kid fun

Saturday, March 17, 2007

kid fun Current mood: indescribable Rustles, muffled thumps and murmuring voices. "Boys", I call- (sudden quiet) "Boys, go to sleep!" No response, of course. Here in the rocking chair in the next room, Mr Sweetcheeks is nearly asleep. I keep listening until I hear the rustling begin anew. I wait a few moments before calling to them again. Who knows how long it will take them to go to sleep? After all, I guess, isn't that part of the fun of your first sleepover? Littleman is so excited to have his 5 yr old cousin over to spend the night. I set up a little tent in his room for them to sleep in, and when they do finally drop off it's in a mingled heap of blankets, arms and legs. LOL, what fun. * * * (Sweetcheeks says excitedly as I start the yoga DVD) "Gogo! Gogo!" (translation: "Yoga! Yoga!) Speaking of yoga, when we were in Disney's Animal Kingdom Littleman was looking at the flamingos. He turns to me in surprise and says, "They're doing yoga!!" Sweetcheeks likes to say "Bye bye", but (like his brother did at this age) usually waits until you're out of sight. Littleman was looking at a picture in a National Geographic magazine with Billy. It was about tourists who go scuba diving with sharks, and it showed several scuba divers amidst a swarm of swimming sharks. The guide is off to one side, and next to him is a prominent underwater sign with the name of the Cove. Littleman points to the sign and knowingly informs his Daddy: "That sign says, 'Don't Eat Me'." Sweetcheeks will now say "please". It's the most darling little thing ever. Littleman is currently fond of telling anyone who will listen "I'm going to grow up to be a Daddy!" Then again, he also explains that "Daddy will grow up to be a boy".

a DVD recommendation and taking down the tree

Thursday, January 11, 2007

a DVD recommendation and taking down the tree Current mood: lazy I thought I was mixing a cherry and a blueberry Jelly Belly jelly bean, but the cherry turned out to be cinnamon. Hmm. Sorry, suddenly distracted there. What was I going to write about, again? The boys received a "YogaKids!" DVD for Christmas this year. I like it a lot. It's very age-appropriate, but I still feel a difference in myself when I do it too. Mr Sweetcheeks loves it, and tries to do some of the poses. Littleman has not yet participated- he just wants to sit on the couch and watch. I'm not sure why- I encourage him to do it with me, but I'm not going to force him. Hopefully he will come around. In any case, any of you with kids who might be interested (the program is recommended for ages 3 - 6) might want to check it out- I feel very comfortable recommending it. I'm almost done taking the Christmas decorations down and putting them away. The tree still stands, but it is stripped of lights and ornaments, awaiting a trip to the local fire station, where they collect trees to recycle. It's finally starting to dry out a bit- it lasted really well, mostly because we cut it ourselves at a tree farm. (That was great! The farm was just up in Cumming. It was so much fun wandering in search of the perfect tree, and in addition there were farm animals to look at and pet, marshmallows to roast and hot cider to drink. Plus, the tree was cheaper than if we'd bought it at a roadside stand closer to home. The boys had a blast. We'll probably go back next year). The tree is still beautiful now, but it's always sad after Christmas to see that magical twinkling tannenbaum reduced to drying tinder, shedding it's needles and awaiting it's inevitable fate. Still, I am looking forward to rearranging the living room furniture and getting some space back. I think I am going to try and shower before bed tonight- I think the kids are good and sound asleep. (Knock on wood). So I'd better sign off here and get a move on! :)

On yoga, and the beauty of knowing your neighbors.

Monday, November 06, 2006

On yoga, and the beauty of knowing your neighbors. Current mood: refreshed We've lived in this neighborhood for 5 years, and for most of that time (has it really been 4 years??) I've been active in the neighborhood association. Also for most of that time, the other active members (always the same hardy souls) could be counted on one hand. We have really struggled to keep things going, as this is a voluntary association and people generally don't do jack-shit unless they have to. So we were always strapped for cash and starved of feedback or participation. Still, we've continued to limp along. Gradually we started getting a few new semi-regulars to the meetings and the occasional event. With dedicated door-to-door volunteers, we got the word out in person and added more paying members. We even have managed (barely) to get enough families to join the pool so that we could afford to keep the pool open. Next year looks even better. Partly this is from the dedication of all the active members, and partly it's due to new, younger families moving in that are interested in meeting their new neighbors. But the really gratifying thing for me is to go to a social event sponsored by the neighborhood association, and actually see a lot of neighbors there enjoying themselves. People who would probably never have met are making friends, having fun and helping each other out. For instance, for Halloween we had a bonfire, s'mores and a haunted trail. It was great!! There were so many kids, and I saw lots of familiar faces from around the neighborhood- plus some newcomers! Everyone had fun. On Halloween night, we had a hay ride cruise slowly around the neighborhood to accompany the trick-or-treaters. I was passing out candy at home, and had more trick-or-treaters than we've ever had. This sort of thing is exactly why I wanted to be involved in a neighborhood association to begin with. Getting back to the point of my blog entry, while helping at the bonfire I was chatting with some other ladies about the gym nearby. One of the ladies has a membership there, and mentioned that she really likes the weekly yoga class. I mentioned how much I miss yoga, which I love. She invited me to go along with her as a guest, but I said I'd have to come up with a babysitter first. When she told me there is on-site childcare, I said "Sold!" We went tonight, and I am SO glad I did. I liked the class, and though I am way out of practice I was not as stiff as I expected I'd be. It helps that the class is a little less strenuous than my old yoga classes, without being too easy either. Mr. Cheeks was less than thrilled with me being gone an hour, but hopefully he will adjust. Poor kid. We'll see how that goes. I have unlimited use of the gym for 3 days, and after that I think I can continue going as a guest for $5 per class, if I am accompanied by a member. I need to check on that. I just love that, by knowing my neighbors, this opportunity has come up for me to renew my regular yoga practice. I'd probably have never looked into what the gym offered if I hadn't been chatting with my neighbors over a bonfire on a fun October night.

Twenty Minutes

Twenty Minutes

Current mood: aggravated

Dogs on the deck. Baby happy in the playpen, Littleman wants to "watch"- he settles on the couch. Clear a space, lay out my mat. Breathe deep. Perfect time. Smoothly, I follow the prompts and focus on gently relaxing my muscles. "Elongate the spine. Exhale to center. Inhale, arms up. . ." Littleman slid off the couch about 2 minutes in, now he's sort of doing yoga too. I encourage him- I'd love to have him practice with me. ". . . to downward-facing dog pose. . ." I breathe, I stretch my spine, I press my toes into the mat. Feels good. Littleman has completely lost interest- he is running circles around me, screaming with glee. Sweetcheeks in the playpen is getting restless, too. Blocking it out, I relax into Child's pose (Alas, it does not in any way resemble my children at this moment!). Littleman trys to climb on my back. Sweetcheeks begins fussing in earnest. ". . .Inhale, arch your back. . ." Littleman crawls under my belly. Sweetcheeks is crying. ". . .Exhale. . ." Littleman literally shoves a toy in my face, loudly telling me something about it. His body blocks the TV. The dogs outside go ballistic over a jogger on the street. Sweetcheeks is insistent, though I try talking gently to him and telling Simon to move out of the way. On my back now, a jumping Littleman accidentally steps on my fingers. It hurts. Sweetcheeks is starting to get frantic. A last ditch attempt to relax, and I'm nailed in the face with a ball.

Sigh. I gave up.

a nice cup of tea

Monday, November 07, 2005

a nice cup of tea Current mood: relaxed Sometimes, there's nothing better than a hot cup of mint tea in the evening, sitting with my feet up. The scent is so relaxing, so refreshing, and it just makes me feel good. The minty steam infuses the back of my throat, leaving a lasting fresh inhalation. The warmth rushes to my stomach and radiates out, not unlike a feeling I get when practicing aware breathing in yoga. The relaxation is similar, too. Ah, yoga. . . I REALLY need to get back into doing that. . . I miss it. I can feel the lack in my body, and really also in my mind- yoga helps me feel more centered, which enables me to use my mind more effectively. But the real effect is in my spirit- I sorely miss the time spent enriching myself. That time to center myself, realign myself- it's not something I've allowed myself lately. With so little time to go around, it's hard for me to get the practice up and going again. It might be easier if I could keep it up at home, but it's just not the same for me as a group class. Time to cut these musings short, for Griff is waking.