If it is not fun we're done!

For those of you who remember tonight was gymnastics night in the CamMad house. Tonight I went with Child1. The usual crew was there except for their fearless leader, Coach Lisa. The kids were in the capable hands on her daughter, Coach Tiff, and her best friend, Coach Britt. The class was not as smooth but that's the difference with an adult and a high schooler vs. 2 high schoolers. Anyway...

They decided to do something a little different tonight. Everyone was excited to try some new stuff. For the age group it was a challenge for them to do leaps and jumping forward rolls. Some picked it up quickly and some didn't. Child1 was one of those in the not so quick pick up. I could see frustration and self-esteem issues starting to come out. During the break I talk to Child1 and asked a simple question. Are you having fun tonight?

Had the answer to the question been "no" we would have been out of there because if gymnastics is no longer fun for Child1 then it's not an extra activity to put the child through. Don't get me wrong I not saying Child1 would have quit but this type of activity is suppose to be more fun than perfection of execution. I will fully admit now that my child is not the one of the most coordinated or athletic ones out there but the child has a lot of fun. The type of class we signed up for was based on the expectation level of experience and fun.

Fortunately Child1 was having fun. I told the child that having fun was the most important thing and everything else would take care of itself. In the adult world, if you are not enjoying what your doing change it up. If you enjoy what you do the rest will take care of itself. That is one of the mantras that I live my life by. There are times that I have to be reminded of it or I challenge but I always seem to come back to that mantra. Hopefully CamMad will come to understand what that mantra means and adopt it.

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What's wrong with this picture?

Tonight this will be a short post. I didn't make my normal travels today so I'm still getting caught up on the day as we speak. I'm a little afraid because CamMad didn't put up a big fight about sleep despite the fact they had their "caffine" shot, bath-time. I'm not sure if this is a sign that the night sleep will not be restful for anyone in the CamMad household. Only time will tell.

Fine, if you not done I'll make you be done!

That was the feeling that Child2 gave tonight at dinner. CamMad sat at their mini-table with the plastic chairs. When Child2 was done and wanted to get up the entertainment started. The plastic chair does not move (slide) very well so when Child2 was done the table was picked up (yes there was food on the plates and drinks in the cups) everything slid off the table and onto the floor. On one hand you want to laugh because you would expect something like that on a sitcom but on the other hand (the one that was going to have to clean the mess up) you want to cry! Child1 handled it well as I was not looking forward to either reaction. Everything was cleaned up and Child2 was for a moment the center of everyone's universe in the land of CamMad.

Everything else is quiet on the homefront of CamMad. The weather is getting better and so is CamMad's spirits!

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Compliments for CamMad

For those of you who know me I'm not good at accepting compliments. In most cases the compliments are my level of expectation so I don't feel people need to go out of their way to provide the compliment. Over the last few days I've been hearing a lot of compliments about CamMad and in directly the 'rents. The compliments have been centered around how easy-going or well-manner CamMad is around their peers or in social situations. Usually I hear "Well their behavior is a reflection of your parenting." I will usually humor the person and say thank you but in my head I'm saying "That's what I expect and if they aren't please let me know." I need to do a better job of just accepting the compliment.

Good night one and all, as 24 is getting started and I'm about to veg out.

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Whoa baby

This weekend has been a good one (I'm not sure if Parent2 would agree). I've taken some much needed rest. This cold fools you. I feel good in the morning but by the afternoon I'm feeling yucky. Go me!

Besides satisfying my personal needs CamMad has had a good weekend. They did a lot of playing. I heard a lot of Child2 saying "Whoa baby!" whenever something good happened. They entertained our neighbor across the street. Today we went to visit some of my relatives who are looking for a home in the area. CamMad got to play with their cousin and everyone was happy.

On the way home we stopped off at a maple syrup stand and watched them take the sap and turn it into syrup. We avoided the hour+ line to get into the pancake breakfast. We didn't buy any syrup because the labels were generic with a stick on containing the farm. I'm all for supporting local farms but I want to support a local farms that produce their own. I question whether this farm makes their own or if they are part of a co-op. Okay I'll get off my soapbox...

When we came home we started "Spring Cleaning". I started in on the garage getting ready for my annual clean out. As a family we made a little game picking up sticks off of the lawn. I can still hear CamMad "...five six pick up sticks".

It is now official I've won the CamMad NCAA Pool by the fact that Connecticut lost. Our brackets are the exact same at this point and I was leading by 6 points and Parent2 had UConn winning which would have caused a tie. Nice try Parent2. I'll try to pick somewhere other than Margarita's. I'm not sure what it will be but it won't be a seafood speciality or McDonalds, Wendy's, or Burger King.

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The end of another work week

CamMad has made it through another work week without any major incidents. Today's major highlight was Child1's discovery of rub art. Child1 while waiting for school to start up used the toy that came with the Wendy's Kid Meal and found that pictures can be created instantly by rubbing a colored pencil or crayon over a piece of plastic. If other things in life were that easy.

Nothing huge over the weekend, CamMad is going to visit some of my cousins that they really look up to. Which will be nice for the 'rents as there is built in entertainment for a couple of hours allowing us to engage in conversations with other adults. How sad is that we need to pawn off CamMad in order to have conversations with other adults? Pretty Sad!

If we get motivated maybe we will go to enjoy Maple Sunday across the state. It might be a good idea for CamMad to try some pancakes with real Maple Syrup. Thinking back to last year's Maple Sunday there was snow on the ground! Yikes, we really had a mild winter.

I hope everyone has a great weekend out there in blog world.

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Sleep is that one thing...

Remember back to the movie "City Slickers" the one that featured Billy Crystal and Jack Pallance. The memorable scene of the movie was Curley pointing his finger at Mitch and saying life is about finding that one thing. Mitch asks what "it" is and Curley's response was that "it" was different for each person. Well I think I know what "it" is for CamMad and family...sleep.

Last night the giant meltdown Child1 had was cured by an extra hour of sleep (big deal as Child1 fights sleep with a passion). Child2 did not have a great night of sleep and was off this morning but after a 3 hour nap (on par with Sheepish's naps when she is not in school) Child2 was back to the perky self that everyone else knows. Unfortunately right now Child2 is driving me bonkers with the constant chatter.

Even the 'rents find that sleep is crucial. I can speak for myself but when I'm just about over my head with the amount of work that needs to be done I regenerate with an extra hour or two of sleep. On an interesting note there is a great article on the back page of the March 13th issue of Time magazine. One of the insights I found out was sleeping only 6 hours a night for a week makes you as tired on the seventh night as if you had had no sleep at all. Wow! That explains a lot. The given assumption is that the average night of sleep is 8 hours.

What does it all mean? We are always looking for time in our schedules to maximize sleep. Unfortunately it doesn't always work that way. Just remember when you're feeling sluggish make the time to get some extra sleep.

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Sheepish, where are you?

Sheepish Annie where are you? Your flock misses your daily tales. Not to mention we miss the pictures of the cats!

Come back to us please!

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Give me aches and pains and take the cough away

Can I say how much the cough with this cold is more annoying than the aches and pains that occur in stage 1?

Enough with me I'm sure you're here to find out about CamMad. As I type Child1 is having a super-meltdown over the box she was using as the second home/jack-in-the-box. I can't say I blame the child. Having a favorite (okay in the moment) object no longer be useful is very sad and traumatic. My condolescences go out to Child1.

Child2 got to spend quality time with Grammy. Child2's cousin was home sick. The child got to play all of the favorite games. Child1 came over to join the fun while I was getting my haircut. They played a trick on me when I got back. They tried to scare me by hiding and jumping out when I came in to the room :).

Hopefully we can have some good family tonight and we can figure out a good solution for Child1. Tomorrow is Thursday, ugh! Just remember we've only got 53 more school days and only 43 more shopping days before we have a birthday in the CamMad house.

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What does it all mean?

This morning I tried to stick to the routine as much as possible even though it is a workshop day. I check in at the school and make arrangements for a ride to the site and continue to do my work. Next thing I hear is, "Are you ready to go?" Not good timing to be multitasking, as I was burning CDs on one computer, installing a new program on another computer, listening to iTunes, and trying to get plans for tomorrow situated. By the time I was able to pack everything up and try to catch my ride I thought for sure the ride would have left and I would have been stuck riding the school bus! Thankfully my ride was waiting and I wasn't even the last person to arrive.

Arriving at the site was not an issue I had a good conversation. I went to the keynote speech and found people I knew, connected with others I have seen in years, and decided to get settled in. Upon the unpacking I put down my water on what I thought was a stable surface. Next thing I know I watch my water bottle screem down the isle. My thought at that point was "No luck finding that in this crowd." After sitting through a discussion that if I hadn't read the book I might have gotten a lot out of I ate lunch and decided to go back to look for the bottle. Even though it took 2 passes the bottle was 3 rows in front of where I was (I even knew the people sitting there). What does it all mean?

The rest of the day was uneventful.

As I'm writing this CamMad is starting their Monday night meltdowns. Too busy during the day in a different environment without the added benefit of waking up when they feel like. Each of them wants the other one to play what they want and don't understand why the other one doesn't want to play that game. Child1 is also melting over the dredded dessert. Child2 hasn't been eating much of a dinner so dessert has to wait until after the wee little one has gone to bed. Sometimes the wait is too much! I can understand.

Will this cough ever go away? Will I ever get my full energy back for more than a day? Only time will tell.

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This is not fair...

CamMad is doing well, health-wise, but I'm another story. Sleep can do wonders either it makes you feel better or accelerates any sickness. Okay that's an observation not necessarily a fact but the full moon and children observation is pretty widely held as fact. Anyway I woke up feeling fine just a lingering cough but throughout the day this "cold" has crept back and taken a strangle hold. I'm glad it is the weekend so I may properly combat this "cold" and be ready to go for Monday morning.

We had a nice morning as a family. In a traditional Saturday morning we kept it low-key. After grocery shopping we spent family time outside (that's when the cold hit me) enjoying February fresh air. Oh that's right we're in March, late March to be exact when the high temperature should be in the mid-40's not mid 30's. It was still nice to get outside and let CamMad burn some necessary energy. Some people may say we, as a family, may not be as social with CamMad but I treasure every moment that I spend with them.

Glad to hear that Sheepish came through the dentist's chair and that CamMad will not need to feed the cats.

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Energy back aches gone

Yeah me! I woke up this morning without aches and pains that I've had for the last two days. I actually had energy to tackle things at work. Now the cough has moved in but maybe it won't stay long. While I'm on the health front, best of luck to Sheepish on her upcoming visit (or should I say judgement) with her best bud dentist. I'll be thinking of you tomorrow.

Back on the CamMad front, tonight was another gymnastics night. It is pretty amazing to see the evolution of Child1's ability in gymnastics. It is not like the Olympics are in our future but the coordination, confidence, and friendships have grown. Keep up the great work, I'm proud of you!

Child2 is really starting to develop a personality. It is a lot of fun listening to the conversations this lass puts together. Today, Child1 fell asleep before gymnastics and Child2 tried to wake the sleeping giant. Names will be changed to protect the young, "Mindy, Mindy, Mindy up!" "Mindy awake" "Mindy up up up!" The child was downright upset that Child1 did not wake up! The language has really developed over the last month. I'm continually amazed at how much children learn in just a few years! Child2 is going to either by a bruiser or a charmer.

Tonight starts a stat junkie dream, the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. The 'rents have their little house pool. The winner either gets their choice of where dinner will be or what the other person will cook. Guess what I'm going to choose if I win! If you're not sure ask Child1 about Parent2's cooking! (I love you honey!)

Good night all, parting is such sweet sorrow.

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I feel like a dementor found me

Today I woke up re-energized and ready to tackle the day. A foolish thought for certain. Shortly after being at work I felt like I did last week, sapped of energy and enthusiasm. Unfortunately I went through the rest of the day feeling like a dementor found me and sucked all of the life out of me. By the time I got home the little things that CamMad sent my way felt like monumental tasks. I'm just hoping a good night of sleep reverses this feeling.

On the CamMad front, it was so nice seeing their reaction when they got home yesterday to find me home. Within a hour their attentions focused back on the Parent2. Oh well, maybe I need to be away for a few days to see a longer focused quality time with CamMad. Nothing noteworthy has happened to CamMad today worthy of blogging about. Just a quick note before I sign off, CamMad's cousin got a negative report on their tests for Hirschsprung's disease. They still don't know what it is but this a big relief to everyone.

Good night from the little slice of life I call CamMad.

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What a great start to the morning

Wow what a start to the day! I woke up before my alarm (go figure I can sleep in) to see the sunrise over the ocean. This is something I take for granted based on where I live but I'm still amazed at the beauty of it. I wished I was in a room where I could have gotten a clean shot to include because words could not describe the beauty. I was able to take a relaxing shower and not feel rushed. I do miss the hustle and bustle of getting CamMad ready for the day but I will survive.

Onto a day of thought provoking conversation and no students or headaches at work, for now at least.

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A fish in a different pond

Tonight I'm blogging not from my home or any family member's house but from a fancy hotel room.
I'm attending a workshop with a national speaker. Tonight was the opening session. The speaker gave me a lot to think about (which is a good thing). Just a note as much as I complain or comment about the night-night routine I really missed it tonight. I miss going upstairs to give Child2 a good night hug when summond and I miss the quality time with Child1.

Back to the discussion tonight, the theme of the discussion was centered around the school of the future, 2012 to be exact, and the role of technology. There were a lot of things I agree with the speaker on but I can't seem to shake this feeling that a virtual world needs to have a human element in order for humans to have the accountability factor that the Internet gives such a false sense of today. By 2012 CamMad will be hovering around that pre-teenager phase (oh my goodness) and I can't imagine or is it that I don't want to think about what life is going to be like.

Parents today feel a disconnect with the technology that is integrated into a teenagers life I'm fascinated with the prospects of what it will be like. Today it is myspace, ipods, IM, and cell phones who knows what it will be in 6 years or so. With Moore's Law technology in 6 years will be radically different. The type of computing capabilities that corporations have know will be smaller (really small-think ipod micron) and integrated with everyday items like a pair of glasses or contact lenses. Technology will only be limited by the imagination.

What a Brave New World CamMad will live in.

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How long does it take for CamMad to walk a lap?

What do you do when it's 50+ degrees outside, sunny, and going away tomorrow? Sheepish would say stay inside but CamMad says go out and take a walk. CamMad and the 'rents went out for a walk around the block (in our case it is a circle). I don't think these kinds of walks are always relaxing and calming due to my long legs and the short legs of CamMad. I want to walk where CamMad wants to play tag and do things children do. Today was one of those walking experiences.

Normally I skip these type of walks but I'm going out of town tomorrow so I wanted to do the "family thang." I know that everyone else enjoyed the "family thang" and that's what is most important. Child2 wanted to climb the big hill and I wasn't going to let that happen because there is only so much daylight. I carried Child2 up to the top of the hill and I kept hearing "Daddy down!" Child1 used this opportunity to get some of the energy out of the body, which hopefully will mean a peaceful night of sleep. We can only hope!

All in all this was a nice way to end a family day!

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Spending some quality time today

Saturday rituals are always welcome with CamMad. Saturday mornings usually mean cartoons, French Toast Sticks, playing with the 'rents, and just relaxing in PJ's. Today is no different. The 'rents are doing some cleaning, opening of windows trying to air out the house while enjoying the nice weather outside.

Yesterday was the traditional 3 month pilgramage to SMMC to get the bloodwork done for Child2 for the upcoming doctor's visit. The results weren't great but I'm sure the doctor will say that there isn't anything to panic about at this time. Speaking of hospitals and yesterday CamMad's cousin came through like a trooper. They should know something early next week if there needs to be any further procedures.

I should get back to doing the housework as well as getting ready for the grocery shopping. I'll have more later in the day.

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I just want to be left alone...

This was the cry not from one of the 'rents but from Child1 on the car ride home today. Sometimes the car ride home can be very relaxing to a point where CamMad fall asleep, certainly not the driver! Today was one of those days for Child1. The only problem was Child2 was wide awake and needed Child1's help. All I could hear was the cry for help coming out of Child2. Normally the cry is directed to one of the 'rents but it was quite humorous listening to the siblings talking. Child1 was getting so frustrated because helping Child1 was the last thing on the brain (turn around is fair play) but I don't think I could have made the point without having something hurled at me (comments or objects). Not much else is going on in the world of CamMad-which is a very good thing.

I'm hoping that the warmer weather is here to stay. Child1 is enjoying outside recess-despite the mud that comes with it. Child2 will enjoy the idea of playing outside. Child 1 will be able to ride the bike and go back to doing chalk drawings on the driveway. Personally, warmer weather will mean golf season is right around the corner. We can only hope the warmer weather stretch is not here on vacation but planning to put down it's roots for a lengthy stay in the world of CamMad.

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Edgar is Dead

Okay I'll admit it, I have a 24 problem. It is one of my favorite shows and tonight's double episode did not disappoint. Even though one of my favorite characters, Edgar Stiles, is dead!

Long live the genius that is Edgar. He may not have had the social skills to impress. He was just a big teddy bear who was a computer genius. Utlimately his good nature cost him his life as he was checking on a co-worker who was murdered (he didn't realize it until it was too late).

Now I've got to be all of my eggs in the Chloe basket!

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Rush, rush, rush, we must be done in time for 24

That title describes my afternoon. I've been busy bee doing as many of the have-tos because when 8:00 rolls around I want to be able to enjoy 2 hours of 24 on my schedule. Dishes are done, living room is slightly picked up, clothes are picked out for the morning, replaced the toilet lever (very very important), and spent some quality time with CamMad. I even snuck in some time to deal with work issues. Now I can relax and finish picking up the living room (thank goodness for commercials) while watching 24. I'm not hooked on the show, I know hooked and I'm not hooked!

Today was one of those no rhythm type of days. Unfortunately I think it is going to be one of those type of weeks. I've taken the attitude, don't sweat it and what will happen will happen whether you stress over it or not. Today that attitude paid off. I'm hoping success will continue throughout the week.

CamMad had a good day. Child1 got to spend some quality time Parent2 due to a meeting that kept me at work late. The weather was nice so Child1 was also able to play outside and get some necessary fresh air. We are hoping that Child2 is on the downside of the cold, or we hope! Unfortunately for us Child2 has the runny poops. The room lingers of a smell like halitosis. (okay this will be one of my 24 moments, Tony just realized that Michelle [his wife] is dead)

While I'm on the topic of Child2 it is amazing how quickly people can see changes. Over the last couple of weeks we've noticed the increase in clarity and vocabulary. People forget that people learn more in the first few years of life than they do over the next dozen years or so. The human brain and body are amazing machines. I wish we could harness more of that brain power to accomplish so much more as a society.

Catching up with the events of the weekend, Sheepish was a tremendous help as we did our part to make sure the MEAD State Competition ran as smooth as possible. We probably set a speed record in getting everything scanned and results printed. I'm not bragging but we did a great job and enjoyed some equally great music throughout the day. We even made some new friends. Probably our newest and best friend is Ben! Ben made our life interesting in the first hour. I had our worries that we were going to get way behind but we got to Ben like CTU agents.

Sunday was a nice family day in concept. There were some points when CamMad would act as a Clingon to Parent2. Causing stress for the both of us. Hopefully CamMad will develop the skills to lessen the strangle hold on Parent2 and place some of it on me or it will be a long childhood for everyone.

Another random thought coming to the front of the brain, all of us here at the House on the Hill are praying for a positive outcome from Friday's biopsy with CamMad's cousin. We've been down that road and may need to back down that road and realize it is not fun for either party (child or parent). The positive spin needs to be the knowledge that you will know what you're dealing with to make sure CamMad's cousin.

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What a week I'm wiped

This has been a good week at work. Today was a little more chaotic. Some people at work were missing adding to my stress level. But at the end of the day I'm still standing.

The homefront presents some new challenges. Child2 came home not feeling well. The child has a cold with a fever. No fun! I'm hoping that this is not the start of the family gettting sick.

Child1 was named Student of the Month. We are all very proud of the accomplishment our child made in the classroom. Keep up the great work and continue to be a model for others.

Now I've got to get myself ready for tomorrow. Sheepish and I are going to spend a non-school watching the State's best and brightest flex their academic muscles. Fortunately I will not be running the show just scoring it. Hopefully I can get Internet access tomorrow but I will survive if I don't.

I'm exhausted and need to get some needed rest before tomorrow. Good night everyone.

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A little disappointing 'Idol'

Today has been a very full day. A pretty good day at work. There wasn't any watershed moments to cause me to think of the countdown. Thank you everyone at work!!!!!!

Parent2 emailed with the news that the car was ready and that I didn't have to pick up Child2. When the news was broken to Child1 I got a sarcastic "oh shucks!" What to do with time on your hands and a paycheck in your pocket...Wal-Mart. The only condition that Parent2 gave me was to pick up something for dinner. Today we went all over the store picked up a variety of different things (razors, saline, belts, diapers, glass bowls, spatula, dove chocolate, etc) with no particular rhyme or reason other than I haven't been able to go since we were a one car family. Eventually we made our way home without buying any toys for CamMad!!!!

When we got home we opened up a donation of clothes from someone at work whose child has outgrown and didn't want it taking up space. We got so much stuff it was as if Child1 got a whole new wardrobe. Thank you :)

I made dinner and I was starting to eye some of the Walmart goodies: dove dark chocolate, cool whip, coconut. This would become dessert in a little while. I made my first REAL effort in dessert making: Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles rolled in Coconut. The attempt was modeled after a reverse Mounds candy. Yes, Sheepish I will bring some Saturday at the Academic Decathlon competition. I gave them the taste test and it wasn't too bad. The peanut butter was a little strong (necessary) but it doesn't need to be the dominant flavor. I think before Saturday's events I will have a better batch for us to enjoy while watching high school students demonstrate their academic muscles.

By the time I got all of the have-tos out of the way it was time for American Idol. I have to admit it now, I not impressed with this week's crew. I was constantly turning it over to Deal or No Deal. I can't believe that last lady didn't push it farther. She was definitely second guessing herself as Howie was playing devil's advocate. Idol is going to step it up if they want me to continue to count on me to watch.

Tomorrow is my long-long day: hard day at work and gymnastics for Child1. Wish me luck as I balance all of these little projects hoping not to let any of them fall.

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