Spring Celebration

Happy first day of Spring!  It reached a balmy 52 degrees this afternoon and then started plummeting about the time we headed to the park for our 2nd Annual First Day of Spring celebration.  The snow waited until March to make an appearance this year and Virginia has been a boggy mess for weeks, so we were concerned that we would be slogging through the mud.  Luckily, we found a nice field where we could have our picnic and break out the sports gear that was relatively dry.

After a picnic dinner, we broke out the Frisbees, baseball mitts and the football (well, not at exactly the same time).

And then the kites!  It is so interesting to see the boys' personalities show during activities.  In typical Josh style, he has to make sure everyone sees how well he is doing.  And he did do really well.  He then wanted to help his brothers and shouted out advice, warranted or not.  Michael had a rough start figuring out how to keep the kite up, but once he had the hang of it did beautifully.  And Ben figured it out the quickest, decided what height he was comfortable with and then proceeded to do his own thing wandering around the field not requiring and generally ignoring his older brothers' advice.

After running around in the increasingly chilly and windy air, we packed up all our gear and broke out the Spring baskets.  Ben scored swimming goggles and Stars Wars figurines.  Josh got some tools for his sparsely filled toolbox and a "dude diary" complete with lock and keys.  And Michael got a bunch of tools to put in his new toolbox after he and Jason build it.  We got him the same one we got Josh hoping to start a tradition of the boys building their first toolbox with Jason.  (About the pumpkin:  Michael's Easter basket is at school for an activity so we had to use a replacement.)

And so the 2nd Annual was a success!  And best of all, no one was upset about what they got.  While that isn't the biggest issue, it is always gratifying to see that all the thought and effort we put into an activity/gifts makes everyone happy.

Too Much Candy

Will the world PLEASE STOP FEEDING MY KIDS CANDY?!?!!?

An 8-point anti-sucrose rant.

1. Although once I judged, I am now a firm believer in bribing.  But experience has also taught me to  believe in the law of diminishing returns.  So, please stop feeding my kids - the more candy you give them, the less effective a small amount is.  What once required one Skittle, now requires a bag.  Which brings me to my second issue:
2. My kids should not be bribed or rewarded for every. single. thing.  While I use candy to bribe, I use it judiciously and in an age appropriate manner.  I may bribe my 3-year-old to behave during my doctor's appointments or reward him for behaving well during a day of running errands (or at the dentist's - yes, I realize the irony).  On the other hand, my 6-year-old should not be given candy just for behaving on the bus.  Or for listening in class.  He should behave on the bus.  He should listen in class.  So now he wants candy from me when he cleans the living room.  Or when he puts away his dishes.  Or puts away his laundry.  Thank you.
3. Empty calories.  Yes, I know lots of people get hung up on empty calories who don't need to.  And my kids are clearly not obese.  However, let me introduce you to Josh.  Josh needs calories - yes.  Josh also needs nutrients.  But it is so difficult to get good food in him, that it drives me crazy when he fills himself up on the junk.  At which point you are thinking, "Settle down, woman!  A little candy never hurt anyone!"  Right, except...
4. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  Everyone is giving my kids candy.  Ev. ery. one.  Teachers, aides, specials teachers, bus drivers, friends, family, church teachers, strangers at Costco, bank tellers, etc.  
5. And that makes me the "bad guy" because at some point I have to say "no".  No, my boys don't need bags upon bags of candy for each minor holiday.  No, they don't need to get candy because I deposited a check.  No, they don't need candy.  No.  And really, there are many other times when I  already get to be the "bad guy" that really matter (bed time, eating vegetables, doing homework).  I really don't like it.
6. Not all holidays are about candy.  Actually, other than Halloween, I don't think there is any holiday when the main focus is candy.  So, how about we just keep it confined there?  I am not against candy for special occasions, but those occasions aren't nearly so special when they happen all the time.  
7. And even if we do have candy for every holiday, could we keep it confined to the holiday itself and not the entire two weeks preceding?  My son brought home, no lie, candy on Friday for St. Patrick's day which is on Sunday.  That wasn't even a holiday I thought deserved being celebrated two days in advance (but then again, I am not very Irish).  And then there is Christmas.  Christmas-time is a month long candy extravaganza.  I find candy canes in my boys' pockets three weeks before the 25th.  
8. And last, but not least:  I am not trying to raise children here.  I am trying to raise adults.  I am trying to teach good eating habits that will weather the teen years to resurface in early adulthood and help my future adults have the health to maintain the energy and activity levels they enjoy now.  I want to lay a foundation that will last a lifetime.  I want them to enjoy filling their bodies with good food and the occasional treat.  

Grill It

Yes, we did just experience freezing temperatures and 8-10 inches of snow this week.  Why do you ask?

Snow days

It took long enough, but it finally got here - enough snow to qualify for a "real" snow day.  (Feel free to laugh if you live in the northern/mountain states, but 8 inches is a decent amount of snowfall in 12 hours.)

Jason and the boys got Wednesday and Thursday off this week.  Not that it was really all that bad on Thursday, but the back roads in our county had yet to be plowed and not all the schools in Jason's county had been de-iced.  But, I have decided that two snow days is just about right.  More than that and the novelty wears off and the boys start begging to play on any electronic device they can think of like they are junkies.  And with 60 degree temps right around the corner, this weather totally reminds me of Colorado.  Fantastic.

Of course, we are still getting stink bugs in the house periodically and that brings me right back to the harsh reality that this is not Colorado.  At which point, I cry.

Okay, not really.  But almost.

Anyway, I would love to fill you in on our idyllic days sledding, drinking hot chocolate and warming ourselves around a cozy fire, but then I would be lying.  We did do a lot of shoveling.  I did do a lot of catching up in my classes.  The boys played lots of games and generally ran around the house like the savages that I sometimes am convinced they are.

However, the boys weren't actually interested in playing in the snow.   My mother, if she were dead, would be rolling around in her grave.  As it is, she is very much alive and will probably give me a good talking to this weekend.  But the snow was wet and heavy and I was not about to force them into an activity that would require a ton of clean-up on my end when I was trying desperately to be deeply immersed in blood (Anatomy and Physiology) and emerging adulthood (Developmental Psychology).

In any case, it is all over now.  Everyone who is supposed to be at school on Fridays is at school today.  And Ben and I get our quiet house back.  It was a nice break, but it is also very nice that it is over.

A Wee Bit Chilly

Our library received a grant to put together these awesome nature backpacks.  The one on local plants should be really interesting once the trees have leaves and flowers have buds.  This week we borrowed the one on "Rocking Rocks" (lightsaber not included).  I took look inside and realized that there might be a belt loop's worth of activities for Josh if we took it to a park.

Which, of course, is a good excuse to take the boys and their BFF's to the park.  I should probably have taken a little peek at the weather channel before heading out (snow, really?).  But with coats and gloves and plenty of running around the boys managed to keep warm.

An hour or so later and we did finally get around to learning some about geology.

Pinewood Derby

Today was the Pinewood Derby.  It was initially scheduled for sometime in January, but it was rescheduled and rescheduled and rescheduled to today.  Which may make it seem as though we would have had so much time to perfect Josh's car.  But really it meant that I was out buying a precut car on February 27th instead of sometime in January.

Hooray for procrastination! So then Josh painted and Jason added weights and wheels.  And a few hours later, the car rolled forth to fourth place!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Yesterday was Parent-Teacher conference day.  Since the boys are doing well and I have emailed their teachers recently, I figured it was a good day to pack up some friends and snacks in the minivan and head out on an adventure.

First up - Frying Pan Farm Park.  This place has three great attributes: it's free, you can touch farm animals, and there are lots of open places to run.  Perfect for eight children all under the age of nine.  (And no, I am not crazy enough to take eight kids somewhere on my own - I only brought five, my friend brought her three.)

The kids got to play on the :farm equipment" and see horses, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, turkeys, and chickens.

Next up on our excellent adventure was the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum.  A place which I am sure has been done to death on this blog, but here it is again!

It was a really fun.  Or, at least I hope that is what the kids thought.  The kids did a lot of running and a lot of talking and a lot of posing for pictures.  By the time the museum was closing and we had to go, the kids looked pretty tired.  Mission accomplished!  And then we all came home and Mommy curled up on the couch and spent a couple of hours recovering.