It seems like I can't fit everything into my life these days. As soon as I get a good quiet time routine going, the exercise regiment falls off the wayside. Once I get a good handle on my to-do list, my blog suffers. My life without exercise and blogging leaves me feeling rather chubby and boring.
I've been thinking lately that I would try to fit exercise in whenever I can, which might even mean that we drop everything after lunch and head outdoors. Which is exactly what we did today.
After lunch, I told the boys to exchange their long pants for shorts so that we could head to the tennis court. They asked if they should also change into short-sleeved shirts, but I said, "No, it's still a little cool, so long sleeves and shorts will be perfect. You'll be cute and comfortable."
They looked at each other with doubt. I reassured them that I knew what I was talking about. I have been dressing myself for a few years, after all.
A few minutes later, they strolled downstairs in the appropriate attire and with smiles on their faces. I asked, "So you like this way of dressing?" To which they agreed. These days of telling them how to dress are short-lived, I realize.
Before playing, I asked for a pose, of course. I'm a blogging mom. What can I say?
Jack looks unhappy, but he was actually having a good time, too.
Anyway, we took tennis balls to the court. We don't have rackets yet, so what the boys enjoy doing is throwing their balls at me. They "score" every time I miss a ball. My competitive spirit won't let that happen too much, so I get my exercise in by chasing and returning three tennis balls over and over again.
I multi-tasked, you see. We all enjoyed the outdoors. We all exercised. And I got photos for a blog post. I'm one happy mama this afternoon.
Here's a shot of them ganging up on me:
They only scored 1 point for this round.
20 minutes of that game constitutes proper exercise time, right? Good. I'm glad you agree.
We headed to the playground for a few minutes.
Jack insisted that I take this shot:
He's quite the ham today.
And Liam needed to see himself on the camera while hanging from the monkey bars. He just doesn't understand why this vertically-challenged mama can't help him across these monkey bars.
Garrett likes to pull his glasses down and look at me over the top of his glasses.
Gosh, he looks so big! They are all growing by leaps and bounds physically and mentally these days, it seems. Part of me is sad to see them grow up, but I know that it's part of life. I just need to love them to pieces today.
Well, now that I can mark exercise and blogging off my list, I should go hug them one more time. And then hit the to-do list. Catch ya later.
On the Subject of Multi-Tasking
Something Profound
I sat down here on the couch to write a profound post. Flexed my fingers. Tapped a few keys. Stopped to sip from my Diet Coke. Tapped a few more keys.
Only to be interrupted by the rattling of a doorknob. Behind that door is a 2 1/2 year-old that is learning to nap on a napmat instead of within the confines of his crib.
"Jack, what are you doing up so early?"
[Rubbing the confusion and sleep from his eyes.] "I get up."
"No, it's not time to get up. Go back to bed. I'll come get you when it's time."
After settling him in with his bear, I close the door to return to the couch and laptop.
Only to find a 4 year-old on the stairs with bright eyes and a wide smile. "Hi, Mommy!"
"Hi, Liam, you're up early. What's going on?"
"I'm awake."
Knowing that I put him to bed earlier than usual, I relent and allow him to play quietly while his brothers rest longer.
Turning back to the laptop, I realize that the intellectual post...is gone. I guess it wasn't so wise if I can't remember where I was going with those escaped thoughts.
We're leaving early tomorrow morning for a three-day weekend of camping, so I'll be back Monday. With something thoughtful, I hope.
A Child's Faith
During blanket time yesterday, Garrett (2 1/2) stopped playing with his toys to read a children's Bible I had put in his stack of toys. This is the conversation he had with himself:
This is Bible. It's God's twoof (truth).
[Ruffling of pages] God said, "No eat fwoot (fruit)."
I typically try not to make much eye contact or conversation with my boys during blanket time, because it is simply our time of independence. But I couldn't resist, so I took a peek to find him looking at Adam and Eve's picture. And Garrett was wearing a silly hat all the while. I smiled as I pictured God smiling down on my baby's innocence.
During today's "work time", I gave my middle man Jack (also 2 1/2) a bucket of buttons to sort according to shapes. As he picked up each piece, he appropriately named the square, circle, triangle, and flower. When he found the heart button, he called it "life". I said, "That's a heart. Does it represent life?" To which he replied, "Yes, God's wife."
I pray that my boys' young faith continue to blossom with time. How it must please God to see His young children speak His truth so eloquently.
Accomplishments
Mondays are usually our days to stay home. We stay busy on the weekends, so I use Mondays to get the boys back into our routine, and I typically try to clean the house. Well, I haven't gotten much cleaning done today, but I must not be too concerned, being that I'm sitting here with you.
Take a good look at Liam's socks. He loves those socks, and I, uh, don't. They came in one of those cheap packets that comes with, you know, 100 pair of multiple colors, when all you really need is a couple pair of blue and black. When I bought them, I didn't read the fine print on the package that said, "WARNING! These socks come up to your child's navel!" Which is exactly why I don't like them. But he loves them. When I was getting everyone ready for our ride/run, I told Liam to go get some socks out of his dresser. In my head, I said, "It's okay if he comes downstairs with those ugly socks. It's really okay. We're only exercising, so we don't have to look fashionable." Sure enough, he came down with those army green, up-to-the-navel socks!
And here are Jack and Garrett being silly for the camera. They love to ride in the jogging stroller, whether I be running, walking, or pulling them behind my bike. Notice that all three boys are still in pj's. No, we don't stay in our pj's all day, but I didn't feel the need to get them dressed before our workout.
But don't you worry. I did dress myself, since exercising in my pj's in public might not be a good idea. But I will not be showing a photo of myself in workout gear, no, I will not.
Okay, so back to my accomplishments for the day. I told you there were two. My second accomplishment is enjoying my boys. We have laughed and been silly together for a good part of the day. If I had cleaned house, then I would have missed out on the opportunities to dance, sing, play instruments, read books, and make silly faces with my boys.
We did, however, have to break our stay-at-home-all-day-on-Mondays rule. We had to run to the cleaners, since daddy might want some clean clothes to wear to work tomorrow, and we had to go to the store to buy milk, since these growing boys are working on building strong bones. And this is what Liam wore to run those two errands:
He picked this outfit in its entirety. The shorts and shirt are fine for hangin' around the house. These are his soccer socks. You know, the ones that you fold over their shin guards? Yep, he loves them, because they come up to his arm pits! But I am so proud of myself for allowing him to wear them in public! Will he be able to wear them to church or to our next play date? Um, no, probably not.
And now for some cleaning.... See ya tomorrow.
Works for Me Wednesday: Quiet Time
I hear so many moms comment on how they struggle to find time to read the Bible and pray on a regular basis. I, too, struggled with this, until I implemented blanket time. While the boys play independently on their blankets, I sit in the same room with my Bible and prayer journal.
This works for me for several reasons:
- This gives me a guaranteed 45-minute time slot every day, in which I'm spending time with God.
- I am showing my boys the importance of reading the Bible.
- By journaling my prayer requests, I am showing my boys how to take concerns before the Lord.
- Because blanket time is usually in the morning, we are beginning our day on the right foot.
- Because I also play worship CDs during this time, my boys see/hear me praise God.
- Once I finish reading and praying, then I use the last few minutes to read non-fiction. It is important that our children see us enjoy books. (I'm currently working on Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas, which I recommend to every parent!)
I hope you found this helpful. Shannon has many more ideas, so please visit Rocks In My Dryer.
Works-For-Me Wednesday: Blanket Time
Do you need a little break from the tantrums, fighting, whining? Go to a five-star hotel. No! Although a weekend at the five-star would be heavenly, what I have to offer you today is a bit more frugal. If you're like me, you need a a little time every day when you know your children can play peacefully. Blanket time is one of my favorite times of the day.
Each child is given a quilt to sit on in our game room with a couple of toys and books of my choosing. I set a timer for 45 minutes, and the boys are required to stay on their own blanket to play and read. I play praise music and read quietly in the same room.
We have blanket time in the mid-morning. The boys' tummies are still satisfied from breakfast. They are dressed, and they've had time to play together. Blanket time brings calm to each one of us. It brings structure to our day. It also gives the boys some healthy boundaries in their play time.
You set the time, duration, location, and activities to fit your lifestyle. I guarantee you'll feel more peace in your home!
If you would like more tips on making your life easier, see Shannon's blog.
An Epiphany
Being that yesterday was Jack's birthday, we decided to have a day of fun activities. Shortly after breakfast, we piled into our van and headed to the Dallas World Aquarium. I thought Jack would enjoy running around and looking at the variety of animals, but no. He had a sour face most of the two hours we were there, and he wanted to be carried most of the way.
Then, we headed to El Fenix for lunch. Jack would normally devour anything edible put in front of him, but not yesterday. He fussed through much of the meal. He managed to smile twice when the waitress brought him a sopapilla covered with strawberries and whip cream. Twice.
He fell asleep on the way home, so I'll credit his "mood" with fatigue. Yes, he's two years old, but he would still take a morning nap if I allowed it in our schedule.
But did he continue his nap at home? Heck, no! He decided that his 40-minute snooze in the car was ample. I thought otherwise and left him in his bed until the scheduled time.
He was a grump during dinner, too. In fact, he had to go to time-out for one of his I-can't-believe-you-told-me-no fits, when we told him that he couldn't have his cupcake until the entire family had finished eating dinner. (These fits can also be described as a shrill, breathless scream that leaves one wondering if Jack's toenails are being pulled out. But, in fact, his toe nails are all accounted for to this day.)
Finally, everyone had ample time to eat dinner, so we pulled out the cupcakes and candles. Voila! Jackson became happy!
Here is the epiphany...feed birthday boys their cupcakes with breakfast so that everyone can enjoy a happy boy all day.
