overwhelmed into inactivity?

This generation of Children we are raising is the most documented generation in history. We have pictures of them doing everything and nothing. And as a parent most of the childhood milestones are views through a lens. I realized that with this tidal wave of pictures, I haven't printed pictures in almost 4 years. Their all on the computer. And as I look at the stack of video tapes I need to convert to DVD, I realize how quickly technology can change and how easily all these memories can be lost. So I hearby solomly promise to print more pictures and update my actual photo albums just in case my computer crashes and everything is lost.

50 reasons to Love Las Vegas

Kelly"s Parents Celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year.

 We had a special dinner for them with all their brothers and sisters and their spouses.

 It was rare fun to have everyone together.

 We continued the celebration with a long weekend in Las Vegas, where we took in a show, ate good food and took a forced march down the strip as I fulfilled my secret desire to be a tour guide.

BuSy BoDy

Well it happened. I am officially busy. I never meant for this to happen. In fact I  actively tried to avoid it. I decided a long time ago that I never wanted to be that busy, stressed, hectic, frantic,  running late, frenetic person that I have observed from time to time. Which is why I think I have avoided this state for so long. But now, I feel busy. Which is ironic because technically I have more time that ever. My little bug is in preschool for three hours a day- nine golden hours a week. Where does it go? Has it filled up with projects I never would have attempted last year? Have I just lost all time management skills? Or do I really just have a lot going on?

There are some definite perks to being busy. I get to send friends home because I have to leave to drop off or pick up my swimmer from swim team practice. I can serve a throw- together left-over dinner because I don't have time to thaw anything. I can let personal hygiene go because I just didn't have time to shower. (Ok that's not a perk. It is just gross)

The part that I don't like is that I sometimes feel I am to busy for people. One of my pet peeves is people who are "to busy" to return a phone call or a text. But I have found myself not wanting to call  someone because I don't want to take the time to talk right now. Sad!

I think this is how it is going to be so I better get used to it and maybe give up on a few things and talk on the phone a little more...

The Language of time

     Instead of saying "I don't have the time" try saying "it's not a priority," and see how that feels. Often that's a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don't want to. But other things are harder. Try it: "I'm not going to edit your resume, sweetie, because it's not a priority." "I don't go to the doctor because my health is not a priority." If these phrases don't sit well, that's the point. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don't like how we're spending an hour, we can choose differently.--Laura Vanderkam

The Night Circus Book Club Dinner

The circus arrives without warning.

No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards,

no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers.

It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

The towering tents are striped in white and black, no golds and crimsons to be seen.

No color at all, save for the neighboring trees and the grass of the surrounding fields.

Black-and-white stripes on grey sky...



Le Cirque des Rêves



Some in the crowd smile knowingly, while others frown and look questioningly at their neighbors.

A child near you tugs on her mother’s sleeve, begging to know what it says.“The Circus of Dreams,” comes the reply.

The girl smiles delightedly.Then the iron gates shudder and unlock, seemingly by their own volition.

They swing outward,inviting the crowd inside .Now the circus is open. Now you may enter...


 The book for August was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

 The "bedtime story jars"-  each jar contains a story. We also had a wishing tree .

The Dessert Table.....

 The Cake...

Strawberries stuffed with Almond Cream (There were chocolate covered strawberries too, and cream puffs and chocolate raspberry pie, but I didn't get pictures of those)

My Favorite Night of the Year!

slipping through my fingers...

I think one of the most beautiful things in the world has to be a tent lit from the inside. You look away from your campfire and see the soft glow coming through the fabric of the tent...transcendent. It makes all the fuss getting packed to go camping worth is.

Or how about seeing a the mist from a soft mountain rain while you are hiking, or water plants blooming on a calm mountain lake as you take your inflatable boat out for the first time. Or the smile on your kids face when they get over their fear and learn to dive. Or the sight of friends, lingeringing around the table after a BBQ until  the misquitos chase you inside. And then there is watching your kids volunteer at the food bank(because you make them), and seeing them take pride in stocking the shelves.

All this beauty seems so fragile. There is so much more to do and summer seems to be slipping through my fingers. I don't want summer to last forever. Just long enough to do everything we want to do again and again and again.

an every day dilemma

Generally I consider myself "nice" to the point of nauseous but last week I had a few decidedly uncharitable moments.  One of the worst of these breakdowns happened at Boondocks. I like to let my littlest one play in the" kid zone" a special area like a play land at McDonalds that is specifically for LITTLE kids. You have to purchase a special arm band to go in there and a parent is supposed to stay with the kid all the time. There are a lot of rules for this little play place, like you have to be less than 48 inches and you have to take off your shoes. Right after we got there, I noticed a big boy playing in the kid zone- way taller than 48 inches and he DIDN'T have an arm band and he was wearing SHOES.

Well that just wasn't going to work for me. I pay good money (3 whole dollars) to have my kid play in a place where he won't get run over by big kids. After a few minutes I decided I had to say something so I went over to the kid and told him he was to big to play there and he needed to get out. He ignored me. I told him again and then his mom came over to see what was going on. I told her that the kid was way to big to be playing in the play area. She said he was a special needs kid and the staff lets him play there. I said "he doesn't have an arm band". She explained that he wouldn't wear it and it was in her purse. "What about his shoes?". He won't take them off.  I was completely frustrated and she was in complete mother bear mode. It wasn't pretty.

I do wish I had been more charitable and understanding. If I ever see her again, I will apologize. I know raising Autistic and special needs kids is hard. The mother made a comment to someone else later that it is especially hard when the kid looks normal and if he had been down syndrome or otherwise visually different he would have been left alone ( which is probably true). But...I still think rules have to apply.  So that is the dilemma and I am curious to know what you think and what you would have done.