Thank Goodness for Neighbors! December 19, 2013

One of the things we hoped for when we moved to Rhode Island was community.  After 8 years in Silver Spring, we were JUST starting to feel the community through Mason’s school but still felt removed from it all.  But now, after only 6 months in our new home in East Greenwich, we can really start to feel the community we’ve moved into.

On the first day of school, we met a family who has a son in Cooper’s class.  They have become instant best friends.  They do everything together, including playdates every Monday like I mentioned in my last post.  Even better is that his older sister and Mason have also become friends.  While the sister is in 3rd grade, she has a July birthday, so actually not much older than Mason.  They get along great, and it allows us to do family nights together and even the upcoming double sleepover with both kids!  I’ve had to get used to the last minute playdates, but these neighbors make it so easy.

Tuesday was a prime example.  Snow was in the forecast, but I didn’t think anything of it as I went off to work.  Mid-morning I got a text from the neighbor mom that school was letting out early and there was no PM Kindergarten.  She offered to pick Cooper up with her son if I would just call the front office to give permission.  Unfortunately when I called the office, I was told that I couldn’t make any changes to my approved pick-up list over the phone.  So I rushed out to  my car and made it to the school 5 minutes late.  But when I got there, Cooper had already been dismissed with them. (Apparently the teacher and front office don’t communicate.)  These friends knew I had a busy schedule that day so they offered to take the boys to Wendy’s for lunch and then back to their house to play.  I was so grateful.  It allowed me to continue with the appointments I had already scheduled.  I then got a text from the same mom/neighbor telling me not to rush and they would pick up Mason from the bus stop when she was released.  Another reason to be grateful!

These last minute scheduling nightmares would be awful if we were trying to work it around Jeremy and I’s work schedules.  But with neighbors who have our backs (and us having their backs!), it makes everything easier.  It really is a community, and thank goodness for that!

Now wish us luck as we have both neighbor kids over for a sleepover tomorrow!

Me Time December 10, 2013

It’s Monday.  It’s cold outside.  It’s raining.  But all is warm and cozy in our home today.  I have a pot roast in the crockpot and just made my favorite XXL Cookie.  Yummy smells surround me.  I actually love Mondays because I get to work from home.  Cooper only has kindergarten in the afternoon and no peer mentoring in the morning.  Each week we take turns with his best friend for morning playdates – one Monday at our house, next at his house…  It’s a great system.  Either way, they are occupied, and I actually get some work done.  Then I get to have lunch with Cooper, a little extra play time by ourselves, and then I have the afternoon to either get more work done or go on errands.

I’m in a good mood this Monday because I actually got some “me time” over the weekend.  I flew down to the DC area to visit friends and family all by myself.  It was very much needed.  It was a great mix of a girls night with my childhood friends from Leesburg, family fun with my sister, mom and nephews and extended family time at my cousin’s annual holiday open house.

I think I can honestly say that it has been at least 8 months since I last had a girls night.  So being able to go out with some of my oldest friends (oldest as in we’ve been friends since 4th grade) was just what I needed.  We can always jump right back into our friendship  no matter how much time or distance has passed, and I am so grateful for that.  While I am disappointed I can’t see them more (it’s been a year!), I was reminded how much I love hanging out with them.  And how much I need to go out with girls (ladies, women, moms) more often.  I just don’t have those kind of relationships here in Rhode Island.  I know I will never have the same kind of friendship I have with people I have known since elementary school or even since my 20’s, but just having one or two close friends here would be nice.

I can’t quite put my finger on why it hasn’t happened here yet…  could be lack of time, could be lack of opportunities to meet people, could be lack of younger moms…  What it shouldn’t be, though, is lack of effort.  So no matter how many excuses I can come up with, I NEED to put myself out there.  Sadly I’m realizing this at one of the busiest times of the year.  I hope I can keep this momentum and attitude until the new year when other moms will be more able and willing to go out for a night sans kids.   Until then, I’m going to enjoy all the family time creating new traditions and continuing old traditions.  And I’m going to remind myself often that I have made new friends in the past and can do it again.  And mostly, I’m going to force myself to take more “me time” (and encourage Jeremy to do the same) because it is so important.  And it definitely helps me appreciate the abundance of family time we get this holiday season.

Here are some pictures from my “friends and family” me time weekend…

Annie, Kristen, Alissa and I at Clydes. Such a fun night of catching up and hanging out.

My nephew cracks me up! Look at that smile.

And this cutie-patootie. I could just squeeze the smiles out of him all day!