Bunny Fever

     How many petting zoo's have I taken my kids to?  It's hypothetical, really, because there have been so many.  It's interesting though, both Elijah and Lydia have been kindly ambivalent to the baby goats, the geese, the llama, the donkey, and ducks.  They'll pet them, feed them and without prodding, move on out so the next line of kids can check out the animals.  I found out yesterday that farm animals are more Lanie's speed.
   
       LSA preschool was supposed to take a field trip to the Rodeo this week so all the kids could experience the sights, sounds and smells.  Lydia took this same trip last year.  But, they didn't get their school field trip request in time, so instead, they brought a tiny petting zoo to the school.  Not quite the same if you ask me, but so it goes.  Before we left for school yesterday morning, I convinced Lanie that she should wear jeans.  This was a monumental decision for her since skirts and leggings are her usual cold weather attire.  I was pleased as punch that she put them on and even wore her pink kikkers.  Never been prouder.

      The past few weeks, as we talk more and more about the Dream House and just new homes in general, Lanie has requested a barn with a horse.  And a whole bunch of kittens.  I reminded her how much responsibility it is to have animals, but it hasn't phased her.  She has a response for everything.  "We'll just clean up the poop, mommy.  It's easy."

        At this petting zoo yesterday, Lanie fell in love with the rabbits.  Long-eared, fluffy rabbits.  And she chased them around the enclosure the way she chases Luna and Radley.  And the rabbits weren't any more friendly to her then they are. But now she's begging for rabbits.  Do I tell her that I had two rabbits when I was a kid.  They were named Elvira and Bobby-Sue (Can you tell we were really big into the Oak Ridge Boys at the time.)  And Kenny also had a rabbit as a kid, named Flopsy.  Both of us recall that the rabbits weren't very nice, they left lots of pellets, the cages were hard to clean, and we didn't spend much time with them after the initial - "Oh, you have a bunny.  That's cute."  
But, Lanie is nothing, if not persistent, so I assume her request won't end especially with bunny season in full swing. And I've found I bend easily when it comes to kids and animals.  So please,  if you have any experience owning a rabbit, share some details, good or bad.  And sooner rather than later because an Easter bunny on Easter is just about enough cute to make me do it.

Upward Farewell

        Basketball season is over!  At least for our little Upward kids.  This means that my 8 week commitment of coaching little girls in cheerleading has also come to an end.  And I'm so glad.  Don't get me wrong, I loved the little girls I got to meet and teach, but I'm not so sure it was a volunteer position quite in my wheel house.  The cheer part, yes. But the part that involves herding eight little 4 and 5-year-old girls like they were cats, not so much.  At any given moment during a practice or game, you could spot one or two girls sitting on the ground just too tired to go on (that was usually my daughter), another running around in the back of the stage trying to hide, another yelling through her megaphone backwards, and still another who needed a water break every few minutes.  It was comical, truly.  Of course there were times when they listened and cheered beautifully, just not all at the same time.  But they were so cute trying, what's a cheer coach to do?  The other volunteer who worked with me who (gulp) has five children of her own, and I decided just to laugh through our exasperation, all of the time.  Definitely a learning experience.  And Lanie has already shared with me that next year, she just wants to watch.  I don't Cheerleading is in her wheel house either. :-)

                   












To celebrate the end of the season, the UpWard commissioners set up a chance for the entire Upward group to attend a Rice University basketball game.  Some of the cheerleaders performed at halftime.  Not Lanie, she didn't want to.  The highlight, though incredibly short-lived for the amount of set-up,  was half-time when the coaches' kids got to create the tunnel for the players and slap hands. Too bad no in our family follows Rice basketball or it may have held even more weight.
         We stuck around and chatted with friends we only see during the season, but couldn't hold out for the whole game.  We left when Rice was trailing Tulane by 25 points.  Not a nail-biter at all but a nice ending to our two months of busy basketball Saturdays.

Now, I'm ready to sleep in and enjoy the ride of Spring activities. I tell you, There is just al-ways something.

Pre-game primping

When They Grow Up

       I love this picture I saw right outside Lanie's classroom.  It's not her class.  I don't really know the kids.  But I love this idea.  If it were mine I'd be Pinteresting (see how I turned a noun into a verb) it right now.  But it's not so I'll just share it here instead of with thousands eager teachers looking for a cute craft idea. 

       I had more than just the cute factor of the artwork in mind when I started this post.  I love what it says.  If you can't read the chalkboards the kids are holding, this is it:

     "When we grow up . . ."  

Followed by a picture of each kid holding a chalkboard with their future career.  Here they are:

cheerleader, 

teacher, 

doctor, 

mom, 

cowboy, 

ninja, 

bus driver, 

artist, 

mom, 

engineer, 

pilot, 

teacher, 

doctor, 

and dentist.  

       The end says, "LSA graduating class of 2025."  It's so clever.  I wonder how the parent of the future ninja feels?  And I wonder how many of those 4-year-olds want to do the same thing their parents do (besides the ninja, of course).  I always enjoy those stories when a career path was passed down from generation to generation.  For instance, my son's teacher has been teaching 3rd grade for over 40 years. Her husband is a Lutheran high school teacher, I used to teach with him.  They had 4 children and all 4 went to the same Concordia Lutheran college, the same as me.  And now, those 4 kids are grown up with their own children, and yes, they are all Lutheran teachers and 3/4 are married to Lutheran teachers.  It's amazing, really, that this incredible, difficult, rewarding and yet low-paying vocation could be passed down to every person in a family.  It says so much to me about how influential parents can be.  If you love your career, certainly your kids will sense that and likewise, if it makes you miserable, that won't go unnoticed either.  

         And I've been thinking a lot about that.  What do I want my kids to see or remember about me or Kenny when it comes to time spent with work?  For Kenny, hopefully they'll always remember that he was around.  He was right there when they got home - sure his door was closed from time to time with interviews, but like a good boss, he keeps an open door policy most of the time.  With me returning to work (which by the way, I got the green light today -- fingerprints were seen!), I pray that the kids see the joy in me that I get to be apart of something bigger than I am; that I get to serve in a different capacity than I do at home or at church.
     I'll be honest though, I think their realization of this may be a slow climb.  This morning I told the kids that I was going to pick up my School ID and "isn't it exciting - mom gets to work now!"
      Lydia is the only one who responded.  "But you already work at home."
      "What do I do at home?" I asked curiously.
      "Oh, clean stuff."
       "Oh."
While I appreciate that Lydia feels cleaning our house is a full-time job (really it is, I just don't do it),  I hope that maybe with a little more responsibility on my plate, she'll appreciate hard work as well.  Again, it might not be right away. But maybe when she's older, if school libraries aren't completely extinct, she'll by influenced by me and walk in my footsteps.  Or maybe she'll be a teacher, or an artist, or a dentist, or a pilot.  Really they're all fine, as long she opts out of Ninja school.

My little buddy, Addie

I am so behind on writing about my weekend.  I can't seem to find the time, or make enough time.  True writers get up early, they devote themselves to this great craft called "writing."  Luckily, my career path is to just read people's writings and make them available in a library, so I think I'm pretty much at home with my amateur blogging status of a couple of times a week.  But, oh how I respect those who commit to the daily grind.  But all of that is just my way of explaining why I don't always have new material.  Sometimes it's because I have nothing to say, and sometimes it's because I don't have the right picture to aptly explain the blogging moment.

Today though, I have a sweet picture of my two-year-old friend Addie.  Her birthday party is one of the  many events we went to this weekend.  It was a toddler party done well.  Her mom did great job with her theme: Minnie Mouse ears,  Minnie mouse cupcakes,  good snacks and it was at the Little Gym so she didn't even have to clean her house.  What a brilliant idea it was to start holding parties outside the home.  Was it maybe in the 70's when that idea took off?  I can only recall Showbiz Pizza and McDonald's allowing birthday parties, but now every imaginable place has a party room.  I suppose there is a little part of me who misses those non-fuss, non-themed ice cream and cake kitchen parties with a room full of streamers and balloons and some pin the tail on the donkey for entertainment, but it's certainly a sign of the times that we busy mom's take advantage and pay some young teenage employee to run our party and clean up our mess.

Oh, my tangents.  They are everywhere.  So back to Addie.  She's a little girl after my own heart.  Because our families do so much together, we get to see both Addie and her sister Ella a lot.  And while Ella will scamper off with my girls, Addie is my little buddy.  Most kids know me as Elijah or Lydia or Lanie's mom who is always telling us no, or not to scream so loud, or to close that back door, or I'm that one VBS teacher or that one lady who reads to us sometimes in the library. I'm pretty much a non-character for these preschool and elementary kids.  Most of my kid's friends who come over aren't really looking to sit down at the kitchen table and talk about their day with me.  I'm waiting for that age though because while some parents are "always a kid at heart" and like to play dodgeball, I'm relational and like to ask questions.  Maybe down the road, one of their friends will just love coming over because talking to Lydia's mom is soooo interesting.  Doubt it.  But I can hope.

Again, back to Addie. She is the one little person who Will actually hang out with me. And while she can be a pill to her parents, her ornery and busy behavior is endearing to me.  Besides my 3 kids, there is finally a little one who I can pick up and who doesn't scream like mad to go back to her mom. She'll take my hand and give me a silly smile.  I love it.  I know, it doesn't take much for me.  So for dear little Addie, we wish you a Happy Birthday and for your parents, a less stressful 2nd year.

A lot of Minnie's and one Mickey, post party

Seems Like Old Times

Author’s Note:  I reread these ramblings that I have been writing off and on all day since this morning and realize I have two disconnected stories.  Sorry about that, but am too tired now to change anything or fix it.     

Part One:

      I feel like I say this a lot, but our weekend was super busy.  It was so full of activity and harsh warnings that went like this: "You're getting to do everything you dream this weekend - I don't want to hear any attitude, no complaining.  Not – at - all."  It always seems that those days when there are so many fun events planned, one after another, that require my kids to be up late, playing with friends, eating out - that they can be at their worst.  Of course in my mind, they should be nothing but appreciative and grateful for all the kid-friendly plans we've made. Instead, they often get whiny and forget how amazing it was that each play-date or church function or sleep-over or birthday party lined up perfectly that we could attend it all.  And this doesn't always happen.  Sometimes I do just say no.  We don't make it to everything.  This weekend, we did our best to make it all happen. 

      I think that's why yesterday, President's Day, and a day off of school, was desperately needed.  Elijah, who likes to wake up at 6:30am on a weekend, slept til 8am.  Crazy.  After two nights up past midnight (I told you he had the time of his life), he definitely needed it.  And the girls needed it.  They needed downtime just to play.  And I needed it.  I thought that I would have a chance to take care of all those piles of papers and organize that closet while the kids played with all their downtime.  Instead E wanted Lydia to play ball and Lanie wanted Lydia to play Barbies.  Poor thing.  I feel sorry for my middle child who wants to please everyone.  To even it out, I played ball which lasted a total of 20 minutes before I suggested a ride to the park.  It was a beautiful day.  And we’ve had several of them in a row.  We are so blessed down here in the south. 

        Our park trip ended when during hide and seek, Elijah found a pile of roly polies.  You’d think the kids found gold.  They were thrilled to catch them and then wrangle their bikes & scooters home with handfuls of these crawly things. It became quite a to-do as we created habitats for them and gave them family roles.  There was mama roly poly, baby roly poly, big sister roly poly, you get the picture.  Apparently though, after peeking into all the glass jars just now, roly polies were not intended to live that way.  Out to the grass they go. 

Part Two:

        To make our day even better, I gathered a bagful of lunch items and got the kids in the truck (which is unfortunate because the van had a bad tire.)  Three kids in the back of a truck is not very fun.  But we made our 45 minute jaunt to see our best friends, The Hergenraders.  We don’t get to see them enough but when we do, it’s like visiting family.  We love their home with my dream tall trees and forest-y backyard and kids that fill their cul-de-sac.  I always feel like I’ve stepped into my perfect idea of what growing up would be before everyone got scared to let their kids run around outside alone for fear of stranger danger.  The best part of the day though was when everyone came inside and all 7 kids found something quiet to do.  Some watched a movie, and the others sat in their art room creating and Tina and I did what we rarely get to do.  We sat on a couch and talked. Even at Indigo Girls playing in the background.  As roommates in college, we went on regular walks through our small Nebraska town, always late at night completely unafraid, talking and venting.  I have so many fond memories of those walks. So many tough talks.  So many times we laughed till our sides hurt.  So much clarity. 

Just Look at these woods.

       At one point in the day, Tina had to go and check on her 2-year-old who is amazingly quite easy to leave alone when there are so many sets of eyes to watch him.  I told her oldest daughter Catie who was crafting with Lydia that her mom and I used to chat like this all the time.  Catie said, with a smirk, “did you talk about your crushes?”  Well, yes, yes we did and so much more.  I love that our daughters get to witness our friendship 21 years later.  It may not be as frequent, but it is just as endearing now as it was then. And we still get to vent, to gain clarity in situations that now involve kids, school and jobs, and yes we still talk about our crushes, they’ve merely graduated to husbands. 

While at the park, we were rained out so the kids were singing  in the rain. 

     

Fingerprint Frustration, New Job & Change

 
     I've been rejected by the FBI.  My fingerprints, that is. I received an email from the Texas Education     Agency that I would have to give it another go.  So, I did.  Now I'm waiting for any good results.  Isn't it crazy that your fingerprints can be rejected?  The fingerprint lady (I don't know what to call her officially) but she told me that it's common in women, as they age (thanks!).   We often lose our fingerprints due to Clorox cleaners, exfoliation, hand sanitizers, etc.  Who knew?  And to think I believed it beneficial to keep things clean.
      I went home and googled "lost fingerprints and women" and was sent to sites about things that happen to the elderly (that's nice) and it's common with basket weavers and lumberjacks and seamstresses.  An Agatha Christie novel about  a basket-making murderer would be quite harrowing. (I won't take credit for the idea, read it on my fingerprint site.)
     And if you're wondering why I was getting my fingerprints, it wasn't just for fun.  Here's my chance to share that I finally got a job. Yea, me!  It doesn't start until March but if all goes as planned, and right now, that plan may be changing, but if my second set of digital prints actually show the needed ridges, then I will now be the librarian at Jackson Intermediate, a 7th and 8th grade school with 90% students on free or reduced lunch. What a difference from teaching at Lutheran South Academy.
     I  will only be a long-term substitute because the principal was generous enough to let me work MWF so I can stay home with Lanie on Tuesday and Thursday.  When I went in for the interview, I thought it was for next school year but they needed someone that day, full-time.  I wrestled with what to do, for many days, going to trusted friends with their advice and praying with them.  God seemed to open more and more windows especially when I got the green light that they would hire me part-time for now.
     Our Normal will have to change.  The mornings will be different on MWF, more work for Kenny, although he already does the gist of it, waking kids up and getting breakfast.  He'll have to also learn how to make a pony-tail, and braid and tie the right color ribbon in the girls' hair.   Certainly we'll work it out and a new Normal will become common.  I have been praying that my love of working in a library surpasses any difficulties we may have with the home adjustments.  Will you pray that for me too?  And even though I love to change the furniture in my house around all the time, I'm not as great at the big changes.  I love this quote that I used to have tacked in my college dorm room close to my own hole-y, Linus-like blanket.

It’s not so much that we’re afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it’s that place in between that we fear. It’s like being between trapezes. It’s Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There’s nothing to hold on to.  -- Marilyn Ferguson  

         Of course, if my fingerprints never show, and they have to do a manual back-ground check that can take up to 5 months,  I won't have to worry about any of this change.  But, I have this gut feeling God's calling me to it, fingerprints or not.  

   

Roll Out the Barrel - a restaurant review

     While my parents were here, we did A LOT of stuff.   It started on Friday when we watched Elijah's 3rd grade class give chapel and he read the Blessing at the end.  We cheered at 3 basketball games, toured our dream house which I had to sadly admit to the realtor that this just wasn't our time, went to church and watched a community theatre production of A Little Princess which at intermission Lydia admitted she didn't know what was going on.  And it ended on Monday after a day of Valentine shopping for the kids.  All this going and coming left little time to eat at home so what do you do when you've got family in town?  You go out to eat.  

      When my mom and dad come to town, we stick to a few basic restaurants - mostly Tex Mex.  If you knew my dad, Tex, you would understand that he's not a fan of "trying new things" but loves the comfort of knowing what to expect.  And I respect that seeing that I am a bit seeped in tradition myself.  But this visit, we wanted to take them to King's Biergarten, touted as #1 German Restaurant in the nation where it's "Octoberfest all year round!" If you live nearby - are a Pearlander, a Friendswoodite, or a Houstonian - make some time to visit and go on the weekend and sit outside (and if it's cold, there are heaters.)  I've never been to Germany but with a dad who is 100%, who loves beer, the polka, and who met my mom while in Germany (funny thing, they were both from Texas), King's Biergarten seemed like the perfect place to go that wasn't Tex Mex but wouldn't be too out of the box.  And it didn't disappoint.  While we ate our bratwurst and strudel, we sung out to Roll Out the Barrel and introduced the kids to "Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke, hoi, hoi, hoi" a toast all good beer and root beer drinkers alike need to know.  
    If you've never been - make an effort to go and embrace this place that in its small 3000 feet of space combine my dad's Favorite Things - no, not raindrops on roses or Edelweiss, but good German food, drink and music with a Texas flair.  I've said it in other posts (also about German restaurants) and I'll say it again:  It is sehr gut mein freund. 
German for:  Very good, my friend. 

A little boisterous with the "hoi hoi hoi's"

Oh those Valentines!

       Last week, I went to the zoo with some friends and all together, we had eleven children 4-years-old or under.  By the end of the day, in some way or another, every one of us had a chance to vent some in-the-moment kid frustration.  One mom was discouraged because her new baby isn't sleeping well, another because her daughter gets so whiny when she can't do something perfect the first try, another because her almost two-year-old won't sit still and is always climbing, and then there's mine who visited the bathroom a half dozen times (but I will say without any accidents, thank you very much.)  But it's funny - there's always something.  Each kid has their own quirks, we parents just want to be assured by friends that the quirkiness is completely Normal.  If not, that envy can rear its ugly head.
 
       You can be in envy of a friend whose child goes to sleep with merely a kiss goodnight and lights out while you rub backs and sing songs till their eyes are fluttering (that's me) but that parent you envy has to deal with other issues. Maybe they envy that your kid doesn't have to be prodded to do homework, or that your kid loves roller coasters, or that your kid will eat broccoli.  There's always something.

       Or at least you tell yourself that.  Or I told myself that tonight as I sat with Lanie as she wrote her name sixteen times on her Valentine cards.  I wouldn't call it torture, but it wasn't exactly a party.  We started the process last week and got as far as writing her name twice, before she completely gave up.  She's  not sure if she should write E-L-A-I-N-E (like she learned last year) or L-A-N-I-E which is easier than L-a-n-i-e which her teacher instructs her to write.  She's bewildered, and to top it off won't listen to me when I tell her how to hold a pencil.  Stubborn, spirited girl.  And she finds a million things to do instead of writing - petting the cat, putting the slinky down the stairs, picking up her pen she dropped again.

       But tonight I was prepared - I had bribes up my sleeve.  Write two valentine's and get a bowl of strawberries, two more and some juice, three more and an Oreo, and you get the picture.  And you know what?  It worked.  She finished her Dress-Up Paper Doll Valentines, even adding some sparkle stickers.  She was so proud of herself.  She asked me if other kids were writing their Valentine's tonight.  I told her that, Yes, there probably was a girl or boy somewhere who was also signing her or his name to a classroom full of Valentines.  And maybe that parent knows how I feel and struggled with patience tonight like I did, or maybe they watched their preschooler zip through their stack of Angry Bird or Tinkerbell cards without a single moment of distraction.   Whichever kid you have or had if you're past all that name-writing business, I'm labeling both as Normal.  And we'll make a deal.  I won't envy your conscientious student if you don't envy my spirited one. Because there's always something.

Friday Funny

After I wrote about 80's fashion last week, I got this blurb from a friend that seems like the perfect Friday funny.  If you were born in the 70's, or if you've heard of Diana Ross, MC Hammer or Vanilla Ice, this will make perfect sense.

So have a wonderful weekend.  I intend to.  My parents are here, Yea, so we'll have dinner at the Biergarten, more cheerleaders for the basketball games on Saturday, a night out sans babysitting fees, extra hands to build a shelf (my dad), a pedicure partner (my mom), and a big crew to go visit my dream house on Sunday.  (Yes, I called the realtor.  I couldn't help myself.  I have to see the inside before it's sold off to some very happy family.  Be quiet, I know it's crazy.)

Hammer Time!

Caviar Dream

A few things about this house:

1.  It's located 5 minutes from the kids' school
2.  It has my dream porch
3.  It's Not in a subdivision so no HOA fees
4.  It has a big backyard and as a bonus, a pool
5.  It has gorgeous, tall old trees

A few more things about this house:

1.  I have been driving down this street for 5 years, pining for this porch, these trees, this house
2.  This house is now FOR SALE

The reality:
As Kenny likes to say, it's my caviar dream with our hot dog budget.

Kid Comments:
Lanie: "Can we move in the house, Mommy?  I'll give you all my money."
Lydia:  "Please can we get the house?  That tree would make a great tree house."
Elijah:  "Ya know mom, we could go to like those Bingo places or buy those lotto tickets.  Olivia's mom made like fifty dollars or something at one."

I love, love, love this house.  It's almost as if the builders snuck into my drawer and found my house of dreams wish list.  I'm so glad it exists.
If only . . .

Accidental Mardi Gras

     Over the weekend we were invited to Galveston to eat dinner and go to the beach with our friends, the Bremers and the Greers who have two daughters each.  After a beautiful Saturday afternoon we packed our warm clothes, some car snacks, and for Elijah's sake, picked up a friend for him and headed to the island.  So naive we were.  As we drove across the bridge we were welcomed by banners and signs about This parade and This party and This festival.  Totally forgot it was Mardi Gras.  I mean, I knew it was soon since Ash Wednesday is so close and the King's cakes are all over the place, but I forgot  the 12 days of partying that goes along with it before Fat Tuesday.  Luckily, our restaurant on the sea wall was a cinch to get to, had easy parking and was a front row spot to the Krewe of Gambrinus parade.  What luck!  For the next hour the kids ran in to eat and out to catch beads.   And by kids, I mean me and Elijah.  I don't know what it is about our collector spirits, but I wanted to catch those shiny purple, gold and green oversized necklaces as much as he did.  Something about the catch, the find and wearing the treasure for all to see.  Most of the night I had to be the parent and "give up" those darn, plastic beads to the kids around me who didn't have a neck full.  But it's always an inner battle.  It's like the cherry in a Sonic Lime-Aid.  I love that fruit.  I buy the drink specifically for the one, or if I'm lucky, two cherries.   But as soon as I open my styrofoam cup to dip my hand in to fetch it, I always hear a little voice, "Mama, can I have the cherry?"  Sure, kid, why not?  Forget my small desires. (I'm mostly kidding.)
It's tough to be a parent, or at least a self-less one.  I'm not that good at it yet, but I'm working on it.  One Mardi Gras bead at a time.

Bragging on "Just Good Kids"

           Yesterday I was talking to a mom of 5 and she was bemoaning how their life has moved from the front yard playing with neighbors to coordinating schedules with her husband so that their school-age kids can make it to softball practice, dance class & karate.  And she said what I thought -- there are so so many choices for kids today when it comes to activities and so many unique ones from Archery lessons to Chess Club to Lego-making classes that we want to be able to say YES to the ones our kids may have their hearts set on and do our best to make it work.  Making it work sometimes means, for her, driving 45 minutes to get her daughter to play practice only to rush back to get her other other daughter to an All-Star Softball practice.  

          We don't have her hectic schedule, or that many kids, so I don't know that I'll ever truly understand her dilemma but she said something else that has stuck with me.  Her kids are great at what they do, and so far one child has always gotten the lead role and another has always been one of the "better" players on the team and another is in GT classes but hear her comment: "I hate that people see only their activities.  I'm proud of their accomplishments, really I am, but no ever posts on Facebook that my kid went to Bible study, church and youth group this week.  Or my kid memorized 10 Bible passages and is trying to read the whole Bible or my kids are really kind to each other and trying to help the neighbor next door make friends."  And while I'm only a ghost on Facebook, I can see her point.

        So that long introduction is only to tell you that today I am going to brag on my good-character kids.  I tend to be a bit critical (people tell me this) so I'm going to wash any unpleasant criticism away and refrain from jokes at the expense of my kids and share that all 3 Ward kids received the Outback SteakHouse Student of the Month (Lydia in October, Elijah in December and Lanie today, for January) which rewards (nope, not great grades) but kids who "show positive character traits (obedient, useful, truthful, big hearted, attitude, cheerful and kindness.)"   Now I could make cracks about which Ward kid demonstrates which character trait when and ponder why I don't see these fantastic behaviors all the time at home, but that would not fit with the vein of this post which is just to say plainly, I'm so proud of my kids and love that their efforts in school don't go unnoticed. 

1980's & other Musings

      What did you wear in the 80's? That was a question I had to really think about this past weekend when Lydia (& Lanie by default) were invited to an 80's Dance Birthday Party.  Was there anything special about it? I looked online at some costumes to jog my memory and the big hair, bright colors, side pony-tails, net gloves, acid washed denim, jelly bracelets and banana clips all came back to me.  While at the party, I had a great time talking to other mom's who lived through this nostalgic era.  Instead of telling one of the mom's my age (we were trying to see who was older) I told her what grade I was in when the Challenger blew up.  Sadly, I was older.  But it's funny how much our memories were bonded with the TV shows we were watching (Family Ties), the stickers we were collecting (Garbage Pail Kids), the songs we were listening to (Jack and Diane), the games we were playing (Ms Pacman) and the books we were reading (Sweet Valley High).  And since we are talking about a decade, the fashions and trends changed from 1980 when I was a first grader and dressed in left-over 70's fashions to 1985 when in 5th grade, I finally cut those long, long braids and got the bangs that I would soon learn how to spike while wearing bright jams, jelly shoes and a Swatch Watch, to 1989 when I was a high schooler with crimped hair, Aqua Net bangs and rolled-up Guess Jeans and Esprit shirts.

    So with an awkward decade to work with, I struggled how to dress my little girls for the part.  They didn't have a clue as to what the 80's were and weren't interested in looking at old photo albums.   I tried to show them Madonna and Debbie Gibson but we couldn't get past the side ponytail.  So, that's what we copied.  And a trip to Target gave us some bright off the shoulder shirts (which slid right back onto their shoulders so you can't tell from the pic), some leg warmers, long knee-high socks and a some dangly bracelets.  To be honest, the fashion wasn't too different from their usual attire.  But the side ponytail -- that was the clincher. I even gave them some blue hair paint to make the tail more wild.

    After this walk down memory lane, and some online perusing to find more 80's memorabilia, I am now wondering what my own kids will be talking about at my age.  Will they sit with their friends and reminisce about the 2010's when they played Angry Birds or how they played that One Direction song All Of the Time, or how they loved the Disney Channel.  Will the fashions today be as ridiculous as ours seem to me now?

I have this feeling that they won't.  Because right now when I look around me (and I'm in Panera with the real world today), I see normal.  I don't see rebellious hair or colors or odd fashions. I realize I'm not walking with the metropolitan people of Houston but merely judging the few late-lunchers in suburbia Texas, but the everyday wear is merely useful, comfortable, thrown together. And for me, sitting in a cold restaurant, useful is good.

  But I long for a time, like my mom's, when their fashion of poodle skirts, neck scarves, bouffant hair, and hushpuppies really did look like something. There was a lot of effort put into that get-up.  But at least it was interesting.  When I look at a picture from the 50's and 60's, I hear Earth Angel. When I see someone in the 20's, I can hear Sweet Georgia Brown.  When I see those long-haired kids from the 70's, I hear the Beatles, or for the other half of my family, when I see those feathered locks hidden under a cowboy hat, I hear Barbara Mandrell and George Jones singing I was country when Country wasn't cool. And when I see a picture of my friends in the 80's, Cindy Lauper is singing Girls Just Want to Have Fun. 
 
    I just wonder, when you look at a picture of my kids in 2013, will you know the decade? Will it be distinct?  Will they have their "thing"?  Will they be proud of their contribution?

    Maybe so.  Maybe it takes stepping away from it for a while.  Maybe the love of the decade happens when some director nostalgic for the 2010's makes a great time period movie.  I don't know.
Or Maybe I'm wrong.  Maybe the 2010's have great pizazz that I'm just not seeing because I don't watch Project Runway, and because I'm sitting in a Panera in front of my computer instead of out with the trend-setting world.  Maybe. Maybe not? What do you think? Really, what do you think?  I am blind to trends and fashion.  I am very dull.  So if you are reading this, give me your opinion.

Kisses from Katie - a short book review

I had a list of very interesting topics to write about but I'm in a time crunch today.  I'm not a fast blogger, taking a good hour to create just a few witty, or not so witty, paragraphs, so instead I'll give you a quick glimpse into the book I'm reading right now.  If you are looking for nonfiction, and you want to read about someone young and amazing who completely re-defines what it means to serve the Lord, check out Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis, about an 18-year-old whose mission trip to Uganda turned into a life dedicated to serving the children there, adopting six girls (so far - I'm not done with the book yet).  Her words are so powerful that every night after I read a passage, I highlight it, and then I make Kenny read it too always with the same refrain, "We have to do more!"

If you feel that way - like the work God has planned for you hasn't quite met fruition, then read about Katie.

Here are way too many passages that I've highlighted.  I just love them all.  Hope they put a fire under your feet the way they do mine.
 
Have a beautiful weekend in our gorgeous Texas weather.

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"I am much more terrified of living a comfortable life in a self-serving society and failing to follow Jesus than I am of any illness or tragedy.  Jesus called His followers to be a lot of things, but I have yet to find where He warned them to be safe.  We are not called to be safe, we are simply promised that when we are in danger, God is right there with us.  And there is no better place to be than in His hands."

"I had fantasized about doing something incredible for God and others; what I have learned is that I can do nothing incredible, but as I follow God into impossible situations, He can work miracles in and through me."

"I can enter into someone's pain and sit with them and Know.  This is Jesus.  Not that He apologizes for the hard and the hurt, but that He enters in, He comes with us to the hard places.  And so I continue to enter."

"Disease is certainly not a sin.  And poverty is not a sin; it is a condition, a circumstance that allows God's work to be displayed."

"Helping the poor is not something God asks His people to do; it is something that, throughout all generations, He instructs us to do."

"I strive to teach my children and all children in our program and in our villages 'the truth' of Christ.  I know I cannot walk into a village and tell a child that Jesus loves her.  She cannot comprehend that because, chances are, she has never been loved.  I have to feed her, clothe her, care for her, and love her unconditionally as I tell her that I love.  Once she can understand and see my love, I can begin to tell her about a Savior who loves her even more.  That is the truth for these children - that they are loved, that they are valuable, that they will not be left as orphans but that they have a plan and a hope for a future.  What a beautiful truth."

"I was in the center of God's will; I was doing what I was created to do."

FACETIME ME

     
        Facetime in some form or fashion has been around for awhile - some call it Skype, some call it Web Cam.  We tried it several times throughout the years to video chat with grandparents over the computer, but to be honest, we have never been very good at remembering to do it.  Instead, we pass the phone from kid to kid so each one has a chance to talk, or in some cases when they were very little not talk at all and be prompted by us to, "say something to Mimi, tell her what you did today. Come on, talk."

       In this new world where almost every child I see has some electronic device in his or her hands, this idea of FACETIME is changing.  Not for me - I still don't like to be seen while chatting.  I'm much too self-conscious.  I'm always reminded of the Friends episode when Monica is dating Pete, the millionaire, or trillionaire and while at his house, the phone rings and out pops a live video feed of him talking to her.  Back then, what, just 10 years ago, that was crazy.  That was Star Trek or Star Wars, or Jetsons or whichever futuristic show had video phone calls.  But now, it's so prevalent and fast becoming just part of life.  At least for the my kids.

         Here's the story:
I'm in the car and my cell phone text beeps.  It's a message from a little girl in Lydia's class saying that she was texting from her mini Ipad.
A few minutes later, I get a Facetime request.  I didn't know what to do.  Up until now, we've only received a Facetime call from Grammie.  I passed the phone to Lydia who proceeded to Facetime her friend like a pro.  She talked all the way to our destination.

        The next night, I get the same Facetime request, only at home.  Lydia takes my phone and runs through the house showing her friend her room and her brother's room and her dream lite, and her dinner plate.  She wasn't self-conscious.  She wasn't concerned about minutes.  She wasn't worried about how quickly technology was taking over our lives.  She just knew she had a captive audience on the phone who she could share a glimpse of her little life.  And she did it so proudly.  If it were me, I wouldn't be running around showing off my house.  Instead I'd be apologizing for the stacks of paper, the dust, the dirty clothes.

      I found out later Lydia's friend's mom (catch that) did NOT know she had FACETIME'd her classmate and was in a bit in deep water for it.  I assured the mom that it was innocent, sweet and actually quite entertaining.

    I've always been slow to jump on any technological bandwagon.  Ask my college roommate about that one.  She was the first person I'd ever known to have a computer in her dorm room.  And while she was embarking into this whole world of Electronic Mail, I was proudly calling myself Amish and writing letters.  But now it's 18 or so years later and I've graduated to the world of tech-literate, and I'm okay with it, but I"m not so sure I have in my mom toolbox all the things I need to prepare my kids for what is to come - internet, privacy, safety, parent blocking, social sites, stalkers, etc. etc.  And it may be my college tech phobia coming to the surface, but I will admit, I could take a few Amish-like years in our house.  And while you probably love your Iphone, your Kindle, your Nook or your Ipad and couldn't live without it, I know deep down you might just agree.

The Birds

        If I were to write a list of things that I find fascinating that very few people do, one of my top 5 would be the Birds.  I don't mean the Alfred Hitchcock movie and I don't mean the 1960's psychedelic band spelled The Byrds, but the cluster of black birds or Grackles that meet in specific locations every night at sunset during flocking season.  Ours like to meet on the high wires at the intersection of Broadway and County Road 90.  Where do yours meet? 

        Now I know these are what they call Pest Birds, and they cause numerous problems.  Just checking a webpage called Birdbusters told me that their droppings can cause structural damage to buildings along with the bacteria that can carry disease.  Not good.  

          And yet, when I see the hordes of black birds race from one wire to the next as if they are playing a game of tag, I can't help but roll down my car window and listen to the music.  I always look around at the cars around me to see if the other drivers are as mesmerized by the birds as I am.  I've never seen a single head out a window watching intently as I do.  

       I realize there are drawbacks to the birds, and for people who must work near and park their cars by the nesting sites indeed have reason to call them pests.  And after a trip downtown, where this two second video was taken, I also found out the hard way the downside to birds. If only my camera would have been rolling to catch me with my hand out the window, singing praises to these beautiful grackles and their unified chorus when one of those darlings pooped on my hand.  Just hit the target dead on.  I know that bird must have laughed at unsuspected me.  

      Not so darling now. 

     But I'll forgive this one grievance, and take my chances the next time I sit at the intersection to gawk at those grackles. If you see me, roll down your window.  It's a marvelous sound. 

Celebrating 40 in Style

This weekend, our friend (see if you can spot her in this gussied up bunch) turned 40.  She decided in all her wisdom that a stretch limo would be the best way to transport, safely, a group of us to celebrate in Houston.  No drinking and driving, no caravaning, no parking issues - just pure, over-the-top fun.  We went for sushi, which I didn't hate like I thought I would, and out for a night of dancing (in our heels, no less) at Howl at the Moon.  We ate, we drank and were merry, and very silly.  I felt like a 25-year-old all over again, which wasn't such a bad thing since I too will be climbing over that side of the hill later in the year.  It was nice to dress fancy, to wear lipstick, to admire everyone else's fancy footwear, and to remember what it's like to not be responsible - for just a moment.  Of course this all came crashing down on us early Saturday morning when the alarm went off, much too early, and we had 3 basketball games, 3 picture times to make, and a baseball try-out ahead of us.
 Such is life, but it's so, so good.

Thanks Joyce for a great night out!
& Thank you Kendra for loaning me the (much more hip) shoes.