Land Unlocked

We've tried and tried to counter this summer's heat with the usual methods...

Hitting the pool daily for swim team and lessons:

Installing four glorious ceiling fans, made only better with these three glorious words from Anthony: "You were right."

Lighting other things aflame, figuring we'd feel relatively cool versus, say, a Roman Candle:

Indoor activities, like bitching and moaning. Oh, and bowling, which is more fun for the boys:

But we were finally cooled properly - and unlocked from this most land-locked place - with a trip to the lake yesterday with our dear friends, the Wilsons.

 Daniel Wilson, Roman & Ben

It was the boys' first(!) lake trip, first boat ride and first fling on a tube...and easily their best, most exhausting day ever. (Roman the daredevil, hopeful this morning: "Are we going on the boat again today?")

  Ben, Anthony & Roman

As for me...well, it felt like the return of my 16-year-old, laughing, lake-living self...with only a few differences: I was plus sunscreen (turns out that stuff works!), minus crushes on all the boys (never did work), and plus next-day tube-induced pain. Maybe there's a workout for that...?!

The Dog Ate My Blog

...okay, not really, but this busy, lazy summer (yes, both) has kept me from the computer.

Please accept the following as updates and excuses (again...yes, both):

#1: We were wrapped up in pomp & circumstance.
Ben graduated from Kindergarten amid a million activities, along with a song that was obviously written by a sadist. Sample line: "...just remember I'm little..." Come on!

#2: I was sick.
Yowza, was I sick. Like, "no wine for me" sick. A first. For a week. But rather than send me out to pasture like I suggested, Roman kindly read me back to wellness.

 

#3: We were at the game.
Ben has become quite the little hitter in T-ball, and he's finally learned to run in the following order: first, second, third, home. (That's Roman's "YES" in the background.)

#4: We had family in town.
Aunt Viv paid a visit! From Seattle, she was enroute to Berlin with the option of stopping in Paris, France or Wichita, Kansas. And would you believe...!?

#5: I was under water.
We've been total water dogs with daily swim team, lessons and other poolside slackery. Here, Ben (center) preps for the backstroke at his first meet:

#6: I got caught up at the gym.
My coworkers and I had the pleasure of working out with Hannah Curlee from The Biggest Loser; she came to Wichita and joined us for Group Power. Much to my chagrin, she didn't offer me any temptation challenges.

#7: We were chasing Anthony.
Damn, he's fast! In the time it took us to get out of the house and park, Anthony was nearing the finish line. He came in 5th among the 30-somethings at RiverRun this year, hands down our favorite Wichita event. Where else can you get bouncy castles AND an ice cold Newcastle at 9 a.m.?!

And finally...
#8 We were in traffic.
We're incredibly lucky. My boys have so rarely been in traffic that, when it happened last week, they were devastated. And so curious. "Why are you stopping?" "Where did these cars come from?" And my favorite from Roman, "Why are all these idiots parked on the highway?" (Yes, I'll cool it on the name-calling.)

Phew! Now that we're caught up...who wants to join us at the pool?

Here's to Moms

My mom managed a lot in her life: work, school, travel, family, in-laws, health issues and (the biggest adventure) two teenaged girls and all the fun that must have come with being our single parent. It didn't dawn on me then, but she was balancing a lot on her little body. Why didn't I realize it?! Because she never complained.

And now, as my guardian angel for nearly 20 years, she's balanced my nonsensical twists and turns. She's kept me safe and landed me in a great life.

Well done, Mom. I miss you.

So if I can give my kids one great lesson - something I've been thinking a bit about on this Mother's Day - it'll be about balance.

Not this kind of balance, which Roman demonstrated at Ben's soccer game today:

(Jogger balls? Juggle balls? I still don't know if this is an actual move.)

I mean the kind of balance that makes us happy, humble people. You know...
We get, so we give.
We play, so we work.
We spend, so we save.
We eat well, so we exercise.
We make a mess, so we clean.
We have great days, and some not great.

And this one falls into the great category. I'm sharing Mother's Day with my beautiful mother-in-law Eileen and with Anthony, who turns 36 today.

(Behold: Eileen and me not saving as we arrived at the Kansas Star Casino last night.)

So, today, as I celebrate my mom and all the other lovely moms in my lucky life, I propose a toast to good life balance.

See? We drink cheap champagne, so we buy good o.j. Ah, balance.

Happy Mother's Day, friends.

The Gift of Snark

Mark this one as another milestone day for Ben. And, nope, he still can't tie shoes or mow the lawn, but the kid can (drum roll please)...

Recognize sarcasm!

And thank goodness...we've been laying it on pretty thick since long before he was born.

So, there we were, driving home from the gym, when I commented aloud about sharing the road with a particularly super duper excellent driver.

After a pause, Ben asked, "Mom, are you being funny?"

Hallelujah, he gets it!

Maybe it was inevitable. Our friend Jeremiah predicted during my pregnancy, "that's going to be one sarcastic kid." But he also labeled Wichita "the town that humor forgot," so I started to worry that the gift of dry humor was locked up with the Scarecrow's brain and Tin Man's heart.

Thankfully, I've found and befriended a little pocket of good great-humored people, who aren't openly put-off by my sarcasm. Hopefully they realize I come from a long line of established smart asses, then I married one, so it's beyond my control.

But I can't tell you how many times my (hilarious!) comments to strangers, waitstaff, passersby, etc. have been met by....

Crickets...

Eye rolls...

Blank stares...

Offense.

So, either I change my tone or embrace my new audience: Ben and Roman. And the latter seems more fitting, especially considering Roman's latest, the eye roll, which he was nice enough to let me capture:

Just remind me, when they're 15 and 16, that I once loved their gift of snark.

Cars, Boys and Tunes

How lucky I'll be if these sweet boys grow up to be like Anthony.

And, by that, I mean they'll willingly drive a decades-old Pontiac Grand Am and be reasonably skilled at its maintenance:

Yup, it's been a big month for car troubles around here; Anthony had a crack (or something) in his manifold (or something). Twice. Then my Jeep's a/c went out. Thrice.

But we had them fixed because (1) we're determined to enjoy a no-car-payment existence for a little while longer and (2) we've found an incredibly honest mechanic at National.

Also, (3) Anthony has a "til death do us part" vow with that Pontiac. He's driven it for something like 12 years, despite its lack of seat cushion, a side mirror or any sex appeal whatsoever. And while I try to match his minimalist ways, I can't help but hope each morning: Will today be the day someone steals that thing from outside of my house? Please?

But until then, our "we're not poor, but we drive like we are" attitudes (an actual quote from Anthony) will keep us from the new car lot. That is, unless Roman has his way; he stated from my backseat, "Mom, you need to buy a new car so you have better songs."

And the winner is...

This weekend was non-stop motion, starting with Anthony's Saturday morning Riverfest Run.

The boys love Anthony's races. And what's not to love?! Early morning with Wichita's most active (yes, they exist), cheering on Anthony from the comfort of the Radio Flyer. Also, we want them to have tons of exposure to exercise, especially after Roman's recent comment re: a jogger: "Mommy, that girl can't find her house."

So, the more they learn about exercise the better, particularly at Wichita's annual Riverfest, where the top activities include:
1. Eating fried turkey legs
2. Sweating
3. Wearing age- and body type-inappropriate clothes.
4. Peeing in public
5. All of the above

But, they kick it off with the 10k, which Anthony has run each year since we arrived in Wichita. This year, he placed 4th in his age group, but because of a registration snafu (thanks Genesis Health Clubs!), was listed as "no name." The boys and I were equally incognito, but far less ambitious - behold our perch at the finish line:

Race done; then Ben went off to a b'day party:

While Roman helped us shop:

(Incredibly, with two adults and only one child, we still left a full, paid-for bag of groceries at the check-out stand. Really?!)

On Sunday, Anthony had yet another victory, when his soccer team won their championship. I'd have taken a picture, but my camera (and I) would surely have melted.

Instead, the guys and I were attempting naps in the comfort of the a/c (nice, huh?!) and in preparation for Ben's evening: charging around Eastborough park at Oliver's birthday treasure hunt:

All-in-all, a nice little weekend. Busy? Yes. Fun? Yes, super fun. Productive? Eh, Anthony wins that prize too.

Mother of a Day

I'd long been a Mother's Day grinch. I didn't hate it, exactly, but I avoided it the same way my single self avoided Valentine's Day.

But, predictably, when Ben and Roman came along, I started to see it for the worthy holiday it is. And not because I get gifts or free time or whatever (although I'm not complaining that it's currently silent in the house), but because it's a chance to celebrate everyone who contributes to my life as a mother. It's a long list, but here are just a few people who come to mind, in no particular order: 

To my mom, of course, who set the best example.
To Ange, who avoided Mother's Day with me until we both found new ways and reasons to celebrate it.
To Viv, Linda and my grandmothers who picked up where my mom left off.
To Kari and her fam for the unofficial adoption. 
To Eileen, who raised Anthony right.
To Wendy, who puts parenting into perspective for me.
To my girlfriends, who give me advice, empathy, hilarity, pity and occasional escapes from motherhood.
To Anthony, whose fathering makes mothering pretty easy. 

And, finally, to Ben and Roman, who made me a mom. Every day, they make it infinitely better than I expected.  Now, maybe some day they'll cooperate so we can take a decent Mother's Day pic. In the meantime here's one from this morning...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Getting started

It's like the digital camera. And the ipod. And the flat screen TV and the "fancy" toaster. I resisted, then discovered them for the life-changers they are (especially that toaster!). Likewise, I avoided blogging with all my might, but am happily caving because, with every day that goes by, I think...

"Man, I should write this stuff down!"

The biggest blog battle so far was the name choice. Incredibly "ScogBlog" was already taken, meaning some cousin-in-law has beaten me to blogging. Zoe in Oz seemed like the next logical choice; I'm a California girl who's found her way to Kansas, via Arizona, via Colorado.

So, we're off...down the yellow brick road, tracking life with my boys, the heartful Ben and courageous Roman. Behind the curtain, of course, is my partner-in-it-all Anthony.

More to come as we navigate life in the plains. (Some days plain-er than others.)