Play Date

Upon arriving home & unloading myself, the girls and our stuff we encountered Mrs. Neighbor in the parking garage. She was also just arriving home. She’d been walking. We greeted each other and began a conversation that had mostly to do with our children, their ages (same ages within weeks of each other!) and how to live in apartment community with small children and neighbors below you.

What a lovely lady. We made a play date w/ my two and her youngest one for Friday morning in the apartment courtyard. She’s going to school me on the property whereabouts for our children.

To note: she is extremely friendly and understanding of our issues with the girls and their "leaden feet" as she is a mother herself currently living with children the same age as ours. I have a feeling they will extend grace for a period of time. :) Nathan & I have our work cut out for us with our two adventurous angels.

New Life Experiences at (the apartment) Home. Pt.1

Things we're adjusting to in our new home:

We live on the third (top) floor in our new home. Nathan is insisting we call it "home" and not "the apartment" because... it IS our home now. Anyway, we're on the top floor. This was an available option to us; we chose it. We decided that we would be courteous of others rather than rely on others to do that for us. We've got our work cut out for us specifically with our children who are used to jumping & twirling & cart wheeling as loudly as possible throughout the house, running through the house during very exciting games of hide & seek, swinging from the stair case, leaping to their feet and crashing down toward the front door every time Daddy walks through it, etc. We had such a big house and back yard previously I didn't enforce a lot of boundaries when it came to their physical play. Besides, both my girls are extremely physical and imaginative in their play. Why stifle? Now we are in an apartment on the third floor. I am TRYING not to stress about every footstep they make. I am TRYING to let them be kids ("wild" as Mateja calls it) during the winter in a tiny apartment on the third floor. It's been less than two weeks, so I need to give myself a break and breathe deeply. Do some more yoga.

Our tiny new home has only two windows, one sliding glass door and the front door. Ventilation is an issue for us. We have three air units (heat/AC) that we barely use because it's so WARM in here. I think that's GREAT (because I loathe being cold). Nathan is suffocating. Ha. Every time he walks in the front door he bemoans the stuffiness of the air. He's right. It's very stifling in here. So I've taken to keeping the sliding door half open during the days and one of the windows slightly open. It hasn't seemed to help enough. Not sure what else to do yet.

Another adjustment is the complete lack of kitchen space. I suppose many families of four could make do with this just fine. I’m not sure this family of four is doing it that well. I still have TEN unpacked boxes sitting on the floor in the kitchen. Most of them house pantry items. I purchased a pantry cabinet. I insist that everything else fit in the cabinets and drawers. If it doesn’t fit it leaves this house. I rid myself of a LOT of kitchen items before moving here (everything from dishes & appliances to tablecloths & boxes of tea). It wasn’t enough. That’s an ongoing project. In fact, I must away now! Off to pack up some dishes and get them OUT of this kitchen.

Great Advice

Today my brilliant four year old (who will be five in four days) says to me, "Mom, I think we should do no candy and no television for a whole year. How does that sound?"

My eyebrows shot up to the ceiling and a smile crept over my face. "I think that's a great idea. What made you think of that?"

Matter of factly she responded, "It was just somethin' I've been thinking about. We would have really healthy bodies. Cuz candy and television are NOT good for healthy bodies, right? Maybe we should have no candy and no television for five years. What do you think about that? Is that a great idea, Mom?"

"My darling, I think that's a GREAT idea. Why don't you talk to your dad about it when he gets home?"

Getting Caught Up

We have definitely been absent from our normal lives. Not sure all of what our new normal lives will look like other than... well, we live in a new city! Adventures to be had...

Exhaustion has been the buzz word around our house lately. We've all been thrown off our normal routines with this move. I think getting off of routines/out of ruts is a good thing. I don't know if lack of sleep & health NEEDS to accompany it. Actually, I DO know. It does NOT need to accompany. I digress - I'm exhausted.

Anyway, will be getting back into the swing of routine here soonish. I actually try to have at LEAST two days a week that aren't too structured. It makes living with my lover easier. He's fairly unstructured. Rather, he's adventurous and spontaneous. I've been learning to incorporate that into my life since we got married, thus the two days a week that are lightly structured.

More to come. I know you've been patiently waiting to hear the latest! HA HA HA HA HA

Loud Animals Upstairs

On our way up the second flight of stairs to our new home from a family night out (we went to our new fave frozen yogurt spot - thank you Sis) we ran into Mr. Neighbor who lives below us. Well, we didn't literally RUN into him but you know what I mean. After rapidly exchanging salutations, Mr. Neighbor said, "We always know when you're home." Nathan with a nervous laugh asked, "Oh, can you hear the girls? Are they loud?" Instead of answering either question directly, Mr. Neighbor nodded yes and said knowingly, "They'll get used to it." And then the conversation ended as we said our rapidly passing goodbyes.

I'm not really sure what Mr. Neighbor meant by his last statement. Was he referring to our girls? They will get used to it? Or was he referring to his family? They'll get used to it? Ever since then I'm forcing myself NOT to stress out every time my leaden footed children scramble down the very short hallway or come crawling into the living room acting like lions and cheetahs. They're kinda like little monkeys... loud little monkeys. Oh God. Help!

Misery?

Monday

Today was supposed to be a day full of busyness. The girls had a full schedule. I had a full schedule which included lots of driving back and forth. I had three different people scheduled to help me with the girls or with the clean-up of the old house. One cancelled because of a family emergency. Another cancelled because of illness. And the third I called to tell her don’t bother coming because I’m in bed with the flu. Can you believe it? Here I am in my new place full of expectancy and hope and… the flu. I’m such a healthy person that I truly forget what it’s like to be ill. It sucks. I’m on my third thermos of Thera Flu in two days time. Nasty stuff. But it does its job. It’s almost against my religion to take the stuff.

I’ve spent most of the day in bed and most of that time in bed has been sleeping. Misery is the flu. Misery is helplessly laying in bed on your husband’s third day off while he does the duty of two people (today is President’s Day and thus a holiday for him). Misery is aching all over. Misery is missing taking the girls to a princess birthday tea party. Ah, well, misery is overrated.

I’ve had time to just BE here in my room and realize all the more how very happy I am in our new home. LOVE it here. The noises are going to take some getting used to of course, but it’s that way in any new place. My husband met our downstairs neighbors. He had such a good report. They too have two children same ages as ours. And they are thrilled that a family has moved in above them. Score! This is the opposite of misery. We live less than ten minutes from my grandmother’s home. This too is the opposite of misery: pleasure, gladness, cheerfulness, joy, glee, bliss, delight, exhilaration, ecstasy, contentment, satisfaction, amusement, thrill, elation, wonder, happiness…

Feeling better about things that are the opposite of miserable. Back to bed.

V-DAY = MOVING DAY!!!

Oh the day of the big move. It has come & gone. The day has. Just like each day before it. We’re sitting on our bed with boxes surrounding us on each side. Nathan says, It’s like a hotel. I love it. I don’t love the boxes all around but they will fade. I love newess. A new season/time is upon us again. Hallelujah.





I'm EXHAUSTED. And not feeling 100% but... the NEW is here. yay!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Quote of the Morning

Our nearly five year old is getting ready for school. She has been instructed to get a jumper (the word we use for jacket/sweater/sweatshirt - it's all encompasing). She burst back into the room with no jumper. Mateja, where's your jumper? That was me. She held her hand up (think Tina Turner, STOP in the name of love), "I have to ask Daddy something first! Daddy!! Is it going to rain today? Can you check your phone, please?"

oh my heck.

What was I THINKING!?!??

As you probably know, we're currently in the process of moving. I wish I could say that I'm wife and mother extraordinaire, but these days that’s purely wishful thinking. My mind is constantly racing with my “to do” lists of things to pack and things to donate and things to throw away and things to clean and things to paint and people to contact and schedules to work over and utilities and do we get a moving truck or not and posting to craigslist and selling our living and dining room furniture and do I have enough paint for the office walls or do I need to go to Home Depot and where am I going to sit the girls for lunch once the dining set is picked up and didn’t I contact the post office to have our mail forwarded and – oh – don’t forget to register to vote once the move is complete and what did I do with the packing tape and Ari’s doctor’s appointment was this morning?!?!??? Oh crap. Where’s my phone?

In the midst of a somewhat busier day than normal I decide (whilst on a phone call) that I need to get the girls doing something fun and creative and distracting so that I can finish packing the drapery and the sheet sets and finish this call. Somehow I misplace the pillow cases. The girls are antsy. They’ve just woken from their afternoon nap and are ready to do something. Ari has managed to pry open the lid to a box that contains finger paints. What an excellent idea! Finger paints will do the trick. (was I thinking?) I pull out the large craft box full of paper and begin to spread sheets all over the living room carpet. How fun this will be. There’s no furniture in the living room right now except a rocking chair so I spread out the sheets of paper and continue my telephone chatter. Meanwhile the girls have unscrewed the lids to the “washable” finger paints and have begun to be distracted. Perfect! I run back into the front room to continue folding the drapery and bundle the sheets. Still can’t find those missing pillow cases guess I won’t seal this box yet. I’ll label it as soon as I get off the phone. Better check on the girls. I pause a moment to finish my conversation. This has to be dealt with. Conversation ends well. I rush back into the living room. As soon as it registers: there are blue foots prints all over the carpet my brain shifts back on. Of course there are. Of course there are.

Seriously, what was I thinking? I remember thinking this might get a little messy but I’m learning to deal with messes. I also remember thinking this was truly a good idea. I mean, like, TRULY a good idea. Once my brain shifted back on, well… My first thought was, Thank GOD we’re having the carpets cleaned next week! So I let myself off the hook. I let the girls finish making a mess. I encouraged them to clean it up and then I pulled out the camera. I made a mental note to self: don't forget to find those pillow cases and, Marina, NEVER AGAIN on the carpet. I mean honestly, what was I thinking?!?

Clown with no fork

The latest school story - of course it's about Ari.

Pick up hour had come. She followed the other students out of the classroom to meet us moms who were standing in the hallway entrance. Rounding the corner, she smiled up at me. Horrendously bright pink eyelids and equally bright pink lips met my stare. Her grin always invokes a smile from me. I love this spunky kid. School Director said, “She escaped during dismissal and got into the stamps. That’s the pink.” Then onto something else, she started by asking, “Does she eat with a fork?” “Sure.” “A big one or a little one?” My response, “Either, both. Why?” “Well, I gave her a fork during lunch because she was eating with her hands and she acted as if she didn’t know what it was. I didn’t want to force her because, you know, culturally I wasn’t sure what you do at home. Is it OK if we give her a fork?” I chuckled, “Sure! Reinforcement is good here. We eat with forks at home. Well, she doesn’t prefer them, but…” “OK. Just checking. They had spaghetti for lunch today! By the way, she’s really getting better at listening!”

That was that. So she looks like a clown and doesn’t use a fork. Love this kid.

The BEST Therapy

I spied a bummer sticker today: "Shopping is the best therapy." I thought, Maybe giving could be the BEST therapy.

As we prepare for this move we are giving much away. Love that. It's great to know that someone will get some use out of things that aren't getting used over here. It feels good. Therapeutic.

Adventure 2009: We're Finally Moving!

It's the little things.

We took our girls to our new home site today. I do wish it were a glorious house with a clay tile roof, lots of sunlight, marvelous landscaping, solar panels, a gourmet kitchen, extra bedrooms for guests, a vegetable and herb garden and on and on... It's not. Not yet anyway. We have finally made that tough grown-up decision and are downsizing (tremendously). We're moving into a two bedroom apartment. Neither one of us has really ever experienced true apartment living. I had an apartment for five months when I was single. That's about it. Nathan lived in an apartment with a roommate but had no neighbors and no one living above or below him. It'll change things when people are above and below.

Anyway, so we Mitchells embark on a new crazy adventure. I'm extremely excited and a bit overwhelmed with the quantity of STUFF we have accumulated over the years that I now have the privilege of donating to someone else who can find a good use for it. We've been using HOPE (http://www.hopeservices.org/) which has been a huge blessing to us!

We took the girls to our new home today to see the grounds, see their room and take note of the pool and hot tub. They were sold as soon as they plunged their hands into the hot tub. And plunge they did! Mateja is convinced this is a MUCH better location than Santana Row (which we had considered as a future home) and is thrilled that we are moving here. Hallelujah!

We are all thrilled. And we're saving a bundle (hello!) so we decided that we ought to buy some new furniture! So that's the next part of our adventure.

Almost five years worth of compassion

So, Wednesday’s the girls and I leave the house @ 9am to head to the church. We arrive by 9:30 to unload the car of ourselves, our belongings & my gear (guitar, guitar stand, music bag & binder, purse & starbucks tumbler full of hot tea - gotta have a hot beverage!) and head up the concrete stairs to get our day going. The girls run around the multi-purpose room looking for their little friend Nathan. He gets there with his mom & her gear @ 9:30 too.

The kids usually head off the kids' area with a childcare worker by 10am. I'm on the platform from "go" setting up and tuning and sound checking and whatnot. Then we have our gig (HA), I mean, meeting. We're done by 12:30pm and out the door with my gear and my kids and any of their gear that they happened to sneak into the building (hopefully we get their gear). I'm usually a stickler when it comes to the girls and their gear. I don't allow anything into the building because inevitably it gets left behind in the room they've been playing in all morning. And honestly, as long as I have the kids in tow and my car keys, purse and guitar I don't notice much else.

So that's the set up for today's story about the girls, here's the account:

It’s now 12:45pm. We’re in the car journeying down the road. Ari begins whimpering about her kitty. She took it into the building. And there it sits. The whimper gains momentum. She is now crying full throttle. Tears and snot and excess slobber. I’m such a great mom; I begin with my rant about “too bad, you took it into the church. We’re not turning around. We’ll get it later. You have to learn…” I’m ranting. Loudly. And then I turn the music on to calm myself and drown out the wailing child (as if additional noise is going to accomplish these objectives). This is when the compassion of a four year old (who is nearly five) rises above the noise using an empathetic, quiet voice. She reaches for her sister’s slimy hand and holds it in embrace. I’m so sorry you left your kitty. I know it makes you feel sad. If I left my kitty I would feel just like you do. But it’s OK, Arielle; we will get your kitty next time. OK, honey? Don’t be too sad. Your kitty is OK.
And just like that, the wailing is squelched, the snot clears, the tears are wiped away. Kitty is safe. Ari is happy. Girls are holding hands. Mom is smiling and embarrassed. Oh kindness, compassion, empathy ~ do find your way towards me too, even if you're only five years old...

Escape Artist (Part 2)

So today... I pick Ari up from school. I walk in through the front door into the short hallway reserved for student jackets and file folders and there, blocking my entrance from the hallway to the rest of the school is: a gate. A brand new gate. I started cracking up just in time for the school's director to round the corner, catch my eye and groan. "She's killing us!" the director wailed. I responded, still laughing, "She's not killingyou. I'm just glad someone else gets to share in the joy of my child with me!" "She's wet. Soaking wet. She got out again today & headed straight for the puddles. I don't know if she saw it out the window or something, but she headed straight for the water. So... she doesn't have any shoes on right now. But I ran straight over to Home Depot and bought a gate and installed it right away. It's not going to work for us though because the kids can't get into the hallway to put their papers in their folders or get their jackets from the rack. So... we're getting a lock for the front door that locks only on the inside and that can only be opened with a code!" The director was wide-eyed. With a smile on my face and in my voice I asked, "And all this is because of my child?" "Yes! And we're charging you double for her!"

Of course our banter back and forth was light-hearted and playful. I am absolutely getting a KICK out of this. Obviously the director of the school isn't quite as pleased with the situation but we are great friends so I'm looking at this with a very positive attitude. Thankfully all of this escaping is happening with my child and not someone else who might not think it was as amusing. This is simply helping the school take further precautions for a future student who may wander further than my own Ari.

I wonder if the lock on the door will be in place next week...

Escape Artist

So I picked Ari up from preschool today & her teacher says to me: "Keep working on her not touching the door (meaning door handle). She got out again today. We're thinking of getting a gate so she can't get to the door."

Internally, I think I'm cracking up. Cuz... that's my kid!!! Thank God Almighty they have the entire property fenced off so at least she was still @ the school. Although... that gate isn't very secure and if she can open their front door, well then, she could open the gate too if she wanted. Which proves that she doesn't really want to leave the premises. She just wants to be outside. Which is why I still have safety handles on my doors here at the house. She can't open them. Because if I didn't have them on the doors, she would try to open the doors here! And off she'd run. Don't the sidewalk (at least she knows to stay out of the street!)

She's only on week #3 (which means day five) at the school and has already escaped twice. Two outta five. Wowza!!! We'll keep telling her that the door handle is only for adults but... I mean, come on. I bet other kids open that door. They only do it when arriving or leaving with their parents, maybe? My kid is on the loose. Love her for that. Determined. "Free-spirited" Willing to push the limits.

Run Ari, run. Wait... no. I mean, don't touch the door handle! (God, help me rear this child!)

Blog Update Info

So you'll have to just stick it with me over the next few weeks. I'm trying to consolidate all the different family journals/blogs/letters as well as individual ones over the past couple of months. That to say: I'm going to post them all in these blogs which means there will be posts that start popping up from the past: days, weeks & months back. Be patient! I know I'm trying to be!!!

First Time @ Emma Prusch

Saturday was SUCH a full day. By 3pm I was exhausted. But that doesn't hold a mom back, generally speaking. I touted the kids to a new destination for us in order to meet a friend and her daughter for a "playdate" for our girls.



Emma Prusch Farm Park on the intersection of Story & King. Have you ever been there??? I'm adding it to my "list of things to do with your kids in the Bay Area that is free!" (Soon to be published.)



All the maps were pretty deceiving in finding the place, but... it DOES exist. And there are 40+ acres of it existing right off the 280 & King (well, right around there). And it's exactly what the name indicates: a farm. Plus. There's a large play structure and gobs of picnic tables. Lots of grass. Old farm equipment on display. Well you can see for yourself by visiting their site: http://www.pruschfarmpark.org/



I plan to take the girls back earlier in the day. They closed the barn @ 4pm. So we were too late to actually benefit from seeing the cows and sheep and goats and other animals really up close. My girls are animal nuts, so we've got to go back.


Here's an image of the three girls on some farm equipment.

Quote of the Day

So this afternoon we were eating fritos: delicious tasting chips that I never, ever buy because they are so very bad for one's body. Moments later Mateja began having adult-level flatulence (it's the PC term for you-know-what). This went on for a good thirty minutes. After having another loud bout of flatulence, Mateja stepped away from the bowl of fritos and said (and I quote): "It's official. These chips are NOT good for my body. They make me toot."

Everybody Smiling!

Today. What a DAY!

Our second child started preschool. I couldn't stop smiling. I don't think she could either. What excitement for her to embark into her sister's special world. Everything new! Other adults for her to ignore and run away from! Ha. Children other than her sister to push and scream with. Fun, fun, fun!!!

I suppose her smiles were for different reasons than mine. But essentially... we each got to experience our own new day. I looked ridiculous today. Guaranteed. Think: Alice in Wonderland, Chesire Cat. That was me. Ridiculous. I was in Target, pushing around a big empty red cart and just grinning from ear to ear. I wasn't on the phone. I wasn't talking to a soul. Not a single person. I wasn't even shopping! Just pushing around a big empty red cart and smiling at everybody. It was awesome. I think I eventually bought something.

I'm really looking forward to lots of smiling this year. Smiles from my girls. They love being at school. I love for them to be at school. Smiles from my husband (happy wife, happy life!) and smiles from the woman in the mirror.

Maybe I should consider whitening product... :)

New Year!

We arrived home from Texas. I was bummed that we missed my brother and his wife and their daughter. I don't get to see him often enough. He's so much fun to spend time with. We were home mid-morning so I was able to head home and begin the unpacking process right away. Because we laundered the majority of our clothing whilst in Texas I simply had to put clean clothing away. How wonderful! Shortly after beginning this task, a call came in from my sister. There had been a mix up with the purchase of Jared & Amber's flights. They were stuck in California until further notice. Yahoo! Well, it was a yahoo on my end, not so sure it was on theirs. At least not right away.

My New Year celebration was starting early. Jared, Amber & Maya made it back to our place with my sister. I am blessed. What can I say? The three of us siblings had a chance to spend sometime together. We laughed and chatted about the UN and the Nobel Peace Prize and other great things including dehydration. I felt filled. I got my brother-fix, so to speak.