From the swirling thoughts in my head

I struggle to turn my brain off.  I muse, over-analyze, and generally over-think almost everything in my life.   I can drive myself crazy so in an attempt to shake some of these things out of my head, I'm going to provide you with a narration of my thought process this morning.....

Money.  How do we make ends meet?  Are we willing to make the sacrifices needed to truly get ourselves on better footing?  Do we have a choice?  Why does it seem to disappear as fast as we earn it?

Friends.  Am I a good friend?  How can I connect more?  Do the boys need outside playmates?  Should I be more proactive in arranging playdates?  Would restarting a Moms' group be in my best interest?

Jobs.  When do I need to go back to full-time work?  What kind of job am I qualified for?  Is it possible for me to be a stay-at-home mom indefinitely?  What if the parents of the children I am supposed to babysit for in the fall are unable to find jobs?

Family.  Why haven't I scheduled a visit to my only living Grandma's house?  Are the boys connected to their extended family?  Am I a good daughter, wife, mother, cousin, aunt???? Why do I still wish to have more children when there are days I can't handle the three I have?

My place in life.  I'm happy as a stay-at-home mom, but should I want more?  Am I wasting my talents by staying home?  What are my talents?  

My health.  If I really want to lose weight why am I sitting at the computer?  Why can't I convince my 34 year-old self to eat healthier?  Are vegetables evil?

And so it goes....my brain, the endless diatribe.  Happy weekend.

Jack Hanna is my Hero

Good news - No one woke up in the middle of the night last night.  It would have been a nice peaceful night of sleep if only I had gone to bed at a more normal hour for me (9:30 PM instead of the very late 11:45 PM).

Bad news - Waking up this morning was hell.  John came down at 6 AM on the dot.  Not so bad because he'll climb into bed and let a sleepy mommy snuggle for a while.  Just has we had settled under the covers Andrew wakes up, calling for his animals and permission to leave his bed.  John hops out and heads to Andrew's room.  Andrew refuses to budge but continues to call for me so up I get.  The minute he sees me he begins with a steady string of "Jack Anna, Zoo Baby...."  Meanwhile, I have noticed that his diaper has leaked and he needs to be changed.  Apparently Andrew has decided that we are now a clothing and diaper optional household and refuses to let me cover his bottom.  After five minutes of epic screaming and kicking (Andrew) and restraining and bribing (me), I manage to get both diaper and pants back on the littlest Anderson.  Now, I am enjoying a brief moment of internet bliss as the boys partake in Jack Hanna's Zoo Life - Zoo Babies video.

Nothing calms a screaming Andrew like a little Jack Hanna in the morning.  Although, couch battles have begun, Sam is asking for a band-aid and Andrew is on the move.  Looks like my internet retreat is over; hopefully, this is no indication on how the rest of the day will proceed.

The Adventures Begin

Yet another day of beginnings and endings in the Anderson household today.  Ben walked a little 5K boy to the bus stop this morning and I picked up a first-grader this afternoon.  Starting in the fall, we will have a full-fledged elementary school student in our midst complete with homework, no more nap and all that a more heavily academic school day brings.  Sam will follow John to Milwaukee German Immersion in the fall as well.  Time for me to start learning some German....sprechen zie Deutsch?

As John joins the ranks of those at home for the summer, Ben departed for Europe this afternoon.  10 days, 3 or 4 countries, and yet another trip with high school students.  Since I will be the lone parent for several days and Ben will be surrounded by high schoolers in a foreign lands, perhaps I should take wagers on which of us will lose our sanity first.  About eight hours into our little adventure, I am holding my own.  I wish it wouldn't be so light out so late; it's harder to convince the boys to go to bed when the sun is still in the sky.  Not to worry, the calvary arrives tomorrow in the form of my parents.

And so I close with a photo of the boys and I playing in their world upstairs.  Although the photo is now a month or two old, their favorite activities haven't changed much - Legos and trucks and planes and animals.  John, the photographer, likes to build planes from Legos.  Andrew loves his animals and getting in his older brothers' way.  Sam loves moving Lego pieces about the table with his other trucks.  Today he was loading the "trash" into trucks in Paris (France, not Texas).