Why I love being these kids' mom, reason #4572

I woke up with a terrible stomachache and accompanying nausea this morning. Whether I'm getting some sort of bug, had too much Dora frosting, or suffering from post-cholecystectomy syndrome (Hee, I got to use post-cholecystectomy syndrome in a sentence) remains to be seen.

I tried to ignore it at first, but it quickly took over. I told Paxton - our resident expert on stomach care, though he's usually the patient - that I really wasn't feeling well, and asked if he could help out. He answered in the affirmative, and promptly offered to bring me some Tums, a bucket, and some movies. :-)

I declined the bucket, but I did take some Tums, and am currently watching my second movie.

Everett filled my water glass with seltzer.

They made Tegan lunch, and Spencer got her in and out of her booster seat.

They covered me with an afghan.

They're playing quietly, and sweetly, and keep asking how I'm feeling.

I hate feeling sick. But if I have to, I can think of no better place, and no better caregivers.

Dora and the Emmys

Everett saw these Dora cupcakes on TV, and wanted to make them this weekend. They turned out very cute, and we had fun making them.

They did not however, take one hour to make like the recipe stated. It took us an entire afternoon! But in the interest of full disclosure, Rachael Ray 30 minute meals are good for at least an hour of my time as well.


Still, it was a fun little project, and the perfect dessert for our annual Emmy-watching carpet picnic.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Disconnect :: step away


2. Contribute :: to society


3. Dismay :: sadness


4. Constant :: thinking


5. Nails :: on a chalkboard


6. Vibrate :: cell phone


7. Therapy :: no thanks


8. Stupid :: wow, too many words coming to mind...


9. Poo :: Poopy


10. Commune :: motheringdotcommune

Play along Luna Nuna

Spencer and the Dentist

From the time he was very little, Spencer had a pretty significant fear of the dentist. It was so difficult for him that there was a long period of time when I didn't know if he'd be able to sit even for a cleaning, let alone any extensive dental work. But thanks to time, patience, and the wonderfully kind and respectful dentists he sees, he now not only does cleanings, fillings and extractions (!) with ease, but also sat for an entire hour and a half yesterday getting braces without a single complaint. And he's still smiling!

Spanking

I don't agree with everything in the article, but still had to post it...

Spanking Detrimental to Children

Field Trips

I just filled out our registration form the AZ State Fair. This is something we do every year, and something we all look forward to. And thanks to their wonderful program for schools and homeschools we can attend nearly free! I don't even have to remember on my own... every summer I get a letter and form in the mail. We pick our date, fill out the form, write our $5 check, and off we go.

So I was looking at said letter and form yesterday, and at the top it said, in all caps:

A FIELD TRIP IS AN INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD OF ENRICHING THE EDUCATION OF THE STUDENTS. A FIELD TRIP TO THE ARIZONA STATE FAIR OFFERS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO OBSERVE AND EXPERIENCE THINGS FIRST HAND.

Wait, what? "An instructional method?" No, it's not. It's a fun day out with my family. I have no doubt that the kids' learning while they're there will be immense, as it is any time and any place that they are living, breathing, and engaged. But to call it an instructional method, and to approach it as strictly a "learning opportunity" is to subscribe to the outdated - and ridiculous - notion that learning is something that happens in a certain place and time, cut off from the rest of life. At the risk of repeating myself here, learning is everywhere. LIFE is an opportunity for students to observe and experience things first hand.

Life is the ultimate experience.

Spencer's Hair

I cut Everett's hair this morning, and every time I'm practicing my hairdressing skills, I always ask if anyone else would like a cut. Paxton declined (I'm pretty sure his hair is the longest it's ever been since he was a toddler), but Spencer announced that he was tired of his long hair, and ready to part with it.

He had a choice of scissors, the Flowbee - Everett's preferred method - or clippers. Scissors took too long, and clippers were too messy. So Flowbee it was. Except the Flowbee unequivocally and steadfastly refused to cut his thick hair. So he went to plan B... the clippers, on the longest setting. Even with those, I still had to pre-cut with scissors to make the job easier. I don't think I can adequately describe just HOW MUCH hair he had!

This is what he ended up choosing:


Light and comfortable, though admittedly odd for him (and me!) as it's been so long since he's had short hair. He picked the perfect week to do it, as he gets his braces on on Thursday, and will complete his whole new look.

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Omelette :: with lots of vegetables please


2. Classic :: Seinfeld


3. Thrifty :: started out of necessity, continued for so many reasons


4. Search :: feels like I'm looking for a reason, roaming through this night to find my place in this world... Michael W Smith


5. Fan :: those little handheld fans with water sprayers that people carry around the zoo


6. Fussy :: I am fussy about keeping everything on my desk in a certain order


7. I am not :: a follower of the crowd


8. Indulge :: dark chocolate


9. Poor :: a state of mind


10. Manicure :: my former self always had nice manicures

Play along at Luna Nuna

Freedom to Learn

I have been reading about parenting and learning for 12+ years now, and I still get excited when I find something new. This blog is written by a research professor of psychology (complete with PhD, for those of you who like that sort of thing) Excellent, excellent food for thought, and something that I hope will stretch people's long-held opinions about schools and learning.

Freedom to Learn

Vacation... sweet, sweet vacation

Here's the thing:

Mike and I lived in New England for over 30 years each. I was born in Connecticut and grew up in New Hampshire, with a brief 6 year stint in Massachusetts after we got married. We've only been in Arizona for four years, so I understand that our thinking might still be clouded with newness (although, lots of people have decided that they hate new areas in far less time than 4 years!), but neither of us has any desire to move back east, now or in the future. So accustomed as we've become to the vast open spaces, I have a hard time believing we wouldn't feel closed in and claustrophobic if we ever returned. There's just something about driving (and hiking and camping and being) in such a majestic area that makes you feel simultaneously very alive and very small, in the best possible way.


All of that to say, when we recently had an opportunity for a first time, week-long, exploration of the beautiful neighboring state of Nevada, we were thrilled!

It wasn't a restful vacation by any means, but it was restoring. We hiked (and hiked and hiked and hiked) and logged about 2 dozen more geocache finds. We explored the small town of Pioche, and checked out some old mining claims. We wandered through caves, and we gaped at the beauty of Zion. The boys fished, entered a mucking competition, and tasted their first deep-fried Ding Dong. We watched deer on the hill every morning, and we saw wild horses look right at us before they trotted away. We started each day with the sunrise and a great cup of coffee, and ended each day with a campfire and a great glass of wine.

And it was good.



















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Remembering 9/11

I signed onto Facebook this morning, and saw - as expected - many remembrances of 9/11. But I was disheartened and honestly somewhat disgusted that there were so many comments, statuses, and arguments focused on politics... instead of on the thousands of innocent victims of that day.

Everyone has an opinion (I've been known to have a few myself), but is it too much for me to think that we can take a break for one day? Talk politics for the rest of the 364 days of the year if you must. Let today be about the needlessly lost lives, and about the family and friends that are still grieving.