Aly's Dream Button

Aly has been waking up with a lot of bad dreams lately...I think from all of the mean witches in the Disney movies that she is obsessed with.  She has told us several times before, when we are putting her to bed, that she can't 'sleep on her ear' (her side) because it make her have bad dreams.  I don't know why she would think it is the ear that is causing it, but she is very adamant.  

Tonight, Emily and Brittney were helping her write and illustrate a book about Snow White for her to read over the phone to Grandpa when somehow her dream philosophy came up.  I was explaining to Emily what she believes about where her dreams come from and Aly said, very matter of factly, "Yeah, I have a button...on my ear.  It's really little. When I sleep on it, it makes me dream..." 

Where does she come up with this stuff!?!?!?!  She sure does have a wild, but healthy imagination!!

And then there was a Wall...

Dan, with all of our help, built a retaining wall in our front yard today!  Alyssa loved helping and was so encouraging, giving us a 'thumbs up' and telling us how good it looks.  She was right.  We still need to put the caps on the bricks, but it looks great!!  It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be...next up, a paver patio!  Hopefully this summer...

 

Gotta' love the goofy expression...

Starting a Revolution

Holy cow....my head is spinning.  I am so fired up right now.  But in a good great way!  It is all because of Jamie Oliver.  If you have not watched his new show on ABC, Food Revolution, you HAVE to.  It is on Friday nights at 9 pm and you can watch all the episodes online.   I just found out about it and literally watched all the episodes, back to back, online.

This show reminded me of why I wanted to be a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher.  I wanted to inspire my students, among other things, to be healthy and empower them to actually do it.  Yet, every time I tell people what I teach I always get the same head nodding, eye contact avoiding, 'I don't know what that is...but I am going to pretend I do' look.  I can tell they are trying to figure out exactly what it is, so I graciously help them by re-wording my title and say, "It is basically, 'Home Ec'..."  The problem, is that it's not.  And, I have, unwittingly, actually become 'Home Ec-y'.  I got caught up in daily grind and forgot that I wanted to inspire and empower my students.  My mission used to be to prove that my content is important...maybe even more important the the core academics. Ha!  Yeah, right! Don't even get me started on  that.  Well...it is my mission again.

The statistics don't lie.  Our children are the first generation to have a lower life expectancy than us, their parents...that is just stupid - and it's 100% preventable!  Why are we so complacent about this?

The most disturbing part was about school lunches.  As a parent, it is unsettling.  As a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, it's not ok.  And as Americans, we have to take control of our lives [and our childrens'] and embrace this revolution.  I don't know exactly what yet, but I am going to do something at my school to start a food revolution.  And you better believe I'm going to start with the menu at our house...

“Right now, in time, is a moment where we’re all confused about how brilliant we are and how technically advanced we are.  That is fighting with what once made our countries great - which is families, community, being together and something honestly as simple as putting a few ingredients together and sitting your family, your friends […] down at the table and breaking bread…”

                                                            - Jamie Oliver

 Are you going to be a part of the Revolution???  Watch the show and sign the petition here.

Stinky Face

I, against better judgment - on a Saturday during the Titanic tour, took the girls to COSI yesterday.  Aly has been begging since Dan took the girls one day last week while on Spring Break.  They saw the 'Grossology' exhibit, which highlights the {impolite} science of the human body and she was fascinated by it.  There is a station there that is a play area of the digestive system.  You climb up the tongue, slide down the esophagus, roll through the stomach and crawl out the rectum.  Charming, isn't it?!?!?  Aly loved it...she was in rare form.  Posing for the camera and being silly in public.  Hannah, ironically, was terrified of it.  Go figure.

Down the esophagus, head first!

In the stomach...

Joyously crawling through the rectum...gives a whole new meaning to the term 'stinky face'!

She looks a little drunk here, but so proud!

 Performing a little surgery...I think I see a future for them in this ;)

Singin' in the rain...

Dan took Hannah to the library while they were waiting for Aly to get out of school.  It was raining...

You are not as busy as you think...

Last Monday I was watching a Dr. Phil that had recorded on DVR last week and he was featuring a study done by a MALE, CHILDLESS researcher in California. He said that moms are not as busy as they make it seem and that they actually have 30-40 hours per week of leisure time. A full-time job's worth of free time to sit around and eat BonBons while watching General Hospital. Ha!

In my opinion, the study slightly a little flawed.  Here are just a few of the examples of 'leisure time'  as defined in the study: a root canal, waiting in a car on the side of the road for a tow truck with 2 children, going to the bathroom, etc. Are. You. Serious. I have never had to do either of the first two -Thankfully!!- but I know the bathroom is not a private place for me anymore. At any given visit  to the potty I could have someone coloring at my feet, be changing a dolly's outfit, returning emails on a BlackBerrry or actually having someone trying to crawl in my lap. How relaxing!   

One of the guests on the show said it best when she described it like this, "[free time as a mom] is like having someone tell you they are going to give you $1,000. But, it will be in nickles and thrown at your head when you aren't expecting it".

I'm not complaining at all...I absolutely LOVE being a mom and taking care of my family!!  But being a wife, mom, teacher, daughter and friend (just to name a few of my roles) is busy!   Of course every mom needs some time to herself to rejuvenate....I know I am a better mom after I have some time to myself, and believe me - there are times where I wish I had more time to myself.  But I know someday I will have more leisure time and long for the days of business, so for right now I am just learning how to catch nickles...and sneak a few dollars here and there ;)

Am I nuts?  Anyone think the study is accurate??

PS...It took me literally three days to publish this post because every time I tried to sit down an finish it, someone needed something.  No exaggeration!

Spring Break has come and gone...

I was on Spring Break this week with the girls and I can not believe how fast it went!  We spent a lot of time together just playing at home and 'relaxing'.  The weather was absolutely perfect!!  We went to story time at the library, the zoo one day with my mom, we took Dan lunch at school one day and I painted out dining room and loft another.  Not to mention we watched Snow White more times this week than is humanly necessary!!  We topped it all off by celebrating Easter at our house this year and having an Easter egg hunt.

Here are a few zoo pictures...the girls had a lot of fun and I am glad my mom decided to go with us.  Even though she only lives 3 miles from us and sees the girls everyday while we are at school, (which we are forever grateful for) it is nice for me to get to do something with her as well!

We colored Easter eggs this weekend too...which by the way, why does a bunny deliver eggs?  I get that eggs are a sign of new life, but why doesn't a chicken deliver them?  Wouldn't that make more sense?

Hannah was really still to little to participate because she kept breaking the eggs, but she was very interested in the process!  Aly loved every creative minute of it...

On Easter Eve, Aly and I made Resurrection Cookies.  It was fun, but they didn't taste very good.  Next year we are going to make Resurrection Buns instead.

We hosted Easter dinner at our house this year.  We had both our families together since it was just my mom, Jordan and GG because Grandpa, Emily/Kevin and Brittney were all out of town.  We missed them a lot, but we were thinking about them and will get to see them soon!  Despite not having a dining room table, it was a success.  Here are some picture from our egg hunt.  It took no time at all for the four kids for find every last egg in the yard. 

The sweetest part of the day, for me, was when I walked up stairs to check on the kids in the playroom.  I didn't let them ear me and just eavesdropped around the corner ;)  Aly was telling my nephew about Jesus and how the 'mean guys put him in the tomb'.  He asked her why and she said, 'Because they didn't like them, but he got out!'.  So sweet, the Cross - wonderfully simplified and just as powerful!  We are training a future Young Life leader here ;)  I hope everyone had a great time with their their families!!   

So, that was our break condensed down since I didn't really get to blog as I went.  Now it is back to school for me, but the girls get to spend all this week with Daddy on his Spring Break!  Only nine weeks until SUMMER vacation!!!!!

I Just Can't Shake It...

I love teaching what I teach because, not only do I get to teach them valuable life skills, I get to have fun with them and build relationships with my students that go beyond the classroom.  Usually hey teach me a thing or two in the process.  Last week I had a conversation with a girl that really got to me and I can't seem to shake it...

While they are working in class I like to float from table to table and become a part of their conversations.  This particular days was after having a sub for my personal day on Hannah's birthday.  My student's were asking me about my day of with Hannah, so I was telling them about her day.  Then, out of the blue, a very sweet 6th grade girl said, "I used to have a 2 year old sister..."

Not at all prepared for the answer I asked, "What do you mean 'You used to...'?"  Her response almost brought me to tears right in the middle of class.  She told me very quietly, "I used to, but she died in a car accident when she was 2.  I was only in 1st grade."  Oh. My. Gosh...    

I couldn't say anything.  My heart stopped and I was overwhelmed with sorrow for this girl and her family.  She seemed as though her heart had healed and was doing fine.  But, in that moment, it wasn't her sister or her family.  For a split second, it was mine.  It was Hannah. Aly. Dan and I.  The scenario played in my mind like a bad movie you can't block out even if you cover your eyes and plug your ears.    I don't know what I would do if I lost one of them...  

Being that Good Friday is tomorrow, it helps put The Cross into perspective.  God sent his precious baby boy into a broken world knowing he was going to be hated, persecuted, beaten and crucified....knowing full well there will always be people who don't understand or appreciate the sacrifice.  I don't even know that I always do.  I do know that I wouldn't do that for anything or anyone!   So, how much more must God love me [and you] to watch and allow Jesus to suffer through that?!?!?  Thankfully, he did! Because when Jesus rose three days later...it changed our standing in eternity forever.    

I know I probably sound really emotional this morning...I am not pregnant (I know some of you were probably thinking that ;).  I think it's just because it's a reminder of how unpredictable life can be.  We aren't guaranteed anymore days and that each one, really is a blessing.  I really need to start living more in 'today' and - not thinking about what might or will happen in the future - and enjoying the little things.  Easier said than done for me.  I am a worrier and a planner.  With all that said, the girls and I are going to go play in the beautiful weather we are having!!  Don't take anyone for granted...give your loved ones a kiss this morning and let them know how much they mean to you!!