I'm A Good Mom ... I Swear

Here is the ride home from dance tonight:

Megan: Sydney gave me her moonpie again today.

Mom: Really?

Megan: Yup ... she doesn't like them at all.

Mom: Why does she bring them in her lunch if she doesn't like them?

Megan: That is the BEST part! I'm PRACTICALLY the only person in my class who gets to pack their own lunch. Oh, and you can get moonpies at Tom Thumb. Can we stop there on the way home?

Mom: We'll go look at them this weekend.

Megan: If we stopped on the way home, I could take one in my lunch tomorrow.

Mom: What would you do then ... eat two of them?

Megan: No comment ... just bursts into giggles in the back seat

Let me stop right there!

• First ... what on earth is a moonpie?
• Second ... she takes a plain peanut butter sandwhich every day and her other lunch choices are always reviewed so we end up with a decent balance. It's not like she just gets to eat whatever she wants.
• Third ... how great is it that she thinks it is AWESOME she is doing her own lunch!

Some days I feel like there should be a button ... like the Staples red button ... that beeps in your purse every time your child uses your name at school and it automatically records the conversation ... just so I can defend myself on occasion!

Ever Wonder?

I'm probably late to the Stephanie Nielson party. I became a fan after I saw this video:


http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-was-honored-to-be-part-of-wonderful.html


I've always felt a little odd using the word "trial" ... it is a big word for me. A series of miscarriages ... not so much fun. Losing my Dad when I was 22 ... not easy, but not sure I can bring myself to use the word trial.

This gal - now this constitutes a trial! It makes me wonder, how would I handle it? I would hope I could be graceful and positive and use humor to get through each day. But, would I really? If I couldn't shower myself ... and someone else had to fix my hair ... and I had to stretch my own skin to have enough for skin grafts ... and my kids were living with family while I spent days on end in a hospital bed ... and my face was gone. I don't know! This kind of peace and strength comes from deep inside somewhere. How do you find it? How do you sustain it?

I honestly don't know.

The Water Is Wide - Pat Conroy

I finished this book ... and I LOVED it! There is a little language and they use the "N" word a bit, which I am not generally a fan of, but the story is fascinating.

Conroy wrote the original book in 1972 and is in autobiographical. He spends a year teaching on Daufuskie Island off the coast of South Carolina. All of the students are black and descended from slaves. They have minimal to no contact with people on the "mainland" and know little about life off the island.

As Conroy soon learns, his students range in age from 10 to 13 ... and the majority are illiterate. Some can't count to ten. He struggles with ideas and techniques on how to reach these children. They have no idea what the capital of South Carolina is or who is the current President of the United States.

Several moments stand out in the book. He brings in music and spends an entire day moving through different music and evoking emotion on each one. Later in the book, the kids are treated to a concert from a pianist who goes through the songs they learned. They giggled and shouted in unison ... Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms. Conroy brings animals, maps, countries, world leaders, and more into the classroom. The previous teacher is continually irritated because he won't teach the assigned curriculum. Yes, because that has been so successful!

The best part of the book for me came when he took them to the mainland to participate in a Halloween carnival. Costumes were found. Rides were offered. Families opened their homes and made sure these kids LOVED their first ever Halloween. Remember ... in the South in 1972 ... this was not the norm.

It can be so amazing to see things through the eyes of a child ... and he does a fantastic job allowing you to see and hear these children as their eyes are opened to the world.

Perfect Beans

Baked Beans
2 jars B&B baked beans
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 lb. ground sausage

Brown sausage. Combine all other ingredients in large saucepan and add sausage at the end. Cook until warmed through and hot, not boiling or it will burn.

Serve with brisket, chicken, hot dogs, or even good over fritos.


This is the original recipe. The beans I got were already sweetened with brown sugar, so I did not add more. I did add about 1/2 cup of ketchup.

Everyone in the group really liked them!

Really?

Let me preface this story by saying, I am one of THOSE parents who generally supports the teacher. I strongly believe in respecting authority. Also, it can be a good exercise in learning how to work for and deal with authority figures that you may disagree with.

So, for the first time in 16 years of having kids in school. I broke the rule!

Miss Megan has a bit of a complex. She has a group of kids this year who went through a phase of calling her Thumbelina ... because she is so small. When that wore off ... they went through a phase of calling her a nerd because she has read all of the Harry Potter books before finishing second grade. We've spent a lot of time talking about learning to love yourself and accepting your stengths and your body for the way God made it.

This week ... she comes home upset because one of this group cornered her at recess. Keep in mind, he is probably twice her size. The teacher had asked them to be quiet. This kid kept talking and Megan "shushed" him. At recess, he cornered her about keeping her nerd mouth shut because he is older and bigger than her.

She got upset when I started in on my expert "worry about yourself" and "what goes around, comes around" talk to explain why she didn't need to "shush" anyone. Then I find out that the teacher asked her to do this.

WHAT??? Life is not hard enough as a kid without the teacher setting you up? REALLY ... you thought it made sense to ask 8 year olds to manage each other's behavior. Sorry ... but I believe in leadership. You set the rules and you enforce the rules!

So, I told Megan the next time she was asked to tell others to "shush" ... she has my permission to tell her teacher that her Mom told her she is responsible for herself.

Feed Your Brain

Half Price Books is hosting a summer reading program for kids 14 and under. Check it out!


http://www.halfpricebooks.com/feed_your_brain.html


At the rate she reads ... Miss Megan should be able to earn close to $30. That's a lot of money for her to invest in more things to read!

Funny

HA! HA! Lauren thinks I'm funny. A wise woman once said ...


"The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache."

I Like To Look For Rainbows

Miss Megan wanted to incorporate the rainbow theme into her lunch after the baptism ... and this is what we came up with. A rainbow of flowers!

I'm not sure what she had more fun with ... eating the cake or putting the flowers on top!

Feelin Funky

I have been in a bit of a funk lately ... and I figured a blog makeover would help!

I read a talk lately that spoke to me:

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul."

"Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment."

"As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."

See, the thing is ... when I think of creating something of beauty ...

I think of Beth who can bring me to tears every time I hear her sing.

I think of Christine who can cook a meal that tastes like it came from a 5-star restaurant.

I think of Ohleen who can play a piano like no other.

YOU GET THE IDEA!!

When I started this blog, I thought I would come up with all of these amazingly creative ideas. However, I started paying attention to other blogs and information out there and frankly, I got discouraged because I'm just not that creative.

So my blog makeover is simple ... I am going to look for ways to celebrate the small way I can create opportunities to bring happiness into my life ... little ways to improve the life of my family on my quest to become the best Mom I can be.

And somewhere along the way ... I'm going to get my MOJO back!

Miss M

My baby is no longer a baby ... she is preparing for her big day! It is GREAT to be EIGHT!!