Words

Julianna has been talking up a storm lately. It seems like she says new words everyday. She says them on her own and she repeats what everybody else says. Whenever she sees writing, she says, "abc." And when we were doing Adam's math homework, she heard us saying numbers and she started counting. Then she was playing with some little people and started saying, "upside down, upside down." And when I looked, sure enough she was holding them upside down. She has also started saying, "I hungry, mama," instead of, "mmmhmmm, mama," like she's done for months. I'm not sure where she got her "I'm hungry" noise, but I've known what it meant for a long time and would ask her if she was hungry when she did it. I guess she finally decided to use the real word. Which helps when she's with other people, but I have to admit that I will miss her little hungry hum. In the last few days she's also said, "exactly," "I know George," "bagel," " bite, please," and "boots." She's said "thank you" for a while but now also says, "excuse me," "bless you," "sorry," and "you're welcome." But of all her new words, my favorite is "read." She will bring a book to one of us and say, "Read book." Or she will just say, "read," and "read" it herself. I've already seen in her my love of music and now I'm starting to see her inheriting my love of reading, too. I love it.


I spent a lot of time with my sweet little girl this past weekend and saw over and over how much she's growing everyday. Too fast. Just too fast. When she wants to snuggle, I snuggle. When she wants to read, we read. When she hands me the puzzle pieces and tells me where to put them, I oblige over and over and over. Because I know. I know how the days fly by and the years add up and these moments, these lovely baby moments, pass all too quickly. So for now I will hold on to this little girl with the twinkling blue eyes and contagious smile and growing vocabulary. And treasure these memories so that I can hold them in my heart forever.

Blessed Sunday

This lovely cake was made by Darcy for our Monday night Bible study group in celebration of my birthday. A few weeks ago, she brought her yummy chocolate covered pretzels and I told her that for my birthday I wanted them instead of cake. (She is the official birthday cake maker for the group since she makes such delicious, creative cakes.) So when Monday came along, she brought this log cabin cake covered with chocolate covered pretzels for the logs. What a treat! I can't even tell you how much I loved it! Not only did it look so cool, but it tasted good, too. It was a little tricky to cut and serve, but it was worth it to get to the chocolate and vanilla layered cake and frosting inside. And if cake wasn't enough, we got to eat the logs, too. It was such a special cake and I felt special that Darcy put so much work into it just for me. Thanks, Darcy.

But as much as I loved the cake, that isn't the blessing I'd like to write about today. The blessing that this cake represents is Darcy and her husband Andy. They are amazing people. Loving and generous and caring. They are funny and smart and encouraging. They bring to our group something that none of the rest of us could. They bring a perspective of our Lord that I so appreciate and am only able to see through them. Where they have been and where they are now is an amazing testament of God's grace and love. I am so thankful that I know them and that they are a part of our family's life.

And on top of all that, there's also the yummy cake!

Lord Have Mercy*

Remember this song by Mr. Mister?

Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel
Kyrie eleison, through the darkness of the night
Kyrie eleison, where I'm going will you follow
Kyrie eleison, on a highway in the light

I had the record in the 80's and practically wore it out listening to it. Whatever happened to them? Anyways, we heard that song on the way to school this morning and I just had to sing along. How can you not? And Josh, who loves music almost as much as I do, was listening, too. A few minutes later, when there was an ad on the radio, I heard him singing it in the back seat.

Carryin' a laser down the road that I must travel
Carryin' a laser through the darkness of the night
Carryin' a laser where I'm going will you follow
Carryin' a laser on a highway in the light

I turned the radio down to make sure that's really what I was hearing. Then I asked him if that's what he was saying and he said "yes." I laughed and laughed. Carryin' a laser? Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

*The phrase "kyrie eleison" means "Lord, have mercy" in Greek. Just in case you were wondering.

10 Things Thursday

You know how in "Peter Pan," Wendy and John and Michael have to think happy thoughts to fly? Well, here are my 10 happy thoughts for the day...

1. having a clean, organized, simplified house with no clutter or dust bunnies or dirty dishes
2. opening the fridge and having dinner magically appear every night
3. having children who never argue or fight or get into trouble
4. teaching a class full of students who retain everything I teach and who are right on track in every subject
5. balancing my checkbook and finding enough and maybe even a little extra money
6. living a day in which I do everything I'm supposed to and nothing I'm not
7. lying on a beach somewhere with a good book and a constantly icy cold, fruity drink
8. typing the last period on the last page of the book I have in my head
9. having someone pay me for writing that book
10. hearing my children laugh those deep, sincere laughs that I love so much

Bonus: And, of course, my ultimate happy thought is heaven. The happiest of all.

Blessed Sunday

I have been blessed this past week by starting my 38th year of life. When you're little, birthdays are a big deal. It's your one day to be the center of attention. Your day and yours alone. But after you get to a certain age, birthdays aren't such a big deal. Dinner, a few presents, cake, and maybe a candle or two. If that. But the day comes and goes with little fanfare. I spent many years like that. But a few years ago, I decided to make a bigger deal of my birthday. It still might just be dinner and cake and a few presents, but in my mind it is my special day. A day to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. I have begun to enjoy turning a year older, not at all worried that that number means I'm older, but enjoying that it means that I'm a year wiser. This year was like that. I went to work as usual. (Well, mostly as usual. I was dressed like a Star Bellied Sneetch*.) I taught phonics and numbers. I had recess duty. I was mom and wife just like any other day. We went out to dinner and I got a free birthday sundae complete with a candle on top. My sweet family softly sang "Happy Birthday" to me. Then I went home and got a bag of birthday goodies** from my husband and kids. Then I put kids to bed and made lunches and did all my nightly preparations for the next day. So besides the yummy steak and free sundae, and a little extra attention from my family, it was just any other Thursday. On the outside. But for me it was my birthday. And I felt special. Because I wanted to. I laughed a little more and sang a little louder and enjoyed the little things. It was my day.

*It was Dr. Seuss day at school and I decided to be a Star Bellied Sneetch. So if you ever see someone dressed strangely on a day that's not Halloween, just assume they're an elementary school teacher. We do that sometimes.
**My birthday bag included a stuffed flower, Peep flavored lip balm, Twilight bracelets, a pack of mini Twix bars, and the first season of Glee on dvd. Nice, huh?

And to make things even better, Friday my sister friends took me to dinner and a movie to celebrate. We had yummy hamburgers and fries at Red Robin and talked and laughed and drank glasses and glasses of Diet Coke. We discussed who we would be if we were movie characters. We had purse show and tell. And we laughed some more. Then we walked over to the theater and saw "Alice in Wonderland." It was sooo goooood. Even though we were the fourth oldest group of people there. There were a lot of teenagers. A lot. They were noisy and energetic and just a little scary. (Not because they were really scary, but the thought that I will soon have teenagers in my house was scary. Like panic attack inducing scary even.) Then to finish the night, we went to Baskin Robins (since Dairy Queen was closed) and I got a waffle cone with a scoop of my favorite ice cream ever, Nutty Coconut. And we laughed some more. It was a good night, a good, good night.

And to keep the birthday celebration going, Tuesday's family dinner night is my family birthday. We are going to my favorite Mexican restaurant and then to mom and dad's house for coconut cream pie. Yeah for birthdays!

Show and Tell

Today is "fill in the blanks" show and tell.

"This is my (choose item from section 1) and I like it a lot. It's very (choose adjective from section 2). I got it from (choose one from section 3). It can (choose one from section 4). And I like it a lot."

Section 1
doll
stuffed dog
Littlest Pet Shop animals
Batmobile, Batman and Robin action figures, Batman mask
stuffed Lorax and book
stuffed bunny
Bionicle

Section 2
special
cool
cute
fun

Section 3
grandma
my birthday
Target
my room

Section 4
move
cry
shoot
drive

10 Things Thursday--Birthday Edition

10 things about birthdays...

1. Today is mine.
2. The first birthday I remember was when I was turning 7. My dad was across the country working and there was a party at my grandparents house with lots of aunts and uncles and cousins. But I sat on my aunt Shirley's bed and sang It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To. Because the one person I wanted to be there wasn't. He was 1000 miles away.
3. But on my 13th birthday, he sent me cards from across the country even though he wasn't.
4. On my 16th birthday I was given a gift in every one of my classes at CDA High School. Just little things, but boy did I feel special. Everyone knew it was my birthday. And I just bet all the other kids, well, at least the girls, were jealous that their parents weren't as creative and loving as mine to send them presents in every class on their birthdays.
5. That was the same year that mom and dad picked me up from driver's ed and took me to a big surprise birthday party with all of my friends. (It's so weird that I remember what I was wearing that day. It was a light blue skirt with a pastel-ly colored animal print shirt. Very 80s.)
6. That was also the year that I got a car for my birthday. But I didn't get it until a few weeks after my birthday. Dad was looking for an El Camino to buy for me. I didn't realize until just a few years ago why he was looking for that specific car. It was because I would only be able to have one other person in the car with me at a time. Fewer distractions. I ended up getting a 1976 Dodge Aspen. It would hold four other people. (It would have been five, but dad cut the front middle seat belt out so that no one could sit right next to me. I understand now. Thanks, dad.)
7. My 21st birthday was the first I celebrated as a married woman.
8. And my 28th was the first I celebrated as a mom.
9. Thirty seven birthdays have come and gone with cake and candles and balloons and presents and family and friends. But only one thing has ever really lasted or mattered--the people who have made those days special.
10. And today, on my 38th birthday, those same people who have been there for so many other birthdays, will make this one wonderful, too.

Counting the Seconds

Adam: Mom, what's 60 X 15?
Me: I don't know. A lot....Well, 60 X 10 is 600 and 60 X 5 is 300 so 60 X 15 is 900.
Adam: So that means we have 900 seconds of recess.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay. I feel better now.

Blessed Sunday

Yesterday was Christmas. At least it was for us with Arrty's side of the family. Last year his grandma had just had surgery and wasn't home for the holidays and his mom lives a little ways away and with all the snow wasn't able to make it in December. So we got together in March for dinner and a few presents. Then this year at Thanksgiving, we all decided that we'd celebrate late again. It actually works out quite nicely for us. Those few days in December aren't so busy for our family and it gives the kids something to look forward to later in the winter. And besides, Jesus wasn't really born on December 25th anyways.

So for my blessing for today, I'd like to count that part of our family. It includes Arrty's mom, grandma, aunt, and brother and his girlfriend. They are talkative and funny and happy. They tell stories and tease each other and laugh together. And they love our kids. They just can't get enough of them when we're together. And the kids love them, too.

So last night we sat down to a delicious lasagna dinner (Aunt Cathy is an amazing cook!) and ate together and celebrated Jesus and being a family. We opened a few gifts. And we said, "Merry Christmas." And for that few hours it was.

10 Things Thursday

The 10 countries my kindergartners have learned about and that are part of our history fair project for tonight's History Fair/Talent Show...

1. Kenya
2. Australia
3. Israel
4. China
5. Mexico
6. The Netherlands
7. Japan
8. Brazil
9. Italy
10. England

Just A Note

When you teach kindergarten, you have many days when little kids come up to you and open little hands that are holding a tiny little tooth. This is the age when most kids start losing their baby teeth. It's very exciting. And sometimes a little scary. Some kids worry about it. Some kids look forward to it. And some kids just can't wait to have that first little pearly white tooth to put under their pillow to exchange with the tooth fairy for a new, shiny quarter. (Or dollar, or whatever she is delivering these days.) But today one of my youngest kindergartners came in and handed me a note that she wanted me to read. It said...

Dear H.,
Those are lovely rocks, but I am sorry I can't take them. I only take teeth. I am sure you will lose yours soon and I will be back for them. Try to be patient.
Your friend,
The Tooth Fairy

Yes, she tried to trick the tooth fairy into thinking that the little white rocks she found were teeth. But, as you can see, the tooth fairy wasn't born yesterday. She knows the difference between rocks and teeth. And I'm sure this isn't the first time she's found things under pillows that weren't teeth. But wasn't it nice of Miss Fairy to write H. a note explaining things. And strangely enough, her handwriting looks just like H.'s mom's handwriting.

Blessed Monday

Josh and Adam went to Oregon with my parents this past weekend to a horse sale. And came home with a new horse. They were so excited about "their" horse. It's a smaller horse than dad's others for the kids to learn to ride on. Out of the five grand kids, he's bound to get at least a few who are horse lovers like him.

They told me all about their trip. What they saw. The auction. Some of the horses. How exciting it was to bid on and win their horse. But what I remember most from their stories was when Josh said about the fun they'd had, "Spending three days with Pappy and Grandma and not laughing is impossible." Don't we all need those people in our lives. The "impossible not to laugh with" people. Those who we know we can count on to add some fun to our lives. Those who make our days and lives happier. Those with whom memories of good times will last a lifetime. My kids are blessed to have that with their beloved grandparents. And that is a blessing to me, too.

10 Things Thursday

10 things about my husband...


1. today is his birthday
2. he's not quite 40
3. he has blue eyes
4. he can identify song title, artist, and year of release of any song from the years 1975 to 1992
5. he makes cute kids (with a little help from me)
6. he's smart
7. he's a good dad
8. he makes the best homemade french fries
9. he is loyal to a fault
10. I love him.

Happy birthday, hon.

Treasures

I have this cowboy boot box that I got from my dad years and years ago when he bought new boots. Inside that box are treasures. Not treasures to anyone else, but treasures to me. There are letters and pictures and post cards and journals from high school. There are old newspaper articles and tiny trinkets from my childhood including a gown I wore as a newborn. And there are cards. I don't save cards normally. I put them on the fridge or book shelf for a few days then toss them. But in this box there are a few special birthday cards. And one valentine. I don't know how old I was when it was given to me, but the date on the back is 1974. When you open it, an alligator head pops out with mouth open wide. Alvin the alligator is agreeing that I should be the sender's valentine. And the sender was my dad. I don't really remember deciding to save this one valentine out of all the ones I've received. But I can guess why I saved it. I saved it because it was from my very first valentine. The one who loved me first and most. The one who I knew I could count on then and can count on now. The one who has told me in word and deed for as long as I can remember that he loves me.

And yesterday he gave me another valentine. A beautiful card with a beautiful message. To think that he went to the store and picked up card after card searching for just the right one for me is such a special thought. And the one he chose, just for me, is perfect. Just perfect. I love it and will treasure it. And after it sits on the book shelf for a few days, I will put it with the other one in my box of treasures.

Hail To The Chiefs

Thank you, George Washington, for crossing the Delaware, for loving our country, for being the first president of the United States of America going where no man had gone before.

Thank you, Abraham Lincoln, for beating the odds, for guiding our country through a civil war, for being honest, for being a leader we can be proud of.

And thank you both for the day off. Happy birthday.

Blessed Sunday

Since today is Valentine's Day, I'd like to tell you what a blessing my valentine is to me. We met when I was 11 and he was 12. We went to school together in middle school, but not in high school. We started officially dating when I was 16. And we got married when I was 20. This summer we will celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary. He is the only one I've ever kissed. I hardly remember life without him by my side.

I love a lot of things about him. That he loves the Lord. That he makes me laugh. That he loves our children. That he knows me better than anyone. The memories that we have made together. I love that he never complains about my cooking or when the sink is full of dishes. I love that he says thank you after dinner even if it's hot dogs or take and bake pizza. But what makes me love him most of all is that he loves me. He has loved me through all the things we have been through over the years. Good and bad. Up and down. Crazy and really, really crazy. He's loved me anyways. And that is a blessing.

Oh, yeah. He also gave me a dozen red roses today. I love that, too.

10 Things Thursday

10 things you would find in my class today...

1. cookies--humongous sugar cookies with sprinkles
2. pink cupcakes with pink frosting and decorated with hearts
3. 48 juice pouches, even though there are only 11 students in my class. Busy moms like to send juice pouches.
4. red plates and white and pink napkins which only got used to clean up spills, not wipe faces.
5. more cupcakes, red velvet with cream cheese frosting
6. more cookies, made from cake mix
7. rice crispy treats, pre-packaged, not homemade
8. tons of those little boxes of hearts that say things like "Be Mine" and "True Love" and "Hug Me", which have to be the world's worst candy
9. little valentine cards of all sorts--puppies, princesses, Batman, flowers, Spongebob, Power Rangers, Dora, and even one that was scratch and sniff
10. 11 sugar filled, card giving, candy eating, super excited children

And the 11th thing you would find in my class today is one exhausted teacher.

Dance It, Baby, Dance It!

Last week I recorded the Grammy Awards knowing that the rest of my family wouldn't be interested in watching. And besides, if it's recorded, I can fast forward through the commercials and boring parts. Since it was just Julianna and I home on Saturday morning, I decided to watch it. My music loving little girl was totally into it. She loved the performances and danced along to most of them. But when Beyonce came on the screen she was mesmerized. She stood and watched for a minute. Then began to move. She's got some skillz, let me tell ya! But when she started copying the moves of Beyonce, I was amazed. She swung her head around shaking her hair just like the singer. She moved her arms like she saw on the screen. She even sang some though it wasn't the actual song but in Julesese. I loved watching her and enjoyed her performance much more than the show. And I couldn't help but wonder if someday she might be there on that stage with little girls watching and copying her moves. And when she wins her first Grammy, I'm sure she'll thank her mommy first.

Blessed Sunday

Sunshine. Sunshine is a blessing. And we had some today. 48 degrees in February. No snow in my yard. And a sunshiny day. Thank you, Lord, for it all.

Show and Tell

This is my Bible and it's really special and my mom got it for Christmas and it's special and I like it a lot.

This is my catty and I got her for Christmas from my sister and she meows and purrs and she's like a dog and wags her tail or you can put her tail like this like she's in trouble or she can walk like this. She's white on this side and you can scratch her little belly and she purrs a lot of times and she meows a lot of times. That's what she does. And she's very special and I like her a lot and sometimes in my room I don't play with her. She's white on her nose and black on her head and on this side she has no white line and she has a little button but it doesn't work and it has a 'f' and a heart and a 'r' and she has cute little dark ears. They are kind of pink but they're light pink. And she has green eyes and a pink little nose but her mouth can't open up. And she's cute. And when she walks I do this or I do this and that's why she likes me and I like her. And on this side she's furry and on this side she's furry too. That's why I like her. And I want some quiet time. D. be quiet and give me your attention. And she's really cute and I love her and she's really cute. And I know you guys already know that. And you can read to her or she can climb on your shoulder. And she can put out her claws and she purrs a lot. And she thinks I'm her furry bed. D. I don't want to hear any noise from you. I'm trying to talk. No noise. (I then told her to leave poor D. alone, who wasn't making any noise by the way, and go on.) And you guys can see her whiskers don't you. (At this point, the rest of the class was getting restless so I told her she could tell us one more thing.) And I like to paint her nails and put a little dress on her. And that's all. The end. That's my whole story.

This is my friend dolly and I really love her. I sleep with her every night. I got her for my birthday. My friends for my birthday got me a sleeping bag and my friend Olivia gave me a baby doll. I forgot what my other friends gave me. And I really love her. And we got to play Cinderella and we got to wear a blindfold and stick something on her and we had a Barbie cake and on my next birthday at Disneyland we can see the diamond castle and I have the book of it that I got from my brother's school, but now my brother signed up for homeschool. But I really like my dolly.

These are my pom poms and they are very special and the strings always fall out and that's why I don't want to pull on them. They're blue and I have another pair that are red. And that's it.

Zippity zip. (He actually said zippity zip while unzipping his backpack to get his show and tell out.) It's red with tools in it! Oh and okay and this is Dusty and Turner and Phillipe and Squeeze and Rusty and a tape measure, I can't remember it's name, and this is a girl and this is a girl and this is a girl and this is a boy and there are four boys and three girls. (He pushed a button and the tools sing and dance. And he pushed the button again and nothing happened.) It ran out of batteries so I can't do it anymore. Yep, I'm done. Did anyone like it? You did and you did and you did and you did and you did and you did.

This is my puppy I mean my kitty and my kitty likes to chase dogs and dogs like to chase cats. She likes other people but only people she knows. And I really love her and her name is Gloria and I really like her and she has a friend named Ruff and she's a doggy and I brush her feet cuz I love her and I take good care of her and I want to come around and you can pet her.

These are my pom poms and I know everything about it and I like it and I use to have my M thing that goes with it. It's my M shirt with my dress but it doesn't fit me anymore and when I want to be a cheerleader I get them and I like dressing me up with them and that's it.

10 Things Thursday

10 book characters who are at school today for "Dress Up and Read" day...

1. the Grinch (How the Grinch Stole Christmas)

2. a Wild Thing (Where the Wild Things Are)

3. Princess Violante (Inkspell)

4. Alice the Fairy (Alice the Fairy)

5. Captain Underpants (Captain Underpants series) (my favorite, by the way)

6. Mary and Laura Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie series)

7. the wicked witch of the west (The Wizard of Oz)

8. the Queen of Hearts (Alice In Wonderland)

9. Pirate Pete (Pirate Pete)

10. the Cat in the Hat (The Cat in the Hat) (Umm, should we be concerned that when The Cat and I went through McDonald's drive through to get a Diet Coke, they didn't even flinch at serving a giant cat in a giant hat? It makes me wonder who was in the car before us.)

10 of my favorite book characters that I would have dressed up as if I had the makings of the costume...

1. Star Girl (Star Girl)

2. Clementine (Clementine series)

3. Miss Nelson (Miss Nelson is Missing)

4. Mama Bunny (Runaway Bunny)

5. Karana (Island of the Blue Dolphins)

6. Esther (The Bible)

7. Caroline Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie series)

8. Miri (Princess Academy)

9. Sarah (Sarah Plain and Tall)

10. Hadassah (A Voice in the Wind)

(Hmm!? What an interesting list. Each of these characters shows some trait that I hope I have in my life--integrity, love, courage, individuality, creativity, loyalty. I didn't even think of that until I was reading back over the list.)

Who is your favorite book character?

Two For Tuesday

Two reasons I love teaching kindergarten today.

One, some of the kids can't help but to call groundhogs "hedgehogs" even though it's GROUNDHOG Day. I tried to explain the difference, but to no avail. It just makes me smile.

And two, when you teach kindergarten, you get to spend all of Groundhog Day reading stories about groundhogs, watching cute videos about groundhogs, and making a cute little "groundhog popping out his burrow" craft with popcicle sticks and styrofoam cups.

What did you do today?

Blessed Sunday

I know today is Monday, but yesterday I was blessed with being able to spend the day with my family and unplugged. No computer time means no blogging.

But today I would just like to say that I am feeling blessed to be well. There have been times in the recent past when I wasn't well. And I have been hearing about so many who are going through the same kind of anxiety stuff that I've had to deal with, and still do on occasion. Here's what I would like to tell them. It's okay. You are not having a heart attack/brain tumor/going crazy even though it might feel like it. Google anxiety attack or panic attack. You will be surprised by the mile long list of physical symptoms that can come with one of these terribly scary times. You are not alone. Talk to others. You might find out that someone close to you feels the same way and you can help each other. Get help. Talk to your doctor. Seek counsel from professionals. They will understand and be able to give you answers. And believe me, answers help a lot. Don't be afraid of treatment. I fought and fought against counseling and medication. I hated the feeling that I couldn't control my own mind and body. But if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't hesitate for even a second to do whatever it takes to be well. Breathe. In through your nose for five counts, hold for five counts, out through your mouth for five counts. It helps.

And for those of you who have never experienced a panic attack but live or work with some one who does, please be patient with them. It is not all in their head. It isn't made up or exaggerated or just them being dramatic. It's serious and painful. Help them understand. And be understanding.

Okay, my public service announcement is now over.

Photo Shoot

I thought that when Julianna was in the bath, and her hair was wet and out of her eyes, would be the perfect time to take pictures of her little bump from her gymnastics down the stairs. She, on the other hand, didn't agree. She just wanted to see the picture on the screen of my camera.

I got this shot, then she wanted to see. Then she didn't want play along.And started to let me know.Louder... and louder...

and madder...

and madder. (I call this one "Dang Paparazzi!")But then I realized that when I showed her the picture of herself, she would crack up laughing. So I would turn the camera around as fast as I could to capture it.

Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't.

Right in between laughing and not.Totally laughing. Don't you just love her crooked, little mouth?

And mad again.

The shoot continued after the bath, too, in her puppy towel. She ran around and kept saying, "I a puppy! I a puppy!" Oh my goodness, it was cute.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love having a baby in the house? And not just a baby, but a baby girl? And not just a baby girl, but the cutest, sweetest, funniest baby girl ever? Well, I do.

Reporting

So there will be no show and tell today since there are no students here today. It is a teacher work day. I just finished my report cards, which are actually pretty easy to do for kindergartners since there aren't any grades to average. It's mostly just "yes, your child can recognize the letters of the alphabet" or "no, your child is not an attentive listener." The hardest part is the teacher comments on the back. I try to be creative, but sometimes I just want to write, "A pleasure to have in class." Or, "Really, you expect me to teach this kid?" But I don't. I write something about each child's progress and how they are doing in class. Even if I have something negative to say, I don't put it on the report card. Mostly because my sister still remembers when her kindergarten report card said that she talked too much in class. (Really? Ada?) I save those kinds of things for conferences. Not put them on something that will follow the kid around for the next 12 years.

I'm very happy to be finished with report cards for one more quarter and can hardly believe that we are halfway through the school year. Amazing. Now I just have to plan for the second half. Can you say weekly field trips?

10 Things Thursday

10 foods I wish I had right now. (I guess I should have eaten breakfast.)

1. Mom's chicken and dumplings (Or her biscuits and gravy. Or her lasagna.)
2. Toro Viejo appetizer sampler
3. Arrty's homemade french fries
4. Long John Silver's fish and chips
5. Dad's prime rib (Or his grilled salmon. Or his hamburgers cooked over an open fire.)
6. Aunt Cathy's loaded mashed potatoes
7. Ada's white cupcakes with white frosting (Or any of her yummy desserts. Or her poppers. Or her chicken ranch cheese ball.)
8. tomato basil soup and garlic bread from Tomato Street
9. chopped salad from Outback
10. homemade pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms, olives and lots of cheese

Hungry yet?

Overheard...

...in my kindergarten class.

"I care about everyone. Especially God."
"You don't care about the devil."
"No."
"Or Obama. He's bad."
"Yeah, he smokes."

Big Brother

This week in Bible class, I have been teaching the kids about the childhood of Jesus. We hear a lot about Jesus the baby and Jesus the man, but I told them that he was a child, too, just like they are now. He played and laughed and skinned his knees. I also told them that he had younger brothers and sisters. One little boy in the class asked me if his brothers and sisters were ever jealous of Jesus since he was perfect. Good question. Can you imagine? "Why can't you be more like your brother?" Really? That's a lot of pressure. But my answer to the question was this. I think that even though Jesus was perfect and he knew who he was, he didn't make his siblings feel anything but loved. Did they feel pressure? Maybe. But not from him. And even more so, can you imagine having Jesus as your big brother? The whole "my brother is stronger than your brother" thing would be brought to a whole nother level. He was there to protect and watch over them like no other big brother before or since. And do you want to know the great part? The wonderful, amazing, unbelievable part? He does that for me, too.

Yesterday

So here's what happened. Julianna was turning around to back down the stairs like she's been doing for a while now and was a little too close to the edge and rolled down instead of scooting down. Josh caught her about halfway down so she didn't fall far, but still ended up with a little bump on her head. I'm of the parenting thought "better safe than sorry," so I called the urgent care center to ask if there was anything I should be looking for. The nurse said that the doctor suggested that I take her into the emergency room for an evaluation because of her age and the fact that she couldn't really tell me what she was feeling. Okay, fine. Then the nurse freaked me out by asking a little frantically how far we were from the hospital. When I told her 30 minutes, she told me to make sure I had a cell phone and call 911 if anything happened. What!!! Julianna was eating and drinking and talking and dancing and putting her puzzle together faster than I could. But this nurse had me convinced that something terrible was happening. So I loaded her up and headed to town.

I couldn't believe how many people there were in the e.r. Zero. Yes. Zero. I checked in at the desk and before I could even have a seat in the waiting room, we were called back into the exam area. They asked a few questions about what had happened, weighed Julianna (22lb 6oz), took her temperature (normal), and blood pressure (which she did not like, but was normal), and took us back to a room. A few people were in and out to do paperwork and check on us, but mostly the staff of about a dozen stood in the nurses station and chatted. It was a slow night, after all. Finally after about 20 minutes, the doctor came in and shined a light around in Julianna's eyes, checked her ears, and felt around on her head. Then he said she was fine but that he was glad that I brought her in because so many parents don't when they should. And then he left. It took about a minute. Then a few minutes later I signed discharge papers and we were done. In and out of the emergency room in less than an hour. And with a perfectly clean bill of health for the little gymnast.

And they didn't even give me a certificate for being the world's worst mom...even though I felt like I deserved it. On the way home, I thought about what had happened and said a prayer of thanks. And I realized that although being an older mom this time has helped me be more relaxed, that maybe I'm a little too relaxed. We've lived in our house for 9 years, since Josh was 11 months old. And neither of the boys have ever fallen down the stairs. So maybe this little incident will help me be more diligent. And help me remember that my daughter, who wants to do everything herself, might not be ready to do everything. Next time, and for a thousand times after that, I will be there, holding her hand.

Blessed Sunday

I am blessed to have access to health care. More tomorrow.

Show and Tell

"This is my Barbie. I got her 30 days ago and I really love her and this is my other girl that I got for my birthday when I was 5 and I really love her. And this one can do the splits."

"A pirate teddy . He's a pirate because he has a sword and a pirate hat and a shirt and some pants. And he's a captain. And I got him a long, long, long time ago."

"This is my frog. I got him from my grandma on my birthday. I really like him. He's a Webkinz. And he's a tree frog. And my brother really likes him and he wants to trade but I don't want to trade because he's a cute little frog."

"This is my mouse and this is his book that goes with it. My grandma who lives in San Diego gave it to me and we read it every single night. And his name is Sparky."

"This is my other lion (it's actually a leopard) and I like her and I can dress her up whatever I want and she's the cutest lion (umm, leopard) in the whole world and her name is Mittens and yesterday was her birthday and she turned six."

"This is my puppy and I really like her and I got it from my birthday and I like to play with it and it's special and her name is..................Sarah."

"This is my Barbie and it's really special and I used to play with her a lot but I don't now and I like my other Barbies."

"This is my Bakugan and my Batman and that's all."

"This is my dolly. My mom put her in a ponytail and I think she looks really pretty that way. She's kind of a Barbie. And I have a really cool room. If you want to come to my house you can and if you want to play with my toys you can. I used to have a castle but I got rid of it but you could build a house of paper or if you want to pet my pet chicken at home you can. What I love about her is her house but I got rid of it because I had too much toys. I really saw a door that had animals on it too so we got rid of a lot of toys. She's really special. I got all of the brat dolls when I was a very little girl. And I have flowers on my walls too. And there was a big box with a lot of girls and boys in there. If you want to make them that way and you can play with this one or a boy one too or build them a house. And I love her so much and I got her as a present. And my mom got her as a present and they decorated my room and there was more girls than boys so she doesn't change her hair to another color but if you want her hair curly I can make her hair curly and if she wakes up that morning she'll have curly hair. She has curlers, pink curlers, and it curls your hair and you look pretty when you wake up in the morning. We don't have strawberries but we have a garden that will have watermelon and watermelon is this big and when it's little it gets this little in your garden and it grows and grows and grows and gets this big. I love her so much and she's my favorite Barbie in the whole entire world. And I put her in the bathtub with me today and my mom put her in a ponytail. And that is the end of the story."
(Seriously. This is pretty much word for word what she said. Seriously.)

10 Things Thursday

10 things Julianna has reminded me about being a mom...

1. My kids are cute. They are cute babies and toddlers and the boys are still cute at 8 and 10. At least most of the time, anyway.

2. My kids are smart. They have all amazed me at how quickly they learn and how much they know at such an early age. Miss Julianna is super smart. She understands everything I say and can say probably 100 words. Not that anyone outside the family knows that since she gets shy around people and won't even say "hi."

3. My kids hit the terrible twos at 18 months. All three of them have. Complete with a stubborn streak, tantrums, and "no."

4. My kids make me laugh. They are silly and sweet and hilarious. Like the other night when Julianna said, "Mama. Mama. Mama." And I answered, "What, Julianna." And she said, "Umm. Umm. Umm," like she was thinking of something to say. I just had to laugh. Which made her do it over and over and over.

5. My kids can drive me crazy. The big ones with their arguing with each other and me. And the little one when she doesn't get enough sleep and turns into a crabcake.

6. My kids are strong willed. They each have moments when they won't budge. Won't give up. Won't give in. I have no idea where they get it.

7. My kids are loved. There are so many people in our lives who adore them. They are never, ever lacking for love.

8. My kids make messes. Our floors and tables and couch are often covered with lightsabers, books, backpacks, and now dolls, blocks, and more books. Our house always looks lived in.

9. My kids are gifts. I thank God everyday for each one of them. They are an answer to prayers.

10. My kids are my purpose. They are why I'm here. Yes, I am a wife and daughter and sister and aunt and friend and teacher. But for now I am mom. And I'm glad.

Just So You Know

A, e, i, o, and u are VOWELS. Not BOWELS. I had to teach that lesson to my kindergartners today.

Confession

I have a confession. I hope that what I'm about to tell you doesn't affect the way you feel about me. It's something I've been doing for a while now and I did it again last night. So, here goes.

I watch awards show.

I know. I know. What kind of person sits through 3 hours (less than two if you dvr it and skip the boring parts) of silly one liners and weird dresses? I do. And I like it. Last night was the Golden Globes. It is my favorite (along with the SAG awards) because it covers tv and movies. And it's fun to see who is sitting with who at the tables (Julia Roberts was sitting by Paul McCartney). Here are some of my observations from last night's show.

How funny is Ricky Gervais? I think he did a great job (aside from a few off color jokes). He made just enough fun of the actors in the room and himself. He brought up the whole Conan/Leno thing, of course. He made fun of NBC's low ratings. He accused Steve Carrell of taking all the credit for the character he created. He shamelessly promoted his own work. He made jokes about Mel Gibson's drinking when he introduced him. Mel played right along, by the way. And he made fun of drinking, swearing Irishmen when he introduced Colin Farrell who had the best comeback of the night when he said, "I used to be such a cliche."

Then there were the winners and the speeches. Monique's speech was so sincere and real and lovely. Sandra Bullock was very gracious and well spoken. And she made Jesse James tear up, which seems like quite a feat. Robert Downey, Jr. was hilarious with his completely sarcastic speech. Drew Barrymore was funny and sweet and lovable as usual.

And there were losers. Why, oh why, do they show the losers as the winner is walking to the stage? Not only did they just lose, but now they have to act like they're happy for the winner. Some really might be. But some are not. And you can tell. Just look at their eyes.

Second only to the nominees themselves, were the dresses. Most of them were fine. A few were beautiful. And some were, well, not my taste. And since I prefer to spend my days in tee shirts and pajama pants, that's all I'll say about it.

Over the past year or so I've discovered for the first time, that I have a favorite actress. Meryl Streep. She is always entertaining and often brilliant in the roles she plays. She's funny and open and nice in interviews. But what I love most about her is that she's fearless. She seems to put her heart and soul in everything she does and makes no apologies about it. She won last night for Julie and Julia (and was nominated in the same category for It's Complicated). She was lovely and sincere and solidified her place on the top of my favorites list.

Oh, yeah. There were also a few movies mentioned. Of the ten nominees (five for comedy or musical and five for drama), I've only seen one. Julie and Julia. The winners were The Hangover and Avatar. But now I want to see them all. The clips made them all look good. I have, however, seen three of the five animated nominees, including the winner, Up.

I can't believe that I've written this much about an awards show. See. I told you I liked them. Please don't hold it against me.

Blessed Sunday

Right now, at this very moment I am blessed to be listening to music with my family who are all singing or dancing or clapping to the beat...or all three. Now I'm going to join them.

Sicky

I stayed home from school yesterday to take care of a sick baby. She was up in the middle of the night sick and still couldn't keep anything down yesterday morning. But she didn't act sick. She still giggled and played and bugged her brothers. She took two good naps and two baths and helped me clean her room. We snuggled and read books and sang songs. The only thing that would have made the day better would have been if she wasn't sick at all.

But today is a different story. She was up sick again last night, just when I thought it was over. And this morning she is just sitting on my lap or lying on her blanket. Not herself at all. Still no appetite, though she has kept her juice down so far. Poor little sick baby. Say a quick prayer for her if you would.

10 Things Thursday

10 movies I've seen multiple times...

1. Grease. Gotta love some Grease. T-birds, Pink Ladies, Greased Lightening, Summer Lovin'. Poodle skirts and white sneakers and bobby socks. I always wanted to be Sandy. Especially in those leather pants at the end.

2. The Outsiders. My favorite movie when I was a teenager. I loved it even when the cast was a bunch of unknowns--Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell. Also, my copy of the book is falling apart from being read so many times.

3. Clueless. I don't own this one, but whenever it's on tv I watch it. It's just fun.

4. The Wedding Date. Another one I don't own, but love. Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney are really good together. She is just funny as the desperate older sister who hires him as her date for her little sister's wedding.

5. Top Gun. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I watched Top Gun in the late 80's. "I feel the need...the need for speed."

6. Ice Age, Madagascar, Over the Hedge, Hookwinked, Cars, The Incredibles. And pretty much every other kids movie out there. But the thing is, even though I've seen them all a hundred times, there are still scenes I've never seen because it's when I went to get juice or change a diaper or make lunch.

7. 13 Going on 30. Fun movie with a great soundtrack. And the Thriller dance scene is one of my favorites.

8. P.S. I Love You. Gerard Butler. Ireland. Great movie when I need a good cry.

9. Dirty Dancing. "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Patrick Swayze was so good as the rebellious dance instructor. And I love Jennifer Grey before the nose job.

10. The Wizard of Oz. How do I not own this movie. I watch it whenever it's on tv though. And have to, just have to, sing along. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

Instead

So for the last two days I've been writing in my head this post about how my family's job situation stinks instead of being stable and secure. And how my house seems to always be a mess instead of the neat, orderly place I desire. And about how I'm tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul instead of having sufficient funds always at hand. And about how someone else is living the life I want instead of me living it.

Instead, I am going to send out to you these prayer requests...

The mother of one of my students (and two others at our school) is lying in a hospital bed and has just been told to get her affairs in order. Please pray for her healing if that's God's will and for her and her family's hearts through it all.

A dear sister in the Lord is awaiting test results that she shouldn't have to be waiting for. Please pray that all is well with her and that all her dreams will come true.

One of the ladies who is in our Bible study group has had a great loss this week. Her son's girlfriend died of a brain aneurysm when he was driving her home this weekend. She was 19. And her dad lost his mother last week. Please pray for that family.


Now you see why my Whiny Wednesday post isn't getting written. Who in the world am I to whine?

Monday Shmonday

This morning on the way to school Josh was telling me how much he doesn't like Mondays. Of course I asked him why. He said that he doesn't like to get up early after the weekend and that nothing special happens on Mondays like some of the other days of the week. He's right. Monday's just, well, Monday. So I told him that he should make Monday special somehow. When he asked how, I told him he could make someone else's Monday better and that would make his day better, too. Again he asked me how. I suggested that he give someone a card or note. Or say something nice to someone who wasn't expecting it. Or clean the house from top to bottom for his dear mother. (Okay, I didn't say that, but I wish I would have thought of it.) He didn't say anything more about it and I don't know if he'll do it, but it is a good idea don't you think? Not just for a 4th grader who didn't want to get up and get ready for school, but for all of us. Now I have to go put a note and treat in my kids' lunchboxes. Just because it's Monday.

Blessed Sunday

Today Julianna is 19 months and 8 days old. That is the exact age that Josh was when Adam was born. To think back to that time seems crazy now. Two babies. Tons of diapers. Very little sleep. You wouldn't think, with the ages of my children, that they were all planned. It seems wild even to me. But each one was not only planned, but prayed for. Yes, Adam came a little sooner than we expected. And Julianna a little later. But now I know that they all came at the perfect time. Any earlier or later and they wouldn't be who they are. And even with the challenges of strong wills, wild emotions, and, well, more strong wills, I wouldn't trade them for anything. I love each of my children more than I ever thought possible. I loved Josh when it was just him. I loved Josh and Adam when I had two babies. And I love Josh and Adam and Julianna today with one pre-adolescent, one littleish boy, and one toddler. Is it a challenge? Yes. Do they drive me crazy? Sometimes. Would I change a thing? Nope. Not one. Because even on the hardest mommy day, these three little people are my greatest blessing.

Happy Birthday, Abby Mae!

There are two little girls in this world that I love more than any others. Julianna and this one.

My sweet, sweet niece Abby.

She turns one today.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Show and Tell

"This is my build-a-bear named Katie that I made at Build-A-Bear yesterday. She has a little purse and shoes. We play together."

"This is my puppy. I feed her really much and I give her a bed and take her for walks and she does that thing again and she barks and I take good care of her and if she bites you I'll just take care of that and if she gets around you she might bite your skin off so be careful around her. She hides in here (sweatshirt pocket) and takes her rest time and sometimes I put her in there to play and she's going to grow up to be a big wiener dog."

"This is my pet. This is my kitty. I can turn her on and her name is buttons and she likes to cuddle with me and sit in my own rocking chair and then she sleeps with me at night. She bites."

"This is my doggy named Meadow. She's very special and I found her yesterday. She was in my toy chest and she's very special."

"This is my stuffed kitty. I really like her and she likes to snuggle with me and I really like her and she's really special and I really really love her and she likes people she knows and people she doesn't know. And she bites."

A. is more of a show-er than a teller. He took his Etch-a-sketch and sat in the show and tell chair and said nothing. After asking some questions, we found out that he got if from the store, he found it when he went home, and he drew an octagon on it.

"This is my puppy and I really like her I play with her a lot."

"These are my transformers. I got them for Christmas aaaaaaand...that's all."

"This is my sister's teddy bear. When I brought her other toy somebody broke it so I brought this that cannot break."

"This is my Barbie. She's really special and I really like it and it's super pretty."

"This is my phone and I like to play with it and it's really cool and I like to play with it and I call my dad and mommy and I like to take pictures."

10 Things Thursday

10 things I love...

1. my family
2. my friends
3. sunshine
4. butterflies
5. hearing children laugh
6. making children laugh
7. books
8. good movies
9. hope
10. God

10 things I do not like one little bit...

1. icy roads
2. raw onions
3. asthma
4. confrontation
5. being cold
6. insecurity
7. bad dreams
8. losing
9. chaos
10. uncomfortable shoes

Smoocharama

Yesterday, the preschool teacher offered to take my class to give me the afternoon off. After about half a second, I agreed. I had some errands to run and the boys do not like to run errands. So I went to the post office and the bank and Costco and the grocery store while they were still at school. When I went to pick them up, they told me about some kissing that was going on during afternoon recess between a first grade boy and a girl from my kindergarten class. The first thing I thought was, "Great, I'll have to deal with an unhappy mom tomorrow when she finds out her little girl has been involved in kissing at school." I was very relieved to find out it was just on the cheek. And thankfully I haven't heard a peep about it from anyone except Josh and Adam. Later in the evening Adam brought it up again and said, "I can't believe Romeo* and Juliet* are in love." "Well," I explained, "they are too little to really be in love." "Mom," he exclaimed, "They KISSED! That's love!"

*names changed to protect the not so innocent

Blessed Sunday

What a blessing it was today to look at the bank thermometer and see 50 degrees. 50! On the third of January! I love God's amazing creation that can give us spring like days in the middle of winter. I'll take 75 more days just like today...until it's really spring.

Happy New Year!

10 Things Thursday

10 things I am looking forward to in 2010...

1. being healthier
2. financial security and stability
3. giving more and taking less
4. watching my kids turn 2, 9, and 11 (11!!!)
5. 52 Tuesday nights
6. girls' nights
7. opportunities to grow
8. peace (please!)
9. laughing more
10. spiritual renewal


Tuesday's mitzvah was my sister's family. I gave my brother-in-law, my nephew and my niece each a little treat and a card telling them why they are special to me. They really are wonderful. And they make my sister happy. Which is the most wonderful thing of all.

Wednesday's mitzvah was kind of an annual tradition. I gave my sister the 25 Most Intriguing People magazine that I got in my stocking. I usually read it Christmas night or the next day and then pass it on to her. This year there was a bonus...a decade in review section. Wow. The end of a decade.

Today's mitzvah is to take my husband to lunch. Without kids. I honestly can't remember the last time we did anything without at least one child. Which we really don't mind. We both love being together with the kids. But it will be nice to be able to eat and talk without helping with the word search on the place mat or ordering something I can share with a one year old or sharing my soda and worrying about backwash. I am really looking forward to it.

And so ends my month of mitzvahing. It was an interesting and rewarding exercise. Thinking of who and what to mitzvah was often challenging. As was finding the time and opportunity. But I would suggest that everyone try it. It made me really think about who in my life is important. And it stretched my heart and mind and imagination. If you don't want to do a whole month, try a week. You will be as blessed as those you mitzvah.

Monday

Today is Monday...and I am not at school. I am instead sitting here in my pajamas blogging. This is my kind of Monday morning.

Josh went home with a friend after church yesterday and then when I went to pick him up, somehow that friend ended up coming home with us to spend the night. And I didn't mind at all when, while eating a warm grilled cheese sandwich, Josh told his friend that I was the best cook ever. Now I know that I am not, in fact, the best cook ever. I consider microwaving cooking. And make most things from boxes and cans. But to hear Josh brag about me, even if it was my skillz at making a mean grilled cheese, was priceless.

These sleepovers, though, do cause some difficulties. What do you do when your sons are only 19 months apart and one has a friend over? Adam wants to be with them. Josh wants to be alone with his friend. Adam gets picked on. Josh gets in trouble. A warning that the more trouble there was, the sooner the friend would go home stopped it for the moment. But I'm still wondering where the line is where Adam gets to be included and where Josh gets to be alone? It's one of those parenting things that we'll have to work through, I guess. But for now I'm going to go make grilled cheese for breakfast...because, well, I'm really, really good at making grilled cheese.

Today's mitzvah is to write thank you cards to all those who gave me Christmas gifts. That would be 19 thank you cards.

Blessed Sunday

So I'm 37 years old, but I still love to get presents. The last week of school before vacation, a gift appeared on my desk at least once a day. It was so much fun to walk in to my classroom not knowing what new goody would be there. Then on Christmas Eve, I got my annual pajamas from my mom and dad. (No, I am not too old for new jammies every year.) Then Christmas morning I got a stocking full of goodies from my family. (Arrty and I only do stockings for each other.)

And then, if all that wasn't enough, we went to mom and dad's house for lunch and more presents. Dad made his first prime rib. Oh my goodness. It was so good. Everyone sat around the table and oohed and aahed and mmmed. I think it was decided that this was the new Christmas dinner tradition. As soon as we could pull ourselves away from the table we opened presents. The kids all got lots of fun toys. The boys got cars and Nerf guns, which were a huge hit. And the girls got blocks and a little stable complete with ponies. And Jules got a fleece blanket just her size and a matching one for baby in a Jules sized stroller. I got a new apron and some great kitchen scissors with all kinds of cutting edges. And the sweetest pictures of my kids that my sister mounted on tiles and embellished with paper and ribbon and little buttons that say faith, hope, and blessed. I love them. And then, after everything was opened and the paper was all thrown away, mom led Ada and I into dad's shop. In the back of his truck were two chest freezers with big red bows. You would have thought that my sister and I were 12 and the freezers were ponies with all the jumping and squealing that happened. Who knew chest freezers would be so appreciated? Today I'm going to the store just to buy ice cream and frozen pizzas to fill it up. :)

So I say all this to say, I have been blessed this week by receiving gifts...and by all those who gave them.

Today's mitzvah was to give little purse sized planners to two sisters at church with a happy new year card.

Week In Review

There hasn't been much time for blogging these last few days. So much festivity, you know. So I thought I'd catch you up on the mitzvahing.

Monday I went shopping for last minute Christmas stuff. I decided before I went to give to all my fellow shoppers politeness and to all those working in the stores a cheerful "Merry Christmas."

Tuesday I spent all day at home making Christmas gifts. The adults in our family were giving homemade gifts to each other this year, so part of my gift was to give time to make special things for each person.

Wednesday I was back in town to get more supplies after I ran out Tuesday night. And it was my dad's day to be mitzvahed. I picked him up from work at lunch time and took him to Panda Express. We sat in the sun and ate and visited. These lunches out with my favorite people have been my favorite mitzvahs.

Thursday we headed into town for Christmas Eve at mom and dad's house. On the way we dropped off Mrs. T's Christmas gift from the boys since their very repentant mother forgot on the last day of school. And then we dropped off two movies that we had rented the night before. (G-Force, which the boys seemed to enjoy but I was too busy to watch, and Julie and Julia, which I loved.) Then we went to the post office because the boys' Christmas gift was guaranteed to be there. It wasn't. So I gave the lady behind the counter a break since it wasn't her fault. Which then led to a quick stop at Target to replace the unarriving gifts since that was all we were getting them this year. (Now I have to go to Walmart next week to return the other ones that are at the post office today.)

Friday I gave a lot of things. Toys and clothes to the kids. Homemade jam (strawberry, blackberry, and blueberry) to all the grown ups. Homemade jerky to the guys and handmade cards to the girls. Plus spiced nuts to dad, personalized canning labels to mom and personalized recipe cards to my sister. And rice bags to everyone. But my mitzvah on Christmas day was to give to Jesus my attention and my heart. It's his birthday after all. He should get my best gift of all.

And that brings us to today. Today I am giving my family the day. I will watch whatever movies they want to watch. I will play whatever games they want to play. I will cook whatever they want to eat. And I will enjoy it with them. They are why I'm here. They are my purpose in this life.

So there you have it. My first week of Christmas vacation. One more glorious, unbusy, much needed week to go.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you are all having a lovely day with family and friends.

Blessed Sunday

I am blessed with great friends. I've posted about them before, these sister friends of mine. In today's sermon at church, the preacher asked who would be on our list of people we could count on, people who would never let us down. They are on my list. I love them and they love me. So today's mitzvah was to give special Christmas gifts to each of them. Katrina got a necklace with the word hope engraved on a heart...because, well, hope is her middle name. Marci got a snowflake necklace...because she is so good at dressing to fit the season and it seemed perfect for her. Kim is getting bubble bath...because she is the one of us who actually takes baths. And Kathy got a basket of papaya and mango bath and body stuff...because I know she loves the mango.

Merry Christmas, girls. And many, many more.

All work and no blog

No time to blog today because today's mitzvah is to give my family a clean house...at least for an hour or two.

Show and Tell

Today for show and tell I will tell you what I got from my students for Christmas.

a ceramic angel and a glittery white tree ornament
honey in a bear shaped bottle
a glass apple and a pack of note cards
a box of cookies, a bag of candy, and a journal
a candle that smells like apple pie
a gift card to Applebees

Now don't you all wish you were teachers?

Today's mitzvah--I gave plates of cookies and candy to all the school staff. And I gave stuffed animals to all my students. (Which they all used for show and tell even though we just saw them get them.)

10 Things Thursday--Mitzvah Edition

10 things I love about my sister...

1. She knows. She knows things that no one else in the world but she and I know.
2. She is funny. Over the years, she has made me laugh more than any one else.
3. She is beautiful. Inside and out.
4. She is my perfect Pictionary partner. (See #1.)
5. She loves my kids. And they adore her.
6. She is an amazing mom. She loves her children the way a mommy should.
7. She is strong. She has survived more than her share of trials.
8. She is talented. She sings like an angel and crafts like Martha and cooks like Rachel.
9. She is my friend. The best kind of friend.
10. She loves God. And lets him love her.

For her mitzvah, she gets this list...and a big bunch of pink flowers. And my eternal, unconditional love and adoration.

4:19

I was up at 4:19 this morning. Yes, 4:19 AM. Miss Julianna decided to fuss. Which happens occasionally. I usually just let her fuss it out for a few minutes and she goes right back to sleep. But after about 5 minutes this morning, I whispered, to myself, "Please, go back to sleep, Baby." But she must have heard me through two doors and down the hall, because then she started saying, "Mama.....Mama.....Mama." Well, I can't not go get her when she calls for me by name, so I got up and went into her room. I picked her up out of her crib and went into the living room to snuggle for a few minutes. (I have a wonderful rocking chair in her room, but she refuses to sit in there anymore since she realized that life goes on in the rest of the house after she is in bed. Nothing was happening at 4:19, but she didn't know that.) So she sat on my lap with her sweet, soft head resting on my chest. I closed my eyes and had to smile because I thought of mornings I had spent like this a few years ago. 7 and 9 years ago. When the one year olds sitting on my lap in the early morning darkness were Josh and Adam. And how now, such a short time later, they can barely fit on my lap. And how now I wish I could once again feel their soft, baby heads under my chin. And how I wish, for just a second, that I could hold those sweet babies again. But they were asleep in their own beds. Not needing mommy to get back to sleep. So for that few minutes this morning, a few minutes longer than usual, I sat with this baby on my lap. This third baby. This last chance to snuggle sweet babyness. And I loved every second it.

Today's Mitzvah--Today I gave a card and some Avon goodies to Alyson. Alyson is my friend and sister in Christ. And she is the junior high science teacher at our school. She was also my secret sister earlier this year and spoiled me with all kinds of butterfly things, Oreos, and Diet Coke. And she's Julianna's friend Lily's mommy. But beyond all of that, she is an amazing example of Christian servanthood. She does so much for our congregation and seems to always be doing something to help others. She is a blessing to me and so many others.

Today's mitzvah--Today I am giving thanks to God for healthy children. Taking care of Adam while he had the flu over the weekend reminded me of what a blessing that is. I always feel so helpless when the kids are sick. I can pour 7-up and cover them with blankets and turn on their favorite movies, but I can't take the pain away. And I want to take the pain away. So I am giving thanks to God that I only have to deal with the flu and colds and tummy aches. Things that pass in a few hours or days. Not the life long or life threatening illnesses that other parents have to deal with. Thank you, Lord.

Rambling

My brain is full of all kinds of ramblings today. Maybe if I get them out I'll be able to sleep tonight.

We've had the flu. Adam the worst complete with middle of the night bedding change and laundry session. Mine is about gone but I'm still achy and tired.

We went to a memorial service today for a close family friend. My dad did the service. He did well. Even though I didn't see John often, I'm going to miss him. I keep seeing him in the faces of men with long beards. But none of them are him.

My class (including me) is pretty much in Christmas break mode. My one and only goal for this week is to get their gifts for their parents finished and wrapped. I am a little ahead in my curriculum, so I don't feel too guilty for not doing all my lessons every day.

Today was the first day of coats and boots and snow pants and hats and gloves. Such an ordeal for kindergartners...and kindergarten teachers.

Speaking of gloves, send gloves to school with your children! I feel sorry for the ones whose little fingers freeze during recess and even let a few stay in today who didn't have gloves. But I don't feel sorry for the parents. Send gloves to school with your children!

I really want to buy the boys this biggish present for Christmas, but I can't bring myself to do it since we are still dealing with unemployment in our house. Urgh.

Okay, I'm blaming my whining on the flu. And now I'm done whining.

On another note...

Today's mitzvah--I collected some books out of our family's huge collection of books to pass on to a sweet little girl whose family is friends of our family. Her mom had mentioned wanting new books for her and so when I was thinning ours, I thought of her. Hopefully she'll get as much enjoyment out of them as we have.

Blessed Sunday

Today's mitzvah was cards for two ladies at church who I really admire. They are kind and generous and funny. They are good examples to me of what a Christian woman should be. They are my sisters, friends, and a blessing in my life.

Mitzvah

Today's mitzvah went to Julianna. I gave her my time (and three Hershey's kisses). I spent the whole day being attentive to her. We played and read and snuggled and laughed. I dropped everything else when she wanted anything and gladly gave her all of my attention. It was good. For her and for me.

Show and Tell

Ironman action figure that came from the store (I had to ask questions to get that much information. At first A. just sat in the show and tell chair and held Ironman up and then got up and went back to his place. That's more like show and not tell I guess.)

Nutcracker that's "very special that I got from Santa last year. His hand kept coming out so we had to tape it. You crack the nut like this. And this is it's sword and it has a diamond. And that's it."

Two stuffed cats that are "very special"

Stuffed puppy that M. got "at Claire's and she had clothes but I lost them and her name is Alissa and I really love her."

Wind up flashlight that D. got for his birthday "a long time ago" (Umm, he's six so it couldn't have been that long ago.) (And if you're wondering, yes it's the same thing D. brought last week.)

"Outer space thing that lights up on the little buttons and goes with a bear and a story. When I read a story it's kind of good but I didn't bring the bear and story 'cuz it's too long."

Two stuffed puppies--"This one is the big sister and this one is the little sister and they are twins. This one is named Emily and this one is named Katie. Sometimes I forget to brush their teeth. They are my favorite puppies in the world and I play with them everyday and I have more puppies at my house and I like them and it's going to be all their birthdays next year and sometimes they just wiggle and wag their tails and hide behind things and sometimes they are scared and these dogs are so special and I got them from the store a long time ago, two days ago, and my real doggie at home is not a stuffed one and I'm getting five little puppies for Christmas and I'm going to feed them every time and they like jumping and they like laying down on their hands like this or like this and sometimes they run and chase squirrels and cats but sometimes cats chase them and I like them cuz their my real dogs."

Today's mitzvah--Today was Kathy's day. She deserves several days for being such a good friend, for making me laugh, and for having my back whenever I need her. But for now she gets today. Although what I gave her will last for more than a day. I gave her a Toblerone candy bar, which I know she loves, and a coupon book with coupons for things like a day out with me, a day of babysitting so she can have a whole day of quiet, days of me taking her recess and lunch duties at school, a box of Junior Mints when we go to the movies, and a latte from Costco (not counting the one I gave her today.) Oy vey! It's the gift that keeps on giving. Love ya, Kathy! And happy mitzvah!

10 Things Thursday

10 things I remember about 4th grade...

1. It's the first year of school that I actually remember. I can close my eyes and picture the school and classroom and playground and kids.
2. I remember thinking I was very grown up. I turned 10 that year, after all.
3. My favorite thing to do at recess was to play on the tire swings.
4. Joan Jett's I Love Rock and Roll came out that year. I still can't resist singing along whenever I hear it.
5. It was the year I first noticed boys. And had my first "boyfriend." The relationship lasted from lunch recess to the end of school that day.
6. I had lots of friends. I went to their house and they came to mine.
7. I was in Blue Birds. Kind of like Girl Scouts, I guess.
8. I was in the running club. I think it was the last time I ran by choice.
9. I walked to school. Better than riding the bus, even in the dead of winter.
10. 4th grade was the beginning of the end of childhood for me. It was a transition time leading into the strange world of adolescence.

I've been thinking about 4th grade a lot lately because Josh is in 4th grade this year. He, too, is beginning to have those moments where he seems older than his 10 years. Less interested in little kid stuff. And then the next moment, he might seem much younger. Enjoying the little kid stuff. It's weird, this 4th grade time. For the 4th grader and for mom. I'm trying to enjoy the kid moments with him, and help him understand the maturing stuff. The last 10 years have gone much, much too quickly. I hope the next 8 slow down.

Today's mitzvah--Today was Josh's turn to go to lunch with me. He chose Taco Bell and we shared the double steak quesadilla and 7 layer nachos. It was a nice, quiet time with him. He asked me if we were going to keep doing this lunch thing or if this was the only time. And I just think I might make lunch with one boy at a time at least a monthly ritual. It's just been too good to not do again.

Field Trip

Today the boys went on a field trip...without me. I'm pretty sure it's the first time I wasn't there to watch them and experience it with them. I did okay since I knew that the grown ups they were with are very reliable and trustworthy and like the boys well enough to make sure they made it back to school. And I guess they did okay without me, too. They came back to school and said the field trip was awesome. So I guess we all survived...but next time I'm going.

Today's mitzvah--One of the 8th grade girls at school comes to my class each morning to help me with my class in chapel. She sits on one end of our row and helps make sure the kids put the right hand over their hearts during the pledge and sit and stand when they are supposed to and are quiet when it's time to be quiet. I've known her since she was born and love her and her family. She has a unique sense of style that I love. She is funny and smart and good company at plays and movies and Applebee's. She has a heart for the Lord and is an example to me and many others. So today I gave her a card and little gift (nail kit, lotion, bubble bath, and lip balm) to show her my appreciation.

Mitzvah Day 8

My mitzvah today was to take Adam to lunch. Just the two of us. And he got to pick where we went. He chose Wendy's where we had burgers and fries. He had a vanilla Frosty and I had a Diet Pepsi. And we sat and ate and talked and laughed. He is such a smart, funny, clever kid. I love him all to pieces.

Key

Today's mitzvah--We are going to Santa and Mrs. Claus' house for a Christmas party tonight. I will be giving them "Santa's Magic Key" that I picked up a few weeks ago. It is for those houses that don't have chimneys. It's an oversized, old fashioned key in a blue velvet box. Very cute. I think they will like it.

Blessed Sunday

Another holiday tradition took place today. Every year our family decorates my mom and dad's Christmas tree together. There used to be four of us decorating. Then 5. Then 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 and 10. And today there were 11 of us all helping with the bells, bows, and balls. The kids did most of the decorating so the ornaments were not distributed evenly. And Julianna didn't know to hang the ornaments so she just found a flatish branch and made a pile with hers. But we all know that mom goes back after we all leave and fixes everything the way she wants it anyway. And that is just part of the tradition. We ate hot wings and laughed and told stories. We teased each other and smiled at the kids. We took pictures and made memories. And isn't that what the blessing of traditions is really all about?


Today's mitzvah--Today is the last Sunday before we have our secret sister revealing at church so I gave my sister one last gift and a card reminding her that she is in my prayers daily before she finds out who I am on Friday night. I also gave a thank you card to the sweet lady who organized yesterday's craft fair. I've been in her shoes and it's a lot of work so I told her how much I appreciated what she did.

Craft Fair

Our school had our annual craft and gift fair today. We had about 30 vendors selling scarves, cards, soap, jewelry, candles and at least a hundred other things. It's always a fun day and a good community outreach project for our school. I had a booth and sold Avon. I spent almost as much as I made, but I got to spend the day with my sister who had her booth next to mine. We don't often get to spend time together without being interrupted by rowdy boys or babies needing to be changed or fed or held. And although I love sharing motherhood with her, it was nice to have a day of simply sisterhood.


Today's mitzvah--My mom took care of the kids today while I worked the craft fair and when I went to pick them up, I took her a poinsettia. She is an amazing, wonderful mom and grandma. There aren't enough poinsettias in the world to tell her how much I love her, but I hope the one I gave her today is one little reminder of how I feel.

Show and Tell

a "stuffed up" doggy--No it doesn't have a cold. It's actually just stuffed.

a wind up flashlight--Which is apparently more fun to wind than to shine.

kissing horses (they have magnets that draw their noses together)--"This one gots a broken ear. Sometimes I wash their hair in the bathtub because they like to go in the bathtub."

a toy tank--that A got for his birthday and he "likes having it."

little notebook--that H got "a long time ago" and that she likes to draw pictures in

a music box with tiny penguins ice skating on top--It plays Joy To The World.

stuffed Cat in the Hat that "has a hat and is a cat" and a Cat in the Hat pop-up book where he "comes in the door and goes out the door. Then on the next page you pull this and it does this to that guy. "

stuffed doggy complete with pink carrying case and stuffed horse complete with plaid saddle blanket


Today's mitzvah--I am taking my friend Allison to lunch at one of her favorite local restaurants. I don't get to see her nearly often enough and she's moving in 10 days. I'm going to miss her, but I know that God has big plans for her. I'm sure she will be a blessing to all those she works with in Santa Fe just like she's been to me.

10 Things Thursday

10 things I did before 10am today...

1. threw a party...well, started to throw a party. But as soon as I realized that it was a pity party, I cancelled it. Yes, I'm a nice person. Yes, I try to do what's right. But, like I've told Josh and Adam a hundred times, life isn't fair. Move on.

2. was a little louder than usual making lunches hoping that my sweet daughter would wake up before I left so that I could hug her and kiss her soft cheeks. It worked.

3. made the boys homemade egg mcmuffins...it was worth the extra few minutes it took to know that they were happy and full to start the day.

4. prayed with my friends. We have staff prayer time every morning before school. It's a real blessing.

5. smiled in chapel when, upon being asked if anyone had ever had a deer for a pet, the little girl next to me raised her hand. When I asked her if she had really had a pet deer, she said, "Well, I have the horns."

6. laughed out loud when one of my students told me that her sister (who was in my class two years ago) called me Mrs. Weird because she couldn't say my real name. Mrs. Weird...if she only knew.

7. put up a stocking in the hall outside my classroom for "Drkvature." (Dark Vader, or Darth Vader if you prefer. It was actually just one of my students, who wrote that instead of his real name. Too bad for him because he'd probably get something good in his stocking, but I'm pretty sure Drkvature is getting coal.)

8. tied 7 shoes and zipped 5 coats.

9. forgot to give milk to the kids who ordered it for snack...again.

10. kissed the tops of Josh and Adam's heads before I sent them to class. I do it as much as I can these days before I have to ask them to bend down to do it. It won't be long. Not nearly long enough.


Today's Mitzvah--I am sending pictures of the kids with Santa to my in-laws. They adore the kids but don't get to see them often. They will be thrilled.

Mitzvah Day 2

Today I gave two of my coworkers/friends who I know are especially fond of chocolate, a chocolate espresso dipped pretzel. These two ladies do a lot for the school and for me. They are encouraging and helpful and always willing to go the extra mile. They deserve a lot more than a chocolate dipped pretzel, but for today they get that...and my thanks.

Mitzvah Day 1

So today starts my 31 days of Mitzvah--giving something to someone everyday and posting about it. I sat down and made a list of people who are important to me. People who make, or have made, a difference in my life. And those people are the ones to whom I will give this month. There are more than 31 on my list, so some of them I grouped together. But it's a good list. A list anyone would be proud to be able to make as important people in their lives. And that is true for me. These people, all 31+, make me happier than I'd be without them and are a blessing to me. So here we go.

Today's Mitzvah recipient is my class. My 10 students who teach me while I teach them. Who give me reasons to smile everyday. Who remind me of God's goodness. I have given to them free time. Free time is a big deal in kindergarten. We have a pretty full curriculum and so most of the hours we are together are spent working. But today as they sat on the story time rug, I asked them, "If you could do anything right now, what would you want to do?" Their answers were play with our new kitchen play set, play with Legos, and color. So that's what they did. And it was fun to watch them cook and eat and build and pretend. Free time is good. I'm glad I gave it to them. :)