I have been enjoying listening to podcasts lately, including "This American Life," an hour-long podcast which is broken up into "acts". Each act is focused on a common theme, but tells a different story or perspective.
Yesterday, I listened to an episode in which each act focused on superheroes or superpowers. Here is the description of Act 1 "Invisible Man vs. Hawkman: "John Hodgman conducts an informal survey in which he asks the age-old question: Which is better: The power of flight or the power of invisibility? He finds that how you answer tells a lot about what kind of person you are. And also, no matter which power people choose, they never use it to fight crime. (14 minutes)"
As I listened to the survey and the responses, I found myself asking the same question. Which superpower would I choose?
I've never had a desire to have a superpower. Though, when I was younger, I used to wrinkle up my nose and wish that I could make my bedroom magically clean itself--the way Samantha could on the television series "Bewitched"--never actually believing that it would work.
However, I have had many dreams over the years when I "fly". I never fly in the way that Superman does. The best way to describe it is like swimming in the air. I jump up, and instead of falling down I keep gliding for a while, using my arms to propel me forward. After about the time that I would have run out of air if I had been swimming, I gentle glide back to the ground. Then I can jump back up and start gliding, swim-flying through the air again. These dreams are never very exciting, but the movement always feels peaceful and natural.
So, which superpower would I choose? Flying. It would be exciting to have a birds-eye view whenever I wished. And think of all the traveling I could do!
Then the interviewer started asking whether we would use our superpower for good. After all, that is what superheroes do--use their powers to fight crime. I felt selfish then, never thinking of helping others. Could I do amazing things with the power of flight even if I didn't have extra strength? I decided that I would use my ability to fly to rescue children in abusive situations. Perhaps I would get involved in an organization like Operation Underground Railroad. I liked the idea of flying scared and hurting children out of the bad and offering them some kind of comfort.
I found this survey so interesting I brought it up with Ryan this morning before school. Which superpower would he choose? "Easy. Invisibility." Why? "Because then I could hide from people." He could also sneak snacks while I taught piano lessons and stay home from school. I look forward to asking Todd about his superpower preference.
I recognize that this survey was done for entertainment and without any official research to back it up. However, the discussion made me think (and that's always a good thing). The host concluded that people who chose flight were more confident. Often those who chose invisibility felt they had something to hide and were more likely to use their superpower for questionable activities (Sorry, Ryan!). I appreciated the comments of one man who, as he talked out his answer, recognized that for him invisibility would "lead him down a dark path." And for that reason, he changed his answer to flight.
I often wish, after listening to a podcast that I find interesting, that I could find someone else who enjoyed listening to and talking about the same things. I like having the back-and-forth dialogue. You never know where the conversation is going to go, and when done with the right person, the exchange can be uplifting and encouraging. On that note, I welcome your thoughts. What superpower would you choose?
P.S. Todd's great response: "I Flight, I guess. I don't know. Neither. I'm fine the way I am." Love this!
Anne's inspiring response (keep in mind that I only gave her the question, not the discussion that came after): Right away, Anne chose invisibility. She went on to describe how she would use this power for good. She explained that she wouldn't choose flight, because without extra strength she didn't feel she would be able to accomplish very much good. With invisibility she could act as a spy and expose corruption. I'm proud to say that my best friend has the heart of a superhero!
Showing posts with label Todd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Todd. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Sunday, September 30, 2012
The Quiet Game
During our late lunch this afternoon the boys started playing "The Quiet Game" against each other. Ryan said the loser should drink a half cup of lemon juice. Then he went about trying to lose the game. That boy loves lemons. Daddy saw the silly cheating going on and made up a rule that the loser would have to drink a juice of his choice. We all watched as Brett mixed together olive juice, a dash or two of green Tabasco sauce, some BBQ sauce, a little vinaigrette, and a few squirts of lemon juice. What started out as a little fun has become serious business! The house has never been so quiet. I'm pretty sure that I wasn't part of the game to begin with, but you better believe that this trap door won't be the first to open!
Update: Our house was quiet for over half an hour. A very strange, almost uncomfortable quiet, considering that all four of us were in the house, wide awake. Ryan did the best of all of us, retreating to his room and playing by himself. Finally, the pressure was too much for him. Brett and I watched Ryan come into the kitchen, dip a spoon into the glass waiting on the table, consider the taste . . . and drink it up. Todd, not wanting to be left out, sampled it as well. But it was Ryan who started and finished drinking the two tablespoons of Dad Juice. He followed it up with a loud, "Yay!" that had me and Brett busting up. Far from being the loser in this game, I think Ryan beat us all.
[Ryan said the Dad Juice really wasn't that bad, except for the taste of the BBQ sauce.]
Update: Our house was quiet for over half an hour. A very strange, almost uncomfortable quiet, considering that all four of us were in the house, wide awake. Ryan did the best of all of us, retreating to his room and playing by himself. Finally, the pressure was too much for him. Brett and I watched Ryan come into the kitchen, dip a spoon into the glass waiting on the table, consider the taste . . . and drink it up. Todd, not wanting to be left out, sampled it as well. But it was Ryan who started and finished drinking the two tablespoons of Dad Juice. He followed it up with a loud, "Yay!" that had me and Brett busting up. Far from being the loser in this game, I think Ryan beat us all.
[Ryan said the Dad Juice really wasn't that bad, except for the taste of the BBQ sauce.]
Thursday, September 27, 2012
A Case of the Lazy Mom
I try not to be. But more times than I care to admit, I have to admit I am a lazy mom. Case in point: teaching your child how to tie his own shoes. What is the appropriate age for a child to learn how to tie his shoes? I think they should start learning in kindergarten and be proficient maybe by first grade. This was true for my youngest. However, it is only true because he was motivated to learn. He asked for the skill to be demonstrated, watched, practiced, and exerted his independence by doing it himself (even if we were running a little late and I was ready to jump in and just get it done myself). My oldest is finally learning to tie his shoes, and he is (I am embarrassed to say) in the the fourth grade.Yikes! How did I let this happen? The answer--I'm lazy, of course. It was far too easy to keep buying velcro shoes. We have talked about needing to work on this skill together for years. I thought I was committed to making it happen this summer. I had a plan--a plan which quickly fell apart the moment summer began. Right before school started I bought Todd a pair of tie-shoes. We agreed that this was it. It was time for him to learn how to tie his own shoes. And he has. Only he is not using the traditional method. Brett recently taught the whole family a new way to tie our shoes. It is supposed to be much more effective at staying tied. I agree that it seems to be a stronger knot. It is a little awkward, but I prefer using it to tie my own sneakers. So while I am lazy, apparently you can teach an old dog some new tricks.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
More Like Daddy
I think Ryan has been hearing me talk about the similarities I see between him and dad. Lately, he has been asking me, "Who's more like Daddy? Me or Todd?" I try to give a politically-correct answer: "You're both half Mommy and half Daddy." Or, "You are both like Daddy in different ways." I can tell that it makes Ryan feel good to be like his dad. It is sweet. I really don't want to say something or make comparisons that will hurt Todd. But the truth is, sometimes it amazes me to see the similarities between Ryan and Brett.
Some similarities are physical. Both of the boys have blue eyes like their dad. But Ryan's hands are Brett's--big palms and solid fingers. Todd has longer, thinner fingers--perfect for the piano. Ryan's toes are also just like Brett's. He can spread his toes out like Brett. Ryan is proud of this skill, and thinks it's so funny that I can't control or spread out my toes at all. Poor Todd has untalented toes like Mom. Ryan has pointed out that even his belly button is like Brett's "Grand Canyon" belly button.
More than the eyes, hands, and fingers, I continue to marvel at Ryan's curiosity. He approaches things just like Brett. I have mentioned before how Ryan will quickly lose interest in toys or board games. But he can spend forever looking through a junk drawer, playing with a gadget or some other thingamajig. Before we left on vacation, Oma gave the boys some money to spend. After a trip to Walmart, Ryan spent the next week begging me to take him back so he could buy something he saw there. He was relentless. He was thrilled when we finally went back and he bought his prize--a small LED laser pointer/flashlight combo.
While we were at the rodeo, I thought of something else. Neither of my boys likes to be in front of a crowd. But while Todd is shy and a quiet talker even one-on-one, Ryan has no problem striking up a conversation with a stranger. Brett gets sick at the thought of talking in front of a group, but has no problem one-on-one, even with people he has never met. On the plane ride out here, Ryan is the one who told the missionaries in front of us, "Hi. We're Mormon, too." At the rodeo, Ryan jumped right up by himself to get the autograph. He also made friends with the kids behind us. At the parade this morning, Ryan asked the man next to us to pet his dog. Todd and I are much more likely to sit back and keep our questions to ourselves rather than approach a stranger.
Ryan also has a little of the wild in him. He will try a crazy stunt. Just this week Uncle Mike was telling the boys about how he remembers Brett wanting to try out the bark shock collar they had for their dog. After trying it on the low setting, Brett asked him to turn it up higher. And higher, until it hurt. Would Todd do this? No. Ryan thinks fire, fireworks, and the like are cool and exciting. He would love for me to give him free reign to experiment with these things. (No on your life!) Todd approaches life with more caution (like his Mom).
I find the differences and similarities in people an exciting thing to observe. I hope that as I continue to observe my boys that I will be able to see more ways that Todd takes after Brett and Ryan takes after me. I also hope to see ways in which they are uniquely themselves.
Some similarities are physical. Both of the boys have blue eyes like their dad. But Ryan's hands are Brett's--big palms and solid fingers. Todd has longer, thinner fingers--perfect for the piano. Ryan's toes are also just like Brett's. He can spread his toes out like Brett. Ryan is proud of this skill, and thinks it's so funny that I can't control or spread out my toes at all. Poor Todd has untalented toes like Mom. Ryan has pointed out that even his belly button is like Brett's "Grand Canyon" belly button.
More than the eyes, hands, and fingers, I continue to marvel at Ryan's curiosity. He approaches things just like Brett. I have mentioned before how Ryan will quickly lose interest in toys or board games. But he can spend forever looking through a junk drawer, playing with a gadget or some other thingamajig. Before we left on vacation, Oma gave the boys some money to spend. After a trip to Walmart, Ryan spent the next week begging me to take him back so he could buy something he saw there. He was relentless. He was thrilled when we finally went back and he bought his prize--a small LED laser pointer/flashlight combo.
While we were at the rodeo, I thought of something else. Neither of my boys likes to be in front of a crowd. But while Todd is shy and a quiet talker even one-on-one, Ryan has no problem striking up a conversation with a stranger. Brett gets sick at the thought of talking in front of a group, but has no problem one-on-one, even with people he has never met. On the plane ride out here, Ryan is the one who told the missionaries in front of us, "Hi. We're Mormon, too." At the rodeo, Ryan jumped right up by himself to get the autograph. He also made friends with the kids behind us. At the parade this morning, Ryan asked the man next to us to pet his dog. Todd and I are much more likely to sit back and keep our questions to ourselves rather than approach a stranger.
Ryan also has a little of the wild in him. He will try a crazy stunt. Just this week Uncle Mike was telling the boys about how he remembers Brett wanting to try out the bark shock collar they had for their dog. After trying it on the low setting, Brett asked him to turn it up higher. And higher, until it hurt. Would Todd do this? No. Ryan thinks fire, fireworks, and the like are cool and exciting. He would love for me to give him free reign to experiment with these things. (No on your life!) Todd approaches life with more caution (like his Mom).
I find the differences and similarities in people an exciting thing to observe. I hope that as I continue to observe my boys that I will be able to see more ways that Todd takes after Brett and Ryan takes after me. I also hope to see ways in which they are uniquely themselves.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Same But Different
Today during church I couldn't help but notice how my boys entertain themselves in such different ways, indicative of their different personalities.
Ryan is quite the snuggler, and having his mother sit still for a full hour invites his attention. Today was no exception, and for most of the meeting Ryan was leaning against me or had his arm around me. Ryan also spent some time doodling. This, naturally, led to taking apart his pen, playing with the insides, putting it together without the grip, playing with the grip, taking the pen apart again, and finally assembling it back properly. Next, he investigated my pencil case, saving a piece of gum for after the meeting, straightening a paper clip, twisting it around, breaking it in two, and he finished off by playing with two thumb tacks.
Todd loves games. We have two small dry-erase board notebooks from the Dollar Tree. They were Christmas presents from my nieces. These notebooks are perfect for church. The past few weeks Todd has tried to initiate a game of hangman with me or Ryan and has ended up frustrated when neither of us would play. Ryan simply isn't that interested. I try to tell Todd that I will play a game with him at home, but when I come to church I want to listen to the message. Playing hangman is a little too distracting for me. Todd will often ask me to come up with a page full of math problems for him to work on. It used to be addition or subtraction. These days he asks for multiplication problems with a few division problems thrown in for fun. Today Todd used the dot-to-dot page in his wipeable notebook to make mazes. He still wanted to play a game with me, but it wasn't that distracting because it took him so long to create the maze. I was able to do the maze pretty quickly and without talking. The first few mazes Todd made were pretty simple. Then Todd had to make it more challenging, similar to a video game. First I had to get the shield, then I could go back and make it through the poison traps without getting killed.
Despite their differences, Todd and Ryan can play together nicely. Sure, they have their moments when they need a break from each other or when they are interested in doing different activities. More often than not, they realize that having a brother to play with is a great thing. This morning while I was getting ready for church the boys built a blanket fort in the family room. Since it has turned out to be a day of non-stop rain, I am glad that I let the boys keep the fort up. They have been playing together for the past hour since lunch--speaking kindly and fairly softly, cooperating with their plans and games, and using their imagination.
Watching them and listening to them play together warms my heart. I am so grateful that they are so close in age (16.5 months) and that they have continued to be buddies. My hope for them is that they will continue to be great friends as they get older--especially in high school when differences can drive people apart so easily. As adults it can be easier to recognize the value in having people who approach the world from a different perspective. I hope that each of my boys will appreciate their differences and see the strengths and value in his brother.
Ryan is quite the snuggler, and having his mother sit still for a full hour invites his attention. Today was no exception, and for most of the meeting Ryan was leaning against me or had his arm around me. Ryan also spent some time doodling. This, naturally, led to taking apart his pen, playing with the insides, putting it together without the grip, playing with the grip, taking the pen apart again, and finally assembling it back properly. Next, he investigated my pencil case, saving a piece of gum for after the meeting, straightening a paper clip, twisting it around, breaking it in two, and he finished off by playing with two thumb tacks.
Todd loves games. We have two small dry-erase board notebooks from the Dollar Tree. They were Christmas presents from my nieces. These notebooks are perfect for church. The past few weeks Todd has tried to initiate a game of hangman with me or Ryan and has ended up frustrated when neither of us would play. Ryan simply isn't that interested. I try to tell Todd that I will play a game with him at home, but when I come to church I want to listen to the message. Playing hangman is a little too distracting for me. Todd will often ask me to come up with a page full of math problems for him to work on. It used to be addition or subtraction. These days he asks for multiplication problems with a few division problems thrown in for fun. Today Todd used the dot-to-dot page in his wipeable notebook to make mazes. He still wanted to play a game with me, but it wasn't that distracting because it took him so long to create the maze. I was able to do the maze pretty quickly and without talking. The first few mazes Todd made were pretty simple. Then Todd had to make it more challenging, similar to a video game. First I had to get the shield, then I could go back and make it through the poison traps without getting killed.
Despite their differences, Todd and Ryan can play together nicely. Sure, they have their moments when they need a break from each other or when they are interested in doing different activities. More often than not, they realize that having a brother to play with is a great thing. This morning while I was getting ready for church the boys built a blanket fort in the family room. Since it has turned out to be a day of non-stop rain, I am glad that I let the boys keep the fort up. They have been playing together for the past hour since lunch--speaking kindly and fairly softly, cooperating with their plans and games, and using their imagination.
Watching them and listening to them play together warms my heart. I am so grateful that they are so close in age (16.5 months) and that they have continued to be buddies. My hope for them is that they will continue to be great friends as they get older--especially in high school when differences can drive people apart so easily. As adults it can be easier to recognize the value in having people who approach the world from a different perspective. I hope that each of my boys will appreciate their differences and see the strengths and value in his brother.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
For Brett From Home (5/30/12)
I never put up the hummingbird feeder. In fact, I never refilled any of the feeders. I think I didn't want to get their hopes up only to disappoint them when I leave. (Good excuse, no?) I think it's cool that the wrens nested in our garage twice this year. I think there were three babies this time. They left the nest last Thursday, and on Friday there was still one left in the garage. It looked like Momma wren was still coming in and feeding the bird, but the baby couldn't figure its way out. I figured I would let them work it out on their own, but when the baby still hadn't left the garage on Saturday I finally opened the back door a crack. It didn't take long before the baby was outside. I heard the birds chirping around the yard for the rest of the weekend, but I haven't seen them since. I have seen a Rufous-Sided Towhee hopping around the back yard a few times. I think the coloring on those birds is quite striking, so I have been excited to see it so often. It's been a few years. [Apparently the bird formerly known as the rufous-sided towhee is now the Eastern Towhee. Thank you, Wikipedia.]
I am looking forward to seeing my family soon. As always I panicked before purchasing the plane ticket. It is so expensive to travel. Even though I knew that there was no way around it--it was going to cost what it was going to cost--I wished that you were here that night to encourage me to go ahead and press "Purchase Ticket." It was after 10:00pm and there was no one that I could call to calm me. Even if you were home you would probably have been asleep; I would have woken you up to ask you if I should go ahead and purchase the tickets; and you would have been a little annoyed with me. I always freak out with big expenses. But, I really feel like it is worth the expense to spend this time with my family, to meet my brother's bride and see him get married, and to see you as well.
I started going through the book about New England that I picked up from the used book store. As I looked through it, I decided that I am going to encourage my boys to do a little extra study to go along with our excursions. I started compiling a reading list for them including some books by local authors as well as the history behind some of the places we will be visiting. I plan on doing this for both Utah and New England. Todd's teacher just told him today that she expects her students to read 33 hours over the summer. That averages to about 3 hours a week. We are hoping that he has the same teacher for next year, and I would love for him to be able to report back that he continued to read. I also think it will be good for Ryan to have a reading goal this summer.
I have big plans to keep Todd busy learning this summer. I think I already told you that his teacher wants to work with him via e-mail and online to get ahead on the fourth grade math and hopefully finish the book this summer. And I would like to pick up where we left off on some piano lessons. Lofty goals we have.
I am looking forward to having a girls night out (just dinner at this point) with Jen, Donna, and Anne, for my birthday Friday night. I drove by Coach-N-Four earlier this month. It made me miss you and the birthday dinner you might have treated me to. Actually, I really enjoyed my birthday dinner at the Boathouse last year. That was a lovely evening.
I love that I have been able to talk and hang out with Jen more. I really enjoy having her live close. Jen took me and the boys out for a Mother's Day (Eve) movie. ["Chimpanzee" was a great choice for our diverse group--young, oldish, male, female.] It meant so much to hear Jen tell me that I was one of her favorite mothers. It literally brought tears to my ears to feel her sincerity when she said that.(Especially after a tough week when I felt like my new neighbors maybe didn't respect my parenting much. What do they know, anyway?)
I feel like my brain has been a little fried lately. I have not done nearly as well keeping up with my updates as I would like. But I think about you all the time. I get excited to share your story with people who ask about you. I really am so proud of you and what you are accomplishing. Sometimes I probably gush too much, but I can't help it. You are very cool, and I have enjoyed following you on this adventure.
I am looking forward to seeing my family soon. As always I panicked before purchasing the plane ticket. It is so expensive to travel. Even though I knew that there was no way around it--it was going to cost what it was going to cost--I wished that you were here that night to encourage me to go ahead and press "Purchase Ticket." It was after 10:00pm and there was no one that I could call to calm me. Even if you were home you would probably have been asleep; I would have woken you up to ask you if I should go ahead and purchase the tickets; and you would have been a little annoyed with me. I always freak out with big expenses. But, I really feel like it is worth the expense to spend this time with my family, to meet my brother's bride and see him get married, and to see you as well.
I started going through the book about New England that I picked up from the used book store. As I looked through it, I decided that I am going to encourage my boys to do a little extra study to go along with our excursions. I started compiling a reading list for them including some books by local authors as well as the history behind some of the places we will be visiting. I plan on doing this for both Utah and New England. Todd's teacher just told him today that she expects her students to read 33 hours over the summer. That averages to about 3 hours a week. We are hoping that he has the same teacher for next year, and I would love for him to be able to report back that he continued to read. I also think it will be good for Ryan to have a reading goal this summer.
I have big plans to keep Todd busy learning this summer. I think I already told you that his teacher wants to work with him via e-mail and online to get ahead on the fourth grade math and hopefully finish the book this summer. And I would like to pick up where we left off on some piano lessons. Lofty goals we have.
I am looking forward to having a girls night out (just dinner at this point) with Jen, Donna, and Anne, for my birthday Friday night. I drove by Coach-N-Four earlier this month. It made me miss you and the birthday dinner you might have treated me to. Actually, I really enjoyed my birthday dinner at the Boathouse last year. That was a lovely evening.
I love that I have been able to talk and hang out with Jen more. I really enjoy having her live close. Jen took me and the boys out for a Mother's Day (Eve) movie. ["Chimpanzee" was a great choice for our diverse group--young, oldish, male, female.] It meant so much to hear Jen tell me that I was one of her favorite mothers. It literally brought tears to my ears to feel her sincerity when she said that.(Especially after a tough week when I felt like my new neighbors maybe didn't respect my parenting much. What do they know, anyway?)
I feel like my brain has been a little fried lately. I have not done nearly as well keeping up with my updates as I would like. But I think about you all the time. I get excited to share your story with people who ask about you. I really am so proud of you and what you are accomplishing. Sometimes I probably gush too much, but I can't help it. You are very cool, and I have enjoyed following you on this adventure.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
For Brett From Home (5/22/12)
Well, it has happened--I got computer help from my nine-year-old son. After seeing me struggle for a little while on the computer, Todd came in and fixed the problem for me. Don't ask me how it happened, but the desktop was rotated 90 degrees. Which means that working the mouse felt off as well. I'm still not sure how he knew the solution so quickly, but I was grateful that he helped me out before I got frustrated.
I was also paid a nice compliment on Ryan's behalf at school last week. The mom who comes in for Smiley Math (a once-a-week volunteer-run program that gives kids the opportunity to earn points by working out logic problems, etc.) chatted with me in the library. There was a calendar-related problem on their last worksheet, and she was impressed with the unique method Ryan used to solve the problem (relabeling the days of the week to calculate the question more quickly). She said Ryan was the only one who approached the problem differently and it really showed "thinking outside the box." I often get frustrated that Ryan goes through his work so quickly (and sloppily). She pointed that his desire to get done quickly helped him come up with an easier (and still correct) solution. It was a good reminder for me to look for the positive qualities in my children and not just be quick to criticize when things are not done my way.
I am finding it hard to eat up the food in the fridge and freezer before summer. I am simply not cooking like I do with you at home. (I would miss cooking more if it weren't for the baseball schedule.) My lazy protein has been cooking with eggs, quite often. A typical late breakfast or lunch for me is an open-faced fried egg sandwich with Cheddar on an English muffin. Mmmm. I have also been known to cook that for dinner when the boys eat at your mom's. It's also good as an after-the-boys-are-in-bed supper. It's good anytime of day!
I missed the roses blooming on the side of the house this year. I just didn't take the time to check on them. I didn't miss out on the hydrangeas. They are full of blooms and I have enjoyed cutting them and keeping a vase of them in the kitchen. I have vase full of beautiful blue blooms right now. I love them! I am also enjoying the gardenias. They don't last too long before they start wilting (inside or out), but they smell so sweet. I love them, too! I also love my pink Gerber daisies, though they are not producing as many blooms these days. I started quizzing the boys on the flowers I kept inside, just so they would know what some of Mommy's favorites are.
You'll never believe what I saw about two weeks ago: I drove by a young man rollerblading on Forest Rd. with his dog! After ten years of rollerblading with my dog in this neighborhood and a few more years in our previous neighborhood it was fun to see someone else enjoying this form of exercise.
I have been more cautious with Copper, though he has run off a few more times. Once, he ran off in the rain?!? But this last week has been good. I have also been trying to play Frisbee with him more, now that he will finally run for me. He gets so excited when he sees his toy come out. He doesn't even mind if the boys play too.
The wrens nested again in the very same spot. The babies just left the nest this afternoon. I think there were three fledglings. They were making a ruckus during my piano lessons. I explained to Todd and Ryan the conversations that were taking place between Mommy or Daddy Wren and the babies.
Mommy/Daddy Wren: Dinnertime, dinnertime, dinnertime. Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?
Babies: Food! Food! Food! Here we are! Here we are! Here we are!
Of course, it was much cuter when I was using little birdy voices to act it out. Todd, especially, liked it.
I was a little afraid of opening the garage door and moving the car out to go to baseball practice this afternoon. I didn't want to run over one of them. So I had Todd keep watch for me, and I think it worked out just fine. I have enjoyed watching the wrens this last week and it really made me miss you.
I was also paid a nice compliment on Ryan's behalf at school last week. The mom who comes in for Smiley Math (a once-a-week volunteer-run program that gives kids the opportunity to earn points by working out logic problems, etc.) chatted with me in the library. There was a calendar-related problem on their last worksheet, and she was impressed with the unique method Ryan used to solve the problem (relabeling the days of the week to calculate the question more quickly). She said Ryan was the only one who approached the problem differently and it really showed "thinking outside the box." I often get frustrated that Ryan goes through his work so quickly (and sloppily). She pointed that his desire to get done quickly helped him come up with an easier (and still correct) solution. It was a good reminder for me to look for the positive qualities in my children and not just be quick to criticize when things are not done my way.
I am finding it hard to eat up the food in the fridge and freezer before summer. I am simply not cooking like I do with you at home. (I would miss cooking more if it weren't for the baseball schedule.) My lazy protein has been cooking with eggs, quite often. A typical late breakfast or lunch for me is an open-faced fried egg sandwich with Cheddar on an English muffin. Mmmm. I have also been known to cook that for dinner when the boys eat at your mom's. It's also good as an after-the-boys-are-in-bed supper. It's good anytime of day!
I missed the roses blooming on the side of the house this year. I just didn't take the time to check on them. I didn't miss out on the hydrangeas. They are full of blooms and I have enjoyed cutting them and keeping a vase of them in the kitchen. I have vase full of beautiful blue blooms right now. I love them! I am also enjoying the gardenias. They don't last too long before they start wilting (inside or out), but they smell so sweet. I love them, too! I also love my pink Gerber daisies, though they are not producing as many blooms these days. I started quizzing the boys on the flowers I kept inside, just so they would know what some of Mommy's favorites are.
You'll never believe what I saw about two weeks ago: I drove by a young man rollerblading on Forest Rd. with his dog! After ten years of rollerblading with my dog in this neighborhood and a few more years in our previous neighborhood it was fun to see someone else enjoying this form of exercise.
I have been more cautious with Copper, though he has run off a few more times. Once, he ran off in the rain?!? But this last week has been good. I have also been trying to play Frisbee with him more, now that he will finally run for me. He gets so excited when he sees his toy come out. He doesn't even mind if the boys play too.
The wrens nested again in the very same spot. The babies just left the nest this afternoon. I think there were three fledglings. They were making a ruckus during my piano lessons. I explained to Todd and Ryan the conversations that were taking place between Mommy or Daddy Wren and the babies.
Mommy/Daddy Wren: Dinnertime, dinnertime, dinnertime. Where are you? Where are you? Where are you?
Babies: Food! Food! Food! Here we are! Here we are! Here we are!
Of course, it was much cuter when I was using little birdy voices to act it out. Todd, especially, liked it.
I was a little afraid of opening the garage door and moving the car out to go to baseball practice this afternoon. I didn't want to run over one of them. So I had Todd keep watch for me, and I think it worked out just fine. I have enjoyed watching the wrens this last week and it really made me miss you.
Friday, May 4, 2012
For Brett, From Becca (5/4/12)
This week has flown by for me. We continue our day-to-day routine. This week has been busy with field day activities for the boys. Todd was able to participate on two different days: once for third grade and once for fourth grade. Both boys participated individually in the hurdles. Todd got first place in the Third Grade boys race and Ryan got second place in the First Grade boys race. All of the classes were very competitive when it came to the Tug-of-War. That is my favorite event to watch. The three-legged race has always been favorite event to participate in, and I was pleased that both of the boys let me race with them during the parent participation portion of field day. I would even say that we did a pretty great job (except when Todd paused to say to hi to his spectator brother and friends when we were turning back around).
Ryan begged me to check him out of school after field day today. Many parents check their kids out. About half his class was gone. But I had things that I wanted to do at home. And I honestly think those low-work days when half the class is gone are some of the best. Ryan came home off the bus so cheerful and happy. He clearly had fun this afternoon. It made me feel good to hear him say, "Thanks for not checking me out from school." They celebrated Cinco de Mayo with some snacks and got to watch a movie. I am sure he wouldn't have had so much fun at home.
I enjoyed meeting with Todd's teacher about completing the Fourth Grade math book this summer. It may mean more work for me keeping up with his assignments and tests and encouraging him to continue to make progress. But what else will I be doing? I am also going to try to keep the boys reading this summer. They usually do a good job, but being away from home we will have to make a point to plan reading time into our activities. Vacations are great, but I don't want them to regress too much. And it would be great if they could advance even a little.
I finally had to turn on the air conditioner this week. I held off for as long as I could. There are some times of day when it's not so bad, but it's getting humid also. Today was especially humid. The sun wasn't so strong during Ryan's field day, but it was so humid that I still felt like I was melting.
We had a bit of a downpour last night. I had already been thinking it was time to check the gutters again, and last night confirmed it. Actually, last night I realized that I should have checked the gutters last week. I will work on cleaning them out this weekend. It will be a new experience for me.
Besides being here to clean out gutters and do all the rest of the outdoor maintenance, I also miss being able to call on you to be my bug killer. I had to kill a cockroach last week in the bathroom. I'm sure it would have been very funny to any onlookers. Although, if there were anyone around watching (and laughing) I am sure I would have enlisted their help.
The sago palm is starting to look kind of freaky in an almost obscene way. I'll post a picture later. I'm sorry if you are disappointed about it splitting.
Yesterday the boys and I finally reached our goal of reading scriptures 20 days in a row (110 days this year). We almost didn't make it a couple of times, but we were determined to succeed. We've only reached 20 days in a row once before. We reached our 10 days in a row goal twice before, and I rewarded the boys with a Dairy Queen trip. This time I told the boys they had to reach 20 days before they could earn their DQ trip. If we make it to 25 days in a row they will earn a movie night. On our way for ice cream yesterday I remembered the new frozen yogurt store, Top This. The boys were excited about trying it. It was not as "heavy" as DQ and the boys got to pick out their own toppings. It totally hit the spot.
I made some lentil soup this week. It was so delicious. Ryan loved it too. I will definitely be making it again. Do you think you would eat it? I also made kale chips. They kind of taste like a broccoli, but are light and crispy and almost disintegrate in your mouth. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.
Copper ran off on me again this morning even though he got a nice golf course run last night. This is the first time he has run off when I let him out for his morning pee before school. He didn't even wait for us to take him to the bus. I was scrambling to get the boys ready for school and I was trying to get myself ready to attend field day. I couldn't start looking for him until after I got the boys on the bus. I drove around the usual streets with no luck. I asked Mark if he could keep an eye out for Copper while I was at field day, but I decided to stop by the house again. I was just in time to receive a phone call from a woman on Kildare who found him. I don't know what he was doing over there or what prompted him to leave this morning.
I picked up a German book from Goodwill about two weeks ago. I've been flipping through it from time to time. I would love to be able to teach myself enough German to be able to get by on my next trip (2013??).
I'm happy to hear that you seem to be doing a little better on the trail. I really don't want you to give up. I think it you can just get through Virginia it will be a little easier. I'm so proud of you!
Ryan begged me to check him out of school after field day today. Many parents check their kids out. About half his class was gone. But I had things that I wanted to do at home. And I honestly think those low-work days when half the class is gone are some of the best. Ryan came home off the bus so cheerful and happy. He clearly had fun this afternoon. It made me feel good to hear him say, "Thanks for not checking me out from school." They celebrated Cinco de Mayo with some snacks and got to watch a movie. I am sure he wouldn't have had so much fun at home.
I enjoyed meeting with Todd's teacher about completing the Fourth Grade math book this summer. It may mean more work for me keeping up with his assignments and tests and encouraging him to continue to make progress. But what else will I be doing? I am also going to try to keep the boys reading this summer. They usually do a good job, but being away from home we will have to make a point to plan reading time into our activities. Vacations are great, but I don't want them to regress too much. And it would be great if they could advance even a little.
I finally had to turn on the air conditioner this week. I held off for as long as I could. There are some times of day when it's not so bad, but it's getting humid also. Today was especially humid. The sun wasn't so strong during Ryan's field day, but it was so humid that I still felt like I was melting.
We had a bit of a downpour last night. I had already been thinking it was time to check the gutters again, and last night confirmed it. Actually, last night I realized that I should have checked the gutters last week. I will work on cleaning them out this weekend. It will be a new experience for me.
Besides being here to clean out gutters and do all the rest of the outdoor maintenance, I also miss being able to call on you to be my bug killer. I had to kill a cockroach last week in the bathroom. I'm sure it would have been very funny to any onlookers. Although, if there were anyone around watching (and laughing) I am sure I would have enlisted their help.
The sago palm is starting to look kind of freaky in an almost obscene way. I'll post a picture later. I'm sorry if you are disappointed about it splitting.
Yesterday the boys and I finally reached our goal of reading scriptures 20 days in a row (110 days this year). We almost didn't make it a couple of times, but we were determined to succeed. We've only reached 20 days in a row once before. We reached our 10 days in a row goal twice before, and I rewarded the boys with a Dairy Queen trip. This time I told the boys they had to reach 20 days before they could earn their DQ trip. If we make it to 25 days in a row they will earn a movie night. On our way for ice cream yesterday I remembered the new frozen yogurt store, Top This. The boys were excited about trying it. It was not as "heavy" as DQ and the boys got to pick out their own toppings. It totally hit the spot.
I made some lentil soup this week. It was so delicious. Ryan loved it too. I will definitely be making it again. Do you think you would eat it? I also made kale chips. They kind of taste like a broccoli, but are light and crispy and almost disintegrate in your mouth. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.
Copper ran off on me again this morning even though he got a nice golf course run last night. This is the first time he has run off when I let him out for his morning pee before school. He didn't even wait for us to take him to the bus. I was scrambling to get the boys ready for school and I was trying to get myself ready to attend field day. I couldn't start looking for him until after I got the boys on the bus. I drove around the usual streets with no luck. I asked Mark if he could keep an eye out for Copper while I was at field day, but I decided to stop by the house again. I was just in time to receive a phone call from a woman on Kildare who found him. I don't know what he was doing over there or what prompted him to leave this morning.
I picked up a German book from Goodwill about two weeks ago. I've been flipping through it from time to time. I would love to be able to teach myself enough German to be able to get by on my next trip (2013??).
I'm happy to hear that you seem to be doing a little better on the trail. I really don't want you to give up. I think it you can just get through Virginia it will be a little easier. I'm so proud of you!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
For Brett From Home (4/24/12)
I miss having you around to share my little nothing-happenings. However, it has been kind of fun recording these daily thoughts. Years from now it will be interesting to see what concerned me and what I thought about.
I mentioned on the phone that the sago palm is splitting. It is forming two cones. It isn't the sago palm right by the mailbox as I first told you. It is the one closest to Bobby's yard.
The lawn mower is working well enough that your dad was able to use it today. It still has troubles though. I'm not sure what the diagnosis is, but the motor keeps dying. I blew off the back patio and your dad successfully mowed our yard yesterday. Hooray! Hopefully the oaks are almost done dropping. I will make a point to check the gutters and clean them out soon.
We finally got some good rain last Tuesday. We needed it. It was pouring hard for at least a half hour right after the boys got on the bus. I would like to have been curled up in bed, but no such luck. It was kind of a cozy, snuggle-up rain. I don't suppose you have that same feeling about rain these days.
We got more rain on Saturday. Since then the temperature has dropped, and it has been quite nice, although windy. The wind chimes were so loud on Sunday when Jen was over that she shut the sliding glass door. She said she felt like she had to yell to talk to me. I was thinking about you all day today wondering how cold you have been. I heard that had some snow in New England.
The spring weather has been beautiful lately. There have been a few days (today included) when I would really like to have driven the Mustang. I'll just have to wait until you're back in the fall and make a point to drive it then.
The boys are still not getting to bed with any regularity. It would drive you crazy. There was one day last week when Ryan just didn't wake up on his own. He was completely out of it, and I felt so bad for his tired little body that I let him sleep in until 7:45am. I finally had to go in and wake him up. He was thrown off by the fact that he had slept in past the time that the bus is supposed to come. It made him a little grumpy until he discovered that I had decided that all of the boys would just be car riders that morning.
I have also not been going to bed well (big surprise!). I am not staying up past Midnight; my bedtime has been more like 11:30pm. But the six or seven hours of sleep I get each night just hasn't been enough. It is starting to wear on me. In fact, last week I had a dream where I came across an alligator snapping turtle (which didn't look like a real alligator snapping turtle--its shell was covered in fuzz...). I knew that the turtle was quick and vicious and I had to move it out of the road (I'm not sure why...). But I was simply too weak and tired to get it out my way. I wasn't just tired in my dream. I was weak and tired in real life, even though I was sleeping, and it carried over into my dream.
In fact, I have been remembering a lot of my dreams lately. Some of them are good dreams. Many of them are spurred by real-life situations. (Anne had recently told me about coming across an alligator snapping turtle in the middle the road.) I had a dream where I attended an end-of-the-year function at the elementary school. There was some drama in the dream, but what stuck out to me was the table of desserts we got to sample. One of the desserts served was pineapple upside-down cupcakes. I had recently seen a recipe for them in my recipe binder (in real life and in the dream) and was so excited to be able to try them. I woke up wanting to bake them, but have had to hold off because we still have too many sweets around the house from Easter and now Todd's birthday.
Monday was Todd's birthday. It may take me a while to get used to him being NINE years old. We celebrated yesterday and today. I will probably let him invite a friend or two to do something fun this Saturday as well. On Friday your dad took Todd and me out to dinner (Chinese) for our birthdays (even though mine is still a month away.) On Sunday we had the whole family over for cake and ice cream. Todd got a few presents from the family. Yesterday morning I let Todd open the few presents from me before breakfast. I made him orange ricotta pancakes, which he had requested the night before. And I baked chocolate chip cookies for him to share with his class at school. The boys had baseball after school and I had chorus practice tonight, so we didn't really do anything to celebrate in the evening. All in all, we kept it simple, but I think Todd was really happy with his birthday.
Baseball is still going strong. I feel like I haven't seen very much of their games. Last week I stayed home from Todd's two games in order to put Ryan to bed earlier. When your dad took us to dinner on Friday he told me that Todd had been hit by the ball during his game the night before. I asked Todd to show me. He has a huge bruise on his thigh! He never mentioned it when he came home that night. (It was so late that I had to hurry him along just to get him in bed before 10:00pm.) And he never mentioned it the next morning before school. Poor tough guy.
Last week it seemed like Copper was not keeping up with me very well on his walks. Last night was a completely different story. He was so full of energy. I asked your mom if we could give him a run yesterday evening just as it was getting dark. Copper ran harder than I have seen him run in a while. When I got back I told your mom that I was sure that he would have run away last night without that run. This morning he was in the mood to run as well. I'm glad that I was able to give him his morning roller-blading run. He had no trouble keeping up with me. Since the morning was crisp and beautiful I made sure that I went a little longer for him.
The other day I mentioned smelling the honeysuckle vines on the golf course. The flowers smelled so sweet last night that I commented on them. Todd corrected me and informed me that they were jasmine. I looked it up on Wikipedia last night. He was right, of course. And clearly I know nothing about flowers!
I am looking forward for your return for Copper's benefit possibly more than mine. We sure try to do our best with him, but it's not the same. On Sunday he did something that he hasn't done in a very long time. I had gone to Publix the day before and bought a baguette. When I came home from church all that I could find of it was the plastic bag it came in torn in pieces. He ate the entire thing. Luckily it doesn't look like it made him sick. Thank goodness he left Todd's birthday cake alone. It was cooling on a rack, covered with a dish towel.
I have been getting my fill of chick flicks while you have been gone. Lately I have been crushing on Zac Efron. Yes, he is quite young and was a star on Disney's High School Musical. But he has grown to be quite the good-looking man. I'm looking forward to seeing the latest chick flick he starred in.
Wishing you were here to hug and kiss on. Hope you're doing well.
Much love from home.
I mentioned on the phone that the sago palm is splitting. It is forming two cones. It isn't the sago palm right by the mailbox as I first told you. It is the one closest to Bobby's yard.
The lawn mower is working well enough that your dad was able to use it today. It still has troubles though. I'm not sure what the diagnosis is, but the motor keeps dying. I blew off the back patio and your dad successfully mowed our yard yesterday. Hooray! Hopefully the oaks are almost done dropping. I will make a point to check the gutters and clean them out soon.
We finally got some good rain last Tuesday. We needed it. It was pouring hard for at least a half hour right after the boys got on the bus. I would like to have been curled up in bed, but no such luck. It was kind of a cozy, snuggle-up rain. I don't suppose you have that same feeling about rain these days.
We got more rain on Saturday. Since then the temperature has dropped, and it has been quite nice, although windy. The wind chimes were so loud on Sunday when Jen was over that she shut the sliding glass door. She said she felt like she had to yell to talk to me. I was thinking about you all day today wondering how cold you have been. I heard that had some snow in New England.
The spring weather has been beautiful lately. There have been a few days (today included) when I would really like to have driven the Mustang. I'll just have to wait until you're back in the fall and make a point to drive it then.
The boys are still not getting to bed with any regularity. It would drive you crazy. There was one day last week when Ryan just didn't wake up on his own. He was completely out of it, and I felt so bad for his tired little body that I let him sleep in until 7:45am. I finally had to go in and wake him up. He was thrown off by the fact that he had slept in past the time that the bus is supposed to come. It made him a little grumpy until he discovered that I had decided that all of the boys would just be car riders that morning.
I have also not been going to bed well (big surprise!). I am not staying up past Midnight; my bedtime has been more like 11:30pm. But the six or seven hours of sleep I get each night just hasn't been enough. It is starting to wear on me. In fact, last week I had a dream where I came across an alligator snapping turtle (which didn't look like a real alligator snapping turtle--its shell was covered in fuzz...). I knew that the turtle was quick and vicious and I had to move it out of the road (I'm not sure why...). But I was simply too weak and tired to get it out my way. I wasn't just tired in my dream. I was weak and tired in real life, even though I was sleeping, and it carried over into my dream.
In fact, I have been remembering a lot of my dreams lately. Some of them are good dreams. Many of them are spurred by real-life situations. (Anne had recently told me about coming across an alligator snapping turtle in the middle the road.) I had a dream where I attended an end-of-the-year function at the elementary school. There was some drama in the dream, but what stuck out to me was the table of desserts we got to sample. One of the desserts served was pineapple upside-down cupcakes. I had recently seen a recipe for them in my recipe binder (in real life and in the dream) and was so excited to be able to try them. I woke up wanting to bake them, but have had to hold off because we still have too many sweets around the house from Easter and now Todd's birthday.
Monday was Todd's birthday. It may take me a while to get used to him being NINE years old. We celebrated yesterday and today. I will probably let him invite a friend or two to do something fun this Saturday as well. On Friday your dad took Todd and me out to dinner (Chinese) for our birthdays (even though mine is still a month away.) On Sunday we had the whole family over for cake and ice cream. Todd got a few presents from the family. Yesterday morning I let Todd open the few presents from me before breakfast. I made him orange ricotta pancakes, which he had requested the night before. And I baked chocolate chip cookies for him to share with his class at school. The boys had baseball after school and I had chorus practice tonight, so we didn't really do anything to celebrate in the evening. All in all, we kept it simple, but I think Todd was really happy with his birthday.
Baseball is still going strong. I feel like I haven't seen very much of their games. Last week I stayed home from Todd's two games in order to put Ryan to bed earlier. When your dad took us to dinner on Friday he told me that Todd had been hit by the ball during his game the night before. I asked Todd to show me. He has a huge bruise on his thigh! He never mentioned it when he came home that night. (It was so late that I had to hurry him along just to get him in bed before 10:00pm.) And he never mentioned it the next morning before school. Poor tough guy.
Last week it seemed like Copper was not keeping up with me very well on his walks. Last night was a completely different story. He was so full of energy. I asked your mom if we could give him a run yesterday evening just as it was getting dark. Copper ran harder than I have seen him run in a while. When I got back I told your mom that I was sure that he would have run away last night without that run. This morning he was in the mood to run as well. I'm glad that I was able to give him his morning roller-blading run. He had no trouble keeping up with me. Since the morning was crisp and beautiful I made sure that I went a little longer for him.
The other day I mentioned smelling the honeysuckle vines on the golf course. The flowers smelled so sweet last night that I commented on them. Todd corrected me and informed me that they were jasmine. I looked it up on Wikipedia last night. He was right, of course. And clearly I know nothing about flowers!
I am looking forward for your return for Copper's benefit possibly more than mine. We sure try to do our best with him, but it's not the same. On Sunday he did something that he hasn't done in a very long time. I had gone to Publix the day before and bought a baguette. When I came home from church all that I could find of it was the plastic bag it came in torn in pieces. He ate the entire thing. Luckily it doesn't look like it made him sick. Thank goodness he left Todd's birthday cake alone. It was cooling on a rack, covered with a dish towel.
I have been getting my fill of chick flicks while you have been gone. Lately I have been crushing on Zac Efron. Yes, he is quite young and was a star on Disney's High School Musical. But he has grown to be quite the good-looking man. I'm looking forward to seeing the latest chick flick he starred in.
Wishing you were here to hug and kiss on. Hope you're doing well.
Much love from home.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
For Brett From Home (4/17/12)
I think Ryan has been having a hard time with our busy schedule this spring. He was complaining about an upset tummy on Sunday night and again on Monday morning. The boy said he felt too sick to go to school. I knew that I could push him to go to school, but I just had a feeling that he should stay home. I reminded him that staying home from school meant make-up work, no after-school play time with friends, no baseball that evening, and a nap. He happily agreed to the conditions. His mood improved significantly when the time for catching the bus had come and gone. But I didn't hear a word of complaint that afternoon on the friends issue. He also made an attempt to rest in the afternoon, but I was the only one who caught a few z's. In the end, I still don't regret letting Ryan have his mental health day. I am happy that he has an easy baseball schedule this week. No game or practice until Friday. Oma took Todd to baseball this afternoon, so Ryan has the rest of the afternoon to be a little boy, now that he has finished his math homework. I think he needed this break.
Todd, on the other hand, is doing just fine. In fact, with this week being FCAT testing you might think that Todd would be a little more stressed. Not at all. He is the one reminding me about eating a good breakfast. He suggested making "real" oatmeal for breakfast this morning, complete with raisins. How could I refuse him? Rather than being stressed this morning, he was excited about the prospect of getting Nerds as a snack at school after the test.
I had errands to run yesterday, so Ryan got to tag along with me. Ryan had one request: we had to get a birthday present for Copper. Per his request I took him to Walgreen's, where we found a glow-in-the-dark frisbee ring. I thought it was a perfect idea. Ryan let the ring soak up some rays and tested it in the bathroom. It really glowed. That night we tried it out and almost lost it. The ring had lost is glow and we couldn't see it in the bushes where Ryan had thrown had landed it. Still, it was a very sweet thought. Ryan also gave Copper a belated birthday treat yesterday. He let Copper lick his empty yogurt container. That sweet boy loves his Copper.
I also bought a special treat for Ryan at the grocery store: Silk, vanilla-flavored almond milk. Ryan has been begging me to buy it ever since he tried it at a friend's house. He loves it. I think he drank three cups of it yesterday. I like it okay, but just in small quantities. I might like it more as I get used to it. It did taste good with my bananas and oatmeal this morning.
Ryan and I also stopped at the vet yesterday and picked up some flea medicine for Copper. I gave it to him last night, and I didn't see any fleas on him when I checked him today. (Yeah!) I bought some special soothing shampoo to use on him, hopefully tomorrow. I also noticed that he seemed to have a little limp again today. I checked his paws thoroughly (he hated every minute of it), but I didn't see anything suspicious. I'll keep an eye on him.
This afternoon, instead of offering his yogurt container to Copper, Ryan mutilated his yogurt cup. He was using his spoon to bend out the bottom of the container. He reminded me so much of you, testing the properties of the plastic--pushing, scraping, poking, exploring, thinking. He also completely took apart (and put back together) the mechanical pencil he was using for his homework today, at times writing with it half-assembled. I restrained myself from telling him to just let the pencil be. I know it is good for him to put his curiosity to work. It amazes me to see his brain work sometimes. A little Brett.
I wonder how soon we will be able to employ Ryan's assistance in honey-do projects. I haven't heard the details yet, but I think your dad heard big bad news about the lawn mower. I may ask Deede about having Alex help out with the lawn. The corner cabinet in the kitchen could also use an oiling, when you get a chance. It is quite squeaky.
I have been working quite a bit on the blogs (a total of three) that I am keeping up for you. I have spent a lot of time setting them up and rearranging some things. My goal is that if I do it right now, then the photos, updates, and journal entries will all be organized at the end of the trip so we can do something special with it. I think we should do just that--something special. I think it is important to have your experience documented for your posterity.
I am typing now to the sound of seven boys playing nicely in the backyards (on the playset in Tammy's yard at the moment). Music to my ears. I feel very lucky to have great neighbors and friends so close for the boys to play with.
I met up with some church friends at Top This, the new frozen yogurt store that moved into the old Coastal Lumber building (Is that the name of the store that was across from the high school? I can't believe I've already forgotten.). While I was there I ran into (UPS driver) Carlos. He had heard (maybe from Donna?) that you were hiking the A.T. He said that he hiked the Georgia section. He started out with the intention of hiking to Blood Mountain and just kept going until he reached the Georgia/North Carolina border. It sounds like has the attitude of "never-again!". You'll have to ask him about it when you get back.
I had another aviary surprise today, though with the mild winter I shouldn't be that surprised. I saw our first hummingbird. It was in the front yard and just peeked into the dining room window. Time for me to set up the bird feeder.
I think you will be pleased to know that your mom finally bought herself a new sewing machine. This week she bought a Bernina which she has been wanting for years. Her machine finally stopped working, so she has been using mine. Mine doesn't do any fancy stitches, but it does the straight and zig zag stitches just fine. I think your mom is excited about her machine. I told her that you would have been happy if she bought herself a good machine years ago. She deserves it.
I know it really hasn't been that long since I talked to you, but it kind of feels like it already. I look forward to hearing from you soon, and hope you're doing well.
More from today:
I took Ryan to Chick-Fil-A for dinner tonight. They were doing a school fundraiser tonight, similar to the Hungry Howie's school night. Ryan definitely has a European attitude when it comes to eating his meals. I think he enjoys the socializing more than the eating. When I encouraged him to take a bit for the hundredth time he replied, "I just don't feel like taking a bite." He was content to sit and talk, having my full attention.
When we got home Ryan and I took Copper for a golf course run. We passed the hedge of honeysuckles (correction: jasmine). They smelled so sweet. I thought of you. I also noticed that the two baby long leaf pine trees in the backyard seem to be doing very well.
Tonight before bed Ryan and I finally looked at the booklet about babies, as promised. We saw the goo-blobs, alien-looking babies, white-fuzz-covered babies, legs-up-in-the-face babies (like Ryan, right before he was born), and newborns. I don't remember having a detailed conversation with my mom when I was young about umbilical cords and how my belly button came to be. I'm also pretty sure I didn't ask her whether I pooped or peed in her tummy. Also, "Do you tell if it's a boy or girl by looking at how the baby sucks its thumb?" (Wha?...uh, no...You just look right there.) All things considered, it wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it might be.
Todd, on the other hand, is doing just fine. In fact, with this week being FCAT testing you might think that Todd would be a little more stressed. Not at all. He is the one reminding me about eating a good breakfast. He suggested making "real" oatmeal for breakfast this morning, complete with raisins. How could I refuse him? Rather than being stressed this morning, he was excited about the prospect of getting Nerds as a snack at school after the test.
I had errands to run yesterday, so Ryan got to tag along with me. Ryan had one request: we had to get a birthday present for Copper. Per his request I took him to Walgreen's, where we found a glow-in-the-dark frisbee ring. I thought it was a perfect idea. Ryan let the ring soak up some rays and tested it in the bathroom. It really glowed. That night we tried it out and almost lost it. The ring had lost is glow and we couldn't see it in the bushes where Ryan had thrown had landed it. Still, it was a very sweet thought. Ryan also gave Copper a belated birthday treat yesterday. He let Copper lick his empty yogurt container. That sweet boy loves his Copper.
I also bought a special treat for Ryan at the grocery store: Silk, vanilla-flavored almond milk. Ryan has been begging me to buy it ever since he tried it at a friend's house. He loves it. I think he drank three cups of it yesterday. I like it okay, but just in small quantities. I might like it more as I get used to it. It did taste good with my bananas and oatmeal this morning.
Ryan and I also stopped at the vet yesterday and picked up some flea medicine for Copper. I gave it to him last night, and I didn't see any fleas on him when I checked him today. (Yeah!) I bought some special soothing shampoo to use on him, hopefully tomorrow. I also noticed that he seemed to have a little limp again today. I checked his paws thoroughly (he hated every minute of it), but I didn't see anything suspicious. I'll keep an eye on him.
This afternoon, instead of offering his yogurt container to Copper, Ryan mutilated his yogurt cup. He was using his spoon to bend out the bottom of the container. He reminded me so much of you, testing the properties of the plastic--pushing, scraping, poking, exploring, thinking. He also completely took apart (and put back together) the mechanical pencil he was using for his homework today, at times writing with it half-assembled. I restrained myself from telling him to just let the pencil be. I know it is good for him to put his curiosity to work. It amazes me to see his brain work sometimes. A little Brett.
I wonder how soon we will be able to employ Ryan's assistance in honey-do projects. I haven't heard the details yet, but I think your dad heard big bad news about the lawn mower. I may ask Deede about having Alex help out with the lawn. The corner cabinet in the kitchen could also use an oiling, when you get a chance. It is quite squeaky.
I have been working quite a bit on the blogs (a total of three) that I am keeping up for you. I have spent a lot of time setting them up and rearranging some things. My goal is that if I do it right now, then the photos, updates, and journal entries will all be organized at the end of the trip so we can do something special with it. I think we should do just that--something special. I think it is important to have your experience documented for your posterity.
I am typing now to the sound of seven boys playing nicely in the backyards (on the playset in Tammy's yard at the moment). Music to my ears. I feel very lucky to have great neighbors and friends so close for the boys to play with.
I met up with some church friends at Top This, the new frozen yogurt store that moved into the old Coastal Lumber building (Is that the name of the store that was across from the high school? I can't believe I've already forgotten.). While I was there I ran into (UPS driver) Carlos. He had heard (maybe from Donna?) that you were hiking the A.T. He said that he hiked the Georgia section. He started out with the intention of hiking to Blood Mountain and just kept going until he reached the Georgia/North Carolina border. It sounds like has the attitude of "never-again!". You'll have to ask him about it when you get back.
I had another aviary surprise today, though with the mild winter I shouldn't be that surprised. I saw our first hummingbird. It was in the front yard and just peeked into the dining room window. Time for me to set up the bird feeder.
I think you will be pleased to know that your mom finally bought herself a new sewing machine. This week she bought a Bernina which she has been wanting for years. Her machine finally stopped working, so she has been using mine. Mine doesn't do any fancy stitches, but it does the straight and zig zag stitches just fine. I think your mom is excited about her machine. I told her that you would have been happy if she bought herself a good machine years ago. She deserves it.
I know it really hasn't been that long since I talked to you, but it kind of feels like it already. I look forward to hearing from you soon, and hope you're doing well.
More from today:
I took Ryan to Chick-Fil-A for dinner tonight. They were doing a school fundraiser tonight, similar to the Hungry Howie's school night. Ryan definitely has a European attitude when it comes to eating his meals. I think he enjoys the socializing more than the eating. When I encouraged him to take a bit for the hundredth time he replied, "I just don't feel like taking a bite." He was content to sit and talk, having my full attention.
When we got home Ryan and I took Copper for a golf course run. We passed the hedge of honeysuckles (correction: jasmine). They smelled so sweet. I thought of you. I also noticed that the two baby long leaf pine trees in the backyard seem to be doing very well.
Tonight before bed Ryan and I finally looked at the booklet about babies, as promised. We saw the goo-blobs, alien-looking babies, white-fuzz-covered babies, legs-up-in-the-face babies (like Ryan, right before he was born), and newborns. I don't remember having a detailed conversation with my mom when I was young about umbilical cords and how my belly button came to be. I'm also pretty sure I didn't ask her whether I pooped or peed in her tummy. Also, "Do you tell if it's a boy or girl by looking at how the baby sucks its thumb?" (Wha?...uh, no...You just look right there.) All things considered, it wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it might be.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Photo Challenge #8 - Dream
Friday, April 6, 2012
For Brett, From Home (4/6/12)
I'm missed being able to talk to you much this week. I know you haven't had good cell phone coverage. I hope that I am available when you get into Damascus. This will be a busy weekend, but I'd love to catch up.
I still haven't been able to see how many wrens are in the nest. I keep trying to peek in every now and then, but all I see is a dark mass of down and feathers. I do know there is one less wren baby than Mommy Wren hoped for. I saw that an unhatched egg was kicked out of the nest last night. Tiny egg. With this being Easter and seeing all of the candy around, the wren egg is so small it looks more like candy than the real thing to me. I have a feeling that there are not as many wren babies as we have seen in the past. They just seem quieter this year, and mom and dad don't seem as busy feeding. Maybe that's a good thing when it comes to the clean-up. Ryan came home from school earlier this week having a bad day. Near tears he told me how he had accidentally poked himself in the eye with his pencil at school, everybody (i.e. Todd) was ignoring him, and to top it all off he stepped in bird poop in the garage! Poor kid! (You think someone is tired?) I have noticed that the wren parents have been cleaning nest more frequently and I do try to clean up when I notice it. But you definitely need to watch where you step.
Copper has now run off three times since we got home from Spring Break. I already told you that he didn't come the second time until after midnight. After falling asleep with no Copper at home, I woke up, checked and happily found him outside and let him in--at 2:30 in the morning. Then, on Tuesday this week he ran off in the afternoon when he was outside alone for less than a minute. Ryan brought me his old "Lost Dog" poster and told me the bad news. Luckily, we drove around and found him quickly (on Lakeway). He was wet, and even though I had bathed him just the day before (!!!) he got another bath. I have told the boys that we simply can not trust him outside at all. I really am trying to give him exercise, but I think he misses you and the extra attention you give him.
I felt terrible this morning when I took Copper for a walk. He looked like he was limping a little, but I checked his paws and didn't see anything suspicious. We continued our walk, and he didn't seem like he was really limping anymore. But, I kept our walk a little shorter and didn't push him. When we got home I noticed blood on the kitchen floor. The poor boy had scraped his pad. It wasn't bleeding when I checked his paw at the beginning of the walk, but there was no missing it by the time we got back home. I'm so sorry, Copper!
Todd finished his 8th card in Mile Club yesterday (40 miles this year), and as far as I know he's still in the lead. I think it's funny that Todd is such a good runner and obviously doesn't mind running like his parents do.
I'm trying to update your A.T. blog, but I have so many pictures from you now that it's kind of hard to go back and add them all. I'm also not sure how to handle transcribing your journal. I think I may just keep up with my trail updates and simply transcribe your journal into a Word document.
My family is starting to plan and get excited about James' wedding in June. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. James expressed it perfectly in his e-mail to all of us: "So a few people have expressed interest in doing some family stuff before the actual wedding, and I think that would be great. I'm not exactly sure what and/or when, but even hanging out, playing games and eating ham sandwiches sounds like fun when Mitchell siblings are involved" (emphasis added).
I'm interested to hear how your feet are faring. I really hope you're getting used to the new shoes and that your blisters from the old shoes are healing. Please take care of yourself.
Love, Becca
I still haven't been able to see how many wrens are in the nest. I keep trying to peek in every now and then, but all I see is a dark mass of down and feathers. I do know there is one less wren baby than Mommy Wren hoped for. I saw that an unhatched egg was kicked out of the nest last night. Tiny egg. With this being Easter and seeing all of the candy around, the wren egg is so small it looks more like candy than the real thing to me. I have a feeling that there are not as many wren babies as we have seen in the past. They just seem quieter this year, and mom and dad don't seem as busy feeding. Maybe that's a good thing when it comes to the clean-up. Ryan came home from school earlier this week having a bad day. Near tears he told me how he had accidentally poked himself in the eye with his pencil at school, everybody (i.e. Todd) was ignoring him, and to top it all off he stepped in bird poop in the garage! Poor kid! (You think someone is tired?) I have noticed that the wren parents have been cleaning nest more frequently and I do try to clean up when I notice it. But you definitely need to watch where you step.
Copper has now run off three times since we got home from Spring Break. I already told you that he didn't come the second time until after midnight. After falling asleep with no Copper at home, I woke up, checked and happily found him outside and let him in--at 2:30 in the morning. Then, on Tuesday this week he ran off in the afternoon when he was outside alone for less than a minute. Ryan brought me his old "Lost Dog" poster and told me the bad news. Luckily, we drove around and found him quickly (on Lakeway). He was wet, and even though I had bathed him just the day before (!!!) he got another bath. I have told the boys that we simply can not trust him outside at all. I really am trying to give him exercise, but I think he misses you and the extra attention you give him.
I felt terrible this morning when I took Copper for a walk. He looked like he was limping a little, but I checked his paws and didn't see anything suspicious. We continued our walk, and he didn't seem like he was really limping anymore. But, I kept our walk a little shorter and didn't push him. When we got home I noticed blood on the kitchen floor. The poor boy had scraped his pad. It wasn't bleeding when I checked his paw at the beginning of the walk, but there was no missing it by the time we got back home. I'm so sorry, Copper!
Todd finished his 8th card in Mile Club yesterday (40 miles this year), and as far as I know he's still in the lead. I think it's funny that Todd is such a good runner and obviously doesn't mind running like his parents do.
I'm trying to update your A.T. blog, but I have so many pictures from you now that it's kind of hard to go back and add them all. I'm also not sure how to handle transcribing your journal. I think I may just keep up with my trail updates and simply transcribe your journal into a Word document.
My family is starting to plan and get excited about James' wedding in June. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. James expressed it perfectly in his e-mail to all of us: "So a few people have expressed interest in doing some family stuff before the actual wedding, and I think that would be great. I'm not exactly sure what and/or when, but even hanging out, playing games and eating ham sandwiches sounds like fun when Mitchell siblings are involved" (emphasis added).
I'm interested to hear how your feet are faring. I really hope you're getting used to the new shoes and that your blisters from the old shoes are healing. Please take care of yourself.
Love, Becca
Friday, March 2, 2012
Time With Todd
On Wednesday I skimmed an article that talked about some things we can do to help our families be functional (as opposed to dysfunctional). It mentioned being intentional about the way we express ourselves towards our children. I thought about how I could do a better job of spending quality time with my boys. I spend time with them; I talk to them; I sing a song to them and tuck them in bed at night; I read scriptures with them in the morning; I attend class parties and special functions; I try to make them good meals, including the occasional just-for-fun foods (like the star-shaped chicken hand pies we had for dinner last week) and encourage family mealtimes. But so often I feel like many of my activities with them are rushed.
It made me feel good when I thought about the past few days; I recognized two times that I slowed down for Todd. Ryan is an easy one to snuggle with and feel close to. Even today when I was in Ryan's classroom to watch his presentation he was sitting in my lap. (There weren't enough chairs to go around and that was an easy and mutually agreeable solution.) Todd really enjoys one-on-one time, but he doesn't always get it. I had been feeling like we have been really busy, and I wanted to play some games with the boys on Sunday. We played a game of Scattegories Junior with Jen. After she left I let Todd pick a game. Todd picked the game Life. I ever-so-slightly rolled my eyes, but agreed. I'm so glad that I did. We ended up having a really nice game together. I know that it means a lot to Todd when someone takes time to play with him, whether it is a board game or a backyard game of football or tether ball (like Papa played with him on Tuesday afternoon).
I had another opportunity to spend time with Todd Tuesday evening. On Wednesday there was a special dinner for the Cub Scouts called the Blue and Gold Banquet. All the boys were invited to make and decorate a cake. I felt like Todd should do as much as possible on his own. Knowing that he has little experience in the kitchen (because I don't have the patience to cook often with my children) I knew it would take a while. I wanted it to be good experience so I added some songs to a new playlist I called "Cooking With Todd," and I let Todd add some songs as well. Having the music helped me relax and have more fun with the activity. Todd impressed me with how well he knew his way around the kitchen finding all of the ingredients and the measure spoons and cups. He did a great job and we both had fun with it.
On Wednesday we decorated the cake. We were running a little late after school trying to get everything done, so I did feel a little rushed. But, Todd still decorated the cake using his own design and was really proud of the final product. I need to let the boys cook with me in the kitchen more.
Whenever I do something right with my boys I think, "I'm so glad that I am helping to create such a positive memory for them." It would behoove me to ask myself, "What kind of memory am I creating for them?" during those times that I allow things to get too rushed and show impatience with them. I want them to have and to remember a mom who took time with them.
It made me feel good when I thought about the past few days; I recognized two times that I slowed down for Todd. Ryan is an easy one to snuggle with and feel close to. Even today when I was in Ryan's classroom to watch his presentation he was sitting in my lap. (There weren't enough chairs to go around and that was an easy and mutually agreeable solution.) Todd really enjoys one-on-one time, but he doesn't always get it. I had been feeling like we have been really busy, and I wanted to play some games with the boys on Sunday. We played a game of Scattegories Junior with Jen. After she left I let Todd pick a game. Todd picked the game Life. I ever-so-slightly rolled my eyes, but agreed. I'm so glad that I did. We ended up having a really nice game together. I know that it means a lot to Todd when someone takes time to play with him, whether it is a board game or a backyard game of football or tether ball (like Papa played with him on Tuesday afternoon).
I had another opportunity to spend time with Todd Tuesday evening. On Wednesday there was a special dinner for the Cub Scouts called the Blue and Gold Banquet. All the boys were invited to make and decorate a cake. I felt like Todd should do as much as possible on his own. Knowing that he has little experience in the kitchen (because I don't have the patience to cook often with my children) I knew it would take a while. I wanted it to be good experience so I added some songs to a new playlist I called "Cooking With Todd," and I let Todd add some songs as well. Having the music helped me relax and have more fun with the activity. Todd impressed me with how well he knew his way around the kitchen finding all of the ingredients and the measure spoons and cups. He did a great job and we both had fun with it.
On Wednesday we decorated the cake. We were running a little late after school trying to get everything done, so I did feel a little rushed. But, Todd still decorated the cake using his own design and was really proud of the final product. I need to let the boys cook with me in the kitchen more.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Draft from 2011: Baseball Ends, Summer Begins
I have a few posts that I started (some from a loooong time ago) and never finished. They are saved as drafts; some are very short and some are nearly finished. I am going to finish and post some of them from time to time, just to review what you may have missed. This is a post from 2011 (the year I didn't blog!).
All this draft had was a title and these photos.
We are in the middle of baseball season right now. It is a hard time for me. Between chorus practice on Monday nights, piano lessons on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and Cub Scouts/church on Wednesday nights--adding baseball to the mix makes me feel a little out of control. I complain about it quite a bit during the four months of the season. But I continue to let my boys sign up because they really enjoy playing, I think it's good for them to play on a team and learn to work with new people-kids and adults alike, and it's only four months, right?
But, I am glad when it is over and we get our life back. I love the slow and easy summer day these photos represent. It gives me hope that we will make it through this baseball season, just as we have the others, and I will be able to relax and enjoy time my boys again.
All this draft had was a title and these photos.
We are in the middle of baseball season right now. It is a hard time for me. Between chorus practice on Monday nights, piano lessons on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and Cub Scouts/church on Wednesday nights--adding baseball to the mix makes me feel a little out of control. I complain about it quite a bit during the four months of the season. But I continue to let my boys sign up because they really enjoy playing, I think it's good for them to play on a team and learn to work with new people-kids and adults alike, and it's only four months, right?
But, I am glad when it is over and we get our life back. I love the slow and easy summer day these photos represent. It gives me hope that we will make it through this baseball season, just as we have the others, and I will be able to relax and enjoy time my boys again.
Friday, February 24, 2012
For Brett, From Home (2/24/12)
I have a confession to make. Maybe I'm not doing such a great job taking care of Copper. Last night I took him for a ride with me to the baseball field. (Good Hun.) Then, somehow in the unloading of boys, shoes, equipment, purse, who-know-what-else . . . Copper never took the opportunity to get out and . . . I shut the door, with him still inside. (That's how ashamed I am. I had to use tiny print.) I think he just settled down and took a nap. Between getting the boys bathed and bedded, I didn't miss Copper. By the time things were quiet I still didn't miss him, thinking he was curled up somewhere. It wasn't until I went into the garage to do some laundry (more than two hours later--Bad, Bad Hun) that I saw him sitting up looking at me through the window. Poor boy. I felt so bad that I tried to make it up by throwing the Aeorobie, but he quickly got bored with it. The window had been down a few inches, and he didn't seem traumatized. I think I probably felt worse than he did. In fact, this afternoon when I went to leave for the grocery store, you should have seen Copper jump at the chance for another ride.
Sorry. We really are trying.
I was watching Ryan playing catch by himself this afternoon in the back yard. He has actually gotten better. Todd was inspired enough by his improvement that he invited Ryan to play catch with him. They played (unimpressively) for, I don't know, maybe a whole 3 minutes!
I sometimes think I am too nice to solicitors. I stayed on the phone with a girl this evening for about 10 minutes. She was very nice, and I was nice back. I let her describe some of their products. I declined, so she described some other options. I declined, so she described some other products. At this point (actually prior to that point) I should have just said, "I'm not buying nothin'!" But I didn't, and it took another two minutes for her to get the point. Now I feel worse for wasting her time than I would have if I were a little more rude, i.e. firm, in the beginning.
You would be proud of me. I attempted to fix another problem by myself. The shower curtain rod in the hall bath has been driving me crazy for months. It just rests and rolls on top of the ledge of the tub walls. I can never seem to extend it and get it to keep a tight fit. So, I bought a new rod today. (Way to show initiative!) I looked at the instructions on the new rod and thought (Did you catch that? I thought about it.), "Hmmm. I wonder if I've been trying to extend and tighten the old rod incorrectly. It might still work." I took myself to the bathroom and successfully (we'll see how successfully after a couple of weeks) extended and tightened the old rod. I don't know whether to feel proud that I fixed my own problem, or stupid that I didn't know how to tighten a shower rod without instructions. (Please don't say it; I already know what you're thinking!)
Thanks again for my Valentine's bowl. It is great, and I have already used it quite a bit.
It's surprising how many white Chevy trucks are on the road. I look for you in each one.
Sorry. We really are trying.
I was watching Ryan playing catch by himself this afternoon in the back yard. He has actually gotten better. Todd was inspired enough by his improvement that he invited Ryan to play catch with him. They played (unimpressively) for, I don't know, maybe a whole 3 minutes!
I sometimes think I am too nice to solicitors. I stayed on the phone with a girl this evening for about 10 minutes. She was very nice, and I was nice back. I let her describe some of their products. I declined, so she described some other options. I declined, so she described some other products. At this point (actually prior to that point) I should have just said, "I'm not buying nothin'!" But I didn't, and it took another two minutes for her to get the point. Now I feel worse for wasting her time than I would have if I were a little more rude, i.e. firm, in the beginning.
You would be proud of me. I attempted to fix another problem by myself. The shower curtain rod in the hall bath has been driving me crazy for months. It just rests and rolls on top of the ledge of the tub walls. I can never seem to extend it and get it to keep a tight fit. So, I bought a new rod today. (Way to show initiative!) I looked at the instructions on the new rod and thought (Did you catch that? I thought about it.), "Hmmm. I wonder if I've been trying to extend and tighten the old rod incorrectly. It might still work." I took myself to the bathroom and successfully (we'll see how successfully after a couple of weeks) extended and tightened the old rod. I don't know whether to feel proud that I fixed my own problem, or stupid that I didn't know how to tighten a shower rod without instructions. (Please don't say it; I already know what you're thinking!)
Thanks again for my Valentine's bowl. It is great, and I have already used it quite a bit.
It's surprising how many white Chevy trucks are on the road. I look for you in each one.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Big Adventures
You may be aware that Brett has been working toward a Big Adventure for himself--working, planning, preparing for over a year to do something that will fulfill a life dream of his. I am proud of him for making his dreams come true. He is an inspiration. He demonstrates that dreams don't happen by chance. You have to work to make them come true.
I am excited for him. I look forward to hearing how this Big Adventure changes him. I am looking forward to reading his journal even more than I am looking forward to seeing his photos of the gorgeous scenery.
But I also feel a little envious of his Big Adventure.
Not that I resent him in any way.
And I feel a little left out or left behind from his Big Adventure.
Not that I feel that he is in any way abandoning me or our family.
I just want to have my own Big Adventure.
Not that I have any desire to do the Big Adventure that he is doing....at all.
But I do want to have a Big Adventure that changes me, affects me deeply, creates memories and feelings that are life-lasting.
I will be having my own little adventure this year while Brett is having his Big Adventure. The question is, how can I use my adventure experiences to their greatest advantage? It is my responsibility to make the best use of my time. To be in the moment. To plan activities with my boys that will be meaningful. They may not be life-changing. But we can still create memories and feelings that are life-lasting.
Brett and I had a great conversation this weekend. A real conversation. So many conversations are superficial that those real conversations, by comparison, hit you--Right.There.In the chest.
We talked about adventures, dreams and life-changing experiences. He reminded me that while I may never have a huge chunk of time devoted to a Big Life-Changing Adventure, I have a number of smaller adventures that are important to me.
Brett jokes that I would be gone every other weekend traveling if I could. It's so true, it's not really a joke. But responsibilities at home, church, and school, as well as not having a significant amount of cash, prevent me from traveling much more than once a year. The point is to not let those responsibilities and the busyness of daily life get in the way of me enjoying my life and my little adventures or prevent me from planning my bigger adventures.
Brett shared this quote that he liked with me:
“Everyone knows that tearing feeling between necessity’s pull and your heart’s pull. That balance between needing to pay the bills and having a dream. It is a difficult road. All I [know is] that I [am] determined somehow to follow my heart...”
-Bear Grylls, The Kid Who Climbed Everest
Then I shared this quote with him:
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." — Chris McCandless
I don't exactly agree with the above quote (by Chris McCandless) for myself, but I get what it is trying to say. I, however, find myself in happy circumstances that include a life of security. It is having that security, both financial and familial, that allows me the freedom to plan new experiences--perhaps not as many as I would wish, but certainly more than I would have otherwise. I may not be a great explorer or an individual with a "passion" for adventure, but I do have my own little set of dreams and hopes and desires for new experiences. And I feel blessed to have a husband who loves me and encourages me to pursue those things that matter to me.
Brett and I concluded our conversation with the idea that while some dreams may come about spontaneously--for us, our dreams are most likely to happen with careful planning. Say it. Write it. See it. Plan it. Do it.
Here are some adventures we hope for:
2013- A family ski trip
(and perhaps another trip to Germany for Becca)
2014- Grand Canyon!!
2016- Taking the boys to Germany
Later that evening I asked Todd (who was not a part of the above conversation at all), "Todd, you know how Dad is having a great adventure this year....What adventure would you want to do for yourself?" His reply, "The Grand Canyon. ...and white water river rafting." I look forward to sharing our family plans with him and giving him the chance to see his dream become a reality.
I am happy that my boys have a father who can show them, teaching them by example, the way to make their dreams come true. I hope that they will be able to do the same for themselves one day.
I am excited for him. I look forward to hearing how this Big Adventure changes him. I am looking forward to reading his journal even more than I am looking forward to seeing his photos of the gorgeous scenery.
But I also feel a little envious of his Big Adventure.
Not that I resent him in any way.
And I feel a little left out or left behind from his Big Adventure.
Not that I feel that he is in any way abandoning me or our family.
I just want to have my own Big Adventure.
Not that I have any desire to do the Big Adventure that he is doing....at all.
But I do want to have a Big Adventure that changes me, affects me deeply, creates memories and feelings that are life-lasting.
I will be having my own little adventure this year while Brett is having his Big Adventure. The question is, how can I use my adventure experiences to their greatest advantage? It is my responsibility to make the best use of my time. To be in the moment. To plan activities with my boys that will be meaningful. They may not be life-changing. But we can still create memories and feelings that are life-lasting.
Brett and I had a great conversation this weekend. A real conversation. So many conversations are superficial that those real conversations, by comparison, hit you--Right.There.In the chest.
We talked about adventures, dreams and life-changing experiences. He reminded me that while I may never have a huge chunk of time devoted to a Big Life-Changing Adventure, I have a number of smaller adventures that are important to me.
Brett jokes that I would be gone every other weekend traveling if I could. It's so true, it's not really a joke. But responsibilities at home, church, and school, as well as not having a significant amount of cash, prevent me from traveling much more than once a year. The point is to not let those responsibilities and the busyness of daily life get in the way of me enjoying my life and my little adventures or prevent me from planning my bigger adventures.
Brett shared this quote that he liked with me:
“Everyone knows that tearing feeling between necessity’s pull and your heart’s pull. That balance between needing to pay the bills and having a dream. It is a difficult road. All I [know is] that I [am] determined somehow to follow my heart...”
-Bear Grylls, The Kid Who Climbed Everest
Then I shared this quote with him:
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." — Chris McCandless
I don't exactly agree with the above quote (by Chris McCandless) for myself, but I get what it is trying to say. I, however, find myself in happy circumstances that include a life of security. It is having that security, both financial and familial, that allows me the freedom to plan new experiences--perhaps not as many as I would wish, but certainly more than I would have otherwise. I may not be a great explorer or an individual with a "passion" for adventure, but I do have my own little set of dreams and hopes and desires for new experiences. And I feel blessed to have a husband who loves me and encourages me to pursue those things that matter to me.
Brett and I concluded our conversation with the idea that while some dreams may come about spontaneously--for us, our dreams are most likely to happen with careful planning. Say it. Write it. See it. Plan it. Do it.
Here are some adventures we hope for:
2013- A family ski trip
(and perhaps another trip to Germany for Becca)
2014- Grand Canyon!!
2016- Taking the boys to Germany
Later that evening I asked Todd (who was not a part of the above conversation at all), "Todd, you know how Dad is having a great adventure this year....What adventure would you want to do for yourself?" His reply, "The Grand Canyon. ...and white water river rafting." I look forward to sharing our family plans with him and giving him the chance to see his dream become a reality.
I am happy that my boys have a father who can show them, teaching them by example, the way to make their dreams come true. I hope that they will be able to do the same for themselves one day.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Early Mornings
My family has been working together (unintentionally) to change my ways and become more of a morning person. I have been making an effort lately to go to be earlier (like 10:00pm early). I was forced into doing this because of the true morning people in my home, especially Brett and Todd.
It's a good system on school days. I like getting up at 6:30am and having time to get everything done without feeling crazy in the morning rush to get the kids on the bus. The only way I can feel refreshed enough to face the morning rush is if I go to by bed by 10:00 or 10:30pm.
The problem comes on the weekends (or other rebellious nights) when my night-owl tendencies keep me up doing this, that, or the other, until midnight. At least I have a balanced checkbook to show for my efforts last night, on top of a girls night out with my sister-in-law. But when 6:08am showed up I couldn't get myself back to sleep. I stayed in bed trying to force myself to sleep, with no success. I am dragging now.
Todd, on the other hand, has been enjoying a lovely morning. I am sure he was awake before 6:00am. And he was singing the National Anthem, reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, practicing the piano, eating candy (!!), and just playing--all before 7:00am.
Brett was gone fishing who-knows-when, well before sun-up.
So, yet again, I have learned my lesson. It is impossible to sleep in, try as I might. The only way to feel good in the morning is to put myself to bed at a reasonable hour. To bed early tonight! Really!
(We'll see if I remember this lesson next weekend.)
It's a good system on school days. I like getting up at 6:30am and having time to get everything done without feeling crazy in the morning rush to get the kids on the bus. The only way I can feel refreshed enough to face the morning rush is if I go to by bed by 10:00 or 10:30pm.
The problem comes on the weekends (or other rebellious nights) when my night-owl tendencies keep me up doing this, that, or the other, until midnight. At least I have a balanced checkbook to show for my efforts last night, on top of a girls night out with my sister-in-law. But when 6:08am showed up I couldn't get myself back to sleep. I stayed in bed trying to force myself to sleep, with no success. I am dragging now.
Todd, on the other hand, has been enjoying a lovely morning. I am sure he was awake before 6:00am. And he was singing the National Anthem, reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, practicing the piano, eating candy (!!), and just playing--all before 7:00am.
Brett was gone fishing who-knows-when, well before sun-up.
So, yet again, I have learned my lesson. It is impossible to sleep in, try as I might. The only way to feel good in the morning is to put myself to bed at a reasonable hour. To bed early tonight! Really!
(We'll see if I remember this lesson next weekend.)
Friday, August 6, 2010
Crying - An Unexpected First
Recently Todd shared with me that when he was watching a movie about a dog at Oma's house, it made him cry a little towards the end. Todd explained that the family in the movie moved to a new house and had to leave the dog somewhere, and the dog got out to go find the boy (or something close to that). We eventually figured out that the movie was one of the Lassie movies. I told Todd that I cry at movies all the time.
Only a day or so later I took my boys and our neighbor Logan to see Toy Story 3 at our local movie theater. There is a touching scene at the end when Andy is saying good-bye to his toys before heading off to college. My eyes started to tear up. I noticed that Todd, who was sitting right next to me, started wiping at his eyes. The scene continued. Tears were now falling down my cheek, when Todd rested his head on my shoulder. I rested my head on his. Then he linked his arm through mine on the armrest between us. We stayed like that for a few more minutes until the movie came to a close.
I can't tell you how much this experience touched me. It was such a sweet moment. Can it be that my son is maturing and developing empathy?
I certainly hope so.
Only a day or so later I took my boys and our neighbor Logan to see Toy Story 3 at our local movie theater. There is a touching scene at the end when Andy is saying good-bye to his toys before heading off to college. My eyes started to tear up. I noticed that Todd, who was sitting right next to me, started wiping at his eyes. The scene continued. Tears were now falling down my cheek, when Todd rested his head on my shoulder. I rested my head on his. Then he linked his arm through mine on the armrest between us. We stayed like that for a few more minutes until the movie came to a close.
I can't tell you how much this experience touched me. It was such a sweet moment. Can it be that my son is maturing and developing empathy?
I certainly hope so.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Doggy Day Care
Kevin, this post is for you:
Todd and Ryan have been enjoying Magnum as he spends time at our house. It took him a couple of days at first to settle down, but Magnum now seems to feel quite comfortable and at home here. Jen has been staying busy at work, so Magnum has been spending most workdays at home with us. The boys have enjoyed having him around and will miss him when he goes back to you, his real master.
I can't really say that I will miss his shedding hair--Ryan snuggles on Magnum daily, so his shirts always carry some of Magnum with him. But Magnum has been such a sweet and patient dog to put up with all of the loving he gets from the boys. (I don't know, but he might even enjoy it.)
(Yes, that is fake poop on Magnum's back. Ah, the humor of grade-school boys--and their dads!)
Just wanted to let you know that we're doing our best to help take care of Magnum in your absence, and thought you might enjoy seeing the photos. Hope you're doing well.
Love, Becca and the boys.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Look!
Todd: Hey, Mom. Look under there!
Mom: Under-where?
Todd: Ha ha! You said underwear!!
Mom: Doh! You got me!
Another popular joke at our house:
Todd: Mom, how do you eat a granola bar?
Mom: One bite at a time.
I've heard this one before. . . . In fact, I heard it this morning.
[Todd is the one who really got me with the first joke this morning. However, both Todd and Ryan are enjoying both of these joke this week.]
Mom: Under-where?
Todd: Ha ha! You said underwear!!
Mom: Doh! You got me!
Another popular joke at our house:
Todd: Mom, how do you eat a granola bar?
Mom: One bite at a time.
I've heard this one before. . . . In fact, I heard it this morning.
[Todd is the one who really got me with the first joke this morning. However, both Todd and Ryan are enjoying both of these joke this week.]
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