Goop

Is summer in full swing at your house?  I think even all my northern friends are finally out of school, right?  Whew!  I think we got up to about 106 today.  Blech.  

This summer we've taken a nice trip to see family (well, actually a couple with like 24 hours at home in between) and we're now home.  For about four weeks, we're home.  I mean, we're usually gone for about a month or more in the summer, or that's how it's been.  

For the most part, home is great.  I love having all the kids home with us, and getting to have Eric only go to the band hall for a few hours a week is really cool.  What a great opportunity!  To have all the family together for such a long time... day in, day out... 

*gulp*

Now I do enjoy the crud out of my kids and my husband, but there's this part of me that wants so badly to seize the day... to make the our lives fun, not wasted... that somehow manages at times to suck the relaxation right out of everything.  I mean, somewhere between the ambitious me and the part of me that just wants the kids and Eric and I to have a fun, relaxing summer is really where I need to land, right?  

Then there are the times when "cool mom" has a fun idea and it flops... or it flops with one kid and not two, or two and not one.  Today, Ryan asked to paint.  We'd done all the "ambitious mom" stuff.  We managed to work on addition with the stuff they sent home from our last ARD (yes, one of the member of the committee listened to my concern about his adding skills and brought me manipulatives, some that she had made, to our last meeting).  He's so cute about it, too.  He keeps repeating praise he's heard from apps... and the wrong answer sound bytes.  Ah, Ryan.  

So we got out the watercolors, and after a flurry of painting mess, it was time for lunch.  Between the kids pretending to take naps in the floor of the kitchen and my indecisiveness, it's a wonder lunch came about. After naps and iPad time, I decided to try making this gooky stuff I found on that pinning website... you know the one... thinking the kids would all be having a blast.  I honestly thought Ryan would kinda poke at it and scream at me.  He is quite the fastidious little man.  You'll understand my surprise when Richie cried at me, eventually leaving the table before exploring his slimy bowl of goo.  Maelynn was completely unimpressed as well, leaving Ryan and I at the table, completely addicted.  

It's the strangest stuff!  It's liquid, pourable and goopy.  But as soon as you move quickly with it, it freezes.  Try to poke at it, and it's immoveable in an instant.  But, moving slowly and gently, one can easily be submerged in its cool, slimy wonderfulness.  Too forceful, and it stops moving.  It's an interesting thing to play with.  

And get this... after playing for just a minute with the slimy stuff, Ryan exclaims in his usual newscaster voice, "This is wonderful!  Thanks, Mom!"  

Yes, there is a Crystal-shaped hole in the tile where I passed out!

How too are the kids... is Ryan... when we force things along.  There are things that have to be done.  There are times when a parent must get their point across to a child.  But when I can I have to remember that time with the kids is a bit like the gloppy stuff we played with today.  Give it structure to keep it from going too crazy (because no structure would drive Ryan nuts)... but make sure so slow down and enjoy the days as they so quickly slip through our fingers.  

Because it seems just yesterday it was just Ryan and Eric and I... just the day before we were dating... just the day before I was wishing for my prince charming.  

Thanks be to God for the days!