Help! I need your prayers and/or inspiration

The Artist will turn 7 on Sunday, and she has 12 friends coming to swim with us on Saturday afternoon to celebrate.

I just checked the forecast and there is a 40% chance of thunderstorms during the party.

AAAHHHHHHHHH!

So, feel free to pray with me for clear skies during the time of the party. But, if God chooses to answers the prayers of the farmers praying for rain, rather than my pleas for clear skies, then I need a back-up plan.

Any ideas on fun indoor budget-friendly ideas for 13 six and seven year old girls?!?

Update on Geraldine...

Today I wore a new pair of capri's in my goal size. They are a little snug and will fit better after a few more pounds, but I am almost to the end. Whew! Losing weight is SO MUCH WORK! I am mentally so ready to get to maintenance.

Still running a lot too, and enjoying it. I think running is like learning to play the piano. In the beginning, it is kind of painful and there seems to be very little reward for the effort. But then as the skill level increases, so does the enjoyment. In the past, I was never skilled enough to enjoy running. (Not that I have mad skills now, but I'm just saying...)

I started training this week for a Half Marathon at the end of August. I'm hoping to remain injury free and be ready to do it when the time comes.

This week I ran about 23 miles, including an 8-mile run this morning in 1 hour and 24 minutes. I realized only a few minutes into the run that I had left my charging ipod behind. And amazingly enough, I was okay to just be alone with my thoughts. (Name that movie.) I used to need the ipod to distract me from the difficulty of the run. That's another milestone.

My darling loving husband financed an exciting purchase to aid my training: the Garmin Forerunner 305. This awesome little guy is my new training buddy, and I got a raging deal on him too! With built-in GPS he lets me know how far I've gone, how long I've been running, what pace I'm running at, AND my heart rate. There are cooler things he can do too, but I'm not sure how to make those cooler things work yet. I am pretty thrilled with this phenomenal training tool.


On a final note, it is time to publish heartfelt gratitude for my best friend. My darling Dave has been so kind and supportive of my running. He's willing to drag the kids to a race 2.5 hours away to watch them while I run for over 2 hours. He doesn't harp on me about running rather than folding laundry. He doesn't complain if his lunch is a little less stellar than it could have been had I spent less time running before he had to leave for work. He listens patiently when I share a new running-related accomplishment or goal. He's encouraged me to get the right shoes, and even buy the Garmin. Running does take time away from our family, but I feel like my ability to perform my roles of wife and mother are greatly augmented because I run, and he understands this. His attitude towards my running has really made me feel loved.

(And on a truly final note...this particular picture is in honor of the fact that Dave took Max to see the Cubs at Wrigley today. It was Max's first game and the boys had a fantastic time. They rode the train and went with some friends, another dad and 3 year-old son. Dave has been counting down the days to this event since Max was just a tiny guy, shown here at only 2 days old, on the day he came home from the hospital. We forgot to send him with the camera, so more pictures will come when the disposable one has been developed.)

Would it disturb you...

if you had to live in a houseful of girls where your sisters did things like this:


to your dinosaurs


and you had to wait


while your mom took pictures to appease your sister, the future fashion designer,


while you stood by feeling the agony of your toys?


It disturbed me too.

Belated...

As in a Happy Belated Father's Day to Dave. I haven't posted much over the last couple months. Too busy living the posts I guess, with not enough time to record them.

Yes, I am still alive, and still waiting for summer. By my personal definition, summer is that very hot time of year where you are freed from obligations outside of the home so you can just play and swim at your leisure. I may just be holding onto my childhood feelings of the season, but so be it. This summer has not delivered yet because:

1. The weather this summer has been horrid. As a Cali girl at heart, I survive winter here only through the hope of summer. This summer has surely disappointed. If I hear one more person mention global warming, I may kick them in the shins; and

2. Swim team is obnoxious. Great for the kids, yadda yadda, but kind of a pain. Really.

But alas, this is the final week of swim team. Whew! And the final week of our summer camps, and swim lessons, and every other outside obligation. I am doing the happy dance. If the weather could just cooperate, I may truly be in my happy place, even if I still have to fold the laundry.

But enough of my summer lamenting, enjoy a few snippets of life here (even if they are a few weeks late)...


A fabulous Father's Day breakfast in bed (don't you love the special shaped pancakes?) with plenty of children to celebrate with.


That Princess is way too mobile now and needs extra supervision in high places (and low ones). Thankfully, there are plenty of extra helpers to make sure she stays safe.


There is something fun about girls and matching outfits. Once upon a time these outfits belonged to the Artist and Little Mommy. I loved them then, and I love them now.


Though targeted at adults and the youth (meaning 12-18 year olds), the Actress asked if she could run with me in a 5K organized through church. It was lots of fun, and she did a great job. I'm proud of her for wanting to do it, and completing the goal. (And a little proud of myself that I am setting the kind of example of good fitness for my kids that would inspire them to want to do such a thing.)


And this boy...oh, how he keeps me hopping! It's a good thing he is so darn cute. He makes big messes, but says the most awesome things, and gives the most wonderful loves.


Our Little Princess cut her seventh tooth today. She has had the first six for quite a while (four on top and the two lower middles).


We feel so blessed to have this little darling, even when she unloads the shoe bin, or practices her tantruming. She loves to sing and clap and puts on quite a show.

I'll try not to take so long to update again (since I am really not updated yet anyway). But to be honest, these days I can usually only make time to either run, or to blog, and running is just the stronger competitor at this season. So I'll do what I can, but I make no promises.

Pinkalicious

Apparently, if you like living near us it is not in your best interest to baby-sit our children with any regularity. If you are somehow unable to resist our darling children and choose to do so anyway, you can rest assured that your dad will be transfered and move you away from us.

Darnit.

You know we are still suffering the loss of our beloved Kelsie, who left 20 months ago (who's counting?). I had high hopes that she might spend some quality time with us this summer, but alas, she is a busy teen now, and we aren't sure when, or if, we might get to have her over again.


This is the brilliant Suzy at our Pinkalicious Final Hurrah Cupcake Party before her very recent move. I adore Suzy. And she adores the kids. Who adore her very much. She called them Soldier Number One, Soldier Number Two, etc. on down the line, and did a great job keeping them in line while making it fun. AND she almost never needed a ride to our house any time she baby-sat for us, which is HUGE for me.

Anyhow...enough of my ramblings and on to more fun from the pinkalicious party, inspired by one of Little Mommy's most favorite books: Pinkalicious.


The kids wore darling aprons, set out for them by Suzy.


Mixed frosting.


Sampled frosting.


Sprinkled.


And enjoyed.


Cause that's the best part.


They also played a little badminton.


And tennis.


Explored the backyard.


Walked the very accomodating dog.


Posed for pictures outside.


Grumped. (To her credit, she did manage to drop a full can of whipping cream on her toe just before leaving, which was quite painful.)


And recovered to take a turn posing for pictures.


This was the closest I got to a posed picture with Max. What's a picture of a boy without sports equipment or something messy anyway, right?


Suzy, if you're ever back to visit we would love to do it again, maybe Purplicious style. Thanks for loving our kids and thanks for a truly memorable afternoon. We wish you the best.

Bedtime Stand-up

It's bedtime. I am worked over. It has been a Very. Long. Week. Dave has been working a lot, and we had THREE swim meets this week. My volunteer (using term loosely here) job at the meets is to work at the computer, which includes assisting with setting up the meets, data entry of scores, and producing score sheets and award labels WITH, of course, the help of Little Mommy, Max, and Princess. Did I mention we are at the pool doing this routine 4-5 hours per meet? Fortuneately, I am not the only parent on the computers (cause sometimes I just have to run away after a wayward Max, or take off on another diaper changing excursion to the Suburban). Since the older girls love being a part of the swim team it is all worth it, but it does wear me out.

In addition to the many swimming outings of the week (including the meet held in the pouring rain that was called for thunder AFTER all of us were drenched), we completed our first successful week of the summer schedule, including our summer homeschool and our new magnet task chart. Some highlights from the week include: a visit to a small local zoo, putting the kids to work in helping clean parts of our home, doing yoga together, working in the yard (read: I mowed the lawn while the kids distributed their outside playthings around the property), trekking to Sam's Club, working through serious pre-teen drama, running 20 miles on the treadmill, and starting a bad trend at bedtime.

Meaning my-kids-are-totally-obnoxious-every-night-when-the-lights-go-out. The little ones are in and out of bed. The big ones are too loud and talking too much. The littlest one is screaming. And I am not taking it well.

Except for tonight, when at least Max's humor may be compensating to some degree for his bedtime rebellions.

The Actress and the Artist had complained about him coming into their room and bonking them. I told them to go in their room, close their door, and lay quietly. Lucky for us all, Max cannot yet open their door by himself.

A few minutes later I heard the little monster at their door:

[knock, knock, knock] "Pizza Man. Pizza Man for you."

Confident that they hadn't placed an order, the wise girls did not open the door to that strange guy.

Only a few minutes after the failed delivery, Little Mommy came wailing into my room about how Max had hurt her.

He came following behind gesturing towards her and insisting:

"This kid hurt herself."


Likely story.

I'm just a mean Mom...

Ya know, the kind who doesn't let her kids have pets. I've tried, but really, I just think I am a kid person, not an animal person.


On the Actress's second birthday I bought her a hamster. Appropriately, she named her beloved Two. Two lived a short life, but the grief of the Actress has had a far greater life span.


We bought a cat shortly before Dave started law school. I was suffering intense Mommy guilt for moving my two little children across the country to a foreign environment, far from family. So, I got the girls a kitten. Truth be told, though I do like dogs I don't really like cats all that much, but since everyone says they are easier than dogs I went with the feline variety.

Unfortuneately, I was lucky enough to choose the neediest cat on the planet. After two years, I could not keep her anymore, and found her a far better home, I'm sure. I will be forever grateful to my friend Becky for saving me by adopting Sadie.


In order to console the girls after the loss of their beloved Sadie, I purchased a set of sea monkeys. It was so fun to watch them grow. SO fun in fact, that despite frequent reminders not to ever try such a trick, the Artist picked up the small tank one day to take an even closer look. Those tiny sea monkeys met their fate splashing in the carpet at the loft in downtown Chicago we had subleased for the summer.

For her sixth birthday, the Artist's most burning desire was to have her own pet. So, with Grammy and Grandpa as the financers, we purchased a beta fish. Those live forever, right? Dave and I had one when we were first married and it far outlived our interest in owning it. I was more relieved than grieved when Spice Boy finally went belly up.


Anyway, Rainbow had the most incredible digs a beta ever had. I'm talkin' the life of luxury. Large tank with LCD lights, fun stuff to swim around in, attentive care. And wouldn't you know? The day we went to photograph Rainbow for his debut on the Artist's student of the week poster for school, we discovered his limp body at the bottom of the tank. Oh, it caused horrible trauma to the poor girl.


All this leads up to last Saturday when I shrieked loudly at the discovery of a toad I had almost minced with our lawn mower. My kids were thrilled with the find, caught it, and soon began pleading to keep it.


I did a google search for "care of toads" and discovered they only eat live food. Like moving things. Bugs, worms, and other ewy gross stuff that I cannot fathom being responsible for. The smell of the excrement from said toad in the capturing container was more than I could handle on a one-time basis.


I took lots of pictures while they played with their catch.


And talked about how much they wished they could keep their friend forever.


I was quite impressed with their creativity in turning that toad into a fashion accessory.


The Artist told me she wished I were more like Mia's mom, who let she and her brother keep the frog they found.


I told her I was sorry, but I am just mean like that.


In a few years we may entertain thoughts of another pet. We still have Rainbow's tank all ready for another fish, but the Artist can't stand the thought of another round of mourning. Honestly, it was the Actress's continued grief about Two that prevented us from getting another hamster rather than a fish.


The kids really want a dog, but I cannot comprehend the thought of cleaning up the digestive waste of one more creature right now. I told them to talk to me about it when I don't have any children in diapers, and I might consider it.


Until then, I will just be the mean Mom.