aLightningbug

Because twice a month is a more accurate description of my posting habits. I’m going to try a little time warp today. I better buckle up.

This is quite possibly the earliest we’ve managed to get our Christmas stuff put away. Previous year our artificial tree seemed in no hurry to take itself down and put itself away. So eventually we just had to force it down — taking the ornaments off by February and then dragging out the tree box an stowing it back in storage. Last year we stowed it in a garbage can instead. Most of its pre-lit lights would not work and we felt it was time to part ways. This year we got a smallish but nice fresh-cut tree. It was a really pretty one. The last pick up for “fresh” trees was on January 8, so we had that tree down by the 7th — day after the Feast of the Magi, the 12th day of Christmas. But we lingered a bit on actually packing up all the other holiday sparkle. So yesterday, instead of starting another project, I actually finished packing up Christmas and putting it into storage. Did I mention it’s still JANUARY and there is no more Christmas stuff our in our home! OK, except for the lights in the kitchen, but those have been there for two years so they don’t really count. I’m just going to call them “decorative” lights and leave it at that. (And it’s probably time to pitch those too.) Go us!

Yeah, about that.

I’m keeping it as something to aim for, but I won’t beat myself up if I don’t hit the goal every time. I think I can live with this idea.

My idea of blogging once a day for a year was clearly unrealistic given that I posted nothing yesterday. See how long that goal lasted? Yeah. So the other option was twice a week, but I think I can do better than that and should go for five days a week. I feel like five days a week will set up more of a habit. And I should try to stretch the goal into a challenge, just not too much of a challenge or there’s no way it will happen. So my goal is going to be like a work week, five days a week, but I get to choose the days and I can get some “vacation time” so that if it’s crazy busy or loved ones have birthdays (like yesterday, happy birthday to my awesome honey) then I can skip it without feeling guilty or like I must make it up the rest of the week. Next up my goal will be to blog about something other than blogging.

Contemplating a challenge to myself to blog once a day for a year. If it’s a tiny blog post I could probably manage. But twice per week might be more realistic. Hmmm.

Before I was a mom and worked full time out if the home, there were days I felt busy. Some days I even felt “too busy” and like I had no free time. I was wrong. I had no idea what busy was. None. As I write this as I laugh out loud at how little I understood the concept then and at how many places I’m supposed to be and things I’m supposed to do in the next few days. There is no way I can do all if this, so now my main task is to figure out what gets dropped. Already I probably won’t have time to actually eat lunch today, just like yesterday. So posting this in three “free” minutes instead. That is all.

My daughter and I ran/walked a 5K at a fundraiser today. We didn’t come even close to winning, which is no shocker, but we did it! It feels good! Next year we’ll do more training so we can improve our time. I think we did better than last year so that’s something. We’ve been getting more exercise than last year too so I feel like we’re headed in the right direction.

Yesterday I purchased two bras for my daughter — her very first bras. I think we’re both a little traumatized. It’s a big deal! But we’ll be fine. It was time. She’s wearing one of them today. So far, so good.

Also yesterday morning I accidentally locked one our cats in my daughter’s closet and he was stuck in there the entire day! I’m pretty sure he was a little traumatized, but not too badly since he mostly sleeps during the day. He seems fine. I’m just glad he didn’t leave any “aromatic gift packages” in the closet. And I’m glad I didn’t mess up even more and accidentally lock my daughter in her closet and buy bras for the cat. ‘Cause, I swear, there are some days that might be possible.

Went to the laundromat to wash our sleeping bags after a rainy, muddy trip. Love the laundromat washers as they are not only much larger than our home washer — which would probably tear a sleeping bag to shreds — laundromat washers are also kick *sz at getting stuff clean! Some days I feel like I should just take everything there including the cats.

On Tuesday, October 8th, 2013 I joined my daughter’s 6th grade class to begin our journey to Camp Highroad in Middleburg, VA. Being one of the few elementary schools to continue the tradition of a 6th-grade, 3-night trip, it felt like a rare honor. And it is! Having heard about it for years, all of the kids were excited to go and so was I!

I would shapperone a cabin of ten girls including my daughter and co-supervise another group of 16 kids during their daytime activities. I was expecting rustic cabins much like the cabins I stayed in during Girl Scout adventures or like those I experienced as a kid staying at Silver Birch Ranch in Wisconsin. As I arrived earlier than the busses of 6th graders, I dashed off to our cabin to claim my bed and scope out the surroundings in general.

The cabin looked pleasing on the outside with brown siding and a bright red door. I liked that there were shutters on the windows — not just screens. The walk to the cabin door was a bit tricky as there were many exposed tree roots making the path more like a set of jagged fun-house stairs than an even path, and I wondered why they didn’t fill in some extra soil to make it a little smoother — some of the kids could twist an ankle. I reminded myself that camp isn’t supposed to be all smooth sidewalks. Wasn’t there some study about uneven surfaces helping develop strength and balance?

Inside, the cabin was more rustic than I expected with walls of bare particle board, open rafters and a total of 12 cots situated inside with scant little room between. There was a fire extinguisher, a light switch controling two lighting fixtures, one set of electrical sockets, plus a strange metal clip of some kind.

The cots weren’t in the best shape — some solid greens and some white with stripes, some with the stains of good clean dirt, some slightly cracked from age. I hoped the girls wouldn’t be too concerned with this. Nobody will be spending much time inside the cabins anyway. I chose a cot close to the door so I could be easy to find for middle-of-the-night bathroom runs if needed. I plopped a pillow onto a cot next to mine to reserve it for my daughter. She gets homesick and having her close by is usually helpful.

When the girls arrived they chose their cots relatively quickly. The rustic appearance didn’t seem to phase them. If they were bothered, none of them said a word. I had to point out that the cot next to me was reserved for my daughter, but when she saw, she decided instead to sleep several beds down next to the wall. OK with me, but I was worried about later … Each girl had packed a sheet and they put these down on the mattress of the cot before laying out their sleeping bags. It was amazing how these small personal touches transformed the cabin from cold, wooden box to a cozy space in the forest.

More soon.