Deanna's class did a Country Day today. Their Country reports have been graded and they were to dress in a costume of their country today for school. They were presented to the entire school at Opening Assembly and told who they were and the country they chose and why.
The parents were invited to the Assembly and to the classroom afterwards to view the reports. They were excellent. Amazing that these little 4th graders could do such good, thorough work. They hand-drew country maps showing major cities and rivers and another with goods and natural resources show by key across the country. They also hand-drew pictures of the country's costume. There were pages on Location, People, History, and Climate and they included pictures of the country at the end.
Then, at 11:00, we were to bring a food dish from our child's country - enough for 16 small portions. Don and I rushed home after viewing the reports and I started fish and chips with malt vinegar for Deanna. I tried to make it as authentic as possible (Deanna did England), but you just can't get 14" long battered cod here, nor chips like they make in England. But I cut a plastic cookie container from Kroger open , washed it out, and used it for the fish and chips. I had a roll of brown paper, which I wrapped the food in, just like in England. So, while the look may not have been strictly authentic, and the fish was nowhere near as buttery and crisp, the outside package looked and smelled just like the stuff we brought home from the Chip Shop in Culcheth. And I poured Lemon-Lime soda into a pitcher with ice and took it along as well - English Lemonade.
The kids must have had a sumptuous feast. The food smelled amazing. There was paella from Spain, Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolate from guess where, a Mexican dish with potatoes, another with potatoes, chicken and rice from Togo, Irish Soda Bread, and lots of others I didn't get to see. When I arrived with my food, music class was going on and the 4th graders were dancing around their classroom, having a wonderful time.
Now we're packing to go camping. Deanna's little girl's group, Little Sisters, which is like Brownies or Campfire Girls, is going to the lake tonight camping and I'm one of the chaperones. We're leaving at 4:15. We try and do a camping trip every year with this group, and I usually do the cooking, but I'm not the head leader this year, so we'll see if I get enlisted or not. In any case, you could feel the excitement in the air when I got to the school to pick the kids up. Dane was nowhere to be found. I finally left Deanna and Daelyn in the car and walked into the Courtyard where the Elementary dismissed to, looking for him. I caught sight of his teacher walking towards the school building. Apparently, they had JUST returned from an all-day field trip and the kids were running into the building to get their bookbags.
Too much fun for one day. And another night's worth for my kids - Deanna camping at the Lake, Dane and Daelyn camping at home with Dad.
Was life this much fun when I was growing up? I'm either too old to remember or too busy keeping up with my children's schedules.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Scavenger
Don and I were sitting in the den the other night when Donovan wandered in. He was chewing something and Don wrestled it out of his mouth.
"It's a toy soldier!" he yelled. "Where did he get this from?"
Then, to Donovan, "This is not YOURS, little boy." He looked sternly over his glasses at Donovan, who sat remorsefully pleading up at him.
A few minutes later, Donovan disappeared from the den, only to reappear a few minutes later, chomping on another item. Don pried it from him - one of the children's stuffed animals. Don lectured the puppy yet again, and Donovan appeared contrite. Until ...
This continued through several different items. Don was absolutely fit to be tied. I gave Donovan a chew bone. He quickly hid it in the den then ran off to find another toy, this time a wooden stand from a sign from the boys' train set.
Don nearly lost his cool. I gave Donovan a second bone, which he also managed to hide in the den. Finally, he curled up for his evening nap on the loveseat next to me.
"You know, I caught him up on the kitchen table earlier, eating Daelyn's lunch that he left behind," Don informed me.
"Did you?" I asked. "I caught him on the table this evening, stealing the remains of Dane's cookie."
Donovan has learned to run under the table and knock the bench with his shoulder, forcing it out from under the table. Then he uses it as his own private stepstool and scampers up onto the table, devouring anything and everything left behind. I've warned the children over and over again, but Daelyn grazes all day and will leave food items on the table several times a day, just beggin Donovan to climb up and eat them.
"It's a miracle he's EVER well," Don commented. Unfortunately, despite Donovan's appetite, he has a sensitive stomach and most people food makes him sick. He runs outside and stops to eat grass on the way to the van.
I guess if we're going to have a dog that's a scavenger, we'll need to keep the grass longer.
He's almost as good as owning a goat.
"It's a toy soldier!" he yelled. "Where did he get this from?"
Then, to Donovan, "This is not YOURS, little boy." He looked sternly over his glasses at Donovan, who sat remorsefully pleading up at him.
A few minutes later, Donovan disappeared from the den, only to reappear a few minutes later, chomping on another item. Don pried it from him - one of the children's stuffed animals. Don lectured the puppy yet again, and Donovan appeared contrite. Until ...
This continued through several different items. Don was absolutely fit to be tied. I gave Donovan a chew bone. He quickly hid it in the den then ran off to find another toy, this time a wooden stand from a sign from the boys' train set.
Don nearly lost his cool. I gave Donovan a second bone, which he also managed to hide in the den. Finally, he curled up for his evening nap on the loveseat next to me.
"You know, I caught him up on the kitchen table earlier, eating Daelyn's lunch that he left behind," Don informed me.
"Did you?" I asked. "I caught him on the table this evening, stealing the remains of Dane's cookie."
Donovan has learned to run under the table and knock the bench with his shoulder, forcing it out from under the table. Then he uses it as his own private stepstool and scampers up onto the table, devouring anything and everything left behind. I've warned the children over and over again, but Daelyn grazes all day and will leave food items on the table several times a day, just beggin Donovan to climb up and eat them.
"It's a miracle he's EVER well," Don commented. Unfortunately, despite Donovan's appetite, he has a sensitive stomach and most people food makes him sick. He runs outside and stops to eat grass on the way to the van.
I guess if we're going to have a dog that's a scavenger, we'll need to keep the grass longer.
He's almost as good as owning a goat.
Sick Days
Dane has tonsilitis, so he's home again. Apparently, that's why he felt so bad on Tuesday when I kept him home.
I've been housebound all week with sick children. It's been GREAT!! I haven't been able to go anywhere so I've gotten the sheets and comforters washed, all the laundry done, and lots of house-cleaning done.
I remember telling Don once when we had our car in the shop for servicing that I loved being housebound - no distractions, no errands to run, just time to rest and clean. He jokingly responded that maybe we should get rid of our van. While I don't think I want to go quite that far (we pretty-much had that experience in England), it's wonderful to have almost a solid week with no running necessary. If there ever is a perfect time for the children to be sick, it was this week.
I'm finally getting the house cleaned up. It's looked like a tornado went through ever since we returned from England but this week has helped tremendously.
So I say, "Hip, hip, hooray!" for sick days and days of rest. They're far too few.
I've been housebound all week with sick children. It's been GREAT!! I haven't been able to go anywhere so I've gotten the sheets and comforters washed, all the laundry done, and lots of house-cleaning done.
I remember telling Don once when we had our car in the shop for servicing that I loved being housebound - no distractions, no errands to run, just time to rest and clean. He jokingly responded that maybe we should get rid of our van. While I don't think I want to go quite that far (we pretty-much had that experience in England), it's wonderful to have almost a solid week with no running necessary. If there ever is a perfect time for the children to be sick, it was this week.
I'm finally getting the house cleaned up. It's looked like a tornado went through ever since we returned from England but this week has helped tremendously.
So I say, "Hip, hip, hooray!" for sick days and days of rest. They're far too few.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Illness & the Grumpies
Deanna's still home sick and Dane stayed home today, too. He was feeling very sick to his stomach last night. Thinking he might just be overheated (he suffered from a mild version of heat exhaustion a year ago and now is very over-sensitive to heat) after baseball practice and cub scouts back-to-back last night, I snuggled him for a while, then sent him off to bed.
This morning when I woke him for school, he said he felt like he was going to throw up and his throat hurt. Last year he had an incident at school where he complained about his stomach hurting, then threw up in the classroom. I picked him up and, while we were sitting on the loveseat in the den together, he began breaking out in a rash. I took him to the pediatrician who did a throat culture and confirmed that he had strept throat and scarlet fever. He never ran a temp, never complained of his throat hurting - just his stomach. Yesterday while Deanna was home, a friend called and mentioned that strept is going around the school, so I decided it was best to keep Dane home.
Mid-morning, I checked on Deanna. She said she feels better than she's felt in a week. She's going back to school tomorrow. And Dane seems to be pretty perky, eating just fine.
Having all three children together in the house, though, is like caging a lion, a hyena, and an alligator together. During the summer, they have lots of distractions, but when they're sick, they just need to stay quiet and stay in. So they're AT each other. There's been yelling, crying, fighting, and that's just from me.
I'm sending Deanna and Dane off to different bedrooms for a nap and Daelyn's gone to a friend's house to play. Hopefully, I can get something done while they're quietly locked away.
Here's to summer. I better start planning now to keep them occupied - for my own sanity's sake.
This morning when I woke him for school, he said he felt like he was going to throw up and his throat hurt. Last year he had an incident at school where he complained about his stomach hurting, then threw up in the classroom. I picked him up and, while we were sitting on the loveseat in the den together, he began breaking out in a rash. I took him to the pediatrician who did a throat culture and confirmed that he had strept throat and scarlet fever. He never ran a temp, never complained of his throat hurting - just his stomach. Yesterday while Deanna was home, a friend called and mentioned that strept is going around the school, so I decided it was best to keep Dane home.
Mid-morning, I checked on Deanna. She said she feels better than she's felt in a week. She's going back to school tomorrow. And Dane seems to be pretty perky, eating just fine.
Having all three children together in the house, though, is like caging a lion, a hyena, and an alligator together. During the summer, they have lots of distractions, but when they're sick, they just need to stay quiet and stay in. So they're AT each other. There's been yelling, crying, fighting, and that's just from me.
I'm sending Deanna and Dane off to different bedrooms for a nap and Daelyn's gone to a friend's house to play. Hopefully, I can get something done while they're quietly locked away.
Here's to summer. I better start planning now to keep them occupied - for my own sanity's sake.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Jedi Moms
Deanna's home sick from school today. Apparently, she had a sore throat all weekend, but didn't want to tell me because she knew how busy I was. She mentioned it to her Daddy, who also thought better of telling me. By yesterday, she was feeling pretty rough and rougher still this morning. Her tonsils are swollen and her body aches. I gave her a dose of DayQuil, made her a cup of hot lemonade, and she's propped up on the loveseat watching Star Wars.
It's interesting how the Jedi Knights can manipulate others by suggestion. Obi-Wan comments that it only works on the weak-minded. While I certainly don't want weak-minded children, wouldn't it be nice if we could parent by suggestion?
"You want to clean your room until it's spotless," I whisper under my breath.
"Mom," Deanna would respond, "I don't think I want to go outside and play today. I'd rather stay in my room and clean it until it's spotless."
"You want to straighten up the toyroom and get rid of 2 bagsful of toys you don't use anymore."
"Gee, Mom," Daelyn would say, "it's amazing how many toys we have that I don't really need. I'm going to clean up the toyroom and get rid of a few things."
After a few more whispers, Dane would volunteer, "I'm going to take the puppy for a long walk. Then I think I'll clean all the piles up out of the yard so it's all clean and neat. Do you have any chores YOU need me to do, Mom?"
Jedi Moms. That's what we all need to be.
It's interesting how the Jedi Knights can manipulate others by suggestion. Obi-Wan comments that it only works on the weak-minded. While I certainly don't want weak-minded children, wouldn't it be nice if we could parent by suggestion?
"You want to clean your room until it's spotless," I whisper under my breath.
"Mom," Deanna would respond, "I don't think I want to go outside and play today. I'd rather stay in my room and clean it until it's spotless."
"You want to straighten up the toyroom and get rid of 2 bagsful of toys you don't use anymore."
"Gee, Mom," Daelyn would say, "it's amazing how many toys we have that I don't really need. I'm going to clean up the toyroom and get rid of a few things."
After a few more whispers, Dane would volunteer, "I'm going to take the puppy for a long walk. Then I think I'll clean all the piles up out of the yard so it's all clean and neat. Do you have any chores YOU need me to do, Mom?"
Jedi Moms. That's what we all need to be.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
The Stuff of Dreams
The woman that Ken married yesterday has a 6-yr. old son by a previous marriage. The new couple left today for a Honeymoon Trip to Puerto Rico. But they are returning in a week, picking up Ryan, and going camping in the mountains for 3 days so Karen's son will feel a part of this marriage from the very beginning.
This morning, Daelyn and I were snuggling in my bed.
"Mama," he asked, "where are Uncle Ken and Aunt Karen?"
I explained that they're on their honeymoon now and have gone away on an airplane but that they'll be back in a week to pick up Ryan for the second part of it.
"I'm mad at you and Daddy!" he commented when I finished with my explanation.
"Whatever for, son? Why are you mad with us?"
"Because you didn't take me, Brother, or Sissy on YOUR honeymoon."
I tried to explain that none of them were born yet. He looked at me skeptically. He seems to think I'm trying to pull a fast-one on him to get away with the solitary honeymoon.
I'm sure it seems to him like he's been a part of our family from the very beginning. And, in some ways, they WERE along with us on our honeymoon - at least in all our more pleasant dreams.
This morning, Daelyn and I were snuggling in my bed.
"Mama," he asked, "where are Uncle Ken and Aunt Karen?"
I explained that they're on their honeymoon now and have gone away on an airplane but that they'll be back in a week to pick up Ryan for the second part of it.
"I'm mad at you and Daddy!" he commented when I finished with my explanation.
"Whatever for, son? Why are you mad with us?"
"Because you didn't take me, Brother, or Sissy on YOUR honeymoon."
I tried to explain that none of them were born yet. He looked at me skeptically. He seems to think I'm trying to pull a fast-one on him to get away with the solitary honeymoon.
I'm sure it seems to him like he's been a part of our family from the very beginning. And, in some ways, they WERE along with us on our honeymoon - at least in all our more pleasant dreams.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Wedded Bliss
Well, we got our friend, Ken, married off. He made a slide presentation and set it to music for the Rehearsal Dinner last night. It chronicled his Courtship. Yesterday afternoon, while we were setting up, decorating, and cooking, he came by the Hall to check on things. He stood for a minute and watched his slide show and got choked up. I was standing with him and turned to look at his face - his eyes were damp and he had an incredible look on his face.
After 52 years of singleness, the Lord has brought him the love of his life. His faithfulness has been rewarded.
The Rehearsal Dinner was beautiful, as was the wedding. As Ken's new bride was asking her father-in-law to dance with her today, I turned to look at Ken's mother and she was wiping her eyes. Their oldest son has finally married and they are privileged to be a part of the happiest time in his life.
It's hard to even express the peace and joy in my spirit. A good friend, someone I even dated once, that we were instrumental in moving towards marriage, finally has begun a new season in his life. And he's more deeply in love than he could have ever imagined was possible.
It was a lot of work and effort, a lot of planning and hours and hours on the phone, but it's over and it was wonderful. And worth every second.
God Bless Ken and Karen Wells as they begin the rest of their lives TOGETHER.
After 52 years of singleness, the Lord has brought him the love of his life. His faithfulness has been rewarded.
The Rehearsal Dinner was beautiful, as was the wedding. As Ken's new bride was asking her father-in-law to dance with her today, I turned to look at Ken's mother and she was wiping her eyes. Their oldest son has finally married and they are privileged to be a part of the happiest time in his life.
It's hard to even express the peace and joy in my spirit. A good friend, someone I even dated once, that we were instrumental in moving towards marriage, finally has begun a new season in his life. And he's more deeply in love than he could have ever imagined was possible.
It was a lot of work and effort, a lot of planning and hours and hours on the phone, but it's over and it was wonderful. And worth every second.
God Bless Ken and Karen Wells as they begin the rest of their lives TOGETHER.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Quote of the Day
My nephew - "It's pretty bad when you're so busy you don't even have time to clean your house . . . and you WANT to!"
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Nephews and Cousins
Wow, has life ever gotten busy!
My cousin from Canada came for a visit just before Easter. Since we were out of town for Holy Week visiting Don's parents, we had to make up for lost time when we got home. So, in addition to preparing Easter baskets for half the country, buying presents for our children, pressing trousers and dresses, and making Ukranian food and dying eggs, we had to fit in visiting. We tried to spend every free moment for a couple of days with them. This cousin is the middle son of my mother's older sister, now deceased, and we haven't seen him since my parent's 50th wedding anniversary five years ago.
Randy left and, within a few days, my nephew from Alabama showed up. Daddy called down one morning and said that he had arrived during the night and his truck appeared to be packed with all his possessions. Daddy said, "I'm assuming he's planning on staying for a while." They talked over breakfast, and my nephew has moved in with them.
Again, I'm trying to spend as much free time as possible with Claude. We seldom get to see him and now, with him right up the road, I'm soaking him up like a sponge. He's always lived away from us and we've had precious little time to build a relationship. Now, at 20, he's realized he may not always have the opportunity to get to know his grandparents and has come to live with them for a season. I'm scared to death something's going to happen and he'll pack up and go back to Alabama, so I want to take every advantage of this chance to spend time with him. It can't be very fun for him - playing cards and doing yardwork all day long. He told me last night that Grandpa told him he hasn't eaten this well in years. Claude loved that. Grandma's feeding Grandpa 3 squares now that she has to feed Claude, too.
Then, Saturday, one of my nephews from California, his wife, 2-yr. old and 4-month old, arrived for a visit. When it rains, it pours!!! I haven't seen them since they married 3 years ago and I've never seen the children. His daughter looks very much like my sister (my father calls her "Apple Dumpling"), her grandmother, and it cracks me up to hear this little tidbit referring to my sister as Grandma. I have a 5-yr. old (just turned) and my sister's a grandmother, 4 times over.
My great-niece (the 2-yr. old) is bored stiff at my parent's house. Although they have a few toys they've kept around, she tried very hard yesterday to entertain herself with my mother's wooden Ukranian eggs, baskets, and keys. Not exactly a smorgasbord of toys for children. We invited her down to play with Daelyn, who has gotten quite attached to her. We didn't see her for quite some time - swallowed up by the void we like to call our playroom. It's wonderful having them here. Children grow up SO -O-O-O-O fast - if you blink, they're grown. And being that they live in California, we almost never get to see them. This is a rare treat.
Add to the mix the wedding of our good friend. 52 years old, never married, waiting for God to provide his perfect woman. God did, and the wedding is this Saturday. I'm in charge of the Rehearsal Dinner and several other aspects of the wedding. We had a shower that I helped with on Sunday afternoon, another last night, and the lingerie shower is Wednesday evening, sandwiched in with Dane's baseball practice at 6:00 and choir for Deanna and Handbell Practice for me, Dane and Don from 6 - 7:30. The shower's at 7. How to bilocate seems to be the question of the hour.
Then, yesterday, I got a call from my father. One of my niece's had been in a serious car accident and had been taken to the hospital in an ambulance. A truck in the oncoming lane had swerved unexpectedly and hit her head-on. The fire department was called, along with 4 police squad cars that answered the call, and she had to be removed from the vehicle with the "jaws of life" because her doors were so bent-in, they couldn't be opened. Mama and Claude took off for the hospital leaving my blind father and the California nephew and family to fend for themselves for lunch. Daddy called down here and asked if I'd come up and make lunch. When I arrived, my mother had left several things simmering on the stove - carrots, cabbage, and asparagus. My nephew's wife is nursing and can't have any gassy foods! I brought them down to my house and made ham sandwiches. My niece is alright but they think she has a broken ankle and lots of cuts and bruises. She's pretty shaken up and sore - she'll be traumatized from this accident for quite awhile.
Deanna has a huge, country report due tomorrow. She's been working on it for 6 weeks now. They have to talk about the history, geography, climate and people of their country. They have to hand-draw a map showing topography and pictures of typical dress. They had to show their teacher their library books, turn in their notes and rough draft, and the final draft is due tomorrow. Next week, they are to come to school in costume and each parent is to provide an ethnic dish to serve 16. Quite a big deal. Today, in addition to visiting with my two nephews and family, and making phone calls for the wedding to make sure my ducks are in a row, I have to return some clothes we bought for Easter that didn't work and type Deanna's report.
I keep hoping things will slow down after the wedding, but experience has taught me that April and May just keep getting busier until summer hits at the peak of exhaustion.
My Blog sits gathering dust while I deal with life. But occasionally I need the release of sitting and writing. It helps me with the stress.
Maybe that's why I tackled de-greasing the filter in the vent over the stove yesterday.
My cousin from Canada came for a visit just before Easter. Since we were out of town for Holy Week visiting Don's parents, we had to make up for lost time when we got home. So, in addition to preparing Easter baskets for half the country, buying presents for our children, pressing trousers and dresses, and making Ukranian food and dying eggs, we had to fit in visiting. We tried to spend every free moment for a couple of days with them. This cousin is the middle son of my mother's older sister, now deceased, and we haven't seen him since my parent's 50th wedding anniversary five years ago.
Randy left and, within a few days, my nephew from Alabama showed up. Daddy called down one morning and said that he had arrived during the night and his truck appeared to be packed with all his possessions. Daddy said, "I'm assuming he's planning on staying for a while." They talked over breakfast, and my nephew has moved in with them.
Again, I'm trying to spend as much free time as possible with Claude. We seldom get to see him and now, with him right up the road, I'm soaking him up like a sponge. He's always lived away from us and we've had precious little time to build a relationship. Now, at 20, he's realized he may not always have the opportunity to get to know his grandparents and has come to live with them for a season. I'm scared to death something's going to happen and he'll pack up and go back to Alabama, so I want to take every advantage of this chance to spend time with him. It can't be very fun for him - playing cards and doing yardwork all day long. He told me last night that Grandpa told him he hasn't eaten this well in years. Claude loved that. Grandma's feeding Grandpa 3 squares now that she has to feed Claude, too.
Then, Saturday, one of my nephews from California, his wife, 2-yr. old and 4-month old, arrived for a visit. When it rains, it pours!!! I haven't seen them since they married 3 years ago and I've never seen the children. His daughter looks very much like my sister (my father calls her "Apple Dumpling"), her grandmother, and it cracks me up to hear this little tidbit referring to my sister as Grandma. I have a 5-yr. old (just turned) and my sister's a grandmother, 4 times over.
My great-niece (the 2-yr. old) is bored stiff at my parent's house. Although they have a few toys they've kept around, she tried very hard yesterday to entertain herself with my mother's wooden Ukranian eggs, baskets, and keys. Not exactly a smorgasbord of toys for children. We invited her down to play with Daelyn, who has gotten quite attached to her. We didn't see her for quite some time - swallowed up by the void we like to call our playroom. It's wonderful having them here. Children grow up SO -O-O-O-O fast - if you blink, they're grown. And being that they live in California, we almost never get to see them. This is a rare treat.
Add to the mix the wedding of our good friend. 52 years old, never married, waiting for God to provide his perfect woman. God did, and the wedding is this Saturday. I'm in charge of the Rehearsal Dinner and several other aspects of the wedding. We had a shower that I helped with on Sunday afternoon, another last night, and the lingerie shower is Wednesday evening, sandwiched in with Dane's baseball practice at 6:00 and choir for Deanna and Handbell Practice for me, Dane and Don from 6 - 7:30. The shower's at 7. How to bilocate seems to be the question of the hour.
Then, yesterday, I got a call from my father. One of my niece's had been in a serious car accident and had been taken to the hospital in an ambulance. A truck in the oncoming lane had swerved unexpectedly and hit her head-on. The fire department was called, along with 4 police squad cars that answered the call, and she had to be removed from the vehicle with the "jaws of life" because her doors were so bent-in, they couldn't be opened. Mama and Claude took off for the hospital leaving my blind father and the California nephew and family to fend for themselves for lunch. Daddy called down here and asked if I'd come up and make lunch. When I arrived, my mother had left several things simmering on the stove - carrots, cabbage, and asparagus. My nephew's wife is nursing and can't have any gassy foods! I brought them down to my house and made ham sandwiches. My niece is alright but they think she has a broken ankle and lots of cuts and bruises. She's pretty shaken up and sore - she'll be traumatized from this accident for quite awhile.
Deanna has a huge, country report due tomorrow. She's been working on it for 6 weeks now. They have to talk about the history, geography, climate and people of their country. They have to hand-draw a map showing topography and pictures of typical dress. They had to show their teacher their library books, turn in their notes and rough draft, and the final draft is due tomorrow. Next week, they are to come to school in costume and each parent is to provide an ethnic dish to serve 16. Quite a big deal. Today, in addition to visiting with my two nephews and family, and making phone calls for the wedding to make sure my ducks are in a row, I have to return some clothes we bought for Easter that didn't work and type Deanna's report.
I keep hoping things will slow down after the wedding, but experience has taught me that April and May just keep getting busier until summer hits at the peak of exhaustion.
My Blog sits gathering dust while I deal with life. But occasionally I need the release of sitting and writing. It helps me with the stress.
Maybe that's why I tackled de-greasing the filter in the vent over the stove yesterday.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Peeled Kumquats
On the way home from the grocery store today, we decided we're going to start our own comic strip for the daily paper. We'll entitle it "Mr. Nasty and Little Miss Surly" in which we'll chronicle real-life stories of how children mistreat their siblings.
The first one will be a picture of an older sister cramming a peeled kumquat into her younger brother's mouth and shrieking, "It doesn't matter if I DID suck all the juice out of it!! I peeled this for you and you're GONNA EAT IT!!"
The children came up with several more ideas between their laughter.
Ah, families.
The first one will be a picture of an older sister cramming a peeled kumquat into her younger brother's mouth and shrieking, "It doesn't matter if I DID suck all the juice out of it!! I peeled this for you and you're GONNA EAT IT!!"
The children came up with several more ideas between their laughter.
Ah, families.
Yin and Yang
A friend of mine has two sons, similar in personality to my two. Yesterday she told me a story that I could see happening in our home. She said, "If I had a Blog, I'd write about this one." So I asked her permission to use it.
While we were still in England, a dear friend of ours died after a battle with cancer. She left behind a high school daughter. My friend's son, the one with a temperament very much like Dane's - thoughtful, sensitive, sweet, gentle - was very impacted by her death. One evening soon after the funeral, as the family sat around eating, he was very quiet. His younger brother, very much like Daelyn, is more boisterous, fun-loving, and lives life to the fullest. The more pensive brother looked at the more boisterous one and said, "What would we do if our parents ever died?"
The younger brother didn't miss a beat.
"Anything we wanted!"
While we were still in England, a dear friend of ours died after a battle with cancer. She left behind a high school daughter. My friend's son, the one with a temperament very much like Dane's - thoughtful, sensitive, sweet, gentle - was very impacted by her death. One evening soon after the funeral, as the family sat around eating, he was very quiet. His younger brother, very much like Daelyn, is more boisterous, fun-loving, and lives life to the fullest. The more pensive brother looked at the more boisterous one and said, "What would we do if our parents ever died?"
The younger brother didn't miss a beat.
"Anything we wanted!"
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