Where things go...

Yesterday, we were driving on a country road to go visit a friend in her new home when we went by a dump site. It had high mountains of crushed metal scraps... my 2nd grader was HORRIFIED! Our exchange went something like this...

"Why do they leave that there like that Mom?" she said with passion and extreme concern for this urgent situation.

"What do you want them to do with the garbage, love?" I asked.

"Not just leave it on the Earth!!!"

So on went the discussion as we kept driving about what happens with the things we throw in the garbage. Her response:

"I'm NEVER throwing ANYTHING out again!!"

My response: "Well we better stop buying things too then because it always results in more things needing to be thrown out in the end - packaging, broken things...!"

Well, that was ridiculously over the top to her... and there lies the problem. We are so comfortable in our wasteful lifestyles that any major sacrifice to address the serious issue of waste management becomes a difficult one to tackle on a personal level! It's easy to remain ignorant (I'm not preaching but rather including myself in here) when we don't often see it like we did yesterday and we just see our garbage picked up at the curve to go to some distant land we don't think much of...

And so we continue to live our lives, my daughter with a new awareness of the problem our wastefulness causes for the environment, and perhaps we'll get better and better as a family and a society to make smarter decisions about what we buy and discard.

Side note: For one, I've become much more aware of the amount of waste packaging produces... so that influences what products I put in the shopping cart... ie. I've never liked toilet paper and paper towel that are individually wrapped within their larger package... so much plastic! Now I'm noticing other packaging too... like juice boxes and water bottles... we've been bad for that because they're so convenient and recyclable... but they're still waste that need to be processed and that could be avoided... And what a movement to see all major grocery stores in our area push reusable bags and charge for the plastic ones now! I wonder when other retail stores will follow suit?

You know, my daughter's disgust at those mountains of scrap metal and garbage was a great reminder to me about how desensitized I've become about the whole situation... I truly should feel more of the urgency she did yesterday in the face of the blatant problem of waste management.

Indistinguishable??

The other day my first-grader came off the bus telling me that there was a woman at school who looked just like me. She thought that the office had forgotten to call her down because her mom had come to pick her up...

Her face and hair were EXACTLY like mine...

Then, she told me that she looked at her feet, and didn't recognize her shoes. She was looking to see if she had a bandaged up big toe like mine from having split it open when I stubbed in on the cement the day before.

It's a good thing I stubbed my toe, or apparently, my own daughter would have mistaken someone else for me! You'd think your kids would know you!! Thank God for the little things that distinguish us ;)

I did it!

I finally managed to lace up my running shoes and head for my first run in... dare I say 2 years!? I can't remember if I've had any runs in there, but it was two springs ago since I was last running on a regular basis...

And it felt GREAT!

Since the snow has melted and the warmer weather has hit I've just been dying to get out for a run again!! Without fail, the spring always calls me to lace up my running shoes!

I was all showered and dressed as we went to catch the school bus for my oldest (I'm often half in my PJ's, throw on pants and a jacket and out the door I run!).

But not today. No today, I even had time to blow dry my hair before we left the house. But still, the sunshine and the cool spring breeze were just calling me... today was the day... I had to run! Even if it meant having to shower again later...

So off I went to quickly change my clothes and tie back my hair... I was pushing over 50 pounds worth of kids in my double running stroller, loving every bit of it... and my old ab injury didn't even show it's face... thanks to my Pilates classes I'm sure!

Backtracking a bit... The funny thing is that I was supposed to go for a run with my friend and neighbour last week, but had to cancel last minute because one of the kids had the flu. Saved by the puke, I guess!

To be honest, I was nervous about going for my first run with someone I'd never run with before! Will she be fast? Does she talk when she runs? Will I be able to keep up? Will my old ab injury flare up again as it usually does when I first start running after having a baby?

I really like to work my way back into running by myself. I like to know how my body is feeling and take it at my own pace, always fearing that I'll re-injure myself. Today I put those fears to rest. I was able to jump right back in and bounced back better then after past pregnancies. What a relief!

Sure I felt slow and I know I have a ways to go before I start adding interval sprint work in my runs... but it was an awesome start! And as a bonus, my arms even got a workout from pushing that running stroller! You see, you have to pull down on the stroller to turn corners as the front wheel doesn't swivel (better for running... but not for sharp corners!) It sure adds a great workout for the arms when you've got a 3 1/2 year old and a 10 month old in toe let me tell you!

I don't know the last time I ran without a stroller... so that will be a light and freeing change I think when I do manage to sneak away for a run with my neighbour!

It sure is different to run with a kid who is old enough to talk though... Oh the QUESTIONS! "Run mom!" as I was barely out of the driveway... "Where are we going mom?"... "Why are you running mom?"... "Where are we mom?"... "Why are you saying Hi! Hi! Hi! mom?"...

Hmmmmm... Poses an interesting question: Should I be ignoring friendly trail goers as they walk their dogs to teach my child not to talk to strangers?? So I manage to respond through my heavy breathing:

"Mommy can say hello to strangers... but not you kids..." Yikes! I was just in a great mood, so happy to be running again, greeting people as they greeted me felt natural in my state of mind!

So there it is. I just jumped the biggest hurdle. Went for that first run. Phew! Felt awesome, I can't believe it's been so long, and now I can't wait for my next run! I wonder how my body will feel in the morning?

"Mom, come play with me!"

I struggle. I struggle to sit and play pretend with my kids. Whether it's playing house, or "My Little Pet Shops" or Barbie-type dolls... I really struggle.

My 6 year-old daughter called me on it this morning.

"Mom," she said, "I don't want to go to school today. I just want to play with you! When you play with us, you always leave during the game!"

Busted.

Yesterday I braided the little pony's hair for a while but got called away by the beeping washing machine to put the load in the dryer... It never fails... when I actually do manage to sit and play "pretend" games, I so easily get distracted by the work I see all around me... the piles of laundry waiting to be folded, the kitchen needing to be cleaned, the garbage or green bin bursting at the seams and needing to be put out, or the dinner requiring preparation... or realizing that the baby will be up soon from her nap so I don't have much time left to get "stuff" done! I truly don't mean to wander, but I unintentionally do it all the time!

Am I so task oriented and bent on efficiency that I have absolutely no imagination cells left in my brain? My sleep deprived state doesn't help I'm sure... I've never gone 10 months with only 3-4 full nights of sleep the entire time (it might actually be less then that! I sure didn't experience that with the first 2!).

I also find it so easy once Julia is home from school to rationalize taking advantage of the girls entertaining one another so that I can finally get some work done in the house or on the computer! They can play together content for quite some time, playing school or mommy or some other imaginative game... but in they end... they still want mommy... and I, mid-thought... mid-task... get frustrated needing "just one more (never ending) minute" to finish this "one" thing!

Don't get me wrong, I love to stop and spend quality time with my girls, but I prefer things like baking, making puzzles or working in activity books together, or going for bike rides and walks in the park where we can "explore" nature (an all time favourite for my girls!), or blasting the tunes and having a silly dance party in the kitchen before dinner (usually when daddy's not around!)

So many things to do in the day... and the years are flying by so FAST! I pray that I can learn to stop and play more. I think the solution is that, in addition to our regular bed time stories, cuddles and chats which I love (most nights, lets be honest), here it is:

I need to be more intentional about carving out time on a regular basis for activities we ALL enjoy.

That way, they might not feel so neglected when I struggle to bring myself to play pretend. It's not going to get any easier as I head back to work again in the fall, with more work tugging me away... so I better get in the habit of routinely carving out that time for them, one-on-one and together, NOW.

This morning I promised Julia that I'd have dinner ready ahead of time, so that when she got home from school we could go to the park, or play with sidewalk chalk or in the backyard together - her choice - no distractions. I kept my end of the deal and prepared a casserole while getting lunch ready. In the end, we had an awesome time at the park (which rarely happens on rushed school days with her bus not dropping her off until 4:30). The baby enjoyed the swings and the sand, the other two loved the swings and climbing around... the sun was shining, the sky was blue... it made both her day and mine.

I love my girls.

Why do I find it so hard to stop to enjoy more these moments?

More frequent planning ahead and carving time out for activities we all enjoy... Got it. Now I just need to remember that!

History in the making

This morning as we were getting ready for school, I had the TV turned on and was half watching the news... reactions about the Obama win... I knew that this was history in the making... the first black President of the United States... I thought I should let my eldest in on this... who knows, it may be one of those things she remembers when she's older, having been there to witness history in the making as a kid.

We first talked about voting... got her to relate by thinking of things they vote for in class - whether they want to play soccer or at the park... she got it and started to offer up all kinds of examples of things they'd voted on in class... this led to the idea that we vote for the people who will lead our country. We in Canada just did that recently, and last night was the United States turn... She was fascinated with lots of questions as she looked at pictures of the new president elect and his family on the TV screen, and asked what our Canadian Prime Minister looked like (more like "is that ours mom?" as she saw different people on the screen).

I think it's important to make our kids aware of world events when we witness history taking place before us! I still remember sitting in my classroom as a kid when the teacher told us about the fall of the Berlin Wall. That stayed with me. We were also given the assignment of asking our parents what major events in history they can remember witnessing in their lives. For some reason, that conversation with my mom across the kitchen counter is a vivid memory still... Kennedy's assassination being one that had stayed with her and a few others (I can't remember... mom, fill in the blanks!).

A black president. This will go right up there with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the worldwide SARS outbreak... amongst others!

What world events do you remember watching as history unfolded before your eyes? Post a comment - let me know!

How was your day?

Last night as I was getting the kids ready for bed, my daughter said this to me: "Mom, I want to start today all over again." ... "Why?" I asked, not quite sure what she meant, wondering if something had gone wrong today... Her response: "Because I LOVED today! It was the perfect day!"

Interesting, I thought, seeing as today was just a regular week day... school bus, classes, homework... sure she got to play with friends from church at our small group tonight, and she got to share brownies with her class to celebrate her belated birthday (from the weekend)... but a perfect day? It was just a week day! Oh, maybe it was because she had Hip Hop at lunch today... but that's a weekly occurance at school... what was it that made this day so perfect for her?

As I think about her comment today, it makes me wonder how many of my regular week days I would long to repeat because they were just perfect... Dare I say most likely none? I wouldn't want to repeat my screw ups with my impatience... or the nights I pass by the mountain of clothes that still needs to be folded on my way up to bed and realize I didn't get half the things done that I had hoped! I rather start a clean slate the next day...

I think my best days (I'm talking during the week routine days) would be those when I've ignored the computer, have been productive in knocking things off my list of things to do, have gotten a good dinner on the table and did not miss out on moments to stop and spend time with my kids and husband, and maybe even connected with a friend (bonus!). Oh and I LOVE the days I've been able to get outside for a walk or run... Actually, when I think about it, yesterday was a good day for me too! I was pretty productive around the house (laundry done, folded AND put away, floors cleaned), playtime with the kids, an hour playing Cranium's "Caribou" game with my daughter (over and over again!), then enjoyed the company of friends at our small group, and had a great conversation with my sister over the phone before heading to bed... I guess it was a great day, even if it wasn't out of the ordinary (I might have fully not noticed if I hadn't stopped to think about it...).

I love my daughter's comment because it was really about living a day with no regrets... something I'm learning about these days...
How would you rate your day?