Black Friday

Posted in Uncategorized by adrianahartley

How did you spend the day after Thanksgiving?

I had no desire to shop nor sit in traffic to compete with the masses of people wishing for a good deal.

Our family spent the day together just hanging out. Some watched football, some did craft projects and others read and played together. We visited with friends and neighbors too, and some went swimming and some went for a walk around the neighborhood. Of course there was plenty of eating too! My sister’s boyfriend brought over and prepared seafood to share that he had caught near Channel Islands. It was so good!

I wonder why they call it Black Friday. I think we should call it Fun Friday.

I am thankful that we all still wanted to be together for another Fun Day.

Life is good.

How was your Black Friday? Get any good deals?

6Nov2014

Football and Food Truck Fun

Posted in Uncategorized by adrianahartley

Tonight Charlie had his last flag football game and Jeff was able to come home early to watch it. I was lucky enough to be asked to referee the game. I printed out the rules and learned as much as possible the hour before the game began. I was nervous at first, but quickly got the hang of it and enjoyed running up and down the field, trying to remember which down we were on and blowing the whistle in between plays and remembering to throw my arms up when a team got a touchdown! It’s a lot to remember when you’re a newbie!! I loved watching them play and I loved how the coaches had the kids come up and give me a high five and thanks for being the ref. I love that kids are being taught respect and gratefulness and I loved their little smiles.

After the game, we lived it up. Jeff had a great idea to go out to dinner and try the local food trucks. Supposedly they are there every Thursday night near a local sports store. It was really fun how the different trucks were lined up and we all got to choose our favorite food to try and we even found gluten free options. The novelty of it made me smile. They had chairs set up and little lights strung across poles and live music playing. It was a really fun experience and I’m so glad we had the time to go outside and play together.

I love my family and I love this crazy life.

Life is good.

Make time to play and do things differently than you normally do. It keeps life exciting! xoxo

14Oct2014

The Family Dinner

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I LOVE the family dinner. I fight for this time and try to do whatever I can to make this a nightly routine, despite our hectic schedules. It doesn’t always work out and then I resort to the family breakfast, but that’s even more chaotic at 6:45 a.m.

Right now I’m holding on and don’t want to let go. I want us all together, in our safe little cocoon, together for the 15 -30 minutes that it lasts. I value this time of us all being together, doing the same thing at the same time. That is peaceful to me.

I skipped volunteering this afternoon so that I could have dinner cooked and prepared for when we all got home from our activities, as we had a full day. I had plastic, reusable containers filled with Mexican food ready to take out of the refrigerator and reheat when we could gather again. While the food was warming, we worked together to set the table and fill drink glasses, and finished washing the pots and pans and emptying the dishwasher – multitasking and checking off the chore list before the next round of work began and doing it together.

We all assembled our plates and brought them to the table and then we held hands in a circle across the table and said a brief prayer. We were connected. We stood still and held each other for 30 seconds, while we expressed gratitude for all that is good and for healing for all that is bad. We shared a few stories, a few laughs, a few disciplinary recommendations, and enjoyed each other and the comfort that the food and family time provided.

I chose to be late to my meeting, so that I could sit around the table with the most important people in my life. I am choosing to be present and to not be busy, even when I am.

We need to slow down and be present, even when it feels like we can’t.

Make the time, BeLoveRs. How will you choose to slow down and enjoy your loved ones this week?

Namaste.

I am thankful

14Sep2014

Sunday with Friends

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I’ve declared Sunday family days, where we try to not schedule anything and to celebrate a day of rest. That is, until friends decide to celebrate life and I have to go with the flow.

Today was such a day. Kelly turned 50 and her friends chose to celebrate today and who was I to say no?

We spent the day up in San Francisco on a gorgeous day. We drove up in two cars and parked along the Embarcadero and the water. We had a delicious and healthy lunch at the Plant on Pier 3. We all enjoyed our time together, sharing conversation and mimosas and wonderful food. Afterwards, we walked along the Embarcadero and through the Ferry Building and along the water. The sun was shining and there wasn’t any wind, so we were all warm and comfortable.

I tried a Blue Bottle Coffee for the first time and enjoyed every sip of the rich, creamy cafe latte.

I loved that we all took the time to enjoy each other’s company and to celebrate our dear friend. Becky was awesome and decorated the cars and brought party favors and bubbles for all the guests.

I have the best of friends and am so thankful for the women in my life. I learned so much and admired all the women and their life choices and hearing about what they are doing and where they are going. Some moms are working, some are looking for work and some are stay at home moms. Some have advanced degrees, some are teachers and one is doctor. And everyone took the time to celebrate our friend and each other. The laundry can wait.

I am thankful and happy to have such cool women in my life and a supportive family that says, “Yes, go and play with your friends and have a good time.” I got home in time to spend time together with my family too, with a delicious BBQ on our outdoor patio. Life is balanced.

Life is good.

Circle of friends

16Aug2014

Full House

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Tonight everyone is home again and I am happy.

I like when everyone is in my nest, safe and snug, doors locked, cozy in their beds and I can rest peacefully without worry.

Jeff was away on a business trip and Juliana was away at camp.

I have to say life was easier, slower and quieter with less laundry, demands and needs to be filled with 2 out of the 5 of us missing, but I felt incomplete.

I like my work. I like the humans I share space with and when they are gone, I really miss them. I am happy that they are back and we are complete again, all together in the same nest.

I know they will leave one day, but for now I appreciate our shared space and providing for their care and am content and thankful. Living in the moment, loving life and laughing out loud.

Namaste.

4Jul2014

Happy 4th of July 2014

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I love the American spirit and seeing all the photos and well wishes on social media today.

I love all the red, white, and blue. I love the BBQ and spending time with family and friends, and I love the magic and surprise and wonder of fireworks.

I like any form of celebration of life and seeing people come together to share good times and happy memories.

This morning we watched the World Cup and exchanged Facebook messages with Wendy and Rob from the Netherlands. We learned they were in San Francisco and we figured out a way for us to get together today. We didn’t have any definite plans and were just taking the day as it came.

Today was an example of being thankful for being unscheduled and creating space for life to just flow, and it did. They were able to join us for an afternoon BBQ and to see the fireworks together.

We had a great time sitting on the back patio in the sunshine, enjoying conversation, drinks and appetizers before dinner.

Hope you had fun with family and friends, celebrating our freedom.

Love and light.

Life is good.

9Jun2014

Work and Play

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This is one of my mottos. We work hard and we play hard. We do the work and then we play.

I’m trying to instill these values in my kids and I’m trying to help them to be accountable and responsible as we enter the summer season, much to my oldest’s dismay.

He thinks he should be free to do whatever he wants and that there should be no expectations whatsoever. He says I used to be the cool mom but now I’m a bit crazy. Bless his heart. He doesn’t understand my motivations and I’m trying to teach, ever so gently, yet we have lots of conflict and it’s only Day 1. God give me patience and grace and help me to be a good teacher.

I’ve asked them to come up with their own daily schedules to help them feel like they have structure to their days without asking me what they should do or telling me that they are bored. I told them that they have limited screen time and that they have to include time to eat, do chores, read, exercise, rest, play, outdoor time, learn and have time to be giving. It is up to them to come up with a rough sketch of how they think the day should play out and that they should think of some of the fun activities and places they would like to visit.

I want them to feel empowered and I want them to be productive, while still enjoying the laziness of summer. without being too lazy.

Each night they are to come up with a plan and write it out, share it with me and then we’ll decide if we need to make any changes. Once we have a plan, it’s perfectly fine for it to change, but doing nothing everyday is not ok.

For Juliana and Charlie, this was easy. It worked. No gripes. They worked hard, played hard and enjoyed their first day. For Christian, not so much. He didn’t like this idea at all and has resisted. He is of course a teenager and has his own definitions and knows it all, so I’m ok with that. We’re working through the chaos and conflict and loving each other despite the disagreements. I think we’ll meet in the middle hopefully by the middle of this week.

Here are copies of their charts from tonight. I especially loved Juliana’s creativity, Charlie’s family ideas, and Christian’s list of possible ideas to explore. They are thinking. They are creating. They are working. They are playing. I am happy.

Happy Summer Everyone!! If you like this idea, steal it, copy it, and let me know if you have success!! xo

8Jun2014

Something New

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Today we experienced something new.

We went to our first ever water polo match. The USA played against Serbia at Stanford, and unfortunately lost. I happen to follow Stanford Athletics on Facebook and learned about the timing of this match through social media.

Christian has expressed interest in possibly playing next year and we thought it would be great for him to see a live event.

I was amazed at how fast and how strong the players were, and how they were able to propel themselves half way out of the water and still be able to throw or pass the ball. It is a very physical sport too! I know, I’m new. I was just in awe and loved watching the entire match, even though it was nearly 100 degrees out. Luckily we found seats in the last row in the shade, otherwise watching the game in the sizzling sun would not have been enjoyable or bearable at all.

I was thankful to spend the day with my family, discovering something new together. Juliana came home considering playing one day too. They gave out miniature little water polo balls and Charlie took one with him on a walk this evening, mimicking the arm movements that he witnessed in the pool today. So cool to watch and who knows, maybe today will be a spark, or perhaps it’ll just be another way for us to spend time as a family watching and enjoying a new sporting event.

Life is good. Live it up.

4Jun2014

Summer Nights

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Why wait for school to end? We are celebrating summer right now.

No homework for the littles and a couple more finals for the big one. Charlie insisted I come outside to shoot some hoops with the entire family. I thought I was going to catch up with bills and paperwork but someone “needed” me and how could I resist his sweet little voice and demands? All 5 of us took a break to play together and I loved it. Juliana thought we should go get ice cream too, and her daddy is too sweet to say no. So guess where we are with everyone else in town?

YOLO!! Living it up. Loving it out.

I love summer.

Life is good.

7Apr2014

Family Sunday

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Oh the weather was beautiful today! The sky was so blue and looked unreal. The kids were all playing catch in the yard and were happy to just be home, without having to rush out the door.

When they saw me sitting on the ground watching them play, they came and climbed on my lap. I loved that!

I got to play some social tennis for a few hours in the afternoon and the temperature was 84 degrees! I was wishing I was at the beach with my paddle board, but still had a good time, even though it was pretty hot.

Jeff was home most of the day as he was smoking a brisket that took 9 hours to cook on the Traeger. Oh my gosh, our yard smelled so good all day.

Charlie had double baseball practices and Christian went with him to help out at the first practice and Jeff took him to the batting cages later in the day.

April and Steve joined us for a late family dinner. We laughed so hard playing Telephone around the table. I was so glad they were here to share the evening together.

As we were cleaning up, I checked Facebook and saw someone mention that the planets were clearly visible tonight. We saw Jupiter next to the moon and Mars behind us. Such a great day!

I am enjoying these days with the kids and Jeff and friends and staying close to home. Even though we are still busy, there are more moments of down time with not as much planned and I’m loving how we’re just flowing with what comes our way. Life is good.