10 Things Thursday

Since I've been on summer vacation, I have had more time to keep up with what's happening in the world. And to watch the Today Show. Well, only the first hour or so. Not the Kathie Lee hour. So here are 10 things about the news...

1. Okay, so I understand it's not good to say bad things about your boss. And I know General McCrystal knows that, too. But the media was all over this story. So he criticized the war. War should be looked at from both sides, don't you think? It's not a good thing...war. It's devastating. And frankly, I take the word of someone in the middle of it way more seriously than someone sitting in an office just hearing about it. Did he deserve to be replaced? I don't know. But I do think he was made to be the villain in this story when maybe he isn't so much.

2. There is an organization suing McDonald's trying to get them to stop putting toys in their Happy Meals. They say that the toys entice kids who in turn pester their parents to buy them unhealthy food. I have to say that I was a little offended by this. Yes, occasionally my kids think the toys are cool and want to go eat there to get one. (Not so much as they get older.) But I say "yes" or "no" based on what I want to do. They say that it's too hard for parents to say no and that the kids keep bugging them until they give in. Really?!? Really?!? If that's their concern they should be spending all those legal fees on educating parents, not fighting fights they'll never win. It would be so much more efficient. Plus we could still get our Shrek watches.

3. There was a mom in Ohio whose car got smashed by a huge falling tree while she was driving with her three little girls. The car was demolished. And they all walked away with just a few scratches. She said that someone was watching over them. After seeing the smashed car, all I could do was agree.

4. Right now the longest tennis match in tennis history is going on. An American and a French player just can't seem to finish what is being called an "epic" match. Now I have never in my life watched a tennis match. But "epic?" I may have to tune in. (Update: Isner, the American, won 70-68.)

5. The oil spill. I understand that it's a bad thing. Very bad for those whose lives are being affected because they can't make a living. I'm glad that BP is trying to fix things. But here are my two thoughts. First, they really need to come up with a way that if this ever happens again, they can stop the oil from continuing to leak out of the ocean floor. Duh. And secondly, the president can't take his little girl to a baseball game because of this disaster? Come on. What's he supposed to do? Sit in his office waiting for months for the news that everything's back to normal? I don't think so. Enjoy the game.

6. Jerry Seinfeld thinks Lady Gaga is "a jerk." She was moved to his empty box at a baseball game after making an obscene gesture and taking off her clothes down to her sparkly underwear. When he showed up for the second game of a double header, she was there. In his box. Apparently she made a bad first impression on the comedian who said something about if you drop the last "a" in her name you have "gag."

7. I guess the world cup is still going on, too. It's even making the news these days because America's team is still in it. That's all I know. Except that a lot of people are annoyed by the loud, and dangerous, vuvuzelas.

8. Twilight fans have been lining up for days in anticipation of Eclipse which opens June 30th. I readily admit that I have read all four books twice and have seen and own the first two movies. And I will be seeing Eclipse very soon after its release. But I will not be sleeping in front of the theater in a tent waiting to be first in line for the midnight showing. And honestly, I wouldn't have even done such a thing when I was younger. Even if my dad would have let me.

9. U.S. mortgage rates are at an all time low. But as much as I'd love to move into town from our house out in the boonies, we can't sell our house for enough to make it worth it. Sigh.

10. And then there's this for Marmitetoasty.

Julianna just said...

"I love you more than chocolate milk."

Now that's love.

Saturday

It's been forever since I've posted on a Saturday. I'm usually too busy doing everything or nothing. And if I think about it, the computer is usually being used by another member of the family. So here it is a Saturday and the kids are fed, the dishwasher is running, Adam's watching American Gladiators, Julianna is feeding cat food the the picture of the cat on the cat food bag, and I have a moment.

I guess the biggest news in our family is that Josh is gone on vacation with my mom and dad. All the way across the country. For more than two weeks. Dad called on Thursday morning to ask if he could go with them. (They were already planning to borrow our van so they had plenty of room.) They had considered taking more than one of the grandsons, but they are bringing two of my aunts and maybe even my grandma back with them, so on the trip back the van would be pretty full. So they decided to make it a one grandchild trip. They have the plan that when each grandchild is 10 years old, they will get to go on a trip with them by themselves. I think it's a great idea. All the kids, mine and my sister's, adore, absolutely adore their grandparents. They are easy to adore. And the kids know that they are adored by their Grams and Pappy, too.

So when the opportunity came for Josh to join them on their cross country adventure, I was excited for him. But nervous, too. What if the drive is too much for him? What if he gets homesick after a few days and is all the way across the country and I can't get to him? What if I miss him too much? But all of those things will be forgotten once he's back home. What won't be forgotten is the time he is spending with two of the people he loves most in the world. The laughter and the songs and the views and the once in a lifetime experiences. I am happy for him and can't wait to hear his stories and see his pictures.

But I do already miss him.* I just don't feel quite whole when any of my other parts are away. My heart isn't my own anymore, you know. It is divided into many parts, each one given to some special person in my life. So the Josh part is beating just a little quieter than usual since I sent some of myself with him. And right now that part is in Nebraska, laughing and singing and noticing that the corn is already knee high in that part of the country.

But in a few weeks he'll be back. Taller. Stronger. And full of treasured memories.

*Julianna misses Josh, too. With him gone, Adam only has her to bug. I've never heard, "A'amdee, leave alone!" so many times in one day as I heard yesterday.

10 Things Thursday

Wait. Is it Thursday? I haven't really been keeping track of the days since I'm on summer VACATION! Either way, here are 10 things I haven't done this week.

1. I haven't woken up to an alarm clock. Because as soon as I got up last Thursday, I turned it off and plan to leave it off until September.
2. I haven't slept any later than I would have with the alarm clock. Julianna has decided that waking up even earlier than usual is a great way to spend summer vacation.
3. I haven't gone to the beach. Too cold and rainy so far. Hopefully soon.
4. I haven't crossed anything off my summer to do list. It's only been 3 days so far, right?
5. I haven't walked in a line down the hall with 10 little people following me. Although I have led a line of one because Julianna follows me everywhere.
6. I haven't said the phrases, "inside voices, please," "criss-cross applesauce," or "there are two vowels in that word," even once.
7. I haven't completely finished everything at school. I've only been there a few hours this week and that was with the kids, so not a lot got done.
8. I haven't gone grocery shopping. But I have to today because we are now out of fruit, veggies, milk, and bread.
9. I haven't stayed up late. I think I've gone to bed before 10:00 every night but one.
10. I haven't danced my vacation dance yet. How could I have forgotten that?!...............Okay, now I have.

On being a mom...

Adam: Mom, isn't it fun being a mom?
Me: Sure it is, Adam. I have no idea what I would do with all my money and time if I didn't have kids. I guess I would just watch movies and read books all day uninterrupted.
Adam: I knew you would say something like that.


I did then tell him that being a mom is my favorite thing ever and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Books!

This morning Kathy and I made our annual trip to the Spokane Valley for the Book Man's* closeout sale and the Scholastic Book Warehouse sale. The Book Man's sale is out of his garage and when we got there 3 minutes early, there were already shoppers leaving with full bags. No fair being early birds! We'll never know if we missed something good. We both breathed deeply and pushed through the crowd to find a few treasures. Mine included a 3 foot tall Old Lady puppet complete with all the things she swallowed.** And a free stuffed fox for Julianna, a rain gauge for my mom for her garden, and a book called Hiking Idaho.

From there it was only about 6 miles to the book warehouse. We've been there many times for their sales and it's always fun to browse through the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of books. Today they had what they call "build a box" where you pay $25 for everything you can fit into a box that they provide. We went through that section and decided that there were enough items that we wanted that we could split a box. Just let me say that Kathy is my hero in the box packing department. You would not believe how many books she fit in that little box. Easily $300 worth and probably over 40 books. Amazing. After that we walked up and down the aisles and found many more treasures. I have enough books to last me the summer plus quite a few things for the kids including juggling books and balls for the boys and a stack of new books for Jules. We had a great time. Except for when I had to fight the old nun with a cane for the last copy of Animal Rainbow.***

After our almost 4 hours of book shopping, we went to Red Robin and had hamburgers and fries for lunch. I had the bacon melt burger. It was delicious. Kathy had the whiskey river burger. She said hers was good, too. And even though it had "whiskey" in the name, it luckily didn't have enough whiskey in it to cause her to act like a drunken monkey.

We always have fun on our book sale days, but today was especially fun. We laughed and told stories and bought a bunch of great books. It was a good day.

*The Book Man is the guy who brings his selection of books to school throughout the year for us to buy. His real name is Chris, but to us he's the Book Man.
**You know. "There was an old lady who swallowed a fly..."
***This did not happen. But there were nuns there shopping. And there was one with a cane. And I did get what I thought was the last copy of Animal Rainbow. And I did tell Kathy that I fought the nun for it. And she laughed knowing very well that that little, old nun could have easily taken me down if she wanted to.

10 Things Thursday

10 things about today.

1. It's the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

2. I'm happy that it's the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

3. I got end of the year presents today (and earlier this week)...Diet Coke and Oreos and a movie gift certificate (from a mom who obviously knows me very well. Thanks, Alyson.), a Willow Tree trinket box, a basil planter, a Scentsy candle and burner, a set of watering bulbs (from the mom who knows that I do not have a green thumb), a shadow box with teacher stuff, and a huge, beautiful hanging plant. All mighty fine gifts, I think.

4. We had our awards ceremony. Every student in the school got at least one award.

5. Josh got a spelling award and an award for being on the A/B honor roll.

6. Adam got a science award, A/B honor roll, and a Timothy award for character.

7. One of my students leaned over during the awards presentations and asked me, "Teacher, do you know what 'bored' means?" Why, yes. Yes, I do. And apparently all her classmates do, too, because they quickly began to make trumpets/hats/swords/telescopes out of their certificates.

8. I was declared the "Best Teacher Ever" when I gave all the boys in my class GX mini-skateboard toys and all the girls Littlest Pet Shop toys. (I am unofficially also the thriftiest teacher ever because I bought them all on clearance at Target.)

9. Some of my students will not be coming back to our school next year and I'm a little sad that I won't see them again.

10. And lastly, did I mention...it's the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!

One more

Just thought I'd check in, but no time to post. It's The Last Day of School Eve.

More Dirt...day Fun

For birthdays in our family, we go out to dinner. The birthday person gets to pick. The boys have been old enough to pick for a while, but since Julianna isn't, we pick for her. Here's how we do it. The four of us write our pick on a slip of paper and then Jules picks from those and that's where we go. The winner yesterday was Josh who chose Olive Garden. (Adam says that Josh won last year with Olive Garden, too. I don't remember, but he's pretty good at remembering those things, so I'd bet he's right.) It turned out to be a good choice. Julianna thoroughly enjoyed her cheese ravioli. See.


She also liked the breadsticks and my fettuccine alfredo.

After dinner, we went to Dairy Queen for a birthday treat. We all got Blizzards (they brought back my favorite--banana split--for the Blizzard's 25th birthday*) except Julianna who got a strawberry sundae. She ate the strawberries and a few bites of my Blizzard.

When we got home, we sang Happy Birthday over a Little Debbie powdered donut with two candles stuck in it. (Don't worry. She'll have a real cake on Sunday for her party. I just needed something to stick the candles in.)

And besides that, does she look like she minded a birthday donut?


Then she opened her presents. We got her the movie Mulan and a musical turtle toy. She loved the turtles! I had to convince her that it was their bedtime so that she would go to bed, too!

Notice how Adam got in on the action. And notice her concentration on her music complete with tongue sticking out and all. I'm telling you. This girl will be the 2026 American Idol. Just you wait and see.

So all in all I think Miss Julianna had a good golden birthday. And she doesn't even know that the fun will continue this weekend when we have the big party!

And one last picture of the birthday girl.

*And speaking of the Blizzard's 25th birthday, my mom called me just as I was getting in the car after enjoying my banana split Blizzard last night. She said, "You've been eating Blizzards for 25 years?!?!" I thought she must be driving by and saw us there. I asked her, "Where are you?" "I'm at home. Where are you?" she asked. "Umm, I'm at Dairy Queen eating Blizzards!" "You are not!!" "Yes, we are. We brought Julianna down for her birthday treat." "Well, dad and I just saw a commercial for the Blizzard's 25th birthday and couldn't believe that you've been eating Blizzards for 25 years and just had to call." (First of all, I've only ever had maybe 25 Blizzards in my life. It's not like I eat them everyday. They were just remembering when they first came out and we liked them I guess.) Anyways, it was kind of weird that she called about Blizzards when I had just eaten a Blizzard. And mom thought it was hilarious!

Great. Now I want another Blizzard. Snickers this time, please.

Happy Dirtday, Julianna!

Today my baby turns 2 years old. Yes, this tiny baby...

... is 2! The big 0-2. Amazing. Just amazing. It seems like just yesterday she was born. And it seems like I've never lived a day without her. She runs and sings and dances and plays constantly. She only slows down to sleep. She loves to be outside and play and explore. She adores all animals from a tiny ant to a great big horse and has no fear of any of them. She says more words than I can keep up with and uses them quite proficiently. She even says "cool" when something is "cool" and is starting to pick up "dude." As in, "Dude, share your cookie," or "Dude, let go of me." (Thanks to two big brothers.) She loves books and puzzles and babies and music and noodles and juice and oatmeal. She laughs a lot and cries very little. She has never used a pacifier or sucked her thumb, but she has a blankie that she sleeps with and sucks on the tag of that. No other blankie or tag will do. Believe me, I've tried. She is sweet and charming and funny and silly and wonderfully girlie. She has started asking to wear dresses and insists on picking out her own socks. She likes to brush her hair and anyone else's who will let her. (Like me.) She still needs at least one nap a day, but is fairly happy even without one. She sleeps all night every night (unless she's sick, of course) which makes me very happy. And the baby monitor has become more of an intercom system where I don't hear so much crying as, "Mommy, I need a tissue." Or, "Mommy, where's my bunny?" She is very smart and often surprises us with what she knows and understands. Everyone who knows her, loves her. You can't help it. Just look at that face.


She is a blessing and a gift and a joy.

I love you, Julianna. Happy Dirtday,* Sweet Girl.

*This is how Jules says birthday. As in, "Happy dirtday to me!" But, really, when you're two, isn't everyday dirt day?

Weekend Update

I know you're all waiting with baited (or is it bated) breath to know if I got everything on my 10 things Thursday list done over the weekend. So here's what happened.

1. I did finish my book (Finding Moon by Tony Hillerman). I finished it Sunday afternoon at Skate Plaza while Adam attended a birthday party. It was really good. Different from Hillerman's other books that I've read, but very interesting and exciting. I did not, however, read the chapter of his autobiography that is after the story. But I will. The title of his autobiography is Seldom Disappointed. Isn't that the greatest title of an autobiography ever?! I'm totally reading that this summer.

2. Aah, laundry. I did not get all the laundry done. But we did all have clean clothes to wear today. So that's something.

3 & 4. Snuggling happened all around. It was nice to have those moments that tend to be few and far between these days.

5. I got all of the kids' papers graded and ready to send home. I still have to do awards and report cards, though.

6. I got this one done early...Thursday evening. I went to see Robin Hood. I really enjoyed it. It was the story before the story we usually hear. How he became an outlaw in the first place. And as a bonus, I ran into my parents at the restaurant where I stopped for dinner. And double bonus, dad bought my taquitos!

7. Something fun with the kids turned out to be going to see Shrek Forever After. I laughed out loud several times. I liked it much better than the last one.

8. Planning for the big 02 party is done. But now there is shopping to do.

9. Yeah. This one didn't even enter my mind this weekend. Oh well.

10. Monday was a play day even though not everything was done. And I didn't feel bad about it one little bit.

10 Things Thursday

10 things I want to do during the long weekend ahead.

1. Finish the Tony Hillerman book I am reading
2. Wash, dry, fold and put away all the laundry
3. Snuggle with my kids
4. Snuggle with my husband
5. Finish up all the paperwork for the end of the school year
6. Go to the movies by myself
7. Do something fun with the kids...their choice
8. Finish planning Julianna's birthday party
9. Go through the kid's clothes to see what they need for summer
10. Get all that done by Monday so that I have one day to do nothing

Rambling Updates

I did not vote. But I think I will try to keep up better with local politics. I won't be holding any signs on election day, but I'll try to vote.

The meeting was about what I expected. I just have to remind myself to be grateful that some parents actually care enough to come in to see me when they have an issue. And if it was my kid I'd do the same thing.

Apologies made. Notes written. Hopefully fixed.

9 1/2.

Rambling

Do political yard signs really sway anyone's vote? Does waving them on election day cause anyone who had not planned to vote, vote? If so, do they vote for the candidate on the waved sign?

Do not, for the sake of your child's teacher's sanity, call and ask for a meeting with said teacher and the principal without leaving at least a vague idea of what the meeting is about. It will make the teacher nervous to the point of being sick and unable to eat her leftover pizza for lunch.

If you have a gut feeling about something, go with it. If you don't, the decision will probably bite you in the rear. And then you have to write a whole nother note to your student's parents explaining the changed decision. Sigh.

10 1/2. That's how many days left of school. Hallelujah!

10 Things Thursday

Monday night for Bible study, we had game night. We played Balderdash. The game where everyone makes up definitions for word/initials/famous people and then tries to guess the real one. Here are the 10 words we had. I am giving you three choices. One is the real definition, one is the one I made up, and one is from someone else in our group. See how many you can get. Answers are at the bottom so don't scroll down too far until you're ready.

1. S.W.R.

a) South Western Railroad

b) Secret Warehouse of Robots

c) Sons of the Whiskey Rebellion

2. pandiculation

a) when a pandemic goes from regional to worldwide

b) echoing within a concert hall

c) stretching and yawning

3. quockerwodger

a) main support beam for the mast of a sailing vessel

b) a small duck-like bird found only in New Zealand

c) a wooden puppet on a string

4. scopulate

a) scanning the stars with a high powered telescope

b) the act of tuning a cello

c) shaped like a broom

5. zoosemiotics

a) the study of animals in motion

b) the study of the biology and physiology of earthworms

c) the science of animal conversation

6. ichneumon

a) an air breathing fish

b) the study of bird songs

c) an Egyptian mongoose which sucks crocodile eggs

7. N.H.F.

a) National Horticulture Foundation

b) National Health Foundation

c) National Headache Foundation

8. R.S.T.C.

a) Royal Society of Training Charioteers

b) Regional Student Tetherball Championship

c) Recreational Scuba Training Council

9. Frieda Carter

a) the only woman to ever stand on her head while playing the accordion and smoking a cigar

b) inventor of the disposable diaper in 1948

c) inventor of miniature golf

10. E.T.C.

a) Energy Training Council

b) English Theatrical Company

c) European Tea Committee

My answers were all b. (Except for #2 which is Arrty's and was better than mine. And #7 which is also Arrty's since I was the one with the card and the real answer that round.)

And the real answers are all c. How many did you get? And how many times did I trick you?

Happy Birthday, Adam!

Today my middle baby turns 9. 9. Just like when Josh turned 9, I am trying to come to terms with the fact that 9 is halfway to 18. Halfway. Halfway through the years when he will live under my roof. Halfway through waking him up in the mornings and seeing one foot sticking out from under the covers. Halfway through seeing his blue eyes and mischievous smile every single day. Halfway. It hasn't been long enough and won't be in 9 more years either. These moments, days, years are precious. And I don't really mean it when I wish for a minute of peace and quiet. Quiet will come. But today I will make root beer floats for his classmates and take him out to dinner and remind him to wipe the barbecue sauce off his chin. I will enjoy being the mother of a now 9 year old who just happens to be the apple of my eye.

Don't Cry For Me

I am often amazed how God takes care of me. I shouldn't be. He is perfect in how he takes care of me. But every once in a while I see it more clearly than others. Like yesterday. I have been teaching Julianna's Bible class on Sunday mornings for the last two months. I wanted to teach her for the last few weeks before she turns two and moves up to the big girl class. And I love it. She started going to nursery class when she turned 6 months old. Over the last 18 months she has changed and grown so much. She sings along and answers questions and talks to her friends. It has been a real blessing spending time watching Julianna and her friends Lily and Owen learn and grow. And usually they are my only three students. But yesterday we were joined by a new friend. A new family at church brought their little one to Bible class for the first time. It's always exciting when our class grows. But this little guy didn't think it was fun at all. He cried...and cried...and screamed...and cried some more. I could distract him for a second with my bear puppet and the battery powered pig that walks and oinks and wags its tail. But nothing I did calmed him down for long. I debated on whether to buzz his mom with the nursery paging system, but I didn't know if she was one of those moms who would want to come get him or who would want him to cry it out. So halfway through class I got him out of his seat and held him. If I stood up and rocked him just right he would calm down for a few minutes at a time. I felt so bad for him being so miserable. But by the end of class, I was on the verge of a panic attack. And here's the part about how God takes care of me.

You see, I do not do well with crying babies. I can take it for a few minutes. But after that I begin to get anxious. And we know how well I do with anxiety. So after an hour of caring for a screaming baby that I didn't know, I was very close to needing a double dose of my meds. But as I sat in church with Josh on one side and Adam on the other and Jules snuggled on my lap, I couldn't help but think how well God knows me and my needs. My babies were not criers and certainly not screamers. Sure, they would cry. But they were all three easily consoled. God knew that I would have a hard time handling the crying. So he sent me these three babies. Three babies that he knew would be just right for me. Three babies who would not cause me anxiety. (Well, at least not from the crying.) And I am grateful for that. So very grateful.

Now I just hope he helps me out with the teenage stuff, too.

Show and Tell

Show and tell is getting pretty monotonous at this stage in the year. I'd even be glad to see a black widow at this point. At least it's something to get excited about. Here's what we had today:

an action figure with one lost leg

a Barbie and a Hannah Montana doll

a pink Koosh ball

a pink tulip from mom's flower garden

a stuffed doggie

a Bible

a stuffed skunk with a pink stripe instead of a white stripe

a teddy bear dressed like a fairy

One cool thing that came today, though, was a cup with 5 caterpillars that came with a butterfly house. They are supposed to spin chrysalises and turn into painted lady butterflies. Adam wants one of those butterfly kits for his birthday. I don't know who's more excited about it, him or me.

10 Things Thursday

10 things you should not send to school with a kindergartner (or any kid, really)...

1. Full size candy bars for snack. Unless, of course, you send two and one of them is for me. Preferably 3 Musketeers or Snickers.
2. Soda...of any kind or size. Not even if you send an extra one for me. Not even if it's Diet Coke.
3. Money. They do not understand money. They play with money. It will get lost/torn/given away/"borrowed."
4. Anything fragile. It has about a 90% chance of getting broken.
5. Heirlooms. Please do not make me responsible for grandads antique watch in the hands of a 5 year old.
6. Books from public libraries. They will get mixed with our classroom library and I will not pay the fine when they are overdue.
7. Un-child friendly movies to watch at rest time. I will not show Grease. I love Grease. But I will not have a bunch of kindergartners singing Greased Lightening on the playground. Or "Look at me I'm Sandra Dee, lousy with virginity." Not good.
8. Jewelery. Beaded necklaces and bracelets will come home in a plastic baggie because the string will get broken. It will. Take my word for it.
9. Costco sized cupcakes for birthdays. Regular sized cupcakes are fine. Mini-cupcakes are perfect. But cupcakes the size of a kindergartners head? Not acceptable.
10. Black widows in mason jars for show and tell. Yes, I have had a black widow in a mason jar brought in for show and tell. DO NOT let your kid bring a black widow in a mason jar for show and tell.

Blue Skies

We were sitting in chapel this morning and two kids went up front to lead a song. (One happened to be Josh, but that doesn't have anything to do with the story.) They led us in Blue Skies and Rainbows. I've known that song forever. Well, at least since I was a fifth grader at the school where I now teach. Kids also went up front to lead songs way back then. And they often led Blue Skies and Rainbows. But today, as 60 voices were singing that song, I had this flashback. I was sitting in chapel as a student on a tiny little folding metal chair. I was in the first row for some reason. And Paul got up to lead his songs. He said "Blue Skies and Rainbows" and we all sang along. Then for his second song choice, he said, "Blue Skies and Rainbows." Everyone laughed because when you're 11 and someone tries to lead the same song twice without meaning to, it's really funny. And Paul laughed too, because that's the kind of kid he was. He laughed all the time. And loved to make other people laugh. Every time I think of him, I can't help but smile.

The next fall, a few days after school started, he was killed in a playground accident. It was terrible and sad and incredibly heartbreaking. I wonder sometimes, who he would be today. Would he still live here or back in his native Samoa? Would he be married and have kids with his amazing smile? Would he still be making me and so many others smile? I don't know. But one thing I do know. Today in heaven he could very possibly be leading the angels in a chorus of Blue Skies and Rainbows...twice.

Blue skies and rainbows and sunbeams from heaven

Are what I can see when the Lord is living in me

I know that Jesus is well and alive today

He makes his home in my heart

Never more will I be all alone since he

Promised me that he never will part.

Blessed Sunday

Yes, I am fully aware that it is Monday. But between sharing our home computer with 3 other people and having way too much to do at home to ever use said computer, I don't often get to blog from home. So here is Blessed Sunday, or Monday if you prefer.

My mom. She is a blessing. She is amazing and beautiful and wonderful and loving. She is the rock in our family. She is and has been for every day of my life, a constant beacon of light. She loves me like a mother should. She is my hero. And who I want to be someday. Of all the blessings in my life, she is at the top of the list.

And if that isn't enough, I get to be a mom, too. Motherhood is a blessing that I didn't even know I wanted until that day in 1999 when I joined the club. Ten and a half years later I can't remember the day when I didn't belong. My heart and mind and soul are so full of mommy-ness that sometimes I smile, or even laugh, simply because these three lovely little people, these sweet, funny, adorable, loud, sometimes stinky, little people are mine. Mine to hold and guide for a while, but love and treasure forever. What a blessing!

10 Things Thursday

10 things my students wrote about me in a little book they made to give me today as part of teacher appreciation week at our school...

1. She lets us have free time.
2. She teaches us to count to 100.
3. She teaches us our numbers.
4. She's very nice.
5. She has cool toys in her classroom.
6. She's a good teacher.
7. She teaches us good stuff.
8. She lets us bring toys for show and tell.
9. She doesn't yell.

(So that's only 9 things. But that's all there was. Someone must have been absent the day they did the project.)

4 weeks

It's still 4 weeks until Julianna turns 2. 28 more days. But you wouldn't have known it this morning. She has decided that she doesn't want to wait until then to hit the "terrible twos." This morning before we left the house she threw a multitude of fits. One when she didn't want to get dressed. One when I tried to change her diaper. One when I wouldn't let her pull the vacuum out of the hall closet. One when I tried to fix her hair. One when I wouldn't let her eat a sucker she found on the kitchen counter. One when I wouldn't let her eat the yogurt we were taking for her snack. One when I tried to put her shoes on. One when I tried to put her coat on. Phew. I think that's it. It was really weird because she's usually very agreeable and happy. But today she was trying out those "terrible twos" with gusto. (Her fits consisted of one or more of the following: crying, yelling, falling to the floor, kicking, pulling off her socks.) We finally made it out the door and she was back to her old self. But I guess we'll see what tomorrow holds.

Rambling

I totally missed Blessed Sunday yesterday because I was so busy enjoying my family and reading a great book. I didn't even think about it once. That is a blessing.

Our dog, who is a huge chocolate lab, is a great guard dog. He barks his big bark at moose and deer and horses and people walking by and any car that pulls in the driveway. But he is afraid of wind. And this morning at 4:00 he reminded us. He barked until we got up and turned on the light and then whined until Arrty went outside and checked on him. How can a 125 pound monster like him be afraid of the wind?

On my desk sits a pot of miniature roses. It's from my dad. I smile every time I look at it.

This week is teacher appreciation week. That means for the next five days, we will be spoiled by the PTO. Today was a breakfast of muffins and fresh fruit and free drinks at Dutch Bros. Be sure to say thank you to any teachers in your life.

Our auction Friday night was a big success. We surpassed our goal by over $3,000! And we won the bed we wanted for Julianna! And a pet package that came with a certificate for a free puppy adoption at the humane society. One stipulation on said puppy.* It must NOT be afraid of wind.

Have I mentioned lately how extremely adorable my daughter is? Well, she is!

And have I mentioned lately how quickly my sons are growing? Well, they are!

*We have not yet decided if and when we will adopt a puppy. I'm not much of a dog person, but my family is. And how cute would pictures of Jules and a puppy be?!

10 Things Thursday

10 things you can bid on if you come to our school auction tomorrow night...

1. a kayak
2. a cowboy cooking package complete with certificates for wild game
3. at least 3 beautiful quilts
4. trips and outings to several places around the country
5. a Kroc center birthday package
6. home improvement and auto packages
7. this lovely bed (but don't outbid me)
8. certificates for food and fun
9. yummy baked goods
10. a squirrel hunt! (Really.)

For a full list of live auction items go here. There will also be a silent auction with hundreds of items. Join us to have a great time and to support Christian education .

Blessed Sunday

Today is my dad's birthday. We had lunch with him and gave him cards and gifts and told him "happy birthday." But it just doesn't seem enough for someone who has loved me so very much my whole life. Someone who has spent his days from the time I was born when he was only 18, working to take care of me. He has loved me through childhood and the teen years and into adulthood. He has held me when I needed to be held and laughed with me more times than I can count. He has told stories and played music and let me play hooky. He has taken me fishing and on trips and given me priceless memories. He has sat with me in waiting rooms and sat in waiting rooms waiting for me. He has prayed with me and for me and over me. He has loved my children more than words can say from the moment he heard they were on the way and has shown them more love in their short lives than many people feel in a lifetime. He has encouraged me and guided me and helped me become who I am today. He is my dad. And that is such a wonderful blessing.

I love you, Dad.

Show and Tell

I guess I'm a hillbilly at heart. Here's why. This morning on the way to school, I saw a car with vanity plates that said HIMAINT. "HIM AINT?" Shouldn't it be "HE AINT?" And him ain't what? I just couldn't figure it out. Until I realized that it wasn't HIM AINT, but HI MAINT. Ooohhh. HI MAINT, like high maintanance. Now I get it. Kind of, anyways. Because HI MAINT, I ain't.

Now for Show and Tell...

My Little Pony and a Barbie fairy that can fly...all shared while P. was wearing her Hannah Montana wig that she had convinced all the preschoolers was real.

American Girl doll named Katelyn

stuffed anteater and a bottle (of milk, not ants) to feed said anteater...and a loose tooth.

two Lego cars from McDonald's that can come apart and "will come to pieces if you blast them"

a purple stuffed lamb

two more Barbies

and some other stuff. At this point in the year, I've pretty much seen it all and tend to lose interest after a while.

10 Things Thursday

10 new or soon to be released movies I want to see...

1. Oceans--3D underwater adventure. What's better than an underwater documentary? One in 3D of course!
2. The Bounty Hunter --Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston are exes who run into each other again. Hilarity ensues. Will they fall in love again? My guess is yes.
3. Babies --Documentarians follow the first year of life of 4 babies from around the world. So cute. And fascinating for the mommy in me.
4. Ironman 2 --Just because it's fun.
5. Letters to Juliet --A young woman helps two long lost loves reunite while finding love herself.
6. Robin Hood --Another remake of this classic story starring Russell Crowe.
7. Ondine --Colin Farrell. Ireland. That's enough for me.
8. The Karate Kid --Remake of the 80's favorite. Starring Jadan Smith and Jackie Chan as the wise karate sensei.
9. Ramona and Beezus --I read all of Beverly Cleary's books when I was little and can't wait to see what they do with two of my favorite characters.
10. Eclipse --In the last seconds of New Moon, Edward told Bella he'd change her into a vampire if she'd marry him. Will she or won't she?!?! Will she do the smart thing and go back to Jacob?!?! I'm dying to find out!

Newby

I have a new student in my class today. Yes, it is almost the end of the school year. 35 days left if you're wondering. But this family is enrolling their daughter in kindergarten next year and since I have half preschoolers this year they thought they'd get her used to the idea of school now. I have to admit that yesterday when the school secretary told me she would be starting today, I was a little concerned. I have a challenge already with teaching such a diverse group of students. Some are already beginning to read while some are still barely putting two sounds together. And now I would have another one who I knew nothing about. After I thought about it, though, it's not such a big deal. One more little body to line up and keep track of and pass papers to. And besides, whatever she learns these last few weeks will be helpful for next year. Then this morning she walked in with mom and dad close behind. I showed her where to sit and gave her a writing practice paper like the other students were working on. I could tell that both she and mom were a little nervous. But as I introduced her to the class, D., one of my most challenging boys, said, "Welcome to our class, A." How sweet is that? I think it really helped A. and her mom feel more comfortable. The other girls were really nice to her, too, and included her right away. And I can tell that she will do just fine in my class.

But what really got me was when she came over to me to ask a question about her paper and her little hands and voice were shaking from nerves. As soon as I saw that, I started staying close by her so that she felt more comfortable. I talked to her and told her what we would be doing next and patted her shoulder. Because all I could think about was Julianna in 3 years. What if it was Julianna walking into a classroom of strangers and me nervously leaving her there? What if it was Julianna whose hands and voice were shaking? What would I want that teacher to do? Well, I'd want her to stay close and talk to her and pat her shoulder. I'd want her to do whatever it took to make her feel welcome and comfortable. So that's what I did. And for the next 35 days, A. will be a part of our class. And I'm happy to have her.

Overheard...

...on the playground today.

"You can play four square with us, but if you get out you're OUT! It's prison rules!"

Blessed Sunday

Today's blessing: SUNSHINE!!!

10 Things Thursday

10 silly things that make me happy...

1. Glee (And when you read that, you must sing it!)--I love Glee. Laugh if you want, but I do. It's silly and fun. There's singing and dancing. And even though I do not yet have a tee shirt with "Gleek" bedazzled on it, Glee makes me happy. It's like a mini-musical every week.

2. And speaking of musicals, they make me happy, too. Grease, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Oklahoma, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music... What's not to love? Great music. Cool costumes. Endearing characters. And did I mention the music?

3. Werewolves--Especially giant, hairy, vampire chasing werewolves.

4. Historical novels--I can't begin to count how many books I've read, but my favorites are historical. Castles, horses, knights in shining armor. And if it's based on actual people or events, I love it even more.

5. Julianna's songs--She loves to sing and dance and makes up songs all the time. This morning the title of her original composition was "Be the Yogurt." And yes, it was accompanied by a dance.

6. Clearance sales--Finding a great deal makes me happy. If it's on something I really need, it makes me really happy.

7. Coconut cream pie. Need I say more?

8. Music by Jason Mraz or Mandisa or Rascal Flatts or Hootie and the Blowfish.

9. Naps. On those very rare quiet afternoons when I can lay my head on the pillow and drift off to sleep without a care in the world and wake up refreshed and ready to take on the world.

10. And last but certainly not least, butterflies. Butterflies make me happy.

Reason #73...

...why I love teaching kindergarten.

They still fight over who gets to sit by "teacher" instead of over who has to.

10 Things Thursday (Plus one little Adam story)

Julianna has started taking her socks and shoes off every time we get in the car. I don't really blame her. I'd never wear shoes if I didn't have to. But yesterday on the way home, she took them off and Adam started saying, "This little piggy went to market. This little piggy stayed home..." "Aww," I thought, "How sweet." He continued, "This little piggy ate roast beef. This little piggy got eaten by a wolf." What?!?! "This little piggy got hit by a truck..." Umm, yeah. I'm pretty sure that's not how it goes.

Now on to 10 things...

10 words my kids know that I didn't know at their age.

1. DVD--I was a teenager before my parents even got a VCR. And nobody actually bought movies. They were rentals.
2. DVR--Are you kidding me? You watched it when it was on or you didn't watch it. And you had to sit through the commercials, too.
3. Cell phone--My family was on a party line when I was little. The thought of having your own phone in your pocket would have been very futuristic.
4. Computer--I took typing in high school. Typing. Not keyboarding. And I went through college without the internet. My research was done in the library with a stack of books in front of me.
5. Satellite TV/Cable--We had 4 channels. 4, not 400.
6. Cartoon Network--And on those four channels you could watch cartoons after school for an hour and on Saturday mornings. There were no 24 hour cartoon channels.
7. Gameboy--Our handheld games were paper and a pencil to play tic tac toe or hangman.
8. iPod--Ever heard of a boom box or a Walkman? And there were these little rectangular things called cassettes that you could put in them to listen to your music.
9. Google--There was no googling in the 70s and 80s and even part of the 90s. You can google it.
10. Playdate--Really? You didn't used to have to set up a date. You just played.

What words do your kids know that you didn't?

Peeped

As if coming back to school after spring break wasn't hard enough, it turns out that the day we came back is also the day after Easter. Less than 24 hours after a bunch of 5 year olds have hunted eggs in an adrenaline induced frenzy and consumed enormous amounts of candy. They showed up this morning still buzzing from Peeps and jelly beans. Have you ever seen an ant farm? That's what a kindergarten classroom looks like on a normal day. On a sugar high day, it's like the ants have been eating nothing but, well, Peeps and jelly beans. I'm exhausted. And on top of all that it rained. Now I fully admit that I love a rainy day now and then. Sitting in my rocking chair under a fuzzy blanket reading a good book drinking a cup of tea looking out the window at the rain falling. Nice. But inside recess where my Peeped-up kindergartners are intermingled with older kids who have eaten half their body weight in chocolate? Not nice. Not at all. But tomorrow is a new day. And maybe, just maybe, all the Peeps will be out of their systems.

For more on Peeps, check this out.

Blessed Sunday

Today, on this Easter Sunday, I must write about the greatest blessing of all...Jesus. I don't know how people live without him. Life is hard. Sometimes really hard. I don't know what I would do, how I could live this life, without the joy and peace and love and hope that comes from knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. There have been days that I didn't think I would make it through with him. How could I survive without him? But blessing upon blessing, I don't have to. I am his, today and everyday, because on a Sunday over 2,000 years ago, he rose from the grave after dying for me. And some day, some sweet, sweet day, I will thank him face to face for that and so much more.

10 Things Thursday

10 things I will do on spring break...

1. travel a little (Montana)

2. read a lot

3. laugh with my kids

4. smile at my husband

5. watch movies

6. clean a little

7. sleep a lot

8. sing

9. wear pajamas all day (at least twice or three times or four)

10. enjoy every second

10 things I will NOT do on spring break...

1. set an alarm clock

2. make lunches the night before

3. grade papers

4. discipline kindergartners

5. wake the boys before they're ready

6. wish I was home with Jules (since I will be)

7. say things like, "Keep your hands to yourself*," or "What's the rule about walking in line," or "Criss cross applesauce."

8. worry about bed time

9. clean up spilled chocolate milk...EVERY DAY!

10. count the days to summer vacation**

*Okay, this one I may have to say.

**And I might do this one, too.

Field Trip Friday

Update: I was remiss in not mentioning the brave teachers who put their lives on the line for those of us who didn't ride the bus. They watched over our students who undoubtedly needed much attention during the trip. Especially those who rode in the back of the bus. (You know how those "back of the bus" kids are.) The bus riding teachers are heroes to us and to all who know them. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten. (Is that better, Marci?)

No show and tell today. We went on a field trip. We went to the IMAX theater in Riverfront Park. The kids rode the bus. I drove myself. I had to. Julianna was going and I wanted her to be in a car seat. So as sad as I was to not ride the bus, I did it for her. And in support of me, Kathy sacrificed her bus ride, too, and rode with us in our van. What a friend.*

Taking 10 kindergartners to Spokane and letting them loose in several acres of park is a little nerve wracking. Luckily I always have a few parents go with us and they are willing to be in charge of their own kids plus a couple more. It seems like I am continually counting kids. And every time I counted today I came up with 10. Always good. Pretty much getting back to school with the same number of kids you leave with is a successful kindergarten field trip.

The IMAX movie that we saw was Hubble. It was fascinating. They showed the whole process of getting the Hubble telescope 320 miles above us and what they've done to it in the years since. And they showed some of the pictures that they have gotten from Hubble. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I found myself thinking how awesome our God is to have created such a thing as our galaxy and all the ones outside ours. It also made me wonder what view we'll have from Heaven. Will all our questions about the universe be answered? Will we be able to see things all of those light years away? Will we even care while in the presence of the Bright and Morning Star? Probably not.

After the movie we rode the carousel and then went to the giant wagon park to eat lunch and play for a while. The kids were all really well behaved and seemed to have a great time. Julianna had fun, too. She made friends with a squirrel in the park and chased it around trying to feed it a pretzel. It came really close to her and she had absolutely no fear. A few steps closer and she would have grabbed it like she tries to grab the cat at home. When the squirrel finally climbed a tree, she kept asking, "Where squirrel go?" So cute.

So another annual field trip come and gone. And it was a good one.

*Umm, that was all sarcastic. Riding the bus is NOT fun for adults. Kids love it. Teacher's don't.

10 Things Thursday

10 things on my grocery list*...

1. fruit (bananas, apples, mandarin oranges)
2. veggies (lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots)
3. sugar (to make lemonade and to put in tea)
4. cream cheese (to go on the bagels I bought at Costco)
5. frozen corn (because it's better than canned)
6. mayo (for sandwiches and french fry dip)
7. cookies (a huge box of Oreos to donate for the youth rally at church)
8. toilet paper (duh)
9. dryer sheets (I can never match my number of dryer sheets to my detergent.)
10. Lunchables (for the boys' field trip to Riverfront Park tomorrow)

*Obviously, it's been hard to come up with ideas for 10 Things Thursday. Any suggestions?

In the spirit of the Irish...

...some blessings and proverbs.

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

A face without freckles is like a sky without stars.

Here's to your roof, may it be well thatched
And here's to all under it -May they be well matched.

If God sends you down a stony path, may he give you strong shoes.

A handful of skill is better than a bagful of gold.

A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle.

A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.

Dance as if no one's watching, sing as if no one's listening, and live everyday as if it were your last.

It is easy to halve the potato where there is love.

Three best to have in plenty - sunshine, wisdom and generosity.

God is good, but never dance in a small boat.

Get down on your knees and thank God you're still on your feet.

You'll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind.

May you live long,
Die happy,
And rate a mansion in heaven.

Say little but say it well.

If wars were fought with words Ireland would be ruling the world.

And my favorite Irish blessing...

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you In the palm of his hand.

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.