Soooo hot....

So to beat the heat, we did partake in the swimming at the swim team banquet last night. Milo swam to our family friend, Olivia B, from the side of the pool to the middle for the first time (BIG deal - usually, it's the other way around... he is trying to make it to the side, but.... last night, felt confident enough to take off on his own and swim with the "big kids"). Enzo actually got brave and swam with the big kids too. I have this image in my head of his sweet little face, smiling and excited as our Olivia went to get him to play. Flattered for a while AND enjoying the fun, Enzo did soon decide to head back to shallow waters and did tell me that "the Olivias" did something "dangerous" - they threw him to deeper water. Such a cautious guy :-). By contrast, Milo noticed the diving board and wanted to go off (and, for some reason, I almost mentioned it to him last night, but, again, he noticed it on his own). So he jumped tentatively a few times to Daddy, who waited in the 10 ft. to make sure he could get to the side. Then, some kid did a flip, and... that was it... he did one too - then another - and another - and another (and, again, I am reminded of me as a kid... when he does stuff like this, my Mom always says he is the male version of me at that age, and..... I do remember being a bit daring ;-). Of course, for all of this, I did NOT have my video camera OR my Nikon. Trying to enjoy the evening, so..... all good.

Lil went in the water too, but she and I spent some time playing Mommy and Baby Duck at the baby pool (her invention). She ate well - enjoyed everyone's company.... In fact, we all did - nice to hang with friends again. Late night, it was steamy in this house, but it was fun anticipating the championship meet - coordinating rides with friends on the phone - hanging my wet stuff on the deck - listening for the familiar sound of the "swim team fairies" (teenagers in SUVs) who leave bags of treats for all the swimmers on porches late night before the big meet (listening to my friends tell me how their little ones were excited for the treat bags had me thinking back to Olivia's early days as well when such occurrences were like exciting magic - now, of course, no big deal). You know, usually such phone coordination is a drag - the wet stuff overwhelms me - the heat irritates me - but.... was feeling festive and part of a community again last night. A good feeling :-).

So ... Olivia off to championships. I will join her later. We have to squeeze in a b-day party, figure out why the fish tank is murky again and why it is leaking, hang some darker curtains in the boys' room.... all that "stuff".

Have a productive and fun weekend. Do something to stay out of the heat .... it's pretty sticky and nasty (yesterday, we went to the library, got ice cream and ran some errands - that seemed to help - saw many pool pals doing the same thing :-) - hubby and I trying to get away to just a simple movie at some point this weekend).

Photos: A swim meet a week or so ago. All the usual suspects.... AND got big sis giving lil' sis a hug. Awwwww....

Off I go to watch Sat am cartoons and eat cornflakes with Enzo (only one up - little ones up all night bothered by heat - will sleep FOREVER today).

Summer Stuff

Swim team banquet tonight ... championships tomorrow... picked up our CSA basket yesterday (kids were thrilled we got corn - seems more special when it comes in the basket, I guess ;-).... hubby has returned from NYC with tentative plans for us to get together with another couple there and go to Wylie Dufresne's WD50 (Right. The kids can watch themselves - ??? Would love to, but...). We have one more birthday party this week (three total :-). I just realized that a couple of days ago would have been my childhood best friend's Dad's birthday. He passed away a couple of years after my Dad, so he hasn't been gone long. Great guy - funny, odd, warm - wore Santa ties in July, practiced golf in the neighbor's backyard, did a martini and limburger (sp? - know it's stinky - may not know how to spell it) cheese every night before dinner, Cornell guy but totally down to earth. I have a picture of him in a tux, holding a drink and a cigarette with a party going on behind him - totally him. I another "epitome of him"-type photo of my Dad - in his preppy shorts, holding a cigar, wearing his running shoes on their big wraparound porch - where Olivia and I would sit and play with the cat or talk to my Dad (Olivia like to pick slugs from my parents' impeccable garden much to my Mom's dismay :-).

Seems a lot of my friends have been reminiscing lately. I have too, but... then again.... I always do. One of my old dance friends is back in my world (many are, and... I love it!) - I'm thinking of my childhood a lot these days... Not sure why. It might be because Olivia is starting high school, and that triggers some memories. Might be, too, because my cousins have re-entered my world as well (for a while, it was hard for me to see my Dad's family - go back to the old house, etc. without getting really sad). Whatever reason.... I'm thinking a lot. Speaking of my best friend from childhood, I should mention her here. Paula. Funny, clumsy, adventurous, confident - difficult at times but totally her own person. We did EVERYTHING together - vacations, shopping, sleepovers - in fact, we used to write stories together, journal, create characters, practice pretend play (born actresses ;-).

Need to get crackin' this week. Do I have everything in for Olivia's camp? When should I expect the kindergarten stuff to arrive? Should Enzo take another camp? Should we think about extending Milo's preschool day at all? Is Lil still going to PBT with me for dance class? When can we set aside time to get new Oakland uniforms? Do we need another sports physical? It is part of summer, isn't it? The transition to and from school - a new grade - a new year.

Last "thing".... I am a boxing fan (not sure why - could give you a list of odd reasons, but... have been since high school), and... this triumphant story caught my eye. Sad at first... but has a happy ending. Don't know the fighter, but.... will be pulling for him next time I see his name - Robert Guerrero.

Anyway... have some silly photos. Is your house looking a little like this lately? Enjoy.

My night house... my day house....

At night - alone - whether hubby is home or away - or he and kids just asleep and I'm wandering, trying to get sleepy.... I do reflect on the day. A lifelong writer, I have to replay, record and / or analyze my thoughts - constantly. In grade school, I wrote little books that I would staple or tape together - in high school, I journaled - in college, I drank coffee and smoked cigarettes and talked and talked into the wee hours with my roommates - and.... since those formative years, have written, journaled, blogged, analyzed in person or over the phone, etc. the events of the day, the week, the month, the year. I can type four big paragraphs in like 10 min. - as you know ;-).

So ... last night, I reflected again on trying to be more patient - how to offset the escalating fighting and / or yelling and chaos that sometimes occurs at day's end. Olivia is trying to make plans with friends, asking me for spending money, complaining about not being able to find clothes in the clean laundry and always unable to find something she likes to eat in the house. Enzo and Milo fight - cry because I won't let them play Wii for hours - bake but then eat ALL the cookies - refuse to take showers or baths - and Lil - well Lil is two, and she is very, very TWO, tantrums, high drama and all.

I decided to try to focus on how the other night, after the swim meet, I drove Olivia and her friends (the other two Olivias - pictured earlier :-) around a bit. We joked about how we were going to cruise until 3 am in the minivan, but... really ended up getting waffle fries and depositing them back at a house that had some more interesting friends hanging out until the wee hours. I focused on, too, how one on one, the little ones are quiet and cuddly. Last night, Lil and I snacked and watched TV while the boys were in their room, watching the pre-bedtime movie. Enzo and Lil fell asleep while feisty Milo actually came down the stairs and ended up showing me a late night finger puppet show, singing, then eventually dozing off on the couch next to me. This morning, my early riser, Enzo, is cuddling with me on the big chair, watching Spiderman and eating toast, cuz, see... we always have our morning time when he is fresh and talkative and excited for the day (and one morning, we scored a tv-adapted version of Harold and the Purple Crayon while Enzo stole sips of my milky, sugared coffee).

Good to reflect like this. I feel calm .... listening to the birds sing - albeit while I take the garbage out, intercept email bills and note areas of the kitchen that need to be scrubbed, but...I can do this. I can bring order back to this house - underschedule the kids for even just today, and.... try to relax a bit. This is why I started this blog - to share my day - to hear from others in my situation - and to learn....

Anyway - have you seen both Garnet Hill and Tea Collection this month? GREAT kids fall stuff in both (always good "go tos"). Worth a look. Also, did NOT see Top Chef last night - DVRed it, so.... no spoilers... Here's something fun... I've always liked to do photo self-portraits (funny - interesting to look at later, etc.) - hubby and I have many - I do them with the kids - had many with friends in high school and college (until my Mom and brother boxed up my room in grad school, and I never saw those photos again :-( - and... it seems to be becoming a trend with the ease of the iPhone photos and all, so.... here's one spot with self-portrait tips - though there are MANY others (hello Google). And - did you read the Ramona (by Beverly Cleary) books as a kid? I did. I LOVED them, so... am excited to see Ramona and Beezus, which, I believe, opens this weekend. Lastly, hubby just bought some Marvel comic books for the boys the other day on his way home from a local photo shoot, and... I thought they would not be interested in them, BUT ... they are! And.... superhero violence aside, it seems to have inspired some urges to draw and document some their little character pretend play, which is interesting and... productive / creative, I think. Now and then, I get a "why did (insert female superhero here) kiss Spiderman on the lips?" but.... all in all, a good purchase and ensuing activity (need to mention here - waaay late - that gra[hic novel / comic book artist / author and Clevelander, Harvey Pekar, who visited my alma mater, Ohio U, years ago, recently passed away. RIP.).

Happy day, all.

Speaking of duty...

This is awfully late notice, but... you can attend a "walk in the woods" and get more info. on Kate and Peter's Treehouse tonight at 6:30 (run!) at the Frick Environmental Center. The group will meet at 6:30 and meet on the latest developments before embarking on the regularly scheduled walk. See Amy at Callapitter (my blog list!!!) for more info.

And... don't forget about Haiti. We have friends who are volunteering to help with clean-up down there now - one through a corporation - one through a non-profit AND I know two photographers who have been down there to document the horror. It is still awful and they still need donations - cities in ruin - orphans with nowhere to sleep.... You can always try here or my "go to", Unicef - though, there are other initiatives - like if you go to the band, The Arcade Fire's, fan site and donate, they will duplicate up to one million dollars in fan donations. Not too shabby. Google it all - I am in a hurry to post.

And ... see the chuckleheads pictured above (you've seen these girlies before)? They have decided that, tonight, they want to have a sleepover and get chinese food and eat it out of the containers like they do in the movies (and laugh, of course, and do Facebook Photo Booth AND talk about boys...). Know what I mean? Actually, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea....;-). Wish I was going :-).

Duty

We don't iron in this house unless we have to. In fact, this morning, as hubby took off for New York, I found myself in the basement ironing a pair of khakis, a crisp blue striped shirt and an old Ralph Lauren gingham check that is so old - and so soft and nice - that I remember borrowing it and wearing it a lot when Enzo was first born - kudos to Ralph cuz it still looks good :-).

As I ironed, I remembered waaay back - when I was 15 years old or so... I was busy with ballet 6 days a week - I had recently tried out for and made cheerleading in order to make friends at my new, huge high school (no gymnastics team at this one), and I was in a number of Honors classes, including a French class in which I was the only one from my class - everyone else a year or two older. My Mom had begun rollerskating with the neighbors for exercise. When I look back, she was youthful for her age - and young - only in her forties - AND a much better skater than I could ever be; she went backwards, sideways, skated fast, stopped short.... Anyway, one day she fell and broke her wrist. After that, for a couple of months, while she healed, I picked up the slack on a lot of her household duties. I did the dishes (my Dad would help - but he traveled a lot) - I put away the laundry - I vacuumed - I cooked - and, most stand-out in my mind, is how I ironed. I ironed with my Mom standing over me to check my work. And this woman ironed EVERYTHING - from pocket "hankies" to sheets and jeans. Ever frugal, she never had my Dad's shirts laundered (and he wore a suit to work everyday), so I would spray and starch and iron over and over and over again. My brothers, who were not involved in sports or outside activities and took middle level or remedial classes at school, did nothing but watch TV and make fun of me. When I would get upset, my mother would remind them that I had no sense of humor so they should stop. I guess, in hindsight, being called a fat slave or having the dish towels snapped at me while they yelled "work - work!" and laughed is kinda funny... really a good time (and, remember, I have no sense of humor so any attempts at sarcasm here or hints at being funny are purely in your head ;-). I was so tired. I got a "D" on French test, my new cheerleading friends were mad at me and talking dumping me from the squad, AND I lost a lot of Saturdays trying to catch up on my ironing. It sucked (for the record, when my parents moved to Europe a few years later - and.... when my brothers returned to the states to attend college, they bought them a condo, filled a bank account for them and gave them ATM cards, hired a cleaning AND a laundry service for them - Are they better for it? NO. Joke is no longer on me - though, obviously, my irritation lingers).

So ... I do not iron. I see no point. We are a wash and wear family AND we do launder hubby's dress shirts AND anything lovely and designer that we purchase, we do NOT trust to our own unskilled hands - we dry clean - AND we look for good places. Today, however, I was happy to do it for hubby. He would do the same for me (scandalous in my Mom's eyes, I realize - but we have a scandalous past of hubby making lunch for my daughter because he had a home office and I traveled a lot and had to be downtown in my office everyday - HE drove her to the pool, filled out her school forms, etc. - even cooked - gasp).

As is the case with my serendipitous life, I have been thinking on this time in my life a lot recently. Don't know why. Maybe because I see Olivia and her friends as already pretty self-actualized young women - into sports - close friendships and their own personal style (Olivia does not believe me that my Mom really has told me to "not allow" her to use a straightening iron on her curly / wavy hair - and has even suggested taking it from her - AND, further, would have taken it from me and threatened counseling if I took it back or bought another - wait... I was never allowed to have my own money, so... scratch that last bit).

So... what is my duty these days? Not sure, truthfully. I just had an early morning conversation with hubby - wee hours really (still have the insomnia - though am implementing some "cures", as I said - give it time...). I often feel lost. Sometimes, I even compare myself to the other women with whom he works - an ex-dancer living the single life in NYC - an Italian model and Flash programmer who drives a motorcycle - two women who own and operate publications - more.... Seriously - I mean WHY would I make ANY of that up, right? And... here I am. STILL trying to find what I do best. Do you guys ever feel that way? I mean, we all do, but....

Photo: Some brightness on a cloudy day - my Olivia with Taylor Lautner (on her way to stalk him with friends - picture is for the autograph they were hoping to get - oh.... we'll find him. Don't you worry :-)... or a photo, rather. BTW - he was spotted at the Waterfront PF Chang's recently.... like... um.... eating. OMG.