Things and Stuff and other Paraphernalia

This post really has nothing important to say other than the "stuff" that is going on in my life...so please just make your way through the paragraphs, or skip it altogether...the weather has finally turned cold and I'm frozen to my chair at the moment and my fingers feel like icicles...

Peanut's basketball season is coming to a close...only one more game and we're finished with that sport (hopefully just until next year)  I gotta admit, I have enjoyed getting back to my roots (at which point my husband will fall off his chair laughing at this statement...but, I'm going to continue regardless)  I played basketball as a youngster-ish person...I joined the junior high team in 7th grade and continued through high school.  Now, granted, there were only about 7 or so, girls on my JV team, so I was probably ON the team for the simple fact that I existed and had a body.  My greatest asset (I was told by the Varsity coach) was that I could set a pick.  For me, that consisted of me crossing my arms in front of me (although, really, not much there to protect...but I digress)...closing my eyes and locking my knees.  I would often get plowed to the ground, but I was so short, noone ever saw me coming:)  yippee for my team!

Soccer will start up again for Sweetpea...and Peanut has decided to give it one more go...we'll see how that pans out.  I'm looking forward to wearing my Christmas white/black polka dot boots and running up and down the side lines screaming to the girls whilst my husband shoots me dagger eyes and texts from his coaching stance, "WHERE ARE THE OTHER CHILDREN THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING DURING THE GAME???"

The workouts are continuing, however, I feel as if I could probably sit on the couch, eat peanut butter covered bananas and pop jelly beans all evening and I'd get the same results.  It's a sad time approaching 40:(

We got our taxes figured out and I'd like to say that although I do understand and fully comply with God's word on the matter concerning "rendering unto Ceaser what is Ceasers"...I am in pretty much full hatred of Ceasar...I have discovered that as a "small business owner", I only get to keep about 1/2 of what I make...HALF...50 %...5.0.  After I pay out for the CDs, covers, ribbon, paper, ink cartridges, camera straps, etc... etc...etc...I then get to give half of that which is left over to the politicians that run the country:)  I suppose they need it for new socks and whatnot...UGH...

I'm a little bitter...

Little Munchkin and I are having quite the fun times during our days together of late...she's learning to read and I'm learning how to be patient...she's doing a great job, but I do have to be sure to change things up every 7-8 minutes because she gets bored with the same ole things...it keeps me on my toes at least:)  When it gets too tiring for me, I just read to her and then we end up sitting there for a longgggg time...I'm trying to relish in these moments, as they will be my last...until grandchildren I suppose:) She needed to reiterate this fact to me the other day..."Mommy, I am your third baby right?...You had 3 babies, but you are not having any more babies right?...and you can't have DOG babies...can you?"

We might be getting a puppy this spring.

The principal at my girls' school asked me when I was going to get my teaching certificate renewed and head back into the classroom...I replied, "umm, probably never...but thank you for considering it and even asking:) "  I think I'd like to substitute teach perhaps, but not sure about the whole "I'm going to be in charge of the classroom" thing again...actually, I'm kinda "sure" that I DON'T want to do that again...but I never know what will happen once all my girlies are in school full time...WHICH brings me to the fact that we have made an important decision of late, and that is to hold Little Munchkin for another year instead of sending her to Kindergarten in the fall. It's not because she's not academically or even socially ready actually, because she sorta is:)...it has more to do with the fact that, since she's a summer birthday, we CAN...we get to keep her home an extra year...one more year to have her under our roof before we send her into the great world of the unknown, as a teenager:)  I'm so thankful for our school (whom I've already informed of our decision) and the teachers are so incredible that I don't need to worry about "if" she'll be bored...they will challenge her regardless, so no big deal...worse case, I'll be available to "help" in classrooms and I"m sure "mommy" can come up with some challenges if need be:)

My husband is cleaning the kitchen as I sit here pattering away on the keys...he just got finished complaining about my collection of mugs...he just found one from Easter Michigan University Presidential Competition in 1991, of which I apparantly was a participant.  HE is finding much humor in calling me a Nerd...

Said husband is working on finishing the basement.  I am having fun pinning all sorts of ideas to pinterest in the hopes of finding the right decor for down there.  This was the 'basement project' that began LAST March...the same one "we" promised would be finished by the end of the summer or at the latest, by Christmas...and by "we", I mean, "HE"...

SO THERE...nerdy mug finder!!!

I love my husband:)  We make a good team...

well, except if we wanted to coach together...he won't touch that idea with a 10 foot pole...'cause let's face it friends, I'm pretty awesome when it comes to basketball remember? :)

We've Been Reading

Let me give you the back story...

I like to read (duh, no surprise there)  I think I mentioned awhile back that I also tend to "live" in my books...they become very real to me in my imagination and sometimes there are certain books that I literally can not stop thinking about...it's usually the books that are extremely well-written and/or have complex characters and plot lines.  It just gets my brain going and it won't stop. 

Recently another mom had suggested I read Hunger Games...now, after reading a couple other books recommended by fellow moms, i.e. The Help, Sarah's Key...I had a feeling that I was going to be in for it once again...

What do I mean exactly?  Oh, just that I was probably not going to be able to put the book down, I'd think about it constantly and force myself to wash dishes and take a shower because it would be hard to pull myself away...

I was not mistaken...

The series was intense, well-written (except for the last book where the author completely dropped some of the characters and left us hanging)   I know that I shouldn't be surprised, but I guess I am still shocked that today's society feels this would be an absolutely appropriate book for young adults (which translates into later elementary school for some families)  The content and imaginative graphics were even much for me to handle...As a "thirty-something" I found myself immersed in the storyline...

Being an adult, I was able to recognize myself slipping into that "obsessive" realm and quickly grabbed other books to pull my mind away...

To some, I know that might sound silly...but when you "devour" books like I do...you have to be aware of your own self and tendencies...therefore I wrote THIS post about my girls and how I tend to be a tad overprotective of what they read...for me, there is emotion and experience linked to stories...and therefore, I want to be sure that they read things at the appropriate time for their maturity level:) 

Anyhoo...all that to say...I thought I'd write down the books that we girls HAVE been reading or have read in the past...especially since I have such stellar organizational skills and when Little Munchkin grows a bit more, we'll need to revisit these books...

I know that I've already mentioned in the past:  Ramona Series (by Bevery Cleary) Trumpet of the Swan & Charlotte's Web (E.B. White),  Clementine Series by Sara Pennypacker (LOVED this series)Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series, American Girl Historical Books, Boxcar Children, and the Disney Fairies "novels" :) We've been through many of these and they are great "filler" books for those in between times as well...

Some other great read alouds and independent reads (depending on the reader's level)

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Trulane by: Kate DiCamillo
     *beautiful story, very similar to "Hitty, her first hundred years"
Kenny & The Dragon by: Tony DiTerlizzi
     *LOVED this book...you can do voices with the characters...fun for boys too
The Myserious Benedict Society by: Trenton Lee Stewart
     *just discovered this series...puzzles to solve, really gets your brain working. It reminded me of the idea from XMen with the good versus evil with a plot to take over the world...this is on a MUCH lower level...the "evil" being secret messages coming through the TV:)  I really enjoyed it and Sweetpea's reading it now:)
Zoo School by: Laurie Miller Hornick
     *Peanut loved this book as an independent read...just fun:)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by: Brian Selznick
     *unique...unlike any novel I've read aloud before...
Princess Academy by: Shannon Hale
     *one of my favorites...it has a scary scene in it, so Peanut had to wait awhile to read this one, but it's so strong with character development and emphasis on learning...I just loved it!
The Moffets by: Eleanor Estes
     *my girls liked this more than I did...just a fun read...older story though...set in 20-30's
The Penderwicks (3 in the series) by: Jeane Birdsall
     *favorite series of ours...the 3rd book came out last year I think...we have enjoyed this...it opened discussion about blended families, because the mom has passed and the girls' dad finally remarries...just sweet, realistic, but not "mean" relationships shown...
Peter and the StarCatchers by: Ridley Pearson & Dave Barry
     *Sweetpea loved this book...can't say I'd recommend the rest in the series, and if you have grown up loving Peter Pan & Tinkerbell...this is just a new twist:)
Half Magic by: N.M Bodecker & Edward Eager
     *Peanut loved this one...this one made us laugh in that the premise is that they have a coin that works half magic...so basically it gives you only HALF of what you wish for...it's tricky how they figure to use it:)  Fun book
Harry Potter by: J.K. Rowling (just the first 2 books...we're deciding on #3 for our 4th grader currently???)
       *I loved this series because of the author's abilit to write and weave words...however, the content, as the series continues, is one that I am hesitant to expose to my girlies...Peanut does not read these, but we've allowed Sweetpea to read the first 2 so far...Again, goes back to that "obsessive" thing...although evil is a reality, even in our day now...not sure she's ready to handle the depth of it at age 10 in the world of Rowling's created world:)  We'll see how it goes as she gets older:)

I know that I have mentioned some of those before, but we just sat at the table quickly before the school bus and put a quick list together of some of our favorites...I'm sure I'll need to add more as they come to mind:)

My youngest Little Munchkin has her own "books" that she likes to listen to currently:)  She is listening to the entire series of Mercy Watson by: Kate DiCamillo.  I'm not going to say that Ms. DiCamillo is a literary genius, because quite honestly, these books annoy me a tad:)  However, I do think that Little Munch likes the fact that she can be like her older sisters and listen to books on CD:)  We are also listening to fairy tales, folk tales, etc read by Jim Weiss...if you need some good travel CDs, his are awesome!  We love listening to The Lion and the Mouse, Stone Soup, Three  Billy Goats Gruff, etc..

We still do lots of picture books with Little Munchkin too, but she's wanting to get into "chapter" books to be like her sisters...so we've discovered lots of Fairy books, Katie Woo, Hopscotch Hill School and others similar to that:) 

Currently, all 3 girls are listening to me read The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick...it was recommended to us by my nephew (who happens to be 8 years old:) If we like it, we have the rest of the series on hold for them to read independently...Then I'm going to peruse Summer of the Monkeys & Cricket in Time Square as options for the next read aloud:)

 I think I will always enjoy reading aloud to the girls...I hope they'll let me do it for many years to come!

Swams, Gucks and Elephant Tusks

So...we went to the zoo today:) 

We are having some very unseasonal weather here lately...

I'm not complaining...not one bit...nope, quite the contrary...I'm just praying that it continues long enough that we just skip winter altogether...

Because of this sunshine and warmer air, we took advantage of our free day to head out to the zoo with some friends...

A group of moms with their youngest kiddos...just hangin' together at the zoo.  We enjoyed a few moments for Lunch (if you want to call running around the picnic tables, dropping pretzels, refusing cantelope but begging for cookies, racing to the polar bears and back, squirting yogurt, and asking if there were any more treats...LUNCH) 

It was a rag-tag team of hooligans though...everyone was running or pointing out the "gucks" and other animals...whilst the moms all tried to have conversations that sounded like this:

"Yes, so I'm struggling with feeling like I can actually finish anything really well...wait, where's Little Munchkin...oh, there she is over by the polar bears...oh my, does he need some help...Christy, do you have a wipe for my hands, I need to get the pretzels back out...what honey? what did you need?...oh, okay, hang on a minute...where's the bathroom?...we need to head in that direction...it's like I'm trying to be all things to each of my girls...where's Luke? ...Oh my, Kara, I'll get the stroller...hang on...no, I don't have any more cookies honey, we can maybe check the car for another treat later...we're going to go to Habitat Hollow now...why do they call prairie dogs, dogs?  they don't look like dogs...I guess it's the same as a guinea pig...maybe it should be a prairie pig...don't throw the leaves honey it'll get everyone all yucky...let's go find a place to sit down and eat...WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?...what were you saying about your struggle now?

I know that to some, that will be hard to follow...I guess that's my point...I am  amazed coming away from afternoons like today, how we have conversations that make sense...but we did somehow...and we had such a good time being out:)  I've shared lots of pictures over on facebook, but I'll post a few more here:)

Visits

My parents came to visit this past weekend.  I think it might have actually been an entire 2 months since we have seen them.  The girls were ecstatic and asked daily, "What time are Grandma & Papa getting here?"

I finally let Peanut give them a call to find out the specifics...they weren't listening (or accepting) my answer to their question, so I thought I'd let them call.

Turns out, I was wrong...they were going to get here before the girls got off the bus on Friday.

This was a slight change in my plans...which meant that I wasn't going to have as much time to get ready doing all the necessary things...

My to do list consisted of:

change all the sheets
clean the bathroom
vacuum both floors
plan meals and go grocery shopping
get laundry finished

What this translates into:

spraying Febreeze in every room so that it actually "appears" that I did some cleaning

Yep...makes ya want to come visit me doesn't it:)  I'm all about efficiency friends!

We had a good weekend nonetheless and Italian Stallion and I actually got to have a little date night while we left the girls with the grandparents and auntie:)

Looking forward to a busy week ahead...

Things they don't tell you...

Italian Stallion grew up on some "acreage"...

I did not...

I grew up where you could reach out your window and touch your neighbor's backyard...

In the winter, snow drifts were just little mounds in between everyone's driveways or up against the side of each house down the street...

In the summer, the sprinklers were basically shared because it always reached your neighbor's grass anyway...

If a phone rang, everyone ran in assuming it was theirs...

This is not the case where we currently live...

Don't get me wrong...it's not that I abhore the 3 hour tractor grass cutting routine, or the hours of shoveling a driveway that looks like a short street, or having to put on boots to check on the garden...

I'm really not complaining...it's just different...it's not bad, better or worse than anything else...

HOWEVER, what I wasn't prepared for was the whipping of wind and the damage it can cause when there aren't other houses to soften the blow...

This morning a LOUD bang scared all of us as we were preparing to get out to the bus stop...I thought for sure Little Munchkin must have launched herself off the top of the stairs or from Peanut's loft bed...

after I swallowed my heart back into my chest, I had a hunch that I may have been mistaken and went to the front door...low and behold, my beautiful storm door (which has already been damaged once by the wind) was once again smashed off it's hinge and bent in a most awkward position. 

Bending down in my sweaty pajamas (I actually exercised this morning) I surveyed the damage...as the wind, ice and rain pelted me, I started to yell to the girls to get me a screwdriver....

Peanut, my ever astute little one began running all over the house bringing me all the flat head screwdrivers she could find...of course, I needed the other kind and so my clothes were soaked through and my hand frozen to the storm door by the time she was able to locate one...

The television was vying for Sweetpea and Little Munchkin's attention and therefore their "help" in the matter was rather limited...I mean, come on, Mommy versus Curious George?  there's an obvious winner there I suppose...not sure why CG trumps Mommy freezing her fingers off for a 4th grader, but I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that they aren't allowed much TV at all, so basically a bright screen must put her into a trance...UGH

While struggling to keep the storm door in place, I bent down to unscrew what was left of the hinge on my beautiful door...when it was said and done, I closed and locked the door and that was the end of it...The wind is still whipping outside and you can hear it howling all around the house:( 

Thus ends my dream of a storm door on the front of the house...

Also, a reminder to get dressed, in warm clothes, before the children get ready for school...you just never know...

Continuation of thoughts...

I felt the need to clarify or perhaps delve a bit deeper into my reasoning behind books that I read and ultimately choose for my girlies…not because I feel the need to defend myself, moreso for when I eventually print off this blog for my girls to have as a keepsake one day, they will have their mother’s crazy ideas on paper…and perhaps have a little insight into what in the world she was thinking way back when…

So, onto the book thing…

I think there is a fine line…a balance, if you will, between ability and context…let me explain…

When I taught elementary school, I had groups of identified readers…my goal was not for them to realize which “group” they were in, and therefore I mix-matched them often, but I knew which ones were at a higher ability level than the others.  However, at the same time, I was dealing with the hearts and minds of innocent 9 and 10 year olds (in my 4^th grade classroom). 

Often trying to find a book that was at an ability level to fit my high readers AND have the book contain subject matter that was relevant, and appropriate for their actual age was a difficult task.

Now, for some this may not be a big thing…some reasons being: some kids just aren’t that much into reading, or they want a  quick story, so for them it doesn’t matter the “challenge” level, but just the storyline itself.  Therefore, they would independently choose books that were more “age” appropriate rather than “ability” appropriate. (am I talking in circles yet?) And some might argue, that that is just fine because glory-be they are reading and isn't that the most important thing!  To that I would agree, in part…you do want to develop a love for reading, especially in those that it might not come easily.

Now, for those readers that love to read and you can’t seem to keep their hands full of books, it becomes a challenge…and here is my “deeper thinking” concerning that…

When I read a book, I often “become” part of the book…i.e. Anne of Green Gables…oh my goodness, I became Anne…I thought like her, acted like her…fell in love with Gilbert Blythe and tried to see the world through her eyes.  In that story, my imagination went as far as she did…my “relationship” dreams only went so far as Anne’s did in her story… I think Gilbert might have whisked a lock of hair off her face at the end of book 1.

I found that as I got older and started reading “teen” books, the “relationships” in those books were more serious…acting more “grown up” than perhaps they actually were…So, how did that affect me?  Well, being who I am, I started to see MY relationships in that way…my daydreams drifted to whatever I had read, and if I could insert “real life” people in my visions, then that made it all the better…do you see where I’m going with this?

Even as a married, adult woman, there are times that I read stories and have to clamp them shut because I don’t want THAT picture in my head…I don’t want my mind to wander to things of that nature and dwell on them.  In this way, I have to “be careful little eyes what you see”  especially when the “things” that aren’t appropriate are glorified rather than held accountable for in the story.

I think this is true for not just things of a “relationship” matter but in violence and evil as well…as well as a whole slew of other things while we’re at it.  When I put a book into the hands of an inexperienced 10 year little girl, I need to be sure that the content that will be playing in front of her eyes is something in which she can handle to the extent that it won’t be what she dwells on…it won’t be what she imagines once the book is closed…or if it is, then those things upon which her gaze falls, should be appropriate and cause feelings that spur her to think of things that are : “Phil. 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

This could be an appropriate relationship, it could be the consequence of a choice made, it could be the victory of good against evil…

I’ll give another example…I loved reading the series Hunger Games…I thought all 3 books were great (well, except for book three’s character development because it totally left you hanging when it came to certain characters and it just cut it off completely with the epilogue) It was reminiscent of the Colosium  days and Hitler and power and it almost felt like you were reading Animal Farm all over again.  However, if you are me, you fall in love with characters and cling to them…I did so with Katniss and Peeta and Gale.  There was some descriptive violence and awfulness to the story…and it was rightly shown as evil and wrong and therefore I could swallow it…however, as I thought of teenagers reading this book as it showed peeta and katniss sleeping together each night (innocently of courseJ ) I couldn’t help but wonder how many teens put themselves in that position and thought, “oh wouldn’t that be cool to do…if I were in that position” etc etc etc…As a married person, I have already “been down that road” so to speak, so that “snapshot” didn’t dwell in me…except as it related to what I envisioned teens or those that shouldn’t have those physical relationships before they get married, thought…

Again, not everyone thinks like me..I get that…and maybe I put too much of a bubble around myself and my girls…at the same time, I know that “Romans 7:18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out”  Therefore, I do all that I can to hedge my thoughts as such…all the while still searching for great writers and superb literature…this is where my challenge continues to lie!

Ancestry and Roots

My aunt started looking up ancestry stuff awhile back...

I can't say that I wasn't interested.  I remember doing the same thing on my dad's side of the family while I was in high school.  His family is more of English and German heritage, whereas my mom comes from Scottish/Irish descent. 

Needless to say, after our little Glen Laurel getaway, my mind has tended to wander in the direction of all things "Celtic"...

I even had someone from our lifegroup tell me that his boss' name is the same as mine but she demands it pronounced differently because she is a firm believer in her Irish backgrounds, or some other such reasoning...

This was quite humorous to me seeing as our name is not an actual Irish name, rather it is the American version of the name "Cailin" in Ireland, meaning lass or girl.  Therefore to "pronounce" it correctly would necessitate it being an actual Irish name...which is "technically" is not...

but I digress...

The direction in which my head was going, was just settling upon those European countries every once in awhile.  Italian Stallion and I finally sat down to watch the Sherlock Holmes movie that tagged along with us to Glen Laurel one evening last week...and I came across this book shortly thereafter:


and I started reading it...I became mesmorized by names such as Florilyn and Courteney and Gwenyth...and I was immersed in the history and land that Mr. Phillips eloquently developed. 

Italian Stallion and I have discussed the dream of going to Europe with the girls when they are older and able to appreciate it...to get a bigger sense of the world they live in...

This post really has no other reason except to express my random thoughts as I "talk" my way to a conclusion...

The fact that within books I tend to escape and become a part of the story is something of which I am quite aware in myself.  I had a discussion about this with Sweetpea lately. 

We have allowed her to read the first two books in a series that others might label unsuitable or "unchristian"...she is becoming similar to me, however, as she grows in her love of reading...she is learning to recognize quality literature, character development and storylines that are well developed.  She has always done well with realistic fiction...Fantasy has been more of a struggle...being "black and white" with her understanding of the world around her, she often struggles in trying to grasp meanings that are beyond her imagination...

Therefore, the fact that we have allowed her to begin this journey in a fantasy series, has definitely challenged her and caused her to grow...much to the point that she is frustrated that she must stop for awhile...until we feel she is able to handle the not only more complex storylines, but the "feeling" that is in them...

I know that there are those that books do not affect them in the same way...remember I said that I tend to "become" part of the story...therefore, when I read something, my mind "sets to think on those things"...I have discovered that IF those things that I come away thinking upon, are not true, noble, right, nor do they lead me in a direction of "lovely", then it's not good for my heart...plain and simple. 

That's how I explained it to Sweetpea as well..

Others may see that as ridiculous or immature...but for me...it gives me a gauge by which I choose to subject myself so that I may enjoy literature, but also be on guard for the things that are most important.  For Sweetpea, as she learns to determine where her heart and thoughts are drawn, we want to be able to guide her and help her discern whether a book is just a fun read, a learning journey, a thought-provoking mystery or something in which she has to put down and walk away from.

I enjoyed this unexpected treat of the From Across the Ancient Waters...it attracted me because of the Scottish references, but it was also a read that not only allowed a sweet escape of which I enjoy, but set my mind on things that were good and noble as well:) 

I'm not really trying to give a recommendation toward a certain book...my style isn't necessarily something that others may enjoy...namely one of my BFFs who thoroughly enjoys nonfiction from which she can learn...where again, I rather like to escape instead:) But to each his/her own:)  I suppose Jesus enjoyed both, as he gave many facts, but thoroughly enjoyed telling stories as well:)

Anyhoo...that's my two cents for the moment:)