See...

See what happens when you procrastinate! I've had all this stuff I wanted to write swimming around in my head since Thursday and now it's Monday, so of course I can't remember most of it! So unfortunately =( it might just be choppy!

Random things:

When we were on our nature hike last weekend, Drew was walking and said to me, "Mommy, don't bother me, I'm conservating." (concentrating) I found this hilarious since we were on a nature walk =D

Some new parenting philosophies from an "aha" moment I had last week: Adults are really no different than kids. We get frustrated and lash out just like kids do. We may not hit (or do we, be honest with yourselves, parents...) or do the same things they do, but think how often we yell just out of frustration. I started time out with the thought it would be a place for the kids to "cool down", but they don't ever really get worked up enough to need to cool down, so I started using it as a discipline tool =( This bugs me because I don't really think it works. I add the firm reminders with time out when I put them there, I think those reminders are shaping their behavior...the time outs probably just add to their frustration! To change ourselves, as adults, we need constant reminders to act the way we are supposed to and refrain from negative behavior. I am trying to use more a more positive gentle attitude towards the kids...I hate being mean! I know that all the yelling and meanness they have has come from me =/ How awful is that?! Now I just have to spend the time and effort undoing any damage I have done.

(There was another one, but I can NOT remember it!)

Heath has started playing volleyball again. The hospital leagues started playing last week. It is good for him to be playing some sort of sport again! We haven't played volleyball since we were back in college. The kids and I went to his first game to cheer him and the rest of the team on. It was fun, but I wish I was playing too! They had their 3rd game today, so far they have won all of them! Yay!

We finally took a trip to the Virginia Air and Space museum on Saturday! It is free for all military during the month of March, so we took advantage of it! The kids were pretty excited...there are 2 floors, one for airplane/aviation stuff and the 2nd for NASA/space stuff. The first thing Hailey (and Heath) wanted to do was ride in the fighter jet simulator. We stood in line forever watching people get closed up in a box and start spinning around in all different directions. When Hailey and Heath were in there, I could hear her talking to daddy loudly. She asked me when they came out if I heard her telling daddy not to spin them around too much. It was pretty funny. Next we hopped on the rollercoaster simulator. Who ever thought it would be a good idea to lock people in a box, turn off the air, and then start throwing them around is an idiot! I would have been fine if they left the air on, but I might as well have been riding in the back of a van going down some unpaved road, ugh!

The museum was nice, Hailey and Drew were anxious to skip the planes and go upstairs for the space stuff. We walked through a room with large models of planets into a spaceship that took us to Mars. We stepped onto the red planet and started controlling some of their navigators and looking through previously taken pictures. We made a crater on the surface and landed the space shuttle on the return home. I was, of course, doing my usual teaching thing. I tried hard to have them learn something about everything we looked at, but it is hard to turn 2 little ones loose in a museum and expect them to stand there and listen to you when they could be running around pressing buttons! Oh well... A favorite that we got to "perform" twice was a rocket launch sequence that ended with a launch. We even had an audience the 2nd time we did it. Some individual faves of the museum...Hailey liked the rollercoaster ride (she can't wait for Busch Gardens to open up!) Drew liked the life size airplane that you could climb through. They had so much fun looking through the windows and pulling off the seat cushions to use as flotation devices. They even played flight attendants for a while, bringing me more drinks than my bladder could possibly hold on one flight! My favorite was the rocket launch, it was very unique, and Heath said he just liked being there with the kids =)

When we were finished going through the museum we took the kids to the Imax theater there to see Under the Sea in 3d!! I was all for the short educational length video and certainly watching it in 3d to make it more real. I had never seen a 3d movie before, especially in a theater! I will have to say, that was one of the coolest things I have ever EVER seen! I am sure all the people around us in the theater hated me! I kept talking to the kids and pointing things out and then I kept exclaiming to Heath how awesome the movie was! I could not believe how real it was. They had a part where they were going down a river next to some vegetation...I really felt like I was going down the river and I could just reach out and touch it. It was truly amazing. Drew didn't keep his glasses on at all, but liked to swing them around...yippee in a dark theater. I convinced him to put them back on towards the end when they were showing sea lions. He was thrilled, they were so close...one even came right up and "kissed" us. They saw quite a few of the things we learn songs about...weedy sea dragon, lion fish, etc. My favorite part of the movie was being on top of the water, I loved feeling like I was there. I felt like I was snorkeling under the water too, who needs to be in the water to snorkel, ha! (It's nice for those of us who hyperventilate when we snorkel to be able to do it =) I also liked the sea snakes, they were just floating around in the middle of the water. The seals and sharks were cool too. Heath liked the sea snakes and this wave of fish that was feeding off the ocean floor. Drew liked the lion fish and Hailey liked the garden snakes. They all just rise up out of holes in the ground (there are a ton of them all together) and then "dance" with the flow of the water...too cool! They both loved getting kisses from the seals! They are still talking about it!

We decided to branch out that night and head to an Indian restaurant in Norfolk (Rajput). Heath had heard a lot of good things about it, but I am such a food snob...I would rate it as mediocre. Hailey ordered chicken tikka (which was good, I should have ordered the kid plate =) and Drew ordered lamb shuka (that might not be quite right). Heath and I ordered sampler platters...he really liked his. Like I said, mine was mediocre (well, not mine, all of it...I tried a little of everything). I am not one for bland flavor. It's ok, it was an experience. Both Heath and I ordered some chai since it was so cold and rainy out...I was fine for a while, but I am NOT a caffeine drinker even a little bit. I am pretty entertaining after having a cup of caffeine, it didn't hit me until later and then I started getting really talkative and silly, making up stupid jokes and stuff. I thought it was hilarious. I wanted to get on here and write while I was in a funny talkative mood, but it didn't happen =/ Maybe next time ;)

All we did on Sunday was go to Target (in the rain...for maybe the 3rd or 4th day in a row). We were finally getting around to buying the double sit and stand stroller we have been eying forever! We figured we would want it for Disney World, but now I am having 2nd thoughts about taking our new $170 stroller to DW, what if it gets stolen?! Now I am thinking maybe we should get some cheap umbrella type strollers that I wouldn't care if they disappeared. Eek!

Today was art day (as are all Mondays). Hailey is incredibly (unusually) excited for St. Patrick's Day, so was happy to be painting Leprechaun hats, shamrocks, and rainbows today. Drew gets bored with painting pretty fast, he never wants to fill in all the white spots. He did a great job on his rainbow though! Hailey's afternoon drawing class was about repetition. They drew on a card that was folded into 4 sections...they drew the same thing 4 times on each side in different colors (Hailey did ice cream cones on one side and golden retrievers on the other.) I will have to post a picture, they turned out really great!

In the car on the way to class today, Hailey said, "Mommy, I have an idea. If we had a plastic trash bag we could go to the beach and clean up all the trash and help the animals. Isn't that a great idea?!" I thought it was a fabulous idea! Such a cute little girl =) When we were at the air and space museum, they had a wall that you could post answers to their questions. I asked Hailey, "What is something you can do to help the environment?" She said, "recycle". I was surprised to get an answer, much less a real one! My little tree hugger =)

Drew has been having a lot of trouble sleeping this last week...as in going to sleep, not sleeping during the night. Kids really know how to break your heart...when I go in to check on him while he is crying, I calm him down and tell him to go back to sleep. Then he scrunches his sweet little face up and tries not to cry, but can't help it as he squeaks out, "but what if I'm all alone and somebody won't be with me anymore!" It is SO sad, it makes me want to cry! I'm a tough mom, I can handle it, but man! He knows how to pull at my heart strings. I just want to scoop him up and snuggle with him in the rocking chair so he feels safe and secure and knows that I am there. But of course, I can't do that...think of the pattern that will start even if I do it only once! He always asks me, "Mommy, can you sleep with me for a minute?" (meaning, lay on the floor next to my crib until I fall asleep and then I won't notice you leave). I always tell him no, but now he answers with his alone phrase and it kills me! I hate the feeling alone phase, it lasts forever and you feel like crap for not indulging them. Sigh...

Another "parenting" tidbit I was working out today: Live each day as if it is your last...or slightly less morbid, live each day to its fullest. I try to remind myself a lot of what I liked most about my childhood. What are my fondest memories, the things that stick out very vividly in my mind. Then I try to think about what I want them to look back and remember when they are older so I can plan for those things. I want them to remember lots of fun, playing, laughing, loving, hugging, cuddling, and gentle understanding. I, of course, want them to look back and see me as the perfect mom (who wouldn't want that?!) who did nothing but love them and their dad and make their childhood an overflowing cup of beautiful memories. I need to take each day and look at it like that. Make each day full of fun...then I won't have regrets about all the "bad" days we have. I hate that 1 good day to replace x number of bad days. I still feel horrible about the days that aren't as loving as others, the days where we are only trying to get things done. It isn't about the finished product, but the journey. How you get there is what counts, and I need to remember that. Hailey and I had a great time, it was always harmonious when she was little. Drew definitely changed the dynamic, having two kids gave me an attitude adjustment for the worse. Now I need to spend a lot of time and effort getting back on that track!

Thanks for listening to my ramblings...