A Star Is Born!

My six year old daughter had her first dance recital this weekend. It was her first time ever to experience the big stage. I don't think she enjoyed it much. (HA!) Once again, the apple doens't fall far from the tree. :-)

BTW- my dancing diva is the one on the middle.



Sorry the video quality is lacking. We weren't supposed to record the recital, but I sneakily used my digital camera anyway. And I'm so glad I did- it's priceless.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

OK, anyone who knows me knows my slight compulsion with lists. I have lists for everything. Lists of things to do in the morning, lists of things to do in the evening, lists of people I need to call or email, lists of places I need to go in a given week, lists of things I need from various stores, lists of lists I need to make. :-) It really is a borderline illness. But never-the-less, I am a list person and it helps me feel sane in my hectic world. So today, a very proud moment occurred. My six year old daughter made her first to do list...all on her own. I just happened to stumble upon it. Oh, the pride! It's in the DNA. I loved that she seemed to get the same great pleasure by marking off the things she had completed as well. Indeed, my extremely laid back, often scatterbrained child does have a touch of OCD in her. :-) She is a little like her mom after all. So anyway, like any completely crazed mother, I took a picture of the momentous occasion. I should mark down the date in her baby book- hahahahahaha.

I don't know if you can read the list, but the first thing she has listed is "check on Mommy" LOL! I think the reason for this is b/c today was the first day we watched my niece and boy did Mommy get tired. It's pretty funny how easily you forget how much work 9 week old babies are!!!! But I have two fantastic helpers. One is already an expert bottle maker and the other likes to entertain her by dancing around, singing silly songs and making funny faces. Speaking of my beautiful niece, here she is! And if you're wondering...yes that IS red hair you see. :-) (you have no idea how much that makes me beam with delight).

Paybacks

OK, no soapbox today, just a random vent. Am I the only one that sees cleaning as this horribly mad circle that never ends? For once I'd like to clean a room of my house and go back the next day and it still be all nice and sparkly and clean.

I had a big cleaning day Friday. I actually didn't have any obligations the entire day, except to get the kids to and from school, so I dove in. I swept and vacuumed. I scrubbed counters and walls (you'd be surprised how many finger prints make it onto my walls- ugh). I organized, and I cleared clutter. It felt good. I had a clean house. Then the kids came home. And the weekend happened. And I woke up this morning and no one would ever guess that I spent an entire day cleaning just three days ago. Sigh.

I guess you chalk it up to having a very active house with two kids (and two dogs and other random children coming in and out throughout the week). We are clean people. My kids have to keep their rooms clean, they help with chores on a weekly basis, they fold laundry and wash dishes. According to them I am very unfair and quite the tyrant because they are expected to help out around the house so much. :-) And anyone who knows my hubby knows he's a bit compulsive about organization and being clutter free. But even with all that, we have this weird phenomenon that as soon as you put things away or clean a room and then turn your back, well somehow, someway, it all becomes a mess again. In the blink of an eye. I don't get it. What am I doing wrong? Is it foolish of me to think things should stay in there place all the time? That I shouldn't have to repeat fifteen KAZILLION times that when you are finished with a cereal bowl you rinse it out and put it in the dishwasher?

I'm sure all those seasoned moms out there are laughing at me right now. I know my mom is. I was not the neatest child in the world. I guess what goes around comes around... paybacks, right mom. :-) And I guess it's good to know that she has a very clean house now. My time will come... maybe I shouldn't be so anxious to have a perfectly clean house all the time.

My life is an oxymoron!

Baby Grand, Jumbo Shrimp, Organized Choas.
All oxymorons. But I have a new one to add to the list...

Stay-at-home-mom.

Maybe I'm a rare breed of stay-at-home moms. But I, for one, am NEVER home! I realized this when a lady asked me in the middle of a typical hectic day, "so you stay-at-home with your kids?" I found that to be such an ammusing statement. No, I do not earn income, but the term stay-at-home certainly does not apply to my life!

Then I started thinking about the term "working mom" and thought that is a pretty silly term as well. All moms work! Income or no income, motherhood is work. I know plenty of amazing moms who have careers outside of motherhood, or earn income to help ends meet at home. They work double time. Responsibilities with being a mom and responsibilities with work. "Working mom" doesn't give them half the credit for the responsibilites they hold.

And I know plenty of moms who like myself, choose to not earn income so we can concentrate on volunteering and being a full-time advocate for our kids. But "stay-at home mom" doesn't really describe what we do. Most of the "stay-at-home moms" I know put in enough hours at the schools, or doing other community service, to be considered "full-time" in most any company's human resources handbook.

I understand society wanting terms to describe income making vs. non-income making moms. But I hate lables. I really do. Does it really matter if I earn money or not? Lables often generate seperation. Both ends are sometimes made to feel guilty for choosing what they choose. And that is ridiculous.

The question should not be "are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work?"

The statement should be "you're a mom? Awesome! Thank you for all you do."

Learning CAN be fun!

I got to witness such fun in my daughter's K classroom today. They are doing a unit on butterflies. They've already watched several caterpillars build their chrysalis, emerge, and then set the beautiful new butterflies free. They can tell the difference between monarch butterflies, painted ladies, and queen butterflies (and know that even the boy queen butterflies are still queen butterflies, not kings). They have learned the difference between a cacoon and a chrysalis. They have learned the difference between a host plant and a nectar plant in the life of a butterfly. And they even have witnessed a spicebush swallowtail caterpillar turn from electric green to the color of bright orange marigolds when a pot of marigolds was placed by it's "bungalow". Today the kids got to act like emerging butterflies. It was so much fun for them. And a hoot for me to watch!


Snug as a bug in a rug (or a caterpillar in a chrysalis)
Wiggling out of a chrysalis without breaking your delicate wings is no easy task!
She's free!

This is what learning is all about. Hands on, fun activities. I completely understand the need and importance of rote learning as well. But I think it's so important for students to get these sort of opportunities in the classroom too. We are so fortunate that both the kids have creative teachers this year. My son's teacher LOVES projects, which is a great way to learn subject matter. And my daughter's teacher is so creative. They cook every week, they take tours around the campus observing nature, they paint, they create, and they learn to think out of the box. Learning can be such fun if you put a little creativty into it!

Happy Mother's Day!

I had one of the best Mother's Day...each year seems to get more and more special. This year was really fantastic. I was awakened by two shining faces Sunday morning with a tray of pancakes and a tall glass of oj. What a way to start the day! We spent the day with my mom (who is truly the most incredible mom on the planet- if I can be half the mom she is, I know I'll be a success), my awesome mother-in-law (who is another amazing mother- she created and raised the most loving, kind, and truly spectacular man on the earth) and I got to spend the day with my sis, who is celebrating her first mother's day! How special is that! Already she is proving to be another awesome mom and one that I admire and love. We shared a meal, played with the kids, snuggled with the baby. My oldest wrote me a beautiful poem that I already have framed. My daughter made me two pieces of lovely pottery. And then she, my sister, and my mom had a ball in the kitchen making me a batch of homemade cookies! It was a sweet treat to end a sweet day. I am so incredibly blessed. I have an amazing husband, amazing kids, and amazing role models. Thank you to all the moms out there. I am inspired by many. It's not always the easiest job, but there is absolutely nothing more rewarding in life.

Thank a teacher!

Next week (May 5-9) is National Teacher Appreciation Week. So if you know a teacher, thank them. If you are a teacher, I thank YOU! Teaching is one of those professions that can be so distorted by politics and media. It irritates me when teachers are looked upon as never satisfied or as the cause of the downfall of education. There are issues in education these days...believe me, I know. But I firmly believe that the vast majority of our teachers do it b/c it is a calling. It is a passion. It is in their blood to teach our children and impact our future generations. And I also believe the majority of them do an outstanding job. I have been in so many classrooms over the last several years. From private schools to public. Title 1 schools, to schools in affluent areas. And I am always in awe of what these teachers have to do outside of the basic "teaching" of curriculum. They are advisors and couselors. They are peace mediators and instructors of positive parenting skills. They are nurses and they are motivators. They are social workers and they are models of character. Some parents don't realize so many kids come to school with so much baggage. And these kids are from all walks of life. And you can't not address that baggage and yet expect the kids to learn the academics. I could go on, but I'll end with my rant with this. Most teachers do their best. And most teachers do an awesome job. I think they deserve a pat on the back and a thank you. Next week is a perfect time to do it.