My New Adventure

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

— John Gillespie Magee, Jr

A poem I memorized about 20 years ago. I loved it and it has resonated with me for years. Wouldn't it be amazing to have this experience to actual feel the sunlit silence??
Last week I made my dream a reality and started flight school and two days ago I flew my first airplane.
I was nervous beyond belief. Would I panic?? Would I vomit?? Nearly the minute we were off the ground my fears were gone and I was soaring. It was the most amazingly freeing and empowering moment. I am hooked!

Antiprocrastinationism

A friend of mine has spurred me on to start taking some initiative to do the things I have been long thinking of but have not put into action.
In recent years (and still now) the majority of my time is focused around others needs. I love it and being able to take care of my family, but there are also things that I have been putting off because they seem like "just one more thing".
But thanks to my friend I took a jump :)
I have long been a supporter of volunteer work and I really enjoy being around like minded people. People in human service volunteer settings are happy to be there and are doing something that they enjoy.
I took this nudge from a friend as a good opportunity to get back into the volunteer world. I sent in an application to be a volunteer advocate for children in the foster care system. I went for my interview last week and I was petrified! I hadn't been on that side of the interview table in several years. But about 5 minutes into it I was fine. Everyone was just as I had suspected, nice, warm and friendly. It just felt good to be there even if it was for an interview.
I am excited to start the trainings next month and more excited to be back into that world.
A big part of me would love to leave the corporate world and get back into non-profits, but at this point the hours and little pay would not be feasible, so this seems like a great compromise!

Now that this plan is in motion I will start on my next adventure!

A Little Slice O' Heaven

I have to admit that I have been dreaming of this house for a long time and putting a great deal of time and effort into fantasizing about how wonderfully peaceful it would be. I have to admit that I really got my hopes up about just how perfect this house would be and after a couple weeks in the house and much thought I have come to the conclusion that I was absolutely right. I LOVE it when that happens (it's infrequent so I relish).
It is quiet, calm, clean, and peaceful. We have amazing views and the air is clear and the night sky is speckled with stars! I had forgot how many after years of city life.

It is great to be able to step away from my desk and sit on the desk and just be there. I swear my level of stress has dropped about 10 points in the past week just by a location shift.
Ahhhhhhh home sweet home........

5 Things..that made me smile today

I enjoy random things and do my best to appreciate them in the moment and take them for what they are worth. I think often we just don't notice them or they fade/blend into all the other stuff.
Here are five things that made me smile today:

1. I was cutting the lawn for the last time in Massachusetts and I though "hey this isn't so bad" (even if it is a guys job!

2. I am bringing in the 7 recycle bins from the curb and I saw "made in Canada" on the handle. Of course they are made in Canada! Yay Canada!

3. I went to pick the boys up from school and as K and I are walking down the stairs to the playground and chatting I hear L's voice come from the bathroom "I'm pulling up my pants mom!". I giggled :) There were other parents there...they giggled too.

4. I just burnt my veggie burger after making great cheese burgers for the kids and thought "it's ok, it's just for me" and realized, I'm an ok mom.

5. We got word we may close on the house soon. That was awesome news :)

They Plan Ahead and Coordinate!

I have come to a startling conclusion today...my children plan, plot and then coordinate their acts of destruction!
Today was one disaster after another.
Finally I felt I had a 10 minute break to look at furniture online (so we'd have something in the new house). In that time the kitchen was flooded using tupperware and water from the watercooler and spatulas, the bathroom had been covered in liquid soap and they all had pudding and crackers....10 minutes folks!
Later L took the initiative to wash his own hair.....too bad it was in the toilet.....

Sensing my distress about the house looking like a disaster, A gets a mop and starts cleaning...only to have it turn into a jousting competition between him and L using a broom.

Is it almost bed time????

I swear no one can come up with these things on the spot. They must email and coordinate the night before. If 3 singletons can gang up on me this much imagine what John and Kate are in for...that brings me comfort in an odd way.....

5 Things Thursday...(Friday)

Ok, I have really become a blogger-slacker...not good. But at least I have a dear friend to sponge ideas off of to make the topics easier!

5 Things I love About my home

1. It's Big
There is no way around it. But at over 3000 SQ she is big and boy do we need it. A family of 5 that previously had 2 giant dogs...we had outgrown our top floor of a two family!
This house was a dream!

2. I like the yard
We have space (see #1). It is a fenced yard in back where the kids can rome free (avoid the poison ivy!)There are tons of BPT (big plastic thingys) and little grass and it is a beautiful (stressfree) combination.

3. It has history
This house is old. Over 100 years (about 1905). It has creaks, doors slam, there are footsteps...shadows move... it's interesting. There is so much original wood work and antique doors etc that make it so unique.

4. We have lived here longer than anywhere else. 3.5 years....although we are getting ready to leave, this house has been home for a long time and played a big role in our lives.

5. It's in a great location (and its affordable!).
We rent this house and we pay a great rate. The bus stops at the end of our drive way and you are in Harvard in 15 minutes. We have had the luxury of a great home while being able to save to buy our dream house. Can't beat that!

Current Projections

Periodically as the kids change I like to think about what their current character traits indicate about their future careers.

The current projections are as follows:

A is really into furniture and organizing and decorating. He moves things around his room and will rearrange the furniture and then proudly shows off the changes.
So at this point it is looking like he will be an interior designer. I am looking forward to that!

L is really into clothes and fashion. He has to pick out his clothes and makes sure that things coordinate and that he has the right shoes to match. It's great!
It's looking like fashion design is in his future (Yay!)

K the princess. She is funny and rowdy and fearless....so at this point we are guessing she is going for a career as a professional wrestler.

Clandestine Altruism..Pay it Forward

I think the majority of the world has a good heart and those that don't have simply misplaced it and need to find it again.
Ok, I can feel the collective eyes of the Nation rolling before me, but just give me a second.
We all have those moments where we see something or hear something and think "glad that's not me" or "someone should do something"..etc....
But we have turned into more private human beginnings rather that the community focused people that we used to be.
Ok, I have deviated a little from my original intent...
My point is that it takes very little to make a difference in someone else's day. Think about all those turning points you have had where a good day turns to bad...now think of what could have been done to prevent that or make it go in a completely positive direction.....

This has become my latest mission. I have taken to clandestine altruism that I want to accept no gratitude for, I simply hope it gets paid forward somehow and the chain continues.
My big thing has been plugging other people's meters. I got a parking ticket last week and it ruined my day. For some reason I just brood on those things. Today I parked in the same spot (by the post office), plugged my meter and notice the car behind me had an expired meter so I put in a quarter. Maybe they came out and said "whoo hoo I didn't get a ticket suckers!", but maybe they came out and said "hey there's time on the meter, I didn't do that... that's nice, I'll do something nice now"...
I don't know, maybe I am hoping, but I think that nothing bad can come from trying.

Where's the Pause Button?

Ok, I swear I just got out of bed this morning and someone hit fast forward. There are so many days like this lately where I get out of bed and hit auto pilot and the next thing I know I am looking at the clock and it is 1pm!
I feel like I have been living at break neck pace over the past few years and the speed just keeps picking up.
I can't really complain since this is all self-inflicted and I truly enjoy all of it I just wish there was enough time to not only accommodate it all, but also to enjoy it. What's the secret?? Do you have to give some up to enjoy the rest? I just couldn't do it. I have such a great career doing what I love and being in business for myself is a dream because I feel like I have the control that a Type A like myself needs....but the family is without a question the priority. I thought I would get better at the balance as I gained more experience and developed more systems to make the equation work, but it seems as though the variables are always changing. There are always those moments of perfect balance where the to-do list is cleared, the email is at a manageable number and the house is spotless. And then comes a new variable...That is all self-inflicted as well, I suppose. I could have chosen a path of a job that is consistent and 9-5 M-F, but I don't think that would have made the grade for me. Perhaps I should have focused more in calculus on how to make the equations balance! Or perhaps that is the meaning of life....to focus and find that ultimate equation of balance.....Ok, that was a little deeper than I intended :)

Hooligan Antics

I named this blog because of all the hilarious episodes in our house...
One example is this evening while I was putting everyone to bed. We have a routine. Everyone brushes teeth then goes upstairs to go to the bathroom then we tuck KJ in, then L and then A. All is going on schedule until I get to KJs room and there is L pretending to sleep in her bed :0 Big giggles....ok, we get KJ to bed, then off to L's room, but WAIT L is in A's bed! Oh the Shenanigans.
So there was much giggling and rearranging this evening! L has quite the sense of humor which has developed over the past few months. He was previously shy and quiet and as his teacher puts it "he has come out of his shell".
It's great :) He is hilarious and keeps us all on our toes.

Intro

Ok...so I have given into the world of blogging. I figure that everyone is so spread out geographically and I tend to communicate most over the computer that this is a great solution. Plus the entertainment factor proves to be promising with all the chaos and continual change in our household :)
So a little background....
I am a wife of one and a mother of three (Aidan, Liam and Kiera). These are the hooligans that create the shenanigans. It is a busy life and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I have spent about 19 years of my life going to school and I am thinking about going back. There is just too much to learn and too much I want to do!
I am the co-owner of two companies (Neill is my business partner) Boston ABA Inc and Advantage Learning Group Inc. Both companies provide educational and behavioral support services to kids with autism. It is busy and we love what we do :)
Oh, we are prepping for a move across the country. We have zig zagged a couple times across the continent and I swear, this is it. I want to be settled and have the kids have a conhort to go through school with.