Spring is slowly making its way to Massachusetts. Our maple tree buds look nearly identical to the photo I took last week, but this willow tree and a few other trees have tiny leaves on them. Tree buds are smart to stay tightly shut – we had snow last Friday, and I won’t be surprised if it snows again before this summer.
March was a rough month, for some reason. We had a few stunningly beautiful days, and lots of cold, wet weather in between. We escaped the flooding that several friends are still dealing with, mostly because we don’t have a basement. Our backyard was host to a small lake. We had some fun play dates – and one or two where my children were less than ideal hosts. A friend and I decided to swap teaching French classes to our kids. Both Emma and Johnny now know how to count to five in French (also about as high as they count reliably in English), and they can sing a couple French songs. They sometimes know a few colors, but not consistently. I went to a fantastic yoga class (unfortunately a one-time thing), where I finally figured out how to do a couple of (beginner) moves that had stumped me. Mike added WordPress Mobile to my blog, just in case someone wants to read it on their phone. =)
As for March goals, I got Emma’s thank you cards sent out, and sent pictures to at least one family member. I think I sent more, but it’s all lost in Mommy Brain fog. I played around with various schedules to create structure, and decided instead to prioritize daily goals and work through as many of those per day. It’s working pretty well from a laundry and cooking point of view, but I hope to work in a little more crafting time. I am really liking my Home Management Binder idea. Currently we have a schedule section (where I make lists of things I want to get done), dinner section (just a list of dinner ideas), and an activity section full of ideas of things I want to make and do. I have an online calendar, and I’ve played around with making online lists, but for whatever reason I just find paper more effective for some things.
In April, I need to:
- Put together and sending off our Pay It Forward packages. I haven’t even started, so that will be a project. Target Areas: Gratitude and Charity
- Get ready for the big trip we’ll be making at the end of the month and into May. We’re flying to Vegas, where we’ll visit Mike’s mom, grandma, and other relatives. From there we’ll drive to Utah for my sister’s wedding, and to visit my grandparents and other relatives on my side of the family. I’m excited to see everyone, but feeling moderately nervous about the flights and road trip, not to mention getting my kids to sleep in at least four different places and introducing them to dozens of relatives without it being hopelessly overwhelming. If you have any advice or suggestions as to how I might cope with any of the above, please share? Target Areas: Health, Peace, and Education
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Sounds like fun! We’ve travelled a lot with our two since they were tiny, and it’s always been a seat of your pants kind of experience with lots of hopping back and forth between different places and sleeping on couches and floors. I picked up a “twin bed tent” thing at a garage sale. It packed up very small because it just had two poles like a simple dome tent, and the base of it was a fitted sheet, so it went on any twin size bed we came across. It really helped with the kids being relaxed, especially if they awoke in the middle of the night, because instead of being disorientated and weirded out at being in yet another strange room, they were snug in their mickey mouse tent with each other. Worked a treat! We still use it when we go away places, because at 4 and 5 they can still top and tail in a twin bed without being cramped.
.-= Kitten Muffin´s last blog ..More unorthodox painting surfaces =-.
Bonjour MaryAnne,
Thanks for visiting my blog and making suggestions for my French lesson for preschoolers! I see from this post that you’re teaching French to your young’uns, and I’d be interested in hearing more about that. Perhaps you’d allow me to profile your family on my blog? Or if you already have a few blog posts on the topic I’d enjoy reading them–please direct me to them!
Do keep dropping by and leaving comments–I love hearing from other anglophone parents who are helping their kids learn French!
Best wishes,
Sarah
I would be nervous about a big trip like that too! I have no tips for you. I only have one child and I’m nervous about our trip to Florida in a few weeks.
Where will she sleep? Will she be too crabby in front of my in-laws? What if, what if, what if!
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..Easter Themed Activites =-.
WOW! What a big trip you have planned! I’ve never attempted anything that ambitious before, but someday soon I would love to take the girls to Argentina to visit family there. I hope everything goes smoothly for you, and I’ll send lots of calming energy your way.
.-= Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog´s last blog ..Felted Easter Eggs =-.
The one tip I have is to try to keep your kids sleep deprived before the plane trip so they sleep on the plane to make the trip go as calm as possible
We don’t have a backyard, but we have a large state park right next to our house. This year we’re doing what you’ve been doing – documenting the progress of spring in the form of buds and leaves, particularly on our favorite weeping willow tree.
I’m also still working on what works best for us from a scheduling/prioritizing our day point of view. I would like more structure but then I get worried that that will make us too rigid. So then I think I end up not having enough structure and wasting time on nonessentials. At least I can tell I am making gradual progress in this area.
When we’ve taken big trips, my girls have been so busy and so exhausted by the end of the day that they could sleep anywhere. I tried to stay on schedule, so they would have some sense of comfort knowing what was happening next. The last big trip we took, we were in a time zone two hours ahead of us. I put my girls to bed on our clock, rather than the time zone we were visiting. That might be hard since you’re going west rather than east…
.-= Quadmama´s last blog ..Rearranging the "To Do List" =-.
Wow, April brings a lot of travel. Too bad you are not coming over to California. I really liked great advice from Elise – I will use it too when we travel in May.
.-= Natalie´s last blog ..The Art Show =-.
My sister’s in Utah, too!
We have a kid-friendly photo album filled with relatives’ pictures which has helped our kids be more familiar with names and faces of relatives. Video Skype is also fantastic for increasing familiarity.
For sleep, when we go on a big trip we like to take our own bedding for the kids. For the first months, they sleep in our bed so nothing special required except a big hotel bed! For crib-age, we have a travel portacot, and for older than that our kids love a popup toddler tent. Anywhere we go, we know they’ll have a familiar place to sleep and a visual cue that it’s sleeping time.
It’s a good idea to lower your expectations in the sleep department. My kids didn’t nap anywhere but in the car on our last trip to the US. Instant snacks (my kids are fond of dried fruit) are invaluable for smoothing over many otherwise-meltdown-inducing situations – especially good on airplanes or when we have to steam right through naptime.
Other than that, it’s just what your common sense would lead you to do anyway – don’t try to cram too much into the schedule, and include kid-friendly activities like going to a playground when possible. Stay in a hotel so you have a place to retreat when the going gets tough. Provide conversation starters to help relatives relate to your kids, “Johnny noticed you have a yellow car – yellow is his favorite color!”
We haven’t done much traveling with all three children yet, and I’m looking forward to hearing what works for you on your trip!
.-= Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..the longer I live… =-.
It is so cool that you put together goals for each month. I have to admit I”m not that good at it.
.-= Ticia´s last blog ..The cost of creativity =-.
Oh, I feel you on worrying about getting your kids to sleep in different spots! That is the hardest thing for us–we want to be able to just go go go but Ingrid won’t sleep anywhere but her bed. And sometimes not even there!
.-= Amber Liddle´s last blog ..The Easter Bunny =-.