Thursday, March 31, 2011

Hair Do


So the top one is the before shot and the bottom is the after of my hairdo.  My friend Stacey talked to the lady that owns the shop and the lady invited me back to have my hair redone by the color master.  It was actually a lesson, but what of it.  He highlighted my hair. What do you think?  I now have bangs by the way (in case you didn't know).

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Ode To Joy--to brighten your day

Sometimes I feel like this is an example of my day. It starts out smooth and then I get five things other things going and suddenly . . . well, you'll see.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

My Iinside-my-Head Pat on the Back

Okay, before you read this boast post I want you to know that this is my journal--sort of. Sorry if all this mushy "I'm stinkin' proud of my kid" stuff gets your goat, but such is the way of the blog.  In ten years and I read all this again I know I will think to myself, "You have no idea how good you had it, girl." But I will have forgotten a lot of the struggles I have now. . .  but why dwell on struggles.  Everyone has struggles, but it makes us happier to dwell on the good--the successes.

Sometimes being a mom surprises me.  This may sound odd, but I just feel there are moments that I am such a mom.

For example, last week was parent teacher conference.  I was a little worried that the teachers would come to me and ask me to install a mute button on my children by the next day (okay, that is a little over the top, but you get my drift).


Gladly, I was much mistaken.  First I went to R's class and the teacher told me of somethings he can improve on but overall he was doing fabulous.  He is kind to others.  He loves to read. He is really good at math. In my head the R cheer squad was doing an award winning performance.


Then I went to S's teacher. It was 8:30. I had waited two hours to see her. I expected her to be exhausted.  We sat down and her face lit up.  It went something like this (I am pretty sure this is what I heard, I swear):
"S is so good. I wish I had 25 like her. If there is a child around S without a snack S will share--sometimes ten ways.  She is a learning sponge and I only have to teach her a thing once and she gets it.  She was writing a book about butterflies. I read it and she told about the eggs, Caterpillar, and the chrysalis. She asked me how to spell chrysalis, but I wasn't completely sure how so I told her to look it up in the dictionary. She did and her book was amazing."

I felt like my smile had been plastered on my face. I felt as if someone had just given me the Mrs. America crown and accompanying flowers and then won the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes in one minute.

Now at first I wasn't sure how to tell my kids all this great news. But I ladled it on for them almost as much as the teachers had ladled it on for me and their smiles were big and bright.

Yesterday, S's teacher sent home a paper inviting parents to submit their child's work for a book contest.  S is really excited about it and W thinks we should do it (I'll act as the spell checker/semantics person--but we will likely be sending it out for a second opinion). 

A few days ago, R came home with a play his class is doing.  Guess who probably has the most lines--R.  He is tickled pink.  He loves the play and goes through his lines every day. Plus the doctor told me today that R seems very precocious.

I guess I never realized pre-mom and maybe even pre-recently that when someone pays my child a compliment it feels like a compliment to me--even though I often have little to do with it.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

T's Goals


The other day someone asked T what he wanted to be when he grew up.
He did not really answer. I thought he must not have understood the question.
When we got home he proved me very wrong.

"I want to be like Daddy. I want to be a big daddy."

I couldn't help but smile.

Then the next day on our way to school,

"Mom, when I am a big daddy I will go to work every day."

I said, "That's right."

He exclaimed, "WAIT! Not until I am a big daddy."

Apparently the queit walk to the school made him think I was taking him to work.

Which is odd, because when we get anywhere near the school he leaps out of the stroller and runs as fast as he can to the school, skips the steps and runs around the trees with the epic chase-me-please look on his face, which I pretty much love.

He also informed me that his favorite color is blue.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Dinner Blessing

Sometimes I love to listen to the prayers of my children, not only are they heartfelt, but they are . . . individual.

For example, yesterday T was saying the blessing on the food.  Part of it went like this.

"Please help me to throw up" (W and I popped one eye open slightly and peeked at each other--I gave W my I-have-no-idea-what-he's talking-about look, with one eye closed).

Then again, "Please help me to throw up" (this time I shrugged my shoulders to W who seemed a little concerned and in my head I was thinking of budgeting in another doctor visit) but after a five second pause T continued, "my ball in the air."

I did everything I could to not laugh, but I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing and so did everyone else--T thought it was the best thing ever he'd said in his prayers.