Packing

Heading to Mimi's for our yearly Thanksgiving visit. The girls spent a considerable amount of time packing their one backpack I am allowing them to take. (We are absolutely downsizing the amount of stuff we take to my mom's house since she now lives in a home just the right size for my dad and her. it doesn't leave a lot of room for all of our extra stuff.) I actually wrote that to remind myself since I too need to not take everything with me. This visit is about making memories. It's about family. It's about learning to be in the moment and breathe it in. It's not about the stuff. It might be a little about the stuffing though. Ahhh my mind wanders to the great bounty of Thanksgiving day feast. So here are the top ten things I am thankful for at this moment in my life:

10. Pencils that are sharpened with eraser toppers.
9. Diaries with fresh pages to write upon.
8. The eye rolls of my darling daughters as I say something just plain silly.
7. Josh Grobin (If I were a stalker, I would definitely consider him as my stalkee).
6. Rental Cars (love that I don't have to take mine.....wish the one I got didn't smell like stale cigarette smoke).
5. Whip Cream in a can....who thinks of this stuff???!!
4. My amazing family who I love purely for their quirkiness.
3. My two amazing jewels that were gifted to me from up above.
2. My best friend/husband who puts up with my insanely neurotic moments.
1. My faith in God and his amazing attributes all wrapped together in oneness!

So when you are thinking of all the things you are thankful for, I pray it extends past the abundance of food provisions you have been granted and you are reminded of the amazing beauty and bounty afforded to you in this life.

4th Day of Autumn

I actually missed the first day of Autumn. OK actually, I missed day two and three as well. It came to my attention today on the fourth day upon investigating the outside temperature. I was shocked to see the temp outside was just under 80 degrees at 11 AM. It's only shocking because a week ago we reached another 100 degree day bringing our grand total to some obscene number that I wish to forget. So what is it about Autumn that makes me a feel a mixture of relief and reflective sadness? It may very well be the reflection piece of it that hurdles me toward the edge of a slight depression. No matter though because I was determined to enjoy the day. Nana wanted to stay at home and make lunch in the kitchen. I couldn't indulge her in this though because I had this yearning to get outside. So I bribed her with promises of Chick-Fil-A and a cool afternoon of sketching at the park. She and her sister agreed. It was so much fun to just enjoy time with them in a peaceful scenic place. There was a pond, ducks, geese, and even a lone egret. I brought out a beautiful quilt and we spent several hours doing something other than bickering or annoying each other. We spent time breathing in the Autumn air, laughing, chatting, and just having a good time. The thought of leaving that moment left a deep ache in my heart. As I walked back to the car with my girls, I was reminded that the world that I have constructed is waiting for me. There are papers to grade, clothes to wash, and an overwhelming sense of too much to do and such little time. I fill my so much of my life with all the things I have to do or should do. I spend very little time contemplating why I am doing them. I am almost afraid that if I sat still long enough I would realize that my priorities are in the wrong place. Autumn is that season that gives us a sense of relief from the overwhelming heat of the summer but it also reminds us of the cold bitterness that is to come. The girls asked me why I liked fall more than spring. I suppose one of those reasons is that it bears a greater reminder to me than Spring. Fall has a sense of reverence where as Spring tends to be euphoric and full of life. Autumn is that amazing time when things slow down. Autumn is the stuff of poetry. It is the calm before the storm. It is the reflection before slumber. I am glad I had the fourth day of Fall to remind me that I need to slow down and enjoy small moments with my girls. If you didn't get a chance to enjoy your fourth day, try tomorrow you can still enjoy the fifth day :)

Sharing Our "Thoughts, Things, and Time"

This is the way the girls and I are going to give back this year. When they were younger I used to tell them that we share our "Thoughts, Things, and Time" with others. I decided that in this spirit we are going to share letters with each other each day. However, to write letters for that day they have to share 25 cents of their money. By the end of the month we should have a little over 20 dollars to share with a charity that the girls help me to pick. I can't wait to write letters to them and share my heart. I also can't wait to share the love with those in need. I would like over the course of the year to share some of the letters with you. If you have any suggestions of charities please leave a comment. I have some ideas but I would love to find out about other worthy causes.

"I Am A Mom" - Reminder

While visiting my parents, the girls and I made beaded necklace. I asked Hana what she would like me to put on my bracelet and she said why don't you write "I Am A Mom" . I thought it was a great idea. I have a friend that said "it's sad you need a reminder". She's right though. So much of the last 2 1/2 years of my life have been centered around my career as a teacher. I have spent little time cultivating my relationship with my own children. I made a very difficult career move at the end of last year when I was asked to take on a new grade level at a different school, following a program I am very passionate about. I didn't like the feeling of having to leave my comfort zone. I felt a lot of loyalty and true gratefulness to the administration of my previous school for taking a chance on me and hiring me as a teacher. (intermission here...Noora wants to play mastermind) (Game Over) I always give lip service to the saying "everything happens for a reason." I am not sure how much I have truly owned it. This move though has a very special reason. It put me into contact with some amazing individuals that have truly pushed me to ask myself what are my priorities in my life. These are people who live by example. They are people of amazing character and what I see from them are individuals that truly embrace their different roles. For the past few years I have felt so disjointed when it came to my role as a mother and my ambition to be an amazing teacher. I didn't exactly know how to juggle it all. Organization of thoughts and things were jumbled at best and I think my family and my children were the ones that suffered the most. I suppose the good thing is it is not too late to change it. I will continue to look to the examples I have in my life. I am learning how to give 100% at school when I am there and maximize the time when I am not with students to get everything else finished so I don't bring it home with me. This has given me more opportunity to spend time with my family. I will conceed that there are times when I get those thoughts in my mind that I should be doing something with school (planning or such) but I think it is in those moments that I am trying to think of an excuse not to be in the moment with my two blessings. I hope to share more of the journey with those out there that are willing to read on.

State Testing and Wii

So state testing is upon us at school. I come home each night and can't get the thought out of my head. I know it's a serious mental defect on my part but I can't even think about calling my therapist about it because I seriously can't think of anything that doesn't involve pouring over data, testing strategies, and just praying my students all pass. My poor children are the ones that are suffering...ok honestly I don't know how much they are suffering since they have been allowed to go wii crazy. I feel like I have allowed the wii to take over my job as nurturer and caretaker. Although I know it is flawed I am also deeply indebted to the wii. I promise to make a concerted effort after testing is complete to ween the children off of their new found gaming addiction.

Bi-Polar Sibling Love...err hate!

I feel at a loss when it comes to my two girls sisterhood. One minute they are the best friends (usually when Nanna is the director of play) and the next they are battling it out. I never know when to intervene and I often wonder if by trying to help, I am making it worse. Please leave suggestions, insights, or any medication that might stave off the manic swings in my children's play patterns.

A very pleasant day!

Thanks to Rara we had the most amazing dinner. Garlic Chicken with Sauteed Mushrooms. If you want to see a delightful picture of the finished product, please head on over to my other blog. This morning the girls and I woke up at 5 and the encouraged me through a workout of pilates. In fact Rara enjoyed working out with me. We were in the car by 6 and made it to the coffee shop by 6:15. The girls had two children's hot chocolates and enjoyed a quick game of checkers. Initially I wanted to rush them out of the shop and get to work so I could start my day but I realized that they were very engaged in their checkers and I just needed to take a deep breath and enjoy the moment. I think I often forget to enjoy those moments when there is no fighting and they are content. Thanks for another fabulous day girls.

Second Day of Spring!

There is something truly shocking about waking up to 8 inches of snow. Especially when two days ago it was in the upper 60s. I think what was even more shocking than that is that the girls didn't annoy me out of bed this morning to go and play in it. Instead I woke up around 9 am. I laid in bed for a few minutes and listened to the TV playing at a low hum. After a few minutes, I threw the covers off and sleepily walked to the bedroom door. The girls were sitting infront of the windows mouths opened in awe of the white that lay before them. I don't even think they noticed as I turned off the TV. They were truly mesmorized by the potential that awaited them. Once they realized my presense they began to inquire as to when we could go outside and play. I thought it was incredibly delightful that they included me in their plans. We all bundled up and got to the business of snow day frivolity. I loved the snowballs that Rara made. They were incredibly merciful. The seemed to fall apart before they actually reached their intended destination. Nanna on the other hand is very good at making snowballs. They were well packed and painful when the well aimed ice smacked against my face. There was no snowman construction today. The girls were more interested in snow angels and icecicles. After about 15 minutes dh joined us. Thank goodness he took a lot of snowballs. This freed me up to take a ton of pictures. After about an hour we returned to our warm abode where I prepared hot mint tea for everyone. We spent the remainder of the day being lazy.

I meant to write about two funny things that happened yesterday...and I should do it now before I forget them.

1. Rara had renamed Cheez-Its, Cheez-X. I tried to convince her that it was not the proper name of the product. I even got the box down to prove she could read the word "IT". She wouldn't have any of it....in her mind it was Cheez-X. So I did what any defeated mom would do. I took a sharpie and defaced the Cheez-It box against my better judgement and wrote a big dark X over the it. Rara is very happy now!

2. While driving to get a coffee and some hot chocolate for the girlies, Rara started talkling about blood types. Apparently they have been discussing blood in PE. So I am listening as she discusses the ability to put blood into another person if the blood matches. She then gets to the part about how it helps your kitties. You know when you are driving and you all of a sudden realize that your kids are making no sense? It's always a slow motion...huh for me. I asked her why we changed to discussing kitties when nwe were just talking about people and blood. She is like "No mom...your Kitties!" I told her she wasn't making any sense. She was resolute though that she knew what she was saying. Exasperated she said, "Mom!!...Your kitties...you know they cleann your blood". I broke into laughter. I said "oh you mean your kidneys." I wish I could have seen her face because she let out this deep sigh and she said "That's what I said Mom...your kitties!"

Spring Break - Beavers Bend

I love these two little drama queens! I honestly usually get frustrated with them. But for three glorious days we laughed, played, held hands, and looked at the world with amazing clarity. I just want to give a shout out to them and say, "Thanks DoodleBugs for making mom shake off some seriousness!" Since we have been back from Oklahoma, I have been trying to figure out how to not return to my old cranky self.

Tagged...I'm out!

Per request here is the tenth picture in my photo folder.....actually truth be told it is the tenth picture in the tenth folder due to my husband being ultra organized on the computer. *downloading* REACTION: GIGGLE. So here's the story behind the picture. My husband per request of his sister who is a journalist in Jakarta, worked up an article on travel to Dallas/Ft.Worth for an Indonesian magazine. This is one of the photos he took at the Stockyards. So really any story behind this picture is lost. We do not know the rider of the horse nor the Native American. It does seem they were a little confused themselves as to why the Asian man was taking a picture of them. I would like to thank Debbie for the tag!