The only problem with having an entire week off from work is that I tend to stay up late and sleep in while I'm off. I just finished Spring Break and went back to work today. But after a week of sleeping in every day, I'm finding it hard to get to sleep, even though I'm quite tired. So, I hop on the computer and do some surfing. As I'm looking at some of my favorite links, including my friends' blogs, I realize that it's been a while since I've posted on my own. I'm averaging once every couple of months. So, being the last day of March, drifting into the first day of April as I write, I figured I'd post a little recap of our month here at the Carr house.
BOWLING
For some unknown reason, the boys got it in their heads that they wanted to go bowling. I think it was the talk of a friend's dad about how he was going to spend a Saturday with his three kids while the moms were scrapbooking that got it all started. Bowling was mentioned as a possible activity, Liam latched onto it and it snowballed from there. So, one Sunday afternoon at the beginning of March, we found a bowling alley not too far from home that had family specials and headed out for a couple of hours of family fun.
Liam had a blast, and was actually not too bad (with a little help from the bumpers.) Ben did pretty good at first (with a little help from Daddy) but tired after the first game. Mommy hit her stride in the second game and was rolling some strikes. Daddy also made a few strikes, but he'll admit to having a little help from the bumpers on these. Liam even managed a strike or two during this outing. It's a little expensive to be a weekly event, but it's some good fun for a cold Sunday afternoon.
Liam is really concentrating on his technique....
...and gets a STRIKE for his efforts. Way to go Liam!!
Ben's pretty excited about the outcome of his roll too.
BLIZZARD
About a week after our bowling outing, the "Blizzard of 2008" hit. We got dumped on big time. We were pretty well snowed in and didn't go anywhere for a couple of days. It's a good thing we've been doing a lot of cooking at home because we were well-stocked for the duration. The boys bundled up and went out to play a few times too. School was canceled, much to the delight of Mommy and the boys.
The front door was pretty well inaccessible thanks to the drifting snow and the sheer volume of snow that got dumped on us.
Ben and Liam all bundled up for some backyard play.
Even Sadie got in on the action. Poor thing didn't know what to think when she stepped off the back step into a snow drift. She recovered quickly and went bounding across the back yard like a jack rabbit!
BABY
As I write this, I'm a mere 6 weeks from my due date. It's strange to be in the home stretch. When you already have kids at home, your time is occupied by so many other things that you just don't realize how quickly time passes. I remember being pregnant with Liam and all the anticipation that made me constantly aware of my impending "change in life." It's like the baby was all that occupied my thoughts. But with two kids, full-time work and so many other things that go along with both of those, time has just flown by in this pregnancy. So, with a month and a half to go, I find that I still haven't got the baby's bedroom set up, I haven't gone through any clothes for him, the house is a mess, and I still have to work for 5 more weeks (which is a first for me.) With Liam and Ben both, school was out before they were due. But with this one, I'm due before the end of the school year, so it's a race to see if I can get everything done before he arrives. I have so much to do before I can go on maternity leave. However, I can't worry about it too much.
As Kevin said this morning, I have to concentrate on my "have-to's" not on my "want-to's." Yes, I want to have the nursery set up, but the baby will sleep in a bassinet for the first few weeks so I don't have to have the nursery set up. I want to have the house cleaned and the carpets professionally cleaned before his arrival, but I don't have to have those things done. I want to have my classroom packed up and ready for the summer when I go on maternity leave, but I can come back in the first few weeks of the summer after he's born and do it, so I don't have to have it done. I just have this idea of the way I want things to be and I won't be satisfied unless those things happen. I know I don't have to have his room painted and get new bedding and "decor" for him, but that's something that I want really badly and is important to me.
Here I am in my eighth month. Only six more weeks to go!
The boys already love their baby brother and can't wait to meet him. They give him hugs and kisses every day!
WEBKINZ WORLD
I just have to say a few words about the boys' new obsession--Webkinz. If you've never heard of them, I'll give you a brief overview. They are stuffed animals with a secret "code" on the tag. The child goes online, signs up an account in Webkinz world and adopts their pet. Then, a whole world of activity is opened to them. They take care of their pet, feed it, give it love, and play with it all in this virtual universe. They play games, earn "money", and buy things for their pets and their rooms. They can have multiple pets that interact with each other as well as being able to interact with other children and their pets. I had heard about them from my students a few months ago, but Liam started hearing about them at school just before Valentine's Day. So, while visiting their Nana in Mansfield, she bought each boy a Webkinz...and so it began.
Now, it's like an obsession. They each got a new pet from the Easter Bunny and another one from Nana and Papa in their Easter baskets. Liam wants to be on the computer all the time playing in Webkinz World. He has lots of "friends" from school, the neighborhood, the gym, his brother and now his cousins (because Nana got a Webkinz for all 5 grandchildren--much to the frustration of my sisters-in-law.) For the most part, it's been a good thing. It keeps him occupied, some of the games are actually educational, it gets him motivated to get ready for school quickly in the morning because he gets to play on the computer once he is dressed and ready to go. He's even learning some economic lessons. Recently, he would get "real" money and it would burn a hole in his pocket; he was just dying to spend it. For a while, the Webkinz situation made it worse. Then we had a discussion about the difference between "Kinz Cash" and "real" money and he has a much better understanding of the value of a dollar.
Liam with: Mac, Liam (sometimes known as Sparkles), and Sandy
Ben with: Broof, Sport (sometimes known as Spot), and Lion
But the funniest part is that Daddy and I are addicted to Webkinz World too! When the boys go to bed, or are otherwise occupied, it's not uncommon to find us in Webkinz World playing games! We have our favorites...especially those that can rack up a lot of Kinz Cash for the boys. It's some mindless, end-of-the-day, unwind-before-bed fun. We take turns logging in as each of the boys and earning them Kinz Cash. Just as in the real world, they can spend it faster than we can make it, but at least they aren't spending our "real" hard-earned money!
