The Daily Grind

Spring Updates

2013-04-23T10:49:00.003-06:00

It is offically Spring, but, as my photos will mostly attest, it has not yet fully sprung here in Colorado! We have had a wonderful busy month of school plays, TKD testings, operas, surgeries and many other adventures. Here's a peek at the last four weeks of Moeller fun, not necessarily in any order! And here's to Spring ..... please come soon! Sam is a Black Belt! (First row, second from Left

March already?!

2013-03-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

Where is the time going?! Goodness me, but it's flying! Here is a quick update! Sam earned his First Degree Recommended Black Belt . This means that he is almost a Black Belt! He will test on April 20. His attitude at testing was upbeat, serious and strong. I was so proud of him. He really rocked it. He is very nervous about his board breaks so we took a trip to Home Depot to stock up on the

InstaFriday!

2013-02-22T08:53:00.001-07:00

It's been a while! Hello, InstaFriday! I guess copious shots of people in dressing rooms wouldn't be all that interesting anyway. We had this week off, before delving into Don Giovanni, and we had some fun! It's opera season! Crave - our favorite stop for a latte, chai or tasty treat. Our family's stone in our temple's paver project. Sam loving climbing class! Like father,

Nit-pickiness can be a virtue...

2013-02-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

Through the advice and counsel of good friends, both on-line and in-person, I have decided to start a small, home-based, copy editor business. I have three tiers of service, and anything can be tailored to the needs of your blog! Growing up with a High School English teacher for a mother, my papers were always edited. As I began to take a deep interest in writing, editing became very important

Out with the old - in with the new!

2013-01-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Happy 2013! I have always loved the freshness of January 1, in spite of December 31 dishes and laundry still un-done! We have a Labrador calendar this year and January's mama dog looks just like SP with a little black puppy! So cute! Here is a quick photo recap of our vacation together! We have loved having a non-working daddy in the house (in spite of the cold he acquired a few days ago - boo!)

InstaFriday

2012-12-14T10:55:00.003-07:00

Happy Friday! Hanukkah started Saturday night and we've had a nice evening ritual of lighting candles, opening presents, playing dreidel and eating latkes. Yum! It's also been a busy TKD week; tomorrow morning Ted will mid-term and after lunch all four of us will compete in the first ATA/FMA all-school C tournament. It should be a fun but busy day. Next Thursday is our Holiday Party at TKD and

What Does Giving Look Like?

2012-12-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

This week at Compassion International, we are asked to write about what it looks like to give in today's culture. image credit This is an interesting question in this season of giving. The myriad ways of giving are a sharp contrast to what was available when I was a child. I remember little envelopes that my parents would tuck a check into, for a charity that spoke to them. What did giving

InstaFriday! on Saturday

2012-12-08T13:02:00.004-07:00

Wow - this was a very crazy week! I have two pics of the week, and they sum up exactly why it's been such a busy week!! With our fundraiser in full swing, we put down our deposits for the Chinese Heritage Trip. We received a tentative itinerary as well as the dates to book our flights. Yikes! We also took the time to take Mae to get her US Passport. This was an ordeal and took a long time

It's About Giving

2012-12-04T11:33:00.001-07:00

With all the hubbub and joy surrounding Mae's Heritage Trip, it is easy for me to forget what season we are in. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza or anything else, this is the season of light. We see lights adorning the trees, twinkling on our hearths and brightening our spirits as the days grow shorter and colder. This season of light also brings with it a season of giving. Now

Mae's Heritage Trip to China

2012-12-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Just typing the title of this post has me giddy. And suddenly tired. Because there is so much to say. There was no question that Mae and I would return to China for a Heritage Tour at some point in her life. Prior to the government funding, this was a serious financial occasion and we lumped it somewhere with the "Israel Study Tour when the kids are in high school" trip. In other words, don't

InstaFriday

2012-11-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

It's Friday again! This first week back from Thanksgiving break felt long. And it was a full, full week. And somehow I only took two pictures. Oy. I found time to meet a friend for a latte at Ozo. Ahh.... I am the walrus. Love you, SP! Join us at liferearranged! There are two major reasons for my lack of pictures this week. The first I talked about yesterday, Middle School

Reflections: Parte Deux

2012-11-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

We are entering a season of change. Ted, at almost eleven, is on the cusp of some pretty big stuff. Besides preparing for his bar mitzvah (March of 2015-ish) and working towards his 3rd Degree Black Belt, he will also be entering Middle School next Fall. Crazy. Horizons is a K-8 School (love re-reading my reflections pre-Kindergarten here!) and there is a strong possibility that he will stay

InstaFriday

2012-11-23T15:01:00.003-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Isn't a 4-day weekend wonderful? We are loving hosting Aunt Nancy and babysitting two sweet Guinea Pigs. Lots and lots of pictures from this week! Enjoy your weekend! Ted climbing a 5.10 fingertip layback and styling it! A Sam-sized cinnamon roll. Descent. Ted tasting his first fingercrack. Frisbee. Happy dog. Sweet helper. Lucky meets Fuffles.

InstaFriday

2012-11-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

What a long week! The kids were very busy this week, plus events at school in the evenings, plus Sam and I are sick. Blah. But we have all next week off and Aunt Nancy comes on Tuesday! So it's all good. I only took two pictures this week! This was probably due in part to a massive de-cluttering and re-organizing and cleaning effort in the kitchen and pantry an enthusiastic start to the week

The Happy Day Project 2012 Recap

2012-11-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

Last week was my first time participating in Jeanette's annual Happy Day Project. It was a lovely week and it gave both my children and myself many opportunities to talk about the big inequalities in the world. Tough talk, but good. Here is what we did each day! {Day 1: Handwritten Note Day} For our first task, we wrote a note to our sweet mailman and taped it inside our mailbox, with a Snickers

InstaFriday

2012-11-09T09:28:00.002-07:00

This week has been filled with happy! Every day was a new assignment meant to show appreciation, to do something nice for someone, to spread love. It's been a great week. I think the kids have loved it as much as I have. Look for a recap on Monday. In the meantime, here are pics of our week! Busy bees. Way to rock the shirtless look, Sam! Hurry, before it snows! Beautiful berries

Getting ready!

2012-11-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

Sam and I are getting ready for our Black Belts! (Crazy!) Sam is a Red Belt Recommended now, so he has 3 testings to go - on his 3rd testing, in April, he will test for his Black Belt! (Though I think they are moving to Black Belt ceremonies, so he may have to wait...not sure how this will work.) I am a Brown Belt Decided now, so I am one testing behind Sam, up in June. Just to clarify, once

InstaFriday

2012-11-02T11:31:00.003-06:00

This was a fun week. I like Halloween. And I like the week between shows, when I don't have rehearsal every night. Ah. Ted, the boy who is always in motion. Mae's (in progress) self-portrait. I am in awe. I LOVE when the Silk Nog hits the shelves!! Pumpkin patch! SP's 1st Halloween with us. Minecraft Stevie, aka Sam. Sam is a Red Belt! Keeping my fingers crossed.

The Happy Day Project 2012

2012-11-01T21:12:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite bloggers is running this fun project again this year. Every day there is a new assignment to, literally, create a happy day for someone else. If you can't physically do a task, there is a way to do it on-line or through a charity donation. It starts Monday, November 5th. This falls in line with one of the portions of my "9 Steps to Black Belt" project, which is to do 100

InstaFriday!

2012-10-26T09:56:00.001-06:00

Tech week and TKD testing is here and it's been a busy week of late evenings, snowstorms and preparations. It was a truly beautiful week outside. Here are my camera pics from the week! A beautiful Fall ride with Sylvie on Tuesday. (2 days b4 the snow!) Sam & Jonah after Zack's bar mitzvah. Ted & Sam at combat sparring. They love when they get to spar each other. A hint of things to

InstaFriday!

2012-10-19T10:25:00.000-06:00

It's been a short week here, with the kids out of school Wednesday through Friday for conferences. They all had great conference and are doing really well in school! Hooray! Here are some pics! Enjoying her elk antler! My first check from my online blogging. Guess Paul can't retire just yet. We bought the last of the Dough-Bamas (shaped like donkeys with blue sprinkles!) Sam loves

InstaFriday!

2012-10-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday! Here are this week's pics from my iPhone. It's been a fun week! Sweet Pea ran a mile every day this week. She rocks! Our very first dusting of snow - so pretty. Simple beauty. A beautiful morning on the trail. The hand-hammered necklace Ted made for me in his A&S class. Nest. Gorgeous early morning pink mountains. Fall coffee. Ensuring survival.

InstaFriday

2012-10-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

A weekly collection of the pics on my iPhone! Mae was a trooper. She had some bloodwork done to test for allergies. Watching the Presidential Debate live. Hiking at NCAR. Gorgeous. Sam biking to school. Scaling gigantic rocks. Auditions. I was so proud of my rainbow-colored lunch choices! Mae loves to read. Sweet Pea's first "run." Good sniffs. One

Music Update

2012-09-30T21:54:00.001-06:00

I feel like most of 2011 was spent focusing this blog on the topic of adoption, which was a great thing, because it gave me great fodder for a book (perhaps an eBook?) as well as a focus for my writing. But, after I had written everything I wanted to say, there was a sense that to post day-to-day things would somehow mar the efforts I had made to focus the blog. So I didn't update. After a

InstaFriday

2012-09-28T09:48:00.000-06:00

This week was so confusing! Tuesday I left at 4pm (after a quick hug and kiss at school) for Denver and two Kol Nidre services. I spent the night with my friend and sang five services the next day for Yom Kippur. I arrived home at 8:30pm on Wednesday. So on Thursday I kept thinking it was Monday. Very confusing! I'm glad it's Friday - we all need a little down time. Happy Friday! A