Out of the Mouth of a 4-year old...

Just have to tell you all something hilarious that Lora said yesterday....well, Mark and I thought it was hilarious....Will had an early dismissal yesterday and Lora has school in the afternoon so I was telling Will that when I pick him up, it will just be he and I for the afternoon. He immediately goes "Woo Hoo! No Lora!!!" To which his sister responds, with great emotion..."Will, If a PERSON cares about another PERSON, they should not, NOT miss that person when they are not there!" It was hilarious, and also I moot point because Lora ended up not feeling well and they played together all afternoon....

Back in the Saddle Again...

So, we are back in the swing of school, work, life since the ending of Summer....In some ways, I actually enjoy Fall better than Summer. I know, I'm crazy, but I enjoy the cooling off of the weather (although this week has been beautiful in Seattle), I am a person who functions better with a forced schedule - sadly. I am not really good at making up a full fun-packed schedule on my own so during the summer we end up in our pj's until noon, cartoons, books, playing in the backyard, etc...which, I'm convinced, is why Will has not wanted to get back into the swing of school...Too much fun and doing whatever.

Tomorrow we have Lora's class visit to her new Preschool and then tomorrow night is a parent's meeting. She starts back on Monday. It will be interesting to see what life will feel like with one in school all day and the other in for 4 day a week 1/2 days...With upping my hours and Mosaic and hopefully volunteering at Will's school, I don't think I'll have that many "extra" hours but we'll see.

We have a new addition to our home...Will and Mark were given a combined birthday present of a Wii game system, which has been a lot of fun (another reason not to want to go to school...) I totally rock at bowling and golf - my papa would be so proud of the golfer I am becoming...of course, I know it doesn't REALLY count since I don't even have to watch the ball or anything, but I enjoy it! Now we just need Dance Dance Revolution, Rock Band, Wii Fit.....

Chhh...changes...

I just found out last night that the Spanish teacher and Assistant teacher that Will had last year (K) and was supposed to have this year (we are on a looping program so you have the same teachers for 2 years)...we LOVED both of them...the teacher is moving to 2/3 and the assistant is aparently gone...anyway, he will have different teachers for 1st grade, at least in Spanish..I was so sad because as I mentioned, we loved them! Anyway,I very carefully talked to Will and explained to him that he would be having a different teacher, etc and that Srta. Karin would be gone also...and he just looked at me and said "okay"...I yelled up to Mark, "Our son has absolutely no feelings at all, we are raising a robot"...which, of course isn't true, but I wanted some sign of emotion over this news that I was heartsick about...

Maybe he is smart enough to realize that he will have Srta Maria back in 2/3? Maybe he just instinctively knows it will be alright now matter what? Maybe, thankfully, he's not as neurotic as me? Should I just count my blessings that he's not overly emotional, well, unless he loses at Nintendo...Kids are funny, I think I could learn something from him...

For...or...Against?

I have a question that has been bothering me for awhile...its a serious question and I'm not trying to spark a huge political debate. But, is it possible to be "for" your candidate but not "against" the other? I am supporting one candidate for president, but I don't feel like that makes me automatically "against" the other. I admire the other candidate, I do not want the demise of the other candidate, I am not sending mass e-mails that lie about the other candidate...I have been incredibly surprised during this election, and its not over, at some of the things that I have read and seen. I have friends on Facebook who have pictures of a certain candidate on their "flair" board with a big red "X" through his face, people have joined groups called "Down with.......in 08". It has honestly surprised me. I don't know if this is the normal level of hostility and this is just the first election where I've really been aware of what goes on? Is it because of the amount of media coverage which is completely out of control?

I really want to know what people think...what is up this year? I hope the answer is not that we are all racist...but I fear that that may be part of it...I used to be part of a discussion site and someone admitted on there that he felt like America really had to get used to the idea of a non-white person as president and that is why everyone is being so hard on him...that scared me a little. I realize that we all have policy differences, but I'm asking more about the mean, hateful, untruthful things that are going around and wondering if this is normal? Can anyone tell me???

Connecting...

I joined Facebook awhile back...its been fun because through it I've reconnected with a lot of different people from different parts of my life. I've talked with high school friends, college friends, even someone I worked with ten or so years ago. Its fun...its nice to catch up, see pictures of kids grown up, friends who look the same with maybe a few extra pounds (in my case) or some new wrinkles...some look exactly the same - I hate those people...

Its all relatively "surface" though...you are unable to have a really deep conversation - there is no sitting across from each other over a cup of coffee to really look into each other eyes and see how the years have really changed us all. Its funny because one of my reconnections actually asked me if I wanted to meet for coffee and it made me a little nervous - to go deeper with a person, to really meet face to face - extra fat and all - is a little scary...I'm not good at keeping in contact with people once our paths go in different directions - even people in my own family, just ask my brother...

Its funny because through Facebook and then talking with classmates about our 20 year High School reunion coming up this year, it has made me think about other people that I've lost contact with...Charisse, Jill, Jason, David, Jon, Heidi, Lisa...the list goes on. I decide to search for them on Facebook to see if we can reconnect - I tell myself, "I need to be a better friend and sister"...but then life gets busy and the weeks pass...maybe I should go call my brother...

Goodbye Kindergarten...

I added these photos from graduation this morning...it was really fun! Each kid had to come up an say their name and one of their favorite things about school - in Spanish. Will said that he likes writing, which is cool...the beautiful ladies in the first picture are his Spanish teachers, they are incredible!

I should be in bed asleep...Mark and I were both up most of the night last night with Lora coughing and tonight, thanks to children's Claritin, she is sleeping peacefully...but I'm up. I've been reading through old blog posts and realizing how long its been since I posted anything... I just read through my post on Will's first day in Kindergarten...it was interesting to read it tonight, the night before his Kindergarten graduation. Mark was talking to me tonight about how grown up 1st grade sounds - it sounds so much older than Kindergarten for some reason...I'm so happy and proud about the year that Will has had...he has learned so much, made so many friends, grown so in both height and maturity...he really is a great kid. He's funny and smart and has a tender heart - most of the time... His school is one of the pilot schools for the Seeds of Compassion curriculum which is the program that the Dali Lama and Desmond Tutu helped to write - so they have been talking a lot about Empathy and Compassion at school. Will loves to give lectures to us about many things - we've heard everything you would ever want to hear about foxes, Green Bags, Life Alert Systems, Earth Day and now Empathy. So a while back, he was going on and on to Mark about how we need to be empathetic and compassionate to others (if you know Will, he was doing his usual pacing back and forth while talking)...so the conversation went like this... Will: We need to be empathetic to others, we need to have compassion (or something like that, pacing back and forth)... Mark: Well Will, you're right. In fact, we are followers of Christ and so we try to do the things that Christ told us to do. Jesus said that if you have two coats and you go outside and see someone who doesn't have a coat and they're cold..Do you know what you're supposed to do that would be compassionate? Lora: (Who pipes up with the Sunday School answer) I think you give them one of your coats... Will: I think you say to them "You should go inside, its cold out here!" So he hasn't learned it all yet...but it was funny because Mark and my 10th anniversary was a couple of weeks ago and we have this tradition of watching our wedding video together and this year we decided to make the kids watch it with us...Lora lasted about 5 minutes and was bored but Will was riveted to the screen. We got to the part where Mark and I are on the platform holding hands, staring at each other while a song is being sung in the background...I look over at Will and he is literally fighting back tears so I say, "Honey are you okay?" to which he responds "Don't look at me! Don't look at me!" and then, "Its just so beautiful, I think I'm crying." It was so sweet and one of those moments I don't want to forget - believe me there are many moments of fighting and yelling, that cause me to need to recall this memory... But, he is growing up and he is becoming a great person who I enjoy hanging out with. He's reading (he read "Are you my Mother?" all by himself the other night)...he's doing math...he's watching shows that aren't cartoons (we watched "The Naked Brothers Band" together the other night and he said "Mommy, we have this in common, we both like this show")...he can quote whole commercials that he has seen...he has friends that he cares about...he loves his sister and doesn't yell at her when she stands in front of the TV so she can see it...he's in that great space where he's getting more self sufficient but still wants to cuddle, still likes kisses (sometimes) and still tells me he loves me... So tomorrow, we say "Goodbye" to Kindergarten and "Hello" to 1st grade...after a long summer of me trying to think of ways to occupy two busy childrent....but I think he's ready for it...

Funky Funky Funk Funk....

Please note, that is an "n" in the word above...and if you don't have kids under the age of 5 or cable TV (Jen), you may not have caught the "Yo Gabba Gabba" reference...if you don't get the reference, consider yourself lucky - it is about the most annoying show ever created...but I digress...

I've been in a kind of funk this week, not sure why...Mark tried to analyze it for me yesterday and everything he came up with didn't seem like "the" reason. I do this every once in awhile - not enough that I think merits medication or intense counseling or anything - just a funk...The main signs are that my house is a little dirtier, I'm a little less patient with my kids & husband, I cry more easily, I'm not eating as well...I was just thinking that its four years ago right around this time of year that we got Lora's diagnosis - maybe I have Spring Depression now because of that...who knows.

But, something that raised my spirits today...Mark dropped Lora and Will off at school this morning and I opened at Mosaic. When he came here to work with me, he had Lora's first school picture. Its funny because I've been a little nervous about getting it. When you have a non-perfect child (not that anyone has a perfect one...) things like pictures are hard. I forget about her issues a lot of times but a picture of her eyes brings it all back. This morning however, I was presented with a picture of a beautiful little girl with two eyes looking straight at the camera! (Granted, the right one is a little bit crossed, but barely noticable). She looks so cute in her bright pink glasses and little bobbed hair! She's such a joy (both of my kids are...I need to write a post about foxes, because Will has been lecturing me about them recently, that and Compassion/Empathy...) and she's doing so well. Mark said that this morning in the car she said to him, "Daddy, someday you're going to hear me on the radio. I don't know what I'll be singing, but someday you'll turn on the radio and there I'll be!" If that doesn't get a person out of a funk, I don't know what will....

Happy Mother's Day to me...

My kids (read Mark) got me the best Mother's Day presents and they insisted that I open them tonight...They got me some great gardening tools for the vegetable garden we're growing....they got me "Lars and the Real Girl" and "Juno" (two of the best movies out right now)....AND the DVD's for the WHOLE SERIES of GILMORE GIRLS!!! I love the Gilmore Girls! I am completely enamored with the Gilmore Girls! I rented the first five seasons on Netflix a couple of years ago and stayed up late every night watching them...there is something about the relationships, quick banter and plethora of pop culture references that just gets me...I've been wanting to own the series since the show ended this last year and so my sweet husband bought them for me...and then, he even watched 4 whole episodes with me...I am now on episode 6 - he's in bed...Did I mention that I love the Gilmore Girls???

Bring Me Your Plastic Bags...

So, in honor of Earth Day yesterday, I made a tote bag...a couple of months ago, at the doctor's office, I saw a lady knitting an interesting project...so, being a knitter, I asked her about it. She was knitting with strips of plastic made from her plastic grocery bags. So, I looked up a pattern on-line. I decided that, for some reason, crocheting with plastic seemed easier than knitting so I picked a crochet pattern and made a bag. The picture I've posted is not the one I made, its another pattern I found today that I like even better and will try to make next, but it gives you an idea...I was amazed by how strong the bag is, it would make a great Farmer's Market bag or grocery bag.

So, this is a plea for you to bring me your bags...I would love to make a reusable bag for you, if you want one....or I was thinking I could try to sell them on Etsy and give all the money to Kiva or something like that....I also think it would be fun to do a class at Mosaic on how to make your own...anyway DON'T throw away any more plastic bags, give them to me!!!

As Will said to me today "Mommy every day should be Earth Day!"

These are My People...

I haven’t blogged in awhile. Maybe I have writer’s block, which is weird since I’m not really a writer… I’ve actually been mulling some things over for the past couple of weeks. It all started when we went to the district meeting for our denomination a couple of weeks ago. I used to really enjoy these kind of meetings – for some weird reason – its kind of like a mini-family reunion where you get to see everyone… from the boy you dated in college, to the friend you went to both Summer youth camp and later college with, to the uncle you never get to see (in my case, its my real uncle – not a fake uncle if we were sticking with the “family reunion” metaphor). And I did see people that fit all three of those descriptions… A couple of years ago, I found myself liking these meeting less and less…I still really like the people I get to see, at least most of them…but as I’ve gotten older and deeper into this thing we call “ministry” I find myself getting more cynical and less Christ-like in these types of situations. I have to watch myself and what I say and how I act because I get frustrated – I mourn the fact that it SEEMS like even in our churches we are still holding up the empire to the detriment of the Kingdom. There is so much focus on numbers – mainly numbers of converts – that someone, like me, from a smallish church can come away feeling discouraged instead of encouraged. There are a few people that I really resonate with – like my friends from Church of the Undignified in Capitol Hill – but most, I have to be honest…I kept thinking to myself, “These are not my people”…I don’t feel like I “fit” there anymore. To be completely open, I came away feeling pretty tired and frustrated… We came home and after a break to recover, we went back to our routine on Monday. On Tuesday morning, I was back in Mosaic making Lattes and chatting with moms, business people, Tammy, the “usuals”…by Wednesday night, I was back in the swing of things. A lot of our regulars came in, S, C, D, K & S and their kids….I was sitting at a table talking with K, a young mother and UW student (she is super-smart, studying some sort of medical research that I will never understand) – but she’s also just a normal person, a mom, a wife – I don’t think she would identify herself as a Follower of Christ…but it hit me as we were talking about the bags I make and looking at etsy online…”THESE are my people”…my people are here, in this little corner of Seattle that I call home…They are a diverse group of funny, caring, crazy, imperfect, broken, annoying, wonderful people that I have been called to love and maybe even have the privilege of sharing with them the Jesus that I know. The One who loves them more than I could ever begin to – that wants them to have a full, wonderful life in His Kingdom both here on earth and after… I love my heritage…both my Wesleyan roots and more specifically the denomination that I was raised in. It was started on the streets, for the down-and-outers. I have a rich history of pastors and theologians and evangelists in my family that I am proud of…but I am also happy to know that my grandparents who are already gone would have “gotten” what we’re doing here in Wallinford…and the parents who raised me “get it”. They introduced me to what it looks like to be “A New Kind of Christian”…long before there was a book of that title… But back to that family reunion metaphor…I think we all have those people in our families that we only see at reunion times…that we talk to sort of awkwardly – we may not understand what they are talking about and they very definitely don’t understand what we’re saying…but, they are family and we love them…we’re just really glad that reunions only come once a year…or so… PS - Speaking of His Kingdom, the earth, A New Kind of Christian, etc…I was privileged to attend Brian McLaren’s “Everything Must Change” conference this weekend with RLG and her kid sister…it was incredible and challenging and scary and exciting…more on that later….

It Is Finished...

So you would think that on this Holy Good Friday, the above title would be in reference to our Lord's death, but no....



Lora is fully potty trained!!! Yeah! I am so excited, she's doing so well and has not had one accident for a week....she even seems almost ready to wear panties for bed too, she's been dry every morning. So, I am really excited to have that task overwith and happy that even though I waited for awhile... she's done.



Not trying to be sacreligious or anything, just excited about the progress!

A First...

So, with the downfall of Elliot Spitzer, the govenor of New York, who recently got caught in the prostitution scandel...there is a first in that state - actually two firsts. His lieutenant governor - so now the new governor of New York is the first black governor that state has ever had, which is a great thing. More interesting to me, however, is that he is also the first Legally Blind governor, I think ever in the US. I can't find that stat for sure, but I think he's the first.

An infection as a young child left him totally blind in his left eye and almost completely blind in his right. Which is basically the amount of sight that Lora seems to have only in the opposite eyes. I just find it inspiring to see someone with his challenges not only become the first blind Lieutenant Governor...but now governor of New York. I read an article about him talking about his ability to make speeches that contain numerous historical facts, statistics and details - without being able to read a tele-promptor. Very cool for someone with a blind child to see the success of other people with vision issues. Sadly, I hadn't heard about him before this recent scandel, but I'm glad that has brought him to my attention. I plan on following his progress as he takes over the governing of New York....

Princess Party

I promised that I would write a more glowing post about Lora and her birthday...here's a from her Princess party (I tried to load more, but Blogger was having problems). It was a lot of fun, she was darling...as always and had a great time with all of her "adult" friends. I asked her over and over if she wanted to invite her friends from school to which she always answered "no"...I consulted her teachers to find out if I needed to push her to invite her friends since social seems to be the only area that she's a little behind developmentally and they all told me to just count my blessings. So I asked her again the other day if she was SURE she didn't want any of her school friends to come to her party and she said "Okay, you can invite some of my friends, but only my invisible friends". So that is the reason there were only adults and older kids at her party, but she loved it....

Last week, Mark preached about Jesus healing the blind man in John 9. There was a readers theatre version of the passage shared and the opening went something like this (as I remember it)..."Jesus was asked by his disciples 'whose fault is it that this man was born blind, was it his sin or the sin of his parents' and Jesus answered 'it is no one's sin that caused this to happen, but through this, God's glory will be shown in this man's life'"...I had trouble the whole morning keeping my composure - in fact, I was supposed to sing a song that was all about the blind man being healed, etc...I say "supposed to sing" because I really hardly made it through the song...I cried all through Mark's sermon. I tried to analyze the reason for my tears and I really don't think, at this point, that it is sadness that hits me every once in awhile. Its emotion that isn't always happiness or joy at her situation - maybe just being overwhelmed. I'm overwhelmed by how well she's doing...at the person that she is already becoming, in spite of the challenges that she's been handed...I'm overwhelmed by the way that God's glory is already being shown in her life, in spite of her issues...She is a joy, no matter how strong-willed she is, she is brilliant, she is funny, she is beautiful and as she told us not long ago - I think she sees exactly what she is supposed to see....

Happy Birthday....to the most stubborn little girl in the world...

Yes, today is Lora's 4th birthday...normally, on my kid's birthdays, I blog in some sentimental way about the day they were born, how my life changed forever the moment I looked into their eyes...which is true. But, today I am thinking more about Lora's stubornness.

Through no fault of her own, Lora is not potty trained yet. Yes, I know, she is four today and not potty trained. Honestly, I've been avoiding it, not because of some deep seeded need to keep her a baby...simply because I've tried a couple of times and she simply refuses to potty on the potty and I do believe she is the most stubborn child I have ever met. So, throughout the last year I've tried a couple of times and lost heart thinking maybe she's just not ready, maybe we've finally found the area in which she is developmentally behind....Anyway, a couple of days ago, Mark and I just decided that its time and that during the day, she will not wear pull-ups. The crazy thing is that outside of our home, she has had no accidents. She made it through two days of school completely dry but, at home, its a different story. She peed one time on the potty yesterday and had one accident. Then, this morning, she woke up dry...I put her on the potty - nothing...we started pumping liquids into her and I sat in the bathroom with her for a total of 3.2 hours (give or take a little) and NOTHING. We had begging, we had tears (from me and her), we had bargaining, we had threatening, we had tag teaming between both Mark and I because I needed a break...and no pottying on the potty...but lots of peeing in her pants...its been the most frustrating day...she simply doesn't want to potty on the potty so she won't....I don't think she can spend the rest of her life on the toilet, but I'm determined to make her sit there until she's done it. I am going to win this battle - I really didn't think there was another human being more strong willed than me, but I've met her. She's drinking a can of Diet Coke right now, so its only a matter of time until we're back in the bathroom fighting it out...

Tomorrow I'll post pictures of her in her Belle dress at her princess party....I'll talk about the day she was born in loving sentances, describing how much I love her - because I do...but today, she's driving me crazy....Even if she did just crack me up, watching Barbie Mariposa when she said, about the fairy prince, "I could really fall in love with that guy if I was a butterfly fairy."

Regrets

Our neighbor across the street, Elizabeth, passed away this week. When, exactly, we aren't sure. She lived alone and didn't have any relatives to speak of and she died sometime between Monday when Mark saw her and yesterday. The paramedics estimated that she had been gone probably since Monday night or Tuesday morning.

Our mailman came over yesterday and asked me if I had seen her because she hadn't been getting her mail or her paper...this is the same mailman that she shared her newspaper with every day for him to read at lunch time...so that set in motion various neighbors trying to figure out if she was in her house...she called me last week to tell me that she wouldn't be able to walk Zoe for a couple of weeks - oh, did I mention that she walked our dog..and our dog before this dog...everyday, just because she loves dogs - because she had a masectomy the week before. When she called, I asked her if she needed anything - if there was any way that we could help her - she, of course, said no and I didn't push myself on her too much...partly because I knew she meant it, partly because I was busy with my own family. I left for Oklahoma and Mark was busy with the kids so that, coupled with the fact that we knew she had had surgery, made us not notice that we hadn't seen her for a few days.

Its sad to me that she died alone in her home from a heart attack, or some results of her surgery and that she laid in her house, unnoticed for probably three days....its sad to me that even though she did this nice, wonderful thing for me by walking my dog - that sometimes I looked at her as an annoyance because she would come to get Zoe at times that weren't completely convenient for me...its sad to me that we lived across the street from her for over 5 years and we had to look at some of her mail in order to find out her last name so we could call the Bishop from her Ward and let him know what had happened...Its sad to me that she requested that she not have any type of service to remember her life - which brings all kinds of implications with it about how she saw herself in this life, etc....

If you met Elizabeth, she might have been a little gruff with you, she wasn't a naturally smiley, friendly person...I think she lived a hard life - she was married to a man who I don't think was very nice to her...But she was a good neighbor and we will miss her...As Lora said today, "I wish Elizabeth didn't have to go and live with God, I think she should come back..."

Update...

So, I'm still going ahead with my "business"...I put it in quotes because I don't think its really a legitimate "business" just because I have an Etsy store (with nothing in it yet) and business cards ordered from Vista Print (that haven't arrived yet)...but since my last post, I have finished two bags and an apron that could be listed in my store, I'm kind of waiting until I have 10 or so items to list AND once I get my business cards I'm going to use them as tags on my items to look more professional....I've also had a few people ask me for special orders so I'm working on getting the fabric for those...its kind of fun.

I leave tomorrow morning for Oklahoma City, my mom is having a little surgery so I'm heading down to keep dad company at the hospital and be there for them. Tomorrow is also my 38th birthday, so as a present to myself, I get to fly to OKC completely alone, with no children...reading a book or magazine or whatever I want....I land in OKC at around 4pm and my parents are actually out of town until about 8pm so I'm going to head off to "Hobby Lobby" my favorite OKC store and meader around...rest at my parents house until I head back to the airport to pick them up....it actually sounds wonderful to me....too bad my mom has to go through her surgery in order for me to get some "alone" time! :) So pray for my mom on Monday but, most of all, pray for Mark and the kids, especially Mark for the 5 days I'm gone...

Have a good weekend everyone...

Willo Creations

Well, I decided on a name for my little "business"...I'm calling it "Willo Creations", which you may notice is a combination of my two kids names. And please don't tell me if you don't like it because I've already created a shop on Etsy using that name...I think its cute, and I guess that's what's important...I haven't listed anything to sell yet because I don't have anything made that is available, even all the fabric I have right now is promised to people already. But, I thought I would list a few pictures of some of my latest creations, all of these are already for others, but anything can be replicated...for a price! HA! Anyway, I'm going to see if I can figure out how to list multiple pictures on here...we'll see how it goes...

Okay, so I accidentally listed one twice, but its really cute and I can't figure out how to delete it without having to do it all over....and my pictures are a little blury so I'll have to work on that...let me know what you think...

Aprons and Bags and Fabric...Oh My!

I kind of went on a fabric "binge" last week...I bought fabric for about 7 aprons and 3 bags or so...then RLG got me some more fabric for a bag...I'm like a kid in a candy store every time I go downstairs and look at it all...so many pretty colors and patterns.

My favorite fabric designer right now is Amy Butler, check her out www.amybutlerdesign.com I love her fabric and patterns so much! It is all so pretty on line, but so much better in person.

I've been looking for some kind of business that I could do for a couple of years, as a stay at home mom. Its hard to find something that pays enough to make it worth spending the time...I knitted baby hats for awhile but never really sold them, I ended up giving them to Lora or other friends. I really enjoy creative things like knitting and sewing, but don't know if I could ever make a business out of it. I saw a woman in Red Robin awhile ago wearing the coolest apron/blanket thing that was covering her up while nursing her baby and I thought "Why didn't I think of that!" And now I see them on e-bay and etsy all the time....

I started making aprons for us to wear at Mosaic and often have customers ask me if I sell them, then for Christmas this year, I made bags for family/friends and they went over pretty well...so, recently, I've had two friends from Lora's school ask me to make items for them...one bag and one apron...so, I think I'm going to try and make a couple of things for profit. Its hard for me because if someone says to me, "How about $20 for a bag?" I always answer, "Great" even though I have about $20 of materials in each one...its hard for me to say what I really think they are worth, thinking that no one will ever pay me that....

I've looked at www.etsy.com a lot and thought about posting some things I've made on there, but it intimidates me...I immediately question whether my stuff is good enough quality to sell on-line...I think I am going to start working on some things in preparation for Fall craft fairs and just go for it....we'll see if I actually do it, or just end up giving everything away...not that I'm that nice, just insecure, I think I need to get over that...

So, anyone have a fun creative name for a sewing, possibly some knitting, business that mainly makes aprons, bags and maybe baby hats? (Maybe I need to narrow my ideas!)

Reason Number 547 why I Love Mosaic....

I'm working this morning at Mosaic and I know I wax on and on poetically about the many reasons why I love it here...and why because I love it so much I spend my Tuesday and Thursday mornings working even though that is literally the only 4.5 hours that I have per week without children....yes, I know I am a saint and I will have many jewels in my crown in heaven...HA!

Anyway, this morning a young mother came in with a baby in a stroller...it took her awhile to decide what she wanted but eventually she made her way up to the counter after everyone else was gone and said to me in a quiet voice..."If I order something today, can I pay for it tomorrow...my checking account is completely empty..." I said "Of course! What would you like?" And she proceeded to order her iced coconut latte and went on into Demitasse to play with her daughter. She looked just like I may have looked walking in with one of my kids, she probably wasn't homeless...but she didn't have any money and it didn't matter...and if she never comes back in and pays us...it doesn't matter....and that is reason #547 why I love Mosaic Coffeehouse....

One Voice....

So, RLG, Hill, Sparky and I worked an event at Mosaic last night. It was really fun and crazy. The coffeehouse was loaded with tons of people, most of them way younger and hipper than me, which isn't difficult. They were there to hear from Trong and Roni from the Tronie foundation which all along with One Voice, www.onevoicetoendslavery.com , are working to end slavery and human trafficing throughout the world.

Trong and Roni are a married couple, she's from India and he is from Vietnam, who were both vicimized as children - she as a child slave and he as a refugee who was escaping being forced into the Viet-cong army. Their stories are incredible - you can read more at www.troniefoundation.org and I highly recommend checking out what they are doing.

I was amazed at the level of trafficing that goes on here in the US. I always think of this problem going on in other countries, but not here. Its incredible too the different ways that people are used - they told a story of a girl from Vietnam who came to America with her aunt - her mother, of course trusted this relative. The girl was forced to work in the family's restaurant here in Washington up to 12 hours per day with no pay and was then locked in her room each night to prevent escape. She was thankfully allowed to go to school and was rescued by a school counselor and was able to leave this life. Another woman was brought here from India, intially forced into prostitution and then used as a drug mule, she was beaten and threatened into submission and witnessed another woman dying after a drug balloon broke after she had ingested it. So sad....I guess too that many men are being used in Eastern Washington as migrant workers - they are brought here from South American countries and then forced to work to pay off their passaged to our country.

The event last night was partially a celebration of the opening of "Nell's House" which is the first house in Western Washington that will be used as a safe house for people coming out of human trafficking. This is sponsored by Homes of Freedom, www.homesoffreedom.org .

All three of these organizations seemed to being doing incredible work and I encourage people to check them out and support them, if possible. I met representatives from each one and they were wonderful, gracious people who are dedicating their lives to ending this horrible tragedy that is happening all over our world and even in our own city! I must admit, when I shook Roni's hand I couldn't help but think "She shook Oprah's hand too!" just kidding...sort of.....I was also struck by the demographics of our crowd, as I mentioned, most were very young and were so interested in what they could do to change this problem. I think so often, the young are looked down upon. But, I really feel like that generation is extremely tuned into social justice and are wanting to DO something to change their world...A very eye-opening and encouraging evening.

Eli Stone...

Mark and I watched a new show last night, after the "Lost" premiere, of course...its called "Eli Stone" and I have to admit, it was pretty interesting. It tells the story of a corporate lawyer who has spent his life defending big corporations taking down the "little guy". He starts hilucinating, first that he hears George Michael's song "Faith" and then he even ends up seeing George Michael both in his living room and at his office...he has a series of other visions which do end up having a medical reason, but also possibly spiritual reasons

Through these experiences, he realizes that he maybe hasn't become the man that he set out to be and that perhaps he needs to make some changes. He starts by representing a woman, who he happens to have a strange connection with, that his firm was previously opposing in court...I really loved the premise and the originality of the situations.

At one point, Eli is talking to his acupuncturist after he gets his medical diagnosis and is discouraged because he felt that maybe his visions had some spiritual significance which was now diminished by the medical explanation he was given. His acupuncturist tells him that most things have both a scientific and a spiritual explanation...but its up to us which explanation we believe. I thought it was a great show and I'm always interested when Hollywood comes out with these types of shows...I wouldn't call it "Christian" per se but the spiritual messages are clear and interesting. (I'm not saying it was clean or appropriate for the whole family, so don't criticize me for recommending it...) I think you can watch full episodes of it on ABC's website if you're interested....

Happy....

I've been in a really good mood the past few days...I'm not completely sure why. I'm generally a happy person, but I've been unusually happy. I think part of it has to do with the sense of control over myself and my life that I've been feeling recently. I've been working really hard at planning menus for the family and eating healthier...keeping my house clean using my card file system and working out on a more regulary basis and it does make a difference in how I feel.

It was funny because Monday was a snow day and we were all home because Mark takes Monday's off...I basically stayed in my pajamas all day, relaxed and sewed most of the day, which was fun on one level, but by the afternoon I found myself kind of irritable and frustrated by the end of the day and I think it was because the house was a mess and I hadn't accomplished anything other than being further on the bag I was making.

But since Tuesday I've felt lest frustrated and more patient and it seems weird because I've been busier and had less downtime but I've accomplished so much more and that has to be part of it...Jen at This Pile was talking about this awhile ago (I would insert a link here, but I don't really know how to do that)...its amazing what a little organization will do for you....

Apologies to my Readers....If I have any...

So, I made a mistake the other night, I went back through and read some of my old posts, all the way back to the beginning...I was looking for a baby story about Lora because I'm supposed to have on for preschool...but I was mainly struck by the decline in my blogging skills, which were meager to begin with...

I feel like my topics and writing have both gotten boring and monotonous over the last two years. I think the busier I get, the less time I have to think about anything and so the less time I have to formulate thoughts, the less thoughts that get written down. Although I am, by no means, a real writer...I think I've become less of a writer than I once was, if that is possible. The only thing I think about now is kids, kindergarten, co-op, dieting, exercise and I think I'm so tired that I can even think of anything interesting to say about the things that I am experiencing...so, if you'll just stick with me through "lean times" hopefully as my kids get older, I will have more time to formulate coherant thoughts and maybe even write them down...oh well, now I'm off to make up a baby story for Lora since I have a complete blank about her before age one...isn't that sad??

The First Workout of Many...

So, I started working out today. I got "The Firm" aerobics system on E-bay...as a side note, how are people able to sell multiples of the same item for $39.95 when it retails for $90 on TV? - I understand having one, but 20 or so...gives me visions of mobsters hijaking trucks. Anyway, I digress...however the person I bought it from got it, I'm happy I did. Of course, I've only done one workout, but it was really good. The system comes with 4 DVD's and sets of weights that you can increase as you work up to it. Then they lay out a plan for rotating the DVD's...its nice because each DVD also has a 40 minute and 20 minute option so based on how much time you have you can pick.

I was pleasanty surprised that I was able to do it, instead of a frenzied high impact aerobics, it was a lot of lunges and more controlled movements - I was definatly sweating and working out but I never had to quit because I couldn't breathe - now, quitting because my legs were burning is another story, but overall, I was able to do it.

I'm trying to decide when I'm going to be able to workout the 5 times/week that I'm striving for. I was able to this morning while Lora was in school because I didn't work at Mo, but that doesn't always happen...and with shuttling kids back and forth, trying to keep my house clean, etc I'm not sure what time I will consistently be able to do this...Unless I actually get up earlier in the morning, which is a really hard thing for me to commit to...I figured out though, that even if I just wake up at 7AM, I would be able to work out before getting ready and getting the kids ready, etc...I'm thinking as part of my "Requiring More of Myself" in '08, I may try to do this. I realize that for most people 7AM is not even early, but for me who likes to lay in bed until the last possible moment which is usually 8 or 8:15, this is a big committment. But, I'm considering it - this would also give me more time to eat a good breakfast each morning, make the kids a good breakfast, etc before we have to be out the door. So, I think I've convinced myself to try it - we'll see how it goes....wish me luck!

Back in the Swing of Things...

Today felt like vacation was really over. Although Will went back to school yesterday and we took down the Christmas decorations...Monday is normally our "day off" so we didn't do too much...Today, was a normal day though filled with taxing kids to school, working at Mosaic, doing laundry, thawing out chicken for dinner...back to the usual and that's okay. It was kind of fun, in fact.

I had fun working this morning at Mosaic and was reminded again, as I am every time I work, how much I love it there. A couple of my "mom" friends from Will's co-op class were in so we caught up...I love knowing people in the neighborhood and feeling like we are providing a great place for people to connect and get to know each other. I know, I sound like a broken record...but its a cool place.

Tonight, Red Letter Girl and I start Weight Watchers. I'm really excited. I've done it before, but not where I've gone to the meetings with someone else - I think it will really help me to have a friend to journey with. Well, and my husband too, but he's not coming to the meetings with us...someone has to watch the kids. I was inspired by RLG's blog about "Requiring More of Yourself" and feel like that should be my mantra for the year in a lot of areas of my life. Whether that's eating, exercising, not yelling at my kids, being more grateful, appreciating my husband more, being consistent with my housecleaning, keeping in better touch with my family, reading my Bible and praying more, having a better attitude, etc, etc, etc...the list could go on, but its an easy thing to remind myself of..."In this situation how can I require more of myself in order to be the person that God created me to be?" I think I'm doing okay but I think I could do better. Here's to RMOY in 2008!

Home Again, Home Again...Lickety Split

Well, not quite "Lickety Split"...but after 3,245 hours on the road, we are finally home. We had a great time and really, the kids were great in the car - but its nice to be home.

Here are some highlights:

• Christmas Eve service at my brother's church (well, its God's church, but he's the pastor) with our nephews as Wise Men and Shepherds, niece as an angel and a "real" baby Jesus - the best part was when Uncle Scott said something about there being a baby Jesus and Lora, who's been on my lap the whole time perks up and says "There's a baby up there?"
• Chili and presents at Scott and Debbie's house on Christmas Eve- not as crazy as it was the last time we were all together at Christmas - I'm happy the kids are getting older.
• Will's face when he saw the box of 64 Pokeman we got him on Ebay - I'm guessing they're direct from China and full of lead - but he'll have fun before the brain damage sets in.
• Christmas Day eating outside next to Scott and Debbie's pool, praying that neither of my kids would fall in and drown since they can't swim.
• Disneyland with the kids for the first time...we went during the absolutely busiest week of the year - but, who knew that if you have a blind child you get a little pass that gets you to the front of every line...we considered renting Lora out to other families.
• Seeing Kyra Sedgewick at "The Grove" shopping center in Los Angeles....at least according to me it was Kyra Sedgewick and no one else can prove otherwise.
• Eating brunch with the whole family at a great resturant in Laguna Beach, right on the water and then playin in the tide pools after...don't tell anyone that I brought a shell home with me - I'm sure there's an APB out for me.
• The people who's house we were staying in coming home one day earlier than we were expecting...walking in on Mark laying in their bed watching a movie with the kids and me sitting on their toilet reading a book...us awkwardly slinking off to our own rooms, them trying to sleep in sheets we hadn't washed yet.
• Mark and I then sneaking out of their house at 5AM, packing the car as quietly as possible, dressing the kids and leaving all without waking them up...then meeting my parents for one last breakfast before hitting the road.
• Driving around San Francisco with the kids showing Will all the places we used to go, stopping briefly in a souvenier shop, buying sweatshirts and play cable cars (the best part was Lora picking up a toy and saying to me, "Mom, are these novelty toys?") and then eating at our favorite Mexican resturant in San Rafael, Panchitos - the first place Will ever had refried beans (at about 8 months) which are still his favorite thing.
• Spending New Year's Eve with Mark and the kids in the Travelodge in Novato - watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve and all of us snoring by 11:30.
• Arriving home to a mess of shredded paper and pee-pee pads on our dark green area rug...just Zoe's way of expressing her frustration with us being gone for 10 days....we did have someone taking care of her, but I think she missed us.

We had a wonderful time - it couldn't have been better but I'm happy to be back in my own little house, on my own little corner of the world...vacation is fun, but home is better.