Saturday, July 31, 2010

Where did this funk come from?

Ug....hasn't been the best week for me. No real big events that have contributed to it. It might have something to do with getting my grades back for my classes and starting my next session. I am really looking forward to my tax accounting class, but not my sociology class. The end of this session marks the start of the family birthdays. I'm excited to get there, but know that it is going to be a hard process. I have also been hit with a huge "mom guilt" blow this week. I feel like I haven't paid enough attention to both of the kids individually lately. Gwen has been doing great with her potty training, and I think she is just hitting her milestones, so she has been more clingy and upset more than normal. Trevor has been going through a frustrating "won't listen" stage. Coupled with everything and I've been taking it out on myself more than normal.

I know all of the feelings are sooo temporary, and that my current mom guilt is so unfounded. But still frustrating. I think I need to get something on the calendar to look forward to. When my plans involve indecisiveness, that never helps my situation. That and maybe more vitamin D is in store for me. Ok...time to turn it around. I do have a golf tournament to play in next weekend!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Still a lot going on

Well, as I told my mom, my week off from school usually entails cleaning and organizing for another 10 weeks of classes coming up. I do usually get to a point where I can just do a little bit to keep it up, but there are always things that get pushed off because I don't have time to keep up with everything.

I took Gwen to where Trevor calls "the jump-jump place". It is an indoor climbing contraption and bouncy house. I figured she was at the age where she could get up the levels by herself. But I always struggled with if I should bring Trevor with because he seems to find the kids that can get him into trouble and play with them. So on a park day, I took Gwen. There were a few kids there, and then a busload of daycare kids came as well. I noticed a few new toys from the last time I had been up there. And I was right, she could get herself up very well. The only problem was there were a few steps that were still of a height that she could get herself onto it, but they were made out of lego material. So not the best to try to squeeze and pull against your skin. I'm surprised I wasn't more sore than I ended up being.

Trevor had two adventures this week. On Wednesday, his park group went to a Twins game. Then on Thursday the group biked to a nearby ice cream shop. He had been on longer bike rides with Russ when he would go running, but I think this was longer because they had to bike down and back. I'd have to measure it but I'm pretty sure it was a few miles away from the park. The best part was that he found someplace in Minnesota that has Blue Moon ice cream. It is his favorite. While they didn't have it that day, he got his next favorite which is Superman ice cream.

Thursday during the day, we were able to squeeze out a golf round with Kevin, Brian, my dad, and me. While the forecast was calling for rain most of the week, we avoided it. It was overcast the entire round, but it made the temperature cooler than if the sun would have been beating down on us. So for them, it was a great day for golf. For me, I'd rather have had it be a little more warm. But a chance to play golf with the family is always welcome. Thank you to Kyrsten for watching the kids!

Next week is VBS at our church. On to the next week!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Just a little bit of stress

Well, I can finally breathe. At least for a second. Trevor had his last baseball game a week ago today. We left for the cabin directly to the cabin for the weekend. We had to stop in Eau Claire because I'm a nervous nighttime driver anyway. I couldn't see when you add heavy rain on top of darkness. We stayed for a half hour maybe? Then made it the rest of the way. Gwen had fallen asleep, but Trevor was trying hard to stay awake. When Gwen woke up in the morning, she had hives on her legs. Trevor, my dad and I all went golfing the next morning, while my mom stayed with Gwen. I called our doctor's office and talked to a nurse who thought that it was unlikely something that she ate, more likely something she came in contact with on her legs. As long as she didn't get a fever, and the bumps didn't turn dark red/purple, she was ok. On top of no fever, they didn't even itch her.

Trevor was pretty exhausted after golf, but he was still able to ride on the waterski trainer that afternoon. Poor guy is so scared that he is going to be thrown off into the water that he is very nervous to do anything new. Gwen slept most of the rest of the afternoon. We went to our local restaurant and had the usual wonderful dinner. Gwen had her usual french fries. I decided to try to get to sleep early in preparation for late weekend nights. Unfortunately, I was awoken to Gwen getting sick multiple times. Poor girl. I remember the hungry/thirsty feeling associated with it. I also know enough to try to keep her away from food and water at this point. I let her sleep in my bed so she would feel better. Trevor stayed asleep through it all. But when he woke up, I warned him that if Gwen was still sick, we were going to have to head home.

She was starving in the morning, but never got sick again. We stayed with dry food or bananas and water until dinner time where I allowed her a handful of french fries. She would have eaten more, but I thought not to tempt it. Also on this day her hives had spread up to her stomach and back, and arms. Still no itching. Brian had joined us overnight and was able to take Trevor swimming during Friday afternoon. Friday evening was another dinner at the local restaurant followed by dominoes. Saturday was the birthday celebration evening and again swimming for both kids. I have to say, I love Gwen's love of swimming. The life jacket swim thing I got really is helping her not get as high in the water as a typical life jacket, yet keeps her floating a bit. When she got the hang of it, she was ready to swim to the middle of the lake.

We headed back home on Sunday to say congratulations to Russ and his dad for winning our local golf course's member/guest tournament. The rest of the week has been a blur. I had my final for my auditing class which I am sure I will have destroyed my gpa. I really wish we had the summers off from classes. I guess there is only 6 weeks before school starts now anyway, but it would be nice to get things a bit more organized.

As it is, I have a week off from classes, and will try to get as organized as I can.

As a p.s. Gwen is completely potty trained with the exception of #2. However, she will get a diaper for herself and ask to change into it. I have even had success at going to bathrooms outside of homes and going. Goodness, if I had known it would be this easy, I'd have done it years ago!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

And...it's almost been another two weeks.

Sorry again. I guess that the summer really does fly by. Trevor spent a week off of his park adventure "class" and it was much easier than I thought it would be. I know now that if he has a spare moment, he wants to be playing his DS or Wii, but I can bribe him into doing things that are healthier if I promise DS time in return. So he has been keeping up with his reading, doing cutting/crafts and playing his usual imaginative play stuff. His imaginative play is now centered around Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story type games. He has taken the story to heart and wants to make sure that his Toy Story toys don't feel under-played-with.

We spent the 4th up north at Russ's dad's family place. We saw a lot of relatives, the boys got to play golf, Gwen really picked up on her swimming, and the weather was great! It only rained on the morning of the 4th, but by the afternoon it had cleared out enough to be swimming. I didn't even try to work around Gwen's napping, so she fell asleep a few times in the car, and on the 4th she asked to be put in her bed in the bedroom we stayed at. They put on their own fireworks display, which is awesome, however neither kid enjoys the loud noises. Gwen wanted to be in the house, and then when Trevor joined us, both kids simply wanted to sleep. Rather than wake up early in the morning to head back, we decided to drive back that night to avoid traffic and let the kids sleep in the car as opposed to get unhappy being in the car during the day.

Slowly we have been getting back into a semi-routine. Trevor did have his golf on Friday morning. I have to say that I have had some quick success today with Gwen and potty training. I did start it right before we left for the 4th, but didn't even push her to try in a different location. Then coming home, I haven't really pushed it a hole lot. We had one other day where I knew she was ready and she went after she found out I wasn't going to stay with her forever. And then today, I was prepared to wait it out again, and I knew she had to go, and she went within two minutes of being in the bathroom. I was ready to call the day a success when not more than 2 hours later, she told me she had to go to the bathroom and went without me even having to wait a second. I am almost ready to call the home portion of potty training complete! Now the harder parts are coming. She is VERY independent and doesn't like my help with much. I think the only parts she lets me help with are the parts she knows I can do faster than she can. I will say she is one proud girl! Preschool here we come!

Hot weather....keep coming! I have so missed you!