Simple life...

Lately I have been thinking about how things were when I was a kid. We had an Atari growing up. It was awesome. How often did we play it? Once in a while. I would guess maybe an 3-5 hours per month, every other month, not a bunch. We had the Nintendo, you know the first one. Once again, we played it very minimally by today's standards. In fact, I still have the Nintendo. It has been in the original box/styrofoam, etc. Crazy eh?

So what did we do for fun? I for one, rode my bike. EVERYWHERE! I played outside pretty much all day long. Jumping on the trampoline, riding my scooter (which I still have), riding my bike, playing "Steal the Flag" or a nice game of softball in my parent's cul-de-sac, were my personal faves. In the winter time, we would make slides in my parent's backyard. One time we made a slide that had a jump that landed in the pit where the trampoline was during the summer. We would spend hours! My mom would have to drag us inside. It was great!

I want my kids to have the same type of life. I am looking forward to cooler temperatures... where we can find changing leaves, make snow angels, snow men, and my personal favorite SLIDES!

The past few days have had some not so optimal weather. I built a little Marble run for Joe and he LOVED it! These bring back memories of what we used to do when I was a kid! Forget all the automated toys with obnoxious noises/sound effects! Give me a marble run any day! Check out how entertained Joe was with that Marble Run! He played with this thing for HOURS!

I Never thought...

Lastnight I had a great phone conversation with my mom that I haven't been able to stop thinking about, so I thought I should write it down.
Five years ago, Jake was a cute little toddler, walking around, curious, just being the sweetest little boy ever. He was my only child, and I loved him dearly. I worked. A LOT! Money was good. Turtle and I were comfortable. We did whatever we wanted. We had a big suburban, (yes...with only one child!!!). Handsome and I went boating several times a month. I had my hair done every six weeks, I bought clothes because I felt like it, and never really questioned finances. My days were hectic. I would get up at 6am to do my hair and get ready to spend the day doing what I loved, my career in CMBS. I got in my little hot rod, drove Jake to the sitters, and off I went to work. I would race around all day long. I went to lunch EVERY DAY with my girlfriends. Get home around 7pm order takeout, or on rare occasions prepare supper, and put Jake to bed... and repeat. This was my life! I was happy, and I NEVER thought I could ever do anything else that would make me happier.
Fastforward to the present. I get up at 4:30am nearly every morning to feed my sweet baby. I put her back to bed. I check on my sweet sons. I love seeing them all snuggled up with their favorite blankets. I get up again at 7:15am. I eat breakfast. I go wake up my handsome Jake. I make his breakfast, and talk to him as he eats. I prepare his lunch, and my little Joey comes in, I give him a hug, prepare his breakfast and listen to the boys talk about whatever they want. It is so entertaining, I wish it could last forever, but I have to cut it short, and get the boys dressed. By this time Miss Courtney is awake, and I get her dressed. We strap her in her carseat, plop her in the wagon with Joey, and we walk behind Jake as he rides his bike to school. We visit for the few minutes until school starts. When we get home, I work on various chores for a couple of hours, I prepare lunch, which is often times a PB & J or a case of dilla as Joe would say and I spend time with my little ones. 3pm comes and we jump in the wagon to meet up with Jake and his friends. We walk home with a large group of kids (10-12 I would estimate.) A couple of kiddos come home with us, we have a snack, we visit, and I start dinner.
I NEVER thought I could be happy living life as I am today. But I am. I am so happy to spend the time with my kiddos. I love knowing who Jake's friends are, how he interacts, and what makes his eyes smile. I love being able to volunteer at his school. I love that I am able to teach Joe his letters. I love that I am the one to see Miss Courtney's firsts. It makes me happy to know that I can make stuff rather than buying everything. . I love living....THE SIMPLE LIFE!