Silver Linings

This week has me turned upside down. Mr. M's schedule has totally changed (he's working on the Ricki Lake show now) - and so he's been home a little more (excellent!) - but it's changed our whole schedule.   Just when you think you've got everything figured out - boom - it all changes!  ;-)
 



It's been raining a lot, and everything looks so green. Even our backyard is looking decidedly less brown. Haha! We've been spending more time outdoors - everything is so lush! Daisy Doodlebug has been inside with us a lot because if she goes outside, she gets so very muddy. I was cleaning off muddy dog paws a billion times per day, so now she is just inside with us unless she has to go out to you know...

I had Paprika's parent-teacher conference on Wednesday. I love her school and her teacher so much. Since Mr. M is working more nights now, I can volunteer in the classroom a little more since he is home during the day.

Yesterday, I filled in for another mom who couldn't make it to her volunteer time. I sat in the back of the classroom, cutting and sorting little craft projects. I helped a bunch of the kids learn how to make the number "8" and how to tell time (of course not Paprika since she's known all that for years - haha). Her class is so sweet - I get so much from going to it. Mr. M loves going, too. He says that I "hog" all the volunteer opportunities. Haha.



The swim team banquet was last night. They had Hawaiian food (surprisingly yummy!) - and a big pool party with fun music playing. Mr. M got in the pool with the girls before he had to go to work. Violet stayed with me and I could tell she wanted more than anything to get in that pool!

 Paprika got a little participation award and was so proud of it. I don't know if she got anymore awards because we had to leave before the award ceremony ended because Ginger was freezing, Violet was tired, and Mr. M had to go to work! But we stayed almost until the end...so I didn't feel so bad leaving a little early (and they were running over).



This week has also been a little crazy because well, on Friday, I lost feeling on half of my body.  My arms and legs were tingling, and then by Saturday, I couldn't feel anything.  I figured out that I had pinched a nerve from sleeping in a weird position, and I was basically immobilized. 

I remembered growing up and my Grandpa teaching me about pinched nerves.  He was a Chiropractor, and he taught me so much.  So, this past weekend, even though I was in a lot of pain, I thought of my Grandpa and that made me smile because even though he passed away, I often feel that he is still with me and his spirit is watching over me.  That was the silver lining of my pinched nerve and being in pain for the past week - it made me feel closer to my Grandpa and think of all the wonderful memories I have growing up with him.  Those memories are so very precious to me.




xoxo,
Erika

Thanksgiving Eve!

Today Mr. M had the WHOLE day off work (that hasn't happened in a very long time)! He also has all day tomorrow off work, too.  I had prepared myself for him having to work tomorrow, but as of now it looks like he has the day off.  Can I get a woo-hoo!  :-) 

This morning, we took the girls to the park and then out to lunch at Rubio's.   After that, I snuck off with some girlfriends to watch Breaking Dawn Part 2. It was such a guilty pleasure...I enjoyed every second of it!

After the movie, I made it home in time for the girls' swim lesson.   Yay!  Ginger had her private swim lesson - she is turning into a little fish.  She swears she's half mermaid and never wants to get out of the water.  ;-) 

Paprika's swim team has been playing water polo all week, since a lot of kids are out for the holidays. It has been so cute seeing her in the water with her little helmet and learning a new sport...even though I think she would rather pretend to play mermaids in the water than shoot a ball through a goal.

Ginger at her swim lesson:



Speaking of swimming, I keep forgetting to post  a photo of my little cover girl!  For the Fall catalog, her picture was inside the brochure.  For Winter, she is THE cover!  She is so proud of it.  I got a few copies...you know, just so I can say I knew her when.  ;-)




Happy Thanksgiving!!! :-)

It Was All Worth It!

On Friday, Paprika had a swim meet after school. She has been soooo excited about it, and I had signed her up for three events. The meet was the same day as the Turkey Trot at school. Can you imagine so much excitement in one day?!!! Haha.

The meet started at 5, and I picked Paprika up from school at 3. Mr. M was working late, and so I was taking all three kids to the swim meet by myself!  Violet had not napped yet that day, and she had slept horribly the night before (she is getting more teeth). She had been so fussy and clingly all day, and I knew she was just exhausted.

By the time I got everyone back in the car after school pick-up, it was 3:30. And then, just a few blocks from home, Violet fell asleep.
 
Now, I knew if we went home, she would wake up and it would completely ruin any chance of a nap. By the time she'd fall back asleep, it would be time to leave for the swim meet. Plus, it was raining.  I knew that if she didn't nap, she would be totally miserable at the swim meet and the whole thing would be a disaster.  So, I did what any other desperate mom would do. I kept driving!

We drove around for...oh, about two hours...while Violet slept. I had pens and paper in the car, and so Ginger and Paprika just drew quietly in the backseat. I also had a camera in the car, so the girls took turns taking pictures of things (with the flash off). We would stop the car and idle for a bit until Violet started to wake up...then once Violet started stirring, Paprika would signal me and then I'd get the van moving to help Violet stay asleep.
 
With the rain pattering on our van as we drove, it was so peaceful and relaxing for us all.  I'm glad we had that downtime because before I knew it, it was time for the swim meet...which was anything but peaceful! Haha!



So, when we got to the swim meet, Violet was still asleep.  I got Paprika dressed in the van and did everything I could to prolong Violet's nap, but eventually, it was just time to wake her up.  It was still raining and cold!  Paprika said she was going to go check-in with her coach, and so I let her do that while I got Ginger and Violet out of the van.  The meet was at our home pool, and she was going to check-in about 50 feet away, so I didn't think it was a big deal.

We were only about two minutes behind Paprika, but when we got to the pool, it was crowded with a sea of people - hundreds of kids and adults.  Paprika was nowhere to be found and I started freaking out.  It was dark.  I couldn't find her.  She was wearing the same outfit as everyone else.  Violet was so upset from being woken up, and Ginger wanted to run away from me! Nightmare!



Eventually, I did find her and got her all checked in with her coach.  Her three events could not have been more spaced out!  She was swimming in the 7th, the 30th, and the 66th race.  When I saw that she was basically swimming in the last race of the night, I about started crying. I texted Mr. M and begged him to come, but they were having a little emergency at work, so that was out of the question.  It was one of those parenting moments when you realize no one is coming to save you, so you are just going to have to figure out how to get through it.




We ended up in the employee lounge, which is off-limits to anyone but employees.  Since we practically live at that pool, we have been there before.  I just took the girls in there and sat them down and started playing "I Spy With My Little Eye" with them.  Then we did Knock Knock Jokes for an hour.  Then we made up some other silly games to pass the time.

I think the coaches felt sorry for me since I clearly was in over my head with a tired baby and a three year old.  So, they just let us hang out there.  I was glad because I really didn't want to stand in the dark, getting rained on for three hours with three tiny children all trying to run away from me.



I couldn't really hear the events being called from inside the office, so I asked Paprika's coach to come find us when it was time for her to swim.  Her first event came up fast.  She swam the 25 backstroke, and I am sorry to say that I have no idea how she did.  By the time I got over to the pool, she had already finished and was out of the pool.  Doh!  I felt so bad about it - I only knew she had swum because her goggles were wet.

Her second event was 25 breaststroke.  Ginger, Violet, and I all cheered her on for that event.  We stood at the end of the lane and were yelling like crazy for her.  I have no idea what place she came in because they were all so close.  But, I did notice that for the whole race, Paprika was looking to the side (instead of ahead).  I figured she was checking out her competition, so I asked her about it later. 

She said:  Oh mom, the lights over the pool were so beautiful, I just wanted to watch them the whole time. 

Then, after that event, we waited over an hour until the last event.  I decided at the last minute to record it, and I am so glad I did!  After almost losing my sanity over trying to keep tabs on everyone, calm Violet, not freeze to death, and stay dry...Paprika came in FIRST place in her final race of the night.  Everyone was kind of swimming the same pace, and then half-way through, Paprika just broke away and sped off wayyyy in front of everyone.  I was cheering...everyone was yelling her name.  It was perfect!

When Paprika got to the end, I told her she came in first, and she was SO HAPPY.  It was one of those peak parenting experiences that made everything up to that point worth it. 

And, the most exciting part for Paprika?  Getting a blue ribbon...because blue is her favorite color.  Of course it is!  ;-)

Growing Up Time!

Since Tuesday, I have had a terrible migraine. I am not sure what's causing it, but there it is. I usually just wait and hope that it will go away. Time (and patience) are sometimes the best medicine. But sometimes not. There's not a whole lot I can take for it since I am nursing Violet. Needless to say, it has been hard because Mr. M is working a lot, and well...there's no time off when you're a mom.

The girls have been so sweet to me. Paprika and Ginger have been picking up the house for me every night (all their toys) without me even asking. But still, it has been challenging taking care of everyone (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, bathtime, bedtime, etc.) and making sure that they get from place to place (school, swimming, homework, piano, etc.) all while battling this mind-numbing condition.

This migraine has included a great deal of nausea, so much so that I thought I must be pregnant! But I took a test, and it's a big nope on that one! ;-)



Even with me feeling so sick, the girls have been having fun. We always get to swimming a little early, and the big girls play in the grass together.



Ginger loves to chase Paprika and sit on her and tickle her. Paprika is a great sport! Ha!



These swim lessons have been amazing for Ginger. I wish she could do them year-round. She has been so happy since she started. She even wants to wear clothes and shoes again. Hallelujah! She gets herself dressed each morning, and when it's time for swimming, she goes and gets her swimsuit. We have just been amazed in the change in Ginger this past week. She is the happiest (and most well-behaved) I have seen her in a long time!



Paprika is doing great at school. Last week I was iffy on whether or not it was best to transfer her to a new school. This week I am sure it was the right decision. She has a lot of girls in her class, and has been able to make friends at school. Even though Paprika is light years ahead of the class academically, she loves all the crafts they do and just being part of the class.

I think sending Paprika off to school made me a little depressed. I miss her so much when she's there, and really count the minutes until I can go pick her up again. It has been hard on me. But, she really loves school so much. I constantly ask her if she wants to stay home and homeschool, and every time she says that she wants to go to school. So, there we have it! Even though I thought kindergarten would be too boring for her, she loves going and having "her" time.



And then every day, we come back together and she can tell me all about the adventures she had. And Ginger can tell her how much she missed her big sister and all the adventures we had. So, it's a happy thing. So, why am I still a little sad?



I guess it's just that no matter what you do, they keep growing and changing. And while that is so good, it is hard for a mama who still thinks of her girls as little bitty babies. Even my sweet Violet (10 months!) is standing, crawling, about to walk. Every day she gets bigger, she needs me a little less. And yes, that's a good thing! It's just...well, sigh. It gives me a headache just thinking about it. And goodness knows, I don't need any more of that! ;-)



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Two Half Mermaids!

This week, Paprika started on Racing Swim Team (what she calls the swim team), and Ginger started private swim lessons 4 days/week. The lessons meet at the same time as the swim team, so it works out great for all of us! Violet hangs out with me during the lessons, and the big girls both get time in the pool.

Of course, Paprika had to tell Ginger all about how fun it would be and give her the lay of the land...errr, water:




Ginger is so excited to have something of her own to do, and the fact that it is one on one makes all the difference in the world. Remember how she refused to do group lessons this summer? Well, as soon as she found out that she had a teacher all to herself this time, she was ecstatic about getting in the pool. She's been practicing at home in the bathtub. ;-)

Ginger has the same teacher Paprika had - I requested him specifically - so I think that made her even more excited about the prospect. All Ginger wants is to feel special, and I think she really does! By the second lesson, she was refusing to get out of the pool and telling her teacher that she's half mermaid. Hmmmm...I wonder where she got that from? That's what Paprika always says. Ha!



So far, it's going great! Mondays are a little bit of a logistical challenge because Paprika has school, swimming, and piano lesson. Boom, boom, boom! But to get the piano teacher we wanted (the one who does not surf the internet during the lesson), we had to take a Monday spot. So, that day is a little tricky.

But, the rest of the days (Tues/Wed/Thurs) have been more low-key. We pick Paprika up from school, come home for a quick snack and wardrobe change, and then it's pool-time. :-)

I am soooo happy Ginger loves swimming. Learning to swim is one of those non-negotiable things, as far as I'm concerned (and living in Southern California where it's beach season year-round makes it that much more important).

Looks like I'll be buying swimsuits for the forseeable future...and that's a good thing!



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Never A Dull Moment!

(Paprika with her private swim teacher last week, a different era!)

Lots of big news around here! Yesterday, Paprika started "Pre-Swim Team" - which is basically a six week tryout for the swim team.

We have been so spoiled. Paprika has been taking swim lessons for 14 months now, and we often have the whole pool to ourselves. At least it feels that way! Well, yesterday was a shock to the system.

First of all, I was not prepared for the mania of Type-A Tiger swim parents. Oh My Word. When we showed up at the pool, there were about sixty parents there for thirty kids enrolled. The dads came. The grandparents came. People came with their big cameras and long lenses! I didn't even bring my cellphone camera!

There was a little parent meeting before, so I had all three kids by myself. Violet was crying because it was her naptime. I had Ginger strapped in the stroller and she was trying to hurl herself out of it (I had her in there to keep her contained!) Everyone was looking at me, and one mom even scoffed directly at me: I thought this was just a parent meeting, but I guess they are allowing kids here.

Well, alrighty then.



These parents were over the top competitive. I knew a few of the parents from seeing them around swim lessons. One mom is the one who yelled at her kid during the Spring session: Why can't you swim more like Paprika?! Look at her backstroke! Get it right!

Her child had been taking lessons for two weeks while Paprika had been taking lessons for 10 months!

So, yesterday was just crazy. I think the Olympics had something to do with it. A lot of parents are hoping their kid is the next Missy Franklin or Michael Phelps, and well...it's PRE-SWIM TEAM, people!

Thankfully, Paprika was oblivious to it and swam her little heart out. At the end, they had everyone get out of the pool and everyone did, except for Paprika. She swam to the middle of the pool and sat on the bottom and would not get out. She would come up for air for a split second while everyone was yelling at her to get out, then shoot right back down the bottom and sit there (where she could not hear us)!

Of course, that made me feel like parent of the year! Paprika never wants to get out of the pool, so it was no surprise. Eventually, the coaches made a highschooler jump in and drag her out.

I said, "Why wouldn't you get out of the pool?"

She said, "Oh, I was just talking to the mermaid sprite fairies. They had so many interesting things to say. Did you know that mermaids are the only people who can breathe underwater?"



In other news, I had to fire Paprika's piano teacher. It was a bunch of things, but it came to a head last Thursday when I looked through the window and saw the teacher checking her email throughout the lesson. She had her laptop open and her Gmail account up, and I was like...c'mon! It's a 30 minute lesson! Give me a break!

So, I called the studio and complained, and eventually got them to agree to switch her teachers without charging me an extra fee. The studio was actually giving me attitude and said that they didn't believe that the teacher was really checking her email. Then, I said I had pictures of her with her Gmail account open (because I do) and I would be posting the pictures on Yelp if they really didn't believe me. And after that, they were much nicer to me! Haha.

Sometimes it's good to be an obsessive picture taker. ;-)

While Paprika had her lesson, I was occupying Ginger and Violet. Ginger was in her straightjacket...I mean, dress that buttons up the back! The week before, Ginger was in a regular outfit and took it off at the studio and I got majorly judged by some uppity women. They were like, "How old is your child and why won't she wear clothes?!" So this week, I made sure she looked appropriate. Of course, she still ran around like a wild hyena and was doing flips in the lobby.

This was one of the few moments that she wasn't running 90 miles/hour. She had to refuel with water:



Last night, the girls gave eachother haircuts while Mr. M was supposedly supervising them! Ginger doesn't have much hair left, and Paprika's is five different lengths. I haven't taken pictures yet, and I haven't fixed it either. I am mulling over what to do about it. They were so happy with their work, it kinda broke my heart to "fix" it, but at the same time...we've got crazy hair going on in this house.

Speaking of hair, my hair is looking RED after my salon visit last month! I asked for blonde highlights, and got Lucille Ball red. It was a Groupon, so lesson learned! ;-) My friend referred me to her stylist to fix it, so I should probably do that...but finding the time is the issue. Let's just say I am low on free time. ;-) So, maybe I should ask Ginger and Paprika to do my hair for me. Haha.



And one more thing...guess who is starting gymnastics next week?! Ginger and Paprika! I had to do it. Ginger is flipping off the couch, hanging upside down from the trees, and otherwise engaging in daredevelish stunts. She can't be stopped.



So, I am enrolling both Ginger and Paprika. It's just one day/week...for now. Because we have nothing else going on. Haha.



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The Best Laid Plans!

Well, there goes my big plans for the summer! The pool requires kids to be three years old to start swim lessons, and as luck would have it, Ginger turned three the week before summer session.

So, I signed her and Paprika both up for lessons all summer long (4 days/week!) The first day of lessons, Ginger was soooo excited. She was dancing, singing about how she's three now so she gets to go to swimming lessons. Paprika was patiently explaining to her how wonderful it would be, and telling her all about the great parts of swimming.

Then we got to the pool, and they called everyone into the pool. I guess Ginger thought I would be swimming with her, because as soon as the teacher came over to her, she hid and started crying. She was NOT going in that water.

I didn't want to force her (obviously) - and it quickly became clear that she is still just too young. Most of the other kids are ages 4 or 5 - she was by far the youngest and the smallest. So, we can wait a year. No rush.

But MAN - I was sooooo excited about the prospect of them both swimming this summer. Now I have to occupy Violet AND Ginger every day during lessons! No rest for me!



On Monday, Uncle Robbie was here and helped me with Violet while Ginger was having her meltdown. Thank goodness!

That afternoon, I called the pool to get a refund for TEN weeks worth of Ginger's lessons, but because there was a refund fee, I opted to just roll that money over into more lessons for Paprika.

So now for a few weeks, Paprika will have a private swim lesson before her group lesson. She really can't get enough! The pool has open swim on the weekends, so I will probably take Ginger to the pool then and swim with her to get her more comfortable with the water.

In the meantime, I am looking for an activity for Ginger to do that she wants to do! Truthfully, she just wants to hang out wherever we are, play in the backyard, and go for adventures in the car. She has no desire for school (yet) and basically just wants to enjoy being three. And I am inclined to let her do just that! There will be time for lessons and preschool when she's ready - which right now, she's telling me she's NOT! Haha.

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End Of An Era!

It's the second to last "Wacky Wednesday" at Paprika's school. All Wacky Wednesday means is that all the afternoon kindergarten kids have to come earlier in the day every Wednesday due to teacher meetings in the afternoon.

Every single week it throws our schedule off and sends us for a little bit of a loop. Today I went in Paprika's room to wake her up for school and she was sleeping so soundly it kinda broke my heart. Then I felt her and she felt hot, so I was worried that maybe she was getting sick (since Ginger and Violet were both sick last week).

I decided to call her in sick to school. I wonder if her school has noticed that Paprika is only sick on Wacky Wednesdays? Coincidence???

Anyway, she woke up half an hour later and was totally fine, and in fact was upset that she missed school. We had a little talk about how maybe if she didn't stay up all night talking to herself about how movies are made (last night's monologue), then maybe she would wake up earlier.

I really can't win on this one. If I wake her up, I worry that I'm going to stunt her growth and she'll end up dwarf-sized, and her dreams of Olympic swimming will be dashed. If I don't wake her up, then she's a truant.

Yet another reason I should homeschool... chalk that up to reason eight billion!

Speaking of swimming, today was her last day of private swim lessons. It really is the end of an era. She's been doing private swim lessons three times/week since February. She has had the best teachers this time, and we were all sad that it's coming to an end.

She made the sweetest card for her teacher, Benji. I got a picture of the two of them right before today's lesson:



Here she is earlier in the season with her teacher, Jeff. He was awesome, too. He was the one who got her to first swim laps.



I can't say how thankful I am to these guys. Paprika has found a sport she loves to do and that's great for her. It's really exciting to see your child succeed at something they love.



But not to despair, we start lessons again in a week and a half. For the summer, I have Paprika and Ginger doing group lessons (4 kids per lesson) for four days/week. With both the big girls in the pool, I'll be able to lay in the grass and relax with baby Violet. I remember all last Summer, all Fall, and all this Spring - for a YEAR now- I have chased Ginger around the pool while Paprika had her lesson, trying to keep Ginger OUT of the pool. My afternoons often looked like this:



Fingers crossed Ginger loves swimming as much as her big sister does. We shall see!

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Footloose and Fancy Free!

Our little three day weekend seemed like a month. It was crazy packed!

We kicked off the weekend on Friday by having a picnic after Paprika got out of school. Ginger was so good helping me pick Paprika up at school (she wore clothes and shoes and held my hand on the walk to the classroom!)- so Ginger got to pick our destination for our picnic.

We went to the park with the ducks to see if we could see the baby ducklings again. Pay no attention to the fact these ducklings look one month older than the ones in our driveway. The girls are insisting they are the same! ;-)



Mr. M has been working on a new movie up in Santa Barbara, but he came home Friday night. He wanted to take the girls out for ice cream, so we went to Baskin Robbins at 10pm! Eeek! They were so sugar-ed up after that, they didn't go to sleep until midnight. Ahhhh, the weekend. :-)



Saturday was the most gorgeous, sunny day. Paprika had swim lessons. Then after that, we went over to our friend/neighbor's pool to swim for the day. I was lazy (okay, busy taking care of Violet) and only got this one picture.

Needless to say, a great time was had by all. What is better than playing with Barbies in the pool?



Mr. M had to work every day this weekend up in Santa Barbara, so on Sunday, he took the big girls up to spend time with Grandma and have a playdate with one of Paprika's friends. Paprika is friends with the daughter of the director of the movie. So, while Mr. M was working on the movie at their house, Paprika got to play with a friend the whole day. She loved that! Ginger stayed with Grandma, who took her on a few adventures - the farmer's market and the playground!

Baby Violet was teething big time, so I didn't want to drive her up to Santa Barbara and risk getting stuck in horrible holiday traffic. So, I just stayed home with her. She was sorta miserable with her teeth coming through on Sunday, but by Sunday night two teeth had popped through and she was feeling much better.

So, on Sunday and Monday, it was just me and baby Violet. It was the first time I've been alone with just her for more than an hour or two, and it was awesome! :-)

Now, I did miss my big girls so much that I cried the first night. I have never been away from Paprika for the night except for when I've been in the hospital giving birth. Ginger has spent the night a few times at Grandma's house in Santa Barbara (when Mr. M was working on the movie up there earlier this year). It is so hard for me to be away from them, I missed them so much!

But...it was soooooo easy with just one baby. Wow. I felt like every day, I could do anything and everything. I lived like 12 lifetimes in one day. Seriously.



We went to the beach both days.

We went to Target.

Returned clothes at Old Navy. Then went shopping for more clothes- why not?!

Dropped by a friend's house.

Went grocery shopping.

Cleaned out the garage.

Organized the girls' closets.

Took Daisy for a long walk.

Went to an Open House in my neighborhood.

Cleaned the whole house like a boss.

Did five billion loads of laundry (maybe a few less, but who's counting?!)

Took Violet to a new park I'd never visited.

We even went for a four mile hike along the coast.



I just remember how when Paprika was a baby, it all seemed so overwhelming. And now with just one baby plus Daisy dog, it seemed so easy.

For example, the first day when I pulled up to the beach with just Baby Violet in the car, I parked next to this couple with a baby Violet's age. When I parked, they had already been there awhile and were unloading their stroller, packing their diaper bag, and arguing about how many diapers to take...how many blankets, how much baby snacks to bring. I pulled the van in my spot, changed Violet's diaper (in the van), strapped her in the Ergo, and was down at the beach by the time they still had not left their spot.

I remember how hard it was those first months with a new baby - if I could go back with the experience I have now, I wonder what I could do in a day! With three young kids, I often feel in over my head. I bet if I had six kids, I would think just three was a breeze. Anyway, this weekend I was glad for the perspective.



So, late last night my whole crew came home. I was so glad to see them. I really struggled with anxiety while they were gone (what if this or that were to happen to them?) I let out a big sigh when they came home. Paprika and Ginger were both snuggled in their beds and I could go watch them breathe. ;-)

Well, that was the weekend. The first half was a whirlwind of swimming and park picnics. The second half was a lot of snuggling baby Violet and doing whatever the heck else I wanted to do! I have not felt that footloose and fancy free in a long time. It was perfect.



I mean, can you think of a better girl to hang out with on a girl's long weekend? She is pretty awesome, if I do say so myself...




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