I Wanna Be A Bark Ranger

Its another crazy busy Saturday in our house. Little Man has his Young Naturalists this morning, and this after noon is Bark Rangers. Bark Rangers is all about the dogs, so the puppy dog is excited. He even gets a Bark Ranger scarf for all the trouble, and meet other local puppy dogs-maybe make some new friends.
I love the classes at the local nature center. Little Man has been going for the last 3 years, and while he's not always thrilled about the subject matter, he does have a good time. Its great watching as he learns something new, and has fun doing it. They have a little classroom time, then they do an outside activity, and do a project and play a game. This month is Duck Duck Goose. I'm grateful for all these great (free) activities that abound here. Its a chance to try on something new!
Yesterday was the celebration for the end of Vacation Bible School. The kids put on a little performance, and then there was a luncheon for the parents. Very nicely done.
Little Man has been quite the cuddlebug lately, and I am totally loving it, but I still can't kiss him. Its that kisses are "gross" and he doesn't want any part of them. Bummer. But on the other hand, the fact that he's able to tell me that is HUGE. I love how he continues to prove the experts wrong. Maybe its my rebellious nature, but I want to do an up yours to everyone who told me what he can't do. And he has gone on to do all that and more.
There's some housework to be done today. Grocery shopping. Just need a few things-dinner tonight, some ground turkey to feed the freezer with, a few things for the week. I need to really think about what I am feeding myself and my family. I heard a report on the news about lead in children's fruit snacks-and looking at the list (http://www.inhabitots.com/2010/06/11/85-of-kids-drinks-snacks-could-contain-high-levels-of-lead/) is pretty darn scary. Many of those products have taken up residency in my pantry over the years. And to think I could be contributing to something that could harm my family is a very sobering thought. So, cross those items off the shopping list. Its getting harder and harder to find things that are good for you. But I am trying.
One of our biggest struggles is breakfast. Little Man doesn't like breakfast, and for years I was not a breakfast eater myself. But it is very important for good health, so I fight every morning to get something beyond his chocolate protein shake into him. Some mornings its dry toast, but most days its a losing battle. It frustrates me because I know he needs more nutrition...but the fights aren't worth it. He eats a snack about 9:30 at camp, so I know he's not starving until lunch time. Its more during the school year that I worry. I am not really a breakfast eater myself. I usually eat a bad for me breakfast-bagel cream cheese and lots of bacon and/or sausage or pop tarts. Once in a while I get it together and eat something better. I actually love greek omelets-egg beaters, feta cheese, capers and a lot of spinach-or breakfast burritos-egg beaters, taco cheese, salsa in a tortilla-but they are time consuming. So what I really ought to do is prep them over the weekend or in the evening, so all I need to do is reheat. Not eating something healthy really sets me up for a bummer of a day. I love fruit too but I don't eat enough of it. Same thing with lunches, I don't take the time to make something really good for me. I usually wind up with junk-either eating out or a frozen dinner. Its just not putting thought into it.
I have a confession to make. I hate packing lunches. Not just for me, but for the little man. Its this mental block, and I don't know why I feel like that but I do. I cringe every night when I make his lunch and I seem to forget about mine until I am scrambling in the morning. I do seem to manage to get the coffee maker programmed. (priorities)Its the same thing with lots of other mundane chores. No one really enjoys cleaning their house, but its something that has to be done. But night after night I find myself vegging out on the couch, playing on the blackberry. And it sets me up for the fail that is my mornings...
Its a mental block. I want to find a happy medium. Intellectually I know what needs to be done, Its the execution of it all. That's where I struggle. I have all these great ideas about what to do, what needs to be done and a plan to get it all done. Its the DOING where I have a problem.
Its not something that's going to go away overnight either. I have to work at it each and every day. What makes it harder for me is the fact that I have friends who have all these skills come easy to them. While it can be inspiring on one hand, it can make it difficult too. Whining won't make it better, it is the doing. So, this morning, I need to do something about the issues that I am currently struggling with. One is tidying up the house. Another is the lack of nutrition in my current diet. And most of all, is the fact that I don't take care of me as well as I take care of my family. I want to have fun with my boys, and fun we will have. Bark Rangers here we come!