Memorial Day Weekend

So I don't know about you but I thought that this Memorial Day went by way to fast. I think that it felt that way because Henderson County had school to make up for all of the snow days that we missed. So it was like any other Monday. Saturday on the other hand was a very good day. I cant believe that I did this, but I took my children to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia SC, BY MYSELF. AHHHH!!! What was I thinking right. Holiday weekend, lots of people, a 6 year old, a 5 year old, and ME! Sounds stressful right. It actually turned out to be not that bad. It remained cloudy most of the day so it was not that hot which always makes things easier with kids who are walking around. I ain't carrying them that is for sure and we are way past the stroller age. They had lots of fun exploring things. Eider has a tendency to keep them reined in a little more than me so I think they thought it was freedom. ha ha We did it all! Carousel, pony rides, climbing wall, feeding every animal (that would still eat at this point), and then had a picnic. Good day! They were so exhausted by the time we left around 5pm, they both crashed out in the back of the van. When we got home, we had planned to pitch a tent in the back yard to camp, but the rain had other plans. We stretched sheets across the furniture in Keelies room and got out the sleeping bag. Camp out indoors. It was fun. Sunday after church (which was a great service) we took the kids to play putt putt downtown. Monday was a lazy day but Keelie had school. Today, back to the grind. I hope that everyone else had a blessed weekend and enjoyed your time with friends and family. The only thing that I can not believe is I went a whole Memorial Day weekend without having not one hot dog or hamburger?

Sorry so long . . .

It has really been a busy two weeks. Between baseballs practices, soccer games, dance lessons, and volunteering non stop, it has been really busy! The one shinning light was Mothers Day. It was so good. It started with my husband letting me sleep in which has not happened since the day after i had my now so to be 7 year old. And that was only because my mother had stayed over to make it less stressful. I awoke and went to the kitchen and smelling my beautiful white roses which were in water on the table. I started cooking brunch and he went outside and started working in the yard. I have a really big green thumb which I totally get from my mother. Of subject, there is this unspoken war in my neighborhood that I am totally winning. The guy next door said that it was like keeping up with the Jones's. I thought that it was funny and told him that my maiden name was Jones. LOL!! Back to Mothers Day. I cooked cleaned up and then Eider came in and starting packing a lunch. That was so sweet. I love picnics. We loaded up the car with bikes, the cooler, a big blanket, and Eiders soccer gear. Off to Azalea Park in Asheville. We ate lunch and I watched the kids run around so happy. Eider played his game at 3 and then we headed home. My favorite part of the day was when we got home he dug me a vegetable garden. SO SWEET!!!! Nice evening and back to bed, no muss, no fuss. Good day. I hope that all of you mothers had a lovely day and enjoyed it with their families. God bless you all for he has blessed me. Next post will not take me so long to write it! :)

Things great and small!

So as my week has been very stressful with all the life changing incidents, I think that I see a light in the future. It is always so interesting where we get our inspiration from. My most recent case was this evening. I was at my sons baseball game and there was this little boy on the other team that my son knows well. His name is Alex. He is so cute! I think the reason that he is so cute to me is for two reasons. One, he is so small comparatively speaking and two, his personality is so HUGE! Alex and Kadin are in the same preschool class. They love each other so much, its so sweet. Back to subject. So as this game is going on I am the classic momma, yelling and screaming and watching every single play hoping that my little boy remembers to take the glove off his head and stop the ball. His team was whopping the crap out of Alex's' team. They know that they were getting beat too. Alex did not care. in the last inning, after this tiny little boy hit the ball, he got out at first. Well with the little boys, even if they get three outs everyone get to bat. So when Alex got out he kept running. He ran all the way around the bases. They cutest part of it all was as he rounded second he started waving. Kadin plays left field and Alex was waving to him in like one of those pageant waves. Everyone started laughing. It made me think. Even though he was out, he kept going. He even did it with a smile. I know, I can keep smiling too. Things will get better.

Pura Vida!!

So as I had already told you before, my husband Eider is from Costa Rica. It is a little small country in Central America south of Nicaragua and north of Panama. (In case you don't have Google Earth). I try to spend as much time there as I possibly can for several reasons. One, my older sister Kim is married to my husbands brother and they live there permanently. (I know, how redneck). Two, I try to let my in laws spend as much time as they can with the kids. Lastly, I have really started to fall in love with the country itself. They have this motto there, Pura Vida. Its actual translation is pure life, but the meaning is something very similar. It means for you to live you life freely, without any mess. To enjoy the people that you love and the friends you keep. I don't know but when I am there that all seems so much easier. It feels like I can get up in the morning and not have to stress over what the day is to bring. I really think that this is because there is no English TV, no AC, no land line telephones, frankly there is nothing to do. Just relax! Now that is a vacation!

Over the past several weeks I have seriously thought about making Costa Rica my permanent home. I dunno! I always said that I would stay around for Jamie and my mom but now they have both moved away. Eider says that i can not live my life worried about theirs. There it is again, that damn guilt. Maybe some day soon we will figure it out. I am up for about anything. If we are going to do it, I just want to while the kids are young. I don't think that they would really care having to do most of there family is there. I guess we will see. I do know one thing if this economy keeps going the way it is, you can kiss my behind goooooodddddbbbyyyeeeeee!!!!!!

Point of View

So as my day began this morning I was in a pretty good mood. I thought about all of the things that I needed to finish for teacher appreciation and all of the things that I need to do at home. I hate housework. Its like a bad mother-in-law. Like a little nagging voice in the back of your head saying "clean me, clean me"! I headed off to Krispy Kreme to pick up 6 dozen donuts for our room service breakfast cart and then back home to get kids ready for school. I took Keelie with me and Eider dropped Kadin off at the preschool at 8:20. So as my day has started, all heck broke loose. I lost my job today. Its this long drawn out reason in which I basically don't get along real well with one of the managers and he wanted to go somewhere else with the place and
I'm not down with it. I think that this is going to be better for my family anyway. That is what I learned today. Your point of view. Everyone looks at something different. Everyone has their side, and their perspective. I have been wanting for quite sometime to be able to be at home with my family more. (Read past blogs.) I am actually pretty excited about getting out of the restaurant business. I'm tired of working nights and being exhausted all the time. I know that a mothers job is never done and I am always going to be tired, but working all hours of the night stinks. I guess that my point of view of the situation is actually a lot better than a lot of people I know. Oh yell! Life goes on. We have a roof over our heads, food in our mouths, we all are happy and healthy and that is all that matters. Right?

Never before prayed for Monday

Man oh man has it been a crazy weekend. I usually love the hassle and challenge of Saturday games and the weekly Sams trip but this weekend was crazy. Saturday started with a 6:30 wake up, straighten up the house, and realized that I had hurry and get the kids and the hubby together to head off to the park. Eider never wants to get out of the bed so I was expected a fight. He got up and off we went. Keelie had a 9am soccer game on one field and Kadin had to be on the baseball field by 8:30am. UGH!! Can you say a little crazy. I have never missed one of Keelie's soccer games, but Kadin's games are another story. Usually he plays at night time and I have been working most nights lately so I have only gotten to see about 3 games from start to finish. Not sure about you but I feel as thought I have missed some of his first steps. I went to get Keelie organized and off to Kadin's game I headed. I really enjoy watching him play baseball. It makes me miss those days down at Crestview park, hanging out with Lindsey Hardin, Mandy Davis, Suzanne West and all the softball girls. As I watch my recently turned 5 year old put his glove on his head, play in the dirt, or watch the continual planes fly over, I got sad. He is growing up to fast. They all do don't they? So after a few minutes my husband, Eider, took off for the soccer field to check up on Keelie. She is such a good soccer player. She takes after her beloved daddy. He came back and said that she was scoring goals like crazy, so we swapped. I went to the soccer field and he stayed at the baseball field. By this point I realized that I should have not worn flip flops and maybe should have traded them in for running shoes. She scored 5 goals and they won their game. I love that celebratory smile that she wears when she is proud of herself. Her game ended and we headed over to Kadin. He won his game 6 to 5. He made his first double which I got to see. I realized that I have to make more time to spend with him at his games. By 11 o'clock we were headed home. Eider had to be at work by 11 so we said our goodbyes and me and the kids headed for Hot Dog World. (That is a whole nother post in it self) :) We ate and off to Lowe's for mulch, then to Sams for the usually bulk items. Five milks, two 18 packs of eggs, a case of mangos, bread, chicken breasts, salmon, and the biggest thing of laundry detergent they offer. Boys they are so messy. Back to the house to unload and put everything up. Then the yard work AHHHHHH!!! We mulched and weeded, then mulched and weeded some more. I was tired and crashed that night. On Sunday afternoon I was happier than I have been in a long time. Eider soccer game got cancelled for rain. OH YEAH!!! I thought that this meant a nice quiet afternoon. WRONG! I forgot that I was supposed to met at a friend house and work on PTO stuff and my dearly beloved started cutting grass. PLEASE NO MORE! I tried to hurry to get it all done, but I never before thought that I would pray for Monday. I forgot how much I love a schedule. This fly by the seat of my pants stuff is not for me. :)

Everyday Guilt

I have decided that my life is a mess. I am one of those mothers that am seriously feeling guilty. I feel guilty when I miss any part of my children's life. I feel guilty when I work. I feel guilty for taking a shower by myself for more than 15 minutes. It is a guilt that I have learned to deal with as time has gone by. I consider myself a very involved person though. I am an active member of my children's PTO and can, on any given day, be found at the elementary school volunteering. I don't do it so that any one can tell me how good I am doing or what a good parent I am. I do it because I am paranoid. I am paranoid that they might need me for any reason and I will not be there. There is that guilt again. If my son can not button his own pants and needs help or if my daughters hair needs to be fixed. ANY REASON. I know that is not a good way to live or a good way for them to see me. I understand that any professional would tell me that I am not going about this right. That I am teaching them to rely on me to much. I know I know. Maybe one day I will learn to move past this guilt of mine and learn that yes they are their own individuals. I will figure it out. I will figure out that I can not control everything when it comes to my children. That all that I can do is love them and protect them and rely on everything good to turn them into good people. The good people that I know that is inside both of them and will someday soon emerge. The life of a mother is not easy. You love these beings and want to keep them forever. It doesn't work out this way no matter how hard you want it to. I feel very blessed that I get to spend as much time with them as I do. There are some parents that see their children in the morning and then they see them when they are putting them to bed. I am with my kids all the time. I think what it really comes down to is I want another baby because I am feeling like my other two don't need me anymore. Boo Hoo Hoo!