My neighbors live in Africa during the school year. The house across the street is empty for now but in the summer they come back and I love to hear about how my neighbor lives over there. She told me about how she goes to the market each day. That's how I like to plan for dinner more often than not. But it is just not the same going in to a grocery store or Let's Dish store. I want to peruse the outdoor market looking for what I feel like eating that day. Doesn't this picture look warm and colorful and yummy? She talks about the bartering she does as well and that part I would not be good at yet. But I sure would like to give it a try sometime. We often think about going to Australia and working in the outback sometime when our older kids are gone. I wonder if we will make that a reality. I could really see us doing it. At least for 6 months or so, which are the advertized job positions currently that Tim sees available.

Couldn't wait, had to take it NOW

Well I couldn't wait any longer so I just prepared the kids Friday evening and declared January 31st as a Mother's Day. And I have to say it was wonderful and a great thank you for making it a happy Holidays for them and all the busy sign up times for summer stuff that all has to be done in January. I hate planning that far ahead and really hate planning at all but I was on top of things this year and so I deserved a big thank you day. And they obliged, the sweet things! The 9 yr old started the day by giving me a chocolate heart from the bowl of my own supply which was wonderful, thought that counts. Then they each proceeded to clean up around the house and I got to have some free time, which is normally unheard of for me on Saturday. I read my BYU magazine on the couch in the sunlight for a half hour and I got to play some more on creating a card I have been working on for my card club. (Allison, tell the girls I think the theme should be "go green"! My new favorite designer-fabric and paper- is Heather Bailey. Check her out on-line and her blog is fun too.) Then I got sick, oh well, it was good while it lasted and I feel better today. Stupid cold viruses, hate em.

I'm a nut or an Almond Joy!

I just got new music yesterday at my flute lesson. I am trying some Claude Bolling flute and jazz piano pieces. I didn't really think I would like Jazz but turns out I do! I am going to play Irlandaise for my spring recital. Here is James Galway playing it on utube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsjCby54uSM

He rocks! By the way, I loved seeing Yo-Yo Ma play at the Inauguration. Lovely talent! So after practicing for the last 90 minutes(sweet escape) I must get back to reality. Kids and food:)

Reconnecting

Yay I'm back! I walked in Starbucks tonight at my local Target and the young ladies getting my hot chocolate were so happy to see me. Don't know them at all personally but it was good to be out and about without running so fast to avoid freezing and get back in warm car/house. It was good to see them too. And the same holds true for my blogging world--I've missed you all! While I was away I was reconnecting with the teens. They really do get further away as they get older. The Holidays were a nice time to reconnect.

This is how I perceive myself:

And here is some of what we did together. I love that my kids still WANT and are WILLING to hang out together.

First time for me taking a picture of myself!

I'm not sure where to look! But Lauren is a natural!
(All that cell-phone practice)

Wow, she is amazing!

I had time earlier in the week but I lounged in bed, fully knowing I would be crunched for time later. I tried avoidance and the Holiday hectic is catching up to my psyche. So I didn't call my mom for help until the very last minute and she pulled it out for me! What an inspiration that was for me to be more patient and helpful when my own kids leave things to the last minute.
Before dawn yesterday I am up to get son off to early morning religion class with only 4 or 5 hours of sleep under my belt. Then other two kids off to school by 8am, everyone gone. I pile back under the covers and slip into the thoughts I am having after finishing The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I am up sometime before noon, have time to shower and get ready to face the day. Off to a friend's house to shop at a CaBI end of the year clearance. A few fun outfits later I head to the fabric store looking for fun Christmas prints, they are getting really bad lately, hardly carrying anything. I am going to stick with my outlet store from now on. Husband is home from office for a few hours before heading in to work. I come home after grabbing a few things at Target and start split pea soup just before kids start coming home at 2:50p. Then I start thinking I should have gotten some excercise in , oh well maybe tomorrow. Now I start trying to figure out how to download SD cards on camcorder bought this summer so I can record oldests' band concert for his father. Oldest comes home at 3:30p and I haven't made much progress. I start thinking about just going to buy another, the fourth, card when I start reading the manual for the camera. Seems easy but now I am starting to get stressed. "The soup is bubbling" my oldest says as the youngest comes in at 4:10p, hungry and cold and only wanting one thing, to advance his PS2 game to unlock more cars, players or something he is all revved up for. I bargain with him to do his homework first, lots of whining at this point but he does it. At 4:45 the girl calls for a ride home and I know there is a piano lesson at 5p to get youngest to so I sit him in front of soup bowl and hop in the car. Now it is rush hour and it takes me longer to get there and back, I already have a ticket warning in this city so no speeding. Pick up the youngest at 4:48p and he is a couple minutes late which I am bemoaning so the girl is quiet. Then back home find the oldest still trying to figure out my camera, he is frustrated so by 5:40 after taking girl to piano and picking up youngest I find him dressed for band concert but now engrossed in PS2 as well, he struck up a plan with youngest to help him unlock those things! He is in car and we are heading to High school when I finally call my mom. She is up to the task, put off who knows what to help me in my crisis (created by you know who!). She needs model number of camera, it's at h0me. I pick up girl from piano lesson at 6:15. Back at home by 6:25 and now I have 40 minutes daughter says to relax and starts to tell me about her day. Then she thinks otherwise and leaves me talking with grandma who is now holding my hand stoically over the phone looking up camera model and info on-line and grasping the language rather quickly. Seems like my new camera is so sophisticated that it only can run with HD technology included so we figure that out and download, now trying to find it on hard drive of computer so we can be sure it did before I format the disk to take to concert. For a minute or two it is unclear then 6:58 we think we have it and more to learn later but disk is clear and ready to go. I am off to concert that starts at 7:30 and am there waiting with 10 minutes to spare! Didn't get a chance to see husband leave for work, but maybe later. Concert goes well, taping works great, good camera. Now it is 9:30p, the boy and I are hungry for dinner and we pick up a pie, French apple cheesecake and head home to eat. He heads off to bed by 10:10p and I have a book read to me by youngest, who doesn't want to go to bed and has been short of sleep all week and girl finally gets to tell me about her day in whispers under the frustration of the boy reading that thinks I can't be listening to him and her at same time-honestly! Pie is in fridge, I leave on a note for husband whose only birthday wish was, I don't even know! I settle down in bed to watch late news and he calls to say he will be home in a couple hours. I wish him Happy Birthday and wake up this morning to do it all again, yes with the sleeping until noon as well but this time I wasn't alone. Now I check my email and my mother, bless her heart, has researched my camera and email me all kinds of info and even highlighted the parts for me to see like cliff notes! All I can say is "Wow, she is amazing!"

Bring it on-we're ready!

And the house is ready too!

Inside and out!

Lauren's themed tree
And it came and more is on the way!

Every year is a big push to get the leaves raked up on time, the windows replaced with their storm counter-parts and plastic taped over them. Then there is the outside water valves to shut off and and then get the lights out before it gets finger-numbing cold. This year we did it and even shoveled the first snow off the drive right away before driving on it in spots that don't lift off until Spring. So there are benefits to not traveling in the Fall. But I miss the adventure of travel. Maybe Tim is on to something when he talks about selling the house and just living in the RV!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqLG7bVA-dk

Reaching the one

I had ten 7 yr olds in my Sunday school class that I teach this past Sunday. Seven year olds are wonderfully joyful and love to participate. However, this Sunday one in the class, who was visiting, was quicker than the rest to perceive inequalities in a matching game that I had for them to play. And he subsequently opted to show with his body language that he didn't care to play then. I had every person turn over one of the eight cards fearing that not every one would get a turn and immediately he realized and voiced that he would never be able to make a match based on where he was seated. After the class was over and I was talking with my Dad, a gifted/talented teacher, I felt bad that I missed the opportunity to reach that one child. He remarked that it is extremely hard to do. My husband quickly pointed out the principle the Savior said to save the one and the other 99 would make it too. In practice it is so hard to teach to the one in a group setting. My own children have complained about this in the past. And from a parent perspective it is disheartening BUT hard to do in a group setting. How to engage the gifted child? Perhaps I could have enlisted his help with me or offered to mix the cards and play again with groups or individuals getting to turn two cards over at a time. The problem is I am not gifted and just don't think that fast or ahead at the time.
I went to a GT lecture tonight sponsored by my school district led by clinical social worker. The analogy was presented that we as parents of gifted teens are steering a canoe in which the teen is in the bow and we are heading toward rapids. How do we help them navigate when each has a different approach? Do we want to still want to be in the canoe with them when they reach the other end of the riverway? Often we react to what is approaching or more particularly to how the child is acting at what they are facing. So we need to save energy for the whole journey and help them talk about what they are feeling or options to tackle the task ahead. We will hopefully never give up on our own kids, that they can count on that is huge. The story of the prodigal son is told from the point of view of the parent. And that is the one person that has the expertise and loving desire to reach the one.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/brain-and-behavior/2008/11/26/how-to-deploy-the-amazing-power-of-the-teen-brain.html?PageNr=1