Fundraiser Friday

Whoa!  Tonight was a ton of fun!!

• I enjoyed helping set up the photo booth this afternoon.
• There were so many fantastic silent auction items, and I even won a Thirty-One Gifts tote.
• The basketball game was a blast.  I loved getting out there and playing a team sport again.  Although I only played basketball in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, it was kind of like riding a bike.  
• I actually scored during the game.  I'm pretty sure I scored more points during tonight's game than I did during junior high games (and the other players were mostly my size back then, LOL!)
• The king tribute to Kevin would have made him proud.  He will be sorely missed, but I feel like we honored him well.  I know he was smiling down on us tonight.

I can't wait until next year! 

Creative Outlet

I am somewhat creative.  I can sew, scrapbook, and paint, but for the most part it's more about re-creating than creating something new.  I am great at following a pattern or taking something that is already there and attempting to remake it based on what someone else has already done.  And that's okay.  But lately I've been trying to create more by doing Zentangles.  I've never been a doodler.  I've never felt confident in my ability to doodle well.  Now, I still don't think I'm spectacular, but it's something I've come to enjoy; the process of creating regardless of how perfect or "right" it is.

I first learned about it this past summer at a Gifted conference as a way to help kids decompress or calm down if they are stressed about something.  For some kids it can create more anxiety if they're focusing only on it being "just so," but if kids can look past any imperfections and see how the "mistake" can be used to branch off into a new tangle, then it can serve a very helpful purpose.

If you need ideas for what to draw, the website www.tanglepatterns.com has dozens upon dozens of ideas!

Here are two of my Zentangle cards. :)

Yay for Wednesday

Ah, Wednesday.

Wednesday always feels like a long day.  I know each day has the same number of hours, but it seems I always have more to pack in during a Wednesday than on other days of the week.  Wednesdays tend to make my kids grumpy.  They're already a bit worn out from Monday and Tuesday, and a late night for church makes them extra tired on Thursday morning.

This morning the day was ruined for my three-year-old.  It wasn't even 7 AM, but her life was already ruined.  Why?  Well, because there were no clean purple bowls.  Yep.  She had to have a green one.  Funny how on days she doesn't have her heart set on a purple bowl, she happily proclaims green to be one of her favorite colors.  Not so today.  Yay for being three.

Yay for Wednesday.

Tuesday's Thoughts

"A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money."  -John Ruskin

"An acre of performance is worth the whole world of promise."  -James Howell

A lot of people have been doing random acts of kindness, and it's something that has been on the news outlets for a few years now.  Highlighting various random acts.  I know I blogged awhile back about how small things are everything, but that's more true when something sad or devastating has happened.  Those small acts feel good when life is going well, but seeing/doing/receiving those small acts are magnified into something bigger, feel even greater, when life has you down.

The small acts of kindness I've seen in Webb City Middle School since the sadness of this past weekend, in just two short days, is ginormous.

We don't have to have a lot, or even promise someone the moon (or whole world), to make an impact on those around us.

Empty

I don't know how I am still crying. Surely the tears should all be gone by now.

Almost two weeks ago we lost an amazing man of God who touched our family in immeasurable ways by ministering to our kids as well as being a phenomenal example of what it means to live life for Christ.  Steve was one of the founding members of our church when it started.  That was almost 10 years before I started going there, but his love for Christ and his belief in the local body and how it can touch lives was exemplified daily.  His celebration of life ceremony was a week ago yesterday.

Then came yesterday. Like Steve, there are just some people who when you meet them, you know they KNOW Jesus and love him well. Kevin was one such person. His smile, his countenance, and his presence shone the love and light of Christ to all he met.  He had the most caring servant's heart, and he loved the people he worked with and the kids of our school so much.  Even though I've not been at WCMS during the school year for even a full year, Kevin has made such a positive impact on me for quite a few years during summer school, and I can honestly say there's a big hole now at our school.  Kevin was a wonderful friend, and he will be greatly missed.

I feel so empty right now, and truly didn't even want to blog today.  I know putting my feelings into words is healthy and good, but my heart just hurts so much.

Community

Friendship, fellowship, community.

One can never overestimate the value of those things.  Our life group recently expanded and added a few new couples to the three who've been together for several years.  Because of this recent addition, we've been doing a video series on community.  Basically laying a foundation for the group and the importance of making strong connections so that when life gets tough and the enemy is attacking, you know you've got some people in your corner.

We typically meet every other Sunday night, but our last one was three weeks ago.  At that life group meeting we watched a video session about telling your story.  Pretty much just about putting out there in front of the group the good, the bad, and the ugly of what life has thrown at you.  Being vulnerable so that they can see the real you, and not just the you with the facade you let the masses see.  Since my husband and I lead the life group, I went first in sharing, but since we only had time for one person to share after the video and group discussion, I was the only one to share.  It was humbling.  It was a bit emotional, but it was good.  And, even the other couples who have known me for years learned new things about me that they didn't know before.  But the trust is there, and I know they are for me.

Tonight we met again, and after sitting and chatting, plus eating some really yummy snacks, a few more people shared.  And it was so good.  I already knew bits and pieces of their stories from conversations and doing life together, but it was amazing to hear them lay it out like the did.  And, honestly, as humbling as it was for me to lay my story out there for others, I think it was more humbling to listen to their stories.  Why?  Because that means they trust me, they trust the group.  They've bought in to the idea that we will be there for them and have their back when things get rough, and they will.  But when you have people who know your heart and love you no matter what, that's a pretty great place to be.

If you don't have a group like that, find some people who can know the real you.  The real you is worth knowing.

Spring Break is Coming to an End

There's only one more day left of break, and while it has been both productive and restful, I'm sad to see it go.

I still have carpets to clean, but those will have to wait.  I also have laundry to fold and bathrooms to clean, and those will not wait!  Those are on the list for tomorrow, which is fairly normal for a Sunday afternoon.  Fortunately, the kids are all helpful in those areas.  With Norwex cloths, I know surfaces are getting clean without using chemicals.  Yay!  Also, the big kids are always responsible for folding and putting away their own clothes, so that's a big help.  The little one folds kitchen towels as well as kitchen and bathroom washcloths.  She also folds some of her clothes like leggings and skirts.  I'm pretty sure they say "the family that folds laundry together, stays together," right?  ;)

I've read 4-5 books and watched a lot of Netflix, so even though I did get a lot of cleaning and such done, I didn't work too hard.  Other than church, laundry and bathrooms, and life group tomorrow, I'm pretty sure more reading and Netflix are definitely on the agenda to round out the break.  I definitely can't complain!

The Tables Have Turned...or Not

Over the course of almost 11 years of marriage I can probably count on one hand the number of times my husband has been down and out, health-wise.  On the other hand I've had three c-sections and two laproscopic surgeries for endometriosis, all of which limited me quite a bit, even if it was for only 1-2 weeks each time.  That's not counting the times I've gotten strep throat so bad I was quarantined away from the kids.  Yuck!  Seriously, my husband is a rock star when it comes to taking care of me when I've been sick or otherwise unable to pull my weight with household and kid-related duties.

So, when he was scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery on his knee to repair a torn meniscus, I thought I would get to take care of him and pamper him.  Yeah right!  I was there to keep him company before and after the procedure, as well as drive him home, but as we arrived back in town (his surgery was at the orthopedic hospital in Springfield) he wanted to stop at WalMart to grab a few things and was already out of the van and heading toward the store before I was out.  So much for running in and getting what he needed!

After getting home, he kept getting up to get his own food and drinks, and he started doing the dishes rather than leaving them for me.  I did convince him to go sit down and let me finish them, but he was certain he could do it just fine.

So even though I thought I would finally get my chance to repay him even a little bit for all the times he's taken care of me, he still tried to do things that would be helpful to me instead.

Freedom!

I've never seen Braveheart, but I know the part where he yells "Freedom!" at the top of his lungs.  That's kind of how I feel right now.  I love my children, but when we left Memaw and Papa's house (and left the kids behind), I felt a sweet sense of freedom.  Now, we don't get to do a whole lot of fun stuff while we are without the kids, but a bit of fun was in order.

Tonight after we returned to town we went to dinner at Cafe Del Rio.  My fish tacos were so yummy!  Then we decided to go see the new Power Rangers movie.  Wow!  It was very action packed.  There were quite a few places where we laughed, and I was feeling very nostalgic about Kimberly because in the 3rd grade I wanted to be her.  One of the reasons we went to see it was because our children enjoy watching the TV shows of the Power Rangers (all 852 variations, or some such number, haha!).  With a PG-13 rating we were definitely wanting to screen it before deciding if they could or could not go.  And...they are NOT going to go see it.  There was quite a bit of language and Rita Repulsa was SUPER creepy as she was coming back to life.  I'm certain it would give our kids nightmares, and we're okay being the "mean parents" who don't let their kids see things we think they just aren't ready for.  They're only kids once!

Well, I'm signing off because we have to be at the hospital at 6 AM tomorrow for the husband's lapro knee surgery.

Playing Catch Up

So, I'm not sure if this is "legal" in the world of Slice of Life, but I got a day behind, so I'm playing catch up.

Yesterday was a full, busy day of dog grooming appointments, running a few errands (like getting the kids some spring/summer clothes that will fit--if I would just quit feeding them they might stop growing! 😉), and making homemade sushi.

The pups look so good with their long, thick winter fur cut off, and I'm sure they feel better as well.

The sushi dinner was rushed because of starting later than I should have and having Wednesday night church, but it was delicious.  I made way too much rice, and we used cooked shrimp rather than raw fish, but it was fun to make.  And it was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be!  I definitely think we will try it again sometime.

Spring Break Shenanigans, Continued

Tuesday already?!?  This break seems to be flying by, but that's how it goes, of course!

Today's nap, sadly, was only about a 10-minute doze.  However, I was able to finish two different books as well as take my girls to go see Beauty and the Beast.  The seven-year-old LOVED it, but the three-year-old not so much.  Despite her insistence at going with her sissy and me, the wolf parts were a bit scary for her, and it was a long amount of time to keep her attention.  It didn't help that we were there 15 minutes before showtime, and there were 20 minutes of previews after showtime.  She sat on my lap almost the whole time, and we got some good snuggles in while we watched the movie.

I also sorted through the kids' dressers, pulling out clothing they've outgrown and got things ready for the city-wide garage sale date late next month.  So far I've priced over 200 kids' clothing items during break.  Yikes!  That sounds like a lot, but with multiple kids and several years' worth of clothes accumulated, it doesn't seem quite so bad.

Yay for productivity and restful family time!

Spring Break Shenanigans

Today was a beautiful, warm spring day!  Wowza did that 85* heat feel good!

We went to get groceries this morning, and the bright sunshine was a wonderful way to keep us going.  We always get a ton of food right after pay day.  We budget cash envelopes (think Dave Ramsey), and since we both get paid one day a month, when we get close to the end of our pay period, the pantry and fridge look pretty sparse.  Don't worry, no one is starving in our house!

Anyway, in addition to the grocery shopping, we made delicious banana muffins, I had a tea party with my sweet three-year-old, and went for a run with all three kids.  Well, a run/walk, but who's counting?

Finally, even though today is technically the first day of spring break (if you're not counting weekends), I have successfully napped each day during break (I am counting weekends).  Three days down, three naps taken.  Don't judge.  If you're judging, I'm just going to assume you're jealous. :)  Not a lot of cleaning happened today, but meal planning and grocery shopping was on the master to do list for break, so it counts as marking something off the list.

I'm looking forward to what tomorrow brings!

Beauty and the Beast

I absolutely love Beauty and the Beast.  Well, Disney's version(s) at least.  I've never actually read the original version.  I might someday, but I kind of love the tame, kid-friendly version.

I went to see the new movie on Friday night with a few girlfriends, and we had so much fun!  It was really, really hard not to sing along with the songs as the movie went on, and I only sang a little bit, quietly.  I thought Emma Watson was an absolutely darling Belle.  She had the right amount of softness, but she brought a certain power to the role.  In the animated version we knew Belle was independent, but Emma's portrayal went beyond independence.  She was fierce and brave in the face of her situations.

The other characters were well cast, in my opinion, and the whole movie still held the same overall feeling of the "original" animation.  One change I absolutely loved was the expanded storyline.  While I didn't feel there were any gaps in the animated version, the additional information about Belle's mom, as well as Beast's transformation and the nearby village, only added to the story without detracting from what was already in place.  Some of those things may be in the literary original, I don't know, but even still, I absolutely loved the movie.  🌹

Spring Cleaning

I am so glad it's spring break, and even more glad that we have good weather on spring break.  Many years it's cold, dreary, and rainy.  Yuck!  So far this spring break has started off well.

Every year for spring break I make a spring cleaning list.  Lots of people travel and get to go cool places and do cool things, but we just stick around town and spend time together here.  That includes quality cleaning time.  This morning I cleaned all of the windows in the house, inside and out, and removed the screens so that I could clean out the window casings.  They sure get dusty and cobweb-y and gross in the span of a year.  Ewww!

Later today the children will be put to work with Norwex cleaning cloths and water to clean the baseboards.  Yes, they get to join in the cleaning fun.  (Although they only find it fun for the first 5-10 minutes.)

The husband helps clean, too.  This morning he did dishes, wiped down kitchen counters, the table, and whatever other surfaces needed cleaning in the kitchen while I was doing windows.  

Ah, spring!

Friday Funday

Yay for Friday!!!

I love Fridays, and not just because it's the end of the workweek.  Most Fridays my kids and I go to the public library on Friday afternoons.  It's a fun outing and they absolutely love it.  They enjoy picking out books to read, as well as the occasional video game or movie.

Last Friday when we went the two big kids were able to sign up for their own library card.  It seemed to be the thrill of their life!  Coltin has kept his in his "billfold" (as his daddy calls it) ever since and reminded me this morning that he has it there ready to go.  Adelyn left hers on her dresser, so it's a good thing we're running home after school before heading to the library!  As they were getting their library cards I kept thinking back to the chapter in the Beverly Cleary book where Ramona wants a library card but is too young, and she writes a whole string of lowercase Is and Ts to "sign" her name to prove she's big enough after all.  Evelyn was sad she couldn't get a library card because, like Ramona, she is too young.  At least Evelyn isn't quite the hot mess Ramona is.  Haha!

Anyway, to top off my fun Friday tonight I'm going with some friends to see the new Beauty and the Beast and I absolutely cannot wait!  If I were a Disney princess, I would be Belle.  I have the right color of hair, love of books, and slightly awkward social presence in large groups (HA!).  I was made to be her.  :) 

Riding the Missouri Express

All aboard!

I've never ridden an actual train--I don't consider the train ride at Silver Dollar City an "actual" train.  However, I think it would be fun!  It would be neat to watch the scenery pass by the windows, feel the starts and stops of the motion of the train, and to have the time to spend with friends or family.  I'm sure at some point in time while on the train, though, I would have to say, "You forgot your flash drive, you forgot your flash drive," over and over.  (Anyone know the show that's from?)

Regardless of not having ridden an actual train, this past Tuesday I got to "ride" the Missouri Express all around the state teaching about Missouri history.  That's what the fourth grade program is in Webb City.  I have played Ms. Dogwood for the past several years, and even though I'm no longer a fourth grade teacher, I was asked if I would come back and reprise my role.  Of course I said yes!  Having come from Kansas to teach in Missouri, it taught me a LOT the first year or so that I taught fourth grade and listened to all of the speaking parts and narration.  I enjoy going through the play every year, and this year was no different!

Playing Favorites

Even though the title of this blog post possibly suggests something negative, like choosing one child over another as a favorite, that's not exactly what this is.  It is simply a list of some of my favorites.  It's late, I've had a super busy, slightly stressful day, and I've just remembered to blog at 10:00 P.M.  I decided to call in a hail Mary and go for something easy.  So here goes...

• dark chocolate, especially Dove dark chocolate.  It's so smooth and rich, and delightful when covering blueberries because then it's automatically in the fruit category.  Right?
• snuggling my babies.  Sure, they're closing in on 9, 8, and 4 years old, but they'll always be my babies, and I'm thankful they all still love snuggles.
• chilly, dreary days to curl up on the couch and read a whole entire book or watch a Netflix marathon.
• Beauty and the Beast.  Hands down my favorite Disney movie.  Well, The Little Mermaid is right there with it, but those two.  I can totally sing every song and say many of the lines while watching, much to my husband's annoyance.

And with that I'm saying good night.

The Meaning of Life

Lots of people ponder on, seek out, and try to decide on what is the meaning of life.  Before I get philosophical on you, I'll explain that while growing up my dad would say, many an evening, "Who wants the meaning of life?"  (Or sometimes it was phrased as a statement, "I want the meaning of life.")  I'm not sure what book or place he was looking for the definition, but whenever Dad would say that he simply wanted chocolate chips.  That's it.  Chocolate chips.  We usually kept a bag in the fridge or freezer, because let's face it, cold chocolate chips are just that much better (unless they're in a warm and gooey cookie right out of the oven).  (Random thought...did you know that "cookie" is spelled "cooky" in at least one Beverly Cleary book.  True story.)

Anyway, it seems silly to think that chocolate chips were referred to as "the meaning of life" in my house, and that's not what life truly is all about, but in a way it is.  If you think about it, we get meaning out of our lives from all of the small moments that add up.  On K-Love right now a saying I've heard a lot is "little things don't mean a lot...they mean EVERYTHING."  The little things you do to help others and to make a difference aren't just small, insignificant events--they could be a big thing to someone else.  Just like chocolate chips...the small, simple things in life are more important than we may even know.

Kid Lunch Prep

Mornings in my house are a bit crazy with two adults and three kids ages eight and under.  Thankfully the older two can get themselves fully dressed--the three-year-old needs some assistance still--but we still have to monitor their clothing choices each day.  Some weeks we've managed to plan ahead where we lay out outfits the night before, or even a few days at a time, but it just doesn't stick.

Lunch is another situation.  I'm so blessed to have a husband who is a very hands-on helper with the kids.  While I monitor clothing, he typically is getting lunches ready and breakfast on the table for the kids.  So even though we share the load, I've felt like there has to be a better way (for us) to do things.  Well, I think I maybe found it.  Since we are big on having our kids do things for themselves, packing their lunches seemed a logical next step.  However, I had visions of a lunchbox full of granola bars or a couple Gogurts with three fruit cups.  Not exactly healthy lunches.  To combat this, I took five baskets we already had and labeled them: fruit, carbs, dairy, veggies, and meat.  The first three also had a label that said "Choose 1" while the label on the last two said "Choose 1-2."  Then we filled the baskets this weekend with enough items to last the week.  We went through quite a few plastic sandwich baggies, so I intend to buy snack size baggies as well as more reusable containers that we can refill week after week.  That'll cut down on the trash being thrown away, but I wanted to use up what we had on hand without this project being a costly one.

Today was the first day using the new system, and I feel it went really well.  I walked through the process with them to make sure they did it right even though they're smart enough to do it without extra supervision--they understood the directions because we talked about it this weekend as they were filling the baggies with food servings.  Tomorrow I probably won't walk beside them as they pack their lunches, but scaffolding is a good thing, right?  :D

One Week of Good Health

Last week I blogged about changing habits and making new ones.  Because of this I decided to report in about it.

The skinny on the situation is that I'm down 3 1/2 pounds.  That feels great!  What feels even better is the fact that I completed three runs and one CrossFit workout this past week.  I have also stuck with my healthier eating choices for the whole week.  I already had the knowledge about how to eat healthy, and I've done it many times before, but that's not always how it happens.  Truthfully, we eat healthfully over 50% of the time, but it's amazing the difference between eating well a basic majority of the time and eating well the vast majority of the time.

I did allow myself one no bake cookie and a small handful of chips while at my in laws' house, but I stopped myself there.  I got to satisfy the desire for goodies I love, but ate such a small amount that it didn't undo any of my progress.  Win-win!

I have two more weeks of this 21-day fix eating cycle before taking a week off and reevaluating things.  I can do it!

Going Home

Today, for the first time in weeks, we went to my husband's parents' house.  It was like going home.  I haven't been to my parents' house, the house I grew up in, in 8 1/2 years.  There are several reasons for that, and would definitely be better suited for a different format.  But we go to my husband's childhood home multiple times per year, sometimes even more than once a month depending on the time of year.  The drive isn't too far, only an hour and a half each way, but it flies by.  I must admit though, that it always seems faster if my husband is driving because I'm free to take a nap.  :)

It's kind of funny how pulling up to their log cabin home out in the country feels like home because I grew up in the middle of a Division-1 college town.  Away from gravel roads and spread-out neighbors.  We may have had very different childhoods, partly because of different growing up locations, but his parents don't treat me any differently than the children born to them, and for that I'm grateful.  It always brings me peace and comfort to go home.

Quotable Quotes

I'm thankful for Fridays and for being approximately 1/3 of the way through this challenge.  :)

Each week I put a "fact of the day" and a "quote of the day."  It may sound odd that I do a new something of the day each WEEK, but when my students are only with me one day a week, a single fact/quote lasts a whole week in my room.

Anyway, this week's quote was about success.  I want my students to be successful--what teacher wouldn't.  But I also want my students to fail.  At something.  At least on occasion.  Why?  Because I want them to know that it's okay to fail.  It's okay to mess up and have to rework something; to learn from their mistakes and move on, becoming better as they go.  In light of that, I feel this week's quote by Bill Gates is perfectly appropriate:

"Success is a lousy teacher.  It seduces 

smart people into thinking they can't lose."

Wow, right?  This is so important for all people, but I think it's really critical for my students.  They learn more from the times they fail, than they do if they never fail at all.

So go, try something new, even if you're pretty sure you'll fail.  You might learn something about yourself.

The Three R's

Last night at our Bible study group we talked about the three R's.  It wasn't "reduce, reuse, and recycle" or even "Reading, wRiting, 'Rithmetic."  The three R's we talked about were "recognize, replace, repeat."  

The "recognize" comes from 2 Corinthians 11:3--"But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ."  Satan is the father of lies, and he would love to lead us astray, sow seeds of doubt, discontent, and discouragement in our lives.  We need to recognize those lies.  Things like: I'm a failure; I'll never be good enough; I'm afraid; I can't. 

Once we recognize the lies, then we need to "replace" them with scripture, the truth of God.  When we feel like we can't do something, we can quote Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."  Or if we are struggling with feeling like we just can't please people, but we know we're trying the best we can, Galatians 1:10 has a good word for us: "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people?  If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."  Here's another for those of us who sometimes feel like a failure, 2 Corinthians 12:9: "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."  There are innumerable scriptures that can be found, and honestly a simple Google search is sometimes all it takes.  You can do a search for "Bible verses for people who feel ________" and you're likely to find a multitude of websites with some verses that will be helpful.  Try it!!

The final R is "repeat."  This one is really self-explanatory.  You simply have to repeat the scripture you have chosen to replace the lie with until your mind shifts and begins believing the truth instead of the lie.

The other sets of "The Three R's" are important, but this one might be the most important of all. :)

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

It's hard to believe this school year will be three-fourths of the way over in just two days.  Interviewing for this job, getting the call that it was mine if I still wanted it, and working hard this past summer taking courses and preparing the rooms all feel like they just happened.  Where has the time gone?

At the end of this month it'll be five years since we closed on the purchase of our current house.  I still remember walking through the unfinished house with the husband and kids #1 and 2, writing scriptures on the concrete foundation in various rooms: the pantry/storm shelter, kitchen, and bedrooms.  Where has the time gone?

This spring/summer we'll have a series of family birthdays and celebrations, as we do each year at this time.  I'll turn 33 in April.  Kid #1 will be 9 on Mother's Day (kind of a special way for me to celebrate my day of motherhood by celebrating the birth of the one who first made me a mother).  Kid #3 turns 4 in the middle of June with our 11th wedding anniversary just three days after her birthday.  And finally, Kid #2 turns 8 at the beginning of July.  Where has the time gone?

It's hard to believe so many years have passed and experiences have been cherished when it feels like certain things have only just begun.

Where has the time gone?

Creating a Habit

I've heard so many different thoughts on the topic of building a habit (or even breaking one if it's undesirable).

Some say it takes 21 days, others 31.  I think it all depends on if you're simply creating a habit or if you're breaking one while creating a new one.  It probably also depends on how long the habit you're trying to break has been taking place.  You know?

I reflect on all of that to say I'm working on some habits.  Sugar is a bad one.  Probably one of the worst.  I can't have a lot of commercially made sweets because of an allergy to wheat and gluten, but I can make a mean homemade cookie.  And by golly I can eat about eight of those suckers before anyone knows what has happened.  So, on top of making a habit to get back into running regularly--there's NO way I'd be able to run a half marathon right now even though I did one less than a year ago--I'm working on reforming my eating.  I'm using the 21-Day Fix food plan, so I know I'll be able to eat plenty of food, but I'm pretty sure I'll have moments of "hangriness" because for some reason cookies aren't listed under one of the food categories.  Neither are potato chips, and I love me some good, salty crunchiness, too.  Oh, well.  Once I get through this 21-day cycle I'll treat myself if I need to, but I don't want to undo my good habits, right?

Living a Dream

This past Saturday morning was the things dreams are made of.  The older two kids are old enough to entertain themselves when they get up early on a Saturday morning.  They played the PS4 quietly, with the volume down low enough not to disturb our sleep.  They didn't even wake up their three-year-old sister.  (Hallelujah!)  And the husband and I got to sleep in until about 7:30.  Trust me, that's sleeping in.

Adelyn did have her school festival and singing performance late in the morning, but we still had several hours of good, old fashioned family time.  We had Flinstones playing on TV--yes, the original cartoon from 1960.  Plus, the kids and I had time to play several games in a row.  We played Blokus, Chess and Pass the Pigs.  Pass the Pigs is a fun game where you roll two small, rubber pigs to accumulate points.  If you get a "Pig out" then you lose your points for that turn, so it's a definite gamble!  Even my littlest one gets into this game, so it's fun for everyone.  And--fun fact--it's been around since 1977 under a different name, but was renamed as Pass the Pigs back in 1984.

Sunday Reflections

It's about 12 hours after my usual time to post (haha, because doing something for half a week constitutes as a "usual time"), and I'm tired.  I remembered earlier in the day, but since I was not in a position to blog, I had to rely on my brain to remember later...and thankfully it didn't fail me this time.

This may not be Biblical or anything, but I kind of feel like certain people are just naturally closer to sainthood than the rest of us.  Preschool teachers are some of those people.  The first Sunday of every month I teach the 3-5 year old preK class at church for all three services.  We don't have Sunday school, but rather childcare and children's church during each of the three morning adult services.  Now, I do NOT consider myself closer to saint status (I'm an evangelical Christian, so we don't even do anything with the "saints," but you get my point) just because of my one-Sunday-a-month gig, but it does make me appreciate my youngest child's daycare teachers all the more.  I think I need to buy them a present this week.  I just do.  Even though my own child is never the one causing a random eye tic or a moderate-to-severe headache, right?  ;)  I kid, I kid.

Anyway, despite the overwhelming exhaustion caused by so many small, yet loud personalities, I love getting to teach them God's word so they can hide it in their hearts.  It makes it all worth it.

Summer Dreams

Summer dreams, ripped at the seams...  Know the song and/or the movie it comes from?

I know it's not summer, but I do have strange dreams sometimes, and last night's dreams put me smack dab in the middle of a performance of Grease, which is where that song lyric comes from.  I'm a closet thespian.  I always dreamed of being on stage, performing dazzling diva roles, but it never happened.  I never even tried out for a role in a play in junior high or high school.  I've always been afraid to fail, so I didn't put myself out there.  But I digress.

Last night's dream seems random to some, but I think it makes perfect sense.  Today was the Fabulous 50s festival at Webster, where my daughter goes to school.  They performed, a few classes at a time, several hits reminiscent of the 1950s, and it was a hoot.  My mind was thinking of poodle skirts, rolled up jeans, white t-shirts, and leather jackets all week leading up to the big day, so a Grease-inspired dream was bound to happen.

I'm signing off to spend more time with my family because they're pretty keen!

Tic-Tac-Toe

Wow!  I'm not going to lie...three days in a row of blogging for Slice of Life is a longer streak than my workout days of late.  Sad, but true.  Despite the unfortunate narrative that fact is regarding my health, I'm proud of myself for sticking with this writing thing.  Most people don't know this, but I have several self-published authors I edit for, and a few of them have asked me if I'll ever write, but I always tell them no.  The answer will probably always be the same, but the simple act of moving forward with this challenge is a definite confidence booster for myself.  And honestly, I'm not hating it.  I'll probably have to reassess that opinion around day 21, but so far, so good!

I'm thankful for the kind words, both digitally and in person, from people who commiserated with me about the car situation, and especially those who offered to help.  I am pleased to report that the warmer weather of the pre-spring afternoon gave more favorable conditions for the husband's car to be jumped by my van.  (Haha, that makes my soccer-mom van sound somewhat like a thug!)  Anyway, his car did start, but only the one time.  We decided (again, he, not me) to get a new battery and just change it out.  Problem solved!  What a blessing that it was such a simple fix.  We're back to being a two-car family, and it truly is easier that way with having a few children to cart around to places.

Speaking of children, the middle one, who typically needs threats of cold water or something equally unpleasant to wake up in the morning, was awake and out of bed before 5:50 this morning.  Yikes!  I was dutifully hitting snooze on my phone alarm clock and trying to eke out a few more minutes of peace and quiet when she excitedly came into my bedroom.  She just couldn't contain her thrill at the thought of earning her 125 point club trophy and award certificate for AR today.  I must say that I'm super excited for and proud of her.  Certain "mommy moments" are more fun than others, and this is hands down one of the fun ones!

Life Happens

Here we are, day 2 of the Slice of Life for 2017, and I had a plan for what I was going to write about.  It may have been a great plan, or it could have flopped, but either way I'll save it for another day.  Then life happened.  I was not even a mile from my house when my cell phone rang...the husband was calling.  My first instinct was our son forgot his lunch.  It's happened a time or two, and with his gluten issue, getting a lunch tray isn't the easiest thing in the world.  I asked him if he forgot it, but thankfully he had it and that wasn't the issue.  The issue was worse.  My husband's car wouldn't start.  So, I found a place to turn around and head back home.  He's already got the jumper cables out so we could (well, he could--I stayed in my van) jump his car.  No dice.  Since it wouldn't start at all, I quickly retrieved the three-year-old from his car, put her in mine while the husband got in the passenger seat, and off we went.

My word for this year is "rejoice."  I should know better than to get to deep into my thinking because just this morning, as I was getting ready I was reflecting on how I'm not sure I've done as much rejoicing in my life as I should.  That maybe I'm still complaining as much as before.  Well, as God often does, He provides just what we need in His timing to cause us to draw near to Him.  So, as we drove to school, as a now-one-vehicle family, I rejoiced in the fact that we still have a working vehicle, we're all safe and healthy, and we got a bit of extra togetherness time today.  And in that, I rejoice!

First blog post...

So, I'll be honest, I don't like to write.  I may or may not admit that in person, but here it is in permanent digital format.  Give me a research essay any day because with that there is right and wrong.  That type of writing isn't me, and it's not vulnerable.  I don't like putting myself out there, but with this Slice of Life challenge I will attempt to do just that...for 31 days.

I'm sorely tempted right now to make an acrostic poem with my name because that would eat up the remainder of today's lines, but I'd hate to waste an "easy out" on the first day.  I'm also one who has high expectations of self, so if my students can do this, so can I.

I am thankful for WCMS and how welcomed I feel by the staff.  Changing to a new building and a new position has been a challenge, but one I truly felt ready for.  I have a passion for teaching gifted kids and sparking newer and deeper learning, so this change has been an easy transition, regardless of little hurdles that have popped up.

Well...I have surpassed 10 lines.  See you tomorrow!