Last Thursday, I boarded a plane bound for Manchester, NH where a rental car was waiting to whisk me off through the fabulous fall foliage to Portland, Maine.
I was invited to accompany a friend on her much needed "mom getaway". Due to her husband's immense traveling and thereby immense accumulation of frequent traveller points, we were able to take this trip without paying for airfare, hotels, or rental car. Truly amazing. Even more amazing that I was invited to share the generosity and go along.
We left Thursday afternoon. At the airport, we stocked up on trashy celebrity magazines and boarded the plane where we quickly settled in for a long, childless plane ride. The ginger ale tasted sweeter, the snacks were extra good, and we talked, analyzed, therapized (is that a word?), laughed, giggled, and played the whole way. After finding our rental car, we drove about 90 minutes to our hotel in Portland where we were greeted by warm cookies, cool bottles of water, 2 double beds with feather pillow top mattresses, real feather comforters, and crisp, soft white sheets. The bed even had a throw pillow with "Sweet Dreams" embroidered across the front. The next morning we had "complimentary tickets" for the breakfast buffet downstairs and I'm not talking a bagel and some crusty cream cheese. I'm talking scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, fruit buffet, pastries buffet, etc. etc. I actually swiped 2 jars of jam because they were seriously so little and cute. And this was just the first 12 hours...
This trip was so therapeutic to my soul. There is something about the wild ruggedness and sheer breathtaking beauty of the east coast that really touches my spirit in a powerful way. We saw white lighthouses that reached into the deep blue sky. Lakes and rivers and ocean with pounding surf and wild waves. We ate haddock with newburg sauce in a charming local restaurant called The Lobster Shed. We drove through magnificent trees with colors you can't even imagine. We touched the cold Atlantic Ocean and marvelled on our knees at the beautiful things growing in tide pools. We shopped at little antique shops, took a million pictures on a million beautiful stone bridges in front of white steepled churches in quaint, quiet, beautiful towns and villages. We got lost a million times and didn't worry about being found. We talked about husbands, children, marriages, dreams, disappointments, frustrations, joys, and hopes. We told stories about high school, old boyfriends, rainy wedding days, rebellious teenage days and found memories we both thought we had lost. We drank lots of caramel hot apple cider from Starbucks and never took for granted a single old stone New England home. I found myself standing still in lots of different places with my eyes closed and breathing deeply, feeling like something inside me was being filled that had been empty for some time. I don't know what that empty place was...maybe it was missed moments of quiet and solitude. Maybe it was finding the things that are so beautiful and magnificent to me that they take my breath away. Maybe it is how the air smells or the sound the leaves make or how seagulls sound flying above the water. It was precious time.
Every woman needs time like this. Taking a trip like this was truly a precious gift from a dear, wonderful friend. It is a tradition that I hope to replicate every year. With all that I love and hold dear, I needed 4 days to reconnect with myself and with my life. I didn't spend one moment thinking about teaching preschool or planning a primary program or worrying about sharing time or stressing about house cleaning or child raising, or any of the other things that fill my life on a day to day basis. For 4 days I thought about different things, new things, and played with new ideas. When I came home, I ready to face my challenges and joys with new perspective. I have had moments that have been difficult and where I have longed to sit on the rock in Cape Elizabeth, Maine and just be still but I also have a profound joy that I have a life filled with magnificent people and opportunities. It is a balancing game and I'm still a novice.
To Tonya...thank you from the bottom of my heart.
To Chris...thank you for being a husband who sincerely tries in every way to understand and support me. Thank you for watching our children and making this possible.
To Mo and ML and CeliAnne...thank you for loving my children and being willing to take them on. You helped in very meaningful ways to make this opportunity possible.
And to all the women who carry heavy burdens every day...remember to stop and rest and close your eyes and breathe deeply. Rest. Be still.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Support the Arts!
Tonight my little family had a fabulous experience. We attended a musical at the Children's Theatre of Salt Lake City entitled "The Stinky Cheese Man". It is a little tiny theater located on 600 South State Street in Salt Lake City that didn't look like a whole lot from the outside but was really amazing on the inside. It is a whole theater company dedicated to providing quality plays and musicals for children and their families. It is geared FOR children and they did a fantastic job. Everything about the entire show was very professional and extremely well-done...the costumes, the scenery, the talent, the singing, the acting...etc. My husband and I took our 5 year old and 4 year old and they both had a great experience. Even the refreshments at the Cafe were all based around the play...Foxy Loxy brownie sundae, Stinky Cheese Man grilled cheese sandwich on Red Hen Home Made Bread, Frog Prince dessert...it was a truly wonderful evening. My little children had the opportunity to go and have a real "live theater" experience. J. sat on the edge of his seat most of the play and laughed in all the right places. Where else would a theater not only welcome small children but embrace the enthusiasum only a child could have for silliness and drama. The show lasted 90 minutes (including the intermission), was fast paced, dialogue and story line appropriate for the audience it was targeting. Truly a magnificent show!
I am so grateful to make a fabulous discovery like this. And I am always terrified it won't last. These theaters and groups need to be important to the public and people need to make a conscious effort to support local organizations who are reaching out to children and families in a positive way. When individuals make a conscious decision about what is important to them in their community and seek to show support for these groups, it can have a very positive, very powerful impact.
So get on the internet and start exploring what is waiting to be discovered right around the corner from you.
And if you ever come for a visit to Utah, I know a great little place where we can catch an excellent show...
I am so grateful to make a fabulous discovery like this. And I am always terrified it won't last. These theaters and groups need to be important to the public and people need to make a conscious effort to support local organizations who are reaching out to children and families in a positive way. When individuals make a conscious decision about what is important to them in their community and seek to show support for these groups, it can have a very positive, very powerful impact.
So get on the internet and start exploring what is waiting to be discovered right around the corner from you.
And if you ever come for a visit to Utah, I know a great little place where we can catch an excellent show...
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Another Side-Note...
I'm looking for a rich benefactor to buy me things that I can't afford. I'd like to start with the following list of incredible picture books:
1) Olivia Forms a Band (Ian Falconer)
2) Dooby Dooby Moo (Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin)
3) Bats at the Beach (Brian Lies)
4) Fancy Nancy (Jane O'Connor)
5) Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late (Mo Willems) [ANYTHING by Mo Willems is hilarious and creative and divine. Try "Knufflebunny" and "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus". True classics in this house!]
6) Flotsam (David Wiesner)
7) Library Lion (Michelle Knudsen)
8) Chowder (Peter Brown)
9) G is for One Gzonk! An Alpha-Number-Bet Book
10) Grumpy Gloria (Anna Dewdney)
11) Mommy? (new pop-up book by Maurice Sendak...GREAT Halloween book...I just bought this one so don't get me this one!)
12) The Boy of Steel: A Baseball Dream Come True (Ray Negron)
13) The Greatest Power (Demi)
14) Duck and Goose (Tad Hills)
15) Eats, Shoots, and Leaves (Lynne Truss)
Seriously, if you are rich, this puny list is nothing. Please send right away.
Thank you for you kind attention to my needs.
1) Olivia Forms a Band (Ian Falconer)
2) Dooby Dooby Moo (Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin)
3) Bats at the Beach (Brian Lies)
4) Fancy Nancy (Jane O'Connor)
5) Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late (Mo Willems) [ANYTHING by Mo Willems is hilarious and creative and divine. Try "Knufflebunny" and "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus". True classics in this house!]
6) Flotsam (David Wiesner)
7) Library Lion (Michelle Knudsen)
8) Chowder (Peter Brown)
9) G is for One Gzonk! An Alpha-Number-Bet Book
10) Grumpy Gloria (Anna Dewdney)
11) Mommy? (new pop-up book by Maurice Sendak...GREAT Halloween book...I just bought this one so don't get me this one!)
12) The Boy of Steel: A Baseball Dream Come True (Ray Negron)
13) The Greatest Power (Demi)
14) Duck and Goose (Tad Hills)
15) Eats, Shoots, and Leaves (Lynne Truss)
Seriously, if you are rich, this puny list is nothing. Please send right away.
Thank you for you kind attention to my needs.
Just A Side-Note...
I just finished reading one of the best books I have read in a really long time. It was loaned to me by a friend and I have to admit that the beat up cover did not motivate me to pick the book up for several weeks...but once I did, I've truly been engrossed in it for the past few days. The book is called "So Big" by Edna Ferber. It is a very memorable pulitzer prize winning novel from decades ago. The language and writing in the story are exquisite and beautiful. The actual story is engrossing and as you finish the last page, you are left sitting and staring at the book and trying to wrap your mind around the message. I really must insist that every one of you get to the library (or bookstore...go to one with hot chocolate) and get a copy. Now. Why are you still reading? Move. Go.
I'm waiting....
Still waiting...
You guys are stubborn.
I'm waiting....
Still waiting...
You guys are stubborn.
It's a Really Strange World After All
Well, we did it.
I wasn't sure it could be done.
I had serious reservations, horrific nightmares, and a few panic attacks but we did it. Despite a few battle scars and some emotional healing that still needs to occur, I would dare say we have emerged triumphant. We drove 10 hours in a mini-van and took 3 small children (ages 5 and under) to Disneyland. We only lost one child (temporarily), picked up a raging case of herpes simplex fever blisters, misplaced a darling red leather Mary Jane shoe, and had one minor "wetting" incident on Splash Mountain but here we are! Home, sunburned, and blissfully filled with precious family memories. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
I will not attempt to unfold the whole saga in one blog...rather, I will break this in to a few "mini" stories to be savored one at a time. I will start with our wild adventure in Las Vegas.
We had been driving for 6 straight hours when we realized we were long overdue for a gasoline/potty/diaper changing break. Since we were on the outskirts of Vegas, we decided to push forward a little ways and find a place to stop in the city. We started telling the kids how great it was going to be when Abby and James and Caleb moved to Las Vegas and how we could drive down and visit them and stay at their house and play. I really had a motivational pep rally going when the van came to a stop and the door slid open. The boys all jumped out and I went around to get H. when my husband asked, "Did you remember to pack your bra?" I turned around and found my husband staring down at a lacy black bra that had been abandoned in the parking place next to us. It had seen a little action in that parking lot...been driven over a few times and had some choice things dropped on it but there it was in all its black splendor. My 5 year old and 4 year old boys came rushing around the car to see what all the commotion was about. The following conversation ensued:
5 yr old: Mom, what is that?
Mom: A bra.
5yr old: What is a bra?
Mom: It is girl underwear that we wear on our breasts.
5 yr. old: How did a girl lose her bra at the gas station?
Mom: I don't know J. That is a good question.
5 yr. old: Maybe the door accidentally opened and the bra just flew away.
Mom: Maybe.
4 yr. old: Gross.
We proceeded inside. I watched more trauma unfold in the next 15 minutes than I have witnessed in the last 5 years of my life. I watched the homeless, toothless old man try to sell the gas station attendant a set of colored pencils in a wood box for $20.00, watched the glazed over, somewhat drunk men sit at the slot machines pushing the buttons aimlessly while their credit cards maxed out, and the woman that left her 4 year old daughter screaming outside the door in the care of a small Mexican man while she went in to gamble. Our poor sheltered children just stood on the sticky gas station floor and took it all in. When we got back in the car there wasn't much comment. Maybe they were trying to find a place in their brains to assimilate all the fun they had just witnessed in Las Vegas. Maybe they were wondering why Abby and James and Caleb were going to live in a sticky gas station. Maybe they were still wondering how people in Vegas accidentally lose their underwear in parking lots.
I felt like we had all lost a little of our naive innocence. But hey...isn't that what family vacations are all about?
(Stay tuned for the saga of the Lost Child and "How I Got Herpes on My Family Vacation".)
I wasn't sure it could be done.
I had serious reservations, horrific nightmares, and a few panic attacks but we did it. Despite a few battle scars and some emotional healing that still needs to occur, I would dare say we have emerged triumphant. We drove 10 hours in a mini-van and took 3 small children (ages 5 and under) to Disneyland. We only lost one child (temporarily), picked up a raging case of herpes simplex fever blisters, misplaced a darling red leather Mary Jane shoe, and had one minor "wetting" incident on Splash Mountain but here we are! Home, sunburned, and blissfully filled with precious family memories. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
I will not attempt to unfold the whole saga in one blog...rather, I will break this in to a few "mini" stories to be savored one at a time. I will start with our wild adventure in Las Vegas.
We had been driving for 6 straight hours when we realized we were long overdue for a gasoline/potty/diaper changing break. Since we were on the outskirts of Vegas, we decided to push forward a little ways and find a place to stop in the city. We started telling the kids how great it was going to be when Abby and James and Caleb moved to Las Vegas and how we could drive down and visit them and stay at their house and play. I really had a motivational pep rally going when the van came to a stop and the door slid open. The boys all jumped out and I went around to get H. when my husband asked, "Did you remember to pack your bra?" I turned around and found my husband staring down at a lacy black bra that had been abandoned in the parking place next to us. It had seen a little action in that parking lot...been driven over a few times and had some choice things dropped on it but there it was in all its black splendor. My 5 year old and 4 year old boys came rushing around the car to see what all the commotion was about. The following conversation ensued:
5 yr old: Mom, what is that?
Mom: A bra.
5yr old: What is a bra?
Mom: It is girl underwear that we wear on our breasts.
5 yr. old: How did a girl lose her bra at the gas station?
Mom: I don't know J. That is a good question.
5 yr. old: Maybe the door accidentally opened and the bra just flew away.
Mom: Maybe.
4 yr. old: Gross.
We proceeded inside. I watched more trauma unfold in the next 15 minutes than I have witnessed in the last 5 years of my life. I watched the homeless, toothless old man try to sell the gas station attendant a set of colored pencils in a wood box for $20.00, watched the glazed over, somewhat drunk men sit at the slot machines pushing the buttons aimlessly while their credit cards maxed out, and the woman that left her 4 year old daughter screaming outside the door in the care of a small Mexican man while she went in to gamble. Our poor sheltered children just stood on the sticky gas station floor and took it all in. When we got back in the car there wasn't much comment. Maybe they were trying to find a place in their brains to assimilate all the fun they had just witnessed in Las Vegas. Maybe they were wondering why Abby and James and Caleb were going to live in a sticky gas station. Maybe they were still wondering how people in Vegas accidentally lose their underwear in parking lots.
I felt like we had all lost a little of our naive innocence. But hey...isn't that what family vacations are all about?
(Stay tuned for the saga of the Lost Child and "How I Got Herpes on My Family Vacation".)
Friday, September 15, 2006
Say "Cheese"
J. on his first day of school. I don't think anyone would describe our kids as "camera shy". You whip out a camera and they pose!
My Baby...
This is our darling boy the night before he started kindergarten. We asked him to lay out his clothes and in true J. fashion, he set them out with creative flair. (Did you notice the socks are tucked in by the shoes?) He goes to school every day from 8:15-11:15 and not a day goes by that I don't stand on the front porch in my pajamas with wild bed head hair and wave frantically good-bye with a prayer in my heart that the world will be good to my boy and bring him home safely to me.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Poor People Can Read Too...
I love "free" offers. So this last month I sent in my coupon to receive a free copy of a brand new magazine called "Cookie". It was advertised as being a magazine that offered "all the best for your family". What it failed to mention was that it is all the best for your family if you happen to be REALLY, REALLY rich. I knew I was in trouble when I opened the cover and found a succession of ads for Ralph Lauren, Burberry, DKNY and Guess clothing for CHILDREN! Then it elaborated on the items the models on the front cover were wearing...the darling mother kneeling down on the dirty ground at the park snuggling with her child is wearing a fur-trimmed silk faille jacket by Prada ($3,555), a red henley ($306), stovepipe pants ($310), earrings ($2310), leather flats ($625), and carrying a heritage velvet brocade bag by Prada ($2140).
I'd like to contrast that with the outfit I am wearing.
Today I am wearing a black knit Tshirt from TJ Maxx ($8.00), a black knee length skirt from Old Navy ($12), underwear, a bra ($12.00), flip flops ($5.00) and carrying a faux leather purse that was given to me free by my neighbor. I'm sure my fossil watch cost around $65.00 and my husband won't tell me how much my wedding ring cost.
Even though I was painfully out of my league, I just had to keep reading.
Fun recipes for the kids included Almond butter and finger bananas on fruit bread, prosciutto, fried egg and parmesan on country bread, and oven-baked chicken and slow roasted tomatoes on a baguette. If you are looking for a fun getaway for your family, they recommended a surfing camp in Brazil. But then came my favorite article about the stresses of carpooling kids to school.
And I quote, "It's important to be honest when problems arise--but try to withhold judgment. If, for example, your kid tells you that Kelly's mom gave him a Twinkie, and you have a strict no-trans-fat rule, you can let it go or bring it up without sounding like a snack snob..." Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not bright enough, or skinny enough, to make these things up. If someone gave my kid a Twinkie in carpool I'd be licking the crumbs off his shirt when he got home. I don't buy Twinkies because I'd eat the whole box.
I really could go on and on. C. and I sat for about an hour one night marvelling at the strange lives some people live. We alternated between horror, strange fascination, and flat out hysterical laughing. We debated at the end if we should get a subscription just for the sheer entertainment value but we were afraid they would do a salary check to see if we were classy enough. Well, until I can figure out what prosciutto is and whether or not Wal-Mart sells baguettes, I may just have to lay in my Hello Kitty pajamas (Target, $14.00) on my donated couch (thanks Mo and Papa!) and dream!
I'd like to contrast that with the outfit I am wearing.
Today I am wearing a black knit Tshirt from TJ Maxx ($8.00), a black knee length skirt from Old Navy ($12), underwear, a bra ($12.00), flip flops ($5.00) and carrying a faux leather purse that was given to me free by my neighbor. I'm sure my fossil watch cost around $65.00 and my husband won't tell me how much my wedding ring cost.
Even though I was painfully out of my league, I just had to keep reading.
Fun recipes for the kids included Almond butter and finger bananas on fruit bread, prosciutto, fried egg and parmesan on country bread, and oven-baked chicken and slow roasted tomatoes on a baguette. If you are looking for a fun getaway for your family, they recommended a surfing camp in Brazil. But then came my favorite article about the stresses of carpooling kids to school.
And I quote, "It's important to be honest when problems arise--but try to withhold judgment. If, for example, your kid tells you that Kelly's mom gave him a Twinkie, and you have a strict no-trans-fat rule, you can let it go or bring it up without sounding like a snack snob..." Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not bright enough, or skinny enough, to make these things up. If someone gave my kid a Twinkie in carpool I'd be licking the crumbs off his shirt when he got home. I don't buy Twinkies because I'd eat the whole box.
I really could go on and on. C. and I sat for about an hour one night marvelling at the strange lives some people live. We alternated between horror, strange fascination, and flat out hysterical laughing. We debated at the end if we should get a subscription just for the sheer entertainment value but we were afraid they would do a salary check to see if we were classy enough. Well, until I can figure out what prosciutto is and whether or not Wal-Mart sells baguettes, I may just have to lay in my Hello Kitty pajamas (Target, $14.00) on my donated couch (thanks Mo and Papa!) and dream!
Monday, August 07, 2006
Skeletons in the Closet
*(Lest I seem a little overzealous in posting blogs this evening, I am merely getting around to taking them out of Microsoft Word and actually posting them. One of the hazards of having 3 computers that don't all do the same things...)
Ladies and gentlemen...I would like to take this opportunity to clean out my closet and get some things out in the open here. I'd like to have a frank, open talk about mental illness. Yes, sanity. Here in the good ole' state of "Everything is perfect" Utah, we seem to have a few hang-ups about what is what and what is NOT what regarding a host of things. Tonight I am choosing mental health. You may choose the topic tomorrow...
There is a difference between "bucking up" and getting on with life and suffering from a dehabilitating, crippling ailment that you can not simply solve by prayer and scripture reading. If a person was suffering from a terrible physical illness, you wouldn't simply pat them on the back and tell them they just needed to pray a little harder and attend a few more church meetings. You would get them to the doctor, get the necessary medications, and nurse them back to health. But why is it that so many times in our culture and society, we view mental illness as a "weakness" instead of a legitimate medical problem? I don't suffer from anxiety because I have committed any great sin or am failing to do something right. I don't pace the floors at night, lose my appetite and think I'm going to die because I'm not strong enough to just "snap out of it". I suffer from a general anxiety disorder that I am grateful does not have to control me. I am strong enough to admit that I need help. I am doing everything right in my life by seeing the people that I know have experience with this disorder, researching what treatments are available, and taking medication based on informed decisions that are right for me and my family. So...
Raise your hand if you are taking your meds every day and feeling better than you have in a long, long time?
Raise your hand if you are grateful for a person who was brave enough to recognize what you were going through and shared with you their struggles and experience so you would know you weren't alone in facing your monsters and you wouldn't feel this way forever?
So it is time to start looking at the people around you in a very different light. It is time to stop feeling like you have to hide your "secret" because someone might find out and think you aren't perfect! Until you have had the panic attack that sends you to the hospital or the depression that wipes out every bright thing in your life, don't judge. Be a lot more sympathetic, a lot more understanding, and a whole lot less critical.
So...does anyone else have a soapbox that needs standing on?
Ladies and gentlemen...I would like to take this opportunity to clean out my closet and get some things out in the open here. I'd like to have a frank, open talk about mental illness. Yes, sanity. Here in the good ole' state of "Everything is perfect" Utah, we seem to have a few hang-ups about what is what and what is NOT what regarding a host of things. Tonight I am choosing mental health. You may choose the topic tomorrow...
There is a difference between "bucking up" and getting on with life and suffering from a dehabilitating, crippling ailment that you can not simply solve by prayer and scripture reading. If a person was suffering from a terrible physical illness, you wouldn't simply pat them on the back and tell them they just needed to pray a little harder and attend a few more church meetings. You would get them to the doctor, get the necessary medications, and nurse them back to health. But why is it that so many times in our culture and society, we view mental illness as a "weakness" instead of a legitimate medical problem? I don't suffer from anxiety because I have committed any great sin or am failing to do something right. I don't pace the floors at night, lose my appetite and think I'm going to die because I'm not strong enough to just "snap out of it". I suffer from a general anxiety disorder that I am grateful does not have to control me. I am strong enough to admit that I need help. I am doing everything right in my life by seeing the people that I know have experience with this disorder, researching what treatments are available, and taking medication based on informed decisions that are right for me and my family. So...
Raise your hand if you are taking your meds every day and feeling better than you have in a long, long time?
Raise your hand if you are grateful for a person who was brave enough to recognize what you were going through and shared with you their struggles and experience so you would know you weren't alone in facing your monsters and you wouldn't feel this way forever?
So it is time to start looking at the people around you in a very different light. It is time to stop feeling like you have to hide your "secret" because someone might find out and think you aren't perfect! Until you have had the panic attack that sends you to the hospital or the depression that wipes out every bright thing in your life, don't judge. Be a lot more sympathetic, a lot more understanding, and a whole lot less critical.
So...does anyone else have a soapbox that needs standing on?
Life
As a child, I feared cancer. I didn't know anyone with cancer but I think I had read enough really sappy books to get all worked up about the possibilities. I started to write stories about people with cancer (Don't Stop Me Now, I'm On My Way) and I would lay awake in bed at night trying to figure out what I would do if I had cancer. When I got my period for the first time, I thought I was dying of cancer and dreaded having to tell my mom that her first born child had only days to live. Every time I got a headache or cough, I was convinced it was cancer. Growing up really hasn't tamed the fear a whole lot...but interesting things are happening all around me.
Both my paternal grandparents suffered from various forms of cancer. My darling aunt passed away just recently after suffering from cancer. My sister-in-law is adapting to a life where she will never, ever be cancer free and is hoping that on-going chemotherapy treatments will keep the cancer at bay long enough for her to see her children grow up. My dear friend is in the middle of fighting a painful battle for the third time with lupus. The chemotherapy is causing her hair to fall out and she throws up all day long. I was talking to her on the phone today and said, "Don't you wish you could just go in to a coma and have someone wake you up when you are healthy and it is all over?" and before I finished the sentence she replied, "No! No! Because I would miss so many of the beautiful, tender, wonderful moments that are happening to me each day. I would miss the people who have been so incredibly kind and the tender mercies of the Lord. I feel things more passionately and get so emotional at the small things I witness in my life."
Her perspective has caused me to wonder at myself and my life all day.
I played with her children for a couple of hours this afternoon and they are as wonderful and strong and beautiful as their mother is. Through all the trauma, each of them is being blessed in strange, amazing ways. Suddenly in the middle of the horror, I see some of the beauty that comes in the refiners fire. Our lives are blessed in ways that we can't begin to fathom. I'm not mature enough to say that I can accept all that happens to me with a positive, cheerful spirit but I can see how some of the trials I've had have truly blessed my life. My friend and sister-in-law are true heroes and I feel blessed to have their influence and beauty in my life. Because of what they are experiencing, I am learning to understand what is really important in life and what is not. I'm learning to savor more and complain less. I'm learning to sit quietly more often and hold my children longer.
I'm learning how to live better.
Both my paternal grandparents suffered from various forms of cancer. My darling aunt passed away just recently after suffering from cancer. My sister-in-law is adapting to a life where she will never, ever be cancer free and is hoping that on-going chemotherapy treatments will keep the cancer at bay long enough for her to see her children grow up. My dear friend is in the middle of fighting a painful battle for the third time with lupus. The chemotherapy is causing her hair to fall out and she throws up all day long. I was talking to her on the phone today and said, "Don't you wish you could just go in to a coma and have someone wake you up when you are healthy and it is all over?" and before I finished the sentence she replied, "No! No! Because I would miss so many of the beautiful, tender, wonderful moments that are happening to me each day. I would miss the people who have been so incredibly kind and the tender mercies of the Lord. I feel things more passionately and get so emotional at the small things I witness in my life."
Her perspective has caused me to wonder at myself and my life all day.
I played with her children for a couple of hours this afternoon and they are as wonderful and strong and beautiful as their mother is. Through all the trauma, each of them is being blessed in strange, amazing ways. Suddenly in the middle of the horror, I see some of the beauty that comes in the refiners fire. Our lives are blessed in ways that we can't begin to fathom. I'm not mature enough to say that I can accept all that happens to me with a positive, cheerful spirit but I can see how some of the trials I've had have truly blessed my life. My friend and sister-in-law are true heroes and I feel blessed to have their influence and beauty in my life. Because of what they are experiencing, I am learning to understand what is really important in life and what is not. I'm learning to savor more and complain less. I'm learning to sit quietly more often and hold my children longer.
I'm learning how to live better.
Mean Mom
My darling 3-year old got himself into a HEAP o'trouble a couple weeks back. I dragged him kicking and screaming onto his time out mat and then listened to him scream, "You're bad!" for the next 3 minutes at the top of his lungs. When time out was finally over and we went into the living room for a little "processing", he immediately threw himself into my arms and said, "Mom, I love you so much" and then he held my two cheeks in his hands and with a sugary sweet voice asked, "But why do you have to be so mean?"
Monday, July 24, 2006
Love, Find Joy, Be Present
Today we had a vacation. This summer has been CRAZY...even bordering insane. There have been visitors/guests, family get-togethers, T-ball practices and games, volunteer projects, huge Primary changes, etc. etc. I am starting to feel overwhelmed and permanently stressed out. So last night, at about 9:00 p.m., C. and I packed up our little family and took a vacation from our life.
We grabbed our jammies, clean underwear, and toothbrushes and drove up to Mo and Papa's apartment to spend the night. Our boys were so excited that they bounced and gleefully played in the back of the mini-van the entire drive up. I was enchanted by their excitement and saddened by the pathetic state of our lives when going to Salt Lake City (30 minutes away) elicits such a huge response! Upon arrival, our boys promptly climbed into the big blue chair with Papa while he finished reading them "Treasure Island" and Mo, C. and I went down to gawk and marvel at the die hard parade goers camping out along the street for the Days of '47 parade!
This morning we woke up to Mo bouncing around the apartment waiting as patiently as she could with her sun hat and little back pack for the rest of us to get up so we could go to the parade. I didn't know my Mo had such a passion for the home grown parade but this was one anxious, excited lady! We headed down to South Temple and parked our chairs in front of her apartment building. We saw lots of policemen on motorcycles, cheesy floats with "royalty" and shouted the loudest we could when "Barry" from Macy's drove by and President Monson waved at us. We lasted 2 hours at the parade before the children's plea for air conditioning and hot dogs drove us inside. After a delightful lunch and a quick nap, C. and I took the boys out on an adventure. (H. stayed home with Mo for a little "shut-eye".) We walked down to the Beehive House, took a tour, looked at the Seagull Statue on Temple Square, visited the Church History Museum where we pulled a handcart and made lots of crafts, then headed back to the apartment via Main Street Plaza and a quick stop for some ice-cream at the little neighborhood deli. All in all, a fantastic "vacation".
The sad part is we have to go home in a few minutes. And there will be frantic messages on the answering machine, dirty dishes in the sink, laundry that still isn't folded, a treat schedule to get made up for soccer practice tomorrow, food to arrange to be picked up for the ward dinner, primary stuff to figure out, and a babysitter to find so I can go fulfill my responsibilities at Jake's new school. Sigh. I am so grateful for a life filled with wonderful opportunities to serve and participate but I wish the pace was slower. Just a few minutes ago I read a quote by an author that said she lived by the creed: Love, Find Joy, and Be Present. I've decided to adopt it. I can't go on vacation every day but I can learn to find more joy and moments of genuine happiness in my every day life and responsibilities. And I can remember to BE PRESENT in everything I am doing...especially where my kids are concerned. I want to involve them more and celebrate all the big and little milestones we are reaching every day in our lives as a family.
Today was a perfect little oasis of vacation...thank you Mo and Papa for hosting our getaway!
We grabbed our jammies, clean underwear, and toothbrushes and drove up to Mo and Papa's apartment to spend the night. Our boys were so excited that they bounced and gleefully played in the back of the mini-van the entire drive up. I was enchanted by their excitement and saddened by the pathetic state of our lives when going to Salt Lake City (30 minutes away) elicits such a huge response! Upon arrival, our boys promptly climbed into the big blue chair with Papa while he finished reading them "Treasure Island" and Mo, C. and I went down to gawk and marvel at the die hard parade goers camping out along the street for the Days of '47 parade!
This morning we woke up to Mo bouncing around the apartment waiting as patiently as she could with her sun hat and little back pack for the rest of us to get up so we could go to the parade. I didn't know my Mo had such a passion for the home grown parade but this was one anxious, excited lady! We headed down to South Temple and parked our chairs in front of her apartment building. We saw lots of policemen on motorcycles, cheesy floats with "royalty" and shouted the loudest we could when "Barry" from Macy's drove by and President Monson waved at us. We lasted 2 hours at the parade before the children's plea for air conditioning and hot dogs drove us inside. After a delightful lunch and a quick nap, C. and I took the boys out on an adventure. (H. stayed home with Mo for a little "shut-eye".) We walked down to the Beehive House, took a tour, looked at the Seagull Statue on Temple Square, visited the Church History Museum where we pulled a handcart and made lots of crafts, then headed back to the apartment via Main Street Plaza and a quick stop for some ice-cream at the little neighborhood deli. All in all, a fantastic "vacation".
The sad part is we have to go home in a few minutes. And there will be frantic messages on the answering machine, dirty dishes in the sink, laundry that still isn't folded, a treat schedule to get made up for soccer practice tomorrow, food to arrange to be picked up for the ward dinner, primary stuff to figure out, and a babysitter to find so I can go fulfill my responsibilities at Jake's new school. Sigh. I am so grateful for a life filled with wonderful opportunities to serve and participate but I wish the pace was slower. Just a few minutes ago I read a quote by an author that said she lived by the creed: Love, Find Joy, and Be Present. I've decided to adopt it. I can't go on vacation every day but I can learn to find more joy and moments of genuine happiness in my every day life and responsibilities. And I can remember to BE PRESENT in everything I am doing...especially where my kids are concerned. I want to involve them more and celebrate all the big and little milestones we are reaching every day in our lives as a family.
Today was a perfect little oasis of vacation...thank you Mo and Papa for hosting our getaway!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
What Type of Shoe I Am
I took Yolanda's challenge and here are my results...
I wanted to be slinky heels. Sigh.
| You Are Big Black Boots! |
 You can be best described as: attitude You've got lots of it - and you love to give it A guy has to be pretty gusty to hit on you But if he's your type, you'll warm up... a little |
I wanted to be slinky heels. Sigh.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Cool Tunes
We have had company for 16 days straight. Blogging has taken a back seat to sheer survival. I am in the midst of trying to document our adventure with pictures but struggling with the pictures. Am I missing some secret to posting pictures? Will someone email me and give me a step-by-step? Seriously. Cute pictures but can't figure out how to make it work. In the mean time...
As many of you know, I come from a family with numerous talents. I feel it is my responsibility as the oldest to sibling to make sure these talents are probably noted and appreciated. (It is one of my talents...that and playing the piano...and being good with people...and that is all. No pity party, just acceptance that someone in the family has to appreciate all the other amazing talent. But I diverge...)
Spencer has recorded his first hit single. I find it catchy, engaging and oddly enough, I find myself humming it ALL the time. My kids will say, "Mom, are you humming Spencer's song again?". It has found a place in my brain and remained there for quite some time. I am very, very impressed with his talent, creativity, gusto, and abilities. This outstanding accomplishment needs to be shared...but I don't know how. So I am going to refer you to Spencer's blog and hope he can figure out how to get his song out there.
Spencer, when does the next one come out? I'm on the edge of my iTunes waiting hopefully. I really do love your song! I've played it for every guest that has come through the door the last 16 days...and that is ALOT of people. Waiting for more....
As many of you know, I come from a family with numerous talents. I feel it is my responsibility as the oldest to sibling to make sure these talents are probably noted and appreciated. (It is one of my talents...that and playing the piano...and being good with people...and that is all. No pity party, just acceptance that someone in the family has to appreciate all the other amazing talent. But I diverge...)
Spencer has recorded his first hit single. I find it catchy, engaging and oddly enough, I find myself humming it ALL the time. My kids will say, "Mom, are you humming Spencer's song again?". It has found a place in my brain and remained there for quite some time. I am very, very impressed with his talent, creativity, gusto, and abilities. This outstanding accomplishment needs to be shared...but I don't know how. So I am going to refer you to Spencer's blog and hope he can figure out how to get his song out there.
Spencer, when does the next one come out? I'm on the edge of my iTunes waiting hopefully. I really do love your song! I've played it for every guest that has come through the door the last 16 days...and that is ALOT of people. Waiting for more....
Sunday, June 18, 2006
An Odd Little Thing
My writing career started young. My first official published work can be found at Highcroft Elementary School in St. Louis, MO. It is titled, "Lovisa Goes Shopping." A deep look at the world of little girls shopping at toy stores. I believe it was around 8 pages and fully illustrated by my third grade self.
I then moved on to explore other subject matters in my novels...mainly death and cancer. There was "Don't Stop Me Now, I'm On My Way" and "Last Breath". I'm not sure what happened to both these stories. A tragic loss for the literary world.
I took all the usual classes in high school and wrote tons of depressing stuff about things I knew nothing about. Then came all the years in college where depressing turned into what I thought was profound and symbolic work which really translates to profoundly stupid writing. And here I am...
I think I always thought I wanted to be a writer. This week I attended a writing conference at BYU and decided that what I REALLY want to be is a book editor. I'm not sure that was really the point of the conference but it was the most inspirational thing I walked away with. The conference was excellent! But really, I'm not all that great at writing but I am great at telling my husband what is wonderful or really bad with every book I read. I love children's literature and I love reading. I believe in the power great writing can have in a child's life. I've seen its influence in my life, in the lives of children I've taught, in the faces of parents and toddlers at story times, and in the lives of my own children. So there you have it. A little A-HA moment that happened last week. Isn't it great when your whole life takes a pleasant turn and you develop a new perspective for a mere $109 and some time off in the afternoon??
I then moved on to explore other subject matters in my novels...mainly death and cancer. There was "Don't Stop Me Now, I'm On My Way" and "Last Breath". I'm not sure what happened to both these stories. A tragic loss for the literary world.
I took all the usual classes in high school and wrote tons of depressing stuff about things I knew nothing about. Then came all the years in college where depressing turned into what I thought was profound and symbolic work which really translates to profoundly stupid writing. And here I am...
I think I always thought I wanted to be a writer. This week I attended a writing conference at BYU and decided that what I REALLY want to be is a book editor. I'm not sure that was really the point of the conference but it was the most inspirational thing I walked away with. The conference was excellent! But really, I'm not all that great at writing but I am great at telling my husband what is wonderful or really bad with every book I read. I love children's literature and I love reading. I believe in the power great writing can have in a child's life. I've seen its influence in my life, in the lives of children I've taught, in the faces of parents and toddlers at story times, and in the lives of my own children. So there you have it. A little A-HA moment that happened last week. Isn't it great when your whole life takes a pleasant turn and you develop a new perspective for a mere $109 and some time off in the afternoon??
Some Things To Consider
(This list was forwarded to me in an email. I thought it was blog worthy...it made me laugh and then weep. I still can't decide if I think it is hysterical or tragic but maybe I liked it because it was both. Anyway, enjoy...)
*Raising Boys - 24 key points to ponder
The following came from an anonymous Mother in Austin, Texas...
Things I've learned from my Boys (honest and not kidding):
1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft.
house 4 inches deep.
2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with
roller blades, they can ignite.
3. A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded
restaurant.
4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong
enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a
Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can,
to spread paint on all four walls of a 20 x 20 ft. room.
5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When
using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few
times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long
way.
6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit
by a ceiling fan.
7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already
too late
8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
9. A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a
36-year old man says they can only do it in the movies.
10. Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year
old Boy.
11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.
12. Super glue is forever.
13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still
can't walk on water.
14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
15. VCR's do not eject "PB &J" sandwiches even though TV commercials
show they do.
16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.
19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not
like ovens.
20. The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.
21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms
dizzy.
22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.
23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
24. 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake
fluid.
Those who pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without
boys do it because:
a) For those with no children - this is totally hysterical!
b) For those who already have children past this age, this is
hilarious.
c) For those who have children this age, this is not funny.
d) For those who have children nearing this age, this is a warning.
e) For those who have not yet had children, this is birth control.
*Raising Boys - 24 key points to ponder
The following came from an anonymous Mother in Austin, Texas...
Things I've learned from my Boys (honest and not kidding):
1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft.
house 4 inches deep.
2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with
roller blades, they can ignite.
3. A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded
restaurant.
4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong
enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a
Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can,
to spread paint on all four walls of a 20 x 20 ft. room.
5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When
using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few
times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long
way.
6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit
by a ceiling fan.
7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already
too late
8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
9. A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a
36-year old man says they can only do it in the movies.
10. Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year
old Boy.
11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.
12. Super glue is forever.
13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still
can't walk on water.
14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
15. VCR's do not eject "PB &J" sandwiches even though TV commercials
show they do.
16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.
19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not
like ovens.
20. The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.
21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms
dizzy.
22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.
23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
24. 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake
fluid.
Those who pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without
boys do it because:
a) For those with no children - this is totally hysterical!
b) For those who already have children past this age, this is
hilarious.
c) For those who have children this age, this is not funny.
d) For those who have children nearing this age, this is a warning.
e) For those who have not yet had children, this is birth control.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
GARDEN week
June 12-June 16, 2006
Letter of the Week: H, h
Theme: Gardens & Plants
a) Go to www.preschooleducation.com
b) Click on THEME TOPICS.
c) Click on GARDEN.
d) In the purple box labeled “Theme Topics Garden”, click on MUSIC AND SONGS. Choose a variety of songs you would like to sing each day. You can also look up books, arts & crafts, math, science, snacks, etc.
Check out garden/plant/flower stories from the library. Remember to look for a variety of genres…non-fiction books, poetry, picture books, songs, etc.
MONDAY
1) Letter Activity:
• Post words to “Humpty Dumpty” on chart paper on the wall. Read poem together. Discuss what Big H and little h look like and what sound they make. Have kids come circle all the H’s they can find.
• Pour uncooked rice onto a cookie sheet. Have kids practice drawing Big H and little h in the rice.
2) Theme:
• Read “The Crooked Apple Tree” by Eric Houghton.
• Sing “I’ll Plant A Little Seed”.
(Sung to I’m A Little Teapot):
I’ll plant a little seed in the dark ground,
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round.
Down comes the cool rain, soft and slow.
Up comes the little seed, grow, grow, grow.
• Activity: Go out to garden and pick a flower/weed…some type of plant. Be sure to have the kids pick it gently so it pulls up the roots. Take it inside and have them examine it closely. On a large piece of poster paper, draw a plant and start labeling the different parts they observe. (Flower, stem, leaves, roots) Then discuss what essential things a plant needs to grow. (sun, water, soil) Have kids draw/make their own flower, label parts, and add sun, water, and soil.
TUESDAY
1) Letter Activity:
• Read Humpty, Dumpty poem again. Review “H” words located on Monday. On a new piece of chart paper, generate a list of H words focusing on the sound H makes. Have kids come circle the H’s again.
• Give kids a paper that has a big H and little h written on it. Have them glue cut out hearts on to the paper to form the letters.
2) Theme:
• Read “The Reason for a Flower” by Ruth Heller.
• Sung to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” (Do actions for each line as you sing):
Dig, dig, dig the earth,
Then you plant your seeds,
A gentle rain
And bright sunshine
Will help your flowers grow.
• ACTIVITY:
Fold a paper towel and spray it with water. Put the paper towel and three lima beans (that have been soaked in water for about an hour) into a ziplock bag. Seal the bag. Take a piece of green construction paper. Cut a big house shape. Staple the ziplock bag into the center of the “greenhouse”. Let kids decorate their greenhouse around the bag. Explain that you will be observing their seeds grow in the bag every day. Review parts of a plant and what a plant needs to grow. (See www.littlegiraffes.com for a full explanation. Go to TEACHERS, then click on THEMES, then scroll down to PLANTS.)
Place white carnations in a glass of water. Have children add a few drops of food coloring to their water. Have them predict what will happen to their flower. Set flowers aside until Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY
1) Letter Activity: Read/review H words from chart paper. Have a sheet with Big H’s and little h’s. Have children start tracing H’s on the sheet with guided help. Have them draw a picture of an H word on the back of the paper.
2) Theme:
• Read “Growing Vegetable Soup” by Lois Ehlert.
• Sing a song.
• ACTIVITY: Check on white carnations. Discuss what has happened to their carnation and why (the carnation will have turned whatever color the water was). This experiment illustrates how plants drink water to help them grow and be healthy.
• SUNFLOWERS: You will need 1 large paper plate for each child, yellow crayon/paint, brown crayon/paint, small black beans, and scissors. Have the children color the inside of the plate brown. Then the outside rim yellow. Give them some beans and glue, and let them glue the beans in the center where the brown is. After they dry, cut around the edge to give it fringe. Hang them in a window or from the ceiling.
THURSDAY
1) Letter Activity: Using old magazines, have children find pictures that start with the letter H. Cut pictures out, glue to a piece of construction paper and label the picture. Have child practice tracing more Big and little H letters.
2) Theme:
• Read “Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together With Children” by Sharon Lovejoy
• Sing a song.
• ACTIVITY: Go on a field trip to the INTERNATIONAL GARDENS in Salt Lake City. Kids sketch their favorite flowers, trees, plants in their journals.
FRIDAY
1) Letter Activity: Have children practice writing their letter H on dry erase boards without tracing them.
• Have children trace each of their hands. On each hand write: “Name of child’s hands can…” and have them made a list of what their hands can do.
2) Theme:
• Read “One Bean” by Anne Rockwell.
• Sing a song.
• Activity: Go on a scavenger hunt outside. Collect different examples of things that grow from the neighborhood. Bring them home and glue them on paper to make a collage of “Things That Grow In My Neighborhood.”
• Review sketches from the field trip the day before.
MONDAY-FRIDAY: Introduce play “From Seed to Plant”. (From book “25 Just-Right Plays for Emergent Readers” by Carol Pugliano-Martin, Scholastic) Choose parts. Decide on costumes and scenery. For the next couple of days we are going to work on putting on this play. I’m really trying to work with my kids on memorizing different types of things from plays to poems.
Letter of the Week: H, h
Theme: Gardens & Plants
a) Go to www.preschooleducation.com
b) Click on THEME TOPICS.
c) Click on GARDEN.
d) In the purple box labeled “Theme Topics Garden”, click on MUSIC AND SONGS. Choose a variety of songs you would like to sing each day. You can also look up books, arts & crafts, math, science, snacks, etc.
Check out garden/plant/flower stories from the library. Remember to look for a variety of genres…non-fiction books, poetry, picture books, songs, etc.
MONDAY
1) Letter Activity:
• Post words to “Humpty Dumpty” on chart paper on the wall. Read poem together. Discuss what Big H and little h look like and what sound they make. Have kids come circle all the H’s they can find.
• Pour uncooked rice onto a cookie sheet. Have kids practice drawing Big H and little h in the rice.
2) Theme:
• Read “The Crooked Apple Tree” by Eric Houghton.
• Sing “I’ll Plant A Little Seed”.
(Sung to I’m A Little Teapot):
I’ll plant a little seed in the dark ground,
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round.
Down comes the cool rain, soft and slow.
Up comes the little seed, grow, grow, grow.
• Activity: Go out to garden and pick a flower/weed…some type of plant. Be sure to have the kids pick it gently so it pulls up the roots. Take it inside and have them examine it closely. On a large piece of poster paper, draw a plant and start labeling the different parts they observe. (Flower, stem, leaves, roots) Then discuss what essential things a plant needs to grow. (sun, water, soil) Have kids draw/make their own flower, label parts, and add sun, water, and soil.
TUESDAY
1) Letter Activity:
• Read Humpty, Dumpty poem again. Review “H” words located on Monday. On a new piece of chart paper, generate a list of H words focusing on the sound H makes. Have kids come circle the H’s again.
• Give kids a paper that has a big H and little h written on it. Have them glue cut out hearts on to the paper to form the letters.
2) Theme:
• Read “The Reason for a Flower” by Ruth Heller.
• Sung to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” (Do actions for each line as you sing):
Dig, dig, dig the earth,
Then you plant your seeds,
A gentle rain
And bright sunshine
Will help your flowers grow.
• ACTIVITY:
Fold a paper towel and spray it with water. Put the paper towel and three lima beans (that have been soaked in water for about an hour) into a ziplock bag. Seal the bag. Take a piece of green construction paper. Cut a big house shape. Staple the ziplock bag into the center of the “greenhouse”. Let kids decorate their greenhouse around the bag. Explain that you will be observing their seeds grow in the bag every day. Review parts of a plant and what a plant needs to grow. (See www.littlegiraffes.com for a full explanation. Go to TEACHERS, then click on THEMES, then scroll down to PLANTS.)
Place white carnations in a glass of water. Have children add a few drops of food coloring to their water. Have them predict what will happen to their flower. Set flowers aside until Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY
1) Letter Activity: Read/review H words from chart paper. Have a sheet with Big H’s and little h’s. Have children start tracing H’s on the sheet with guided help. Have them draw a picture of an H word on the back of the paper.
2) Theme:
• Read “Growing Vegetable Soup” by Lois Ehlert.
• Sing a song.
• ACTIVITY: Check on white carnations. Discuss what has happened to their carnation and why (the carnation will have turned whatever color the water was). This experiment illustrates how plants drink water to help them grow and be healthy.
• SUNFLOWERS: You will need 1 large paper plate for each child, yellow crayon/paint, brown crayon/paint, small black beans, and scissors. Have the children color the inside of the plate brown. Then the outside rim yellow. Give them some beans and glue, and let them glue the beans in the center where the brown is. After they dry, cut around the edge to give it fringe. Hang them in a window or from the ceiling.
THURSDAY
1) Letter Activity: Using old magazines, have children find pictures that start with the letter H. Cut pictures out, glue to a piece of construction paper and label the picture. Have child practice tracing more Big and little H letters.
2) Theme:
• Read “Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together With Children” by Sharon Lovejoy
• Sing a song.
• ACTIVITY: Go on a field trip to the INTERNATIONAL GARDENS in Salt Lake City. Kids sketch their favorite flowers, trees, plants in their journals.
FRIDAY
1) Letter Activity: Have children practice writing their letter H on dry erase boards without tracing them.
• Have children trace each of their hands. On each hand write: “Name of child’s hands can…” and have them made a list of what their hands can do.
2) Theme:
• Read “One Bean” by Anne Rockwell.
• Sing a song.
• Activity: Go on a scavenger hunt outside. Collect different examples of things that grow from the neighborhood. Bring them home and glue them on paper to make a collage of “Things That Grow In My Neighborhood.”
• Review sketches from the field trip the day before.
MONDAY-FRIDAY: Introduce play “From Seed to Plant”. (From book “25 Just-Right Plays for Emergent Readers” by Carol Pugliano-Martin, Scholastic) Choose parts. Decide on costumes and scenery. For the next couple of days we are going to work on putting on this play. I’m really trying to work with my kids on memorizing different types of things from plays to poems.
Monday, June 12, 2006
LETTER OF THE WEEK
Summer has started and school has ended. Does anyone else find this slightly traumatic? We finally had our routine down and suddenly it all changed and I felt like I was floating around in my black hole of "wearing pj's til noon and eating Doritos for breakfast" mode. So we have implemented a new summer schedule. Now, I'm sharing this because it is my blog and I can share whatever I want but remember I am also a junkie for playing school in the basement and making people play MY games with me. (Isn't that why we have kids?) Anyway, it has helped lessen the boredom and amount of T.V. time, increased our "fun" meter, and even added a splash of learning into the mix. Here is how it works.
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. Breakfast and lounging
*(We are not huge morning people here...it takes all of us a while to get moving!)
9:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Daily Chores
*(Each person in the family, including mom, has a chore chart on the fridge with daily chores on it. They are age appropriate for the child and change as the needs change or the kids become capable of doing more.) Chores include: Getting dressed, Making Bed, Cleaning Bedroom, Going Potty, Reading One Chapter/Book Out Loud, and helping with a "Special" Chore. We set the timer and go to work. If the kids complete their chores by the time the timer goes off and without me nagging them, then they are invited to a special activity at the kitchen table. If they don't finish or if I've had to nag them, they are uninvited and have to find something else to do alone.
9:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Special Activity/ Mom gets ready
*If the kids have earned it, they get a special activity. I have a fabulous deck of cards that I bought called "50 Simple Activities to Do with Kids"...each card has a different activity on it that is EASY to do. We pick a card, get out the "supply" box, and the kids do their project. I am also an "Oriental Trading" junkie (really...a total addict! Check out orientaltrading.com OR handson fun.com). Every couple of months I place a huge order of crafts, stickers, stencils, stamps, etc. and place them in a huge storage box in my room. This is a great resource for pulling stuff out and giving the kids last minute activities and projects to do. Oriental Trading is a super cheap, super fun place to get stuff like this! I also have them write cards to people, write letters, do birthday cards for friends and family, or whatever else I can think of. Giving them a project is great because I can go have 20-30 minutes to actually get dressed and put on deodrant. So lovely.
For the rest of the morning we have our "stuff" to do. On Mondays, Jake goes to a special class at the library. On Wednesdays, Hannah and Matthew go to their special class at the library. On Tuesdays, if the kids have filled up their chore charts from the week before, we go to the special Mom/Kid Summer Movies at the theatre. There are a ton of these kinds of things you can do. Check around your library, school, rec center, movie theaters, etc.
We have lunch around noon, I put Hannah down for her nap and the boys and I have some serious quiet time for a few minutes. The boys are hugely against naps but they get to watch part of a movie or show while we just veg.
In the afternoon, after "veg" time, we go downstairs for Busy Bee School. This little school lasts for 60-90 minutes and is my favorite part of the day. We start with our theme song and then I have a little section of the playroom with a calendar and weather chart. We do the calendar (both boys know all 12 months, all 7 days of the week and can count to 31 because of this simple thing!) and the weather chart and then we sing our ABC's and do our flash cards.
Next is an activity with our "Letter of the Week." Each week we focus on a different letter. We talk about how it looks, sounds, and how it is written. Matthew focuses on the basics while Jake is working on his handwriting and spelling. We do a short activity and then move on.
After letters, I read a picture book that goes along with our weekly "theme". (While Jake is at his special class on Mondays at the library, M., H., and I go on a treasure hunt for books that fit our theme. I try to get a variety of books from different genres...nonfiction, picture books, poetry, how-to books, etc. that I put in a big basket in the basement.) Then we do an a thematic activity. I don't know if anybody is really all that interested but I will post our letter activites and weekly theme activities on my blog if you are looking for ideas. Check out 3 of my favorite websites for ideas:
A) starfall.com (This is amazing for all levels of kids. It is online games and activities but you can also print things off or even order the materials for a minimal fee. It has been an amazing resource!)
B) littlegiraffes.com (Click on the TEACHERS button and then on THEMES. This whole website is great so check all the other sections out too!)
C) janbrett.com (This has really fun alphabets, numbers, games, activities, etc.)
Sometimes for Busy Bee School we just go on a field trip...museums, swimming, parks, downtown adventures, hikes, etc. We try to have at least one field trip a week.
At 5:00 p.m., the kids write in their "journals" while I start fixing dinner. J. can write and illustrate his own journal and for M. and H. I have them dictate to me and then they illustrate. I keep a container full of stickers, stamps, markers, crayons, glue, scissors, tape, etc. upstairs in the kitchen so I can get out what I want for a quick "art" project whenever we need one.
OK, so this was long and probably way, way more than you wanted to know but it has made our summer really fun. We always have friends over to play and take friends with us on any field trip, swimming, biking, hiking, whatever excursion so it has been so, so, so much fun! I'm hoping this will also help us not be so shell-shocked when fall rolls around and we have to get back on our "school" routine!
Now it's your turn. What great summer things have you discovered??
8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. Breakfast and lounging
*(We are not huge morning people here...it takes all of us a while to get moving!)
9:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Daily Chores
*(Each person in the family, including mom, has a chore chart on the fridge with daily chores on it. They are age appropriate for the child and change as the needs change or the kids become capable of doing more.) Chores include: Getting dressed, Making Bed, Cleaning Bedroom, Going Potty, Reading One Chapter/Book Out Loud, and helping with a "Special" Chore. We set the timer and go to work. If the kids complete their chores by the time the timer goes off and without me nagging them, then they are invited to a special activity at the kitchen table. If they don't finish or if I've had to nag them, they are uninvited and have to find something else to do alone.
9:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Special Activity/ Mom gets ready
*If the kids have earned it, they get a special activity. I have a fabulous deck of cards that I bought called "50 Simple Activities to Do with Kids"...each card has a different activity on it that is EASY to do. We pick a card, get out the "supply" box, and the kids do their project. I am also an "Oriental Trading" junkie (really...a total addict! Check out orientaltrading.com OR handson fun.com). Every couple of months I place a huge order of crafts, stickers, stencils, stamps, etc. and place them in a huge storage box in my room. This is a great resource for pulling stuff out and giving the kids last minute activities and projects to do. Oriental Trading is a super cheap, super fun place to get stuff like this! I also have them write cards to people, write letters, do birthday cards for friends and family, or whatever else I can think of. Giving them a project is great because I can go have 20-30 minutes to actually get dressed and put on deodrant. So lovely.
For the rest of the morning we have our "stuff" to do. On Mondays, Jake goes to a special class at the library. On Wednesdays, Hannah and Matthew go to their special class at the library. On Tuesdays, if the kids have filled up their chore charts from the week before, we go to the special Mom/Kid Summer Movies at the theatre. There are a ton of these kinds of things you can do. Check around your library, school, rec center, movie theaters, etc.
We have lunch around noon, I put Hannah down for her nap and the boys and I have some serious quiet time for a few minutes. The boys are hugely against naps but they get to watch part of a movie or show while we just veg.
In the afternoon, after "veg" time, we go downstairs for Busy Bee School. This little school lasts for 60-90 minutes and is my favorite part of the day. We start with our theme song and then I have a little section of the playroom with a calendar and weather chart. We do the calendar (both boys know all 12 months, all 7 days of the week and can count to 31 because of this simple thing!) and the weather chart and then we sing our ABC's and do our flash cards.
Next is an activity with our "Letter of the Week." Each week we focus on a different letter. We talk about how it looks, sounds, and how it is written. Matthew focuses on the basics while Jake is working on his handwriting and spelling. We do a short activity and then move on.
After letters, I read a picture book that goes along with our weekly "theme". (While Jake is at his special class on Mondays at the library, M., H., and I go on a treasure hunt for books that fit our theme. I try to get a variety of books from different genres...nonfiction, picture books, poetry, how-to books, etc. that I put in a big basket in the basement.) Then we do an a thematic activity. I don't know if anybody is really all that interested but I will post our letter activites and weekly theme activities on my blog if you are looking for ideas. Check out 3 of my favorite websites for ideas:
A) starfall.com (This is amazing for all levels of kids. It is online games and activities but you can also print things off or even order the materials for a minimal fee. It has been an amazing resource!)
B) littlegiraffes.com (Click on the TEACHERS button and then on THEMES. This whole website is great so check all the other sections out too!)
C) janbrett.com (This has really fun alphabets, numbers, games, activities, etc.)
Sometimes for Busy Bee School we just go on a field trip...museums, swimming, parks, downtown adventures, hikes, etc. We try to have at least one field trip a week.
At 5:00 p.m., the kids write in their "journals" while I start fixing dinner. J. can write and illustrate his own journal and for M. and H. I have them dictate to me and then they illustrate. I keep a container full of stickers, stamps, markers, crayons, glue, scissors, tape, etc. upstairs in the kitchen so I can get out what I want for a quick "art" project whenever we need one.
OK, so this was long and probably way, way more than you wanted to know but it has made our summer really fun. We always have friends over to play and take friends with us on any field trip, swimming, biking, hiking, whatever excursion so it has been so, so, so much fun! I'm hoping this will also help us not be so shell-shocked when fall rolls around and we have to get back on our "school" routine!
Now it's your turn. What great summer things have you discovered??
Saturday Is A Special Day
I have to admit that for many years now I have found Saturdays to be a particularly painful time. It has always meant "lots of chores/low fun" for me. Houses to clean, grass to mow, weeds to pull, groceries to buy, baths to be taken, blah, blah, blah. And it seemed like my darling hubby ended up with the outside chores in the blazing sun and I ended up doing inside chores in the stifling dust and the kids ended up somewhere in between getting into messes. Well, we have tried something new and it has changed my world and my "Saturday" attitude. I thought I'd share...
Saturday morning we all wake up, eat a delicious breakfast together, and then organize ourselves on to teams. One grown-up per one child. (Or one big kid with one little kid if you have "big" kids!) There can be more than one child on a team but the point is to have AT LEAST 2 people working together. We then decided what the fantastic reward is that we are working towards...a snow cone, fun field trip, treat at the store, picnic, etc. Each team is handed a list of "Must Do's". Our list has the following things on it:
1) Make bed
2) Clean Room
3) Get Dressed
Then we have a "Mystery" can (which is actually an old raisin can) that is filled with 6 "clues". (Can you tell my 2 boys came up with portions of this game?) The 6 clues are additional chores that need to be done in the house. The idea is that you start with your "Must Do" list and then you go pick a clue/chore from the can. Once you have finished your list & done 3 chores from the mystery can, you are done. Finished. No more work and lots more fun.
The kitchen timer is set for ONE HOUR and the start button is pushed. When that timer goes off, we are done. If there are chores not finished then they are left for the following week or another day. The idea is for each team to compete against the TIMER, not each other. We have not had a week where we haven't finished our chores and we work faster and more efficiently. After chores inside, we put cleaning stuff away and head out for our "reward"! I can't believe how spectacular our house looks, how well the jobs get done, and how much my attitude has changed about cleaning the house. Doing together as a family with everyone helping has been fantastic. Let me point out the serious benefits:
a) Doing something TOGETHER is so much easier and more fun than being sent off alone.
b) I get one-on-one time with a different child each week and we spend the whole hour talking about stuff, singing songs, and telling the dumbest jokes you have ever heard. I love the time alone with my kids!
c) I am really teaching/training my kids how to do the chores around the house. My kids are working right next to me cleaning toilets, sinks, bathtubs, vacuuming stairs and floors, washing windows, organizing playrooms...nothing is off limits. I feel like they are really learning how to do these chores and will hopefully one day be able to do them effectively and without any stress on their own.
d) My kids get to see my husband and I doing chores equally and as a team. There isn't any chore that is considered "mom" or "dad's" chore...they get to see us working on different aspects of the house together.
Really, I can't say enough about how well this has worked and I can't claim any credit for creativity because I got the basis of this idea from a book called "The Potentially Sane Mother's Guide To Raising Kids" by Tammy Fackrell. (I don't know if I got that title and author completely correct but I'll check on it!) Let me know what YOU do to get cleaning done. I can use all the help you've got!
Saturday morning we all wake up, eat a delicious breakfast together, and then organize ourselves on to teams. One grown-up per one child. (Or one big kid with one little kid if you have "big" kids!) There can be more than one child on a team but the point is to have AT LEAST 2 people working together. We then decided what the fantastic reward is that we are working towards...a snow cone, fun field trip, treat at the store, picnic, etc. Each team is handed a list of "Must Do's". Our list has the following things on it:
1) Make bed
2) Clean Room
3) Get Dressed
Then we have a "Mystery" can (which is actually an old raisin can) that is filled with 6 "clues". (Can you tell my 2 boys came up with portions of this game?) The 6 clues are additional chores that need to be done in the house. The idea is that you start with your "Must Do" list and then you go pick a clue/chore from the can. Once you have finished your list & done 3 chores from the mystery can, you are done. Finished. No more work and lots more fun.
The kitchen timer is set for ONE HOUR and the start button is pushed. When that timer goes off, we are done. If there are chores not finished then they are left for the following week or another day. The idea is for each team to compete against the TIMER, not each other. We have not had a week where we haven't finished our chores and we work faster and more efficiently. After chores inside, we put cleaning stuff away and head out for our "reward"! I can't believe how spectacular our house looks, how well the jobs get done, and how much my attitude has changed about cleaning the house. Doing together as a family with everyone helping has been fantastic. Let me point out the serious benefits:
a) Doing something TOGETHER is so much easier and more fun than being sent off alone.
b) I get one-on-one time with a different child each week and we spend the whole hour talking about stuff, singing songs, and telling the dumbest jokes you have ever heard. I love the time alone with my kids!
c) I am really teaching/training my kids how to do the chores around the house. My kids are working right next to me cleaning toilets, sinks, bathtubs, vacuuming stairs and floors, washing windows, organizing playrooms...nothing is off limits. I feel like they are really learning how to do these chores and will hopefully one day be able to do them effectively and without any stress on their own.
d) My kids get to see my husband and I doing chores equally and as a team. There isn't any chore that is considered "mom" or "dad's" chore...they get to see us working on different aspects of the house together.
Really, I can't say enough about how well this has worked and I can't claim any credit for creativity because I got the basis of this idea from a book called "The Potentially Sane Mother's Guide To Raising Kids" by Tammy Fackrell. (I don't know if I got that title and author completely correct but I'll check on it!) Let me know what YOU do to get cleaning done. I can use all the help you've got!
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