Have fun with more Wordless Wednesday.

I NEED to know.

DO you dye your hair?

Are there environmentally friendly products out there?

HELP.

See the thing is, I always thought to myself, “Self, you will age gracefully, gray naturally and love yourself”.

Somehow, Self thought that at 32 I should be graying. Like a lot. See if you ask anyone else, they say it is not a lot of gray.

They are wrong.

There is a TON of gray. I am starting to feel dull. I do not want to feel dull. I want to feel VIBRANT.Oh and umm I do not want to age YET. Like later, when I am old. I am not old. I am at my prime baby! While pregnant I chose not to dye my hair, now I need a change … a dark chocolate brown I think, maybe? What do you think?

So please tell me sweet internets … do you dye? Do you let someone else dye (I am cheap so chances are not for me)? Can we dye and not devestate the planet?

Not only was I totally cranky this weekend, it was a busy weekend that wiped out the kids, making them cranky too. I so hate it when we do not mesh well together. It was almost all me too. I was off, so there was more whining, more crying, more being at odds.

I think I was burnt out. Last week was truly crazy busy, more so than I can handle I guess. Friday was suppose to be the relax, veg out, catch up day however we went to see the doctor instead.

I need to be ok at being still. Just because Ethan excels outside does not mean I cannot find ways to creatively stimulate him indoors. It has been easy to have him tag along, but he is becoming his own person, deserving that one to one activity time. It is very challenging living in an apartment with children. I like challenges. I just need to think creatively.

The children share their room, leaving an extra room we use as a playroom (it is not a traditional room, it is a “den” off the dining room). Eventually, Ethan will need to move up to a bed from his crib. We had great success with Becca, making that transition early, when she was about 16 months she started to sleep on her bed for naps then she made the decision to sleep in a bed from 17 months on. I was talking with another mom, stating how we liked to go through these milestones a little earlier than most, she too liked to move her kids to beds early.

Exploring

So I was inspired. J & I had decided that we wanted to get Becca a loft bed to save room. I started looking at used bunk beds and lofts, but everyone seemed to want a lot of money for used beds. I did not actually intend on purchasing a new loft bed, but there was a sale and my dear sweet problem solver of a husband just wanted to take of it.

Becca loves her loft bed. Sleeping in a “Tree house” is totally cool. What I did not expect is the pure envy that Ethan has. He so desires to be just like Becca. Being three years younger he is constantly frustrated. Top that with two molars breaking through his itty bitty gums and he is beside himself with frustrations and crankiness.

We were all hanging out in their room reading stories and playing when at 10 am Ethan nursed then fell fast asleep, on the BIG BED. I figured since he does not normally nap in the morning, I would let him be and he would wake early, still needing an afternoon nap.

Ethan slept for over three hours.

In a big bed.

With the door open.

My kids are so cool.

I do not expect Ethan to make the full transition to a big bed anytime soon. Yet there is so much joy in knowing he is up for a challenge, capable of handling change.

So for real, I am having trouble keeping up this summer. The kids and I have been so busy, enjoying our new hometown, exploring, making friends, and adventures.

If I do not get Ethan out of the house daily, he digs in my plants and tears my apartment to shreds. The kid has so much more energy than Becca did at that age. Yet Becca had a mini backyard in California to play in where Ethan is trapped in our apartment. It may just seem different.

We are in constant motion. This week we went to the Natural History Museum, the Library, an ocean beach and to various playground numerous times. We also visited our family doctor to discover the bumps on Ethan’s face, arms and back were NOT chicken pox, rather bug bites as we initially thought, then talked ourselves out of.

I miss quiet days of lounging about, however summer is so fleeting up north and really one must enjoy the weather while it lasts. Besides the children love the adventure and exploring. Winter will come and blanket our surroundings with snow, leaving us to be crafty, creative and bounce on our beds for hours and hours.

If I have not come by to your blog, returned your email/phone call, Facebook etc … please know that I want to and I will, just not yet. Let me check the forecast … a rainy day will work

All this time exercising is definitely cutting into the rest as well. I feel so good and it is starting to show (thanks for all the comments on our photo this week!) I run four nights a week and swim three. I have worked up to 50 laps in the pool in half an hour. My goal is 64 laps as that equals a mile (head games to keep it exciting). I had to switch it up, because my muscles did not like running every night. However for me, the every night thing matters. It cannot be random. I do take nights off but once a week max.

Sorry for the random, fly by post. I have like a dozen posts in my head, waiting for me to slow down and wirte them. I have pictures to share and ideas to express … just no time …

How is your summer going so far? Best yet? Need for improvement?

Have fun with more Wordless Wednesday.