more like two day pass x 5.
we'll take that because the way this staycation is going we don't ever want it to end.
friday we were so ready to welcome the weekend and say hello to happy hour.
we kicked off the extra long stretch with cocktails and conversation into the gloaming shared with family and friends.
snacks may just have been served for dinner.
the boys were up and at the ready early for tournament team practice.
they were scrimmaging the 11/12 team and our 10 team almost won.
miss bit was over the moon (or maybe the sun) to attend the spabulous birthday celebration of one of her besties.
it was so adorable i lamented that i didn't have my camera to snap a few shots or the time to stay for a soak myself cuz' i haven't seen a tiger beat in decades.
when t. bone made it home so hot and sweaty, we were happy we accepted our neighbor's invitation to join them at their club to swim the afternoon away.
truth be told my core temperature was rather elevated after a few hours of baking on a scorcher of a saturday.
i was on desserts this weekend: s'mores pie, berry tarts and cookies and cream brownies.
the afternoon was leisurely and the dip divine.
we dried off just in time to make our way to another friend's for a backyard bbq.
the young posse consisted of boy after boy so bitty's birthday engagement turned into a sleepover and then she was over the moon for sure.
it was a quintessential summer's eve, and we enjoyed the perfectly grilled steak, each savory side dish, every sip, story, and snippet.
sunday shaped up much like saturday.
the boys ushered in the day of rest with another grueling practice in the heat and humidity.
i retrieved my reluctant to leave girl from her bffs and we came home to ready for the next party.
on the day's docket...pool party at grandma and grandpa's and the best part of all...cousins coming.
i swam and read and visited and hardly knew i even had any children.
cousin h. is the closest thing to a sister miss bit knows and cousin t. and t. bone are truly like twins.
there were fruity drinks and grilled goods and fireworks followed by a camp out in the rec room for all the blissed out, sun-kissed littles.
hubby and i woke up on independence day and skipped the parade for the first time in the decade we've had kids.
instead we enjoyed a long walk.
promptly upon finishing we headed back to the in-laws to cool off in the pool, retrieve t. bone and miss bit, say our goodbyes for now, and head on to our next bbq.
the destination was over the river and smack dab in the middle of the woods at the other grandma and grandpa's.
the mosquitoes were like kamikaze pilots...suicide bombers, but we held them at bay with lots and lots of deet.
there was baseball and backgammon and perfectly grilled steak and sweet corn.
we came home long enough to recharge our batteries and then were up and on the way to the lake first thing tuesday morning.
each of the kiddos brought a friend and aunt jess joined us too.
there is no better way to enjoy the beautiful day than lounging at the lake.
chair perched in the warmish water facing the hot sun with an icy drink in hand has the this is life effect on me.
and just like that it was 4:oo and time to call it a day.
but there will be plenty more...days and weekends just like this one.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Grateful Friday
Today I give thanks for...
T. Bone, our star catcher, had an impressive double play at home during last night's All Star game. I love sitting in the stands hearing people I don't even know cheering for my son.
Miss Bit sent me to work this morning with such a nice compliment. She said, "Mom you like look sooooo cute! I mean it like that's the cutest outfit I've ever seen you wear."
Reusable, non-BPA sandwich and snack containers.
Black plums and juicy nectarines.
Aunt Carol was very cheered up by the kids get well cards and touched by their inquiries as to when they would get a visit from Cousin Knox. Just happens she's bringing him next weekend.
T. Bone is rocking through the library reading challenge. This week he finished a whole book.
Miss Bit's masterpiece of Molly Girl for Grandma and Grandpa. RIP.
Wacky Wednesday at camp and the fact that today is the last day. Miss Bit made it through the week. She loved the camp...just not forgoing her mid-week respite at home.
T. Bone, our star catcher, had an impressive double play at home during last night's All Star game. I love sitting in the stands hearing people I don't even know cheering for my son.
Miss Bit sent me to work this morning with such a nice compliment. She said, "Mom you like look sooooo cute! I mean it like that's the cutest outfit I've ever seen you wear."
Reusable, non-BPA sandwich and snack containers.
Black plums and juicy nectarines.
Aunt Carol was very cheered up by the kids get well cards and touched by their inquiries as to when they would get a visit from Cousin Knox. Just happens she's bringing him next weekend.
T. Bone is rocking through the library reading challenge. This week he finished a whole book.
Miss Bit's masterpiece of Molly Girl for Grandma and Grandpa. RIP.
Wacky Wednesday at camp and the fact that today is the last day. Miss Bit made it through the week. She loved the camp...just not forgoing her mid-week respite at home.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Simply Summer
Summer is in full swing and yet it seems almost impossible that next week we will celebrate July 4th. There really is no predictable routine to many of our days these days, but I'm trying and mostly succeeding at embracing the unexpected, the unplanned, the unforeseen. That freedom is the glowing gift that is summer.
It's striking how different my erstwhile childhood summers are when compared to those of my children today. As I dropped T. Bone off at camp Monday morning at the elementary school I myself attended, I honed in on the playgrounds already filled with boys and girls. Many a free day I made my way to these same stomping grounds via bicycle for games of kickball or tennis or capture the flag all loosely organized and very well attended. When I rode off without a helmet on my head, I went home to make lunch for myself and my younger brother. If we were lucky, the house across the boulevard would put the flag out that signaled open swim, and friends for a several block radius would convene and cool off for a lazy afternoon. I was 11 and my Mom was at work. Most moms were at work. We didn't have a glut of organized activities, calendars with inked in play dates, chauffeurs or cell phones, and truth be told...we didn't need them.
I guess it's fair to say that I'm nostalgic for that simpler life I seem to so fondly remember. I have friends who are already complaining that their kids are bored with summer. I'm sorry, but I just don't know what to say to that. I know that I'm blessed that my two have not spoken that surprising sentiment. But is it really surprising when we look through an honest lens at the lives we lead? How we are always on the go? Multi-tasking? Plugged in? Tuned out? Waiting to be entertained and amused? Faster, louder, bigger, better, more, more, more.
This week Miss Bit is attending theater camp and she's a bit flummoxed and not entirely happy that she's committed to camp all 5 days...Monday through Friday folks...that's Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday. That girl of mine is so very much digging her down time. I am too so I feel her pain just not as poignantly perhaps.
But that being said...I've enjoyed some quality one on one time with T. Bone (when he's been home that is to say.) He's more my mover and shaker. Tuesday morning we spent some time shopping for new cleats and such and then had lunch before his presence was requested at the club with his friends for a swim, followed by a must-see semi-final ball game, followed by a spur of the moment sleepover. Today I had much fun playing "ball mama" on the tennis court. We played a little round robin with one of his friends and they were so impressed by my skills that they questioned whether or not I ever played at Wimbledon. I surmise they didn't see the cob webs attached like super glue to my faded racket cover or the grip literally disintegrating in my hands. Silly boys. That fine flattery earned them butter burgers and malts for lunch with sides of fries. Smart boys.
Miss Bit and I managed to steal away for a couple exclusive dates this week too. I knew she so needed them when she sobbed on the way to camp each morning about how much she was going to miss me, and how she would try to focus on all the happy times we have had, and did I have a Kleenex or 5 to spare. And just for the record...she is very much loving this acting camp. Her enhanced dramatic flair is the finest evidence that we are getting our money's worth out of this week. The truth is my girl would rather be eating ice-cream on a shady park bench, making new friends on the playground whose names she cannot for the life of her remember and probably will never see again so it doesn't really matter, figuring out new monkey bar challenges, and rooting through the shelves at the library for books she hasn't read but wants to than working on inflection and improv and expression.
At Casa Wags we're all about finding the balance. Next week there will be no camp or work or have tos. We won't be going anywhere or doing anything special either, and I'd be willing to bet it will go down as one of the best weeks of the summer. A jewel, a nugget, a treasure.
It's striking how different my erstwhile childhood summers are when compared to those of my children today. As I dropped T. Bone off at camp Monday morning at the elementary school I myself attended, I honed in on the playgrounds already filled with boys and girls. Many a free day I made my way to these same stomping grounds via bicycle for games of kickball or tennis or capture the flag all loosely organized and very well attended. When I rode off without a helmet on my head, I went home to make lunch for myself and my younger brother. If we were lucky, the house across the boulevard would put the flag out that signaled open swim, and friends for a several block radius would convene and cool off for a lazy afternoon. I was 11 and my Mom was at work. Most moms were at work. We didn't have a glut of organized activities, calendars with inked in play dates, chauffeurs or cell phones, and truth be told...we didn't need them.
I guess it's fair to say that I'm nostalgic for that simpler life I seem to so fondly remember. I have friends who are already complaining that their kids are bored with summer. I'm sorry, but I just don't know what to say to that. I know that I'm blessed that my two have not spoken that surprising sentiment. But is it really surprising when we look through an honest lens at the lives we lead? How we are always on the go? Multi-tasking? Plugged in? Tuned out? Waiting to be entertained and amused? Faster, louder, bigger, better, more, more, more.
This week Miss Bit is attending theater camp and she's a bit flummoxed and not entirely happy that she's committed to camp all 5 days...Monday through Friday folks...that's Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and Friday. That girl of mine is so very much digging her down time. I am too so I feel her pain just not as poignantly perhaps.
But that being said...I've enjoyed some quality one on one time with T. Bone (when he's been home that is to say.) He's more my mover and shaker. Tuesday morning we spent some time shopping for new cleats and such and then had lunch before his presence was requested at the club with his friends for a swim, followed by a must-see semi-final ball game, followed by a spur of the moment sleepover. Today I had much fun playing "ball mama" on the tennis court. We played a little round robin with one of his friends and they were so impressed by my skills that they questioned whether or not I ever played at Wimbledon. I surmise they didn't see the cob webs attached like super glue to my faded racket cover or the grip literally disintegrating in my hands. Silly boys. That fine flattery earned them butter burgers and malts for lunch with sides of fries. Smart boys.
Miss Bit and I managed to steal away for a couple exclusive dates this week too. I knew she so needed them when she sobbed on the way to camp each morning about how much she was going to miss me, and how she would try to focus on all the happy times we have had, and did I have a Kleenex or 5 to spare. And just for the record...she is very much loving this acting camp. Her enhanced dramatic flair is the finest evidence that we are getting our money's worth out of this week. The truth is my girl would rather be eating ice-cream on a shady park bench, making new friends on the playground whose names she cannot for the life of her remember and probably will never see again so it doesn't really matter, figuring out new monkey bar challenges, and rooting through the shelves at the library for books she hasn't read but wants to than working on inflection and improv and expression.
At Casa Wags we're all about finding the balance. Next week there will be no camp or work or have tos. We won't be going anywhere or doing anything special either, and I'd be willing to bet it will go down as one of the best weeks of the summer. A jewel, a nugget, a treasure.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
two day pass
in one word this weekend was...beautiful.
the windows and doors were open wide and we spent more time outside than in.
we logged a 6 miler followed by a 5 the next day.
saturday hubby and i were up and out before the littles so we left breakfast on the counter with a note.
there was plenty of time for fun...play dates for both kiddos, bbqs and baseball.
late sunday the sox lost in the first round of the playoffs.
it was the comeback story of the season, but we're not talking about it anymore in this house.
and just like that it's all over...baseball and the weekend.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Grateful Friday
Today I give thanks for:
Molly girl reunited with Buddy boy in heaven yesterday. I haven't told Miss Bit yet because I know she's going to be sadder than sad, although not as blue as Grandma and Grandpa. I just told T. Bone and he said with just a slight hint of melancholy in his voice, "Well, you know...everything's gotta move on." I guess he's right.
The way the kids suddenly are enamored with The Beatles.
Dinner with some of the Scary Sisters last night. The food was delicious, the wine was flowing and best of all is always the company with this special group of friends.
The rest of my family had almost as much fun at the Red Sox end of season party and rolled in after I was home and chilling. T. Bone scored MVP and Miss Bit a tummy ache from all the picnic goodies.
The tummy troubles came back on the way to camp this morning making me realize that there was still a hefty dose of anxiety about her new experience. She made it through the day though, and she managed to have quite a lot of fun too!
Sweet sauteed peas.
Good sleeping weather every night this week.
An OJ sighting this morning.
Cookies and cream brownies...so rich you only need a small square to satisfy any sized sweet tooth.
A movie morning with my kiddos this week. Rango was not too riveting, but I always enjoy popcorn for breakfast and time spent with T. Bone and Miss Bit.
These happy smiling faces.
Surprises.
Molly girl reunited with Buddy boy in heaven yesterday. I haven't told Miss Bit yet because I know she's going to be sadder than sad, although not as blue as Grandma and Grandpa. I just told T. Bone and he said with just a slight hint of melancholy in his voice, "Well, you know...everything's gotta move on." I guess he's right.
The way the kids suddenly are enamored with The Beatles.
Dinner with some of the Scary Sisters last night. The food was delicious, the wine was flowing and best of all is always the company with this special group of friends.
The rest of my family had almost as much fun at the Red Sox end of season party and rolled in after I was home and chilling. T. Bone scored MVP and Miss Bit a tummy ache from all the picnic goodies.
The tummy troubles came back on the way to camp this morning making me realize that there was still a hefty dose of anxiety about her new experience. She made it through the day though, and she managed to have quite a lot of fun too!
Sweet sauteed peas.
Good sleeping weather every night this week.
An OJ sighting this morning.
Cookies and cream brownies...so rich you only need a small square to satisfy any sized sweet tooth.
A movie morning with my kiddos this week. Rango was not too riveting, but I always enjoy popcorn for breakfast and time spent with T. Bone and Miss Bit.
These happy smiling faces.
Surprises.
Monday, June 20, 2011
On My Mind Monday
Into each life some rain must fall.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Just as I was walking the kids into camp, the skies darkened and the rain began to fall. I sent T. Bone back to fetch the umbrella from the van. He didn't balk and so I concluded that chivalry is dead, but not entirely extinct. The rain was relentless and the fog along the lake dense making visibility a real white knuckling challenge. Standing water covered many streets just making a bad situation worse. I pulled into the parking lot late and sure that I would never be lucky enough to secure a covered spot on a day like today. I scored the last one proving that I may not be lucky, but my luck has not exactly run out, and I'm more than OK with that.
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