Precious “Free” Time Doodles!

Okay, peeps.

When I have a spare moment to noodle on our current life stage and all of life’s busyness, it’s sometimes laughable to remember that we once had gobs of time to fill with amazing and educational extras.

Nowadays, those nuggets of time are definitely the exception, not the rule.

In fact, I often long for the “good, old days” when we tackled crafts and doodles and science projects and allllll sorts of extras on the regular.

Knowing those things were a choice and carried the side benefit of togetherness time that didn’t feel like a chore..deep sigh.

Those were the days. 

Alas…extras are just not part of our everyday journey, right now.

Especially on school nights, our schedules are filled with homework (and more homework), instrumental practice, reading logs, extracurriculars (galore!), social commitments, meal times, shower times, puppy walks…oye.

If we ever do have a spare moment, all of us are often in need of something mindless (enter: TV or iPads).

All this to say that…project and doodle time is precious these days, and as magical as unicorns and fairy dust, and I was oh-so-grateful that we sprinkled some in, over holiday break. :)

Our first round of doodling happened one Sunday, mid-break, when one (or two?) of us in the household had a fever. We streamed the church service, and I pulled up one of our beloved online tutorials (on silent) as we listened to the sermon, and it was glorious.

It was especially glorious, since it was my Chicklet and I tackling this particular doodle, and she’s not usually the first one to join in. But she was so happy doing this (creative!) Snow Man Dragon:





And while she and I were busy doodling, Little Man was creating a step-by-step drawing guide for Sonic! How adorable. He spent so much time getting it just right. 



A few days later, as we were watching a family movie (God Bless holiday break!), Little Man wandered over to the table, where I was tackling a craft project I’ll post another day. All on his own, he started hand drawing some of the characters from his book, by looking at the cover.

He spent two hours diligently drawing away, and then coloring it all in so beautifully!







Fast forward to a few days later, when he tackled another hand drawing of some of his other favorite characters.

The drawing went in the drawer when school launched again, but two nights ago, I pulled it out and asked him to color it in while I was gone with Chicklet at swim, and what a joy it was to come home to the finished product!





We laminated both drawings and they’re hanging up in a place of honor, on his white board in his room. :)

There was one other time during holiday break when we alllllll gathered for a doodle and it nearly made me cry to sit there in the living room, where our doodles first commenced, years ago, during Covid lockdown.













I can’t tell you what it means to me when we find these snippets of time to do something other than all of our to-do’s.

It’s precious, and I definitely don’t take it for granted, these days.

More and more, I’m recognizing the cyclical nature to our household in this current life stage. We barely have time to breathe from October to December, but then have a slight—and desperately needed!—reset after Christmas. This year, it definitely felt like the time to evaluate things we could do to optimize, well…everything.

While I understand that an abundance of time for “extras” like the days of yore might never be in the cards for us, I’m determined to find ways to keep these moments for creativity and time together, even if it’s just on breaks and over the summer.

Life passes by so quickly. The small, happy things are definitely worth the effort!

Okay, more soon, peeps!

Over and out. 

Chicklet’s Year-Round Swim Update!

Okay, peeps.

This update has been a long time coming, but…it’s also been a long time coming for us to get into an official groove, so I didn’t want to share until things were settled.

The headline is this: my little fish is now a year-round swimmer! (Which probably surprises nobody who actually knows her, ha.)

Okay, now. Let’s rewind for some context (with a handful of lovely Chicklet pics thrown in for kicks)…

It’s no secret that my kiddos have been in swim lessons, in one capacity or another, for most of their young lives.

When they were little, it was a helpful diversion, and an important learning item.

Then, when we moved to SA, into a house with a pool, ongoing swim lessons was an absolute safety must.

Once the kiddos became adept swimmers, lessons continued (in the winter, when our backyard pool wasn’t an option), because they missed the water.

And…eventually, we got to the point where my kiddos had tapped out on basic lessons because they knew the mechanics well enough, so if they wanted to continue, swim team of some sort was the way to go.

Last summer, Chicklet lobbied to participate in a summer swim team session and it was a way to dip our toe in the water (though, it was more like a dunk, since it was every weekday, ha) to see if it was viable on an ongoing basis. And, no surprise, our girl was a happy little fish:

http://delappenings.blogspot.com/2024/07/my-little-chicklet-fish-wait-mermaid.html?m=1

So happy, in fact, that she really really wanted to continue with swim team year round (at Lifetime, where we’ve been participating, as it’s very convenient for us), which begins the next part of our journey…



Unfortunately, things were not so cut and dry as we settled into this new adventure.

For starters: a ton of kids love to do “swim team” in the summer, which results in a certain looser, more casual vibe.

But when things whittle down to peeps who want to swim year round, things get more serious. 

We’re talking exhausting lap work, longer sessions, less fun and more technique, and a different vibe of instructors.

Thus began what I’ll call the Goldilocks period where we kept trying (and mostly, failing) to get Chicklet placed in the level of swimming that was just right for her.

Too hard, too easy, too young, too old, different days, different instructors. OYE. It was a process.

A very negative process for my girl, who likes routine and is very black and white with her first impressions.

We spent the majority of September—November trying out different sessions, having disastrous experiences (for Chicklet), giving it time for her to stew and deliberate on how to proceed, and then…trying it all again.

I just knew in my heart that I couldn’t give up—for Chicklet’s sake—since she’s always, always had an affinity for the water.

There were many times when it was incredibly frustrating from a parental point of view, to feel like I was failing my kid, or that she was being close-minded as we muddled our way through.

In the end, it took a LOT of talking things through, making tiny agreements or bribes to encourage her to give it another go, and then just saying a lot of prayers and hoping we could get her in a groove.

Welp.

The prayers worked, but it wasn’t an overnight thing. 

Slowly but surely, Chicklet gained a bit of confidence, made some friends, got accustomed to foreign things they felt too difficult, and—if I’m being brutally honest—came to terms with the coach she has, even if it’s the not the coach she loves, ha.

We also geared her up with a swim bag, the boards and wedges she uses for practice, some Speedo bathing suits…you know, all the things to make her feel official. :)

Fast forward to a particular evening in December when I was driving my girl to her session. We were talking about a lot of things, and she shocked the ever-loving you-know-what out of me by thanking me (unprompted!) for helping her stick with it and find the fit for her.

I just about collapsed.

As most parents know, this is not something that comes from the mouths of babes often, and it was a pretty special moment for my Mama heart.

At this point and at this level, my girl goes Monday/Wednesday/Friday evenings and it takes commitment, but she’s happy to participate. :)

Monday and Wednesday are typically a bit more intense, and then Fridays feel a bit looser, with some competitive lap games thrown in. 

Sometimes, the kiddos even use some fun flippers or get to race down water slides, dive immediately into a giant lap routine and then repeat over and over. And on occasion, the instructors merge sessions so there is a greater age range of kiddos participating.



I have no idea if this will last for the remainder of the year, or for a long time into the future. I have no idea if Chicklet will pivot as she enters middle school in the Fall, or remain steadfast in her love of water.

But, for the time being, I’m so proud of my girl for battling through a tricky situation to find the best swim fit, and for participating in something so rigorous that she loves. :)

It takes a lot of work, as a parent, to fan the flames of kiddos’ interests, but the payoff can be so worth it.



Okay…more soon, peeps!

Until then: HAPPY MONDAY!

Over and out. 

Cozy Puppy Fashion!

Okay, peeps.

WE DID IT!

First week back in the school/January routine! Whew!

There were some emotional ups and downs—along with some weather ups and downs, which felt roller-coaster appropriate.

In fact, for a while there, we were kinda sorta hoping for a “snow” day, but, alas…it never materialized.

With wildfires raging in Los Angeles, and a lot of peeps to the north dealing with bunches of snow, I suppose we should consider ourselves thankful to have avoided any extremes.

That said, it’s definitely been COLD and WINDY, which has called for some…puppy layers!

I have no idea how we made it through last winter without diving into this accessory cuteness for our beloved Coda girl! I mean, just look:

I. DIE. (Over both the hubby and the puppy cuteness, tehe.)



I suspect we didn’t get into the puppy clothes game last January/February because Coda was so young and tiny, and we were still figuring things out. She wasn’t on regular walks, yet, or using the restroom outside when the coldest snaps came through.

But, now…it’s all the clothes cuteness, all the time, and HomeGoods for the win! I went there in mid-December and found a treasure trove of andorable and inexpensive items. Like…

This totes adorbs puffer coat! Easy to wrangle on our girl with just a zipper along the back.

I mean…I love.





And these pajamas have been super useful for all the cold mornings when the chill is insane—not to mention, all the evenings when I’m worried our girl is too cold in her crate while she’s sleeping!



And she seems to be totally okay with having them on—probably because they’re loose-ish and cozy like her favorite blankets.

Put those hands together (the pajamas plus the puffer) for the coldest of the walks this week, and you have a cuteness explosion! 



We have a few other items for Coda girl, like a Velcro, faux-fur, green “coat” that we used today, and even these hilarious Santa pajamas that we didn’t manage to use before Christmas, but will still fit, next year.

It’s been so lovely to have these items on hand for the turn in the weather, and I have no doubt I’ve created a monster (in myself!) and will constantly be on the lookout for cute, puppy-fashion gear, ha.

And speaking of monster…earlier this week, I had to buy the largest, longest, puffiest, warmest coat I could find, so I could manage the temps during Coda girl’s twice-daily walks, and I’ve dubbed it the Yellow Monstrosity (for obvious reasons):

But it keeps me SO warm! Mission accomplished!

Okay…more as I’m able to get myself back in a posting groove. Until then, HAPPY WEEKEND, peeps!

Over and out.