the good, the (not so) bad, the ugly

a few days into summer home with the kiddos, and let's recap.

first, the ugly:

• Kids have been bickering, which has led to
• Some UGLY behavior on my part. So bad that I couldn't sleep one night. I was embarrassed and ashamed at myself. I did a little Mrs. Eckert* perspective/reality check and reminded myself that we are healthy, we have a safe home, we love each other (mostly) and I should suck. it. up. as the captain of this ship and get my act together.
• The weather. Rain, rain, rain. Pool has been closed since Sunday. Boo.

the not-so bad:

• After getting my act together on Sunday, the kids and I played a game of Sorry. It ended poorly, but we did really well for 30 or so minutes before that.
• Today, we played Uno. Again, the game ended poorly, but it was fun for a while.
• We went grocery shopping together as a family on Sunday. You would think with 2 adults (and experienced parents, at that) we would have just flown through a trip to Woodmans. Nope. We lost kids. We lost each other. We double purchased things. We ended up spending twice as long there. But, thanks to my new and improved outlook, I stayed calm and happy and it ended up being a not-so bad experience.

the good:

• The Goodman Pool! We are so lucky to have this wonderful pool right in our neighborhood. In the two days it's been open, we've gone three times. We've reconnected with "pool friends" from last year. We've shown off our new swimming skills, and the two oldest have spent oodles of time in the deep, diving well.
• Summer activities have begun. Tennis lessons, Mallards baseball camp, playdates with friends, sleepover birthday party. It's all good.
• Our camping trip tomorrow. We are heading to Blue Mounds State Park with, oh, 4 or 5 other families (moms and kids - no dads) for 2 nights. I'm trying not to stress the details and instead vow just to have fun. Of course, I have newfound respect for all the work my mom did in preparing for our many camping trips when we were young.

So, 2 days in and I'm reminded that so much of our family's attitude depends on my attitude. I can only affect change and positive brother behavior if I am calm and happy (even if I'm just pretending, it's better than being true to my feelings and angry and frustrated). Incidentally, I've abandoned that plan for rewarding good behavior with a dollar a day. They didn't care. I got mad. They didn't care more. I got more mad. It was best to let that idea go.

* Mrs. Eckert, my friend Theresa's mom, taught me this wonderful life lesson many years ago on Theresa's wedding day. I awoke, at her house, and discovered that I lost the diamond in my engagement band. After patiently listening to me moan and cry about this (UNinsured diamond, by the way), Mrs. Eckert reminded me that it was only an object that could, indeed, be replaced. I had not lost my finger. I had not lost my husband. (These were her exact words - I remember it so clearly to this day.) So many times I have Mrs. Eckert's voice in my head. I am so grateful for her wisdom and kindness on that day.