Christina has a sweet life. Staying home with her Mom. Weekly playgroup with church friends. Outings with Mom. Shopping at Walmart. Ruling the roost during the day. Watching her favorite tv shows. Not having many responsibilities. And most recently, playing with her church friend, Gracie. Gotta love it.Really, I think I've got it good too. I love being home with my children. These pre-school years are some of my favorite ones. I love my one-on-one time with my kids. It's strengthened our relationships and made for lots of memories.
Speaking of happiness, I am reading the greatest book right now. It's called "The How of Happiness" My Mom bought it for me and Ben as a thank you after staying with us. I am reading it rather slowly, trying to think about and apply the concepts. It takes a very scientific and studied approach to being happy. I love the idea that 40% of our happiness is controlled by us - our actions, attitudes, and approach. It suggests that 50% is our nature - what we bring to life/genetics/etc. Only ten percent of our contentment is our circumstances, which is about what I would have guessed. I would highly recommend this book. If I'm ever feeling a little blue, I get ideas that have been so helpful.
My friend, Lyz, watched Christina for me while Katie and I were in California. I was thankful to have her and my neighbor help us out. I was able return the favor and watch Lyz' daughter, Gracie, this past week. The girls played well together and had a ball. That particular day had weather in the 80s so we hit our community pool. For the first time, ever. Great morning even with some mild sunburns all around. We had the pool to ourselves and enjoyed some fun in the sun. I've heard other mothers say that they do some of their best mothering at the pool. I would agree.The girls enjoyed catching beetles and mayflies (Daniel's influence on Christina) with their buckets, watering the bricks, splashing and swimming, ring-a-round the rosies in the shallow end, watering my wedding ring and toes, eating pink ice cream (aka raspberry sherbet), and playing with penny banks and dolls. I loved watching them fill their backpacks with all kinds of toys and walk around like big girls going to school.
Although I've been a bit tired from our busy trip and then all the house catch-up when we returned, Christina was begging to go somewhere this week. I was honestly dragging my feet, but decided to muster some energy. I looked in my email folder "Oklahoma Outings", and noticed a mellow day trip to Ponca City. It looked about my speed and something that all three kids would not enjoy. I'm trying to save some of the really fun ideas for me and all Three Musketeers. Christina is like me and loves it all. So, we got on the road.
Although I've been a bit tired from our busy trip and then all the house catch-up when we returned, Christina was begging to go somewhere this week. I was honestly dragging my feet, but decided to muster some energy. I looked in my email folder "Oklahoma Outings", and noticed a mellow day trip to Ponca City. It looked about my speed and something that all three kids would not enjoy. I'm trying to save some of the really fun ideas for me and all Three Musketeers. Christina is like me and loves it all. So, we got on the road.
We started out at the Standing Bear Park. It had a wonderful walking path with a pond and fountain, lots of ducks and geese (10+ baby geese to see on this particular day), and neat Native American exhibits along the way. Beautiful day to walk and explore. The museum was pretty small, but I enjoyed learning a bit more about Oklahoma's Native American history.
This Missy Moo and I love to be outside. A perfect day for an outing and walk.
Next we headed to the Conoco Museum. I doubted Christina would find anything of interest here, but it was free and something to see. Today when she saw my photos on the blog, she asked "Go pumping place again, Mama?" Like I said, she likes most anything if it's out of the house. This little gal is so ready for preschool. I've been researching options for next fall. She is ready to stretch, learn more, and have something more structured.The museum was well-done, but when you're dealing with the topic of gas/oil/refineries, it's a challenge to make it real interesting. To me, anyway. Somehow, Christina managed to sit on my lap for the 10 minute movie and we browsed for a bit before lunch time. The grandma-aged employee there was so kind to Christina, showing her a fun computer game that showed a Conoco autocade to Yellowstone Park. Little things mean a lot. The attention and laughs made Christy happy.
However, It's been a while since I've seen Christina have a melt down in the car like she did this day. Even the tater tots and burger from Sonic wouldn't calm her down. I think she was tired, hungry, and had low blood sugar, along with the fact that she's a strong-willed 3 year old. Finally, she calmed enough to eat something and then things turned around. While we ate, I drove around to see the famous Marland (the oil tycoon that eventually merged his company with Conoco) Grand Home and Head Country's famous BBQ restaurant. It's the BBQ of Oklahoma, we hear. I had planned to eat there for lunch, but with our delays and low blood sugar, fast food worked better. Maybe we'll head up for some Okie BBQ another day.
The most famous statue of Ponca is the Pioneer Woman one. We snapped some pictures and spent $4 for admission to the museum. The front desk employee was less than warm and when I asked how child-friendly it was, she was curt and wanted me to make sure that Christina didn't touch anything there. She soon went back to reading her book. Nope. Not a welcoming museum. I didn't know if I'd be back to Ponca, so it was still worth the $4 to see the museum. It had some neat artifacts and exhibits, but not much to see.
Our last stop was the oft-photographed Marland Mansion. I was just planning to drive by and get a photo, but when Christina saw the playground on its property, we had to stop. The house would be fun to tour if you didn't have little ones. Maybe Ben and I will make it a date some day, along with the BBQ spot.
There were some pretty and unique irises to admire. I hope the irises I brought up from Texas bloom next year. They seem to do well in Oklahoma.
And swings to enjoy. I think this was the happiest Christina was all day. After our outing was done, I asked Christina if it was a great or so-so outing, she replied "So, so." I would definitely agree.
The most famous statue of Ponca is the Pioneer Woman one. We snapped some pictures and spent $4 for admission to the museum. The front desk employee was less than warm and when I asked how child-friendly it was, she was curt and wanted me to make sure that Christina didn't touch anything there. She soon went back to reading her book. Nope. Not a welcoming museum. I didn't know if I'd be back to Ponca, so it was still worth the $4 to see the museum. It had some neat artifacts and exhibits, but not much to see.
Our last stop was the oft-photographed Marland Mansion. I was just planning to drive by and get a photo, but when Christina saw the playground on its property, we had to stop. The house would be fun to tour if you didn't have little ones. Maybe Ben and I will make it a date some day, along with the BBQ spot.
There were some pretty and unique irises to admire. I hope the irises I brought up from Texas bloom next year. They seem to do well in Oklahoma.
And swings to enjoy. I think this was the happiest Christina was all day. After our outing was done, I asked Christina if it was a great or so-so outing, she replied "So, so." I would definitely agree.To me, so-so is still good enough for an outing. I was happy to see Ponca City and check off another Oklahoma day trip. And I loved being with Christina most of all.
