give it a whirl

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 03:21:00 +0000

Oh my goodness! It's July!! So much we have to catch up on here!!! Soon!

I will let you know that this Summer so far has been absolutely amazing!!

Summer

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:20:00 +0000

Hi, Ms. Bellie here. If you don't have a Kirkwood Pool pass, you really need to get one. The Kirkwood Pool is so cool. The kiddie pool goes to about 2 feet deep and it has a water playground and small waterslide called "The Watering Hole". In the family pool, the water gets to 4 feet deep and is just a free for all pool. A lot of space to really swim. The Big Pool is awesome to. The shallowest is 4 feet deep and it gets to 12 feet deep. It's a good pool for real swimmers. There's something called the Lazy River which is kind of like a river that circles all of the pools. You go around in intertubes. The water is 3 feet deep there. My favorite part of the Kirkwood Pool is the waterslides, (of course!) They start from about 30 feet high and spiral all the way down to the bottom into a 3 water-zone. There are two water slides. One is white and is just like a normal slide. You can look over all the swimming pools as you go down. The other is a green slide. It's covered and has the fastest, coldest, rushing water in Kirkwood Pool. It's pitch black inside and goes really fast. It's my favorite.

There are these two bands that rock on youtube that I love. One is named Karmin, where they do covers of different songs, but their original songs are better. Another is Cimorelli. It's these sisters who also do covers of songs, but the less capable singers sing the melody, so they don't need instruments. I highly recommend watching Cimorelli "Price Tag" by Jessie J. An amazing song with amazing singers... and two little rappers. Hope everyone has a great summer! Ms. Bellie has left the building.

Always Amazed...

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:34:00 +0000

When I was a very young girl, my family was driving to my Mom's hometown of Advance.

My sister and I were in the big, bench, backseat, trying to keep our feet out of each other's faces, looking out the windows at all the rows of crops that seemed to run along the road with you. Rain started coming down. Big huge drops of rain that you knew meant a storm coming. We followed the raindrops as they ran down the glass of the windows.

Out of one of these drops, I saw a cow. A cow out standing in the middle of a field getting pelted by hard, big raindrops. Not far from the cow was a barn. I asked my Mother: "Why doesn't the cow go into the barn to get out of the rain?". Mom answered: "Because it doesn't know any better."

Simple. So, so simple.
Some of the most simple things that we now long for in this day and age of instant everything.

A desk that holds so many thoughts from a man who divided our Country and caused a great War.

A cook stove that could serve hundreds, or a small family.

A fence row that can take boys away from Wii into flying spells.

A girl who searches for so much knowledge.

And a Mom who still really wants the simple things. No matter how hard they might be able to grasp (especially a decent, smiling, photo)!

Sorry!

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:22:00 +0000

After hearing things like:

"When you feed monkeys, they can grow wings and fly!"

"When you feed Parrots, they can come sit on your table and chew! I just made that one up!"

"1st is the Worst, 2nd is the Best, 3rd is the lady with the Treasure Chest! But that doesn't mean it is full! It might be empty!"

"I'm so glad another family goes to 7-11 as much as we do!"

"Where's the comics that show the lil girl throwin up Mama? That was sooo funny!!"

After hearing all of this verbage come out of the mouths of my family, the last thing I really wanted to do was sit down and play Sorry! with them!
Don't get me wrong, I do love playing games with my kiddos, but this time I knew that chaos was going to continue and I wasn't sure if my stomach muscles could handle anymore laughing!

Instead, I started dinner, laughing the whole time and then finally grabbed the video camera!

America's Funniest Home Videos would be proud to get a copy of this!!
Enjoy!

The look on Hubby's face says it all!

Fourth Grade Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 05:09:00 +0000

The City of Jefferson, Missouri is where I spent today with Ms. Bellie on her Fourth Grade trip to our state Capital.

The excitement of getting on a tour bus with television monitors, all dressed up, and spending a bunch of "free" time with friends was palpable!

Giggling like one of these 4th graders was a blast, but I was certainly not ready for the depth this trip held in store for us!

Our first stop was the Capital Building. I had been here before a longggggg time ago and it was fun to see what memories I had stored away that came back to me.

We were greeted by our own Representative and Senator, and the building itself was very welcoming.

It said "MOM" on all the staircases and landings!

As we walked on our own through part of the museum, the students had time to absorb everything around them before a formal tour began. They experienced uniforms and artifacts, replicas and tools from every different War the United States has been involved in.

I went through my mind of family history. Civil War = check, WWI = check, WW2 = check, Vietnam = check, Korea = check, Ship Builders = check, Clerks = check, All Brances = check. Surprisingly, I knew more about our family than I thought I did. Paying attention, and listening carefully paid off for me today. Telling my daughter who in our family fought in what Wars meant a lot to me. Letting her hear all of this while visually sucking in details made me feel really old, however! And I do have to admit, I will always be partial to Navy Men (I think it might be the uniform)!

The classes worked their way through the House Lounge which houses one of the most amazing murals sculpted and then painted by Thomas Hart Burton.

The History of Missouri is depicted in an extraordinary manner when seen in egg shell paint and family faces.

The students moved on into the Gallery of the House of Representatives. To our surprise, we were able to hear some of the debate on HCS HB 276 233 & 274.

If I thought I felt old while going through our family history, I really felt old listening to this debate: What is the original definition of Free Speech?

Not only have we heard this argument before, but this time I was looking at Ms. Bellie, realizing she has NOT heard this argument before (unless you include "when it is appropriate to use the word toot").

Reality pretty much slapped me across the face at this point! Why? Because:

-my baby girl, who is no longer a baby, who I held in my arms and sobbed as the Towers came down will never know a world without War. And that is normal. The United States has been at War the whole of my boy's lives.

-no matter when I think about War, there is always an association with it.

-arguments are still had about who can serve in a war.

-arguments are still had concerning who is able to protest a war and how.

And the biggest kicker was this:

The Senate wall states "Nothing is Politically Right that is Morally Wrong" and I started wondering why then, the above bill was being debated.

Maybe if some of the engraved sayings and rules were being followed we wouldn't have a debate over children reading these books sitting out on the Governor's Library Desk:

And then maybe, just maybe, we wouldn't have to worry about children acting like this without something bad happening...

And then one day, maybe, just maybe, when I am really, really old, children can look up at this and have their own impression about how beautiful the world could be without war...

Until then, I have resolved that the history of our families and our heritage start becoming more forefront in my children's minds. Maybe, just maybe, they will be smarter than the rest of us about history repeating itself.

Hmmmmm...

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 02:12:00 +0000

Something I noticed last night! I was looking at Mr. Stinky and kept thinking he reminded me of someone.
Interesting!

In like a lion

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 04:45:00 +0000

The transition into Spring always seems to find me searching for something that I can't ever put my hands on until the end of the month.

Schedules

Weather

Growing = plants, attitudes, children

Souls = where they want to go, and where they want to stay, and how to get them there

Home = what needs to be done, and what needs to be changed

Winter is almost over and a whole new season starts to begin. Leo is roaring quite loudly.

And I hear it loud and clear.

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 04:52:00 +0000

Today I had diamonds show up at my house

A multitude of them in fascinating shapes and sizes.
Each one holding so much promise and reflection...
tracks from our friendly racoon

views from above:

and views from the inside:

Today has been a day where you think you know where you are going, but then you get thrown off guard.
I'll take it though, because each part of every day, has a part of my heart that will speak to me forever. Great storms can do that to a person. Especially whirlwinds and so called blizzards.

Ice, the News, and Snow

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 01:13:00 +0000

Ice = hate.
Hate is a word I do not let my children use.
Ice, well, that is one we are allowed to hate, be scared of, not ignore, and not think fondly of, shall we say.

The News in St. Louis today did a good job of putting us all in a panic. Schools, shopping malls, banks, restaurants; all closed. The mantra for the day "Stay off the roads" "Ice is here" "10in of snow coming!"
"Snowocalypse, Iceamgedden Iceapoolosa, and Snowmagedden" is how this event played out on Facebook. All events that stated we should join!

Well we did. We stayed home (well some of us anyway). One and a half inches of sleet later, we are informed there will be No Snow.
Really, No Snow? They were comparing this to the snow of 1982 when I was 10 years old and we built snow forts out of banks that were 8 feet high. No snow.

Should the media and superintendents be turned into LaughingStocks?
   -maybe
   -maybe not

Would I have been able to give a better forecast?
   -maybe
   -maybe not

Would I be shocked if the forecast media went the way of Vanilla?
   -maybe
   -maybe not

But it was nice today that we were able to let go of our responsibilities and do what we wanted to do. If nothing else, just get caught up on everything. Tomorrow, we will be able to finish what was started today. And once again, the kiddo's rhythm will be completely thrown off. Due to playing Wii:
   -maybe
   -maybe not

Sometimes, no matter what, it just seems right that we are all able to take a day off. Well, most of us anyway.
Top down days ARE coming!! We don't need media for that!!

Wow Friday again?!?

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 06:05:00 +0000

In 1.5 hours it will be Friday again. The time can go so fast!!
This week we danced, slept, danced, ~~fought over~~ played Wii, laughed, had parent/teacher conferences and made Aliens.

We also relished in the fact that the temperature has gone up, just a tiny bit, but enough to make a difference in feeling the sun on your face or not. The sun on our faces always makes us smile.

We also looked at the calendar and realized:

ADT is almost finished. It has been a remarkable journey, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to participate! More to come on this in the coming week! Dress rehearsal tomorrow, and then shows on Saturday and Sunday.

The boys are doing extremely well at school. Their teachers just adore them! I just wish their teachers could see them at home. Their report cards would be a lot different!

I have to start planning for all the coming spring events! Mr. Stinky wants to play soccer again and Mr. Mischief wants to play t-ball. Oh, and Ms. Bellie wants to try out for Muny. Which also makes me realize that I need to hire a driver, because there is no way I can make it to all of these events alone!!

All in all, what has seemed like a long week, once again went by in the blink of an eye. It was nice to soak up our fun and accomplishments and help out some people throughout our journey!

Have a great weekend!

A Real Fish Story

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:29:00 +0000

Let me just say, I don't like to lie to my children. I really don't. But last night, a lie had to "made", it hasn't been "told" yet and hopefully by the time Mr. Stinky is able to read, he won't want to read this blog to read about it!

Last night was fish bowl cleaning night. We had put it off for too long and the time had come.

Mr. Stinky's fish is a beautiful red Betta with blue that veins through its fins. Volcano is very active and loves when the kiddos come up to the fish bowl so that he can show off his "mane" that bettas have.

Rocky-Dino-Rocky was Mr. Stinky's first fish that was given to him on his 4th birthday. RDR lived a happy life and passed away right after Mr. Stinky's 5th birthday. RDR's death was extremely hard on him. We explained that everything living, eventually dies. It is the life cycle, and it is okay to be upset and sad. For RDR's passing we gave Mr. Stinky two options: bury RDR or flush RDR. When he heard the word "flush" he became hysterical. He did not want his beloved fish flushed down the toilet!

Twenty minutes later we had constructed a small tombstone out of popsicle sticks and stood in the garden for RDR's funeral. By this time, all three kiddos were crying and extremely sad. That afternoon we went and picked out Volcano.

After cleaning Volcano's bowl last night and placing him back in his rightful place I hear my husband very quietly call my name to come upstairs. When I reached the landing, he said "Get in here!". I walked to into our bedroom to see Volcano in a plastic cup, motionless at the bottom. Through my gasps I decided that very minute I was going to go out and buy a new fish to replace him. I could not bear to go through the hysterics and turmoil again about the death of fish. After all, the ground here is frozen solid so a funeral would be out of the question.

I drove as quickly as possible to the nearest pet store, grabbed a worker and screamed "Help ME! I need a replacement fish right now!". Luckily the nice gal did not think I had lost my mind, but was very disappointed that they did not have a Betta that looked like Volcano. Immediately, we decided that if Mr. Stinky noticed that the blue on this new Betta wasn't there, we could say that it was only dirt to begin with and it washed off when we cleaned the water!

With the new fish on the seat warmer next to me, I drove home as fast as possible. When I entered the back door, Ms. Bellie caught me to come upstairs. I figured out she knew, and asked her to please NOT tell her brothers what we were doing! You will not believe what she had to say:

"Volcano is ALIVE!" What? How could the fish that I just saw sunk in the bottom of a cup that was certainly dead and not breathing come back to life?? We're not sure how it happened but it did!! There he was swimming around like nothing had ever happened!! Such relief was on all our faces with big smiles because no lies would have to be told!!

So now I'm trying to figure out how to explain that we have TWO fish and what the new fish is going to go in!?! My brain was tired from the event so I thought I would think it over while I ate my supper.

After supper, I thought it best to go back up and check on Volcano. Sure enough he was doing just fine!! Hallelujah! A miracle happened at our house!!

Not fifteen minutes later, I went up to start the shower. Volcano was once again at the bottom. Not moving, not breathing, looking more dead than a fish should look. With huge disappointment we took a minute to gather ourselves. The minute dwindled to seconds as we hear little feet starting up the stairs towards us. With a swift motion we scooped Volcano out of the bowl, and in a panic, Volcano was removed and the new, beautiful red Volcano with no blue on him whatsoever was placed into the bowl. Whew. It was over.

We started back down the stairs when Mr. Mischief asked "did you just go potty, I heard the toilet flush?".

And so, I have a feeling that this little lie might haunt me forever!

This Moment = Down Time

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:33:00 +0000

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Sponsored by SouleMama

with hours of dancing ahead, this is how she spends her downtime. Love it.

Getting Ready for a snow day!

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 03:43:00 +0000

Whatever a snow day does include is this:
hot chocolate
chicken noodle soup
and prayers for those on the road!

Hot chocolate = 2 cups hot milk (microwave milk at 2:30) then add
1 tbsp hot choc. mix, stir until dissolved then add
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels, stir until melted
+ 1/4 cup marshmallows
and serve!

peace and happy sledding!

Growth Spurt

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 04:01:00 +0000

You know how sometimes you turn around and look at your children, or your friends children, or your grandchildren and say "When did you get so big?"? Well, not only have I asked that of my children, I've asked that of myself. During the past two months, I have had a huge "growth spurt" in spirit, knowledge, wisdom, and unfortunately, pant size too (but that's not what I want to talk about!).

During the past two months I have realized:

My daughter is no longer a little girl. She is dancing-her-toes-off tween. She is no longer a huge fan of "Disney" singers. She has stretched out to music that can only be digested by tweens (and their mothers, hey it tends to grow on you) and also some really cool country music. I'm having fun finding out what can be tolerated by both of us, and she is so good about finding the middle ground. She has also found her passion, dancing. Morning, noon, and night the child dances and LOVES it!

My boys want to be BIG and sweet and kind. And they want to behave, even though at times they still don't! They have shown their hearts to all the people they care about, and at times, can manipulate that love to get them what they want! They are both such smart boys, and I realize that there really aren't any babies in this house anymore.

Children sometimes have to be parents/caregivers. The past two days, I have a tummy bug, and my kiddos have gone out of their way to make sure I was taken care of. The "are you feeling better Mom?" has been asked again and again. This is a hard lesson for all of us, but it is true.

But most importantly, I have realized with all of these growth spurts, the most important thing to do is pay attention. Because the most important wisdom I have been given over the past two months, is that you never get your time back. And I would hate not to remember all that is going on with us now.

Rep-re-sent

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 02:55:00 +0000

Represent
1. to present to the mind
2. to present a likeness of
3. to describe
4. to stand for; symbolize
5. to be the equivalent of
6. to act
7. to act in place of, esp. by conferred authority
8. to serve as a specimen, example of, etc.

1. This Sunday, I "represented". I was present to the mind that it is the first Sunday of Advent. I "presented" my children with gifts of Christmas stuffed animals that were given to me as a child and that I will always hold special in my heart. Each Advent I present these animals to my children to take care of so that each Advent season, they are able to love them all over again.
2. To present a likeness to God is not always easy when raising three children, who on occasion, can test my patience and my emotions. Advent always reminds me to present more of a likeness to God, but also to present a likeness to a mom with extreme patience, maybe June Cleaver!
3. To describe what Advent is to my children is always a wonder to me. I don't know how we do it, but we do. We explain the stories of the Bible and pray that they get something out of it. So far, it has seemed to work, but I honestly don't know how!
4. Our family stands for Christianity. We symbolize it in the placing of the Advent Calendar, the Wreathes, the Christmas Tree, the finger puppets, the Ornaments that represent all of Jesus' sacrifices and strongholds. The symbols that show we are a family in and amongst ourselves, and also a family in God's world.
5. We try to be equivalent of all of the families that have gone before us by sacrificing, arguing, bickering, and celebrating our love for each other. There is no greater love than what we hold dearest to our hearts, and that of each other.
6. My husband and I always try to teach ourselves and our children to act as children of God: We must respect each other no matter what the differences, and we must love each other at all costs. This can sometimes teach hard lessons for each of us, but that is what we choose. This seems to be the hardest lesson of all for us to stomach, but we do so knowing forgiveness is our salvation.
7. Conferred authority has allowed me to set up a Care Calendar for a dear friend fighting Breast Cancer, allowed me to set up a prayer group for under-estimated wives, and has sent great strength to those who need healing.
8. I try to live my life to the best of my ability. I serve not to be recognized, but to set an example for those who come after me; my children. I have always been taught to take what you see, throw out what doesn't seem right and emulate the rest. When children are raised to do what they see, they will do it.
I'm not perfect.
But I try as hard as I can to strive for perfection for my family.
I know I will succeed because they will have their our thoughts and morals that will be different than mine. Being raised in a family with strong beliefs, we all try to represent each other to the best of our abilities.
I wish all of you a blessed Advent season as we re-learn, again, what we should make important to our lives.

I'm Free!

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 01:32:00 +0000

It is with great pleasure that I announce my first ever guest blogger! Miss Bellie has great experience and wisdom to share from her 10 years on this Earth, and this little Lady always has my heart. She is my biggest fan and I hers. I asked her to join me this evening so that we can all remember what is important in life from a very simple perspective.

Hey, it's me, Miss Bellie.
I am here to tell you that no matter what you have you should be thankful for it.
I, personally am thankful for my family and house. I am most thankful for the feeling of riding a horse in the woods. So quiet and peaceful. It really gives me time to think. I think of all the problems I deal with and solve them. The faint, calm tweeting of birds releases all the stress from my body.
As it gets closer to December, the cold, and more time with family, I count all my blessings, but I leave room for more. Because once christmas comes around, OH BOY! You have no idea how excited I am. Thank you for letting me talk to you.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Miss Bellie:)

We can all leave room for more blessings in our life! Especially when our time together will increase!
I love you dear girl! Thank you for sharing with us!!

Just this little ol' blog of mine

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 04:30:00 +0000

To be honest with all of you, I didn't really realize that this little ol' blog of mine would be missed as much as it has been! I know there are readers, but I didn't realize there were enough to ask me where I have been! So, I'm back! And very excited about some of the changes that will take place here! I feel very humbled and loved! Thank you!!!

There are so many reasons why I haven't been sharing our "going ons" around here. But each reason has taught me to process, reflect, and pray, and then make sure my words are sound and secure and can be shared with everyone.

I hope all you will enjoy the subtle changes that you will see. I try to do things simply, and I hope my space here will reflect that!

Scary, isn't it??

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 03:53:00 +0000

yep. that's my three year old up there playing the drums.

he plays the drums all over the house. whatever he can find to make drum sounds, he uses it.

totally scary!
and loud!

please, Germ, send your drums soon. because nothing sounds worse than a little man banging out good rhythms on bad drums (ie: pots, pans, wooden blocks, brother's head, mom's feet, etc).

By the way: Happy October!

For Fun

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 04:42:00 +0000

When I went out with our doggie this evening, this is what I saw.
just thought i would share

A New Season

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 02:29:00 +0000

As the last summer sunset set, the Super Harvest Moon rose tonight. A moon that tells us: This is your last chance to prepare, It has ended.
Summer is officially over and Autumn has come in to take its place. The seasons turn in a blink of the eye, but the feeling can last for weeks.

The trees have not yet started turning. An Indian Summer hit us this past week and we had one last glimpse of the simple life. Mother Nature has not yet reminded us of the darkness and cool nights that are to come, but we can feel they are on their way.
With Jupiter in the shadow of the moon, it gives me hope that I have a little more time to get ready for Autumn, even though it is already here.

As I start planning crockery recipes for early and fast dinners, I start to think of how short the days will become until December takes us back into the longer days. The shorter days also mean to me that we will always be on the run, the kiddos will need more sleep, and heavier blankets need to be on the beds. Strangely enough, I welcome it. Fall is my favorite season.

Fall is a time for me to look inward on myself for strength. The innate ability to put myself forward to take care of business, to get things done, and make sure we are all accounted for and happy in what we are doing.

As my camera fouled once again this evening, the photo seemed to be a foreshadow in my mind to make sure that everything stays in focus.

Our house is a busy house, no matter what the season. What we need to remember is why we are gathered here: To set our sights on the best that we can be, and to hold each other up in praise so to continually love one another and have fun doing what we do (no matter what that may be)!

Monday Ramblings

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:05:00 +0000

Just a few things I've been pondering today:

1. When the boys have the trains set up all over the living room, how long should I leave them out before I make them clean them up?

2. Why are nine year olds able to text each other "love" symbols without any parents paying attention?
2a. Why am I the only parent paying attention?

3. Why do nine year olds have phones that are nicer than mine?

4. Spam email, is spam email PERIOD. My nine year old knows that, why doesn't everyone else? Who really wants to receive a FW: FW: FW: FW: FW: email about anything? I think maybe twice in my life have they been worth opening, and even then, I could have done without it (unless it is one of really cute animals, and even then, the subject line has been changed!).

5. How does blue toothpaste end up ALL over the bathroom? Their mouths are only so big!

6. Speaking of blue, why can't I get my bluetooth to download photos from my phone to my computer?
6a. I wonder if my nine year old could do it?

7. I read a comment on a blog recently that said "It sounds like a ferret on crack trying to tell a turtle about its day". Will I ever get this thought out of my mind when I hear my children shouting "Mommy, MommY, MOMmy, MOMMY!!"?

8. Why are silly bandz so addicting for kids? Seriously, this would be money I would be willing to spend for it to be "studied". Hey kiddos: It is a rubber band in the shape of something!! So What?

9. Why can't I invent something as off the wall as Silly Bandz, Charlie the Unicorn, or Fred (sorry, don't know how to make a backward r). These people are all making hundreds of thousands of dollars off of being Silly (and here I am helping them)!! We act silly at our house all the time, I still haven't seen a check come in from it!!
Maybe this would work to add some coin to our bank account:

"If it weren't for family, we'd all be ugly!" --Joel (this could be a whole post in itself, but I will spare you! like I said, Silly).

10. Why I am completely exhausted at 1:30pm, and then at 10pm I have the energy of a three year old and can't even fathom going to sleep?

Ugghh, the questions of life!! And here I thought the biggest question of all was,,, well never mind!

The Feeling

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 02:50:00 +0000

There are few brief moments, with the changing of seasons, that I always want to stop and reflect and make sure my family is on the right track.
As the days get shorter, the temperatures start to drop; the windows stay open longer and I am more aware that summer is just about to close.
Cicadas are few and far between and the Owls are sounding more prominent. Fall is not yet here, but I can feel it coming.

Now is the time when I double check my kiddos. Their seasons are changing also, and with every changing season I realize that my kiddos become less and less "mine". New teachers and new friends start to replace my status as "best friend" and I am happy for it because I know they are growing.

Wednesday is a day when there aren't any scheduled activities. Dinner conversations become longer, because dinner can start later. And nobody wants it to end because that means an earlier bedtime for extra rest. Even though the sun has gone down and eyes are sleepy, they still want to talk and play.

There are the simple things we talk about:
who did you play with at school?
what were your subjects today?
who traded who for what silly band?
what is in your homework folder?

And then the "reallys ?!?" start to happen:
really? he broke his arm how?!?
really? who hit who?
really? you got the solo part for your musical?!?
really? you drew a picture of what?
really? you read the whole book?

And finally the never ending questions:
when can ______ come over to play?
can I call ______to see if they can play?
how long until halloween?
how long until christmas?
how long until we can spend the night at Mimi's?
how long until we can spend the night at Gma's and Gpa's?
how long until _______we get to see _______?

Then, out of nowhere, the best part of being away from my kiddos comes from out of nowhere:
"Momma, I missed you today. I thought of you when_____, but only for a moment because I was having so much fun!'
And my heart melts.
And I am aware (knock on wood) that I am doing a good job as a mother.

I see them leave the house and I pray that they will be safe, happy, and in hands of others that care for their well being and will keep them safe while away from me. It is a gigantic prayer, and it runs through my mind constantly until their smiling (yet sometimes, grimacing) faces look me in the eye at the end of the day.

The hugs and kisses from my own kiddos (as well as the "high fives" from their friends) received and given are stored away in my mind everytime because as the seasons change and my kiddos get older, I know that these also, will become a few brief moments.

My goal is that someday, hopefully, I will have a photo like this:

A mom who raised, well, a lot of kids (not necessarily your own, but own enough to love you)!

The photo...

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 01:57:00 +0000

See that photo up top on my banner? What should have been the perfect photo of Manhattan from Brooklyn? But the photo where my camera fouled and the wind caught it? This is a perfect example of what our September has seemed liked so far! Not necessarily a blur, but an image of how busy we are. It can be hard to focus.

This lovely woman, who I am proud to call my cousin:

Turned me on to this:

And I am starting to think this is the vehicle of choice to get us through our weeks until spring (only because our cars do not have a sink, bathroom, nor comfy quarters)!

My cousins will use one of these puppies to drive them down the Western Coast from Canada to LA on a vacation of their lifetimes! Whereas I, just want it to get myself and my three kiddos back and forth from our daily routines!

The beginning of September for hubby and I started with great anticipation of a trip, that would forever precede all other wedding trips, to NYC Manhattan and Brooklyn to stay with the "cuzins" and be witness to one of hubby's best friends weddings in Central Park. A trip full of good memories that only the Manhattan and Brooklyn late night's could provide. I don't think we realized that NYC is a time warp and that a wedding could last 2 full weeks!!

As we get back into the swing of it all, I looked at our schedule and just about shot myself! Seriously, they talk about children being over scheduled!! What have I done to myself?!? Oh wait, I know: I turned into a taxi driver who needs a VW to go to:
3 different schools for pick ups and drop offs being at 3 different times
5 trips to dance class
3 different room parent assignments, if not substitution dates
2 trips to Girls on the Run
community garden back and fros
Girl Scout commitments
school parade volunteering
sunday school volunteering
1 trip to soccer practice
and one lazy trip to the couch to hear the piano lesson.

There are so many things to be done, and wishing we could add (call me crazy but Mr. Mischief really needs drum lessons) that my head is in a constant whirlwind making sure everything gets completed.

So when you see me around in my new VW, smile and nod, because I may or may not recognize you before I step on the gas pedal to get us where we need to go before we are late. But if you smile, at least I know not to run you over!!

Welcome September! So sorry I missed our introduction!

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 03:16:00 +0000

Well, Hello September!! A full week and some into it and here you are staring me in the face!! Wow!! What I ride we have been on so far!

No breaks anymore for awhile. Just down to the nitty-gritty schedule. No more NYC, no more dear friends for bbq's. Just the rest of September!

Whew! Come join the fun!!

The Help

noreply@blogger.com (giveitawhirl3) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:15:00 +0000

With everything being so busy lately, I'm finding myself coming and going! New routines and schedules, new attitudes and friends, new things to do!!

It has been very nice to have Mr. Mischief all to myself in the afternoons, and I can't wait until he starts school so that I can have Mr. Stinky all to myself two mornings a week!
There have been many things to do, start, and finish. So many, in fact, I am onto a second sheet of paper for my "to do" list!! I'm trying to enjoy as much of it as possible because I know that how busy we are now, we will be even busier in the coming months once everything is in full swing!

The most precious memories I will keep from the past few weeks are these:

All of my wonderful Help! Ms. Bellie working on cinnamon rolls for breakfast, Hubby putting dill in the jars for the pickled okra, and Dad cutting up his mess of peppers to go into the canner!

No matter how small the job, or who you are doing it for, having company to chat with and help is always a great reason to start knocking down the "to do" list!