Summer fun

July 5, 2012

Here it is July already and not much day to day has changed but a lot has shifted, realigned and we are working towards a new normal. That new normal includes me working part time weekends and Justin out to UCLA for his fellowship. While he is out working on the last mile of this long marathon I am home chilling with three wildly exuberant children. Let me just say that is it more work being at home than working outside the home! Most of the time it is fulfilling watching the kids explore life and figuring out what they enjoy. I have to say that the joy comes in small spurts interlaced with the cleaning, laundry, household stuff, not to mention refereeing between toy battles and tantrums. All of that while trying to keep everyone safe and clean, whew! Quite a job that doesn’t pay well in money but makes you rich in laughter, kisses and other little exciting things. I mean how many people get to build forts, draw, play with play-dough, swoosh in a slip in slide and swing on swings most of the day? Wade through creeks collecting rocks, kiss owies, and teach minds that are still open to learning about life and love? Moms get to do all these things, and Moms get to be taught and sometimes not so gently reminded about the good stuff and what matters when confronted to things that do not matter. My decision to stay home was a forced one and not as catastrophic as I was mentally convinced that it would be. Sometimes my day includes naps, snacks, and spontaneous little trips to explore nature. All of these days are just making me a more interesting person, more diverse. From being a Mom I have learned all about dinosaurs, the planets (there used to be nine), and how to explain things in simple terms (fractions). Who knew that I could even survive without knowing these things? I have also learned to REALLY appreciate the 30-minute break I get from Bubble Guppies on Nick Jr.  There are also endless amounts of children's books to read that paint the picture of life in the lush imaginative ways that children see the world. So that is where I am at 30 and ½ years old, trying to revisit the fun of childhood. That is where I am choosing to keep my focus right now through some very hard times; I am using my dedication to my children to see this through! So here’s to a summer filled with slip-n-slides, play-dough, swings and creek adventures!