Go Green!

In celebration of Earth Day/Month the children and I enjoyed some earth friendly activities:

We took in the beauty of Mother Nature's greatest Spring Masterpiece:

THE TULIP! (red being the Fav)

The Official Earth Day found us on a LONG journey into the

"CITY" on Public Transit, making many

new and colorful friends. I still think of "Captn" and LuLu, wondering how

he's doing with Bladder cancer and if he still has his eye-patch.

We walked more, and learned that Dad is pretty smart when he tells us NOT to walk

in flip-flops.

I also picked a beautiful tree for our backyard, a clump mountain ash. I love our earth and am becoming more GREEN with each passing year. "Captn" was explaining to me that there is no need for a car in this town; public Transit is great. I agreed but asked if it ever bothered him that it took so much longer than driving. His response was simple: Isn't life about the Journey? Yes "Captn", I believe it is.

Twinkle Twinkle

Lizzy took her turn as STAR STUDENT in school recently. The younger children and I thought it would be fitting to surprise the star with a unexpected lunch date. The conversation went something like this:

Rosie, echoed by Max- Lizzy, Lizzy, we are here (ZZY, ZZY, Here)

Lizzy- HI!!!!!! What are you guys doing here?

Mom- We thought we would come and eat lunch with the Star Student.

Lizzy- I AM THE STAR STUDENT!!!!!

Mom- Oh Good! I guess we picked a good day to come.

School lunch has improved dramatically since my days of brunch for lunch, lunch lady's surprise and pigs in a blanket. We had our choice of either a delicious Potato Bar or a Sub Sandwich. Both choices came with a bounty of fresh fruits and salad and either "white milk", chocolate milk, juice or a water bottle to wash everything down. All of this yummyness was had at the small price of $1.25, per person. I now understand why Lizzy enjoys hot lunch over home lunch, the only thing missing from lunch at school is the lunch ladies don't write you a very witty, sometimes silly, but always well thought out love note on your lunch tray. So, take that school lunch! HA! Score one for the home team.

After enjoying our nutritious meal together, we played on the playground. I was on high alert for the playground bully. Unfortunately for me, I knew him to well, Max had to leave early for lack of sharing the swings. Lizzy was not upset however as she had multiple play offers and ended up looking for "STUFF" in the bushes with a very nice boy named Quintus. That doesn't sound so great, but I assure you that it was all completely innocent.

Later that week, she proudly produced a book compiled by her fellow classmates on why they thought she was a superstar. My favorites were:

I'm a superstar because: I'm Lucky and Cute. (true true Lizzy)

Lizzy's a superstar because:

She is magnifcent, A good friend, lisins to the teacher, nice to uthers, awesome, nevr pushis enyone off the swings, never picks flowrs in the skool, never buts in lines, a good egsampool, prity, good stoodent, and my personal favorite: you are beyotfole (bet you can't guess who wrote that).

I am pleased to see all is well in first grade for Elizabeth. Every child deserves a happy childhood, and I enjoy experiencing it again through our very own Super Star.

Firsts

This Easter marked a few firsts:

1- Rub ons! I'm talking about vinyl lettering people! Anyone who has been to my nest knows there's a lack of vinyl. I'm not saying I don't like it, I just have never used it before now. Let me just say personalizing the children's sand buckets (make-shift Easter baskets) brought me more joy than I ever anticipated. I now own a whole stack of monogram rub on letters, so, what will be next?

2- MAX! Never before in the history of raising our son, has he out-shined his beautiful older sisters when it came to Sunday finery. This year though, he did. And I mean he really did. His suit was more than I could handle, complete with a straw hat of course. I fell in love with our 'southern gent', he seemed completely confident in his attire and the attention it generated. A favorite Aunt & Uncle proudly predicted that Max will be voted best dressed someday, I mean, is there anything more important than that title in High School? Shoot for the stars Max, and hopefully K-mart will continue to provide stylish yet affordable clothing in the year 2024. Now, where's the kid's Easter candy?

Here we go, Here we go, Here we go Now!

2007-It all started with the Costco pre-fab swing set. It's fun for the children, they love playing on it and I love it because of the hours of entertainment it provides.

2008-But, that just wasn't enough for the handsome man my children call Dad. He envisioned something more..... something along the lines of a 6 ft by 8 ft sandbox, complete with cover and roof. I was very proud.

Proud enough that I couldn't help but adorn it with pendants! Of course sewing pendants in varying sizes, onto rope, was way over my sewing skills. So of course, in came my Connie to the rescue. She has saved me more than once and I marvel at not only her sewing skills, but also the great generosity she gives with her TIME. I won't tell you what time this picture was taken, but let's just say dawn was fast approaching. Everyone needs a Connie!

The sandbox proved to be a hit among kids and adults alike! Everyone can fit, with room to dig. Our home became the hot spot for summer parties, and we couldn't be happier!

And now, it's 2009. What gift will we give our backyard this year? There are plans in the works, rulers are out, pencils sharpened, budgets evaluated, Kel's back to the drawing board. If he builds it, will they come? I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Sweet Dreams

When you're so lonely lying in bed
Night's closed it's eyes but you can't rest your head

Everyone's sleeping all through the house

You wish you could dream but forgot to somehow

Sing this lullaby to yourself

Sing this lullaby to yourself (Jack Johnson)

MAX has always enjoyed co-sleeping. As a baby, he would fall asleep smiling if we were holding him. We understood each other, as one of my favorite things to do is to hold a sleeping baby. As he has transitioned into toddlerhood, it has been an "adjustment" for him to sleep in his own bed. He is now free to roam around at night, making visits to anyone who will accept. We have found him in strange places; the stairs leading to our bedroom is my personal favorite. Feeling like he would never learn to be happy in his own bed, I almost gave up. Lizzy gladly volunteered to let him sleep with her, which I actually started to consider. Then out of know where, Mr. Froggy came on scene. A soft cuddly frog prince, origins unknown, has been our hero. We know not where he came from, how long he will be with us, or who exactly he belongs to. It doesn't matter! All that matters is that his magic power has made it possible for Max to sleep in his own bed happily, with Mr. Foggy. Thank you Mr. Foggy, who ever you are!

To Everything...

"If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, He's going to ask for a glass of milk.
When you give him the glass of milk, he'll probably ask you for a straw." - Laura Joffe Numeroff

While we love all of Numeroff's books, I can't help but reflect on how my children are like the mouse, pig & moose. This week we have enjoyed wonderful spring weather. I've felt a need to be outside, enjoying the 'lamb' days of March. Yet, at the same time I have struggled with balance.

If I were to write a book about Max, it would go a little something like this:
If you take a Max to the park, he's going to ask you to push him on the swing.
When you push him on the swing (for 30 minutes) he'll want to get off the swing and roll down the hill (with Mommy). Once he rolls down the hill, and Mommy feels nauseous, he'll want to do it again (with Mommy) and again. When he rolls over a rock, he'll probably want to stop rolling and start sliding. When he climbs UP the slide and is very proud of himself, he will want you to clap for him (which you gladly do because you are so proud). When he slides down the slide, it reminds him of how he loved rolling down the hill, and he'll want to do that again (now that his head is better) with you. When you tell him you can't roll down the hill again (for fear you may loose your lunch) he cries and cries. To make him feel better, you push in on the swing. After he swings for awhile, he'll want to go down the slide. When you tell him it's time to go (because you have to pick up Rosie from Preschool) he’ll be very mad and will try and run away. When you run after him, he’ll think it's a fun game and will run around the park. Finally you will stop him on the top of the hill, where he will gladly roll down again.

The same could be said about each of our children. I love having fun with them. I hate telling them the fun must end. Frustrated by all the tears when a particularly fun day had to end, I turned to Nana. "Am I not spending enough time with them Mom?" I asked. "No!" she replied. "That’s just the nature of children. They don't understand balance" she explained. "It's up to you to teach them that there is a time for everything."

I think she's right. But, when I explain to them about time, will they then want a new watch to go with it? Just wondering.

I'm RICH!

Inspiration lead our Primary to create Family Temple Time Capsules.
What is this you may ask? A time capsule made out of a food storage can filled with family photos, special mementos, letters, fact forms, current event lists, etc. These cans were filled and sealed on March 10th, not to be opened for 10 years. Our capsule has been placed high on a food storage shelf, waiting to be re-discovered (I know time will fly).

One requirement of each family was to collect letters from older relatives (grandparents, great-grandparents) to be read in ten years. Our children have 5 living great-grandparents, of whom I received letters from. Looking at the letters, I realized one very important thing: I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH A RICH HERITAGE. Growing up, I was closely nurtured and taught by 2 sets of loving Grandparents. My beautiful Grandmothers (Rosie & Louise) trained me in the ways of being a Lady. At the same time, my Grandfathers (Paul & Stan) loved to have fun and graced us with their wisdom in most things. Kelly was also blessed with loving Grandparents, all but one have passed from this life. When I received each precious letter, I knew great wisdom would be imparted to my children and I felt their abundant love seeping from the sealed envelopes.

Warm tears streamed down my face as I drove to this activity. The knowledge of their mortality has never been more clear. The guilt of taking these precious times granted, immense. I promised myself to enjoy the twilight of their lives more fully. I'm very lucky to have these wise spirits pave the way for me. My children are beyond blessed to have come to love, and be loved by so many 'GREATS'!