Pause for thought

Bedtime always has been a time when worries creep out.  Laying in bed, surrounded by quiet, reviewing the days events, little things pop into your head.  As a mom I have grown accustom to the nightly pre-sleep visits, and calls by my children as these thoughts bombard their brains.   Many are indeed excuses not to go to sleep, "I need a drink."  "Just one more hug/kiss"  and "What are we doing tomorrow?"  are common at bedtime.  I have my standard replies and often feel guilty at my curt replies.  Every so often one worry/question catches me off guard and I am left without a reply.  Jack is often the best at coming up with these at bedtime.  I remember at 4 years of age having him ask me "How do you split an atom?"  as I was tucking him into bed.  I remember thinking, this is not a conversation I wish to have right now and stating,  "We'll talk about it in the morning."  Then wondering how I was going to explain this to my 4 year old.  The other night I was hit with one that gave me quite an insight into my middle child.  He walked slowly, into see me clearly cautious as this was his 4th visit that night.  I looked up to see him and a grimace crossed my face as I stated in my "mom voice", "Why are you not in bed?"  He immediately started to cry and I immediately felt guilty at my stern response.  I softened to him and took him in to a big hug as he sobbed.  "What is wrong?"  I asked.  "Mom, (sniff, sniff)  My life is so dull without music in it. " ( Jack has taken piano for the last 3 years until we moved here and has aspirations of also picking up the guitar.)  He continued, saying "I miss playing the piano.  I miss my music.  Sometimes listening is enough but not tonight."  I was speechless.  I had no idea that this was such an important aspect to his life.  Armed with this knowledge I stated, "We'll get you lessons soon." Not knowing what "soon" would mean.  He sighed and gave me a big hug and said, "Thanks Mom." Giving me a smile and off he went to dream of songs yet to be written.

On this day May 12

On this day in history.

1780 Charleston, South Carolina was taken by the British during the Revolutionary War

1863,1864,1865- The Battles of Raymond, The Battle of Spotslyvania Court House, and the Battle of Palmito Ranch  -- The Civil War

1908 Wireless Radio Broadcasting is patented by Nathan B Stubfield

1932  Charles Linburgh's infant son was found dead 10 weeks after his abduction

   Goofy first appeared in "Mickey's Revue" by Walt Disney

1937  Corination of King George VI of Britian

1955  Chicago Cub Sam Jones becomes first black pitcher to pitch a "no hitter"

1958  The North American Aerospace Defense Command is signed between the US and Canada

1963  Bob Dylan walks of the Ed Sullivan Show

1965   Soviet Space Craft Luna 5 crashes on the moon

1970  Ernie Banks hits his 500th home run

1984  South African prisoner Nelson Mandella sees his wife for the first time in 22 year

1997  Susan Maroney becomes first person to swim from Cuba to Florida

2008 Earthquake occurs in Sichuan, China killing 69,000 people

Celebrating Birthdays today.

Florence Nightingale, Katharine Hepburn, Yogi Berra, Tom Snyder, George Carlin, Steve Winwood, Emilio Esteves, Tony Hawk, Stephen Baldwind, Kim Fields,   and oh yeh

Me!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! 

The day started out early with a rousing chorus of barking at 6:30 am.  One was Ginger the other I realized quickly was Jack with croup.  I brewed coffee for myself while I attended to my croupy middle child, who I had set in front of the freezer.  After 30 minutes in the freezer, poof, he was cold, coughing less and WIDE awake.  Jack and I had a wonderful Mother's Day breakfast, just the 2 of us over coffee, milk and doughnuts.  (Always the health conscious.)  Thankfully, I returned to bed 2 hours later for a mid-morning nap, got to love Mother's Day.  After lunch, I received the beautifully handcrafted gifts that only mother's with elementary school children could love.  Jack made me a beautiful recipe card for "How to make a Mom"complete with 2/3 cup of kisses and a dash of beauty.  Emma gave me a book detailing all of the things she loves about her mom.  I found out that I am best at "the really hard Math" and that her favorite things to do with me are cook and read books.  John took all of the kids shopping and bought me the worlds largest cup of coffee.  In reality is a cute planter which I intend to fill with herbs.  We spent the afternoon at the pool enjoying the warm sun and the laughter of children not in school.  I was told we would be going out to dinner.  The only hint I was given was that the place we were to eat at did not start out with Mc...anything.  Boy was I relieved.   I was treated to a dinner out at Applebee's,  which was fortunately one place everyone likes.  There was no fighting at dinner, no throwing food and most happily so complaining.   All around it was a good day to be a Mom.  

It's ALIVE!

What to you get when you take 125 third grades dressed up in historical costumes?  Well you get the Pleasant Hill Elementary School Wax Museum!  As a creative way to get 3rd graders interested in the history of South Carolina, the third grade teachers came up with the idea of having a Wax Museum.   What this in tales is giving each child a famous person to research and write a bibliography.  Then taking this information the kids make up costumes, gather their props, pick out poses and prepare a 3-5  sentence speech about their famous person.  And get this...they did it all at school.  No parental involvement. (Although their were still obvious parent overachievers who spent exorbitant amount of money at Hobby Lobby to prove something to someone.)  Let me tell you it was impressive.  The school was divided into multiple areas such as Famous artist, musicians, famous athletes,  famous war heroes and Heroines, Important Native Americans and Colonists.. etc.  The kids then dressed up in costume, held their prop or props and stood still with a red sticker on their shoulder.  The visitors, mostly parents and siblings, would walk through the school and when they wanted to know something they would push the "button" aka, the sticker and the student would come to life and recite their speech.  Not only was it fun for the visitors but you could tell it was fun for the kids.  I know I learned a lot in the hour I spent listening to the kids I can only imagine what they took out of this after working with their classes for the last month.  

Jack was Josh Turner, a country singer, songwriter.  He wrote songs such as The long black Train, and Firecracker.  Google him.  

Other people I saw there were Woodrow Wilson, Stom Thurmond,  William Perry, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Ronald McNair, Vanna White, Leeza Gibbons, Dizzy Gillespe and James Brown just to name a few.

What a great way to make history come ALIVE.

Butterfly fly away

Over the course of several days Emma collected caterpillars.   Cute little black fuzzy caterpillars with yellow strips.  Of course, as always, she asked to keep them.  We put them in our bug house for her to care for.  Dedicated as she is, she fed them daily with fresh leaves,  insured they had plenty of stick to build their cocoon's from and made sure I would stay home to watch them when she was at school.  Sure enough after about a week in the bug house three of them formed their cocoon.  Then they sat in the bug house for weeks, seemingly untouched while the magic of metamorphosis took place.  Then yesterday they all emerged.  What a proud momma she was.  Despite wanting to love them, keep them safe and watch them continue to grow she let them go.  Sad yet proud she said, "I did the right thing.  Mothers have to let their children go to grow into who they need to be."  If only we were all so wise at seven.

Caterpillar in the tree
How you wonder who you'll be
Can't go far but you can always dream

Wish you may and wish you might
Don't you worry, hold on tight
I promise you there will come a day
Butterfly fly away

Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away
Flap your wings now you can't stay
Take those dreams and make them all come true

Butterfly fly away, butterfly fly away
We've been waiting for this day
All along and knowing just what to do
Butterfly, butterfly, butterfly, butterfly fly away

--Miley Cyrus

Restless

"Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress."

--Thomas Edison

There is an overwhelming presence in our house...Restlessness.  I believe it stems from the mother and feeds into the family.  Regardless it is here, looming over us, all of us.  I haven't knit or quilted in over a month.  I cannot seam to settle into a pattern or rhythm.  Anxious I sit and don't want to sit, stand and don't know what to do.  I think about cleaning and sorting and putting away more boxes, but then why bother, we'll have to move and repack everything.  The kids are just as restless.  The majority of their toys packed away, in El Paso no less, not what I consider even remotely accessible.  I watch them and see them sit, stand, pick-up a toy only to put it down again.  "There is nothing to do"  is the popular phrase here.  It is a terrible feeling, made only slightly worse by the fact that it is spring even the weather is not cooperating.  I think about all of the things we have been blessed with.  I am thankful for all of the goodness we have in our life.  I know with out a doubt that all will work out.  Our house will sell in El Paso, and we will find a new one here to fit everything we need.  Yet, that alone is not enough anymore.  I am frustrated, tired, anxious and just ready for it all to end.  Godspeed.

Magic

There is something truly magical about bubbles.  One cannot be sad, angry or mad and blow bubbles.  Magically your troubles "pop" along with the bubbles and you just have to SMILE.

All The Magic I Have Known

Sandra's seen a leprechaun,

Eddie touched a troll,

Laurie danced with witches once,

Charlie found some gobblins' gold

Donald heard a mermaid sing,

Susie spied and elf,

But all the magic I have known

I've had to make myself.

  -Shel Silverstein