Five Minute Friday with Frances: Imagine

Frances decided that she would like to try a Five Minute Friday, so we did. So she talked and I wrote.  For the record, she's nine, but iPads are hard to type on.  I did a bit of editing afterwards, but it was only due to autocorrect making a big jumbled mess out of what I typed!  Without further ado, here's Frances' Five Minute Friday on "Imagine"

Imagine is when you, like, you think of something creative and you can express it sometimes. And it's really, really fun to imagine. And you have to be really creative to imagine things.

When Alex and I play with Robert and other people we have to imagine lots of things. And when Robert and me and maybe Hensy sometimes play horsey we have to imagine that there are horses and we have to pretend we are riding the horses and it's really fun to imagine.

You can do a lot of things like maybe you can pretend that you're eating some pickles when it's really something else. Like maybe you can pretend that you're a fairy and you're fighting the bad fairies. And it's really fun to imagine because you can do anything and anything can happen.

And when everything happens you just, like, are happy and it's really fun to do it because imagining is the work of everything. You can be almost everything and anything in the world and it's so fun and you can do many things combined. You can have superpowers. You can have a nice name that you don't really have. You can do everything in the whole world.  Sometimes you can do everything at the same time. Everything in the world at the same time. Like ride a horse and take care of a dog and go to work at the same time. You can travel around the world. And if you're in England you can buy a souvenir in Mali even if you're in England.

Sometimes what I like to do is pretend that I'm a princess and I make up different lives of princesses and that's what I do when I'm dreaming. And sometimes when I wake up, I'll still think of it when I'm up too early and it helps me stay calm. And that's what I like about imagining.

Five Minute Friday: Imagine

So, set your timer, clear your head, for five minutes of free writing without worrying about getting it right.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..
OK, are you ready? Please give me your best five minutes on:::

Imagine…

GO

"Mommy?  Why does the letter x sound like it has an "s" in it?"

My mornings often start out with such questions.  My kids are all great wonder-ers.  They are learning and discovering so many new things every day and they come up with some great questions.  Especially early in the morning. I like to think it's because their brains have been examining and filing away information all night and picking out a few things to mull over.

They've got such a new outlook and perspective on the world.  I read a blog post yesterday (forgive me for not being able to remember right off where it came from) about a child listening to a pop love song on the radio and relating it to leaving her mom behind in the mornings as she went to school.  I love that perspective!

Sometimes I miss that child-like view of the world.  I wish I could see tings their way.  I wish I could go back to a place where you could imagine all sorts of different things.

That makes me appreciate it that much more when I see it in my children.  To marvel at the glow in their eyes as they think a new thought that has never been thought before.  To enjoy their questions even when they confuse me. And typically refuse to give them answers.

"I don't know why x sounds like it has an "s" in it.  Why do you think it does?"

STOP


EDIT: I found the post from yesterday. It was a guest post of at Momastery. You should check it out.

And speaking of guest posts, I have one today over at Cluttered Genius.  It's all about chores and chores charts.  Go check it out! 

Soccer Time

Benjamin has been really in to sports lately.  Last night someone got out the kids' little velcro baseball mitts and he insisted on playing.  Henry hurt his foot running barefoot through the yard, so he quit playing catch with Benjamin and I was next in line to get a turn.  We played for a while and he's getting pretty good at throwing.  He caught a good number too.  Of course, I have to aim very carefully and the velcro in the mitt helps a lot. 
 
He has two little soccer balls that he insists on taking to Henry's games. Tuesday night he and Ken played soccer in the front yard for a while.  I love that the weather is nicer and we can hang out in the yard after school, work, and dinner.  I also love it when Ken gets the chance to be home in the evening and spend time with us.  Hopefully there's lots more of that in the future!

P.S. If you look carefully, you can see that Benjamin plays soccer in monkey slippers!

A Tale of Two Teddies

On the right you will see Benny. He is Ken's teddy bear from when he was a baby.  The clothes are newer than that.  So are his eyes and nose. That's a wife's job, ya know! Replacing the facial features of her husband's childhood teddy.  I won't tell you where Benny usually sleeps because that might embarrass my husband. :)

On the left is Benjamin's teddy bear. Henry bought it for him for Christmas at the school store.  It was quite a thoughtful gift and Benjamin has latched on to this bear.  His name, you ask?  Well...there was a time period back about 6-8 months ago that Benjamin refused to answer almost any question you asked him.  His only response was "nothing!" 

"What are you doing?"  "Nothin'!"
"What do you want for dinner?  "Nothin'!"
"Do you want a red shirt or a blue shirt today?"  "Nothin'!"

Do you see where this is going?  One day I asked, "What's the name of your teddy bear?"  "Nothin'!"  So it stuck. Technically, his full name is "Nothin' the Bear."  That's what we all call him now.

It causes delays in leaving the house:
"What do you want to sleep with at school today?" "Nothin'"  "Okay, let's go!"  "Waaaahhh!! I need Nothin'"

This morning, Benjamin had both Benny and Nothin' out on the couch sitting together.  I asked him some questions:
"Are Benny and Nothin' playing together?  Are they cousins?  Brothers? Friends?"

"No, Mommy!  Dey are bears!"

Thankfully, he doesn't quite know how to roll his eyes at me yet; but I can tell it's coming!

Happy Monday!! Oh, Wait! It's Tuesday!

Don't get me wrong; I love holiday weekends, but they throw me off!  Normally Ken has a truck to meet early on Tuesday mornings, but he took today off, so now I'll be even more confused!  He told me to make sure he doesn't set his watch alarm tonight and try to get up at 4:30 tomorrow morning (thinking it's Tuesday)!  You can be sure I won't let that happen!

We had a weekend that was just busy enough.  That's my favorite kind!  On Saturday we got up early and went out to pick strawberries.  Life has been busy lately, and we almost missed this fun tradition!  We caught what was probably the tail end of the season. We got there around 7:45 and they were picked out for the day by the time we left. 

Ken, Frances, and I did most of the picking while the boys just ate berries.  We still got enough that I made a bunch of freezer jam and I put some whole strawberries in the freezer.  I plan on putting the rest through the food dehydrator tonight.

Saturday afternoon Ken had to work. The kids and I had a picnic outside in the sun and then Benjamin and I took naps while Frances and Henry played in the sandbox.  I took my nap outside in the sunshine which was quite nice. 

Sunday was for church and grocery shopping as usual and then Monday we had a {chilly} play date at the park and then took it easy the rest of the day.  I grilled BBQ chicken for dinner last night and for my second attempt on the grill, I think it turned out quite good.

Have a great week, friends!

Five Minute Friday: View

I'm joining in again with Lisa Jo Baker over at Five Minute Fridays. You can find the rules and explanation in detail over there.  Basically, she posts a prompt on her site and people write for five minutes on that topic. No editing, no over-thinking; just writing.

The word of the week is "view."

GO

I almost got upset with my husband last night. Our grass is really bad and needs to be mowed. I was out by the sandbox building castles with my kids and a few from the neighborhood when he came and got the mower out.  "Good!" I thought.  Then he started to mow the back yard.  "WHAT!?"  The front yard is what everyone sees!!  Then I realized that he was probably trying to avoid mowing the grass right next to where the kids were playing.  Silly me.  I didn't really see it from his point of view.

My kids like to copy each other. It's what kids do, right?  I did it to my brothers when I was young and they did it to me.  Henry gets mad at Benjamin about it. A lot.  Some of the time, Ben does it to be annoying.  That's what little brothers do.  But, honestly, sometimes Benjamin does it because he wants to be like Henry. He looks up to him and admires him.  So the copying isn't always about being a pain in the rear. Sometimes it's a compliment.  It depends on your point of view.

My work schedule this summer got changed. We were supposed to work shortened hours in the office because of construction and make up the rest of the hours "working from home."  Then the construction schedule got changed.  I mourned the loss of more hours home this summer.  I was annoyed by the abrupt change in the schedule that messes with my child care planning.  But I'm glad I have a job; a job that I love.  Another thing that depends on your point of view.

STOP

Name That Plant! Please?!

Like all good Kindergartners, Henry has been learning about plants and life cycles as well as basic human needs. So, of course, his class planted seeds and he brought them home and instructed me to take care of them.  Me.  Of the brown thumb...

But I've done pretty well.  I've even kept this Mother's Day gift alive and blooming for over a month!!

Kinda proud of myself, here!

But every time I've asked him about the seeds he brought home, all he says is, "Food, Mommy! I planted food!  Because seeds grow into plants and we eat plants."  And I have no idea what these sprouts are and when/how I should transplant them.  There are six little sections, but only five of them are growing anything. (The back middle has teeny tiny sprouts that I apparently didn't photograph.)  Here they are. Help me out. Please?

Overview

Top view

Close up of front right

Close up of front left

Close up of back left

Close up of front middle

Ten Things I Would NOT Do if we Won a Million Dollars

As you have probably figured out by the fact that I don't live in Florida and I am still here posting inane things about my weekend and my pet peeves; I did not win the lottery last weekend.  Bummer! I'm not basing my whole retirement plan on winning, or anything, but I do have plans for that money!!

I even had a secret weapon this time, because right after I bought the ticket I found this four-leaf clover.  I put them in my wallet together so they could work their powers.

Alas, we did not win.  Then my mom sent me an email about a house she found for us to buy.  It was about twice our price range!  I emailed her back:

Yeah, she hadn't won either. So back to working hard and trying to save whatever we can.  That got me to thinking though. I promise I would stay humble and normal if we won.  Sure, we would change some things and spend some money, but there are some things that I hope would remain unchanged.

1. I would not quit my job.  I *love* my job!  Sure, I might take some extra time off over the summer when the kids are out of school, but I wouldn't totally quit.
2. I'd still be cheap.  Or frugal. That's the nice word for it, right?  I wouldn't want to become the kind of person who would spend money just because I can.
3. I'd still recycle and buy re-useable things.  Millions of dollars won't leave a safe, habitable world for my kids, but good stewardship will.
4. I'd still go to church and put my money in the collection plate (albeit much more than I do now).  My faith is important to me and my family.  So is my church family.
5. I would still check out books from the library. Heck, I work in one!
6. I'd still cook at home.  Going out to eat is a nice treat, but I enjoy cooking for my family.  I'd bet I'd enjoy it even more with a larger kitchen!!
7. We'd keep walking to our errands and appointments when possible.  I like the exercise.
8. My kids and I would still wear hand-me-downs.  I guess it's part of recycling and re-using, but I thought I'd point it out.
9. I'd still visit blogs. I like the friends I've made and I love hearing their stores every day.
10. I'd still write this blog. It's a great scrapbook of our family. My mom loves it. I have some faithful readers that visit me regularly (HI!) and hopefully my kids will enjoy it when they are older.

So, how about you?  I'll assume that you didn't win either (if you did, I just want you to know, in all seriousness: You've always been my very best friend!!).  So what would stay the same in your life if you hit it big?  Or would you change everything around?

10 Pet Peeves

Here's a quick list for a Tuesday:

Ten Pet Peeves

1. People who shuffle their feet when they walk.
2. Grammar mistakes
3. Grammar Nazis
4. People who chew with their mouths open
5. People who don't take responsibility for themselves
6. When people put empty or almost empty containers back on the shelf/in the fridge without adding them to the grocery list
7. Passive-aggressiveness
8. People who feel the need to tell you about everything you are doing wrong and how they do it better
9. People who don't finish their lists

The Day I Willingly Borrowed an Extra Kid

We had a pretty good weekend 'round these parts.  Henry had his last regular soccer game of the season. I'm not sorry to see this season end. It has been a pretty rotten one in my opinion.  I'm sad because the other two seasons we played, the parents were fun and friendly and I had a good time going to games and chatting with people.  This season, two of the parents in particular have been real jerks to Ken; and otherwise we've had about a 60% attendance rate at the games.  When there are only 6 kids on the team to begin with (and one of them has a broken arm) playing games with only three or four kids is hard.  They don't have the endurance to play that long without getting tired and cranky.

After the game, we headed home for a quick second and then headed back out again. My friend Julie was helping with the school carnival where she teaches and her sister was babysitting her two little ones.  We didn't go to our school carnival, so I thought "What the heck, let's go to this one!" I also thought it would be fun for Julie's daughter to get to go to the carnival too. L is 4 and would certainly enjoy something like that! He little brother is too young and I am not that crazy!

We drove out to Julie's house and picked up L.  I tried to leave Julie's subdivision and got lost twice! Apparently I navigate the place better in the dark.  We managed to make it to the school for the carnival and after working out a buddy system, we headed in.

First things first, we had to find Julie so L could say "hi."  Then we had some lunch and explored what was going on in the cafeteria.  The art teacher had drawn up a big mosaic mural on a piece of cardboard and the kids were helping to fill it in using different colored plastic lids. 

 The mural ended up being two snails and some flowers. You can sort of see one snail's head in the top right corner of the picture above.

They had some games in the cafeteria too.  One where you could pick a duck out of a pond and you got a prize based on the colored dot on the bottom of the duck.  The other game was a big sand box filled with plastic bugs. You could dig through the sand and pick out a bug to keep. 

 Outside they had a petting zoo set up with some chickens, a horse, a sheep, and a cow.  This girl told my kids that the rooster in this picture would start laying eggs soon!?!?  Frances was very confused by that statement!!

 As we walked around, I would occasionally call out "buddy check" and Henry and L would run to each other and hold hands. No matter what else I told him, Benjamin thought I was his buddy, so he ran to me and scowled at Frances every time.  She was fine with that and didn't get her feelings hurt. 

 Out on the blacktop they had a dunk tank and a bounce house set up.  Benjamin survived his first foray into a bounce house!  He fell down a lot, but it didn't seem to faze him.  The kids also enjoyed playing hopscotch while they were waiting for Frances to finish her turn in the bounce house.

 The highlight of the day (for Frances) was the pony cart ride.  I asked the kids if they wanted a turn, but they little ones all wanted to play on the playground.  So Frances went and stood in line by herself (I could still see her) for about 20 minutes to wait her turn for the pony ride.  We ended up heading over that way just before her turn and Henry was mad at me because I told him he couldn't have a turn. The line was outrageous and I knew there would be no way to keep a three year old, and four year old occupied for another half an hour waiting in line.

We had a really good time at the carnival and I'm glad we went.  L wouldn't have had a chance otherwise and she had a great time too.  In some ways, four kids was easier that three. I think mainly because Henry and Benjamin fight over me a lot, but I had told Henry that his job was to take care of L and he loved that job!

They were plenty worn out afterwards, but they still let me take a trip to Target to pick up some stuff for the summer.  We went home for leftovers and TV time and everyone was happy!

Bike To Work Day {UPDATED}

Last month was "Walk to Work Day" and today is Bike to Work Day.  Our town had a little to do going on at Court Square with breakfast and other yummies, so we all decided to make the trek to our respective homes for the day.

We loaded Frances and Benjamin into the bike trailer for Ken and Henry rode his bike next to me.  The trip to the daycare/after-care place for the kids is easy because it's downhill through the cemetery.  (Of course Ken was the one pulling 75 pounds in a trailer, but he was riding in circles and going over bumps just to hear the kids scream, so I'm going to guess that it wasn't that difficult!) 

Ain't she purty!  That's mine, not Frances' btw!

We dropped the kids off and the Ken and I headed downtown to see what was going on.  They had a nice little breakfast with bagels and peanut butter, energy bars, juice, water, and coffee.  It was all very "green" too because the plates were actual plates that someone was going to take home and wash!

We had a bite to eat and then parted ways.  I ran into my first obstacle when I came to a red light next to the police station/jail.  There was no way I could trigger the green and I check three times but there were no cars coming up behind me.  So I went through a red light. That's okay, right?  I also rode on the sidewalk going down the main road.  It's 35 mph, but nobody goes that speed, especially in morning traffic.

I made it to work fine because almost the whole route is downhill.  The actual travel time was probably less than 10 minutes, but with the stops I was a bit late.  If it weren't for the drop-offs required, I would totally do it more regularly.  Oh! And the fact the the entire trip back will be uphill. Ugh!! (Unless I hitch a ride and come back later for the bike...)

{UPDATE} I did it! I rode home!  I had to walk a part of the cemetery, but otherwise I rode the rest. MIT only took me fifteen minutes.  Kinda proud of myself!

Zumba For the Old and Uncoordinated

You know how sometimes people make jokes about things because they are too embarrassed or uncomfortable talking about them directly?  Sometimes people make jokes about a topic because they are trying to be funny.  And sometimes people make jokes about a topic because they just want to feel you out and have an excuse to backpedal if other people don't seem to agree.

It was mostly this third sense of joking around that got me started talking about a Zumba fitness class I saw advertised.  I would very much like to add some more activity to my life. I pretty much sit at a desk all day and then go home, chase kids for two hours and then sit on the couch again.  I've tried running, but I've had a hard time sticking with it.  And my options are limited when it comes to going to a gym because I can't afford the time or the money.

Some of the students (read: 20 SOMETHINGS) that I work with were talking about taking a class together and I jokingly mentioned that I had seen a Zumba class offered at the Rec Center that we could all sign up for.  "That sounds great!" they all said.  "Oh look!" I said. "It's at 6:45 in the morning!!  HAHAHA!"  "Let's do it!" They said.  "WHA--?!" I said.

So I worked it out with Ken that he would get the kids ready by himself on Thursdays and signed up.  The first class was last week.  It was hard because I am not coordinated at all.  I am also very out of shape!  The second class was this morning.  It was easier because I had a better idea of what I was doing, but it was harder because I pushed myself. 

I think the hardest part of the class is discovering that my body doesn't look like or move like the body of a 20-year old anymore.  I have to put my hand on my stomach to know if I am moving my abs correctly because, even three years later, my abdominal muscles are still separated from carrying large babies. (Have you seen this shocking picture??)

6 days before Benjamin was born-and he was my SMALLEST baby (by a whole pound)!!

I'm mostly okay with the changes that have happened as I've gotten older and become a mother. I wouldn't mind losing 10 pounds so my pants fit a little better, but I am not trying to re-capture the body I once had.  The body I once had hadn't grown three beautiful children. It hadn't lived a life full of love, laughter, and fun.  I have grown and changed in those fifteen years since I was a 20 something; so it's obvious that my body would have grown and changed too.

The point of the whole story is that I am doing Zumba.  Maybe not as well as someone more coordinated, but I am enjoying it.  It's not hard for me to get up for class because I'm up at that time every day anyway. I even got a key to the shower at work, so I can come straight here and get dressed for the day!

And I laughed today when we did something the instructor called "grapevines."  "This is the Electric Slide," I thought to myself.  I turned to Ashley and said, "This is easy! I've been doing this move since before you were born."  And then I realized, that I really had. 

Frances' Violin Recital

Our busy week continues with a violin recital for Frances last night. She had a recital at her school last week, but this one was city wide. She is taking lessons through a partnership with a local university. Their teachers come to each of the schools twice a week for 45 minute group lessons.  The whole year's worth of lessons was $75, and kids on free and reduced lunches can take classes even cheaper.  It's a great program to get instruments into the hands of kids at an early age. The program starts in third grade and now continues up through high school. 

I know that a musical education is important for kids, but I always worried about what that instrument would be.  We don't have room for a piano and brass instruments intimidate me.  (My mom was a trombone player, though!)  I had honestly thought that lessons would be out of our reach both financially and time-wise, but having inexpensive lessons right at her school has been a true Godsend for us.

Frances LOVES the violin and I think she is doing really well.  She doesn't practice as often as she should, but I'll take a lot of the responsibility for that in that we haven't been good about reminding her. In the performance last night she was front and center stage for the duration. I asked her later if she was nervous, and she sounded confused as to why I would think she was nervous!  She loved performing!!

I won't bore you with multiple clips of the songs, but here is Buffalo Gals which was one of her favorites.  She learned the words to it also, and was quite surprised when I sang it to her (She thinks I don't know anything!!)





I also got a picture of her with her teacher. Thanks so much for all you've done this year, Ms. Megan!!

Dance Recital

Besides being Mother's Day weekend, last weekend was also Frances' ballet recital.  This year makes the sixth year she has been in dance lessons.  She started when she was just about to turn four and has loved it ever since!  Her teacher is a wonderful woman. She has endless patience and creativity!  She also works in a preschool classroom at Frances' school, so she gets to see her pretty often. 

Before the show

I mentioned last year that I was impressed that the students weren't looking off-stage during the routine.  The youngest kids tend to do that because the teachers are off-stage prompting them with their steps.  Last year, Frances and her classmates didn't need help, but this year I was even more impressed.  Not only did they not need prompting to remember the steps, but they each had their own individual parts.  Their dance was beautiful!


As usual, the entire show has a hit. The littlest kids were adorable in their costumes and their dance moves.  The older students had a great variety in their styles and routines.  Megan got to come with us this year and she was impressed as well.

Benjamin was exhausted from the day's events, but he stayed awake for the whole show.  Each time the curtain closed he would ask for them to open again.  He bobbed his head along with the music and watched intently.  Henry asked me about the ages of all the dancers-I think he was trying to relate them to himself (older, younger, same age). He was surprised to hear about the dancers that were his age.  There were other dancers that we knew, but we were sitting back pretty far and it was hard to point them out to the boys.

After the show

All in all, it was an excellent recital.  I am thankful that this is an activity that Frances enjoys and does well with.  She loves her teachers and her classmates and that's all I'm asking for!

Mother's Day Weekend 2013

Whew!  I need a break from that weekend!  It sure was a busy one.

I started my new summer schedule last week where I get off at noon on Fridays.  I am looking forward to a lot of things with that bit of free time, but this first one I used to run some errands around town and then go to Henry's school.  The Kindergarten classes had "Muffins for Moms" and I was excited to be able to go.  The kids sangs two songs about Moms and then we got to have muffins and juice together. I also got a corsage that Henry had colored for me.

"I love her and she loves me and Mommy is her name-o"

 After the program, I took Henry with me and went to pick up Frances. Her class wasn't quite done, but they were getting ready to be, so we hung out in there for a few minutes.  Henry got to "help" her with her SOL review and I got a chance to chat with her teacher for a bit.

We picked up Benjamin early and went home to find Grandma and Grandpa in our front yard!  According to Henry, Grandpa was there because Grandma came and "Grandpa doesn't like being by himself."

Frances had an early dinner and then my parents took her to her ballet rehearsal. Ken and I stayed home and had movie night with boys.  Neither one of them asked where Frances was that night, but they both woke up confused on Saturday because they couldn't find her.

Henry and Ken headed out early for soccer pictures (that didn't happen) and a game, while I hung out with Ben for a bit and then went to watch the game.  Frances talked my mom into taking her to the mall to hang around; while my dad went to the Green Valley Book Fair. 

After the game, we all met up at the Mall for lunch. I also had an amazing massage from a teeny tiny lady with incredible arm strength!  That felt good!  We did a bit of shopping and I got a new wristlet and a new outfit.

We attempted naps when we got home, but since I like to keep my posts on the positive side we're going to fast forward through the next few hours...(I'll just put this picture here as a place holder.)

Saturday evening Frances had her ballet recital (which I will post more about tomorrow), after which we all fell asleep, exhausted.

Sunday morning, the kids woke up early and "snuck" out of the room "quietly" while "whispering" about making mommy breakfast in bed.  You moms know why I put those words in quotations, right?  Thought so!  Anyway,  they brought me a nice danish and some juice with some sweet cards, a new shirt, a pretty hair clip and a massage pillow.  Oh, and lots of hugs and kisses.  Those are the best part!

We went to Mass in our Sunday best, including the boys in their Easter suits.  My dad has those pictures.  My mom was happy to see her former priest was preaching at my church. He was moved up here to be the campus minister, so during the summer he will be at our parish on occasion.  I'm sure it was nice for her to see a familiar face.

We didn't try to match on purpose, I promise!

After Mass we came home and had a ham, spinach, mushroom, and cheese frittata with a fruit salad.  My parents got on the road shortly afterwards so they could avoid Sunday traffic on the interstate.  We all attempted naps and then the kids played iPad games together in my bed while Ken grilled salmon and asparagus. Yum!

It was a wonderful Mother's Day for me!  I hope my mom readers had an equally wonderful day!