lucy. Memories. Old and new. Loves.

Goodness

Definition: honestly doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. loving and protecting my little schueys, all while teaching them honor, loyalty, accountability, and respect. humbly remembering that i am human, and imperfect. confidently knowing i am capable of learning, being better. most importantly, always standing up for what i believe in.

no matter what you think. i am a good person.

-a

Update

I am not pregnant. Let me clear the air. Thank you mom for starting a rumor. The Schueys are not making any babies- at the moment...

Since the stork isn't bringing us any babies, we have found other ways to keep ourselves busy- and awake at night.

Kane and Lucy finished school for the year and summer has officially started. Now, instead of having free time during the day I am in charge of entertaining 3 kids all day. I love summer break.

While the kids get a break, I continue my journey in grad school. Every time I think I can handle it, the stress drowns me. In fact, at work today, a physician asked me if I was 'ok.' Now normally this would be no big deal. Only she was the 80th person to tell me I looked "tired."

Attention EVERYONE: I AM tired. Quit telling me I look like shit. I know. Already.

Okay. I feel better. On a lighter note. I just downloaded a little Wilson Phillips on my iPod. Thanks to a little pop magic, the song 'Hold On' is gonna keep me- hanging on.

Peace and love.

Sweetness

Lips

Fat lip and road rash. You should have seen the other guy.