More pictures available for viewing at Flickr.
8/13/2009
7/26/2009
7/24/2009
On call and wasting time...
I knew I'd be on call for all of July, but one forgets how limiting that ends up being in reality. For instance, Jason has gone to pick up the boy from camp, but since cell phone reception may be spotty and the distance puts me nearly 2 hours from the laboring women, I have to stay home. As it turns out that's fine--we just managed to organize a girls' night out to see The Ugly Truth. Yippee!
I have had some professional ups and downs lately. I had a client transport to the hospital, but received some good news regarding my training, so I feel there's a cosmic balance out there that I have to just step back to appreciate.
Number two boy is making me crazy, but life was better with him in day camp this week, so I have plans on running him ragged until school starts in 3 weeks.
One thing I'm feeling committed to doing is becoming more of a bike-for-transportation family. Jason rides his bike across town to work several times a week, and we're so close to the center of town that there's no reason we can't do the same thing. I do wish we were a little closer to my office, but then that begs the question of what would I do on a bike if I got a call to a birth.
See, it all comes full circle.
I have had some professional ups and downs lately. I had a client transport to the hospital, but received some good news regarding my training, so I feel there's a cosmic balance out there that I have to just step back to appreciate.
Number two boy is making me crazy, but life was better with him in day camp this week, so I have plans on running him ragged until school starts in 3 weeks.
One thing I'm feeling committed to doing is becoming more of a bike-for-transportation family. Jason rides his bike across town to work several times a week, and we're so close to the center of town that there's no reason we can't do the same thing. I do wish we were a little closer to my office, but then that begs the question of what would I do on a bike if I got a call to a birth.
See, it all comes full circle.
7/14/2009
Shameless spam...
....but it's SO cool and, hell, it's my blog! Click through and I'll be entered, lol.
7/06/2009
The Best of Pueblo
I was recently strolling around downtown Pueblo and talking with Jason about what I love about our city. I'm sure you all have others--share them in comments section.
- The Riverwalk: scenic, artsy, good music, free. Whenever I'm down there, I so want to buy a loft and stay forever.
- The City Park rides (the very same rides of my childhood): My eldest is almost too old (except for one ride), so I know our days of enjoying this attraction are limited. But quarter rides? What's not to love?
- The new YMCA: 'nuff said.
- Jorge's: I still maintain this is the best Mexican food in town.
- The Nature Center: I'd pretty much rather take my walks here than anywhere else.
- The Size: big enough to have pretty much any amenity, but small enough to actually be able to access/afford it.
- Colorado Fiber Arts: great little yarn shop.
- Minnequa Splash Park: free outside of pool hours, but the pools are so darn cheap it's no biggie to pay.
- Charter Schools: Colorado has a good Charter School system, and we can pick from several here in town (or online).
- Diana: could any statue rock more?
- Arts Center: we've seen shows, taken classes, played at the children's museum. It's just a cool place overall.
There are other things like the kayak course or B Street Bash that I haven't actually tried out, but am pretty sure I'd enjoy. What do you love about our big small town?
7/04/2009
Solo 4th
So, Jason's parents planned a family reunion for today, but I'm on call and unable to travel to Rocky Ford. Half of me is really irritated by this fact (not that I'm on call, but that they are obligated to leave me), but the other half (okay 65%) is glad for some quiet time. Liam and I have really been butting heads lately...but more on that in another post.
So, for today I plan to index a little, surf a little, read a lot, watch some TV (Deadliest Catch or whatever is having a marathon today and it's strangely addictive), and then head to a friend's for a BBQ tonight. Or maybe we'll have a baby. :)
So, for today I plan to index a little, surf a little, read a lot, watch some TV (Deadliest Catch or whatever is having a marathon today and it's strangely addictive), and then head to a friend's for a BBQ tonight. Or maybe we'll have a baby. :)
7/03/2009
Friendships
I've been thinking a lot about my friendships lately. Sometimes you lose track of old friends, but are reunited. (Facebook, how I love thee!) Sometimes we lose good friends because we grow apart. (Oh how often this happens when one friend becomes a parent, but the other does not.) Sometimes we realize that those who claimed friendship, really took so much more than they gave, and we further realize that we are not willing to sustain those one-sided relationships any longer. Sometimes we have friends that we get along with swimmingly, but there's some other obstacle to getting together. (Kids' incompatibility comes to mind.) I have some very, very dear friends who have withstood these tests that face friendships, but I have others that have not. But, in the end, I am thankful for those who do weather the storms, because my friends are truly my family.
An Overhaul
So, when I posted in March about the new changes our family is experiencing, I was playing with the idea of leaving my blog behind. As anyone who has ever tried to read my blog with any regularity knows, I often have multi-month breaks, so I didn't feel I needed to make any big announcements or proclamations. Well, as the months have gone by, I have missed blogging. I think, though, that I was unhappy with blogland to some extent and was also rebelling against these overly cheery and beautiful blogs. Life just ain't that pretty all the time. I want my blog to be real. So, here I am, back to the drawing board, trying to decide where I want to take this silly little online journal of mine.
So.
When I come back from my blogging breaks, I tend to do big, long update posts. I shall do that now.
Quinn is now twelve. And acting like it. Overall, though, it's okay and I enjoy having someone old enough in the house for me to run out if I need to (either to run an errand or to a birth with short notice). He started school in the 4th quarter of 5th grade last year. That puts him old for his class, but not very. His birthday is 5/19 and the cut-off for our district is 6/1, and I just couldn't see making my little, immature guy the youngest in his class. Additionally, the schools are IB magnet schools, and the curriculum is quite rigorous, so I felt he would be plenty challenged in 5th grade. Academically he did fine, though a bit of catch-up in math was needed (we did the same math curriculum at home--Singapore--but they were a full year ahead of where we were when he enrolled). Socially, he made a couple good buddies right away, but still had some struggles with his focus and distractibility issues. We had him evaluated for ADHD several years ago, and he certainly is borderline, but we've learned how to compensate at home. At school--all bets are off and he had to work hard to keep on task. His teacher, while very good I am sure, seemed to have no tolerance for distractibility, and I was overall displeased with the fit. But next year, in 6th grade, he'll have several teachers and I hope that there will be at least one that will get him.
Liam went into 2nd grade a month or so before Quinn enrolled. His 6/5 birthday officially missed the cut-off, and--again--I am glad he is older for his class. His issues of self-confidence and sensitivity certainly came into play this year, but overall I would say it is clear school is a better fit for him than homeschooling was. Which is good, because at this point I am not willing to homeschool him further. We are just too similar and I was either engaging in, or avoiding, power struggles each day, and that's no way to enjoy one another. Being right on the cusp of reading fluency before enrolling definitely was concerning, because he wasn't up to classroom standards. So, he had a bit of extra reading intervention, and was pretty much caught up by the end of the year. As long as he doesn't do the summer backslide, he'll be fine without intervention next year, so I'm trying hard to keep him reading and writing now. However, the power struggles that result from my insistence remind me why I enrolled him in school in the first place. He's having some other issues, which are proving to challenge me immensely, and I am still amazed at how far he has stretched me--in good and bad ways.
Rhys has been in private speech therapy since January, and is making really excellent progress. He, too, will start school next year. He is really a joy, and we enjoyed our few weeks of one-on-one time while the boys were in school. Full-day kindergarten certainly will change the status quo around here. I am looking forward to focusing on my work and studies, though I will always think fondly of my stay-at-home, homeschooling days.
Jason is still at Vitamin Cottage, and we marvel at how it took this long to find a job he actually enjoys, even if he is not employing his education or previous experience. It is much better to be happy, no matter where you are. He's been very helpful with our landscaping projects and hopefully we can finish the trim painting on the house next week. We've really done a lot of home improvement, if only baby steps. I am looking forward to having the basement re-finished (adding a second bathroom in the process) and some day remodeling our teeny kitchen.
And I am spinning my wheels as always. My midwifery client is due soon, and I am very excited to attend her birth as the primary midwife for the first time (I have had other clients but did not have a chance to attend their births for a couple different reasons). I had a busy doula month in May, but nothing since. I rented an office in a chiropractor's office, and between having the kids home this summer, and not having much work, sometimes chuckle at the lack of necessity for an office. But I am certain that it will be beneficial down the road. My trip to Bali is coming up soon, and hopefully I will get most of my clinicals completed so that I can focus on my midwifery certification soon.
So, that's my update. From here on out look for my posts to be more reflective, real, raw, and me.
So.
When I come back from my blogging breaks, I tend to do big, long update posts. I shall do that now.
Quinn is now twelve. And acting like it. Overall, though, it's okay and I enjoy having someone old enough in the house for me to run out if I need to (either to run an errand or to a birth with short notice). He started school in the 4th quarter of 5th grade last year. That puts him old for his class, but not very. His birthday is 5/19 and the cut-off for our district is 6/1, and I just couldn't see making my little, immature guy the youngest in his class. Additionally, the schools are IB magnet schools, and the curriculum is quite rigorous, so I felt he would be plenty challenged in 5th grade. Academically he did fine, though a bit of catch-up in math was needed (we did the same math curriculum at home--Singapore--but they were a full year ahead of where we were when he enrolled). Socially, he made a couple good buddies right away, but still had some struggles with his focus and distractibility issues. We had him evaluated for ADHD several years ago, and he certainly is borderline, but we've learned how to compensate at home. At school--all bets are off and he had to work hard to keep on task. His teacher, while very good I am sure, seemed to have no tolerance for distractibility, and I was overall displeased with the fit. But next year, in 6th grade, he'll have several teachers and I hope that there will be at least one that will get him.
Liam went into 2nd grade a month or so before Quinn enrolled. His 6/5 birthday officially missed the cut-off, and--again--I am glad he is older for his class. His issues of self-confidence and sensitivity certainly came into play this year, but overall I would say it is clear school is a better fit for him than homeschooling was. Which is good, because at this point I am not willing to homeschool him further. We are just too similar and I was either engaging in, or avoiding, power struggles each day, and that's no way to enjoy one another. Being right on the cusp of reading fluency before enrolling definitely was concerning, because he wasn't up to classroom standards. So, he had a bit of extra reading intervention, and was pretty much caught up by the end of the year. As long as he doesn't do the summer backslide, he'll be fine without intervention next year, so I'm trying hard to keep him reading and writing now. However, the power struggles that result from my insistence remind me why I enrolled him in school in the first place. He's having some other issues, which are proving to challenge me immensely, and I am still amazed at how far he has stretched me--in good and bad ways.
Rhys has been in private speech therapy since January, and is making really excellent progress. He, too, will start school next year. He is really a joy, and we enjoyed our few weeks of one-on-one time while the boys were in school. Full-day kindergarten certainly will change the status quo around here. I am looking forward to focusing on my work and studies, though I will always think fondly of my stay-at-home, homeschooling days.
Jason is still at Vitamin Cottage, and we marvel at how it took this long to find a job he actually enjoys, even if he is not employing his education or previous experience. It is much better to be happy, no matter where you are. He's been very helpful with our landscaping projects and hopefully we can finish the trim painting on the house next week. We've really done a lot of home improvement, if only baby steps. I am looking forward to having the basement re-finished (adding a second bathroom in the process) and some day remodeling our teeny kitchen.
And I am spinning my wheels as always. My midwifery client is due soon, and I am very excited to attend her birth as the primary midwife for the first time (I have had other clients but did not have a chance to attend their births for a couple different reasons). I had a busy doula month in May, but nothing since. I rented an office in a chiropractor's office, and between having the kids home this summer, and not having much work, sometimes chuckle at the lack of necessity for an office. But I am certain that it will be beneficial down the road. My trip to Bali is coming up soon, and hopefully I will get most of my clinicals completed so that I can focus on my midwifery certification soon.
So, that's my update. From here on out look for my posts to be more reflective, real, raw, and me.
3/03/2009
New Beginnings
Our family has many new changes to report. My business is really beginning to get rolling, and with that momentum our family has decided to try some new things. Namely--school. Liam has already started, Quinn will start after Spring Break, and Rhys next year. Three kids in school full-time will be a huge change for our family, but I feel it's the right one for where we are now. I will miss the sweet days of homeschooling, but I know our time of learning together is not over. We needed a change--things were labored and stagnant and just not working for us anymore. Change is good, and we're embracing it.
1/11/2009
My Little Old Man
Liam has always looked a bit like a little old man; perhaps even more as a babe. Tonight he was cuddled in bed writing in his little notebook and wearing his dad's reading glasses (I know, but they hardly have any correction at all). The picture quality isn't the best because it was so dark, and I'm photographically challenged, but I just had to capture the moment.
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