Valentines Prep

Here we are at the end of January and tomorrow marks a new month. My kids count months by what holidays they can celebrate in them. So February marks the count down to Valentines Day. Which, to them, means giving your friends cards and having a school party. Alexa wanted to buy cards to give her friends which is fine by me. She picked Barbie cards by the way and she was so excited to start filling them out she jumped right into signing her name. It is good that she did because experience has taught me that it is best to do a few at a time as they tend to run out of momentum pretty quickly.

Chloe always wants to make Valentines for her classmates. This is a more extensive endeavor. This weekend I was out and saw a kit for making bear magnet valentines. The box contains enough to make 30 and enough supplies to mix and match them as you like. She was thrilled and made four today.

Aren't they cute little buggers?

The Student Becomes the Teacher

Chloe checked an arts and crafts book out from her school library this week. She created some of the projects this morning after I left for work. This afternoon when we all got home we saw the cutest little turtle sitting on the futon chair.

Alexa said she would like to make one too but didn't now how. Chloe eagerly offered to help her make one. It was very sweet to her her offer to help her sister, and I didn't even have to bribe her. Such an added perk when things are harmonious.

Chloe was an excellent teacher. She cut out all the parts and helped Alexa create her turtle.

Alexa was a very good art student and colored in all her turtle parts as instructed.

The finished product... please note that Alexa added a crown and earrings for her turtle.

Then they made them into hats...

This I Believe

There an essay contest of sorts run through NPR called This I Believe. It is based on a fairly simple premise that people write a story about a personal experience and a lesson learned from it stating their own personal belief. The stories are a mixture of famous people and average regular people. I checked one of the books out from the library this summer and loved it. I love to read people’s stories. I find people so interesting. You can read some of them on the website too. Ever since this summer I have toyed with the idea of writing one. What would I write? What do I believe?

I decided to give it a shot and write it. Write about what I believe. I can’t really send my story to NPR. It doesn’t fit their exact guidelines I fear, but I figured why not write it anyway? Just the act of thinking about what I believe was amazing. That is what writing is right? Just getting it out of your head on onto paper. Since I have my very own blog full of my ramblings gives me a place to plop it. The few people who actually read it can choose to read or not so it has the element of feeling public.

So there you have it. I talked myself into it. Here we go…

This I believe…

The energy we put into the world really is what comes back to us.

The statement “better than nothing” is true for lots of things, but when applied to relationships can be toxic to just about everyone involved.

Life really is like running a marathon there are times where every part of you hurts, but if you keep going eventually you make it through.

The best things in life really are free, but you can get a good boost out of a new pair of shoes.

You will never regret being a good friend.

The best way to have a friend really is to be one.

There is humor in just about everything.

Forgiveness really will free you.

Compassion makes us human.

Sarcasm is a gift given to some and lost on others.

To get everything you dream of you have to step out of your comfort zone.

Stepping outside your comfort zone can be scary and we should surround ourselves with good, supportive people who encourage us and listen to all our fears.

People come into our lives for a reason. We just have to trust that there is a greater plan.

Telling someone you love them can’t be done with strings attached; it invalidates the love.

When you survive something you should turn around and reach a hand to help someone else.

There is a whole lot more good in the world than bad; the bad just sells more papers.

The grass really isn’t greener on the other side, but the view is different and sometimes we have to stand there for a bit to learn about what is important to us.

Where you are is where you need to be; sometimes that is really hard when you are standing in a really tough place.

You don’t realize how many quirks you have until you have children and see them reflected back at you.

There is not an infinite amount of laundry to do; it just seems that way.

A good long cry can be very cleansing.

In the end we all have to clean up our own messes or stay stuck in the mess.

Toxic people should be given a wide distance.

We all make mistakes some are more accidental than others.

People with a low tolerance for children and pets should be a avoided.

This I believe. You can read some amazing stories that are much, much, better than mine at the following site. http://thisibelieve.org/

Lobster Observations

Since I seem to be on a roll with loading videos tonight, here is another one. We like to intoduce the kids early to playing with their food in our family. So here is my adorable two year old niece Annabel working up her courage until she get some assistance from older and braver cousin Chloe.

Chloe and the Lobsters

This is an old video, but I have had trouble loading it. This is Chloe helping Grammie Eva put the lobsters in the pot for Christmas dinner. She was so excited to do it, and Alexa was more than curious to watch.

Reminders Come From Little Places

This morning I was packing the kids' backpacks for school and the girls were eating their breakfast. All of a sudden Alexa wrapped herself around me. I hadn't seen her coming so it felt like a sneak attack. I laughed and thanked her and asked what was going on. She said, "It is just because you are so nice to me and I love you." It was a great way to start my day.

Tonight while getting ready for bath Chloe announced that she wanted to send some of her allowance to the people in Haiti. I asked her if they were doing a fund raiser at school or something and she said, "No, I just feel sorry for them, and you always do things for people when they need help."

So there you have it. I guess they really are watching and listening. It is so amazing to me how we might not even realize the impact that we can have on the people around us in just doing what we do. I have to say it makes me feel better given all the "she is looking at me" bickering I have had to endure over the past few days.

You Know You Wanna...

Spread soap suds all over the kitchen counter and draw in it.

or build a snow fort and hide from a fierce dragon.

Just a few things we do to pass the time.

Birthday Party

Don't they look cute? Thank you Grammie Sharon for these outfits. We headed out to a friend's birthday party yesterday afternoon. It was a very girly event and they had great time.

Mommy School

Chloe was home sick today. Thankfully a quick trip to the doctor's got her back on the antibiotics that have her feeling much better...again. We had a good day and since she was feeling pretty good we had Mommy School. It just doesn't pay to have a mom as a teacher. She was reading me stories, writing her own stories, and playing math games. Then there was science class...

We re-potted a couple of plants and then went on to plant some seeds. I found this indoor herb garden someone had given me years ago. I have no idea if the seeds will even grow, but she had fun planting them.

Who knows maybe we will have fresh basil and cilantro growing inside this winter.

Fame

Need I say more about this picture? Really can you agrue reality with an outfit like that?

on a different note though check out this picture....

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=307840&ac=Audience


You look great Mom! I wish I could figure out a way to get to the opening. Sneaking candy into school. Hmmm figures you were one of those kids!

Christmas with Grammie

It seems that the fun of Christmas just wants to go on for us. We were not able to spend time with Grammie Sharon over the holiday, so she came today so we could have our Christmas together. I was excited about the cute new outfits she picked out for the girls.

They were far more intesterested in new Lincoln Logs and Legos.

Cabbie couldn't help get in on the action either.

The Princess and the Scientist

It occurs to me sometimes just how different my children are and yesterday was not exception. Alexa came home and promptly put on her princess and fairy finery. She then wanted to help me make her favorite penne pasta dish for dinner. She looked so funny helping me cook all dressed up that I couldn't help but take her picture.

On a completely separate wave length (shall we say) Chloe had learned about matter, solids, liquids, and gases in school. She spent half the night pointing out everything in the house and identifying it as one of those.

"Look, Mommy, this has matter. It is a solid"

"Look, Mommy, this has matter too. It is a liquid."

"There is matter here too. Can you tell? It is everywhere."

It makes for an entertaining dinner dining with royalty and scientists.

It is All About the Right Accessory

So you need to gather your ballet dress, sparkly crown, a couple of jump ropes, purse, and a feather boa and then you too will be outfitted for dancing.

May this inspire you to really dress the part at work tomorrow.

Polar Explorers

The girls enjoy the freedom of the island. They have a looser reign than they do here at home. It is so isolated and rural that they are allowed to be out and about by themselves more there. My only rules are that they have to stay where they can see the house and out of the road. The road really isn't a huge issue. With a year round population of around 50 there isn't a whole lot of traffic, but you know it seems like one of those parent things you are suppose to say. Keeping to where they see the house means that they are no where near the ocean unsupervised and that I can usually spot them from a window.

We did decide that I would take them exploring further from the house a couple of days. It was pretty cold and windy, but we bundled up and headed out. They wanted to head through the woods and see if we could spot a deer. We never did get to see one. We did see some tracks in the snow and some deer poop. Enough to leave them excited that we were close on the trail.

As you can see they also found some ice patches to slide around on too.

It always helps brave polar explorers to be able to have a grammie that stocks her house with hot chocolate and cookies for when you return.

A Soldier's Memorial

There is a rusty tractor sitting on this beach.

Can you see it?

It is rusted to the point of almost being hard to recognize. As long as I can remember it has been there. I can't say I ever gave it much thought except to figure someone abandoned it and no body could be bothered to move it. It fits in with a lot of what you will see on Cranberry Island. Years ago before they paved the parking lot by the town dock it use to be filled with dead rusty cars that hadn't been moved in decades let alone years. So I guess I kind of lumped this tractor in the same category. Figured it died and no one could be bothered to move it. At high tide it gets submerged and at low tide it is out. Just part of island life.

When I was walking along the beach with the girls Chloe stopped and looked at the tractor and wanted to know what it was and why it was there. I told her it was a tractor that had been there are long as I could remember. She had more questions and I suggested that she should ask Grammie about it, and see if she knew where it came from. Well, she did and the story is probably one of the most endearing stories of small town life that I had heard in awhile.

It turns out that the tractor belonged to a local man named Edgar Bunker. Now Edgar parked that tractor there before he left to fight in Korea. He parked it further back than it is now, beach erosion has moved it to where it is currently. When he parked it he told everyone, "It can just sit there until I get back."

Now you can probably guess that Edgar didn't come back. He was killed in the war. Everyone just left the tractor where it was... all these years. It is his memorial. His tractor just sitting there until he can come back and move it. Just there to remember him and his sacrifice.

I thought this was just an amazing story. I mean if this town wanted to put up a memorial for him; it probably would have cost thousands of dollars and a lot of bureaucracy to go through. But they didn't need to because everyone who knew him knows what that represents. I know it made me look at it differently after that. It seemed fitting to write the story down so that others might know about it too.

To Thank and to Build

I had the girls set to work writing out their thank you cards yesterday. Last year I started having some cards printed up with their pictures on them. They were a big hit and made them look forward to writing them out a bit more. Plus it helps because Alexa can't actually, you know, write so I have the words already printed out and she just adds some pictures. I do believe it is important to sit down and thank people who went tot the trouble of getting them something. It helps balance the whole it-is-Christmas-give-me-things aspect that seems to swallow kids. While they were working on those I was writing out New Year's cards.

A few years ago I let go of the stress and just had New Year's cards printed instead of Christmas. As a teacher I have more time after the holiday than before so it just seemed to make sense. I don't think any one really minds when the card comes. As I get older I just start to do that, let things go. When you do you find the world really doesn't end. In fact, no one really cares one way or the other, so why get all stressed about it? Some time in the next few weeks I will actually get to the post office and mail my sister's Christmas present. I let go of that too. I told her it will be more surprising that way... you know when it actually arrives and all.

Yesterday also involved digging in to one of the presents I got Chloe. She is always wanting, "To build something out of wood." I really don't know where this desire comes from, but she could not possible pick an area that I am less skilled in to want to do. But I want to encourage her so I bought her a wood building kit. It came with three pre-cut projects she could put together. She was thrilled and wanted to do one right away. I held her off until we got home, although I realized after I should have let her pester her Uncle Micheal to help while we were away and free myself of the whole thing. At any rate, she wanted to start right in yesterday so I relented. I was out of excuses and did have the required hammer and screw driver needed to build it. So here she is hammering away.

The finish product... she wanted the shelves like that. I did tell her we could measure them to evenly space things out, but she preferred the more unique placement.

It even led to her cleaning her room without me asking!

There are still two more projects in the kit. One involves hinges; hopefully there wont be any artistic placement there.