Tales from the Heartland

The WTC Mosque

2010-08-20T10:22:00.004-05:00

I honestly do not understand those who are against the proposed Mosque 2 blocks away from the WTC site. Muslims are not terrorists. In fact the majority of Muslims are peace loving people. They simply practice a different religion than many of us. Just as there are extremists who are terrorists and also Muslim, so are there Christians that are extremist and kill in the name of their religion. Should we really blame an entire group for the few that are bad seeds? This country was founded on religious freedom. Some in this country seem to believe that really only applies to Christians. It is a good thing to embrace a Mosque anywhere, and maybe even more so in that area. It goes a long way to showing the Islamic world that we are good, peace loving people, who can accept others differences. That we are not to be feared. Terrorism is born out of fear, hatred and intolerance to others. When we are bigoted, intolerant, and close-minded about something as benign as a place of worship we are actually fueling attitudes of mistrust and fear to the Muslim world. The Mosque and community center is a place where people of faith can come together, worship, make friends, be with their family. All good things. And 2 blocks from the WTC is really not all that close. In NYC, there are many, many buildings in a 2 block area. I wonder if anyone can even see the proposed Mosque from the former WTC site? I highly doubt it. Let's not foster the hatred, intolerance, and animosity that created the situation that led to the WTC attacks in the first place. Let's come together in our differences and learn some tolerance, and foster peace so that events like those on 9/11 never happen again. Let's not blame an entire religion on the extremist minority that attacked us. Let's blame the individuals who actually are to blame. They may have said they were Muslim, but they were not really practicing according to Islamic beliefs. Here are two quotes I found that come from the Quaran:
"It may be that Allah will bring about love between you and those of them with whom you are now at enmity... Allah forbids you not respecting those who have not fought against you on account of your religion, and who have not driven you out from your homes, that you be kind to them and deal equitably with them; surely, Allah loves those who are equitable." - Holy Qur'an, 60:8-9

"the taking of one innocent life is like taking all of Mankind... and the saving of one life is like saving all of Mankind" - Holy Qur'an, 5:33.

Do those sound like words from a religion that fosters terrorism? To me they sound very similar to Biblical teachings about loving our neighbor and "thou shalt not kill". We should not fear a group of people because we don't understand them or they are different from us. We should take time to get to know what they are like, and understand that they love their children like we do. The majority of Muslims do not want to commit terrorist acts, or take over the world, they want to be able to live a good life, enjoy worship with their families and friends, just like the majority of Christians. I believe we have different religions on this earth because God knew that different people needed different paths. We are not all the same, why should we all have to worship the same. The important thing is that we love one another, treat each other with kindness and respect and not kill in the name of anything. We need acceptance for ALL people.

Mother's Day: A Day For Peace

2010-04-29T15:35:00.011-05:00

"Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have taught them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

This is part of a poem by Julia Ward Howe that was a proclamation for the first Mother's Day in the United States. I did not know until this year that Mother's Day was started as a rally for peace by mothers who cared so much about this world we live in. It makes me sad that she wrote this in 1870 and we are still searching for that peace. I plan to take part in a Peace Rally on Mother's Day organized by the church we have started to attend. Here is more information about the peace rally. Julia's Voice.

Mother's Day this year is also James' and my 12th year wedding anniversary. 12 years ago we joined together to form a lifelong partnership, and that is what led me down the path to motherhood. Being married to James and becoming a mother to Charlie and Juliana has been the most wonderful time of my life. It has its challenges, but those challenges are always worth it. Charlie and Juliana teach me so much more than I teach them. I want them to live in a world free of injustice and full of equality and peace. I want them to always know that our family is their place of security and acceptance, where they can always turn when times are tough and when they need to celebrate. I want them to know that their dad and I made the decision 12 years ago to join together because we were best friends and knew we could weather the storms as long as we were together, and that they came from a place of immense love, respect, and a common desire to show our children a wonderful happy life. I hope that Charlie and Juliana learn that the most important thing in life is their relationship to other people and how they make their footprint in this world. I want them to learn to respect all people, no matter their differences. I want them to learn that the way we treat our earth affects the way the earth treats us. I want them to learn that war creates more problems than it ever solves and that peace and education and acceptance are the ways to overcome problems. I hope that James and I instill in them a sense that they can accomplish what they dream through hard work, and education, but also by the way they treat others. My own mother taught me all of these things my entire life by her actions not just her words. She has always been the first one to lend someone a hand,even when she herself was struggling to make ends meet. She always taught us that all people are equal and worthy of respect. She taught us that peace is always a better choice than war. She taught us that education is the way to make a better life, and even if money is tight, a college education is obtainable and necessary. All of her children have college degrees, my brother has a Ph.D and my sister an MBA. Hopefully one day, I will also get a master's degree, but I at least have my BSN. None of us ever considered not going to college as an option. I thank my mother for these gifts she gave me, and I hope I can pass them on to my own children.

Here is the Mother's Day Proclamation poem in its entirety.

Mother's Day Proclamation
Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

Julia Ward Howe

So darn proud of my kids

2009-10-30T13:43:00.002-05:00

I had parent teacher conferences for the kids yesterday and could not be prouder of them. Juliana's journal writings are the funniest thing, and she is doing very well in 1st grade. She is still very shy with her teachers, but they said she is socializing well with her peers. Her class is team taught. She has one teacher Mon/Tues and every other Wed, and another teacher Thur/Fri and every other Wed. They are both wonderful women and I love that she gets to have time with each of them. Her teacher on Thurs/Fri was my first friend in Kansas. Yes, that's right, when I moved here in 3rd grade from Pennsylvania, Juliana's teacher was the first person I became friends with. It is so great to meet up with her again and to have her teaching my daughter. We lost touch in middle school because we went to different schools. Her teachers are a great team, and really challenge the kids to meet their personal best. Juliana is being given special opportunities to do challenge math and reading assignments. She is also in a special "research" group for the kids who need more challenges. They research topics and then present them to the class. I love that our school constantly strives to meet the needs of all the students.

Charlie had his first student led conference. His teacher and I listened to him present how he felt he was doing in school. He put so much time and thought into his presentation. He is so in touch with exactly who he is, and how is he doing. I was very impressed with the young man my son is becoming. His teacher could not really add information that he had not already covered. He gave his strengths and weaknesses with such accuracy, I was amazed. His teacher is very young, and has only been teaching for 2 years, but I love her. I could not have asked for a better teacher for him. She is wise beyond her years, and is so fantastic with the students. This year is such a great school year for both of my kids. Such a change from last year, when I was not at all happy with the teacher Charlie had.

Long time since I blogged, but today I feel the need!

2009-09-04T15:56:00.009-05:00

President Obama plans to give a speech on Tuesday to America's youth. He is doing it at 11am (noon eastern time), and allowing schools to have access to stream the speech into classrooms. Conservatives are in an uproar! Why? They honestly believe Obama is trying to give our kids some evil socialist message. WHAT? Since when was encouraging kids to stay in school and get an education a socialist message. They also feel their children are being forced to watch it. Schools are not required to air this speech or use the suggested curriculum to go along with it on the Department of Education website. And the curriculum is so benign. Check it out at this link: curriculum If George Bush were giving this exact same speech with the same curriculum, conservatives would be demanding their children get to watch it. What is it that is scaring them about Obama? Are they afraid he is setting a good example to children by showing that anyone in this country can achieve greatness by staying in school and getting a good education? Maybe that is it. Maybe they don't want every child to think they can grow up to be President. President Obama is a shining example that a poor child from a single parent household can achieve his dreams by staying in school and getting the best education possible. Who better to give a message like this to our children? I am not at all understanding this "don't let the children hear anything the President has to say" attitude. If George Bush had planned this exact same speech with the same curriculum to go along with it, I would demand my children be allowed to watch it, and I have never been a fan of George Bush. I think it is important for all Americans, including children, to hear what a President has to say. Why are parents so concerned that their children will hear a speech by the President? I have never failed to discuss current events, politics, issues with my children. If the President says something in his speech that you don't agree with, can you not talk to your child about that? Do you really think your children are never going to hear anything you don't want them to? And what is it about "stay in school and get a good education" that you don't like. It is our duty as parents to find out everything our children are learning in school and discuss it with them,and give our point of view and why we feel the way we do. It is not our duty to censor everything and shelter them from ideas we may not agree with. The kids and I saw protesters with signs that said "God Hates Jews" a few weeks ago on the street. My kids asked about those signs. We had a great discussion about it,and how some people have very wrong ideas and how we can do better. It was my responsibility to be sure my kids knew that was discrimination, and what that meant. If I had ignored that,and told them nothing, or not let them see that, we would have missed a very teachable moment. If this speech had an overtly partisan political message, I could understand the uproar. This speech is the President telling American children how important education is. That is something I wish all Presidents did. Children should be a part of our political system. They should learn about how government works, and watch Presidential speeches at every opportunity. I always watch the State of the Union Addresses, even in years when I don't agree with the President. It is important information to hear. I try to get my kids to watch those too, but of course, those are way to boring for a kid. This is a great way for the President to engage kids in taking responsibility for their education,and to let them learn a bit more about the President. I don't understand why parents think they must sit beside their child the whole time the speech is on. Can they not watch the speech themselves (there are many ways to see it, CSPAN, online etc.) and then discuss it that evening? Our school is not showing it in every grade, but my 4th grader's teacher said she would be showing it and invited any parent that wants to come watch along with the class to do so. I am certain most schools will allow this and would encourage it. The other thing I don't understand parents saying is that Obama is going behind their backs and forcing their children to watch the speech. He has given a week's notice, schools are not required to air it, schools that are airing it are allowing children to do alternate activities at that time. Going behind their backs would have been airing it in schools without informing parents and making it mandatory viewing. This whole right wing argument is ridiculous. I can't imagine ever being upset that my child is getting a great learning opportunity by being able to watch the President of the United States give a speech about education geared for them. I would have been a huge supporter of this had George Bush done it,even though I am not a supporter of his. Conservatives need to settle down, listen to the speech, and then feel really, really ashamed that they created such furor over a benign speech about education. I don't know how they will be able to tell their children that anything Obama says on Tuesday is not right, when he is going to be telling them to stay in school and get an education. They will be feeling pretty stupid on Tuesday evening when they realize the message is exactly what they would want any adult to tell their child. President Obama has been married to the same woman for 17 years, is a wonderful father, got an advanced degree and has been hard working his entire adult life. He came from single parent household with a very poor beginning. This is exactly the type of role model I want for my children. I don't agree with every position Obama has. I think the bailouts have all been a very bad idea. I am sure other things will come up over the years, I don't agree with him about. But I can't find fault with a message to stay in school and get an education, and I can't find fault with him as a wonderful moral role model for my children. I want my children to learn to listen to political speeches with a critical ear, and discuss it with me or others. I don't want my children to automatically agree with my position on topics. I hope they learn to form their own opinions based on values I helped instill in them. I don't think they have to hear political speeches in the same room as me. I think we can easily discuss them later,and hope to do so on Tuesday night.

Lost tooth and Happy Birthday

2009-01-11T12:52:00.002-06:00

James had a birthday party last night. It was just about 10 good friends and us. We had a great time, talking, playing the Wii and looking at Juliana's new smile all night long. Near the beginning of the party, Juliana told us her bottom tooth was very lose. I looked and sure enough, it looked like it would be easy to pull. I asked her if she wanted me to do it, and she said "NO!". She worked and worked at it, and all of sudden looked very surprised, held her hand up and said "look!". There in her hand was her tooth, and in her mouth a cute little gap! She showed every person at the party more than once her tooth. She would not put it down for anything. I finally found a little box for her to put it in. She carried the box around until bedtime. She also wrote the cutest note to the tooth fairy to leave under her pillow with the tooth. It said "I pulled my tooth out on my dad's birthday all by myself! All by myself! Hope you like my tooth. Love, Juliana." Several of James' friends (men) told her all night that the tooth fairy would bring her $50! I assured her that our tooth fairy does not give anyone $50! Our tooth fairy brings $2 for the first tooth and then $1 for all other teeth. The tooth fairy did give her $1 bonus for pulling her first tooth herself,however! She found 3 gold dollars under her pillow this morning.

Here is our girl with her missing tooth!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T14:51:00.002-06:00

The last two months of 2008 have been challenging and busy. James got laid off from DLR group in the middle of November due to the economy that everyone is having to deal with. Luckily his skills are still needed by his old company, so he has done some contract work for them. Also luckily, his coworkers all liked him and some of them have passed on some other contract jobs to him. I have also been able to pick up extra hours at work, so for now we have not yet had to struggle to make ends meet. But January and February are very slow birth months, so not only will I probably not get extra hours, I may get canceled and not even get my normal hours. Hopefully a new job is on the horizon for James. The kids are doing fabulously in school. Juliana has started guitar lessons and has taken to it so easily. Charlie won a spelling bee at school and came in second place in another spelling bee the same day. We had a nice family Christmas even though I had to work part of Christmas Eve. It was a downscaled version of our usual Christmases, but it was wonderful to be together and to all be healthy. We really are blessed. I have a feeling 2009 will be the start of wonderful new things in our lives. Happy New Year to all our friends and family!

Change has come

2008-11-05T08:21:00.009-06:00

Last night our country made history! Barack Obama won the Presidency. I feel so hopeful today. How wonderful that our country no longer sees black or white. We just see who is the best person for the job. Obama will surely help us gain back respect in the world, improve our economy, assure that everyone has basic healthcare. I just looked out my window, and there is a beautiful rainbow in the sky! This is what I saw. The picture is not as good as real life, but there is a faint rainbow visible between the trees. In real life, it was bright and clear.

What a wonderful sight that was. That gave me a sense of peace and hope. Now we must all come together and work at making this country strong once more. Obama's speech was wonderful and he reached out to those who did not support him. Let's hope they will reach out too and we can all work together to get out of this economic crisis. I feel so blessed to be raising my children in a time like this. My parents raised us to believe that all people should be equal, but we still noticed that wasn't really happening. My children can now see, that all people really are equal, and every child has a chance to achieve whatever dream they dream. Change truly has come!

6 years ago

2008-09-11T12:10:00.002-05:00

6 years ago today I went to my last OB appointment before my daughter was born. It was the 1 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and it was very surreal. I drove into the parking lot of the doctor's office and where normally I had to circle around the parking lot to find a place to park, this time I had my choice of any space in the lot. It was deserted. It looked like I had come there on a Sunday. I guess even in Kansas, people were worried what the 1 year anniversary would bring. I went in to my appointment, not knowing it would be the one where my doctor decided that she had to be born this week. My blood pressure was getting too high. My doctor said I could schedule my repeat cesearean section for later that day or on Friday the 13th, her next surgery day. I chose Friday the 13th! I didn't want Juliana to always have the shadow of an awful event clouding her birthday. Her birthday would not always fall on a Friday,and this way, she could look at what most people see as an unlucky day, as her lucky day! I went home knowing that our lives would change in two short days, and worried a bit about what that would mean for my 2 1/2 year old Charlie, who truly was the center of our world at that time. I spent the rest of that day, and the next on "bedrest" cuddling with Charlie, reading to him, and watching movies with him. I tried to avoid coverage of the anniversary of 9/11. Today, I forgot it was 9/11 until I read the news online. Amazing what time does. Today it is business as usual, unlike 7 years ago when the world stopped for many, and 6 years ago when everyone was waiting for something else to happen. I hope time has been kind to all those who lost loved ones, and that they have again found a bit of happiness in their lives, even though the pain of their loss will have forever changed who they were.

Democratic Convention

2008-08-29T15:45:00.003-05:00

I have really enjoyed watching the speeches at the Democratic National Convention this week. There were some really great moments. Hillary did exactly what she needed to do with her speech in making her supporters happy and at the same time endorsing Obama, and hopefully finally convincing those of her supporters that were not sure about Obama, that he is the right choice for our country. Bill Clinton also did a great job. I have always thought that no matter his bad personal choices, he was an excellent president. He gave us the strongest economy we have had in decades, and left us with a huge budget surplus. George Bush took that surplus and turned it into the largest deficit we have ever had. I wonder what our country would look like today had Al Gore gotten his rightful chance to lead our country. It still angers me that he won the vote in 2000 and yet never got to serve because of the corrruption of the Bush administration. Al gave a wonderful speech last night, and I think Obama is the person who will help us to achieve some of Al Gore's dreams of finding alternative fuel and energy sources, and helping our country be more environmentally conscience. Joe Biden's son made me tear up with his introduction of his father. I wasn't sure about Biden as a VP candidate, but after hearing his son's speech and then his own, I think he is a good man, and can be a great leader as well. I think Biden has the foreign policy experience that Obama needs. And then last night Obama's speech! WOW! He really is a great orator. And while I do not think he can begin to achieve every one of his goals while in office, I am thrilled that he has goals, and they are good ones! That is so much better than McCain wanting to keep the status quo! And now that I have seen McCain's choice of VP's, I wonder, what??? Really??? Who ever heard of Sarah Palin before today. He thinks Obama doesn't have enough experience to be president and he chooses a woman who was mayor of a small Alaskan town for a few years and has been Governor of Alaska for not even 2 years. Before that she was a sports reporter and commmercial fisherman. Alaska is a very small state in population. Obama was a state senator in Illinois for 7 years before becoming a US senator 4 years ago. Before that he was a community organizer and civil rights attorney. He has also taught Constitutional law. Illinois is a much bigger state than Alaska in population. Obama is very qualified to be president, without being jaded by too many years in Washington. McCain probably picked Palin to try to swing the vote of women who are upset that Clinton did not win the primary, and that Obama did not pick her to be his running mate. But those women who supported Hillary should know that Palin, in addition to being very inexperienced, is very conservative. She is Pro-life, Pro drilling for oil in the Alaskan Wildlife refuge, and she is against the rights of homosexuals to marry. I don't see how McCain can complain about Obama's inexperience when he picked Sarah Palin to be his successor should he die in office. I think Obama chose wisely when he picked a man whose strengths help where Obama may be lacking in experience. McCain chose very poorly. What can Sarah Palin offer his campaign, other than being a token woman on the ticket. Surely there were many more qualified Republican women he could have chosen.

Voting!

2008-08-18T18:09:00.004-05:00

I came across this video on CNN.com today. I love Daughtry, and I am a huge advocate of using your right to vote! I couldn't wait to turn 18 to use my voting power, and I have not missed an election since. I still like to go to the polls on election day (rather than doing the more convenient advanced voting) because there is something special about going to the polls, standing in line, and getting in that booth! I take the kids with me and tell them how important voting is. This is an important year to vote, we need to make sure our country gets out of the war in Iraq, rebuilds our terribly broken economy, and gets out from under the horrible mess Bush has gotten us into. Enjoy this video and use that right to vote in November!

Cub Scouts and School Supplies

2008-07-31T16:04:00.007-05:00

Today Charlie and I went with some of his Cub Scout den, to an organization called Crosslines to sort school supplies for kids whose families can't afford them. They help people in poverty or on the verge of poverty to help keep them above the poverty line. They plan to distribute 1700 backpacks full of supplies to kids. When we got there we saw boxes and bags stacked nearly to the ceiling (not kidding, I wish I would have had my camera). Our job was to go through the boxes and bags and sort them by type of supply. Crayons to one area, pencils to another, etc. There was a group of college students there whose job was to organize what we handed them into easily countable boxes. Then other adults were counting them. When they are all sorted and counted, the Crosslines staff will buy whatever else is needed to add to the bags so that each child will get an age appropriate backpack filled with supplies. They thought it would take 3 hours. There was another Boy Scout den there with older boys (about 13-14), a girl scout troop (they seemed about Charlie's age, 8) and some other volunteers. We got done with our sorting in an hour and half. I was so proud of our boys, they did a great job, and never complained. The adults still had to count, but they were making fast work of it as well. I organized this project for our den, because Charlie has been wanting to help kids ever since he watched American Idol Gives Back last winter. I think we will try to do it every year. It felt good to see all the supplies that had been donated. I hope it helps ease the burden for the families who receive them.

Expensive trip to the library

2008-07-16T18:22:00.002-05:00

We have been going to the library frequently to save money on books. I used to always buy them, but it is so easy to find a book online and have it held at the library to pick up, it is a much better way to go. This time around Charlie had 6 books, Juliana had 5 books, and I had 2. Our 1 year old dog, Sam, decided that library books are very tasty, and decided to eat 3 of them! One had very little damage, but two had big chunks out of their spines. They were still very readable, but I couldn't just turn them back in. I took all 3 to the counter. The guy said it happens all the time. He said sometimes people bring back dog training books that have been eaten. Isn't that funny? Anyway, he said he could pretend he didn't see the damage on the one that wasn't too bad, but I did need to pay for the other two. So now we own two partially chewed up books for the wonderful price of $25! We are going to be very careful where we keep our library books from now on. Sam gets no more tasty library books from us!

Kids are too funny!

2008-07-10T14:54:00.002-05:00

Juliana was just doing some "homework". I have a bunch of workbooks with basic math, grammar etc. The one she was working on was where she had to cut out numbers from the bottom of the page and paste them in the right spot on top where they were missing from. I was sitting at the computer and heard her start singing. Then I realized what she was singing. She was singing "One way or another, I'm going to find you, I'm going to get you, get you, get you, get you. One way or another." She was singing it over and over as she was finding the numbers. I had no idea she even knew that song. So appropriate for her task, and she was very in tune, and sang it perfectly.

A perfect day!

2008-07-01T22:26:00.002-05:00

Today was a perfect day. We started out doing errands of going to the library (we are doing lots of summer reading), taking Juliana's Kindergarten health form to her doctor to fill out, and taking a boy scout application up to the Boy Scout council office (I am the registration person for our pack this year). Then we got some lunch, both kids willingly helped me clean the house, they even both asked to please help me load the dishwasher and were fighting over who got to put the most dishes in. Then we headed to the pool. The weather was perfect, a nice sunny low 80 degree day. Juliana went down the big slide for the first time, and loved it. She went down about 20 more times! Then it was home, dinner, and out for a bike ride. Charlie finally learned how to ride his bike this past weekend and now he is a pro. I walked and the kids rode their bikes (Juliana's still has training wheels). James went halfway with us, then had to get home to work on a website. We went a mile and a half on the bike trails to a really nice park. The kids then played for a few minutes and we went back home another mile and a half. You would think after 3 miles, being very hot, tired and thirsty, the kids would have complained, whined or started fighting, but not this time. Both kids were happy, fantastically behaved, and rode all the way back home with no complaints. I think they will sleep very well tonight. It is days like these that make me so thankful to have them this age when they still like hanging out with their mom. Charlie even still holds my hand whenever he is walking near me. I cherish days like this!

Last Day of Preschool

2008-05-23T15:40:00.003-05:00

Today was the last time I pick up one of my kids at Old Mission Preschool. We met Miss Pam for the first time in 2003 when Charlie was 3 years old. The preschool was just down the road about a 3 minute drive from our old house. Charlie was a very outgoing kid and made friends quickly. He had Miss Pam on Tuesday's and Thursday's the first year, and then again the next year on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She was so wonderful and gave him such a great foundation for school that even though we had moved, and the preschool was now a 20 minute drive, I chose to have Juliana go there too. Juliana had the same teacher and same schedule as Charlie, two days a week the first year and 3 days a week the second. Juliana is much more shy, and it really took her the whole first year to really make friends. I was so glad she had the exact same class the second year with all the same kids except one. It made this year so wonderful for her and she really started to come out of her shell and even had several play dates this year. Today Juliana graduated from preschool. It is so bittersweet. How great for her to be starting a new journey and beginning Kindergarten in the fall, but very sad to be leaving behind a woman who has been so great for my kids. I know there is a good chance we will never see Miss Pam again. I am so lucky to have found the perfect school with the perfect teacher just because it was the closest place to my house 5 years ago! Miss Pam will always be remembered fondly in our house. She was one of the first people outside the family to recognize that Charlie is gifted and told me to be his advocate and make sure he got the special attention he needed. She helped Juliana to feel comfortable when it was difficult for her, and let her warm up in her own time. She has really helped Juliana to blossom socially and that made it easier for her to also show that she too is probably gifted. Here is a photo of Juliana and Miss Pam taken today at the graduation.

Today is one of those days you think HOW?

2008-05-15T08:27:00.003-05:00

During the day today,not much is going on. Just taking Juliana to dance class at 10am, and catching up on laundry, but as soon as Charlie gets off school, wowzer! First he has his last photography club meeting at 3:15, it is a final day party, so I have to take a snack up there for him to share. Then he has a baseball game at 5:00, and it takes a good 20 minutes to drive there, and that time of day, probably 30 min. So I will pick him up from the photography party at 4:00, rush home to change into his baseball uniform and dash off. Then he has a Cub Scout pack meeting that starts at 6pm. We will miss the first hour of that which is the actual meeting. It is a picnic tonight, so we will rush from baseball to the park for the last half of the Cub Scout picnic. Did I mention I have to also bring brownies to the Cub Scout picnic? I think I will be buying the brownies, instead of making them as I had intended. Did I also mention, after all that, Charlie still will have homework to do, and take a spelling test. He has gifted program tomorrow, so he misses the spelling test in his classroom, so we give it to him on Thursday nights! Poor kid is going to be exhausted, but will also be very stinky, so he will have to have a bath after all that! I think he will be having a 10pm bedtime tonight! Now what in the world will we do when Juliana gets her own activities to do too, once she starts Kindergarten? How do people with more than 2 kids ever manage to fit everything in?

What a wonderful weekend!

2008-05-11T16:44:00.003-05:00

This is a photo of James and I the night we got engaged in 1997.

10 years ago, on May 9th, 1998, James and I got married. I can't believe it has been 10 years. In some ways our wedding day seems so far away, and in some ways it seems like it just happened. Friday was our anniversary, but it was also the day of the school carnival. That is one of the funnest days of the year for Charlie and Juliana, so of course we had to take them. The best two things to come out of our marriage are Charlie and Juliana, so it was fitting to spend our anniversary with them, having fun at the carnival. We knew we could have our night alone Saturday night. I had taken the whole weekend off work to have time to celebrate 10 years of being married to my best friend. So last night, the kids went off to Grandma Lila and Grandpa Jerry's house to spend the night, and James and I went out to eat at McCormick and Schmick's, a wonderful seafood restaurant in town. It is a chain, but they have very good fresh seafood that they fly in daily. We had a great dinner, some good wine and fun conversation. Then we came home and practiced our Swing Dancing. We are taking Swing Dancing lessons because we won 3 free lessons at the school auction back in February. Thursday is our 2nd lesson. Neither one of us is a very good dancer, but we are having fun learning! It was a perfect evening, and I am so happy to still be in love with James after 10 years! I got so lucky when I found him! Tonight we are taking my mom and James' mom (and his dad and the kids) out to dinner for Mother's Day. A perfect way to end the perfect weekend!

Here is a picture of James and I on our wedding day.

Miracles of life

2008-04-29T18:10:00.003-05:00

I took a fetal monitoring course the last two days and it once again made me realize how lucky I was to have a healthy baby boy 8 years ago. If it had not been detected that he was no longer growing and my BP's were too high when I was 36 weeks along, and had they not delivered me that day, he might not be here. And I was reminded of what a miracle a woman's body is. Charlie had the kind of growth restriction that comes from having high blood pressure. The placenta no longer functions right, and so the blood from the mom goes to the fetus' brain and vital organs and not to the limbs and non-vital organs. So what you get is a baby with a normal sized head and chest, and very small abdomen and limbs. If not for this miracle of design, a baby would get robbed of precious oxygen everywhere and thus the brain would not get enough oxygen and the baby might have mental deficits. So while Charlie was only 4lbs and 4oz, and looked like an alien, his brain was bathed in oxygen so he has never had a developmental problem. In fact he is in the gifted program. I am amazed that the whole process works so well to protect a babies growing brain! Makes you think something higher must be at work for such a brilliant process. Babies that are symmetrically growth restricted usually have some mental deficits or congenital anomalies. But with the asymmetrical growth restriction that Charlie had, everything turns out normal once they are born. How lucky we were that everything worked the way it should.

Fishing

2008-04-24T16:54:00.003-05:00

Today we went fishing at a local lake with Charlie's Cub Scouts. It was fun. Juliana outdid her brother by quite a lot! She caught 4 fish to his 1! I had to get other adults to take the fish off their lines though, it was just too icky for me. By the last one she caught, I did try though. I actually had him in my hands and tried and tried to get that hook out, but just could not manage to do it. Next time, I will be brave, and work at it till I get it right. I don't want to be the prissy mom who won't get her hands slimy. I plan on trying to take them fishing more often this summer. We went as a family once last year. The kids really enjoy it, and Juliana is proving herself to be quite the fisherman! I bet her Gloucester cousins would be proud!

A beautiful spring day is a day to get muddy!

2008-04-21T18:06:00.007-05:00

This is how I found the kids when I went to check on them playing in the backyard! My first instinct was to yell and get irritated and tell them to go wash up! My second instinct was to get my camera take some pictures and let them be kids! I am so glad I went with the second instinct! At 38 it is sometimes hard to remember what it felt like to make a good pile of mud, stick my hands in and just get messy! But what fun that is for a kid. Their arms will wash, their clothes will wash (and if it doesn't all come out, oh well, they are just clothes), and my floors will wash from the mud that was tracked into the house. If I had yelled and taken away their fun, what would they remember? They would remember that their mom was an angry person who ruined their fun! Now they can remember the way that mud felt squishing in their hands, the way it looked when it went from light brown dry dirt, to dark, rich thick chocolate colored mud, the way it smelled like the earth from which many living things come. Oh to be a kid again, and just enjoy playing in the mud!

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!

2008-04-10T11:25:00.002-05:00

That game Monday night was incredible. I could not watch parts of it, too stressful. But KU was able to pull out the win in overtime and once again are National Champions! The last time we were National Champions, I was 18, a senior in high school! 20 years sure goes by quickly! I have been getting emails lately from high school classmates planning our 20 year reunion. That just doesn't seem possible. I don't feel that old. I remember when my mom had her 20 year reunion, I felt like she was old and should be celebrating her 20 year reunion. But now that it is me, I don't feel old enough to have graduated 20 years ago! Do teenagers see me as that old?? I guess they do. Other things make me realize how old I am too. Like on Idol, the week they did the songs from the years they were born. Wow, that was eye opening! Most of those kids were born when I was in college!!! I am old enough to be their mom! Even the old ones, Michael Johns, David Cook and Carly I have about 10 years on! But I have accomplished what I wanted to when I graduated. I have a job I love, a wonderful husband who I admire and respect so much, two great kids, a house, 2 dogs, and good friends. I couldn't ask for more.

On another note, last night, we were watching Idol Gives Back, and it moved Charlie to tears. Honestly. He was so upset that there are so many kids suffering, he gave me all the money he has, and wants to donate his allowance this week too. I suggested we make it a Cub Scout service project and put a big jar in the front of the school to collect money and donate to Idol Gives Back. He has a meeting tonight, so we will talk with his den about it,and see if they want to do that. That way Charlie will learn that he can inspire others to give also, and he can organize a fundraiser for a cause he feels deeply about. He had trouble sleeping, and was crying at bedtime thinking about those kids he saw in Africa and in the US that have so much less than he does. He made me so proud. I am glad to know he cares about other people and wants to do something about it!

New to this blogging thing,

2008-04-06T16:31:00.000-05:00

This is my first blog. I thought I would try to do this a few times a week to keep out of town family updated, as well as have a place to record significant things in our lives. This week has been pretty ordinary. The kids had their usual activities, school and baseball for Charlie, preschool and dance class for Juliana. Juliana also had Kindergarten round-up on Friday. I can't believe next fall, both kids will be in school. Juliana will be half day only, in the mornings. They do offer full day, but you have to pay $60 a week, and I can't justify spending $240 a month for public school when my job hours are flexible. Juliana did well at round-up, she was her usual shy self, and did not talk to anyone, but she wasn't one of the many who were screaming and crying when seperated from their mom's. She went calmly with the 6th graders and adult helpers, and did her tasks while I listened to the parent information in another room. I hope when she starts Kindergarten, she will come out of her shell a bit, and actually talk to other kids. She does pretty well in preschool now, and asks to play with some of the other kids after school. These will be all new kids in Kindergarten though.

Last night my college basketball team, the University of Kansas, won their first round game in the NCAA championship Final Four against North Carolina. What a great game. We came out strong and were ahead 40-12 in the first part of the 1st half, then we got sloppy and tired and let NC come back to within 4 in the first part of the 2nd half. Then amazingly, we came back strong again and ended up winning by 18pts! It was an especially sweet victory because 5 years ago, our coach, Roy Williams, left to coach at North Carolina. Fans of KU basketball have been bitter ever since, even though we all love our new coach, Bill Self. It was hard to accept the resignation of a man who 3 years earlier swore he would never leave KU. To defeat him and keep him out of the championship game, just felt good somehow! Now Monday night we have a chance to beat Memphis and become the National Champions. We last were National Champs exactly 20 years ago, when I was a senior in high school, 1988! Our road to the Final Four was exactly the same, 2 games in Nebraska, 2 in Michigan. The location of the Final Four is different, but I really feel this is again our year!

Go Jayhawks!