my lesson

Early this morning, shortly after the alarm clock went off, I shuffled downstairs, to go through the motions of a typical Monday morning.

Moments after I flicked on the kitchen light, presented before me, on a "surprisingly" clean-for-once kitchen counter, was my youngest daughters school work. A stapled together stack of papers.

All weekend long, this "stack of papers" got shuffled here and there and back here again. I didn't even take a second to glance down at what it was all about; assuming it was something that my daughter had to study for...an upcoming test, perhaps?

But early this Monday morning, as it sat smack dab in front of me, something alerted me to pick it up and page through its contents.

Low and behold that stack of papers was anything but just that! What presented before me was a report my daughter did for English class. No ordinary report, but one that was about me!

Needless to say, I felt just awful! Awful that this revelation had to wait until Monday morning, as we start on a brand new school week.

I was also sad because I didn't get to talk to my daughter over the weekend, going over the wonderful paper she wrote!

After I put the paper down, and sat there silent for a minute, I then began to feel grateful. Grateful that early this morning, I learned a valuable lesson that had somehow escaped me before today. The lesson was to be present in the moment!

 I truly need to take the time to appreciate the little things more.

The little things, like finally taking the time to read my daughters beautiful paper, which proved to teach me a lesson on life.

between the pages...

"Why do I read?
I just can't help myself.
I read to learn and to grow, to laugh
and to be motivated.
I read to understand things I've never
been exposed to.
I read when I'm crabby, when I've just
said monumentally dumb things to the
people I love.
I read for strength to help me when I
feel broken, discouraged, and afraid.
I read when I'm angry at the whole
world.
I read when everything is going right.
I read to find hope.
I read because I'm made up not just of
skin and bones, of sights, feelings,
and a deep need for chocolate, but I'm
also made up of words.
Words describe my thoughts and what's
hidden in my heart.
Words are alive--when I've found a
story that I love, I read it again and
again, like playing a favorite song
over and over.
Reading isn't passive--I enter the
story with the characters, breathe
their air, feel their frustrations,
scream at them to stop when they're
about to do something stupid, cry with
them, laugh with them.
Reading for me, is spending time with a
friend.
A book is a friend.
You can never have too many.”
― Gary Paulsen, Shelf Life: Stories by the Book

My son was never a big reader. Getting him to sit down and read was always a constant struggle with him. One day, though, everything changed!
A friend of his introduced him to the world of Gary Paulsen. You see, my son is a true lover of the outdoors, and he finally met his match, through an author who shares that same love. There is the saying that goes, "do what you love and the money will follow."  Well, I also now believe, "read what you love and the books will follow!"

The first book that my son read of Gary's was Hatchett:
Brian Robeson, a thirteen year old boy traveling in a small airplane to Canada to spend the summer with his father, is involved in a plane crash in an uninhabited part of the Canadian woods after the pilot dies of a heart attack. Brian then must find a way to survive and in the process, discovers much about himself and becomes a man. The motif within this story is a bildungsroman, or a young boy’s coming of age.

After that one book he was hooked! I soon found Gary Paulsen books at rummage and garage sales. Now my sons shelf is lined with a slew of them.
This led to other books by other authors. Jean Craighead George is one of them. A list of her books can be found here. My son is currently reading My Side of the Mountain by George.

“If books could have more, give more, be more, show more, they would still need readers who bring to them sound and smell and light and all the rest that can’t be in books.
The book needs you.”
― Gary Paulsen, The Winter Room

...food for thought (fft)

true colors...

And I'll see your true colors

Shining through

I see your true colors

And that's why I love you

So don't be afraid to let them show

Your true colors

True colors are beautiful,

Like a rainbow

~ Cyndi Lauper-True Colors

My youngest daughter has been asking me for several months now for me to paint her room. The color on her walls was from when she used to share the room with her older sister. The color was a pretty periwinkle that was picked out by me. ME! Not HER! And so, there is where the issue arose. SHE wanted to pick out her OWN color for her OWN room.

Being a youngest child of the family growing up I could strongly relate to this! You see, being the youngest has a weird set of dynamics attached to it. Being the youngest gets one initiated into the you-get-everyone-else's-hand-me-downs club..whether you like it or not! This includes everything from that  'too-expensive  dress that Grandma bought and older sister never wore it, but hey..youngest daughter still has a shot at wearing it' ....to..... every odd toy, trinket, book, junky-this-and-that, that sister and brother no longer want but don't want to part with ...to... sisters old bedding, shoes, hair prettys and even underwear! So, realizing that youngest daughter is entitled to a little "piece of her own" from time to time, I accepted her offer to paint her room. I figured, a gallon of paint.. how hard could that be?.  huh....

I started the conversation with daughter as such, "so, I think we should look at some paint colors to get an idea of what would be nice for your room." Before I could even finish, my daughters eyes lit up so big and she lept up into the air for joy! Finally! This was HER time to have a little piece of herself. She then continued to tell me that she knew exactly what color(S) she wanted her room. Um. colors? Yep! Colors!!

She didn't want any more "boring" color in her room. She wanted to jazz it up with 2 brightish colors of teal and green. We took several trips to the paint stores and each and everytime she came back to the same two BRIGHTISH colors of teal and green. Even with Dad's gentle persuasion, this girl was in no-way going to budge from her colorful choices. Her mind was set! Her colorful imagination was going to be splashed across her bedroom walls, whether Mom or Dad liked it or not.

Now, I took time to rationalize this colorful decision (purchase) ahead of us. "Do I really want to stare at those brightish walls everyday? Do those colors even match? Do I let her "win" this and not step in and change her mind??" But the answer that yelled back to me was... nah! Run with it! This young(est) girl is HAPPY!

I went to make the paint purchase this past weekend. I had them mix 2 cans of paint - one gallon of Simply Aqua and one gallon of Celery. I went home and got right to work. Several hours later a little girls room was transformed into a brightish room of "WOW"! When husband came in he gave me a "Whoa! This sure is bright!". Son came in and didn't make a sound...he just gave me wide eyes, and walked back out. Oldest daughter gave me an "oh, MY!"  But, when youngest daughter walked in and saw her finished room for the first time, the effort, the cost, the brightishness was ALL worth it! Her first words were, "I just LOVE it! It is so nice and BRIGHT!!"

Not all of us have the same "colors" inside each of us. Some of us (like me) tend to be sage, tan, and boring beige's. Others, like my youngest, thrive on the brightest, boldest, loudest colors in the crayon box. And, you know what? That is really fine with me. I love her vibrant personality and her brightish walls! After all, that's why I love her.

the first 12...

It is hard for me to believe that my oldest child will be turning 13 this year! Yikes, really? Already?? The thought of him becoming a teenager brings both an odd feeling of dred, and yet at the same time, a curious feeling of "bring it on!"

My life just seems to keep moving along at a constant speed of fast-forward lately. Where has the time gone? Wasn't I just changing diapers yesterday? But, as I slowly allow myself to creep ahead, I also have decided to take this time to look back on the past. That is, my past twelve years of me being a parent. That special gift God gave me of being Mom.

So many times I catch myself looking back at the "what-I-should-have's".. or the "why-didn't-I's" of the past. (Most often these occur in the middle of the night when I can't fall back asleep!) Too often I find that I can get caught in the negatives and wrong doings I have made. But, what I really should be doing is rejoicing in the positives! All of those accomplishments. The important milestones and wonderful achievements. All the mini-loving life lessons that I have nurtured in each of my three children. Yes. I am a good parent and darn it, I deserve to give myself some credit!

So after all this time, this is what I have learned (SO far). This is what I think is important. This is what I think will matter  most!

1. GFF. 

Nope, not BFF (best friends forever), GFF. It stands for God, family, friends. I had once heard this term and it really hit home. So I have tried to instill this in the "everyday living and thinking" of our kids. The order of priority, before anything else, is God first. After that, our family comes next and finally friends. Without God first, the other two would not even exist.

                          "Weave in faith and God will find the thread." ~Author Unknown

2. Yes, Birthdays DO matter.
Growing up, a chid may not remember what gifts they received for each birthday. What creates those memories are the feelings of "mattering" and being recognized on the day your precious self arrived on this Earth. God's special miracle was created and we should celebrate that, if nothing else. So pull out that cake mix and light up the candles. You are very worth celebrating!

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." ~Dr. Seuss

                                              


3. Be a Nature Nut!
Even before our kids could walk on their own two feet they were introduced to the idea of nature. Whether it be a simple stroll around the block in the stroller on a fall day, or a random  hike through the woods to look for snakes, it was a natural rhythm for them. I used to express to the kids that we were "nature nuts" and had always hoped to create t-shirts fashioned with the title. Well, I haven't quite gotten around to that yet. But, our nature nutty-ness is still alive and active...even after all these years.

 "Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." 

                           ~Kahlil Gibran

4. Travel, travel, travel!
I will always remember my mom telling me what her dad would always say to her, "Travel. See as much as this world, that God created, as you can." Well, you don't have to twist my arm twice! I was born with the travel bug. It doesn't matter where or how I get there. It is just the pleasure of seeing a new sight, that is important to me . As a family we try to go somewhere, anywhere, every year. My thinking is that those sights, sounds, smells and tastes will weave a special spot in each of our kids souls and enliven their own travel bugs when they get out in the real world. Whether is be a well-thought out adventure or an impromptou Sunday drive, the idea is... just GO!

       " For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move." – Robert Louis Stevenson

5. Easy does it!

The point that I have STILL not fully gotten myself, is to not take life SO seriously.This is a hard one for me, but I am always working on improving myself...step by step, day by day. I guess, since I tend to take MY life so seriously, I tend to find that I expect that in my kids. Well, I really do see that there is value in the craziness..the sillyness...the down-right quirky events that shape each of us as God's special children. After all, none of us will ever be perfect. So, I need to take it easy on myself and in my children.

"Some days are simply meant for playing."

- Mary Anne Radmacher

6. Be happy.

Ever since my kids were little, I had only one simple rule for them to aquire, and that is to be happy. My thought is that if a person is truly happy, then anything in life will be possible. The right job will come your way. The right friends, spouse, life, will "correctly" form all around you. How many people in this world are truly happy? Sure, good grades and a well-mannered child is important, but, a happy child is most essential for me.

Smile.

Today would be a wonderful day not to take life so seriously.

Today may end up the way you prefer - and it may not.

Happiness is not about being a winner -

it's about being gentle with life -

being gentle with yourself.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie



The coach

"A coach is someone who tells you what you don't want to hear, who has you see what you don't want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be."

~Tom Landry

 

Every single time I sit at one of my kids ball games I am so ever grateful for their coaches. Just last night, as I was sitting there in the 90-degree plus ball field,  I can't help but feel so thankful for these great men that take time from their busy schedules to be coaching one of my kids.
This year we are so very lucky to have some really great coaches for each, my daughter's softball team and my son's baseball team. When I say great, I mean this in a number of ways. Sure they are great at what they do: teach my kid how to throw a ball, swing a bat, and catch that pop-up. Sure they are great at scheduling intense practices, running through drills, and helping to get that win. But what truly makes them great, in my eyes, is their complete dedication to their own kids, my kids, and all of the team kids. These guys work full-time jobs prior to coming to the field. These guys have families, priorities, busy lives...yet, they are there, faithfully (with smiles on their faces!) standing on that warm dusty field waiting for my child, ready to coach.
 
These men give that batter that just swung out at bat a pat on the back and a "you did great, kid".
These great men give credit to that "other" teams great catch out in center field, with clapping and a "great catch!"
These coaches teach with their soft-spoken voices, gentle correction, and high-fives after a tough go at the plate.
 
You see, these great coaches do care if they win or lose, but the priority is helping each and every child be the best they can be. Correcting that improper swing, teaching to extend that leg into that slide into second, and giving the importance of brushing off the dust after a missed catch in outfield and continuing the game.
I feel that if you truly teach a child how to just play baseball (or softball, basketball, etc..) that is not enough. A good coach also needs to teach that child how to persevere, how to tolerate, and how to believe in themselves.
 
 Years from now that child will remember that coach and, it will not be just because of winning the game.

Popsicle days

Well, I did it! I found myself in the ice cream aisle at the store yesterday, eyeing all the different boxes of frozen treats and finally deciding on which box of popsicles to buy. This can only mean one thing and one thing only...it is almost summer!

My three kids only have one week of school left. In other words...Mama only has one week left to have "quiet-morning-coffee-time...alone!". Though I will miss my few peaceful minutes of quality me-time, I am truly looking forward to summertime with the kiddies.

Each new summer though brings new challenges. For my "kiddies" are growing up. My now almost 7th grader, 5th grader, and 3rd grader are not always so easily amused, as was the case when they younger. A simple impromptu walk through the nature trails is now accompanied by, an "ugh, it is SO buggy outside", and "I am sweating!!"and "how long do we have to be here?"  A five-minute trip to the grocery store turns into an hour long power struggle as to whom will push the cart, the "why can't we buy that!" monologue, and "how LONG do we have to be here?!" chant.

Mama is not always so fun to be with 24/7 anymore, especially for my oldest. He still "likes" my company, but I think he prefers the time with his like-minded 12 year-old friends. Can I really blame him? His newest obsession, fishing, will be a refreshing alternative to his usual video game/iTouch routine this summer. Yippee...hooks in fish eye balls and for sure in my thumb! No, really, it will be very fun.

One favorite routine that is a summertime must for us, and our street friends, are the bottomless boxes of popsicles. It seems like every day or so any number of kids can be found dashing, house to house, between inflatable pools or semi-working sprinklers, grasping a colorful dripping wooden sticked treat. "Can I have another" is the summertime mantra in our neck of the woods. The response is an almost definite, "SURE!" Heck, why not. Summer is short, kids are only kids for such a brief, precious time. This is the stuff memories are made of.

No real "activities" are on the agenda for us this summer. No have-to-get-up-by-8 for us! Summer can bend and weave around what we want to do, and it will be grand.

f-o-r-k

Sick of the kiddies just throwing the silverware down as they "help" me set the table, I decided to find a easy way for them to set the table and set it right.

I created this easy way for them (and..ahem, ME) to remember and never forget the correct way to set the silverware down, in their right places.

The word FORK  has the same amount of letters as in LEFT. So, the fork goes on the left.
The words KNIFE and SPOON have the same amount of letters as RIGHT. So, they go on the right!

Try it!

be bored!

Randomly I stumbled on an interesting website. I was looking for something completely different, yet I was intrigued by what I casually found. The article I found was about boredom and children....two things that mesh well in my world!
The article instantly transformed me back to my childhood, that 8-year-old-girl-and-a-bike world that once consumed me. The articles author, Edward Collier said it best when he said, "In fact, boredom can be a force for good, fostering the ability to fall back on one's own resources, a life skill best developed when young." I couldn't agree more! Looking back, my mom was on to something, only problem was, I wasn't always on the same page as her. Now though, it all makes sense!

I can recall hoping on my bike, zooming up and down the block looking for the next adventure. My mom didn't "plan" our summers. We had the true freedom of just being kids.My earliest "freedom moment" was sometime when I was around 6. A neighborhood girl thought of the idea of going to the neighborhood store to visit a gumball machine. I somehow conned my way to tag along with her. It was fun and adventurous only until I got back home! My mom, being the layed back lady she was, didn't take kindly to this amount of freedom. I think my freedom ended for a good amount of time that summer in the '70's. Nonetheless, my self-sufficient spirit was created in those early childhood years. That same free-spirit drives me in bountiful, creative ways til this day.

If I had even a mere penny for each time the two words "I'm bored" come out of one of my three children's mouths, I would be a well-traveled rich woman by now. Too often it is easy to just say, "go watch TV". Or, "what do you want to do?" I do find myself falling into the guilt-trip of needing to be the entertainment promoter at times. But, you know what?.. I am going to ease up and let go of the reins from now on. I am going to let my children have the privilege of being bored! I never quite saw it that way before Colliers article, but it really is true. Being bored is a life skill. I don't want to raise kids that need to be entertained by someone all the time.

As Collier says, "boredom opens channels". My own 11 year old son has found the keyboard (although it has been smack dab in the same spot in the living room for years!) He has taken a liking to classical music and each day I am pleasantly entertained by his keyboard melodies. Now, if I would have said to him that you must take lessons and learn the keyboard would he have this same genuine interest? Who knows.

"Things are very different for many of today's children. The notion of quality time implies doing something constructive or worthy rather than parents just letting their children "do their own thing". This Collier statement is harder to apply to my youngest daughter. She is the hardest to get to do anything on her own. She thrives being around the company of others and craves constant motion, in all shapes and forms. I wish she would learn to 'do her own thing'...I guess I need to work on this more.

My middle daughter is a terrific boredom-buster. She can self-entertain herself in oodles and oodles of different ways. Problem is, little sister tends to tug at her, to free herself of her own boredom!

"Don't be afraid to say goodbye to ready-made, boil-in-the-bag entertainment" is one of the statements that Collier says that I love the best. It is a realistic interpretation to life in 2011.

So the next time those two-words (I'm BORED) come creeping out of one of my kiddies mouths I will not cringe up my eyes and throw myself into a panic. No. Instead I will put a pleasant smile on my face and remind myself that this is a teaching moment. And, if I am lucky, one day I will be thanked for having bored children.

happy birthday, Dr. Seuss

If we didn't have birthdays, you wouldn't be you.
If you'd never been born, well then what would you do?
If you'd never been born, well then what would you be?
You might be a fish! Or a toad in a tree!
You might be a doorknob! Or three baked potatoes!
You might be a bag full of hard green tomatoes.
Or worse than all that... Why, you might be a WASN'T!
A Wasn't has no fun at all. No, he doesn't.
A Wasn't just isn't. He just isn't present.
But you... You ARE YOU! And, now isn't that pleasant!


Shout loud at the top of your voice, "I AM I!
ME!
I am I!
And I may not know why

But I know that I like it.

Three cheers! I AM I!

how do I love thee...

Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.
Franklin P. Jones

It is February 14, Valentine's Day. For some people the day is all about roses and candy. But, for others, it is just another "Hallmark" holiday..one that card companies just gobble up. My thoughts on the day fall somewhere between in a subtle mix of the two. I have heard that the oldest recorded greeting card is from the 1400's... a paper Valentine. Still to this day, 2011, it is a favorite for me in this household!

Just this morning my eleven year old son came up to me in the kitchen. He threw a colored heart folded in half on the counter where I was standing. He quickly started to walk away. No words spoken. I immediately opened the heart to find a beautifully decorated Valentine! Inside in neatly handwritten letters read, "Happy Valentine's Day. Have a great day. Love, Andriejus" I made a huge fuss: ran up to him and gave him a giant hug and kiss. I gushed about how beautiful it was, as he gave me a half-worked smile, knowing he felt pleased and appreciated. That handmade card was a special thing for me. They always have been and they always will!

My youngest two daughters had already given me their Valentines. We were recently at a restaurant eating when a nice, older lady approached our table. She invited the girls up to a table she had set up with all sorts of papers, stickers, and other various crafty do-dads. She told the girls they can each make their mother a special Valentine. They, of course, jumped at this! In a few minutes time I was presented, table-side, with two very beautiful crafted Valentines. Similar, yet very different with each girls own personal style. The Valentine's featured colorful papers, doilies, and a center-piece made from gluing down a foil-wrapped chocolate heart. Both girls were so proud as they presented me with their masterpieces! I got a bit teary-eyed as I saw the love that was poured onto those paper hearts. I began to think ahead to those days when my kids will no longer be kids. The paper Valentine's will come fewer and farther between. I relish in these years while I can. They are special times and I will always treasure these little handmade love notes, forever.

happy Mikuláš day!

St. Nicholas or Mikuláš (as we Czech. like to call him) is celebrated today for his feast day, December 6th.

I can still remember vividly how, as a child, we would put out our Christmas stockings by the fireplace on the night of December 5th. And, if we had been good, in the morning we would be rewarded with small trinkets and treats (mainly candy). If we had been a little naughty ( which was a YES!), we would be worried that maybe coal would appear instead, but small treats would still appear, with an occasional orange or other fruit.

Who was this Saint Nicholas you may ask? Well, Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God. When Nicholas later became a Bishop, his generosity continued, especially with children. He would do his kind deeds in secret so that no-one would know and he did not expect anything in return.

The tradition of Mikuláš has been passed down and continues 'til this day with my own children.

Just this morning, they rushed to there stockings to find what St. Nicholas had left them. It is a tradition that I will keep up and I can only hope that my children will too as they have families of their own.

For more wonderful information on the Origin of Santa, see here.

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today. ~Stacia Tauscher

Yesterday I was at the movie theater with my three kids (a pretty rare thing!) I am not a "movie mom". Somehow going to the movies never made it big on my list of "have-to's, should's or must's". But, there was a free family film going on and so to the movies we went! It really didn't even matter that the movie was "ah, not so great", it was just nice to be there, doing something with my kids. As I was sitting next to youngest daughter, she got scared at one point during the movie. She reached over, grabbed my hand and leaned into me. It was then that I had one of those "flash forward" moments. My girl is growing up! As I sat there holding her hand I thought about how, not in the too distant future, she will be going to the movies with her friends, alone! This will make way for "date nights" with boys, and the hand I am now holding will be taken over by someone else she may love. I sat there, in that theater, not really paying too much attention to the story on the screen. But rather, I sat there and pondered how so very quickly life is passing me by! The story on the movie screen would soon come to an end, but my "story" will continue and grow. It's a never ending story, really. I just need to learn to sit back, try to relax, and enjoy the show.

"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain."

My youngest daughter had a sick day yesterday. This usually requires a comfy spot on the couch, hugs from mom, and a remote in close distance!
One of the shows we watched yesterday was Sesame Street. The SS of today is waaaay cooler than it was back in my day! As we were watching, though, I had an "a ha" moment. The theme of the day was "the seasons"- spring, summer, fall, and winter. A clip came on with a girl getting ready to go outside. She was getting all of her rain gear on- jacket, hat, and boots. She was all excited to be heading out in the rain! She was not frightened by the "wetness" of it. She was not "pushed" to go outside (well, at least it didn't appear that way) by her mom. She was happily getting dressed and eagerly anticipating the rain. This is when I started to think. What do my kids want to do on a rain day? What do I want to do when it is raining out?? When I was a young kid I used to frolic in the puddles, stomp through the wet grass, and delight in the feel of cool rain drops on my face. I was not "ewwed" by it, nor did I feel that I would melt! I had fun in it. Today, my kids don't even own rain boots. Nor a rain hat. We do have umbrella's though!
I began to think. When did good-old-fashioned playing in the rain become so," boring"? Why have I not encouraged it more? What am I going to do about it now?! Well, that small girl on Sesame Street re-taught me that playing in the rain is essential fun for kids. It truly is genuine fun. Who cares if the clothes get wet! Who cares if the floor gets muddy!! Kids need to get wet and dirty. Those video games will have to wait. The TV will be shut off. By golly, we have some puddles to dance in!

bored games

I was in a mad-dash-spring-cleaning-frenzy mood not too long ago. You know what I am talking about! You get the urge to purge and run around the house like a chicken with its head cut off, carrying around a black plastic bag. Well, at least that is what it looked like over here in our home. On my latest dash around the house I stopped dead in my tracks when I came upon the stack of miscellaneous board games in our family room cabinet. We had so many that the doors to the cabinet could not even close all the way! That was an instant "shout out" to me to take measures into my own hands. I must tackle this beast!

In the cabinet I was confronted with a random assortment of all sorts of games, puzzles, cards, and whatchamacallits. Some boxes were intact, others were barely there, hanging on for dear life. Homeless pegs, dice, and UNO cards practically were "begging" me for HELP! Loose instructions for games that "mysteriously" left the house (aka sold at a garage sale or sent to Goodwill) ages ago, were also among the mix. I literally had to pause and take a heavy breath before tackling this monster head-on. How did this all happen? Well let's see. Three kids times a gazillion birthdays and Christmas's equals a ton of games. Not the forget the garage and rummage sale found games! It all seems a blur.
I had to make a plan. First, decide which games did the kids absolutely not play with anymore (nor would they ask for them in a week after they suspected them missing!) Our youngest daughter is almost 7. Is Candyland still in the running? Ummm...I think it goes in the "maybe" pile, along with Chutes and Ladders (even though it has seem better days!) I knew we didn't need 2 Boggle Jr's, so one went into the bag. The Hi Ho Cherry O game with tons of missing cherries?...in the bag. The Winnie the Pooh puzzles were spared, as was the wooden snail race game. Some of the other keepers were Monopoly (dad's vintage edition, as well as the Spongebob version), Blokus and definitely UNO! Mastermind, Life, Battleship and Othello. Guess Who made it, as did I SPY.
Then I stumbled across Bingo! Oh, bingo! My kids are obsessed with bingo! For one of my children's birthdays (or was it Christmas?) a bingo game was given. In the box there is a wire cage that holds a ton of little tiny grey balls with numbers and letters. These balls are so small that on occasion a wandering vacuum nearly brought it to extinction! The set also includes a series of cardboard bingo cards, complete with (yes, again!) teeny tiny plastic "chips", for placing on the bingo card. Even with these chips being colorful, they too come close to being sucked up into never-again land! This is one of those games that gets the heart pumping! It can be played by any age and it is just old fashioned fun. It has made its way through generation to generation, and keeps on ticking. Just recently, though, I have decided to make the game a bit more "interesting." I took a trip to the Dollar store and purchased a bunch of prizes (aka.. candy). When the lucky winner calls out BINGO, they get to choose a prize from the box. This is a great game to play when the kids have friends over! Bingo stays.

Going through these games was like going down memory lane. Oh the fun times these games were, and still are. I can still remember being in a panic trying to remove the rubber band from the Operation game, without having the little red nose beep at me. Or, getting the Connect Four before my opponent did! I was (and still am) a competitive gal. I try to go easy on my kids though! It just made me realize that my kids are growing up! Their interest in games may be advancing, but the quality time spent playing games and just being together as a family is still so important. Priceless.

Kids! On an almost regular basis, at least one of my children will randomly remind me how MUCH they miss our old house! More importantly, their old backyard. The yard that was large enough to run, skip, hop, and put on a decent baseball game, in. The yard that would accommodate a rather large dog very nicely. The yard that we currently don't have!

When we moved to our current home, we sacrificed a bit. No more double sinks and garden tub in the mama & daddy bathroom. No. Now we can barely stand side by side looking into our ity-bity mirror. No more massive walk-in closet (that was actually WAYYY to big for it's own good!) No. Now we fight with the sliders and boxes that our clothes STILL sit in, some almost five years later! No more brand-new-house windows/doors/appliances..etc..etc.. No. We now live in a vintage 1970's home that is in desperate need of new lower story windows.

So, we sacrificed some. Maybe in some ways a lot! But, we now live near beautiful Lake Michigan and can literally get to the beach in five minutes. We now live on a street with homes not shoe boxed on top of each other. We do backup to a lovely ravine that is private and wild with animals..at times. We NOW live in a home with little to NO backyard!!

I will not lie! At times I get a dose of mama-guilt. "Are the kids missing out on not having a big backyard?" "Should we move?" "Is not having a bigger backyard going to cause emotional/psychological ramifications in their later years in life???" NO! NO! and NOOOO!!!

Driving around our town I quickly see how fortunate we really are. Some folks don't have even the postage stamp size lot that we do! Sure it would be nice to have that big fenced in yard so the dog (the one that exists in my child's "if-we-had-a-bigger-backyard-mind") could run and frolic with the kids. Sure it would be nice to grant my youngest daughters miracle-wish and get that "underground"pool to splash and play in with every neighbor kid. Don't forget the trampoline too!! Sure, it WOULD be nice to have the 1 acre lot, that my son wants, to have a professional sized football field! Sure, why not! Heck, while on the subject...SURE, it would be nice for mama to have a nice big yard to have a huge garden (maybe small scale farm!),complete with greenhouse, blueberry patches and a small pond for fishing! For daddy, a poll barn or two, to hold all of those want-to-do projects, boats and whatnot's.

Yep, a nice 10 acre yard, complete with a lush green grassy area to run and play with the "dog". A nice flat area to house the "football field". The Olympic sized "pool" would look perfect next to that extra large "trampoline". Mama's "farm" would take up a sizable area in the back 5 acres, perfectly next to daddy's "poll barn(s)."

Ah, I can almost see it now!

Now, who wants to mow?

a LOVE-hate relationship

Ah, got to love those American Girl catalogs that conveniently show up in the mail (in droves)this time of year! Those almost one hundred page catalogs that showcase the latest cutesy-pootsy clothing for your darling daughter and her precious dolly.
I (um, I mean my daughter) was first introduced to AG a few years ago now. Some neighbor friend had one (or was it two?) along with almost an entire doll wardrobe that literally put mine to shame! We're talking dresses that not only had matching shoes, BUT matching fancy gloves and tiaras too. Let's not forget the purse's, tights, hair thingies, fake glasses, and, and, aaaaaaaaahh!!! From that first doll-to-daughter meeting, my little girl was hooked. Life from then on never seemed to be the same. Life, that is, within the world of American Girl.
The whole process was (is) daunting! Ok, first your daughter has to make "the decision"! She has to choose her DOLL!!! This is not no ordinary decision mind you. This decision is just about as up there as what college she will attend and is this boy the "marrying kind". Will it be a doll that looks just like her? She has about 20+ choices right there. OR, will it be a historical character doll? Maybe she is opting for the Bitty Baby? Twins?? I'm telling you this decision is very important, especially if you are only planning on buying your daughter just one. It may (will) come back to haunt you. My oldest STILL wonders why Santa did not bring her the african-american doll, when all along Santa thought the nice light skin, light blonde hair, blue eyed doll would suit her better.
Then comes the clothes. Thoooooose cloooooothes! Those overpriced- matchy-matchy-but really so cute, clothes. Typical outfits run somewhere around the $30 mark. Fancier outfits will strip your wallet further. Then, you have to decide if you want your daughter to look just like her dressed up doll! Tack on another 60 bucks. Does her doll need a pet? Twenty-something dollars more please. For doll furniture and bigger ticket items a small loan may have to be taken out. Or, as my girls know by now...DON'T even bother asking Santa for that!
The madness does not end there. Oh no! One day on a whim venture into an American Girl store. Oh.. maybe around noon on a Saturday right before Christmas! Bring your ear plugs and wear steel toed shoes. Trust me!! If you had any hope of finding that special outfit on your daughter's wish list...fuggetaboutit! It will be gone. Those matching slippers? No chance! Online shopping for AG is no better and no easier. Unless you plan on shopping months prior to Christmas your chances grow slimmer and more unlikely as the big day grows closer. One can get lucky though getting a coupon code that allows you to get free shipping. I didn't get lucky this year. The one outfit my daughter really wanted..sold out.
Don't get me wrong! American Girl dolls really are nice. They are quality-made and the customer service department is really great. When my daughter got her doll for Christmas a couple of years ago, it had a "hair-issue." The hair came out in clumps. I called customer service and they sent me a new doll, no questions asked/no hassles. That was really impressive. Other than the high price of these plastic princesses, my girls really do enjoy them. The cult following is a little creepy, but overall they are harmless wholesome American cuties.

Today is Monday and "Mom's Taxi" is ready to roll. Actually, it has been running since shortly after 7am this morning. The "Dad Taxi" is in the shop getting some work done. It should be up and ready to rock again, hopefully, by Wednesday!

Here is a breakdown of the stops the MT needs to make today.

7:20 drop husband off at work.

7:40 drop kids off at school...stay and help in my youngest's classroom.

9:30 drive home.

11:00 back to school...bringing cat in for youngest daughters show/tell.

11:10 leave school, run some errands.

2:50 back to school (again) to pick kids up.

3:00 rush to dentist for three kids dental exams.

4:30 rush home, get some homework done, kids change clothes.

5:45 hop in taxi again and take son to his basketball game.

? try to find time to pick husband up at work.

? home.

So, there it is. My Monday in a nutshell. Gee, I wonder how my Tuesday is shaping up?

two pies in 2 days

I want to help, I want to help, the little girl's face shines with delight, as she watches her mother turn the oven on baking some dessert for supper tonight

-Adine Cathey, Helping in the Kitchen

Day 1

I was making supper the other night when my youngest daughter proudly stated that she wanted to make the dessert. She knew she wanted to make a pie! I told her to gather the ingredients and off she started. Chocolate animal cookies, pretzels, vanilla flavored Silken soy were the base of the pie. Sprinkles, chocolate chips (two sizes!), and toffee chips were added in. The pie was put in the oven (not having a recipe we didn't know how long). After about 30 minutes we took it out and put it in the refrigerator. The pie ended up being the consistency of a soft set pudding. Ultra-sweet and baked with a six year old with love.

Day 2

The following day, daughter number one wanted to create her own pie. Her pie would be pumpkin pie. Her crust was made with graham crackers and melted butter. A can of pumpkin, spices, eggs were the filling. A random gathering of Halloween sprinkles, mini-M & M's, and chocolate chips were added on the top. We baked it and chilled it. This is her version of pumpkin pie.

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Very seldom do we, as parents, allow our kids to be totally free in the kitchen. This only proved to me that my kids are creative and oh so willing to help. It was a lot of fun!