One corner of our yard
Greek History Day
We went to a Greek History event. There were costumes. There were plays. There was Spanakopita and dancing. Greek music is so distinctive, don’t you think?
There is something very comforting about mingling with other moms who educate their own children. This was on the car in front of us:
Wishing I had such spunk… but I’m willing to mingle with those who do and find ideas.
There were crafts and Olympic events. I dressed up the kids in all the white fabric I could find in the house. Paige is studying ancient history this year and is wading through philosophy by Plato. I’m pretty sure no one discussed the nature of justice at the banquet table, but it was fun to see her among some friends. I think history days like this are most beneficial for kids who are in elementary school.
This activity didn’t thrill Timothy AT ALL.
Man, it’s no fun to be eleven years old sometimes. I realized that it was probably too much to ask of my sons to enjoy this day. They are studying Medieval history this year and never want to do crafts. That’s one of the challenges I face: finding activities that will make everyone happy and meet their educational needs with a minivan, the internet (hallelujah) and 24 hours in a day.
I found Mark pushing his little friend from across the street in the swing. Isn’t age four just darling? Looking at these pictures reminds me that in all the scurrying about to find drapery to wear, we forgot to comb our hair.
I just sat in the shade and ate Spanakopita. It’s my new favorite food.
The value of meditation
The other day on the radio I heard a person discussing the value of meditation on mental health. He was advocating yoga and he sited a study where they found that people who devoted 27 minutes each day to meditation literally changed their brain. The memory center of the brain became more effective and the emotional center became more regulated. In other words, people who meditated had better memory and fewer emotional ups and downs.
Now I feel validated in my habit of resting each evening before bed, thinking (or not) and showing a blank look on my face. People who have to live with me know what I’m talking about. It’s an emotional survival skill that I developed early in my life.
I also eat sweets late at night to avoid modeling this kind of behavior for my kids. And yes, it helps me a great deal, too.
Dance partners
General Young Women Meeting year 3
Each spring before we attend the General Young Women meeting, Paige and I have our picture taken.
A picnic and truffles
Sarah and Bryan came to our house for the afternoon. We packed a picnic, loaded it into a basket and Mark’s jeep and we made our way to the park by our house. We ate big sandwiches, fresh strawberries and raspberries, chips, and snickerdoodles. YUM. Some of us played frisbee…
And some of us ran through the sprinklers.
And one of us just took pictures, which is all she wanted to do anyway.
Mark, as driver, learned the inherent privileges of driving with food in the front seat. Sampling!
Sarah taught us how to make truffles. We made milk chocolate truffles and raspberry truffles; some we decorated with white chocolate and drizzles; others we rolled in sprinkles, making them less edible, but very colorful.
And yes, they do taste *THAT* good.
Thanks for a fun visit, Sarah and Bryan. Come again soon!
Piano Ensemble 2011
It’s our springtime tradition: a new suit or dress and the big ensemble concert at Centennial Hall. This was Paige and Daniel’s 4th year to participate in this concert.
We invited some friends to join us. Daniel didn’t hang out with us in line because he was with his piano duet partner. Yes, Paige is taller than I am in this picture. We’re both wearing heels. I’m posting this even though I look old.
We saw some Family at the concert! Bryan’s sister was in the concert, too.
Paige and her piano partner played one of the big Steinway concert grand pianos in the front. They played the Liebeslieder Waltz by Johannes Brahms.
Paige is wearing my formal concert skirt with a shimmery silver top from her own closet.
Daniel, always the brave and independent one, went up to the conductor to thank him when it was over. He played the Russian Sailors’ Dance which was just incredible.
Spring Break
Here we will stay
Sometimes I just have to pinch myself because those saguaros are so beautiful. We bought our house 5 years ago today. It’s St Patrick’s Day, the day we said in writing, “Here we will stay.”
We have a full life here and I am grateful to be here. This week I have been privileged to see the generosity of many people in my community working together on a humanitarian aid project. So many times this week I have had a full heart as I have responded to calls and emails offering to help. One person heard about the project but is currently traveling overseas. She contacted me to find out how she can contribute. Such generosity! Tomorrow we will complete our project of making hygiene kits for disaster victims and send them off.
Dear Japan,
Someone in this desert is thinking of you and hopes you will be okay.
Love,
Sahuarita, Arizona
Sneaking sweets, surfing, and poking around allowed
The kids have been writing about their grandparents. I’ve noticed a common theme in their writing and it is that grandparents are a lot more lenient about rules.
“Grandpa always sneaks cookies to me.”
“Grandma and Grandpa let us go mattress surfing down their stairs.”
“They let us poke through their house and mess up the bricks in the backyard.”
How great is that?