is the livin' really easy?

Well, it's summer time so it must be right? Well, actually yes, the livin' is pretty easy around chez Nemethy (for the most part...). It is at this time of year over all others that I am most thankful I made the decision to quit work. Check with me on any random snowy/rainy/freezing day in January and I might not be so sure.

(Now, before I go any further a disclaimer stating that quitting work was the right decision for me and our family. This post implies nor intends judgement of families who choose any other course. There are many many many good reasons to go out to work and money might be the least of them. The concept of a "coffee break" and general lack of small children are greater. I feel the need to explain myself a little on this point as the decision of who works and how much is one of the toughest issues most families face and no one needs any one else judging their choices. And while I can't guarantee you won't be judged, I can guarantee it won't be by me.)

Okay, where was I...right, quitting work...boy, that was fun. Anyway, summer time and the stay at home Mum. A match made in heaven? Mostly. I could write an uber fair post filled with the pros and cons of how kids can best spend their summers (I'm not going to) but I know for me, as an actual person and not just as a Mum, not going out to work in the summer rocks. There, I said it. I selfishly enjoy that for the first time in my adult life, I have a tan. An awesome tan. A tan that I did not lie around working on but a tan that just happened because I spend a ton of time outside (wearing sunscreen...mostly...). I wear flip flops almost every day. I have eaten more than one giant freezie. I am hot (in a temperature sense) and happy.

But what of the children you may ask. Well, they're pretty happy too. Me being home means that they get a relaxing summer that I think really feels like a break. Lots of time to wake up late and hang out in their jammies. Plenty of time at the pool and riding their bikes. It is synergistic that the lack of need for awesomely cool summer camps is balanced by the fact that we cannot afford such camps anyway. They have both enjoyed a little free day camp and some free tennis lessons but for the most part their days have been pretty unstructured.

So, are they bored? Truthfully yes, sometimes. Gabriel told me the other day that he was in fact "sick and dying from boredom". But he's still with us so I guess that passed. That's the downside of no awesomely cool camps and a well structured routine - potential boredom. But you know what, I read just the other day that boredom is the hip new trend (Elle Canada July 2011 issue). "Boredom is Back!" they say. And without any effort at all, I am exposing my children to the trend that all the hipsters are dying to try. Genius. Except for hearing "I'm bored I'm bored I'm bored I'm bored" from time to time. And of course, the potential risk of "dying". I guess the article was in Elle, not Today's Parent so the awesomeness of boredom may only apply to fashionable, over-worked 20-somethings and not to potentially under programed small children.

So that's our summer, unstructured, outdoors, active and yes, a little bored (but remember, that's potentially a good thing now). But hopefully no one will be bored in August - we're off to sunny (please, please be sunny) Nova Scotia and PEI for 3 weeks. And that right there is what truly shows me that the quitting decision was the right one. The potential for multiple glorious weeks with my lovely and muchly missed family. A chance for four great kids to experience being cousins without Skype. Chances for so many things really. I can't wait. See you in September!

thanks for the memories

Not so long ago I was chatting with one of my mamas. I said that I couldn't believe that her daughter was going to be in grade 3 next year; it seemed so grown up. And she commented about how she remembered grade 3. Me too I said. What did we remember about grade 3? Quite a lot as it turns out. And grade 2, I vividly remember a lot of things about grade 2 (I had an amazing teacher that year). We were quiet for a moment, processing what this meant. In our most glib way we joked about how we'd better step up and actually start taking this parenting thing seriously. Damn, our kids are actually going to remember stuff! No more parenting freebies - now we're playing for keeps! Our glibness belied the fact that not so deep down this realization had freaked us out a bit (actually a lot).

Of course parenting matters right from the moment our little nuggets are born but knowing that memories they will carry with them for life are now being formed is a heavy responsibility. And for this reason it feels like my kids are currently residing in two different worlds. Molly is still in blissful pre-schooler land where there is plenty of drama and heartache but it comes and goes in the blink of an eye; sometimes before the tears have even dried. Sure she remembers stuff, most little kids have freakish ability to remember seemingly endless bits of minutia, but not in the way that leads to enduring memories. But for Gabriel, some of what he experiences now is going to be there in his memory for a very long time. Perhaps forever.

So, I feel acutely, more than ever, the need to get it right. The guilt of wondering if I got it wrong. Because if he is going to remember, what he learns now needs to be worth remembering. I know that every aspect of my parenting can't be perfect and that no matter good it is he will still probably remember the day(s) Mummy yelled. The disappointments. The heartaches. The times I get it wrong. Geesh. Much as I am loath to admit it, I know now for sure that everyone who told me newborns were a piece of cake compared to the struggles to come was 100% right. And yes, I know, I've still not faced any "real" struggles...yet...

But so as not to end on a heavy note, I have to say it is of course a wonderful thing to know that many of the good things Gabriel experiences now will become happy memories. Maybe even things he will tell his own kids about. Most parents have had the experience of taking a 1 year old some place amazing and feeling a regretful pang knowing that there is no way that 1 year is going to remember a damn thing about it. If you've ever spent your hard earned money on a plane ticket for an 18 month old, you know what this feels like. So I smile knowing that a lot of what Gabriel experiences now will become part of his happy memories. That more than ever, the efforts we make as parents and the opportunities we struggle to provide will affect him positively.

The good news is your kid is going to remember how awesome today was. The bad news is your kid is going to remember how crappy tomorrow might turn out. So, as the old saying goes, we take the rough with the smooth. And all this thinking about memories has made me realize how important it is to take good care of my future memories too. So I'm trying to hold on to every wonderful thing that happens. And trying even harder to forget the crappy moments; when I yell at my kids, or burn the last 2 toaster waffles or step on Lego (goddam pointy little bricks...). I'm learning lots of hard lessons right now, but to haul out another tried and true platitude, I like to think of my parenting glass as half full.

thanks for the memories

Not so long ago I was chatting with one of my mamas. I said that I couldn't believe that her daughter was going to be in grade 3 next year; it seemed so grown up. And she commented about how she remembered grade 3. Me too I said. What did we remember about grade 3? Quite a lot as it turns out. And grade 2, I vividly remember a lot of things about grade 2 (I had an amazing teacher that year). We were quiet for a moment, processing what this meant. In our most glib way we joked about how we'd better step up and actually start taking this parenting thing seriously. Damn, our kids are actually going to remember stuff! No more parenting freebies - now we're playing for keeps! Our glibness belied the fact that not so deep down this realization had freaked us out a bit (actually a lot).

Of course parenting matters right from the moment our little nuggets are born but knowing that memories they will carry with them for life are now being formed is a heavy responsibility. And for this reason it feels like my kids are currently residing in two different worlds. Molly is still in blissful pre-schooler land where there is plenty of drama and heartache but it comes and goes in the blink of an eye; sometimes before the tears have even dried. Sure she remembers stuff, most little kids have freakish ability to remember seemingly endless bits of minutia, but not in the way that leads to enduring memories. But for Gabriel, some of what he experiences now is going to be there in his memory for a very long time. Perhaps forever.

So, I feel acutely, more than ever, the need to get it right. The guilt of wondering if I got it wrong. Because if he is going to remember, what he learns now needs to be worth remembering. I know that every aspect of my parenting can't be perfect and that no matter good it is he will still probably remember the day(s) Mummy yelled. The disappointments. The heartaches. The times I get it wrong. Geesh. Much as I am loath to admit it, I know now for sure that everyone who told me newborns were a piece of cake compared to the struggles to come was 100% right. And yes, I know, I've still not faced any "real" struggles...yet...

But so as not to end on a heavy note, I have to say it is of course a wonderful thing to know that many of the good things Gabriel experiences now will become happy memories. Maybe even things he will tell his own kids about. Most parents have had the experience of taking a 1 year old some place amazing and feeling a regretful pang knowing that there is no way that 1 year is going to remember a damn thing about it. If you've ever spent your hard earned money on a plane ticket for an 18 month old, you know what this feels like. So I smile knowing that a lot of what Gabriel experiences now will become part of his happy memories. That more than ever, the efforts we make as parents and the opportunities we struggle to provide will affect him positively.

The good news is your kid is going to remember how awesome today was. The bad news is your kid is going to remember how crappy tomorrow might turn out. So, as the old saying goes, we take the rough with the smooth. And all this thinking about memories has made me realize how important it is to take good care of my future memories too. So I'm trying to hold on to every wonderful thing that happens. And trying even harder to forget the crappy moments; when I yell at my kids, or burn the last 2 toaster waffles or step on Lego (goddam pointy little bricks...). I'm learning lots of hard lessons right now, but to haul out another tried and true platitude, I like to think of my parenting glass as half full.

i rode my bike today*

First of all let me say that this post is not meant to come across as a sanctimonious brag about how wonderful we are as a family that bikes. Sure, we are wonderful but we also have a lot of factors working in our favor that make getting around by bike an easy choice lots of the time. For example we live within a block of an excellent, flat bike path. I hate hills so I can guarantee that if our rides involved any kind of incline, I'd be a lot less inclined to bike. So while I'd encourage everyone to bike more and car less, I know it's not always easy. And before I polish my halo too brightly, I cannot begin to pretend that we are giving up our vehicle. We're not that hardcore! But we are trying to make a conscious choice bike as often as we can and for trips that we might not typically have thought of as bike trips (we biked to the movies the other day for example).

In all honesty, the choice to bike is often easy as it allows me to avoid two of my biggest annoyances. The first is finding/paying for parking. The second is getting in our gas guzzling, AC busted, squeaky, messy van. An outing that allows me to avoid both is a total win in my book. And frankly for a lot of trips in the city, biking is by far faster than driving. By the time I factor in traffic and dealing with parking, biking often turns out to be the more efficient choice even for longer rides. And showing up some place, and watching the cars queue and pay for parking while we cruise up, lock the bikes and go is a special, special feeling.

And that's just the beginning of why we love to bike. Obviously it's healthier for us and better for the environment than driving. For me, biking is about the only actual exercise I get. But I figure hauling all 36.4 lbs of Molly, plus bike seat plus my heavy-ass bike is a pretty damn good work out. I watch Gabriel when he's riding and I can see some pretty good muscle development in those skinny little legs. Sometimes I worried we were pushing him too hard on our longer rides, but you know what, he rises to the occasion every time. Sometimes we have to turn the ride home into a race to keep him moving but he always gets there. And that's another rewarding discovery I've made biking; that my kid is tougher than I give him credit for. He's playing soccer this summer and every Monday night we bike there. That's about a 20 minute ride each way plus an hour of soccer and he can totally do it. Many rides I've been amazed how far we can go without him tiring. At 6 he can navigate tricky turns and work the gears on his bike. Biking develops a lot more than his leg muscles. It's his balance, fine motor skills and mental quickness that are also being tested.

Another surprising reward of biking is watching and listening for what happens while we ride. Sometimes we chat. Molly particularly is super chatty and spends a lot to time yammering on about this that and everything. And if I slow down I get a rousing chorus of "go mama go" from my "co-pilot". But sometimes she just chats to herself. She makes up little songs. She comments on what she sees. And I realize that this perfect mental "downtime" for her to be in her own little world (and as passenger, it's also physical downtime for her too - wait 'til next year girly!). Gabriel too gets a bit lost in his own world when we ride. I often hear him talking and singing to himself. Of course, he's got to ride and watch what he's doing but he's an accomplished enough rider that he can relax his brain a little and just be in his own world. Watching and listening to my kids I remember what my bike meant to me when I was a kid. It was freedom both literally to make journeys on my own, but also mentally to let my mind wander, to indulge my imagination. I remember fondly each and every one of the bikes I had growing up (hello purple cruiser with the awesome handle bars and the flowered banana seat). I always rode a lot but of course that was in a different time and place. I was a rural kid so biking was a safer, easier proposition than it is for my urban babies. And that's another reason I'm so glad we bike places as a family; if we didn't, I don't think my kids would really get to ride their bikes very far or for very long.

On all our travels down the bike paths we pass lots of other riders and it always makes me feel good when people smile at our little team. For some reason people love to see kids on bikes and Gabriel gets lots of positive feedback which I know makes me feel good too. Yet another reason I love to ride. And as a Torontonian, a side benefit of every bike ride is the opportunity to be one more "bike riding left wing pinko" sticking it to our bike hating mayor. An opportunity to claim our share of these city streets. And that makes it all worthwhile on the days when hauling 36.4 lbs of preschooler etc. while riding into the wind doesn't feel so rewarding.

*bonus points to any fellow Simpson's geeks who remember the origins of this line.