Last day of school

I can't believe another year of school has come and gone. I found this picture of their first day of school, August 2011. Aren't they cute?

Aug. 23, 2011

And look how they've grown!!!

Syd

Park

Mill

The best part of the last day of school is the Dance Festival.  Each grade learns a dance and performs out on the baseball (or kickball I was informed) field. They have a blast! It's kind of hard to spot them in this video so I've tried to put their names where they are.

Production notes:
Camille is first. I love her smile. She practiced a lot at home.
Parker's next. He is one of the shortest kids in his grade and they put him on the back row. He's kind of hard to see. He practiced a lot at home too.
Sydney, again, is hard to see. She has sunglasses on. All the 5th graders were tired of this song because they practiced it so much for Hope of America.

creative writing contest

A few weeks ago, a received a letter from the Utah Farm Bureau. Its a letter I hope I receive every year and look forward to. The Women's Committee asked me to help judge the Creative Writing Contest they sponsor every year. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity.

It wasn't long before I received a package in the mail full of a stack of papers. Well, two stacks actually. One for the 3rd grade and one for 5th.

I love judging this contest for several reasons. The first being that I think its important for kids to know where their food and fiber comes from. (Adults, too) I could go on quite a rampage about this but I won't. I think its a great blessing to be able to produce so much healthy food at an affordable price for our country and others. I enjoy reading what the kids think about that and their perspective.

I also enjoy the opportunity I have to use my college degree in English. I know its only 3rd and 5th grade, so its not like critical analysis of the written word, but it is fun. There are some budding authors out there, that's for sure. And selfishly, it makes me feel a tiny bit important. I mean, I am a judge, afterall.

The best part, though, is the creativity of the students. The theme was "If I were a farmer for a day..."  I was entertained reading almost every paper. Some were real to life, some were placed in the future, some were set in a dream.  They were all fun to read, especially the 3rd graders, some of whom added illustrations.

I love the "Cheese-o-nator."

My other Easter talk – Christ’s appearances after His Resurrection

As I read the Easter story in the Bible, in preparation for my Easter Sunday talk back here,  I became very interested in the visitations and appearances after He was resurrected, their reaction to him and the lessons Jesus taught in those brief meetings. I left most of it out of my talk because it was enough information to make up a talk of its own. So, for those who might be interested, here it is. The “other” talk.  

The first appearance (Luke 24:1-8) is the angel at the tomb, where women had come to anoint his body with spices and oils. As they approach, they see the angel who asks, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?’  The women race off to tell the disciples. Later, Mary Magdalene is alone at the tomb and Jesus comes to her.  He asks her to tell the disciples also, that he is ascending to his god and their god.

The question, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” is as relevant now as it was then. Why do we focus on things that are dead? Things that do not last? Things that are not living? Why focus on a screen when the face of our loved ones are next to us? Why do we focus on things of the world that don’t last? Christ offers us living things. He is the living water.

And after the women receive their witness, they share with others.

The second appearance is when Christ appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24: 18-24). Using my own words, when Christ joined the two disciples, their eyes were holden and they did not recognize him. He asked them what they were talking about and why they were sad? They asked him if he were a stranger to the city. And recounted who Jesus was and what had happened to him and his crucifixion. Sort of like, “Don’t you read the headlines? Don’t you watch the news? Aren’t you up to date on the important things in the world? These things are important.” When in reality, they were witness to the most amazing miracle to ever, ever take place. The resurrected Christ, of flesh and bone, walked with them. When their eyes were opened, “they said to one another, did not our hearts burn within us when he talked with us by the way?”

Of course looking back, its easy for me to wonder, why didn’t they listen? Why didn’t they pay more attention to their burning hearts? Well, why don’t I? How much do I miss because my focus is not where it should be? How much do I miss because I’m yielding to things of the world instead of to the spirit.

After these two disciples receive their witness, they share with others.

The third appearance is when Christ appears to the disciples and others as they gather (Luke 24: 38-51). When they see him they are frightened.  The scriptures say they were “terrified”. Christ asks them why they are troubled and yet already knows its because they think he is a spirit, returned from the dead. They don’t understand the resurrection. In the Mark account, he “upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.”(Mark 16:14)   Then Christ breaks bread and eats with them to show them he is truly a resurrected being of flesh and bone. He then opens their understanding and teaches them using the scriptures.

I appreciate how patient and understanding Christ was of their doubts and weakness in believing. He invites the disciples to touch him and watch him eat. He then points them to the scriptures for further understanding, even though he, the master teacher, is standing in front of them. He uses the scriptures to teach.

After the disciples receive their witness, they are commanded to share. (Mark 16:15)

The fourth appearance is 8 days later, when he appears to Thomas and the disciples (John 20:24-29). Thomas was not with the others when Christ appeared earlier and feels a need to see to believe. Christ tells him to be not faithless but believing. “Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.” Those few verses speak volumes on what faith is.

The final appearance is when Christ appears to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias in John 21. They are fishing and Jesus calls from the shore and invites them to dine with him. It is then that this well-known exchange takes place.

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, ^aFeed my sheep.

17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, ^aFeed my ^bsheep.

The message here is clearly, Feed my sheep.

In summary, the messages I came away with  were these.

1. What am I focusing on? The living or the dead?

2. Listen to your heart, especially when it burns within you.

3. Look to the scriptures for light and knowledge.

4. Be not faithless but believing.

5. Feed my sheep.

Closing remark: John 20:31. “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

Big Deal, Boys

Hash was my little helper with chores the other day. It wasn't necessarily intentional. He woke up early from his nap. He followed me around the house like Pig-Pen, from the peanuts cartoon.

I was vacuuming one room and Hash came in, sat on a chair and proceeded to shred a dorito chip with a butter knife.

I moved on to mopping the kitchen and he put his bare, summer-dirty foot in the water. He didn't just step on the freshly mopped, still set floor. He stuck his bare, summer-dirty foot in the bucket of soapy water, splashed a bit and then walked around the kitchen.

And I decided to love it. All things in perspective....BIG DEAL! So I make one more run with the vacuum or one more swipe with the mop. This little boy is so full of discovery and exploration. Might as well enjoy the...JOY of life with him.

Speaking of joy...

The other day, Parker joined me on my run. He rode his bike and I tried to keep up. Most of the run, he would pedal ahead and then skid to a stop. He would point out how long or dark or curved his skid marks were. He bragged about being able to turn while he skidded or how long the mark was when he was going downhill. He was so thrilled with the whole process. Halfway through I had this urge to explain to him that doing that much skidding was probably wearing down his tires and he'd probably get a flat sooner rather than later and then we'd have to buy new tires and new tires cost money. As soon as the urge came and those thoughts raced through my mind, they were quickly replaced with a brief memory of my own carefree childhood. Feelings I haven't known for ages. For a few brief minutes, I remembered what it was like to not have to worry about things like money and consequences and practicalities. So I held my tongue.

And I decided to love it. All things in perspective...BIG DEAL! So he wears out  his bike tires and has to learn how to change a tire with his Dad as his teacher. This little boy is so full of discovery and exploration. Might as well enjoy the...JOY of life with him.

Annular Eclipse

Sunday night we gathered the family around the computer at 6:30 pm and logged onto the NASA website to watch a video about solar eclipses. Then we pulled out our home-made eclipse pinhole projector and headed outside to the the annular eclipse happening right in our own backyard.

The kids had a lot of fun decorating and coloring our tube. I particularly liked the relevancy of Parker's decor.

Had I been more on the ball and thinking ahead, I would have purchased special glasses. Especially since the homemade route wasn't really working for us, especially because it was overcast and the sun and moon were hiding behind the clouds which made it hard to find an image on our pinhole projector. (whew, that was a long, run-on sentence.)

Lucky for us, our neighbor had his telescope out and was projecting the image on his porch, so we invited ourselves over to take a look. We brought our home-made contraption with us but eventually put it aside. Right now, it is in two pieces and has been run through the sprinklers several times.

Even more lucky for us, another neighbor came over with his welder's helmet and that was AWESOME!!! Made me wish I had the glasses even more. You better believe I'll get them early next time. Whenever that is. I'm glad we had the chance to witness this. Such a cool event. Witnessing the enormity and beauty of the universe really puts your life in perspective, you know.

Method of Measurement - family breakfast

I cook breakfast for my children and husband every morning.

This little fact came as a shock to some of my friends the other day as we talked around my kitchen table over lunch.

"How are you guys doing lunch during the summer?"
"Oh, I don't know. Let them make it themselves maybe."
"That's an idea. Making it for everyone everyday seems a little overwhelming."
"Yeah, some moms even make breakfast every morning for their kids."
"I know." finger pointing and grinning. "Karin does."

And I do.

Its always like a shocking revelation to me when I realize other moms do things differently than I do. Sometimes I just assume that everyone does things basically the same. After all, its the way my mom did it and so I just followed her lead. I never really questioned that there was a different way of doing things. The kids get up and the moms make them breakfast. In every house, in every neighborhood, around the world. (just kidding, I'm not that naive.)

I have had several instances where someone has said something and it jolts me and takes me a minute to wrap my brain around a new idea or new way of thinking about things that I just assumed everyone did basically the same way.

Other examples and quotes from friends who have opened my eyes to other opinions:

Preparing dinner:  "Do you cook all 5 days of the week?" (my friend obviously assumed Fri and Sat are eat-out days anyway and not to be included in the 7 day week)

Breastfeeding: "I've been lugging this kid around for 9 months. I'm not lugging his lunch around too."

So then I question myself. Well, if she's not doing it, then why am I? Is one way better than another? What else am I doing that I don't need to do? What is it, really, that I want to do? And then I start thinking about my method of measuring. More on that HERE and HERE.

And as far as breakfast goes, this is what its boils down to for me. I will continue to make breakfast for my family.

 I believe breakfast is an important meal for my individual family and I like sending my kids out the door with their bellies full of healthy food to fuel them for the morning.

I also love sitting at the kitchen table with my whole family. Doing this in the morning gives me the opportunity to ask questions. I like to know what they plan on doing that day and what's coming up in school. It also gives me a good gauge of how they are feeling that day.

Finally, I don't know how long this opportunity will last. It won't be long before Sydney is in middle school and on a different time schedule all together. Then its on to high school and kids in 3 different schools, not just one elementary school as it is now. Then its early morning seminary and practices and other things I don't even know about yet.

But for now, we all have the same basic schedule and sitting down as a family for breakfast (and dinner) is something we can do and will do until we are forced to change. Now I just need to find some new breakfast recipes.

Book Review: Among the Hidden/ Among the Imposters

I’m two books into the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix and I’m itching to get my hands on the 3^rd (out of 7) book. Parker introduced me to these books and was pretty excited about them. The first book, “Among the Hidden,” introduces us to young Luke. He spends a lot of his time outdoors on his family’s farm, running wild and free as any 8-year-old is inclined to do when he has no school and can’t go into town. All is heaven for him until he is forced inside as other homes are built nearby. He is in danger of being seen by others, which is a bad idea for him, because he is a third child. The penalty? Death.

In this world, severe famine and other factors have driven the government to regulate families to two children and only two. This is enforced by the population police, who mean business. So Luke goes into hiding in the attic of his room and is never allowed in any of the main areas of the house, let alone outside. So he spends a lot of his time looking out the small slits in the attic vent. It is there that he discovers he may not be the only third child and his adventures begin.

The next book is “Among the Imposters.”  Luke continues his adventure in a different setting under a different name. He continues to make discoveries about his status as a third child and what that means and who is involved in efforts to thwart the population police.

These are such fun books. The characters are well drawn and the situations are believable and real. It’s a quick read, definitely suitable for a 2-5 grade level. Even though the intended audience is so young, the story kept me interested and entertained, imagining a world with population police and restrictions that force young members of society into hiding.

Happy Mother's Day

from Millie

from an app on my kindle

I often go walking...

I cannot remember not singing "I Often Go Walking" on Mother's Day as a child. Every Mother's Day at church, mid-way through sacrament meeting, the primary file onto the stand. The sunbeams stand in front, coyly looking for their mother behind shy fingers. More confident sunbeams wave exuberantly, sometimes calling out, "Hi Mom!" Behind them stand a mix of CTR and Valiant boys and girls, all giggling and nudging, all looking for mother. The Merrie Miss and Blazer classes stand in back, their weight balanced on one leg. They try to look disinterested and mature. But their eyes still wander until they lock onto their mother. They smile a crooked smile before remembering to be "cool."  The piano plays the intro, the children quiet and the beautiful strains of the primary song are heard and felt in the hearts of those in the congregation.

"I often go walking, in meadows of clover.

And I gather armfuls of blossoms of blue.

I gather the blossoms the whole meadow over;

Dear Mother, all flowers remind me of you."

This song rings true for me in so many ways. Going back a generation or two, I cannot forget the large lilac bush that grew in my Grandma Dewey's backyard. In the spring it was always full of deep purple blossoms. I remember meandering around that bush, breathing in the gorgeous smell of the flowers. It was a well established plant, strong and weathered, yet beautiful and fragrant. Growing up, we always had lilac trees in our backyard, as well. Purple and white. I remember my mom bringing them into the house and setting them in a nice vase, so that the smell would permeate the kitchen. I loved it and still do. Each table for easter this year had vases of lilacs.

I remember working in Grandma Gabbott's yard. There was always a lot of work to do, trimming shrubs and groundcover and pulling weeds. Nobody came out of it without scratches and pokes from bothersome thorns. The only flower I remember, however, were the irises. Dark purple irises. They lined the front of her driveway. Compared to the thorns and weeds and dependable green of the rest of the yard, the purple irises always brightened my eye with their bold beauty.

And now I am grown, with a house of my own. Surrounding my house are 6 lilac bushes. Lining the back border of our yard are dozens upon dozens of irises. Iris bulbs that were harvested from Sterling's childhood home and brought to ours. These flowers remind me, with every viewing, of the heritage of loving and capable mothers who nurtured me and raised me to be the woman I am today. Their influence is still present in my surroundings, linking our hearts in love.

"Oh Mother, I give you my love with each flower.

To give forth sweet fragrance a whole lifetime through;

For if I love blossoms and meadows and walking,

I learn how to love them, dear mother, from you."

Words: Phyllis Luch, 1937–1995. © 1969 IRI



Growing with Parker - part 2



Parker gave me this sticker after our conversation.

Parker also gave me this certificate.

Before Parker ran outside to play after dinner, I reminded him he needed to stay inside and wash the table and sweep the floor. As he grabbed the washcloth and started on the kitchen table, he said, "I'm glad you're my mom. I mean, you're not the best mom, but.... Well, Ethan's mom is really funny. And Caleb's mom would let me ride on the ditch trail after dinner. You just make me work or be with family and stuff. But you're a good mom."

Not one minute passed before Parker said, "I'm sorry I said that, Mom." Before he turned his face away from me, I saw his eyes fill with tears and his lip tremble as he tried to hold his feelings back. I told him, "Parker, its ok.  You didn't hurt my feelings," but he wouldn't respond or even look me in the eyes.

Parker's heart is so tender, and with this new schedule for school, we spend more time together, which has been so good for us. We don't fight as much and we talk more and genuinely enjoy each other's company more. We're getting to know each other better because we spend more quality time together. He is quicker to obey and be respectful and when he isn't, he is quicker to apologize later.

So his comments caught me by surprise. I know I'm not as funny or creative as other moms, so he's right there. And I accept that as part of who I am and I'm ok with that. And I DO ask him to be part of family activities or to do his chores when other friends are out playing. So he's right again.

But his emotional response to his own comments had me puzzled. After I could tell he had found a little control over his emotions, I asked him why he felt so bad.

He said, "I know how you feel Mom." 
"What do you mean?" I asked.  
"When other people say something like that to me, I feel really bad. So I'm sorry I said it to you."
He hung his head and stiffled an intake of breath that was heartbreaking. I held him close and assured him that I would always love him, no matter what he ever said or did and that would never, ever change.

I was so filled with love for this little boy, who truth be told, I have prayed for more than any of my children to this point. I know experiences and relationships ebb and flow and my concern for one child or another will change as we progress through this life. But for this small moment in time, I have been filled with concern for him. But I know he will be just fine. You know why? Because somewhere, somehow, he has learned empathy. He has learned to take his own life experiences and use them to understand how someone else might feel and to feel how that might feel. I am so honored and blessed to be the recipient of his empathy. What a powerful and humbling experience. Thank you, Parker.

Family Pics Aug 2012

Growing with Parker - part 1

Parker, 2 years old

The after-school scene is not my favorite. I had always envisioned me standing at the door, hugging each of my children as they come home after school. On the table is a plate of freshly baked cookies. They tell me about their day and we laugh or commiserate together about who said what and who got the jump rope first and the latest spelling test score. Then its on to homework, working side by side. Piano practicing follows and a simple chore after that.

Well, I still get a thrill when I see my kids round the corner at the bottom of our cul-de-sac. They come down that hill flying on their bikes to gain speed that will hopefully carry them up the hill to our house. They are usually beaming, with pink cheeks, a little out of breath. The first question is, "What's for snack?" Ugh. Snack. I didn't prepare anything. I'm hoping toast and apples will cut it but it never does. Ice cream? Cold cereal? The entire package of store brand oreo cookies? No. Just toast or apples or sometimes popcorn. And there begins the after school scene that is my life.

After school is particularly hard for Parker. Structured, sit-still-and-focus activities are not his strength. It became a conflict every day and neither one of wanted to do it. So we fought. One night he didn't finish his homework and I didn't care. I was tired of fighting this battle. So I told him, "FINE! Go out and play and I'll just wake you up early. If you're ok with that, I'm ok with that." And that's what he did. The next morning, I woke him up at 6:15 am to finish his homework. And....it was wonderful. He did it with no complaints and we talked and even laughed a little. And a light bulb went off in my head.

Maybe he just needs fewer distractions. He seems to do homework better in the morning, especially when I can devote all my time to him. After school, I'm helping Camille with homework too and Sydney wants to talk about all the friend drama and everyone is eating and its just a little chaotic. But the morning is quiet and private. I completely believe this was the Spirit opening my mind to further understanding

I knew I couldn't sustain getting him up at 6:15 every morning. Fortunately, our school has two tracks. One starts at 8:00, which is what we have been doing. The second starts at 9:15. So I changed his schedule so that he starts later. The girls leave at 7:45 and then its the little kids and Parker and I. Now, the mornings are when we do homework and piano practicing and flashcards and reading. It has worked out beautifully. When he leaves the house in the morning, he has a smile on his face and tells me loves me. That didn't use to happen.

When he comes home, I have already finished homework and talking with the girls, so I can focus on him. We do his math page and that's all. Then he does his chore and he's off to play. Flying pencils, ripped homework pages, yelling and stomping around has all but ceased. Its like a whole new relationship. In fact, he is even quicker to say sorry or stop and think before he acts. I can SEE him changing and its a beautiful thing. And I'm getting to know him better as an individual.

The change in his schedule has been an adjustment for me. I have lost about 1 1/2 hours out of my day that I use to do other things. The time in the morning when I would do grocery shopping or mopping or bathrooms is now his homework time. After school, I'm on homework and chore duty an extra hour or so. But the sacrifice is worth it. We are learning and growing together in a way we couldn't have otherwise. The time I'm investing now will be sure to pay off great dividends in the future, as he gets older and challenges get more complicated. Its already paying off. Its all about time.

Parker, Apr. 2012, 8 years old

Book Review : Enchantment

I am a softie for fairy tales and retellings. Is it any wonder I couldn’t resist “Enchantment” by Orson Scott Card? This novel is a retelling or expanding of the story of Baba Yaga, a Russian fairy tale. We begin by learning about Itzak/Vanya/Ivan Smetski and his early years in Russia, then Kiev (Ukraine) and eventually America, when still a young boy. Before Ivan’s family move to America, he and his parents stay a while with Cousin Marek near Kiev, where Ivan enjoys running through the forest. He is only around 10 years old when he happens upon a clearing where he imagines fairy tales might take place. Much to his surprise, the leaves start churning and a pedestal is revealed in the center of the clearing with a beautiful girl asleep on a bed. He is mesmerized by her, perhaps even in love already. The rapidly churning leaves and appearance of some sort of being underneath them scares him and he runs away. And thus plants the seed for his own real life fairy tale. Later in American, Ivan’s graduate study on the earliest beginnings of fairy tales leads him back to Russia and Kiev, and eventually back to the same magical clearing and the sleeping woman, where he soon finds out for sure what is under the churning leaves as he becomes the hero and saves the sleeping princess.

Quote: “He had done what he came to do – he cleared away the leaves, defeated the beast, crossed the chasm, woke the princess. That was as far as the stories ever went. None of the stories included shivering naked between forest and pit, the princess scorning you as a peasant…”

This is where the story really takes off. Ivan and the princess, Katarina travel between both her land and his as they try to outwit and outrun the evil witch, Baba Yaga and save her kingdom. Orson Scott Card does a wonderful job of describing the emotion and conflicts of being in a place where the customs and expectations are different as they jump between centuries. Belief systems and traditions are miles apart. I really enjoyed watching Ivan and Katarina, work through the conflicts created by having to learn and adapt to the different social environments. It was one of the highlights to see them work through their emotions and challenges. Another highlight was to read about a love story that isn’t love at first sight and doesn’t turn around on a dime for a happy ending. Ivan and Katarina struggle through real, honest, feelings as their relationship develops. I loved that it wasn’t smooth and easy.

Most of the characters are very likeable and strong. Though the stereotypical fairy tale characters are present, (hero, princess, anti-hero, villain, sidekick, and shunned woman) they are not truly stereotypical because the character development is deep enough to make them individuals you are interested in. The plot keeps moving along and never gets old or boring or predictable with a few clever twists and turns. The villain, Baba Yaga, is definitely a villain and lives up to the name. She is a little nasty and by that I mean there is a trend for some of her dialog and topic of conversation to be a little on the sexual side and the language a little coarse (swear words). It bothered me a little. Definitely adult topics and language.

I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to other adults. Because of the adult topics and language in some parts of the book, I would not recommend this to young readers. It was entertaining and really fun to read about a fairy tale you don’t hear referred too much at all.