the balancing act

We're all adjusting to the new normal right now, and life is crazy.  Crazy, I tell you!  Case in point, I just tried signing into Google with a wrong email address 5 times and then couldn't remember my password.

As a parent, life is a constant balancing act.  And it seems when spring rolls around, things always feel even more crazy.  Here is a list of everything brewing right now.  Its all good, good stuff. I've been hitting the pillow hard every night and passing out immediately.  My body needs to catch up to my mind, which is running a million miles a second.

• Logan's t-ball season, and the once to twice a week practices, and we'll soon add games.  Opening Day is next Saturday and we'll spend the first half of the day navigating our way thru 1,500 kids all wearing white pants and baseballs hat for the big parade and event.  It will be time to fly the banner!

• The night after little league opening day, Dylan has invited three friends to spend the night for his first ever sleepover birthday party.  I've been busy planning a few fun things that night for the boys, and we're excited to have overnight guests.

• Dylan's actual birthday falls the following week, on April 14th.  I can't believe he's turning 8. We've been busy planning some surprise gifts for him, including an iTouch he has no idea he's getting.  He's going to love it!

• Sunday, April 10th, we have a super fun family event to attend that my wonderful friend Dianna over at Tatertown plans - the Second Annual Family Egg Hunt at a local park.  Last year was the inaugural year and it was a smashing success.  This year we're organizing lots of fun, food and games and a visit from the Easter Bunny himself (aka Dianna's hubby)! I can only hope we have the same beautiful weather we had last year for this day of family fun. 

• We've been planning a big camping trip for mid-May to Harpers Ferry, WVA with 7 other families.  Looking forward to that for sure!

• Our master bathroom remodel plan is underway, and we've been meeting with our contractor and designer to get the plans all set.  Demolitian begins April 30th, and the remodel begins right after that.  We've been shopping furiously for all the various items needed to transform our old, builders-grade, yucky master bath into a pure organic, natural, beautiful and luxurious spa.  The most exciting part; we've decided to add a heated floor.  Oooo la-la!

• My new job!  I'm loving it so much, and finding it both totally challenging and totally doable. I've been working approximately 20 hours per week from home, and while its been an adjustment here and there to make it work, things are going swimmingly so far.  I adore my coworkers, and it couldn't be a more perfect set up.

• Spring Break is coming April 16 - April 24th. We'll be heading to my Dad and Bobbies for the first half for a nice visit.  We plan to definitely go to Busch Gardens one day, and possibly Jamestown another.  Hoping to do some boat fishing, grilling out and celebrating Dylan's birthday with them, too!  We'll come home to celebrate Easter, and I've been trying to organize and do the Easter baskets for my boys now, before we leave, so its all done by the time we get home from spring break.

Whew.  In between all of that is the usual ... trying to keep up with laundry and cleaning, meal planning and cooking and getting together with friends, taking the kids to birthday parties, getting Logan's kindergarten registration paperwork ready, getting ready for Dylan's 2nd grade field trip and volunteering in his language-arts class.  It was a lot to keep up with 'before' but now its a SUPER lot, and like I said, my body hasn't quite caught up with my brain yet. 

Its a ride, a roller coaster, and I'm loving every exhausting minute.  Even if I'm so tired I could fall asleep typing thiszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

tasty cakes

My first ever, homemade, from scratch cupcakes (the cake and the frosting, totally from scratch). 

Happy Birthday to my bro and my Mom!  Love you both!

Its Paula Deen's recipe.  Yum!

Blue Claws Banner

Logan had his second t-ball practice this past weekend, and he's really head over heels about it.  He's the youngest kid on his team, but throwing and hitting just as well as the bigger 5 year old boys.   I'm so excited to see his progress over the season!

As I mentioned before, Andrew and I signed up to make the team banner for little league opening day, coming up April 9th.   All the teams participate in a big parade through our community, and there's a whole afternoon of kid games and general chaos. 

My incredibly talented and creative husband jumped right on this banner project and ran with it.  I had nothing at all to do with it.   He gets an idea and I've just learned to stay out of his way so he can make it happen.   And the end result is always impressive!  Check out of team banner:

Pretty darn cool, right?  I think the kids will be really excited when they see it in a couple of weeks!

bathtastic

Our house was built in 1996.  Or 1993.  I can't remember.  We've owned it for 7 years this month.  Its a nice size house for a family of four with a fabulous yard in a great, safe neighborhood with lots of amenities.  Its just...starting to shows its age a little.

Parts of the house are ready for a makeover.  Lots of things are starting to feel out of date.  Particulary the bathrooms and the kitchen.   The master bathroom is going to be our first big project to tackle.  I imagine one day we'll tackle the kitchen, but right now we're focusing on the bathroom for two reasons: we have water damage to the floor that needs addressed, and all four of us use this bathroom. The kids have their own bathroom upstairs, but they tend to use our bathroom for showering.  So, it gets a lot of use.  Also, bathrooms are slightly easier on the wallet than kitchens. So we'll start there and someday move onto the BIG one.  This is the semi-big one, and after looking at some materials this week to price things out, it truly is a little intimidating all the prices of things and decisions that have to be made.

We plan to do the demolitian ourselves, with the help of my Dad and Stepmom, with our contractor taking over and starting the remodel in early May.  This week, we've started looking at tile in showrooms to get some ideas, and we've been looking at fixtures and dreaming.  We'll meet with our contractor next week to go over some information before we place any orders for materials.

Here is the bathroom now.  Builders-grade framed shower, nasty linoleum flooring and plain vanity.  I can't wait for a whole updated look with natural stone and new fixtures, and a whole new spiffy shower, and also, it will be nice not to feel the floor 'give' when we step out of the (currently leaking) shower!

Tropical Shrimp Ceviche

I'm getting a little impatient waiting for warmer weather.  Oh well, just because it isn't summer yet doesn't mean we can't eat like it is!

Saw this in a magazine last week, and adopted it a little to our tastes.  I snuck a little taste and can't wait to chow down on this for dinner.  The fresh flavors of the islands, right on your plate!  I'm serving it with basmati rice, with a little coconut mixed into it.  Delish!


Tropical Shrimp Ceviche

1 lb shrimp, cooked, deveined and peeled
2/3 cup fresh OJ
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 cup diced jicama (photo below if you don't know what this looks like)
1/2 small red onion, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, peeled and diced
2 TBSP olive oil
sea salt
pepper

The white round vegetable on the left is jicama that has been peeled.  It resembles a potato at the store with a light brown peel.

I like to use these Wegman's Shrimp from Belize. They've been cooked, peeled and deveined already and they're delicious.

First, cut shrimp in half and place in a medium size bowl with lid. Stir in all fruit juices. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour (longer is okay too).

About 1-2 hours before you want to eat, add cilantro, onion, jicama, salt, pepper and olive oil.

The original recipe called for mango, but I totally forgot to put it in.  Next time I will!

This is a very healthy meal.  A one cup serving is only 155 calories, and 5 grams of fat.  It will make you wish you were dining next to the sea!

hiking Great Falls

This morning after breakfast, I decided we needed to get out of the house for a while and spend some time outdoors.  I wanted to get in the car and drive somewhere beautiful.  Its a nice sunny day, still very cool, but perfect for a nice little hike.

So, we headed off to Great Falls National Park.  You'd never guess this is 30 minutes from where we live.  Its like you've suddenly been transported to Colorado.  The Potomac River rages in rapids so fierce its forbidden to go into the water at all, unless you're an experience kayaker.   Even then, there are drownings there very year.  Its a huge park that encompasses tons of acres with hiking paths on both the Maryland and Virginia side of the Potomac River.

Driving to the park is an adventure in itself.  You take twisty Georgetown Pike, past multi-million dollar mansions where local celebrities reside.  On the way, Dylan was mesmerized by some of these super huge estates.  "Mom, when I get married, I'm going to get a mansion", he declared.  Logan replied, "Dylan, I am going to marry you!".  Dylan, shaking his head laughing, "No Logan, brothers aren't allowed to marry brothers.  Besides, I still have 19 years to make up my mind.". 

That was funny on so many levels to me. First, that Dylan would think you can just go out and 'get' a mansion. And that he would think you have to be married first.  And of course, how cute that Logan would want to marry his brother.  However, at the level of fighting that occurs between them at home on a regular basis, I'd have to think that they'd make Ike and Tina Turner's marriage look like a love-fest.  Ha!

Anyway, back to the trip.  We pulled into the park and as soon as we got out of the car, the boys could hear the raging water on the other side of the woods. They couldn't wait to see it for themselves.

I'll admit, its hard not to be in awe.

They loved climbing all the boulders and playing in the dirt. We stayed for hours.

We watched these people repel for a while.

t-ball time

This morning, Logan had his first long-awaited t-ball practice.  We signed up last fall and he's had to wait all of this time.   I swear he's asked me at least 4 times a week since last November if it was time to play t-ball yet.

Team assignments were last week, and he got onto the team we were hoping for.  Its comprised of 13 boys, ages 4 - 5, who will all start kindergarten at his same elementary school next fall.   This is awesome because he'll get to know a lot of the boys who he'll go to school with, and we can meet more of the parents too.  My good friend Stephanies' husband Craig is our coach, and they have a Dylan and a Logan too -- two boys the same ages as our Dylan and Logan.  We've been friends for years and share the trials and tribulations of raising boys. 

The team divided up today and practiced batting and catching. I was proud of how well Logan did.  He is the youngest boy on the team, but he listened well to the coach, waiting his turn every time, and gave it his best shot.  He has great hand-eye coordination and I'm excited to see him develop his skills thru the season.

In two weeks, we'll have our little league opening day.  Its a big event, and Andrew and I have volunteered to make the team banner.

Go Blue Claws!

Logan and his friend Michael

He's #2!

 batting practice

batter up!

Dylan wasn't interested in playing baseball, and he's really not into soccer either.  So today, another first. We've signed him up for the local swim team, the Lightning.  Practice will be starting at the end of May with meets thru June and July.  He's a great swimmer, this will be the perfect team sport for him.

Its going to be a busy spring and summer, but all exciting fun.

lucky for Dad

Happy St. Patricks Day!  The kids celebrated heartily at school today.   Dylan wrote this super sweet letter to Andrew, which I swiftly photographed and emailed to him, since he's in Florida at the Sebring races until Sunday.

Logan's class celebrated by following leprachaun footsteps at school to each find a pot of gold (or "golden", as he calls the coins), and singing songs.

spring has sprung!

the pro

I signed Dylan up for another semi-private skateboarding clinic (just like last time, but to expand on his skills more) at our local indoor kids gym earlier this week.  He was in pure bliss for 2 hours.  My hope is more indoor practice now will lead to less bloody knees this summer!

weekend at Grandpa and Grandma's

Since Dad and Bobbie moved three hours away to SE Virginia last fall, we've been able to see each other more often.   Its an easy, pretty drive down there, and they live in such a serene beautiful off-the-beaten-path place, its a nice getaway.

Friday we took Dylan out of school and headed down for a 3-day weekend.

The first order of business, making bluebird houses.  My Dad hung his in the yard, we brought ours home.  By the time we left yesterday, a bluebird had already scored his new condo in my Dad's backyard.  Ours now hangs in our yard, so we'll see if someone moves in this week.

The dog behind my Dad is Otis, the friendly neighborhood dog.  He'll hang out in the yard and wait for the next person to come along and throw pinecones he can fetch. He's a great dog, and he really loves playing with the boys.

The boys played some cars with Grandpa.

Then we went antiquing at this series of cool old barns just packed with stuff. The nice lady who worked there let the boys each pick out a lucky marble.

 Look at all this cool stuff!  We've lately become addicted to the show American Pickers, we were mesmerized.

I loved this cool old Post Office.

 Old Viking.

Grandma Bobbie and the boys.    The forsythia bushes are in bloom.. a sure sign of spring.

We got home and went for a boat ride, they live right on a creek that leads to the Chesapeake Bay in just a few minutes.  It will be great fishing this summer.

And finished off the day with some tasty s'mores.  Its so quiet at night down there.  

A very fun weekend.  We'll be spending the first half of spring break down there in a few weeks, and taking the boys to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and possibly the Jamestown Settlement (about 40 minutes from them).  Looking forward to that!

juggling act

It wouldn't be a circus without a juggling act now would it? 

I've kept my mouth quiet about this latest development so I didn't jinx myself before it was a done deal.   But as of last Friday, I am officially employed.  Officially earning a paycheck.  A paycheck!

Its been a while, and though I've dabbled here and there these past 7 years with serving on boards of MOMS Clubs, and doing a little freelance marketing consulting, this is an honest-to-goodness consistent jobbity-job-job.  Its an ideal fit for me, as its mostly from home and very flexible.  It involves my past marketing experience but for a new and exciting client, and I get to work with lovely ladies from a past job I truly enjoyed.   The deal has been something we've been working to make happen for a long time now, and it all just came together and finally aligned.

Exciting!

This week is my first week with the new juggling act, and its going to be an adjustment.   But an adjustment we can happily and willingly make.  The job is part time,  up to 20 or so hours per week.  For 7 years my job....my focus, has included managing meals and homework, paying bills, house cleaning and laundry and organization, social calendar and vacation planning, gift buying and playdate coordinating, managing haircuts and doctors appointments and being resident chauffer.  Not that Andrew doesn't do more than his fair share of running his parts of the chore list.   We make a pretty good team.

Fitting this new job onto my plate will be something we'll be figuring out as we go along, so we can find a good balance and get everyone where they need to be, without living in chaos and filth in the meantime.   I've always had a mountain of respect and awe for career moms who work in addition to doing their parenting job.  And I've always felt that someday, if I could find a part time job from home, it would be my ideal dream situation.  Well, here we are!

Part time still allows me to volunteer at the kids schools periodically, manage the errands and appointments that need to happen every week, and yet I have something all my own.  Some adult interaction, and a paycheck to boot!  I don't have to give up fun things like spending time with the kids at the pool this summer, or taking them to a farm.  But when I want to take a break from my parenting brain, there is other work I can tend to and that I enjoy.

I imagine its going to take a few months before I feel like I know what in the world I'm going.  Its going to take some patience from the kids.  And while I dust these cobwebs off my work brain, I hope I don't drop any balls.  I hope I'm able to do myself proud.

moms need mars and ice skating

Recently, my good friend Kristin told me about a really great website called Our Kids.  Its a great resource for listing all sorts of local events activities for families in your city.  Since we're a family that likes to be on the go and in the know, I thought it made sense to pay the $26 annual membership fee and gain access to all kind of discounts and information.

One thing members can do is register to win various ongoing prizes and giveways.  Kristin said once she joined a few weeks ago, she had already won a few things.  Sure enough, the day after I joined and registered for a few giveaways, I quickly won four tickets to a pre-screening of the new Disney movie coming out next week, Mars Needs Moms.

We had to drive to Maryland, about 40 minutes, to see the movie this morning but it was really fun. We hardly ever go the movies; its just so expensive and honestly I'd rather spend that money doing something else together.  So it was a real treat to be a part of this advanced screening, with all the giveaways and percs.   We got to see the movie in IMAX 3-D which is pretty amazing (but LOUD). 

The boys loved the movie. The animation is truly unbelievable.  The story was a little harsh for me (one of the moms dies and its a little scary), but I loved the message of the movie which is for kids to BE NICE TO YOUR MOM. 

Afterwards, as another perc, we were able to go across the street and enjoy free ice skating with a local radio station, with more giveways.   The boys both got Mars Needs Moms t-shirts.   Logan isn't much for ice skating and truth be told, I'm not exactly grace on ice either.   Andrew and Dylan enjoyed themselves at the outdoor rink while Logan and I watched. 

Logan jumped off this wall so many times I thought for sure he'd roll his ankle.

We also scarfed down some of our favorite Tex-Mex food for lunch.

Next stop... a quick little hop into Ikea.  Which I realized when we turned into the packed parking lot was going to be insane and it pretty much was.  We were in and out pretty quickly, but not before I snatched up this nifty little scarf hanger.

cool cats

Every March, its a sure sign spring is on the way when BeST elementary holds their annual 50's Sock Hop.  Last night we had a fun family night getting down to some oldies but goodies, while the boys ran wild with their friends.   Its a popular event with a packed dance floor, so we spend most of the night searching for our kids.

Its easy to dress 50's style if you're a boy... all you need is a rolled up pair of jeans, and a white t-shirt.   Lots of girls show up in poodle skirts and saddle shoes, a much more serious investment.  :-)

This photo got me thinking, this is the third year we've gone to this event with Dylan being in 2nd grade.  Here is the first year, and here is last year.

Every year, their awesome gym teacher Mr. C plays DJ and competes in a highly anticipated dance-off with a chosen student. The students try out to go up against Mr. C and everyone gets to vote on the champion. Its a total trip!  Here is the dance off circle. The assistant principal even gets in there and shows off her impressive moves.

Who knew Elvis wears Nikes?

Dylan and his good friend Diego.

Logan and his friend Michael.

So fun.  I've never seen Dylan dance so much. He's really got some moves!  Logan was more shy.. he'll bust a move at home but not so much in public.  Maybe next year in kindergarten...