Just can't help myself

It's a blue moon so we have to go with the music today!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPdEB0lvw0o&feature=related

Or to take it a bit more upbeat:

White slacks--old lady or hip young thing?

I have taken to wearing white slacks  a lot.  When I wear them to work, I think they look sharp, dressy and "hip" since many of the younger teachers also wear white slacks or cropped pants.

But when we went to a family gathering, I realized that some women who are a good bit older than me would also wear white slacks. 

Suddenly I cringed.  I have become a white slacks lady.  And I don't know if it means I'm like my grandmother--white in the summertime and off white for the winter--or like the young kids who wear white.

I guess I'm a 'tween?

A little taste of Germany

When my cousins visited a few years ago they made us an authentic German meal.  After the meal we insisted on getting the recipe.  It's a little rough but it works:

Meatcakes

Ground Beef
4 eggs/5 lbs
Roll or French Baguette soften in warm milk
Salt & Pepper
Parsley
a little sweet pepper powder paprika
(a little curry)
onions

Make meatballs
Put mustard on top and bottom
Put all around in bread crumbs
Cook in pan with high heatable oil

How to celebrate a birthday

We have finished up a few weeks of birthdays in the family circle--four birthdays in ten days.  Fortunately I was not surrounded by birthday cake all that time! 

We celebrated from the youngest turning 9 to the oldest turning 79.

Most of the birthdays came and went without a lot of fanfare.  One was in the middle of the week (first day of school) and others were sprinkled throughout the week.  But for one, we had a party.

Yes, a party for my 79 year old aunt.  She has 11 children but not all were able to attend.  But what a great celebration of her life.  Can you even imagine having that many in the family?  It amazes me.  My dad tried to help prepare us for the gathering by listing all the kids and how many kids they had. . .not an easy task.  But an imporant one.  When we were little we visited with this aunt but I was never able to keep track of all the kids.  And she was one I felt I hardly knew.  I think we are all so blessed now to have time to spend together.  She's got stories and we need to hear them.

My oldest got a chance to learn to play Euchre (not impressed).  And then they pulled out the dominoes for a game.  But soon the crowd was too big and the party itself too much fun to play any games at all.

Good stuff.

Awesome Roast Beef Sandwiches

A friend shared this recipe a little while back.  It is amazing.  I have actually restricted the kids from having too much of it so that I can have leftovers for my lunch!  Bad mommy!  Follow the link to an incredibly easy and thoroughly delightful meal!

Best Beef Dip Ever

Dreams

This is one that I stumbled upon a few years ago because one of my former students shared that she loved Brandi Carlile.  So I picked up the CD and for a while, this song was the last one we listened to before the girls got out of the car for school.  It's guaranteed to put you in a mood to go conquer the world (and when that world involves middle school girls, you need all the help you can get!) but at the very least it wil make you smile.

(We especially love the drums!)

Blog ideas

Why is it that I can be in church and come up with some fantastic idea to write about but by the time I get home and sit down to write, the idea is gone?

How can that be? 

We were waiting for the girls to finish their responsibilities as servers and I had a flash of an idea.  Then we talked to some other families and by the time I got home and made lunch, my fantastic idea was gone with the wind.

Sigh.  Must be my old age showing through.

"Old" country music

Except it's new.  But somehow both of these songs from this year have that "old country" sound to them.  Love them. . . .

First we have Sunny Sweeney--she even has a fantastic country name.  I first heard her singing "From a Table Away" a year or so ago.  I thought it sounded like old country.  When I searched for more of her music on youtube I found some comments about how her music is different from much of the current country scene.  I agree.

And second is is Joanna Smith with "We Can't Be Friends"

I'm not sure what it is about these song that make me think "old country" but I love them both.

What stinks?

"What is that smell?" (out of the mouth of my youngest)

(Inaudible--from my oldest)

"No.  It smells like dirt.  It really stinks in here!" (from the youngest again)

So I call in to them--"It's probably dirty dog paws that you are smelling."

"No.  It smells like her!"

Siiiiiigh.  I thought little girls were all sugar and spice.

Guess not.

Nobody ever asks a father how he manages to combine marriage and a career.

So Marissa Mayer landed the job as CEO of Yahoo.  And she is pregnant.  Which some says just begs the question--how can she do both?

It also leads to the question "Would we be saying the same thing if this was Martin Mayer?"  No, I don't know him--do you?  He's just a made up name to make the point--if the new CEO was a man with a wife due in October, would anybody care?

I think not because it is assumed that men do not have the child our household responsibilities that women do. 

(Note to self. . .use your words for good here, not to grumble and complain).

Smiling brightly and continuining. . .

I do believe that men CAN have it all, mainly because for so long they have.  Certainly they have sacrificed some time with their families in order to be big CEOs.  But the time they have sacrificed pale in comparison to what a mother must give up.  I simply cannot see it any other way.  In my world, women are the primary caregivers for their families.  Women are, more often than not, the ones that take time away from work to be with the children.  As the family grows, women are the ones that take time off work to get kids to doctor appointments or take part in assemblies at school.  Not men.  Women are the ones who attend to the needs of those children after school and during the night.  Those demands are what end up putting limits on women in the professional world.  Men do not do those things (nor do they need time off to recover from child birth, nor do they need time for feeding babies directly like women do).

It seems to me that women face far greater challenges than men do in "having it all."  Of course though, I guess that depends on how you define "having it all."

Sometimes books are such duds

I read a lot of good books.  And then I try to branch out for different books.  And get burned.

I picked up one that was written by a young man with OCD.  I don't think "bitter and hateful" are nearly strong enough words to describe this author.  Much of what he had to say struck a chord with me--in all the wrong ways.  He attacked the church I love.  He attacked education.  He had very strong reactions to people overusing OCD.  I suppose he has a point there but once he states that he has a very rare sort of OCD he really should understand that maybe he should cut the rest of society some slack for not understanding him or his particular version so well.  It's not like he walks around with a sign on his forehead stating his problem so people don't even realize that he is battling OCD.  I hoped that reading his memoirs of growing up with OCD might be helpful to me (hey, I never know everything I should know about all the students that walk into my classroom, right?)  But reading his story just made me uncomfortable--from what he did share, his use of foul language and his nasty belligerent attitude toward God, the Church and people in general.

Fail.

Time to pull out a trusted and beloved author like Harlan Coben.  Much better.

Dizzy!!!

I'm so dizzy my head is spinnin'

That's pretty much how the first week back makes me feel.  A sea of names and faces that I have to learn.  Oy!

So today's song is "Dizzy"  because it fits, even though the lyrics have nothing to do with my return to the world of work.

Awww, Tommy Roe is kind cute isn't he?  Or maybe I'm just a sucker for a guy that gets on stage in a suit to sing pop music?

It's Friiiiiiiiday!!!!!

I really ought to come up with something especially fun to do for Fridays now that my family is back in the "school mode" of things. 

When we are all home for summer, every day becomes Saturday--except for Sunday when you go to church.

But when we are in school, Fridays have meaning.  They are the day for football games.  They are the day for paychecks.  They are the day we collapse in the living room in front of the tv, relieved to not have early commitments for Saturday morning.

Since I have nothing better to mark today with, I'm going to revert to the classic song that marked Fridays when I was in high school.  Enjoy!

So the first day report. . .

Exhausting! 

But all members of the family made it and on time to boot.

The younger two had good days and things seem good there.  One had homework but it was completed really quickly.  In some ways, it's like they hadn't even left school.  They seem to like their teachers and have their circle of friends so thank goodness they can settle in easily.

The oldest had the first day, met a lot of people and in general, seemed to be just fine.  I did not hold her hand to walk her to class.  I did take a picture with her teacher though.  We got to school at the same time so we did a quick picture and that was that.  I managed to check in with her twice which was sweet.  The first check in was all systems go.  The second check in was on her way to the one class where she didn't know anyone at all. 

We all made it through the day virtually unscathed.  Except for my feet of course.  Going back to work means wearing shoes all day.  That's always the absolute worst part.  Have I already mentioned that?  I seem to be saying it a lot this week!

First day of high school

Yup, today is the big day.  My oldest girl starts high school.

This is a huge occasion for us.  She has been in one school system for the last nine years and tomorrow she dives into a whole new world.  She goes from a graduating class of 26 or so kids into a class of more than 300 students.  I guesstimate that out of all those kids she will know about 10.

Wow.

She promised me when she was just a little girl that on the first day of school I would get to walk her to her first class, holding her hand the entire time.  Little does she know that I do plan to hold her to that.  I'll just manage to do it early enough in the morning that no one else will see.  Her homeroom will be right around the corner from me.  Her homeroom teacher has known her since she was just 3 years old. 

It will be the best of times.

It will be the worst of times.

Pretty much every dance she goes to in high school, her mama will chaperone (hey, it goes with my job).

Her homeroom and locker will be around the corner from me for four years. 

She looks enough like me that she is not going to be able to deny we are related.

Doomed? 

I hope she doesn't feel that way.  She's joining into my other family.  The one I have belonged to since I was in high school.  She might have a harder time keeping secrets from me (which I know is a disadvantage when you are a teen) but she'll have people in her corner like no other--teachers and counselors working to make sure she fits in, enjoys, and does well in high school.  She is extra blessed that besides my immediate co-workers on my side of the building there are some very special people in another department; people who worked with my sister when she taught at our school too. 

I know that tomorrow will be full of worries for her:  Who will she have lunch with?  Will she make friends in her classes?  Can these new friends be trusted?  Where will she sit?  Can she handle the work?  Will she be all alone?

She won't be alone.  She'll have extra eyes watching over her (not in a creepy way!) and she will find that the new world of high school will be a whirlwind of fun.

And she will always know that when the day is just too much to bear, mama is just around the corner.

A Whole New World!

Today is the first day of school for the younger two children.  And for the first time they are going off to school without their older sister.  Today the middle sister becomes the "older" sister in the school.  No longer will they have their big sister to answer all their questions and calm their fears.  No, those days are over.

Their school has two campuses.  And this year they will each be on their own campus with no older sister around.  Scary in a way.  But fun too.  Hard to believe they have gotten so big all at once.  I have to admit that I liked having them all at the same school even when they were split across different campuses.

In some ways it is an exciting day for them.  They get a chance to spread their wings on their own.  Bet they'll miss their bossy older sister though. 

Back to the grind. . .the rat race. . .the paycheck and insurance

Always a jumble of emotions when this time of year rolls around.  On the one hand, it's time for the family togetherness to end.  But does it have to end so abruptly? 

Yes.  Of course it does.

So we set the alarms for the insanely early wakeup call and waltz into the next school year.

This year the children's activities will likely include:

Piano lessons (times 3???)

Voice lessons

Clarinet lessons

Soccer

Spell Bowl and Math Bowl

Speech team (middle school and high school)

Drama (fall and spring)

Choir

Oh it's going to be a busy busy year.

Time flies when you are having fun!

As summer is ending. . . .

A nice peaceful look back at summer with some Percy Faith.  I know a few of the words to this one but the link I have selected is for the instrumental only because I like this one very much. . .love the brass conversation with the strings.  Enjoy.

Two serious thoughts for today: Marvin Hamlisch and Family day

Completely unrelated thoughts.  Or maybe not since Marvin Hamlisch was a huge part of my family life growing up. 

Mr. Hamlisch died this week at the very young age of 68.  A compose, a musician, a legend in the musical world.  He will be missed.  A very nice tribute to the man and his music is given in this piece from the LA Times Five Distinctive Sounds of Marvin Hamlisch: A Video Gallery

And today is Family Day--a bittersweet day.

The one that has to come along at some point.

The last regular weekday of summer.

Because next week the rat race begins again.

I hope and pray that as we spend the last Friday of summer vacation hanging out as a family we will find a way to be happy, gracious and kind with each other.  We all have our own worries about starting back into the school routine.  May we remember the fun we have had and end our summer on a happy note of togetherness!

My girls are so lucky

I hope that they realize it.

My parents have the ability, the time and the desire to take little trips to the lake with us.  They could go without us.  But they allow us to go.

And on our most recent trip, my dad took along swim trunks so that he could get in the pool with the girls.  They loved it.  They told me that he is "the most fun in the pool."  This of course means that I stink because I prefer to sit on the side and watch them while I sun and read at the pool.  Their daddy gets in with him but he does not do cannonballs with them.  He doesn't let them hang onto him while he swims under water.

But my dad does.  Bless his heart.

The real display of love for the grandkids came from my parents the morning that they snuck out early to get my mom a swimsuit so she could get in the pool too.  My mom hates the water.  My mom hates the heat.  My mom isn't even supposed to spend much time in the sun.  But she wanted to be part of it.  So off they went.

We have photos to document the memories for the girls.  Strict promises have been made to not share these photos with everyone--and I won't.  But I wanted my girls to have photographic proof of the day their grandparents got in the pool with them.

That's good stuff.

Squish squish squish squish squish (etc)

That my dear people is the delightful sound I get to enjoy every time we head back from the pool.  We were down at the lake which means a little swimming every day.  And while they might fight over pool equipment  or towels (which makes me nuts), somehow it all melts away as we head home and I listen to squish, squish, squish, squish.  That sound that only kids can make in flip flops.

Pure summer decadence.

Not only do I love Detective Mike Bennett

But so does my mother!

I read a fair number of books that I like just fine but would never recommend to my parents.  Some things just shouldn't be shared with them, right?  I mean, I can live with some occasionaly cussing in a book but it seems wrong to recommend a book like that to my parents.

But Detective Bennett is the bomb.  No inappropriate cussing.  No inappropriate scenes with ladies.  Just a good Catholic boy who loves his family.

My mom had the first book for 2 days before she called me and said "what's the next book and where can I get it?" 

I call that awesome.

(Note--Detective Mike Bennett is with the NYPD.  His character was created by James Patterson/Michael Ledwidge.  The first book is Step on a Crack and the second book is Run for Your Life.  Check them out!)

Four girls and a bottle of shampoo

We recently took a little trip.  For about 6 days my family shared a bathroom.  It is always an adjustment to spend time in a confined space with family, right?  But in the interest of packing light, I took just one type of shampoo and conditioner for us for the week. 

Well. . .I have forgotten what it is like to operate with just one bottle of shampoo in a family of girls.  And since two of these girls have hair well past their shoulders, it is possible to work through a bottle of shampoo pretty fast.  My best guess is that if our trip had lasted ten days, we would have been out of shampoo and conditioner.

How crazy is that?

And at the same time, it's so much fun.  They are wacky and loud and use a lot of shampoo.  But they are gorgeous and  hilarious and they are growing up too fast.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

I just love Peter, Paul and Mary.  Listening to their music takes me right back to my parents' living room.  Course come to think of it, where else would I have been able to listen to music as a kid in the 1970s?  It wasn't like we had ipods back then!

My little family

My little family can be a big noisy group.  There are just five of us.  At any given time, two or three of us could be content just sitting and reading.  But the other two tend to require more activity--especially one of those two.

But the other day we found ourselves with just one child at home.  One was at a friend's house and another was visiting the grandparents.

And my house was so ridiculously quiet, I hardly knew what to do.

Eventually I decided to enjoy the quiet. . a little nap and some time reading.  A little bit of heaven in the middle of a very hot July in the middle of a summer where our family has been together a whole lot.  Often by this point in July we are constantly on edge, a fight just waiting to happen.  So finding several hours of peace and quiet was positively delightful.

There's a mouse in the house!

Haha. . .not my house!  Only mouse you'll find here is Babymouse, the book series.

We were shopping the other day at a large superstore in town when all at once my middle one said "There's a mouse up there!"  I didn't believe her until I saw this little grey blob of fur scurry across the aisle and into the kids' clothing department.  A worker in the store saw it when we did and she went to track it.  We saw it dart under a display but then we lost it.

I refrain from saying which store we were in because it really doesn't matter which store it was.  Anytime you have a large store that sells any kind of food items, well, mice will happen.

For us it turned into a funny little discussion about how maybe we could capture him and take him home as a pet and maybe he would be able to give our youngest chef some cooking instructions--just like Remy, the little mouse in Ratatouille.

Have no fear.  It was only a lighthearted discussion.  We left the little grey mouse behind.  And I have to say that I am so glad that none of the other shoppers seemed to even see the little mouse.  I'm certain that some people would have blasted the store for a mouse being visible.  But truly, it can happen anywhere.  And who's to say that it wasn't a little Remy?

Babymouse is my new hero!

My youngest is a somewhat reluctant reader.  She enjoys pretending to read but she gets frustrated sometimes with her reading.

The other day we went to the library to pick up a few books to finish out the reading program.  We found the Babymouse series.  She thought it looked interesting so she got Babymouse #1 Queen of the World!  She read it in the car as we ran errands and when we got home she told me she would finish the book.  We weren't home twenty minutes and my little angel told me "Mommy, I finished the book!"

Yup, my baby.  She read a 96 page book in nothing flat.  And she was so excited because it was the first time she read a book that long in one day.

Thank you Babymouse!