Friday, June 23, 2006

Relaxed and Happy

I have thoroughly enjoyed my week alone! My house is clean, I've read three books, and Darren and I went to see two movies in the theater. I've been sleeping late, watching what I want to watch on TV, and not having to entertain someone. I could really get into this! It hit me last night when I was in the grocery store. There was no one making any demands of me, and I could get through the list without losing focus. The party comes to an end this afternoon, I'm afraid.

I have missed Zach like crazy, but I think I needed some time away from him. That old saying rings true: absence does make the heart grow fonder. When he comes back today, I'll be ready to give him my full attention, and to serve his constant requests for chocolate milk without any sarcasm. At least for a couple of weeks...

I just feel like we are always on the go, and trying to rush a four-year-old to get dressed, put on his shoes, brush his teeth, and get out of the house on time is tough. I've been early everywhere I've had to go this week, and it's been so nice to only be responsible for myself. Hopefully I can keep this mood for a while!

I guess this feeling makes me pretty selfish, but I have always been the kind of person who needs alone, quiet time to stay sane. During the school year, I don't get enough of it; I drop Zach off at school, have a three-minute drive to my school, then I am with kids all day. I get the same three minutes alone in the afternoon, and when I get home, I just want to be quiet. The demands for chocolate milk and Cartoon Network usually start before we even get in the house, and we usually have at least two hours before Daddy gets home.

Anyway, I think I am going to go and enjoy the rest of my quiet time, so I can be a better mommy when my little buddy gets home.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Trying to Keep Above Water

I blinked, and now we are already into the fourth week of summer. Where did it go? Before long, Target will have their school supplies out (or they might already have; I've been a good girl and stayed out of there lately). In the meantime, my grand plans are going unfinished. I have been working on getting our office clean and organized, and clearing out a spot for my scrapbooking stuff. I've done most of it, but still need to deal with the paper that I shoved into a large Rubbermaid container. It needs to be filed, but I have to set up a filing system first. In order to do that, I need to clean out the old papers that are already stacked in the filing cabinets...it's a vicious cycle!

Let's see, what else do I want to accomplish before August 10th? I wanted to spend a week in Louisiana, and spend some time in Baton Rouge, but that's not going to happen. We have something going on every single weekend, and Zach isn't even into sports yet! We went this past weekend, went to New Orleans for the day on Saturday, and boiled lobsters for Father's Day. Those were so good; we boiled them in crawfish seasoning! Zach is spending the week with my parents, and I am supposed to be in a three-day workshop. With all the flooding in Houston today, compounded with this lovely stomach virus, I stayed home and slept on the couch. Now that I missed the first day of the workshop, there's probably no point in going for the last two days. I do feel bad; my district spent $180 on my registration!

Before Zach comes home on Friday, I want to go through his toys. We've never gotten rid of anything, because we are saving everything for our second child. The only problem is, there won't be room for the second child to have any new toys. I always feel awful getting rid of toys, but Zach rarely plays upstairs in his room, and ignores most of the toys. He'd rather be downstairs, following me around, asking for chocolate milk, or rotting his brain in front of Baby Looney Tunes. When that show comes on, he will find me anywhere in the house to let me know it's on. Like I care!

I miss Zach like crazy right now. I was really looking forward to him being gone, because this staying home business is not going all that well, but now the house seems empty. I miss his exuberant hugs and kisses, as well as the constant singing and noise. Four more days...

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Ramblings of a Procrastinator





Every day, I keep telling myself that I will post something, but I just can't come up with anything. I am having a hard time getting used to our summer schedule this year, and I can't figure out why. I didn't have the usual closure to the school year; I left school at noon on the last day, because we were flying to Boston for a wedding in Newport. Consequently, I didn't get to spend the final afternoon with the kids, and have the long goodbye chat that we normally have. We were gone for five days, then I came home, and couldn't get motivated to unpack or clean my house. The last few weeks of school, everything was put off, because in my mind, I would have all the free time in the world once I was off work for the summer. As usual, I was/have been consumed by all the wonderful things I would accomplish this summer, and get very frustrated with myself when I don't fulfill my expectations. I did manage to organize all of my scrapbooking materials into a manageable area, which I am proud of. However, all of the paper that was displaced to create that scrapbook area is now in a Rubbermaid container. I'll get to it...What I am supposed to be doing today is laundry, and getting ready for our trip to Galveston tomorrow. I've gotten some laundry done, and still need to hit the grocery store, but I feel like writing right now. So, I'll write about our trip.

Anyway, we spent five wonderful days in New England on our vacation. We flew into Boston late on the night of the 26th, my parents picked us up at the airport, then we drove to Newport. Along the way, we stopped and ate at a McDonald's/rest area. That was strange! Saturday morning, my mom, sister, and I went to the bridal luncheon, then all the bridesmaids went off for hair appointments. Mom and I walked around and looked at all the shops, then Dad took Darren and me to drive along the coast. The scenery there is breathtaking, and Darren had never seen the Atlantic Ocean before. Saturday evening, Beth, my sister's childhood best friend, got married at a beautiful outdoor setting. It was at a resort overlooking the water, and there were fresh flowers everywhere. Some other former neighbors from Louisiana flew in for the wedding, and it was nice to catch up with them. There was an outdoor cocktail hour after the ceremony, then we went inside for the reception. It was a sit-down dinner of steak and shrimp, and there was a very good band, who had learned some Mardi Gras music for the occasion. It was a wonderful, relaxing evening, and having a babysitter was an added bonus!

On Sunday, we had breakfast, then went walking along the Cliff Walk, which goes behind several of the mansions. It was a beautiful day, and it was nice to spend some time with Natalie and Kevin before they flew back to South Carolina. I would have liked to spend more time in Newport, and will definitely try to go back sometime. Mom, Dad, Darren, Zach and I headed to Boston around noon, checked into our hotel, then took the T into the city. We walked part of the Freedom Trail, ate at a pub, then headed back We also got some Italian cookies from a bakery in the North End, which were really good. Monday, we drove to Lexington and Concord, and visited Minute Man National Park, Longfellow's Wayside Inn, and the town of Sudbury, where Mom and Dad's friends grew up. We were exhausted by the time we returned from our expedition, and ate at the Mexican restaurant at our hotel. Afterwards, we went back to the room and watched The Apprentice. Tuesday, we went back into the city, rode the Swan Boats at the Public Garden, looked around Faneuil Hall, and finished walking the Freedom Trail. American history means so much more to me now that I teach it. I went to Boston when I was twelve, but all of the monuments had no significance to me then. We had lunch at an Italian restaurant in the North End, which was a neighborhood that we fell in love with. I think Darren and I are meant to live in a big city, where we can walk to locally owned shops and restaurants. We toured the USS Constitution, then walked to the Bunker Hill Monument, which was closed for remodeling. We all felt cheated that we had walked so far for nothing. We then took a taxi back to the harbor, and went on a sunset cruise. It was cold outside on the boat! We watched the Constitution do their sunset cannon firing, then went back to dock. We ate at a seafood place called Tia's, which was fairly good. I wanted to have lobster on our trip, but it could have used some seasoning. Wednesday, we went next door to our hotel to the Necco factory, and stocked up on candy. Mom and Dad rode with us to the airport, then went back to the hotel before their flight to Scotland. Of course, our flight was delayed. We made it home around 6:00, and did nothing for the rest of the evening.

Since we've been back from our trip, I've been to physical therapy a couple of times for my foot, cleaned out part of the office, went to Austin last Thursday and Friday for an art conference, we've joined the Woodlands pools, and tomorrow we are going to Galveston to the beach. We're going to Lafayette this weekend for Father's Day, and Zach will spend next week with my parents. I have three days of workshops, but will enjoy my free time (and miss him!)

I know you're sleeping, and drooling on your keyboard by now, so I think I'll stop.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

I'm Still Alive

I have no idea if anyone reads this thing, but I am still alive. With the end of school and a vacation to New England that started the day school got out, there has been no time to form coherent thoughts. We returned from our vacation yesterday, I completed my last work obligation until August 10th today, and now I'm a free woman. (unless you count the four-year-old who will be ever-present this summer) Anyway, I do plan to post in the next couple of days, so don't give up on me.