Seize the May

I was talking to several friends the past few days and reflecting on the next several weeks ahead. The month of May is a busy month for most I know - end of year EVERYTHING at school, spring sports, the beginning of summer and sprinkle in a birthday or two and Mother's Day and BAM your schedule can be filled to the BRIM. On top of that for me/us, Lee is not very available/present because pool season is in full swing. Thus, much of the rigmarole of May fall to MOI. 

It is kind of a grit-and-get-through-it month. It is also a month I'd in theory like to just skip because it is alot. But in my reflections and conversations, if I were to bury my head in the couch and not seize the month of May, I think I'll miss out on a whole lot. The soccer games. The birthday girl. The celebrations. The accomplishments. All because I don't have the right outlook and frame of mind. 

So the motto for May 2019 is, Embrace May and Don't Wish it Away. 

Here's to being present in May and not just rushing through it to throw the kids in bed. Here's to later than normal bedtimes and a stricter meal planning schedule. Here's to driving in many directions and being grateful for the opportunity to go to five hundred million things. Here's to Sundays and spending them with Papa. 

Here's to loving these kids - plus the two not pictured 

and teaching them what it means to be present for each other. 

May, you are going to be a busy month but we will embrace all you have in store.

Moms Swim 2018

Gosh this seems like a long time ago but I suppose it was only about 6 weeks ago yet I am finally getting around to it...

Back in October the girls had an evening swim meet. It is definitely a fun meet for them so to add to the fun I thought it would be even more fun to get some moms involved in a moms vs coaches relay. 

Let's just say it was loads of fun and even though we lost and it taught our kids a thing or two about what their mamas can do. 

I must admit I'd been hatching this idea probably since the end of summer because I knew I need so swim savvy moms if we were to even have a shot at this. After pitching the idea and a little bit of pleading we were in. 

Next thing we needed was a team cap. Well apparently #swimmoms or anything related to moms swimming cannot be found printed on a silicone swim cap (though there is an array of nice shirts). So the next best thing is... typing 'swim mom cap' into Google and seeing what appears. Wouldn't you know these were the caps that came up.

I mean they had flowers and hearts on them and they seemed fierce enough and the name of them is La Vengadora - Lady Avengers so here we were. 

Then it came to the morning before the race. We assembled at 5:30 (in the morning because everyone knows that's when moms really have quality time for themselves) to practice diving off the blocks. Ummm.... let's just say having not dove off one of those blocks in 20 years - they were really high. And here we moms are telling our kids they have nothing to worry about and get up there and just do it. 

Riiiiiiiiight. 

Well then it was race day - which was kind of hilarious because there was this series of serious texts about our order but also included who was going to be in our cheering section because word had gotten out about the #swimmoms and even non swim friends were wishing us luck and then dying to see the video of it after the fact. 

I mean Lee and my mother in law even stuck around until 7:30 with all the kids - hello past your bedtime A and C - to watch. 

Anyhow we lost and it wasn't even close which was a bummer because none of us wanted to lose because we are all THOSE kind of mamas. For me personally, I can tell you that the take homes for me and my swimming girls are this:

A. I probably can and should swim (when I get around to it) faster - because I can and I just don't push myself. That in and of itself was worth all this 

B. R couldn't believe that I was ACTUALLY going to swim. So I am glad that I publicly showed her that her mother can, in fact, swim even though diving off the blocks is not as easy as you kids make it out to be

C. E saw how we lost. We were good sports. Disappointed but still having fun as a team of moms. It is fun to win but sometimes it is not about winning and losing - it is about just doing something for the fun of it (and winning next time)

D. One of teammates rang in her birthday swimming on the relay team - which was AWESOME!

On that note, I cannot speak for all the #swimmoms but I hope that we can have a rematch next year. Hopefully next year the coaches team will have a closer median age to our as they were about 7 years younger than us on average OR we need a handicap based on the number of kids we have. Once the race was over, we looked around at each other and determined that there are 15 kids between the four of us! 

#swimmoms

7QTs - Rain & Babies

We survived the week thanks to the monsoon of the month...

---1---

The rain kept our schedule in check this week... 

I let them run in the rain Monday before lunch. No umbrellas or rainboots necessary. 

No soccer game on Monday.

No tee ball game on Tuesday.

No tee ball practice on Wednesday.

#easypeasyweek

---2---

Yay preschool art!

And she's taking more initiative to get her work done.... Still working on that summer workbook because someone has a very short temper when things aren't perfect

My hippie child... 

She wore this pink hairband to school and then it broke... She still thinks I'm going to fix it with tape. But she LOVED just putting it on and wearing it around. I think St. Nikolas might be bringing so plastic hand bands because I cannot imagine her without them! Her teacher asked if she was THAT quiet at home... That would be a negative : ) 

---3---

M has been wandering out of bed and was banished to her crib for one night this week.... 

She didn't have her soccer game so... We will see what Monday holds

---4---

Let's discuss how cute he is...

Okay that's not necessary. 

Think he's happy?

WRONG... so wrong. He has kind of been the crabbiest of patties the past few days which means he may be getting teeth? He was a pretty miserable kid in August when he was getting teeth. 

And he likes to eat books... Just for the record

---5---

AHG is in full swing and E and R went on an excursion to the bird park last weekend

E is climbing to new heights... Literally

Rock walling it up after swim practice

E has an art project that was way over my math/science brain so I called in one of her cousins for reinforcements. E got this butterfly book for a project last year and she STUDIES it. Moths and butterflies... she's into them. I think this is the Blue Night something or other. I'm sure she'll correct me when I ask her and she could tell me if this is the male or the female and where it can be found living. 

---6---

Links of interest: 

Screens in School are a Hoax - interesting 

Prayers...

And more prayers

---7---

Babies abound... I found out that at least 2 families we know are having babies in 2017! So exciting. Tis the season, right? 

Well speaking of that, and I think I've said it before BUT... seriously, seriously. The topic/question of when is baby K #5 coming next is indirectly hinted at or directly, to the tune of - ARE YOU PREGNANT YET? - comes up probably at least 3 times a week. 

To all the people who support our procreative activities... thank you. In a world where we should have stopped having babies 3 babies ago, we appreciate your encouragement. Promise we'll let the cat out of the bag when there's one to let out. So keep on asking/hoping/praying and I'll keep on giving you the standard canned response... It is not in our hands and it is not on our time. Mysteries abound when you are open to life. 

The First Days of Schools...

Tis the season, right? 

I could have (and maybe should have) broken this post into 3 individual ones... one per kid but preschool started (accidentally I'm told) a week early so 2 first days in one week = justified : ) 

I labeled all E's stuff the night before. She didn't go shopping with me this year for supplies because that's #complicated and she's a bit #picky. I did make legit attempts to find her a Rey or Leia folder but after spending waaaay to much time I realized it wasn't going to happen. 

Same headphones and bookbag (but she threw a tearful fit over the size or lack thereof this morning because folder + reading book + lunchbox = #supersized)

Waffles which can only mean one thing - BAKING POWDER not baking soda #mixedthemupbefore actually #twice

 Supplies

Waffles

1st grade

No teeth

Pippy longstockings

Everyone's looking but E was in a shadow #takingkidspicprobs

Hey there is a whole another person visible this year!

Then it was R and M's turn to try their hand at the first day of school thing... 

New shoes and R's pencil box but I still owe Mrs. Wanda about 75% of R's supplies #thankgoodnessitsjustprek

I could probably write an entire post on how these bookbags show the personalities of the little girls who wear them

Their breakfast pick... Pumpkin muffins! #gonnabuy10casesthisyear

Pre-K!

Except not looking : ) 

But this time she is!

#cannotpleasethemall #itoldhershecouldnotholdA

She is so cute and she happens to know it

2 yr old class

So excited to have her own bookbag

Probably one of the best kid pics I've taken in a while

So ready to go

Nervous but ready!

Some things worth remembering from the first week...

E,R - Bantering in the van

Me - R, wouldn't you like to hear about E's first day?

R - Nooo (like the heck no, kind of no. Like of course I don't, kind of no)

Me - Okaaay

Me - So you used one folder for homework and what did you use your glitter folder for?

E - Poultry

Me - What did you say?

E - Poultry!

Me - Poultry?

E - POULTRY!

Me - So you have a folder for chickens?

E - I guess soooo...

(thanks to a wise parent in the class, we discovered it is a POETRY folder - just for the record)

Also, R and her BFF/the one she's getting married to (according to her) were coordinating on the first day. He was in a yellow shirt and I PROMISE you his mother and I did not plan it. It was sweet especially since this is their last year together #lovebirds

Theme Thursday - Rule Breaker

Here's to participating but not following the rules...

Everyday during Advent is there is a #holylens prompt/theme/something you can take a pic of - which is being taken over by Theme Thursday for these final days until Christmas. I'm just going to fit my pics into the prompts for each day even though I didn't actually take them on the day because that's how I roll

Remembered:

Part of our Advent activity for week 4 (orthodox/ eastern Catholic Advent is 40 days - not 4 weeks), we went to say prayers at a couple graves of our departed family and friends. 

Tree

E's finished crafty homework project for the month complete with two kinds of pom-poms and Elsa and Anna stamps (aka ornaments). Thank goodness for the hot glue gun because we could have not formed the star or gotten the lights to hang on the tree without it. She's actually not too afraid of the glue gun anyone so she just tells me where she needs a dap and I make it happen. I'm not ready to completely wash my hands of the crafting yet because I think she'd go through a pack of glue sticks per art project if the glue gun were in her hands. 

Rest

The lighting in this picture is so weird. I think of Tiny Tim when I look at M. Fortunately she's just relaxing and resting : ) 

Angel

E's costume arrived for her school play. I got it from Amazon warehouse - which means that it had been opened and returned - so I got a discount on it. Outside of the small stain on the front - which came out with a wipe - and the halo needing a few daps of hot glue - it was worth saving the few extra dollars. Also, I got the 3-4 size and it fits perfect. Same brand as her All Saints Day Dress (which was enormous and needed way too may safety pins) and I imagine we'll be hitting them up for future costume needs. 

Daughter

Just enjoying the pretty fall colors on our walk this afternoon : ) 

There's way more to our story from the week and maybe I might get around to telling about it in tomorrow's quick takes. I make no promises. 

7QTs - Life with Four Kids Five and Under

Just playing catch up!

--- 1 ---

Okay where to pick up after little A entered our world... I think I left a cliffhanger for R's scarecrow homework... 

She glued some straw on the hands and feet and declared him Scaredycrow and that was that. Knocked that out just in time for A's arrival!

--- 2 ---

E's Saint costume is in. The dress has been here for a week and she doesn't know it and it is KILLING her but really... I cannot have her obsessing and needed to try the dress on for days and days and days but I did let her open this: 

If I haven't already said.. this is a perfect clue for who she's going to be. 

--- 3 ---

Grammy and Grandpa Joe brought a cake for A!

It was so good and tasty and gave me a headache each time I ate but that didn't stop me from going back for more. 

--- 4 ---

The first week he was home I tried my hand at getting to school with all four!

Score one for me. Lee basically handled breakfast and packing up and I handled A. It was a good primer for the second week (this week) A was home because Lee was in Chicago for a few days. Grammy was here helping hold down the fort. Getting to school fed, dressed, and on-time is NO JOKE. (amongst other things) 

--- 5 ---

The Best EVER trail mix for post-pardum moms is:

1. Reese's Pieces

2. Peanuts

3. Craisins 

4. Chocolate Chips

All in equal parts

My sister-in-law brought me a bunch of packs... they are especially helpful when packed in baggies because you can grab-and-go. See the trail mix with the library books that we returned... on time!

--- 6 ---

A lived in yellow and green for several days...

But his drawers are filling up with blue and red thanks to some great family and friends - THANK YOU!!!

--- 7 ---

Otherwise it's been the usual shenanigans...

Random dance parties... 

and 

Highly opinionated almost-2-yr-olds!