I'm sitting here having finished my evening rituals of getting Emer into bed, cleaning, finishing up any last minute work stuff that needs done, and practicing drums. I usually watch TV now but tonight I have a hankering for writing a blog. Nothing spectacular is coming to mind so let's just see what comes out my fingertips...
Oh Emerson...this girl that I love so much is so sweet and kind. Last week we lost Max. It was quite unexpected and extremely sad for both of us. My parents and I buried him at my brother's place and Emer didn't want to be there. That's OK. Instead, she and all her friends at school (and her teacher!) had a memorial service for Max at recess. She said they found a flower, a heart shaped bead, and put together a pile of mulch on which to put the bead and flower. Then they took turns telling stories about Max. She said she almost cried and one of her friends did cry. I am so touched by this and it makes me so happy and sad at the same time that my daughter is so loving and thoughtful to grieve in her own way with the support of her friends. It shows me that not only is she so sweet to want to do something like a service for our kitty but also what wonderful friends she has chosen. Most of her friends knew Max; a few didn't. But they all stood around and listened to each other and learned a little bit more about what makes Emer tick
Since that day, she has started sleeping w/ her door open sometimes to allow Mrs. Claws to come into her room with her. Mrs. Claws has always been Emer's cat - play fighting with her, sleeping outside her room every morning, snuggling w/ her...Max was Steve's (though as he got older he would choose to cuddle on my lap and Mrs. Claws would take over Steve's lap!) and Demitri was my kitty. Anyway, Emer feels like Mrs. Claws is lonely without Max so she wants to give her more love and attention, even if it annoys her when Mrs. Claws lays on her in the bed!
It's been a tough week. I miss Max so much. I especially miss him right now when it used to be just he and I on the couch and everyone else was sleeping...Max, Emer and I both hope your next life is even more wonderful than what you shared w/ us in this life. 💛💛💛
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Frustrating Love...
I love Emer. More than anyone I've ever known or will ever know. She is funny, adorable, kind, caring, messy, shy but such a loyal friend, and above all - she is my daughter. I see myself in her and I see some unknown traits as well. I encourage all things with her, be it good, frustrating, or otherwise. I enjoy listening to her play piano; I enjoy watching her act as Orville Redenbacher; I love listening in on her friends and realizing how tiny and young they still are; I take her challenging behaviour and run with it; I love watching her interact and make new friends...she is amazing.
I know that my daughter is no more amazing than anyone else's daughter. But she is a part of me and that draws up a sense of pride so strong that I will always find her as the most amazing person ever!
Despite all of this, I find frustration. Frustration in a lack of accomplishment. Frustration in a lack of competition. Frustration in a lack of responsibility. Frustration in a lack of organization. I wonder where I'm going wrong. Why doesn't she seem to care about practicing to get faster in the water? Why doesn't she complete her very simple chores and basic routines at home? Why is following an after-school routine to keep her things organized and get her homework done so difficult for her? Is there something else I should be doing? We've tried checklists, an allowance, texting and writing and talking about schedules...nothing. We're no further to getting her to care about responsibilities and abilities than we were when she was in pre-school.
I know I hated most chores when I was a kid but I loved practicing piano. I know I struggled with math but I loved reading. For each thing Emer struggles with or doesn't seem to care about I try to find the opposite or another thing she does love and care about. She loves to play the piano for her class at school, but doesn't seem to care if she ever gets new songs to learn. She loves swimming and does care about what place she comes in after each event...but not enough to really put in extra practice or effort. Routines and chores at home - I can't seem to find anything she likes outside of playing Minecraft or watching TV. She would sit on her pajamas and a pile of books and stuffed animals, completely content, if I let her. She would eat treats and then lay on the wrappers for the next week if I didn't clean up or push her to clean them up. I do know that kids think moms (or some magical being perhaps) are there to clean up after them but it gets frustrating trying to teach her a sense of responsibility.
In my Sunday Meditation class today we discussed the source of all problems - the source is in our minds. I am attached to the expectation that Emer will learn to be responsible and help out around the house. When this expectation isn't met I feel frustrated. I counter this with patience...to a point. Then it gets out of hand and I start to lose it. This is when I get more firm with her (eg, "Emer, eat that carrot or you will be served only carrots for dinner!") Whew...it is frustrating...(and a little irrational!)
How do I counter this frustration? How do I stay calm but continue to teach good behavior and responsibility? I think these are age-old questions that every parent asks themselves. But that doesn't make it any easier. The only thing that is easy is to continue to love the frustrating child called Emer. And I do love her...which is why I just went into her room and showed her how to clean a 3x3 square foot area in 2 minutes. Again...
Sigh...
I know that my daughter is no more amazing than anyone else's daughter. But she is a part of me and that draws up a sense of pride so strong that I will always find her as the most amazing person ever!
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Despite all of this, I find frustration. Frustration in a lack of accomplishment. Frustration in a lack of competition. Frustration in a lack of responsibility. Frustration in a lack of organization. I wonder where I'm going wrong. Why doesn't she seem to care about practicing to get faster in the water? Why doesn't she complete her very simple chores and basic routines at home? Why is following an after-school routine to keep her things organized and get her homework done so difficult for her? Is there something else I should be doing? We've tried checklists, an allowance, texting and writing and talking about schedules...nothing. We're no further to getting her to care about responsibilities and abilities than we were when she was in pre-school.
I know I hated most chores when I was a kid but I loved practicing piano. I know I struggled with math but I loved reading. For each thing Emer struggles with or doesn't seem to care about I try to find the opposite or another thing she does love and care about. She loves to play the piano for her class at school, but doesn't seem to care if she ever gets new songs to learn. She loves swimming and does care about what place she comes in after each event...but not enough to really put in extra practice or effort. Routines and chores at home - I can't seem to find anything she likes outside of playing Minecraft or watching TV. She would sit on her pajamas and a pile of books and stuffed animals, completely content, if I let her. She would eat treats and then lay on the wrappers for the next week if I didn't clean up or push her to clean them up. I do know that kids think moms (or some magical being perhaps) are there to clean up after them but it gets frustrating trying to teach her a sense of responsibility.
In my Sunday Meditation class today we discussed the source of all problems - the source is in our minds. I am attached to the expectation that Emer will learn to be responsible and help out around the house. When this expectation isn't met I feel frustrated. I counter this with patience...to a point. Then it gets out of hand and I start to lose it. This is when I get more firm with her (eg, "Emer, eat that carrot or you will be served only carrots for dinner!") Whew...it is frustrating...(and a little irrational!)
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
How do I counter this frustration? How do I stay calm but continue to teach good behavior and responsibility? I think these are age-old questions that every parent asks themselves. But that doesn't make it any easier. The only thing that is easy is to continue to love the frustrating child called Emer. And I do love her...which is why I just went into her room and showed her how to clean a 3x3 square foot area in 2 minutes. Again...
Sigh...
Thursday, January 4, 2018
SLOW DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm on Year Nine of Motherhood...I can still remember Year One like it was just last year. I'll look at old pictures on my blog or my phone and just gaze in awe at how small my Tiny was even 3 or 4 years ago. I think back on all the adventures we've been on and can't believe how many times she and I have been to NYC.
...
This seems as good a time as any to finish this blog post. I started this in Aug and it's now Oct. Let's see if I can finish explaining how this 9 year old Chickee needs to slow down in life before the month is over!
...
And I failed. But that's OK. B/c sometimes spending life enjoying time w/ the love of your life (aka your daughter) is way better than blogging about it! So here we are in Jan. 2018 and I log into blogspot to write a summary blog from 2017 only to find out I never finished this one.
The thing is, facebook keeps reminding me how quickly time is going by and it keeps hitting me - as a kid we always want time to go faster. "I wish I was older and could go out without my parents. I wish I was a teenage and could have more freedom. I wish I was done w/ college and paying bills and living by my own rules". Suddenly it becomes, "I wish I was a kid without bills to worry about. I wish had more money to buy things I want - like when I could ask Santa and he'd bring what I want. I wish I could go back to being a kid and slow down time."
I remember all of these feelings and I see Emer wishing time away. She wants school breaks to come so she can play all day but then she wants the breaks to end so she can see her friends every day again. She wants it to be Halloween b/c then her friends will be coming over for our party. Next up Christmas - she can't wait for Santa! We had a New Year's Eve party which couldn't come fast enough b/c her friends were going to be spending the night. And she's already wishing time away for her birthday b/c I told her that when I was a kid I read that age 10 is the best year of your life. She can't wait to be 10.
There is no way to slow this down...there is no way to get a kid to realize time is flying by. We just have to treasure each moment we get and live in it. Understand that the argument over cleaning your bathroom will always be there and it's best to be held on a day when nothing else is in sight. Remember that putting away toys is so much less fun than getting them out and sometimes it takes a friend yelling at you to finish your chores before you will do them. Understanding that reading in the hallway or bathroom instead of getting in the shower is a way to lengthen the evening and get more time to hang out. As a parent, I see the reason behind the rules as well as the fun behind the rebellion. As me, I get frustrated at her disobedience and blatant ignoring of us. As a parent, I struggle to find the right way to teach her things of importance while also allowing her to learn through her actions. As me, I am reminded of my pushing the boundaries and struggle to exert independence.
** But at the end of the day, I love my Chickee, my Emer, my Tiny. And she can argue with me all she wants but I will always love her. Even though I can't get her to slow down...
...
This seems as good a time as any to finish this blog post. I started this in Aug and it's now Oct. Let's see if I can finish explaining how this 9 year old Chickee needs to slow down in life before the month is over!
...
And I failed. But that's OK. B/c sometimes spending life enjoying time w/ the love of your life (aka your daughter) is way better than blogging about it! So here we are in Jan. 2018 and I log into blogspot to write a summary blog from 2017 only to find out I never finished this one.
The thing is, facebook keeps reminding me how quickly time is going by and it keeps hitting me - as a kid we always want time to go faster. "I wish I was older and could go out without my parents. I wish I was a teenage and could have more freedom. I wish I was done w/ college and paying bills and living by my own rules". Suddenly it becomes, "I wish I was a kid without bills to worry about. I wish had more money to buy things I want - like when I could ask Santa and he'd bring what I want. I wish I could go back to being a kid and slow down time."
I remember all of these feelings and I see Emer wishing time away. She wants school breaks to come so she can play all day but then she wants the breaks to end so she can see her friends every day again. She wants it to be Halloween b/c then her friends will be coming over for our party. Next up Christmas - she can't wait for Santa! We had a New Year's Eve party which couldn't come fast enough b/c her friends were going to be spending the night. And she's already wishing time away for her birthday b/c I told her that when I was a kid I read that age 10 is the best year of your life. She can't wait to be 10.
There is no way to slow this down...there is no way to get a kid to realize time is flying by. We just have to treasure each moment we get and live in it. Understand that the argument over cleaning your bathroom will always be there and it's best to be held on a day when nothing else is in sight. Remember that putting away toys is so much less fun than getting them out and sometimes it takes a friend yelling at you to finish your chores before you will do them. Understanding that reading in the hallway or bathroom instead of getting in the shower is a way to lengthen the evening and get more time to hang out. As a parent, I see the reason behind the rules as well as the fun behind the rebellion. As me, I get frustrated at her disobedience and blatant ignoring of us. As a parent, I struggle to find the right way to teach her things of importance while also allowing her to learn through her actions. As me, I am reminded of my pushing the boundaries and struggle to exert independence.
** But at the end of the day, I love my Chickee, my Emer, my Tiny. And she can argue with me all she wants but I will always love her. Even though I can't get her to slow down...
Thursday, June 22, 2017
NYC - the Greatest City in the World!
It's just a week past our annual NYC trip and I'm missing the city already. It warms my heart and makes me so proud that Emer loves this city almost as much as I do. This blog post will be filled w/ pix from our trip along with a few highlights that show just how much we have grown to love the melting pot of America :)
In recent years we have found hotels in offbeat, less tourist areas of Manhattan b/c we, well at least I, prefer pretending we live in NYC when we are there. This time Steve went w/ us again and he wanted to stay in the heart of things - Times Square and the theatre district! So we stayed at the Novotel which is a French-owned hotel. I don't know if it was our location or the fact that this is a European hotel, but I only heard one other family w/ an American accent in our hotel. And I have to admit, it was quite refreshing to be surrounded by so many different types of people. Saturday night the balcony bar was turned into a Latin nightclub that pumped music clear into the night. We could hear it from our room, but I was the only one awake wishing I was downstairs dancing! Sunday night some African American group had rented the balcony bar and we were regaled w/ everything from hip hop to traditional African music. It was truly a melting pot of a hotel!
When we arrived in the city I had one agenda and that was to get to the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. The artist Dale Chihuly had a large exhibit of blown-glass sculptures throughout the gardens and I love his work so I wanted to see it. So, Fri., we hopped on the Metro North train and headed to the gardens. Here are a few of our favorite scenes:
Saturday was truly a "we live here" kind of day. We hopped on the Subway and took it to Washington Square Park.
This is a new park for us and one where Emer made a new friend (of course!) Our main mission was to eat John's of Bleecker St. pizza and the park was pretty close to the pizza place so we stayed to let Emer play until it was time to head to lunch. Let me just say this - Never doubt Steve's pizza-picking ability! This was by far the best, most delicious pizza we've ever had!!! John's may become a regular spot for us. On another note, it was fun eating there b/c when we walked in there was a little league team celebrating their end-of season awards. A bunch of 4-and 5-year-olds were eating pizza and being given awards for MVP, Best Attitude, etc. Too cute!
Saturday afternoon I decided to walk next door to the theatre where Cats was playing and see how much tickets might be. I scored affordable tickets! Emer and I enjoyed the show and she's still singing the songs :) I love, love, love that I have a Broadway fan for a daughter!
Emer's favorite day came on Sunday when we took the D train an hour south to Coney Island. Oh yes, we spend over 3 hours playing at the beach! Imagine this - 93 degrees F, a slight breeze, the smell of sand, salt and sunscreen, people packing the beach as far as the eye can see, but plenty of open sand to create sand castles, families, young adults, teenagers, and chilly ocean water! Life was perfect. And I've decided I'll be moving Brooklyn some day, heehee!
After the beach we had Nathan's for lunch (I definitely recommend the
clam po' boy!), Emer rode a couple of big rides, and we headed back on
the F train. What a perfect day!
Our trip sadly came to an end on Monday. We slept in, hung out a bit, and enjoyed Katz's deli for lunch. You didn't think Steve would go to NYC without getting his pastrami fix, did you??
Our flight wasn't until 8:05pm so Emer and I just wandered the city a bit more, ending up in Rockefeller and checking out some fun Lego creations at the Lego store. There is really no way to be bored in New York City...
In recent years we have found hotels in offbeat, less tourist areas of Manhattan b/c we, well at least I, prefer pretending we live in NYC when we are there. This time Steve went w/ us again and he wanted to stay in the heart of things - Times Square and the theatre district! So we stayed at the Novotel which is a French-owned hotel. I don't know if it was our location or the fact that this is a European hotel, but I only heard one other family w/ an American accent in our hotel. And I have to admit, it was quite refreshing to be surrounded by so many different types of people. Saturday night the balcony bar was turned into a Latin nightclub that pumped music clear into the night. We could hear it from our room, but I was the only one awake wishing I was downstairs dancing! Sunday night some African American group had rented the balcony bar and we were regaled w/ everything from hip hop to traditional African music. It was truly a melting pot of a hotel!
When we arrived in the city I had one agenda and that was to get to the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. The artist Dale Chihuly had a large exhibit of blown-glass sculptures throughout the gardens and I love his work so I wanted to see it. So, Fri., we hopped on the Metro North train and headed to the gardens. Here are a few of our favorite scenes:
Saturday afternoon I decided to walk next door to the theatre where Cats was playing and see how much tickets might be. I scored affordable tickets! Emer and I enjoyed the show and she's still singing the songs :) I love, love, love that I have a Broadway fan for a daughter!
Emer's favorite day came on Sunday when we took the D train an hour south to Coney Island. Oh yes, we spend over 3 hours playing at the beach! Imagine this - 93 degrees F, a slight breeze, the smell of sand, salt and sunscreen, people packing the beach as far as the eye can see, but plenty of open sand to create sand castles, families, young adults, teenagers, and chilly ocean water! Life was perfect. And I've decided I'll be moving Brooklyn some day, heehee!
Our trip sadly came to an end on Monday. We slept in, hung out a bit, and enjoyed Katz's deli for lunch. You didn't think Steve would go to NYC without getting his pastrami fix, did you??
Our flight wasn't until 8:05pm so Emer and I just wandered the city a bit more, ending up in Rockefeller and checking out some fun Lego creations at the Lego store. There is really no way to be bored in New York City...
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Major Updates!
Apparently this blog will be updated every 6 or so months now...so here's a quick recap of Emer's life since beginning 3rd grade...
She did join the swim club! She's been in swimming since October and is loving it. And so am I! She's pretty good - especially at breast stroke. She's gotten 2nd place in every meet for breast stroke. She's done very well with backstroke and freestyle as well. Butterfly is a work in progress. She does a pretty good job but hasn't gotten fast enough yet to be competitive. She'll get there though, I'm sure. I'm really proud of her! She works hard, is good, and enjoys herself. It's the perfect combination!
This wouldn't be an update blog without a picture of Halloween! So...
Emer was a pirate this year! Somehow we went from multiple costumes last year to just one this year. Whew, so much easier for me, haha! This picture was taken at the Colts Kids Club Halloween party. She was also a pirate at Lake Rudolph where we made our golf cart into a pirate ship! Halloween continues to be so much fun!!!!
At Christmas we didn't get to NYC this year. As I write this I'm still missing my city! Emer and I had a conversation recently about NYC. She's very insightful at times. We were talking about where we might move to in the future. I said I really wanted to live in NYC. She did not. (Of course she doesn't want to leave IN...) When I asked her why not she said that if we lived there then we wouldn't have our annual tradition of visiting. Huh...that makes sense...I still want to live there!
Let's jump forward to spring break. Emer and I set off for her first international flight! We spent 10 days in Portugal!!! It was so much fun! The country is wonderful - filled w/ nice and helpful people, castles, delicious food, and new adventures. While we were there we met up with Stephen Miller from Ireland and his daughter. That was possibly the highlight of our trip. Emer and his daughter Lily became instant friends, almost like sisters. There's nothing like traveling to one country to make friends with someone from yet another country! It's so international of Emer :)
Here are a few highlights from our trip:
BOS airport!
The famous Arch in Lisbon!
Belem (the castle and Monument to the Discoverers!
Outside the Monastery.
National Tile Museum!
Oceanaria! (the greatest aquarium ever!)
The obligatory McDonald's from Lisbon!! (Hey, it's a long-standing tradition!)
Boca de Inferno (Mouth of Hell)
Coffees and hot chocolates to warm up from the beach!
Cascais: where else would you eat but an Irish pub?!
Traditional Portuguese meal in Sintra.
First of two castles in Sintra!
Chickens! (A national Portuguese symbol, all over the park in Cascais!)
Cascais beach!
The university near our last location, back in Lisbon!
Mmmm, what a fabulous lunch!
Castle Jorge!
Last day's hot chocolate and adventuring!
And this brings us to now...spring break is over, school is back in session, swimming has started up again, and life is nearly back to normal.
The next blog will feature things like Emer's quest for braces, her continued effort to lose a tooth in a new location, and updates on swimming or any other adventures she gets into. I continue to love being her mom and think she's just about the greatest living being in the world. She will always amaze me, I think. I <3 3="" br="" emerson="">
She did join the swim club! She's been in swimming since October and is loving it. And so am I! She's pretty good - especially at breast stroke. She's gotten 2nd place in every meet for breast stroke. She's done very well with backstroke and freestyle as well. Butterfly is a work in progress. She does a pretty good job but hasn't gotten fast enough yet to be competitive. She'll get there though, I'm sure. I'm really proud of her! She works hard, is good, and enjoys herself. It's the perfect combination!
This wouldn't be an update blog without a picture of Halloween! So...
At Christmas we didn't get to NYC this year. As I write this I'm still missing my city! Emer and I had a conversation recently about NYC. She's very insightful at times. We were talking about where we might move to in the future. I said I really wanted to live in NYC. She did not. (Of course she doesn't want to leave IN...) When I asked her why not she said that if we lived there then we wouldn't have our annual tradition of visiting. Huh...that makes sense...I still want to live there!
Let's jump forward to spring break. Emer and I set off for her first international flight! We spent 10 days in Portugal!!! It was so much fun! The country is wonderful - filled w/ nice and helpful people, castles, delicious food, and new adventures. While we were there we met up with Stephen Miller from Ireland and his daughter. That was possibly the highlight of our trip. Emer and his daughter Lily became instant friends, almost like sisters. There's nothing like traveling to one country to make friends with someone from yet another country! It's so international of Emer :)
Here are a few highlights from our trip:
And this brings us to now...spring break is over, school is back in session, swimming has started up again, and life is nearly back to normal.
The next blog will feature things like Emer's quest for braces, her continued effort to lose a tooth in a new location, and updates on swimming or any other adventures she gets into. I continue to love being her mom and think she's just about the greatest living being in the world. She will always amaze me, I think. I <3 3="" br="" emerson="">
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Summer Nutshell
I don't know how the time goes so quickly that I don't have a moment to keep up this blog on my growing-like-a-weed child, but sometimes it just does! Since I last blogged we've gone to NYC as a family, Emer has turned 8, I got a new Jeep (Beast Boy!), Steve got a new Mustang, and we have a garden full of tomatoes carrots, and one pumpkin! Emer and I are planning a Spring Break trip to Portugal (although the prices keep going up and I'm getting a bit worried we should have booked this trip 3 weeks ago...) which will be her first overseas trip. I'm super excited b/c it looks fantastic and beautiful over there. I will, of course, keep you all posted on how things turn out and you know there will be pix galore!
In the meantime, she has begun 3rd grade w/ a new teacher who she says, "Is the best teacher ever!". I love that she thinks this of every teacher she has. Her best friend from New Augusta South has moved over to Fishback. This is great news since her friend, Kirsten, and her boyfriend, Malcolm, both moved away this summer. It's helped to have new excitement to start the school year. So far she's managed well to introduce and enjoy her old best friend, her new best friend, and many other friends!
Garden Club recently started up again. And she's deciding if she's going to try Swim Club or stick w/ tennis. Emer played tennis all summer - playing in her first matches! She enjoyed it but didn't seem to learn much. She definitely does better when she's playing with kids who are better than her and this summer she was the best. (I should have prefaced this by saying she was one of the few who had ever played tennis before this summer!)
And well there you have it! That's basically our summer in a nut shell. In a couple of weeks we're going to an event to benefit Pike Township Schools - Jazz on the Green. Emer still loves jazz music and you know what? So do I! It should be a fun evening w/ family, great music, and delicious Cajun food! Until then...enjoy this movie starring Emer as "student w/ one line in the back row": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFtUiQbbkWs
In the meantime, she has begun 3rd grade w/ a new teacher who she says, "Is the best teacher ever!". I love that she thinks this of every teacher she has. Her best friend from New Augusta South has moved over to Fishback. This is great news since her friend, Kirsten, and her boyfriend, Malcolm, both moved away this summer. It's helped to have new excitement to start the school year. So far she's managed well to introduce and enjoy her old best friend, her new best friend, and many other friends!
Garden Club recently started up again. And she's deciding if she's going to try Swim Club or stick w/ tennis. Emer played tennis all summer - playing in her first matches! She enjoyed it but didn't seem to learn much. She definitely does better when she's playing with kids who are better than her and this summer she was the best. (I should have prefaced this by saying she was one of the few who had ever played tennis before this summer!)
And well there you have it! That's basically our summer in a nut shell. In a couple of weeks we're going to an event to benefit Pike Township Schools - Jazz on the Green. Emer still loves jazz music and you know what? So do I! It should be a fun evening w/ family, great music, and delicious Cajun food! Until then...enjoy this movie starring Emer as "student w/ one line in the back row": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFtUiQbbkWs
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Four Day Weekend!!
Well I haven't written here in too long and now I'm have finishing a blog I started a month and a half ago and writing a new one! I just couldn't resist writing a blog about today. So here goes:
The day began as we both woke up at 7:54ish. I was stirring and the next thing I know Emer is staring at me in bed. She had just woken up and figured it was close enough to 8:00 that I might be up. Neither of us were fully awake so it was kind of funny. I told her our agenda (I had to work for one hour then we could hang out downtown doing whatever we decided to do) and she headed downstairs. I got up a few minutes later and found her on the coach playing with some stuffed animals. Such a creative spirit when electronics aren't numbing her brain!
After breakfast and getting dressed we left the house at 10:00 for work. Emer continues to be fantastic for me at work! I didn't have any packets or anything for her to work on so she brought a book (which she never cracked open!) and a barn of My Little Ponies. She spent an hour playing My Little Ponies while I made calls to coach people. Again, creativity was in full force for her!
Just before noon we finally headed out for our adventure! We literally walked 6.59 miles today! We started at IUPUI, headed to Georgia St. by way of CVS (sun lotion was a necessity!), back up to the circle, all the way up 330 steps to the top of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, over to the canal, and back to IUPUI!
In between this walking we had lunch on Georgia St. from Food Truck Friday. Note the pulled pork in her box and the vegetarian delight in mine, haha!
Remember that creativity I've talked about already? Well this Chickpea decided to make up games along Georgia St. after lunch. It turns out the huge vents on the side walk blow air which smells like a pool and feels like a giant cool breath from the earth. Lots of fun to a happy-go-lucky 7 year old!
Of course we couldn't just go back to the car. The circle was calling out to us. More games, along with songs were flowing from Emer's mind out into the world! It was beautiful to see the fountains running, the sun shining, and smiles on kids and adults alike. Just as I was getting super thirsty and on a hunt for a water fountain, Emer had the notion to go up the monument again. 330 steps up. 330 steps down. From the top we had fun trying to find IUPUI and locate swimming pools and gardens that looked like perfection. Back at the bottom we were told there was a water fountain in the museum. Well all good adventure-seeking girls know you can't just go in a museum for water. You have to spend time walking through the museum and learning!
As we headed back towards the canal I was waiting for some kind of sign that I'd worn out Emer. It never came. In fact, I had said I wanted to check out the peddle boat prices and maybe we could do that some day this summer. That day was today! We didn't make it through the Historical Society b/c we were too busy peddling up and down the canal in the heart of the city. Despite the driver's (Ok, that was me!) inability to keep us in a straight line, we had a beautiful trip through artwork covered bridges, duck and geese picnics, and avoiding sculptures and fountains.
Back on IUPUI's campus we walked a section of the Cultural Trail, stopping for pictures and to play at a sculpture along the way. This was the most adventure in one day that we'd ever had in downtown Indy! We both agreed that it felt like a day in NYC and it was fabulous!
The day began as we both woke up at 7:54ish. I was stirring and the next thing I know Emer is staring at me in bed. She had just woken up and figured it was close enough to 8:00 that I might be up. Neither of us were fully awake so it was kind of funny. I told her our agenda (I had to work for one hour then we could hang out downtown doing whatever we decided to do) and she headed downstairs. I got up a few minutes later and found her on the coach playing with some stuffed animals. Such a creative spirit when electronics aren't numbing her brain!
After breakfast and getting dressed we left the house at 10:00 for work. Emer continues to be fantastic for me at work! I didn't have any packets or anything for her to work on so she brought a book (which she never cracked open!) and a barn of My Little Ponies. She spent an hour playing My Little Ponies while I made calls to coach people. Again, creativity was in full force for her!
Just before noon we finally headed out for our adventure! We literally walked 6.59 miles today! We started at IUPUI, headed to Georgia St. by way of CVS (sun lotion was a necessity!), back up to the circle, all the way up 330 steps to the top of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, over to the canal, and back to IUPUI!
In between this walking we had lunch on Georgia St. from Food Truck Friday. Note the pulled pork in her box and the vegetarian delight in mine, haha!
Of course we couldn't just go back to the car. The circle was calling out to us. More games, along with songs were flowing from Emer's mind out into the world! It was beautiful to see the fountains running, the sun shining, and smiles on kids and adults alike. Just as I was getting super thirsty and on a hunt for a water fountain, Emer had the notion to go up the monument again. 330 steps up. 330 steps down. From the top we had fun trying to find IUPUI and locate swimming pools and gardens that looked like perfection. Back at the bottom we were told there was a water fountain in the museum. Well all good adventure-seeking girls know you can't just go in a museum for water. You have to spend time walking through the museum and learning!
As we headed back towards the canal I was waiting for some kind of sign that I'd worn out Emer. It never came. In fact, I had said I wanted to check out the peddle boat prices and maybe we could do that some day this summer. That day was today! We didn't make it through the Historical Society b/c we were too busy peddling up and down the canal in the heart of the city. Despite the driver's (Ok, that was me!) inability to keep us in a straight line, we had a beautiful trip through artwork covered bridges, duck and geese picnics, and avoiding sculptures and fountains.
*** City Girls Adventures ***
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