Thursday, March 31, 2011

I know it's in there SOMEWHERE

I think I have talked about my boy before. Not on this blog, but on my other one. I know I have. And there are plenty of pictures of him (and his sister) on this blog. Anyway I know I did a post in which I talked about him and how he can be such a stinker AND such a sweetheart.....all at the same time.

So on Tuesday he went to pre-school. And when I went to pick him up I got this report from his teacher, "He had a hard time today. Lots of pushing and pinching. It was really hard to keep our hands to ourselves today." UGH! So frustrating. He really just can't resist bugging others. (Maybe he's his mother's son)

So we talked about that. And decided that Thursday things would be different. We would try harder to do better.

As we walked into the room today I left him with one last reminder, "What are we going to do today?" And he told me, "Not hit or pinch or push." I said, "So we need to what?" "Keep our hands to ourselves." was his little reply, as he went off to the bathroom to wash his hands while I signed him in. As I was leaving he rushed after me to give me a kiss good-bye. (the joy of having a LITTLE boy- they aren't too embarrassed to give you loves in public yet)

When I came back to pick him up later, I got this report:
(in case you can't read it: {the boy} is doing great today. Being respectful and following rules)

He did fantastic today! Then I find out that it was partly to do with the fact that, for pretty much the full 2 hours, he laid on a giant dog under the table. His report to me was, "I didn't do anything!" I had to chuckle at that. And as soon as we were walking to the car he said' "Mom, where's that thing they gave you?" Talking about the little packet of papers they give each day with the report for the day. I handed to him and he said, "Read it and see how I did." He was SO proud to tell me how well he did.

I knew that sweet kid was in the somewhere! Just waiting for his chance to shine.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Thanks for the lessons sister dear!

Today I was standing at the counter making lunch.
Good 'ol PB&J.
All natural PB
and homemade J.
MMMMM mmm

I was joking around with the kids.
At our house we like to change words around.
Switch the first letter.
Example:
"Mom can I have a drink?"
"What? you want a sink?"
"No! A drink!"
What? A kink?"
You get the idea.

I was doing something of that sort, when whatever it was I said made me think of something from my childhood. So I said it!
"What? You got ants in your pants that make you do a boogie dance!!?"

They BUSTED up laughing!
So I laughed too.
And then the girl says to me
"Did Aunt G---- tell you that!?"

I guess all things silly come from sister7.
Who, most recently, sang them a song called
"If I was you mother".
Which made them want to stay with her.
And be her children.
The boy was even getting his shoes on.
Until I told them it wasn't true.
And she wouldn't really ______________
(fill in blank w/ all kinds of great promises)

Maybe I'll get a recording of it sometime.
It's a doosey!

ps- i find myself seeing/thinking of more than one thing a day that i could post about. and then i think- oh i could save that one for tomorrow! because what if i don't find something tomorrow!?
but i guess that would be cheating. and i always find something- as long as i look. but there are so many great things to share when i actually get right down to it!!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Hatching some Reading Eggs

The girl has been struggling with her reading this year. Which is frustrating to me (as well as to her I'm sure), and concerning to her teacher. Next year reading becomes even more important, and she is just not up to level right now.

I had a phone conversation with her teacher today in which we discussed different ways to help the girl. And one thing that the teacher suggested was to try this web site.
 The girl "played" on it for over an hour this afternoon! I started her well below her level, but it is with the hope that she will build confidence and move up quickly.

I am blessed that my daughter has such a great teacher that is so willing to help my child as much as possible. Because there is really not much doubt in my mind that if she was in the school she previously attended, this issue would not have been caught and she would be moving into the next grade and struggling through the year over there. As it is we have come up with some plans to {hopefully} help her want to learn to read better and to become a more confident reader and not fall too far behind before she catches up AND (most importantly) not be heading down a path that leads to hating school.

Don't want to count my eggs before they hatch {☺}, but I think we have something here.

Monday, March 28, 2011

When you look, it's easy to find

As I went about my day today I had in the back of my mind the thought "Keep your eyes open. Remember to look for something happy today." Trying to remember to do it for my blog. Trying to keep the reminder there so I would have a happy something to report at the end of my day.

And so as I went into my day the thought of, "Wow! The puppy didn't wake up until 6:30 this morning." was a good way to start. And a bit later I realized it was 7:00 before the children made an appearance. Not too bad either. At 10:30 I took the boy over to play at a friend's house and he was exuberant that it was HIS turn, with no sister around, to have a play date. His face made me smile. As we left to go pick him up from the play date I noticed a hummingbird drinking from the flowers on my Aloe Vera plant. We gave the puppy a bath. She looked like a drowned rat- miserable. But it was cute, so I smiled at that too. After the bath she was tuckered out, and laid down to take a nap. I could not find her, until the girl pointed out to me that she was laying under the curtains. The BLACK curtains. Pretty camouflaged, that little pup. (look for that photo on my picture blog) And shortly thereafter I noticed another hummingbird at the Aloe. (both times I wished I had my camera) I looked at my sister's health and fitness blog and saw some of the goals she has set for herself, and I am SO happy for her and want her to succeed! It brings a smile to my face that she is brave enough to put it all out there for the world to see....accountability and all that.

As I went through my day, every time something came up, I thought, "Could this be it? Is this what I want to share today? Is this the one?" And as I come to the close of my day I realize that my happy thought for today has been that when you take the time to look for something happy/uplifting/positive/bright/cheerful you will find it. Everywhere. In everything. All you have to do is look. Or take the time to pause and recognize. You don't even have to stop, just pause! We are all busy. Who has time to stop, let alone slow down? But to pause? I think we all can take the time for that!

Just LOOK! 
You'll be amazed at what you see.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Manly things

I remember as a little girl watching my dad polish his Sunday shoes. I remember thinking it was SO cool. I don't exactly know why I thought it was so cool, but I just did.

I remember being amazed, when I got married, that the husband ALSO shined his shoes. And thinking how neat it was. And how did he know how to do that? I guess it's just one of those "guy things" that they just know how to do. Like shaving their face. (I don't think I could do that.)

And today I was sitting in the kitchen, eating my breakfast, when I hear the husband talking to the boy.
"Are you dressed for church?"
"Yes."
"Where are your shoes?"
I assume the boy got them and took them to his father, because the next thing I hear was the husband telling the boy to "watch" because he was going to polish them. And so there was a moment between father and son, where one of those manly secrets was passed from one generation to the next. And so the boy watched his daddy, his hero, not even realizing that some seeds for manly skills were being planted.

After I finished my breakfast I went into my room to take a shower. And there were those cute little shoes sitting on the end of my bed all shined up and ready for church. And my heart smiled, because of the teaching moment that took place between a father and son at my house this morning. And the husband's {bigger} shoes were sitting on the floor all polished and ready to go too.
And honestly- I'm glad he did that today for one more reason- I was looking at those shoes last Sunday thinking how much I don't like them and how scabby they looked. Now I think I can handle them for a while longer- because really, he still has a bit of room to grow in them.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

My trials are MINE

Today the husband told me a story that he had heard on a CD he was listening to. About a man that was riding his motorcycle, turned his head to look at something for 2 seconds and when he looked back the semi in front of him had stopped. In an attempt to miss hitting the semi, he laid his bike on the side and slid under the truck. In the process a hole was worn in the gas tank from rubbing on the road and because of the sparks and the leaking gas, it exploded. He was burned over 75% of his body. And he lost all of his fingers. Then if that wasn't enough- after he had recovered from that, and was doing great, he learned to fly planes. During the take off of one of his flights he forgot to do ONE check off on his list, and the plane crashed. He was paralyzed from the waist down. The husband says- but one good thing to come from that is that since he no longer needed his feet they were able to amputate his toes and graft them onto his hands and he now has fingers again. What experiences for someone to endure! And through them he CHOSE to have a positive & happy attitude.

Amazing people are around me everyday. I look at what they go through and wonder HOW they even survive. I would have broken long ago if those were my trials! And I realize, once again, that I am grateful for my trials. Because I know that I can handle them, because they were tailor made just for me. So I'll keep mine and you keep yours and we'll call it even. Sound fair?

From my kitchen window

Are you blessed enough to have a window over your kitchen sink? Have you ever really noticed the view from there? I do. And I have. And usually the things I have seen from there have brought a smile to my face. I love the things I can see from my kitchen window. I don't have a vast expanse of land. Or beautiful gardens to greet my eyes. But I have a swing set smack dab in the middle of the yard. And two cute children that LOVE to play on that thing. And grass. I used to have a tree....before it died. But I even saw cute things playing on that dead tree.

Thinking of my kitchen window makes me smile because it makes me remember all of the fun things I have spied through that window. Happy things. And so I named this blog "From My Kitchen Window" because I want to devote it to positive happy things. I need to focus on those things a little more. And I'm going to. I want to find at least one thing every day that is positive in my life. A picture, a cute thing one of my children did, a quote or saying, something nice I did for someone else (or the other way around as is usually the case), etc. You get the point.

So come with me on my journey to find the happy things in every day life, as I share the view from my kitchen window with you!