Work life has been pretty tough over the past month. It has been full of deadlines…and unfortunately work life has spilled over into home life.
After the girls have gone to bed, I’ve sat in bed working on a laptop and even putting in a few hours on the weekend. The deadlines have mostly been met, so tonight I was enjoying getting dinner ready. I was relaxed. I had some music playing, a glass of wine beside me, and the girls were playing contently.  Ah….peace.
Suddenly, beside me appeared my youngest. I looked down and said, “What’s up sweetie?” She looked at me, started coughing, and then vomited all over my feet and the surrounding floor.Â
She looked up at me and said, “Mommy, I’m all dirty.” I picked her up in a big bear hug and took her to the bathroom to clean her up. She had no fever and went on as if nothing had happened. I went back to the kitchen to clean up the floor.
As I was standing looking at the mess and trying to figure out the best way to tackle it, I overheard my oldest telling her little sister in the living room, “When you feel like you have to throw up, you have to go to the bathroom and do it in the toilet or in a garbage can.  Just let me know and I’ll help you so mommy won’t have to clean up the mess on the floor, okay?”  Smile 🙂
After I was done cleaning up, I finished making dinner. After dinner, I suggested that we go out for a stroll around the block to get some fresh air. Everyone eagerly agreed.
We got ready but as we were walking down the stairs, my youngest started coughing.  I took that as my cue and swept her up in a mad dash for the bathroom.  Too late. She started vomiting, showering me and our carpet along the way. Lovely.
I got Babycakes cleaned up again and proceeded to clean up the second mess.  After I was done cleaning up, she came over to me, gave me a hug, and said, “Mommy, I love you.” That made all that cleaning up worth it!  She melted my heart.
It is 9:45 PM right now and it’s not fully dark out.  That is one thing I love about the summers here in Seattle – how long the days are.  My mind was wandering as I watched my sick baby girl fall asleep.  I thought about how quickly the evening went by and we never did get out for that walk.  Summer is here but I’ve been too busy to even think about enjoying it.
After the lack of quality time in the evenings with my husband and girls over the past couple of weeks, I am starting to wonder, “What do I want out of this summer?”  I have decided to put together a list. Lists work for me — something feels so good about being able to check off completed tasks!  Plus, if I make my list public, I will definitely hold myself accountable for it! So here I go…10 things I’d like to do this summer:
1. Get my bike tuned up. Last time I rode it was….hmmmm…the summer of 2005 – yikes!  I know I need the exercise! While I’m at it, get an infant bike seat for my youngest.  Now that my big girl is off her training wheels, I’m imagining some rides over to Matthews Beach on the Burke Gilman Trail.
2. Visit Volunteer Park. They have an amazing dahlia garden which I haven’t visited since my oldest was about a year old.
3. Speaking of flowers, go to the lavender festival in Sequim in July. I’ve been wanting to go for a few years now, but have never gotten around to it.
4. Help my big girl and her best friends set up a lemonade stand. They went into great detail last weekend about what they wanted to do to set it up.
5. Plan a camping trip (or two). We upgraded from our two-man tent to a family tent in 2010 when our youngest was born and still haven’t used it!
6. Get some hikes in.  One thing I love about Seattle is how close you are to nature.  The Washington Trails Association has a great hike planner.
7. Read at least three adult, not children’s, books of my choosing…it’s been almost as long as since I’ve been on my bike. No, I’m kidding, it hasn’t been that long since I’ve read a book but it certainly hasn’t been as frequent as I would like.  I signed my oldest up for the Summer Reading Program at the Seattle Public Library…I should try to lead by example, right?!
8. Go blackberry picking and make a blackberry pie.  This has become a new summer tradition for us.  (I wrote about it last summer!)
9. Visit the Olympic Sculpture Park.  It opened up a few years ago and I still have never been.
10. Go to the top of the Space Needle.  We’ve been in Seattle almost 10 years, have walked around the Needle and taken lots of pictures of it, but never been to the top. Oh yeah, and it coincides with the Needle’s 50th Birthday!
Alright – off to bed. Â Need to rest so I can start tackling my new to-do list!
What about you? Are there things you have been wanting to get out and do with your family? What are they?Â
This is an original post for World Moms Blog by Eva Fannon. Eva can be found on Twitter @evafannon.Â
Photo credit to the author.
Eva Fannon (USA)
Eva Fannon is a working mom who lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her hubby and two girls. She was born and raised on the east coast and followed her husband out west when he got a job offer that he couldn't refuse. Eva has always been a planner, so it took her a while to accept that no matter how much you plan and prepare, being a mom means a new and different state of "normal". Despite the craziness on most weekday mornings (getting a family of four out the door in time for work and school is no easy task!), she wouldn't trade being a mother for anything in the world. She and her husband are working on introducing the girls to the things they love - travel, the great outdoors, and enjoying time with family and friends. Eva can be found on Twitter @evafannon.
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I agree, we can all get far too busy and caught up with the every day workings of our lives, and then realise we haven’t had enough or anytime to enjoy the area where we live…. We haven’t ever been to; Bletchly Park in MIlton Keynes, UK, and yet we’ve lived in MK for 21yrs.. Lol. Very remiss of us indeed, Bletchly Park is where the World War 2 Enigma Decoder was worked out…. :))
MissMarple 69 – thank you, now I don’t feel so bad about living here 10 years and not going to the top of the Space Needle – LOL! Well, maybe you can make a list of ‘must visit’ places too 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I agree, we can all get far too busy and caught up with the every day workings of our lives, and then realise we haven’t had enough or anytime to enjoy the area where we live…. We haven’t ever been to; Bletchly Park in MIlton Keynes, UK, and yet we’ve lived in MK for 21yrs.. Lol. Very remiss of us indeed, Bletchly Park is where the World War 2 Enigma Decoder was worked out…. :))
MissMarple 69 – thank you, now I don’t feel so bad about living here 10 years and not going to the top of the Space Needle – LOL! Well, maybe you can make a list of ‘must visit’ places too 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Your list is great, especially the lavender festival and blackberry picking… great idea. I have the best childhood memories from when with my cousins we were picking wild blackberries and then selling them at farmers market back in Poland.
I hope your little feels better!!!
I love my childhood memories with my cousins Polish Mom Photographer – they are some of the best! Well, here’s hoping that I am helping my daughters make some good ones too 🙂 (And the little one is all better now – thanks!)
Your list is great, especially the lavender festival and blackberry picking… great idea. I have the best childhood memories from when with my cousins we were picking wild blackberries and then selling them at farmers market back in Poland.
I hope your little feels better!!!
I love my childhood memories with my cousins Polish Mom Photographer – they are some of the best! Well, here’s hoping that I am helping my daughters make some good ones too 🙂 (And the little one is all better now – thanks!)
Summer goes by so quickly. Thank you for writing this and making me think about stopping to smell the flowers. I’m going to make my list of what else I want to do before the summer ends!
I also enjoyed the view into your life in Seattle through your list — great post!
Jen 🙂
Thanks Jen 🙂
Summer goes by so quickly. Thank you for writing this and making me think about stopping to smell the flowers. I’m going to make my list of what else I want to do before the summer ends!
I also enjoyed the view into your life in Seattle through your list — great post!
Jen 🙂
Thanks Jen 🙂
so here we are, mid-July, how’s your list coming along? (I have to admit, when I was reading your piece, I felt queasy myself in several places; I don’t visualize vomit well…)
Hi Kyla – I have always been queasy about bodily fluids that should stay inside our body, so I hear you!
As for the list, it’s moving slow, but started….I started reading my first book this week (“The Help” by Kathryn Stockett) and am going to get my bike tuned up this weekend. 🙂
Way to go Eva!!
so here we are, mid-July, how’s your list coming along? (I have to admit, when I was reading your piece, I felt queasy myself in several places; I don’t visualize vomit well…)
Hi Kyla – I have always been queasy about bodily fluids that should stay inside our body, so I hear you!
As for the list, it’s moving slow, but started….I started reading my first book this week (“The Help” by Kathryn Stockett) and am going to get my bike tuned up this weekend. 🙂
Way to go Eva!!
Oh my! Sick kids equals no fun! I love the summertime list and just might steal a few of your ideas!
Go ahead and steal Sara – and if you happen to come up to Seattle to see any of the sights, you MUST let me know so we can go explore together. It would be SO fun to get together will all the kiddos 🙂
Oh my! Sick kids equals no fun! I love the summertime list and just might steal a few of your ideas!
Go ahead and steal Sara – and if you happen to come up to Seattle to see any of the sights, you MUST let me know so we can go explore together. It would be SO fun to get together will all the kiddos 🙂
I too am in the midst of deadlines right now (and should be working although am catching up on my WMB reading instead 🙂 ), but as I read your list, it made me think that I should right one too. I always have great ideas as to what we should do, as a family or just for myself, and then when the weekend comes around and we finally have an unplanned day I can’t remember what it is! I hope the little one got over what she had quickly!
Maman Aya – My mind feels like a sieve sometimes, so I’ve started a little “to-do” list on my phone where I can easily add these types of ideas in and access them when/where ever I am 🙂
And the little one got over it in about 24 hours, thankfully!
I too am in the midst of deadlines right now (and should be working although am catching up on my WMB reading instead 🙂 ), but as I read your list, it made me think that I should right one too. I always have great ideas as to what we should do, as a family or just for myself, and then when the weekend comes around and we finally have an unplanned day I can’t remember what it is! I hope the little one got over what she had quickly!
Maman Aya – My mind feels like a sieve sometimes, so I’ve started a little “to-do” list on my phone where I can easily add these types of ideas in and access them when/where ever I am 🙂
And the little one got over it in about 24 hours, thankfully!
The sculpture park is also on my list! We should go together 😉
I have been really enjoying this summer. We have been camping and visiting family. My son now is in day camps, and we have a trip to the beach in August. It’s been very busy, but it’s all fun things we haven’t been doing much lately now that my older boy is in school full time. Let’s just hope the sun comes back!
Tara – I’m game for the sculpture park 🙂
And yes, let’s hope Mother Nature is kind to us and brings us some warner and sunnier summer weather!
The sculpture park is also on my list! We should go together 😉
I have been really enjoying this summer. We have been camping and visiting family. My son now is in day camps, and we have a trip to the beach in August. It’s been very busy, but it’s all fun things we haven’t been doing much lately now that my older boy is in school full time. Let’s just hope the sun comes back!
Tara – I’m game for the sculpture park 🙂
And yes, let’s hope Mother Nature is kind to us and brings us some warner and sunnier summer weather!