A Rough Day

Today was a hard day. Ty stayed home from preschool because he is starting the cold that has gone around the family this week, and it seemed that every time I turned around, there was a new mess to clean up. Broken headphones, spilled Popsicle, poopy diapers, poopy toilet seats, late for Lucy's class, spilled soda, Ty painting a wall, and more. I wish I were one of those ladies who now says something inspirational, but the only thing I can think is that today was hard, and I'm glad it's over. I believe tomorrow will be better, and that's all I need right now.

Tourist Walk

This morning, Lucy and I headed out on an adventure walk/run on the trail by the river. We started downtown with the double jogger only half full and I just kept snapping pictures of the Rome scenery! We had so much fun that we kept exploring the historic neighborhood in the downtown (I want to live there). We walked past the historic clock tower, down Broad Street, across the love-lock bridge, and through the town square. It was quite the trip, but Lucy's favorite part was meeting the sweetest dog ever.

And when we got home, she brought me Ty's Superman PJ shirt. Adorable.

Labyrinth of Rome

I found out there was a Meditation Labyrinth in Rome, so we headed there one day after Ty's preschool. It is located next to the Rome Welcome Center, which is attached to this red caboose! The welcome center actually has a lot of cute items made my locals. The inside of the caboose is just their private office, but everyone was so nice that they let us in to see it.

The Labyrinth was cool. I thought it would be a hit with the kids, but they were done after only a minute or two. I, of course, had to walk all of it. The idea is that as you follow the road, you will be better able to focus, feel peace, and receive enlightenment. It sounds appealing. I'm always in need of some peace and enlightenment, so maybe I can go without the kiddies one day. 

The maze itself could use a little maintenance. I was thinking it would be a good Eagle project for someone.

Aug 19 & 20, 2016

A yucky summer cold is going around which I've got currently, so rather than running this morning, the family explored Cedartown, Georgia (about a 25 minute drive). We hopped on the Silver Comet Trail which basically runs from Atlanta to Alabama. The kids spent some time exploring, and we walked, jogged, and enjoyed the nature. Cedartown is a cute little Southern town!

This evening we attended a neighborhood party where we got to meet some neighbors. There are a lot of younger families (mostly girls), so I hope I get to know them better! Our neighborhood isn't very big, so it's nice people kind of know each other. I'm surprised at how much I do like Rome, but a part of me just wants to climb a mountain see past all of the trees and kudzu. It's a strange feeling of homesickness. 

Last night Tim and I had some friends watch the kids so we could go to a dinner with his Econ department colleagues. They took us to a place called Ballenger's. It was a restaurant on the side of a highway next to a gas station that looks like an abandoned house...on the inside and out!

There is an episode of the show How I Met Your Mother when Lily decides to go back to her apartment after spending so much time already at her fiancé's. Because it had been so long since she's been to her home, she didn't know that they turned her apartment into a Chinese restaurant. The funny thing was that her own pictures and furnishings were part of the restaurant decor. This is what Ballenger's was like, but weirder, with random shelves of storage in the rooms with tables. The food was pretty good, but it was quite the experience!

Cookies and Braves

Ty was in an especially good mood today, so we had an especially good day! This morning, I ran on Berry campus with my new friend Caroline. (Both of us had the same orange double stroller...we were quite a sight!) Berry has some really nice trails, and it was fun to visit Tim afterward.

After picking Ty up from school, we headed to the library to pick out some new (Lego) books. The Rome library is so sad. The children's section has old-school tile floors, old furniture in dreary colors, and no toys or puzzles except one little playhouse you can sit in. The worst part is that the children's librarians sit and chat in a back room and have yet to answer any of my questions. Little rant here, but how hard would it be to get some colorful rugs, comfy chairs, and puzzles or trains like every other library in this decade? Rant over.

I'd found some cookies in the cupboard I'd forgotten about (yipee!), so when we got home, we dunked a few cookies and played Legos.

We met Tim at the Rome Braves game where a security man gave Ty one of the foul balls on our way in! Next, we found that their shop was having a huge sale, so I got a cute hat for $6 (see below) and Tim got a shirt. We all won...except for the Braves.

The kids got to meet mascots Roman, Roxie, and Romey (very creative names, I know), we got hot dogs and $1 drinks, and just had a blast with the laid-back night. The Braves stadium is really nice and very stress-free as far as parking and finding seats.

The kids had zero complaining or fits tonight for a change. Once they went to bed, Tim and I actually finished painting the upstairs bathroom! I heard someone say that the best piece of advice they had been given as a mom is to do one thing a day that can't be undone. I love that piece of advice, because as a stay-at-home mom, everything is constantly being messed up, eaten, destroyed, or soiled. Having the bathroom done, a task that has been weighing on me for a month, feels great!  ...another win.

Water Wednesday

Today was Lucy's first day of Kindermusik at Berry College. It's just a cute little music and movement class for kids. She was a bit shy as she wondered what the heck everyone was doing singing and doing hand movements, but I get the feeling she is going to love class! 

Once I picked Ty up from school, we headed to the splash pad downtown and met some friends. When we'd had enough water, we walked over to the Honeymoon Bakery for some delicious treats! I just love that bakery. Today I had a yummy almond joy macaroon.

Roses and Thorns

I love the idea of sharing "roses" and "thorns" of the day. Today mine had quite a few. Since I plan to make this blog more of a journal, here are a few of the highlights:

Rose: Yesterday we received a shirt in the mail for Lucy from Uncle Scott and family. He had sent Ty and Lucy Georgia Tech shirts now that we live in Georgia, but it took a while to get Lucy's. Her's has a bus on it and says, "Next stop: Georgia Tech." Ty was pretty excited about the bus, so of course Lucy was too. This morning, I put the shirt on Lucy, but decided it was too big so I took it off again. Apparently, the shirt was non-negotiable. She threw a fit and just kept reaching toward the Georgia Tech shirt until I put it on here. Here is the end result with a few alterations:

Thorn: Pool leak realized, found, and fixed in one day. A/C upstairs not working-this is a big problem.

Rose: Tim found out he's one of three finalists for the best dissertation in economic history for this year! It's a great honor and he'll get to present it in Boulder later this year!

Rose: I am trying to start teaching a few exercise or yoga classes around town. I have been offered my first class-Youth Fitness on Friday evenings so I can officially start at the YMCA! It's not a super convenient time, but there's not much to do in Rome on Friday nights, I'll be done at 6:30, and I can drop the kids in the childcare (they love it)!

These Kids

My kids are just the cutest. Even though they mess up anything and everything I do. I seriously can't keep up with them. Growing up, I always pictured myself being a mom to a daughter, so I often look at Lucy as this girl of my dreams who is really and sweet and funny. Her personality is that of a girl who loves her brother and anything he's interested in, yet loves girly things and knows if she has something girly. She is so confident and comfortable. She does well in nursery (I may have snuck her in a few weeks early) and the YMCA childcare. She is talking up a storm and gets her messages across without much trouble. She's also just funny; kind of a sloppy, jolly, funny girl. 

Ty started Pre-K two weeks ago. I struggle with the fact that it's from 8-2:30 every day. This picture is after his first day. He did great. Every day I pick him up, he says he loves it, yet he NEVER wants to go back. It's a fight every morning...and evening...and afternoon. 

Ty loves Legos. He always used to want to play with them but would get frustrated because he couldn't quite work them (though he's great at Duplos). Lately, he's done better and rarely gets frustrated. He just builds and builds. He says he wants to be an engineer like his Uncle Scott when he gets older...or a firefighter. (Side bar: this evening, Tim said "I've just been putting out lots of fires this evening," because things keep breaking in our house. Later, Ty walked around and said, "I haven't seen any fires.")

Ty is very smart. It's too bad he's also an extremely good negotiator. Everything with this kid is a negotiation. Talking to him and trying to explain things falls on deaf ears. Totally pointless. He claims he is fine being a "wimp" and has no qualms about crying in front of people or at school. The school thing is a challenge right now. 

Now that Ty is gone during the day, Lucy and I try to make the most of our "girl time."

Swimming, running, painting nails, yoga, and playing with Ty's toys have all been on the agenda.

 

 

Once we pick Ty up in the afternoon, we try to get out. Too bad the parks here are so dirty. These kids leave covered in dirt! (Not to mention all the homeless people hang out at the parks. Kind of weird.)

 It seems like our family alone has been keeping The Home Depot in business lately. Luckily, the kids get a kick out of going there.

 This girl just adores her brother. He gets a kick out of his shadow too. 

 ...but sometimes she takes charge and shows him who's boss.

New Romans

"Y'all aren't Romans then?"

This is what our neighbor who was bringing us a big plate of cookies said when we told her we had just moved here. 

We've been in Rome, Georgia about a month now and are settling in. I was reading a few old journals the other day and realized how negative I am when I journal. I want to change that, so this blog is going to double as my journal. The only catch is that I will try to post often, and my posts have to be positive. My hypothesis is that when I record on the positive events, I will have happier memories. 

To start, I want to review this past month. We got here to our new house mid-July. My first thoughts:

1.  Rome is really hot and HUMID. I want to yell to everyone, "Do you know you don't have to live with this humidity? There are places where it is actually nice to be outside!"
2. The people here are quite friendly.
3. Rome is really run-down. There are a lot of poor people.
4. There are not many people at church our age with kids. Who am I going to be friends with?
5. Low intensity YMCA classes. Everything in the morning is for older adults.
6. Most of the moms work.
7. People here are not very good at email/technology or maybe they don't want to email me back ever? It's like going back in time 15 years. 
8. The library and parks could use some work. Maybe I can be Rome's Leslie Knope?
9. There is good food here. I do like the Honeymoon Bakery and Pick O Deli!
10. There are so many bugs here.

So...not extremely positive. However, things are getting better. I am starting to like Rome. Current thoughts:

1.  I think it's a good sized city for me. I feel like if I want to get involved I could (and channel Leslie Knope vibes).
2. Along those same lines, if there aren't things going on like a playgroup, I'd be happy to start one. Maybe I can make a difference here.
3. I've met more people at church and really like our ward. 
4. A new family moved in. They live close and have young kids and a lot in common. An answer to my prayers!
5. I met another mom pushing a stroller on the trail running this morning and we are running together later this week!
6. Berry College campus has so much to explore. I'm super excited to get involved in supporting their sports teams, art, and businesses.
7. In fact, I signed Lucy up for a Kindermusik class that starts this Wednesday. I'm excited to do something like this with Lucy one on one while Ty is at PreK.
8. Ty hates going to preschool in the mornings, but his teacher is nice. The owner of the childcare/preschool went to CU like Tim!
9. The technology thoughts haven't changed. People are really bad at emailing back.
10. I'm blessed to have a nice house. It's a lot of work, but it helps me appreciate it.

There are a lot of deer on Berry College campus. Below Ty and Tim are watching them.

Then we tried to have lunch at a duck pond on campus (picture below), but the ducks were too scary, so we didn't stay long.

 

 Just a little fun.

 Before Ty started PreK (everyday from 8-2:30), we ventured to Cartersville to check out the Tellus Science Museum.

 

 

  

 Fun at home. 

 Ty was being the people from Rescue Bots. Above he is Cade the Firefighter, and below he is Graham the engineer/construction guy. Lucy is just cute.