Artist

I wanted to post this picture last Friday, when it was taken, but for some reason, it wasn't working. This is last week's "arts and crafts" and how can you not love that smile?

Remembering

Today, Damon and I spent another Friday afternoon doing "arts and crafts." I banned the paints, so mostly we were coloring, cutting and gluing, but I think he was still satisfied with the experience. He really wanted me to watch him, which made it hard to do the things I wanted to to, but I finally gave in and sat down next to him. We were working on a book of "community helpers" he got from preschool, coloring the different pages, and as we took turns coloring, I had this vague flash of memory come to me. I remember coloring in a Minnie Mouse coloring book with my mom, amazed at how well she stayed between the lines. I even remember outlining my own pages, trying to cover up the mistakes I had made. Kind of random, but that's the way my memory of my childhood is.

I wish I could remember more from when I was younger. In school, we had to write a paper about how we learned to read (to help us understand how to help children learn to read) and I had a difficult time really remembering what it was like to be five. I know a lot of us are like that, that we don't recall a lot of what happened when we were young, but I wish I had a better recollection of my life back then. All I really have are bits and pieces, and I'm sure some of the things I think I remember are really stories I've heard or family movies I've seen. Here are some things I know I remember:

• Going along with the whole reading theme, the phonics system in kindergarten with "Block A, Beating heart, cracking nut, etc." Does anyone else remember that?
• Burning my leg at the neighbor's house and setting a towel on fire in their kitchen (pre-kindergarten).
• Singing "Kindergarten's over and we are going home. Good-bye, good-bye and we are going home."
• Getting in trouble in first grade for walking while trying out a pair of scissors.
• Getting in trouble for having a toothbrush in my pocket (we had been visited by an orthodontist in the morning and it fell out). First grade.
• Thinking it was crazy in music to sing "Fa-a long long way to run" instead of "far-a long long way to run." Second grade.
• A boy in my class peeking through the window that was the belly "the old lady who swallowed a fly" and getting in trouble for it. Second grade.
• My memories start to get better around this time, but one clear memory from third grade is fixing the grammatical errors in the sentence "I hear my neighbor eating ice cream."

I was thinking about this, because there is a very good possibility that Damon will not remember much, if anything, from Ohio and Florida. That makes me sad, because it is his life and there are so many things that I know I'll remember. I guess I'll just have to do my best to share with him the things that are important so that, even if he doesn't remember, at least he'll care.

Laundry woes

There are very few things that I dislike about our house here in Florida, as it is a major upgrade from our condo in Ohio. Having an extra bedroom is great, the bigger kitchen is wonderful, and the dining room, while very impractical in a house of this size, is nice. If there is one thing, though, that I don't like about where we live, it would have to be the garage. I'm sure you're thinking that it's a little strange for a woman to be complaining about the size of the garage, but there is a good reason behind it; that's where we have the washer and dryer.

Our garage is technically built for two cars, but I don't know if two cars have ever actually fit in it. Plus, Damon's bike, the stroller, the lawnmower and other essentials take up the space that the second car would occupy and it's not that big of a deal parking outside here. And even with only the van in the garage, there is barely enough room, length-wise. I can get by, either around the front or around the back, depending on which side has more room, but just barely. And that brings me back to my original thought, which was that the washer and dryer are in the garage and I can barely get around the van with nothing in my hands, much less a basket of clean (or dirty) clothes. It's really been quite humorous to find ways to get past the van, especially when the dirty clothes are spilling out in every direction, which they usually are because I don't do the laundry often enough. I have set the basket the hood of the van, balancing it gently on the slope, and have dashed around behind, hoping that nothing has tipped when I reach the other side. It's a chance I take that has ended badly.

Today, though, I got smart. I parked the van in the driveway, leaving myself the entire garage for traipsing through as I haul my three+ loads out and in. Damon thought it was great, too, and rode his bike around in all the vacated space. I'm just disappointed that it took me this long to figure out the easy solution to my problem. Someday, when we have an actual laundry room and I don't have to worry about things like "the car being in the way," I will probably look back and miss the adventures I've had here. Most likely, I won't, but you never know.

Deep in the Heart

So, today when I gave Allie a piece of cheese to eat, it was just your average rectangle. When I found it on the floor ten minutes later, it looked like this:



Does it not look like Texas? Personally, I have never been to Texas, but we do have strong family ties to the Lone Star State. My grandmother was raised there as were Jeff's grandparents. All three grandparents have passed on and Allie didn't have the opportunity of meeting any of them, so I like to think this is her way of staying connected. I know, I know, it's just cheese. But it still made me smile.

Pool day

Well, I don't know if there's something wrong with Blogger, or something wrong with my computer, or, heaven forbid, something wrong with me, but I have had a heck of a time trying to post both yesterday and today. This is my third attempt to get these pictures from the pool today up and it will be my last (at least today). Fun looking pool, huh?


I know it may be hard to believe that we're still swimming in October, but remember, this is Florida. We hope to make it through the month still swimming. We'll see how that goes. Here's a brief synopsis of our pool trip this morning:

• Damon cried for at least thirty minutes because he thought the water was too cold. Once he got in, he loved it. All he needed was a little push (literally). He and Isaac jumped into the pool and raced from side to side from the "monster" (a little girl there).

• Allie didn't get to go on the slide, her usual favorite activity, because the water was too cold. Not for the kids, just for me. Instead, she had to occupy her time with her next favorite activity--climbing in and out of the pool via the edge. She only went under once, which I was impressed by.

• Allie and Ethan were ready to get out before the rest of the kids.

Well, so far, so good. I got all the pictures on that I wanted to post. I better hurry and go before something goes wrong. We're lucky we're still swimming in October!

Here the boys are posing before plunging into the water.

Curdled Milk

There are a couple of things that would prevent me from being truly successful on Fear Factor. Well, first off, there are a couple of things that would prevent me from being chosen to be on Fear Factor--I have no chest to speak of and I wouldn't wear a tiny top. I guess I don't have to think about it anymore, but I have. I have had a fear of water, which means if I ended up on the show, I would probably be chained inside a box under water, trying desperately to unolck myself before panic set in, and chances are, I would be one of the girls Jeff makes fun of and can't last more than 30 seconds without quitting.

However, there is something else that would prevent me from even trying, and it's not the Madagascar hissing roaches or the pig's blood or cow's intestines. Maybe because I've never had to deal with any of them, but I think I could do it if it meant $100,000. No, the one thing that would stop me in my tracks is the curdled milk.

How many times have we as mothers found a sippy cup of old milk hiding under the table, under the bed, or in the toy drawer? And how many times have we opened the cup under running water, only to have everyone in the room ask "what's that smell?" Unfortunately, this happens far too often and it's one of the most unpleasant "mom jobs" I can think of, and that includes changing poopie diapers.

Now, lest you think I have something against milk in general, let me set the record straight. I love milk, but there are certain rules that must be followed when drinking milk.

1. It must always be cold. If you've ever taken a sip of warm milk and have spit it right back out, I am with you. When we were younger, Heather and I used to drink milk out of aluminum bowls and measuring cups because it made it that much colder.
2. Skim milk must never be allowed. 1% is pushing it, but skim is nothing but glorified water. You can practically see through it when you pour it into a glass. Also, putting ice into milk to cool it off is only allowable if you're drinking whole milk, and then should only happen in extreme circumstances.
3. You don't have to drink bottom milk. For those of you who don't know about bottom milk, the defintion is "milk in the bottom half-inch of the gallon that has absorbed the flavor of the rest of the fridge and is no longer classified as milk."
4. Mixing of milk is no longer allowed. At least that's what Jeff told me. When we were trying to be healthier, we were drinking 1% (suffering through it, but making it) and I would buy 2% and skim at Aldi and mix my own 1% (thus not violating rule #2). Once we got here to Florida, I was banned from that practice. Milk spoils faster here, with 1% and skim being the quickest to take on unwanted flavors, and I ruined a couple perfectly fine gallons with my mixing. Now we're back to 2% after Jeff admitted he hates 1%. And now you know that I don't blame him.

All of this is on my mind as I found two sippy cups with chunky, curdled milk in them today. I have gotten better at the practice of breathing through my mouth while rinsing them in hot water, but I still gag just thinking about it. And that is what will definitely keep me off of Fear Factor.

What matters

This is from The Secret Life of Bees, a book I just finished reading for the second time (the first time about 3 years ago).

"You know, some things don't matter that much, Lily. Like the color of a house. How big is that in the scheme of life? But lifting a person's heart--now, that matters. The whole prolem with people is...they know what matters but they don't choose it...The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters."

If you haven't read the book, August is talking about why they decided to paint their house "flamingo pink." Her sister, May, who was an extremely sensitive individual to say the least, wanted it to be pink. When it came right down to it, August chose what matters. The question is, do we?

Here is a small example from my life today: Damon has been asking for days if he could paint, glue and cut. I told him that on Friday, when Allie was sleeping, that would be a good day for "arts and crafts." Maybe I should've thought about that last night when I finally got around to mopping the floor; something I should've done a week ago. Damon promised to be careful and not make any messes. He was very apologetic when, inevitably, he did.

Note that he used my clean kitchen rags and towels to wipe the paint off the floor. He was happy to clean up, though, which I can't always say is the case with him.

Here is one of his masterpieces, House on Fire.

When it comes right down to it, it really doesn't matter that my floor is dirty again or the kitchen towels may now only be used to clean the floor. What matters is that Damon feels good about his abilities (he said he's an artist) and that he didn't spend the afternoon driving me crazy.

It may be hard sometimes to choose what matters, but it's always worth it. I may need to be reminded of that tomorrow, or the next time "arts and crafts" rolls around.

A little bit o'nothing

It's cooled off here lately (highs in the mid 80's) and we are loving it! Today we went to the park in the middle of the morning and didn't die of heat stroke! It's definitely something to be happy about.

Allie has gotten very demanding lately. Right now, she is holding the book Olivia and crying because I told her I can't read it to her right this second. She is very particular about her story time. If Damon acts the least bit interested in what we're doing, and tries to "listen in," she freaks out. She pushes him away and says, "no." She also has become a water snob recently, too. She doesn't want to drink anything but milk ("milp," as she so frequently says). I try to give her water, and again, she says, "no." (FYI-I took a little break and read Olivia to her. Those big tears were too much for me!). Here is a view I have grown very accustom to having. If you can't tell, she's clinging to my pants crying. I'm looking straight down with the camera.


But as moody as she is (Allie is an all-or-nothing kind of gal. She is either happy or sad, with no in between), she can also be very sweet. She started saying "bess you" when someone sneezes, which is my new favorite phrase. She gets so excited when she sees her daddy, which Damon really never did, so I know it means a lot to Jeff.

Okay, how about something other than our hormonal daughter? All the new shows are starting, and for those of you who don't know already, you're going to find out that I watch too much tv. Jeff and I watch most of the same shows, and it's something we like to do together (we're not too big into talking, so playing fantasy football and watching tv together are two of our hobbies). Is anyone watching The Amazing Race this time around? I know, it's on Sunday night, which is horrible, but thanks to DVR we watch it Monday night and I'm already loving it. Survivor is another of our favorites. We caught up on The Office during the off season and I'm glad we did. It's one of the few good comedies on right now. We have also been Lost fans, but last season was a little bit of a disappointment for both of us. We'll see what this season brings. And, of course, I can't wait for American Idol in January! I have never been one to watch Gilmore Girls, but I started watching reruns and now I'm hooked. Jeff is not too fond of it (he made snoring noises one of the two times he was trying to watch), but my SIL loves it, too, so I'll just watch it with her.

Beach pics

Here are some pictures from our most recent outing to the beach. Greg had his dog, Vegas, there and Allie loves her. She mostly just gets close and laughs, but I encouraged her to get really close (we all need a little push in the back from our moms, don't we?).

Damon talking to April and Noel. Even though he had his life jacket on most of the day, he still managed to get sunburned. Mostly it was just where his swimsuit came down low on his back, but a little on his shoulders, too. Thankfully, he has skin more like me than Jeff.

This is my favorite picture of the day. Damon and Isaac have become such good friends, really surprising both April and me. We do hear, "I'm not going to be your friend anymore" almost daily from both of them, to which I respond, "I hope you guys work it out." Isaac asked me why I always say that and I told him it's because I hope they always will work it out. Look how happy they were together at the beach. Don't we all wish we had a friend like that?

A Fresh Start

Wow. It was weird today deleting all the posts I've written over the last nine months (don't worry--I saved them all on my computer first). I am looking forward to sitting down and reading over everything someday. Now, though, I'm back at the beginning with my first post. Hopefully keeping our last name out of things will help me feel more protected. Welcome to all of you who followed me over here and thanks for tuning in. I love blogging and I love reading the blogs of my friends.

Okay, now on to what I wanted to write about. Yesterday was Damon's first primary program and it was quite an event. Before the sacrament, the Sunbeams sat on the front row of pews, waiting until they could take their seats on the stand. Damon only walked down the aisle, arms folded across his chest, twice to where we were sitting; the first time to get his scriptures and the second time to ask "will they bring me the bread up there?" When his class finally made it up on the stand, he ended up mere inches from one of the microphones and he spent at least a third of the program pointing at it; heaven only knows what he was thinking about. All of the kids had a part, but somehow Damon ended up with two. Both were short, but they were similar and he kept getting mixed up here at home. He decided to play it safe and have his teacher help him, but I was just amazed at how far he has come in overcoming his shyness. The highlight for us, though, was the closing song, "I am a Child of God." The congregation was singing along with the primary, which must have given Damon the idea that no one would be able to hear him sing directly into the microphone on the chorus. He was wrong. There were people out in the hall asking whose "little voice" they could hear so distinctly. It left a smile on all our faces. I only wish we could've taken our camera in there to capture the Sunbeams trying hard to be reverent. Besides the microphone pointing, Damon also sang with his eyes closed on one song, and kept covering his face with his tie. All in all, it was a very entertaining hour and a half (yes, they went a little over).