What does night time look like at Casa de Mad Mama?
Well, it's pretty crazy until at least 8:30! We have soccer at least twice a week, so with late school dismissal (4pm), we are fairly rushed to get home, do homework, eat a snack (or early dinner) and get to practice. We have church on Wednesdays, so our only evenings at home are, well, non-existent. This time of year is the worst...Soccer for H, Volleyball for L, political events, fundraisers, meetings for J and I both. This week, we have had something every single night. Tomorrow night is a (freezing cold) soccer game. It's pretty exhausting, but we try to have the kids home and in bed by 8:30 every single night and we almost always keep that routine. Oh, and basketball - NBA basketball that is. Can't forget that we have season tickets, which keeps the two who go to the game out until 10pm once a week or so(we skip a lot during the winter - it's cold and late!).
Once the kids are in bed and it's quiet, I like to catch up on my DVR, take a bath, or read. Sometimes all three. J is away from the house probably 3 weeknights every week, when he isn't traveling. If he does happen to be here, he's working until 9:30 or so. We like to try to watch a show or at least Jimmy Fallon together every night. I TRY to get to sleep by 11 every night but a lot of times it's closer to midnight.
Speaking of schedules, I am thinking of doing some weekly posts about things I love or am interested in...something like this:
Mondays - Meal planning for the week...my meals are pretty boring due to our crazy schedule, but I like having a plan!
Tuesdays - TV!! I love TV and watch WAYYYYYY too much...maybe just a little chatting about TV land?
Wednesdays - Wishful thinking - links to things (probably clothes and shoes!!) that I love.
Thursday - Thoughts for the week - what's going on around here, what's bugging me, what's new in my world...
Friday - Books! What I'm reading or hoping to read soon.
The weekends will either be blog-less or just random content...what do you think? (I'm not sure who I think will comment, as I haven't shared this with a soul - YET!)
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Surely you aren't interested...
I can't imagine that anyone else loves to hear about mundane everyday life, but I love to read details about other bloggers' lives. I thought maybe I would share about my days...they are never the same twice in a row, but my morning routine is consistently inconsistent!
My alarm is set for 6am, 7 days a week. It is rare for the alarm to actually wake me, however. We have an elderly dog who needs to go out most days by 5:15, so I generally wake to her complaints and lay there for a few minutes to see if she is going to hush or not. Mainly not. I get up, let both dogs out, turn on the Keurig and usually restart the dryer from the night before. Let the dogs in, make my coffee and read on the internet until 6:30am or so. Sometimes I empty the dishwasher (if I remember to run it the night before) and set out the lunch boxes, but sometimes I am just lazy. Usually H is up by 6:30, so I chat with him a minute, fold some laundry and try to get in the shower by 6:45...we really kick it into high gear at 7. Breakfast for the kids, husband up and in the shower, everyone getting dressed, packing backpacks, lunches, gym bags. Husband leaves around 7:30 and I finish getting myself dressed and ready. I work three days a week, but on the other two, I still get dressed. On my work days, we leave by 8am...drop the kids at my parents and I head to work. Their schools start at 9, so my parents take them for me (such a blessing). On my non-work days, we leave the house at 8:15, drop H for breakfast at his school and head to the middle school car line. Late start schools have some advantages, but it's not an easy schedule for working parents.
Today is a work day, so I better finish up and hit the shower. Although, my space heater and coffee cup are so very tempting...
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Not sure how this happened...
Somehow, I have become a soccer mom over the last 5 years. My son, H, plays competitive soccer. I told my husband just today that sometimes I just wish my kids didn't play sports at all. It's all too heart-wrenching for me. I don't want them to lose, don't want them to cause their team to lose, don't want them to get hurt, don't want them to get yelled at by the coach. But, at the same time, I know that sports are important, that they are learning a ton about life and how the world works. Mainly, they LOVE to play. If they didn't, we'd go on and go to the house. There are plenty of books to read and my DVR is full.
Today began a new season of club soccer. We pretty much play only in tournaments 2-3 weekends a month. This is also a concern, because we are a regular church attending/mom works at the church/my kids actually love our church kind of family. H has to miss quite a bit because of soccer. So far, we have made it work, but I'm not sure when the sacrifice will become too much. Right now it works.
L, our daughter, plays basketball and volleyball. She is hoping to make her school teams next school year, so we are doing instructional and recreational leagues and camps this summer to help her develop her skills.
In case you were wondering, I am the LEAST athletic person ever. I played recreational sports growing up, but I liked the socializing and snacks. I am not personally competitive at all. As in, I never really cared if we lost 85-10 in basketball, not a single bit. Give me a run at the concession stand and a friend to talk to, and I was a happy girl.
On the other hand, my husband is very athletic. He is competitive and super knowledgeable about ALL sports. He played basketball, baseball, and soccer (and probably other stuff too) for a very long time. Thankfully, our kids got his athletic ability.
So, for now, I will be the soccer mom. I'll make sure the uniforms are washed and ready (alternate jersey in the bag), the cleats fit and the water jug full. I'll get them to practice and games and hold my breath when H has to play keeper or L has to shoot free throws. I'll cringe as part of my heart runs his little legs off or battles against girls twice her size under the basket. I'll be their biggest cheerleader and the one who will do her best to be on the sideline every game and give out hugs no matter the outcome. Hopefully, they will look back one day and say, "My mom loved to watch me play."
Today began a new season of club soccer. We pretty much play only in tournaments 2-3 weekends a month. This is also a concern, because we are a regular church attending/mom works at the church/my kids actually love our church kind of family. H has to miss quite a bit because of soccer. So far, we have made it work, but I'm not sure when the sacrifice will become too much. Right now it works.
L, our daughter, plays basketball and volleyball. She is hoping to make her school teams next school year, so we are doing instructional and recreational leagues and camps this summer to help her develop her skills.
In case you were wondering, I am the LEAST athletic person ever. I played recreational sports growing up, but I liked the socializing and snacks. I am not personally competitive at all. As in, I never really cared if we lost 85-10 in basketball, not a single bit. Give me a run at the concession stand and a friend to talk to, and I was a happy girl.
On the other hand, my husband is very athletic. He is competitive and super knowledgeable about ALL sports. He played basketball, baseball, and soccer (and probably other stuff too) for a very long time. Thankfully, our kids got his athletic ability.
So, for now, I will be the soccer mom. I'll make sure the uniforms are washed and ready (alternate jersey in the bag), the cleats fit and the water jug full. I'll get them to practice and games and hold my breath when H has to play keeper or L has to shoot free throws. I'll cringe as part of my heart runs his little legs off or battles against girls twice her size under the basket. I'll be their biggest cheerleader and the one who will do her best to be on the sideline every game and give out hugs no matter the outcome. Hopefully, they will look back one day and say, "My mom loved to watch me play."
Begin at the beginning...
Beginnings...makes me think of the song "Closing Time"....
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings' end"
Or something to that effect.
This is my blog. A place to dump the words. Every time I write a lengthy diatribe on Facebook, someone will say, "Do you have a blog?" I love to write. Love the written word. Grammar rules, vocabulary, etymology...all of it makes me happy.
Which brings me to the title..."Mad Mama Writes"...I'm not really "mad." Not in a general way. I GET mad, but I am uneasy about so many things in the world, in my life, in the place where I live. I am also "mad" in the nutty sense, mainly because my life is so chaotic.
Which leads me to my intro...I'm Stephanie, wife to J, and mother to L and H. Not sure yet if I will share their names on the blog, as they have VERY distinctive names and my husband is an elected official. Not so sure I want to be that available at this point! We live in a small, southern suburb connected to a large city. I work part-time as the Director of a preschool but work ALL THE TIME as the manager of our household, our schedules, and pretty much everything else that occurs around here. Our commitments are big and important, and I hope to be able to share a little "slice of life" - it's real, it's not always (or usually) pretty, but it's who I am.
What is the point of this blog? As stated above, I intend for this blog to be a "slice of life"...a picture of my days. I want to share the things I love with others. Let's just see how it goes, Hope you stay along for the ride!
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings' end"
Or something to that effect.
This is my blog. A place to dump the words. Every time I write a lengthy diatribe on Facebook, someone will say, "Do you have a blog?" I love to write. Love the written word. Grammar rules, vocabulary, etymology...all of it makes me happy.
Which brings me to the title..."Mad Mama Writes"...I'm not really "mad." Not in a general way. I GET mad, but I am uneasy about so many things in the world, in my life, in the place where I live. I am also "mad" in the nutty sense, mainly because my life is so chaotic.
Which leads me to my intro...I'm Stephanie, wife to J, and mother to L and H. Not sure yet if I will share their names on the blog, as they have VERY distinctive names and my husband is an elected official. Not so sure I want to be that available at this point! We live in a small, southern suburb connected to a large city. I work part-time as the Director of a preschool but work ALL THE TIME as the manager of our household, our schedules, and pretty much everything else that occurs around here. Our commitments are big and important, and I hope to be able to share a little "slice of life" - it's real, it's not always (or usually) pretty, but it's who I am.
What is the point of this blog? As stated above, I intend for this blog to be a "slice of life"...a picture of my days. I want to share the things I love with others. Let's just see how it goes, Hope you stay along for the ride!
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