Summertime

While my boys are not willing to call it summer until the actual summer solstice, and in the Pacific Northwest you can expect some rain until July 5th, to me it is summer. The boys are all out of school. There is no school drop off or pick up. No forms to remember. No need to make sure Hockey Boy has tennis shoes for Tuesday PE. Our schedule is wide open. Or at least it feels that way until we start all the camps, lessons and play dates of the summer. 

I remember a few years ago when all my kids were still with me all day, hearing a mom who had all school age kids saying how much she was looking forward to the summer. I was dismayed. She had all her kids at school and some time to herself and she wanted her kids home? Of course I was still in the midst of having to feed at least one of my kids and change all of their diapers at the time. I was left filling days and weeks with play dates and park runs, trips to the mall and mornings at the zoo because my schedule was open, blank, and I was lost in the vastness of no schedule. I would love to go back and apologize to that woman for my shocked face and incredulous attitude. Because I get it now. Our schedule is blank for just a few months and we can finally do all those things we used to do before they had school. Trips to the science museum, days at the beach, hanging out with friends while the kids play in the backyard. Relaxed times with flexible start and stop times. We can be ruled once again by our moods and desires instead of the clock and the pick up line.  

Here's to a good summer. And a few camps along the way to provide a bit of respite for all of us from one another.  

Twilight

My name is Jennifer. I am a Twilight Addict.  

I am not normally one to get caught up in the latest thing. And I had not planned on reading the books even after reading a number of my smart, literate, well read friends blog posts about how much they liked Twilight. But then I found myself about to get on a 2 hour flight with no book to read which to me is just wrong in so many ways. So I headed to the airport book shop and decided to give Twilight a try. I loved the book so much I ended up buying, not borrowing from the library, but buying the other three books in the series. So glad I did because I have read them all at least twice.

I definitely relate to the main character of Bella. I also was the parent in my relationship with my mom growing up. I was very independent at a young age. I have tied my fate to an amazing man in a way that often requires more of me than I knew I was able to give. And who doesn't love a sweet romance with a little conflict and tension thrown in to make things passionate and the stuff of fairy tales. 

But I think what I like most is that the books are a world of right and wrong, black and white, love and goodness. The real world, including my love story, is a place of greys, of compromises, of vagueness and even blandness at times. It is self sacrificing for people who will leave you at the end of the day and of dealing with bad choices in good people. It is unknown and unknowable. So I find myself escaping into the world of Bella and Edward, a safe world that ends happily ever after.

Overheard

Recently Middle Man has been insisting on boys only time when Daddy is home on the weekends. I know how much he loves me and since we get lots of time together all week long, I am a huge fan also of Boy Time. A few weekends ago, they hit Target for a bat, some balls and a hitting tee and then went to the school to play baseball. The Little One has been going out every day since to hit balls in the backyard. They sometimes get ice cream and run errands. Sometimes the park. I am not really sure what they do because it is Boy Time and there are no Mommies allowed. 

This morning, Daddy was wanting the boys to get dressed so they could go to Starbucks and then the toy store. While Starbucks is not always a huge draw, the toy store motivates and caused a rush to get ready. That was when I heard Middle Man ask his Daddy, "What should I wear? I want to look beautiful?" So sweet! And incredibly bizarre since this child normally pulls the first items out of his drawer, throws them on and wants to head out with his hair sticking up in all sorts of strange directions. I smiled and giggled to myself as I sat in the other room, not wanting to get in their way. His Daddy responded, "Handsome. Girls are beautiful. Boys are Handsome." And off Middle Man went to get dressed. 

Before they left I saw what Middle Man had chosen, a new Superman t-shirt and some royal blue running shorts. I told him he looked beautiful. He quickly replied, "handsome" and was on his way for Boy Time.  

Blogging

I don't really have a lot to write today. Nor did I have much to say yesterday. Or the day before. I wish I had some deep thoughts or amusing stories to share but I can't think of anything. And I hate the idea of writing something mundane. I could just not blog but then I get out of the habit of writing and a couple of days will turn into a week or a few weeks. And hopefully some of you have me on your favorites and if you are like me you are waiting for me to write something.

I was actually talking with a few friends last week about blogs and blogging.  Two of us are bloggers. I love to read what she writes and I have found that I feel a lot more connected to her now that I read her blog. The other two women don't blog and rarely read blogs. I am wondering if the people who blog and love to read blogs are the same people that love reality television. I started my voyeurism with The Real World on MTV when I was still in high school. I still remember Julie and Eric from the first season in New York. I have in the years since, grown a bit in my taste and while I will admit to watching The Hills on occasion, I moved on to A Wedding Story and then A Baby Story on TLC. Now I am in love with Tori and Dean and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List. I like seeing peoples' "real lives" so for me reading the blogs of people I know as well as the public blogs of people I don't know is reality in the written form. A perfect match for someone who loves to read and also really loves to feel connected to real people. 

And like reality television, I know that blogging is really only what I put out there. Not necessarily the hour by hour true story of my life. But if we sat down for coffee one day without kids, what I write is probably what I would share. I may sanitize some of the details. I may leave out the important parts, because I may not have figured out what is really going on in my head yet. But I would share what I was thinking and pondering. I would listen as you did the same.  We would laugh over the funny things our kids did, or come close to tears as we shared struggles with our spouses. I would prefer to share the cup of coffee and stories face to face. But time and distance does not always allow us to be together in the same room. And for some blogs I read, I wouldn't recognize the person if we met in a Starbucks line. 

So I grab a cup of coffee in the morning, and click through my list of blogs. And I feel connected.