Vacation Week

The kids, Mady's boyfriend, and I went camping. We were close enough to home that I was able to drive back and forth to the house while Dom worked (he was suppose to be off, but you know how that goes). All the kids were able to camp as long, or not as long, as they wanted. Mady's boyfriend showed us some Parkour tips, and tricks, and we showed him how to change oil in vehicles. We were able to spend some time with a new group of friends. Niki enjoyed being with the older kids and came home with a new crush. This crush was quickly replaced with an online flame from Canada. (I'm not ready to deal with all these new relationships :-). ) We set up camp relatively easily and disassembled it just as easily. We shared a campsite with many friends over the course of 3 nights and 4 days. They were all very generous and we are fortunate to have met so many amazing, caring families, who are also funny and intelligent. I am not sure if I mentioned it or not, but I love to be outside. I love to feel the wind and sun on my skin, see all the vibrant colors, and listen for new sounds in nature. I do not enjoy hunting or even fishing very much, however I do believe these activities are a necessary element of survival. Mady and Niki enjoy camping. Mady more so with friends than just family.

I am aware, as most parents are, each of my children enjoy different activities. I try to make sure there is something for each of them to spend their time on when we leave the house to attend an event. I enjoy being with my children. I enjoy watching them pursue activities they have chosen alone, without coercion. I also enjoy pursuing activities I have chosen on my own. Something I noticed about myself recently is I may not be doing my best with helping each of them become independent. I have fostered the relationships which are developing between myself and each of my children. I am feeling as though I want each of them to do a little more with others now. I feel as though they need differing perspectives. I witness subtle changes of attitude, and not so subtle, all day everyday. I enjoy witnessing each of my children testing themselves and their siblings with whatever new social tools they have acquired. I also notice when the tests seems to be to challenge themselves in the presence of their siblings. I am proud of each of my children. They amaze me everyday with their patience, and spirits of adventure.

Some of our adventures this week were spent with Dominic. Thursday, a couple days after we arrived home from camping and packed everything away, we headed out to the Perot Museum in Dallas. We were suppose to ride the train to Dallas from Fort Worth. The boys enjoy riding the train and it seemed like a good way for everyone to calm down after our visit at the museum. It is fascinating how a scenario can change so much just by adding one person. I sometimes lack the forethought to plan ahead for many common things which may cause a trip/event to leave a negative memory rather than the positive one intended. With children, this isn't usually a problem. Children may not have much patience, but they adapt to change very easily, much more easily, than say, 30 something year old men, and if they do not, there is always ice cream. Especially 30 something year old men not accustomed to being with children ALL day everyday. This is what I do. I. Just. Do. It. I do it because I want to, because I love my kids. Some individuals that do not spend their days with children, I can see, have chosen not to do so for a reason. One reason cited by said individuals, is they do not have patience. What I see is that, some adults do not seem to understand that children have needs, and their needs are as equally important as any adult needs.

OK, combine one adult that does not quite understand that children have needs, with one adult that doesn't plan well for things that could go wrong, and 3 children that were 2 minutes late for the train, and we have a day beginning not so well. I could type about the entire day, but I can just say that it ended up for me as most days do when I am with the kids. I was exhausted and happy. Delirious even, as I rode the train home and watched our 3 drowsy children relax. The trip was really about that train. The museum was interesting and I would like to visit again. The train was the part all the boys (including Dominic) enjoyed though. Even after we were late, and had to wait an hour and 30 minutes for the next one. I didn't have any agenda that day other than to experience something new with Dominic and our kids.

Friday, the new experiences rolled on. Dominic took us to a matinee showing of the movie Epic. Cute movie. This day was all about promoting Dominic's values for his kids. The day was full of candy, pizza, nachos, popcorn, and just fun. Everyone enjoyed the movie. It was an enjoyable way to spend the day. Once we arrived home everyone rode their bikes.

Bike riding, train traveling, camping, Parkouring, and just plain adventuring made our week together fabulous, and a bit busy. Delirious love. It's different with kids.

First Camping Trip of 2013 Summer

This is the May 15th post :-) Today we invited friends to visit, and stay the night while we prepared for our first camping trip of this season. So, to become prepared for our camping trip, we needed to create a huge mess of paper mache while we ate pizza and drank gourmet sodas. Creating got us in the spirit we needed to talk about some of the previous camping trips we have experienced, and discuss this trip. After a full day of screwing around, er...planning, we ventured to our favorite local hotspot to purchase some sustenance for our 3-4 day trip. This trip, only one of my fabulous offspring is joining me. This is exciting! I think this means it will be more simple, which I really do enjoy sometimes. Our tent has held up through over 50 campouts, and I am guessing, a few hundred children. Our last lantern purchase has been our best, and we love toting our white, down comforters along with us to camp. One of our latest traditions has become drawing on the comforters with permanent marker. It does fade once the comforters have been in the sun for picnics, and washed upon our returns home, and that makes it more fun, because we are beginning to see layers developing. Just like in our family. Mady has invited her boyfriend to join us on this trip. I am looking forward to at least being present with them in the car. I am uncertain what kind of time we will each make for one another for the duration of the trip beyond the car. I am planning on hiking at least 2 days about 10 miles each day. I hope they will join me for part of the trail. These two are a dynamic pair and their care for one another rubs off on those surrounding them. Caring for others can be an intense part of growing up. To continue on my path of learning to care for others, (outside my family as well as in) I enrolled in a General Psychology course and Chem I with a lab for summer sessions. Mady will be away with her grandmother during most of this summer, learning to train horses. Our family is beyond excited for her. She has asked for her Algebra course to be sent to her, along with a grammar review, and books added to her Amazon account. The boys continue learning spelling through online searches and Scrabble while I continue to read to them. Their hand eye coordination is improving every day, and they are very active between mud runs, riding bikes, trampoline jumping, fishing, and the occasional hike. Niki is enjoying marking off, or checking off, accomplishments right now. My plan is to establish a month long schedule for her once we return from this short trip. I think we can develop a couple of lists and she can chose what she works on each day. This way she gets to chose and she can check off the lists and see what she has accomplished. Her reading is slightly above her grade level according to her age/grade. She has participated in a couple of art shows this year as well as gymnastics. She is interested in participating in art classes, which I also need to add to the weekly lists. We all volunteer in our local community in small ways almost everyday. Some of the most exciting news of the last 9 months has been Dom beginning a new career. He is enjoying his job immensely. He gets to blow things up! He is also taking some welding courses. We have learned so much in the 2 years that I have not kept this blog up, mostly about ourselves, and our family. What works for us, and what does not work for us. What we can become accustom to, and what we do not want to become accustom to. I am looking forward to the next couple of years. I am looking forward to some sleep too.

365

Something to pass on. Something good. Adventurous spirit. Happiness. Courage. Respect. Standing Up. Kindness. A Sense of Humor. Thankfulness. Endless Love. What do these words mean to me? What do these words mean to you? The answer may differ based on circumstances, time of year, or feelings. How does one pass on an adventurous spirit? Be adventurous. Examples of adventure (again, subjective from person to person.) One person may believe a trip to a Farmer's Market is adventurous, while another person may find that much more like an average day. Merriam Webster defines adventure as: "an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks." Yes, that is a definition I agree with. Unknown Risk. Uncertainty. Well, that could be everyday life, couldn't it? Yes. One of my adventures for this week involves the end of some old relationships only, I thought the relationships had ended long ago. There are some unknowns in this situation. Another adventure of the week involves taking a few teenagers camping. I do not think of myself as 'old.' I was a teenager not very long ago. I think I can relate to teenagers fairly reasonably based on that fact alone. I want to have fun. I want to take some risks. I want to watch people succeed with the risky goals undertaken. I miss just loading up in my gas-guzzling truck and taking off, possibly not having a plan as to a destination but always with a tent and a few bucks. This idea seems very risky, unreasonable, and dangerous to (some) people. So risky, unreasonable, and dangerous to some in fact, I have been talked out of doing it. Let's skip to the end so I can ramble about endless love. A never ending intense feeling of affection, agan based on Merriam Webster's definition. For such a thing to endure takes a great deal of dedication. Everyday dedication. From ALL the people involved. I think there must be give and take of devotion and appreciation from ALL involved. Some people are naturally care givers. Some people are not care givers at all. All these people exist together. And here I am existing. Not feeling a balance, attempting endless love. So let's have a bit of a log of demonstrations of Adventurous Spirit, Happiness, Courage, Respect, Standing Up, Kindness, a Sense of Humor (please let me demonstrate that one!) and Endless Love. All these words are present in actions in my life, and thus in the lives, and actions of my family everyday as we influence one another. Adventurous spirit. Everyday is an adventure. An adventure to find ways to be my best version of me, and help others be them best selves. Today's adventure is coloring one child's hair red, building a massive Lego tower (among other things) with one, riding bikes with one, and planning a camping trip with one. I watch each day as each of the amazing young people I am privileged to share time and space with, embark on personal adventures which do not directly include me. I wonder if I can help. Sometimes the best help I can give, is to butt out. Sometimes, it is to butt right in. All this butting leads me to conduct science experiments at any time. I seek out simple and complex explanations for each experiment, read them, take the explanations apart, and put them back together in a new way as I understand the explanations. I have determined that in the morning, I will be doing an experiment in which I make plastic. Chemistry! FUN! I am also placing a large piece of butcher paper on the wall for everyone in the house to make observations of one another's displays of kindness. I think my family is very kind, and I want to see if they agree. I am classifying this as 'Good Citizenship.' We are also currently reading 'American History Stories...You Never Read in School...but should have' by Mara L. Pratt, M.D. for a traditional view, 'Above All, Be Kind' by Zoe Weil for a humanitarian world view, and 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' by Douglas Adams as suggested by some friends, for fun. These things make me happy. I love to experiment, and read, and share as much as I can with the people around me that are interested. Sometimes, it takes courage just to do these simple things. I am thankful for the capability to pursue my personal passions as I encourage others to try to do the same. Have courage to explore passion.