My neighbor was house hunting in town. They toured a property the other day and her 6 year-old daughter said that if the family chose to live at this house, she had a list of demands.
First, she would need a unicorn of her own.
Second, she would need to be home schooled.
I forget the rest of the list because I was snickering. Home school and a unicorn! Does she think home school would allow her more time to ride the unicorn?
I’m just skipping Halloween this year and decorating early for Thanksgiving. It seems that many of my neighbors have omitted the Halloween decorations, too. I wonder if it’s the economy. I just don’t like scary stuff, but oh, how I love to dress up.
The other night I had the perfect idea for our family Halloween costumes… if I had some time to sew. I asked the kids if they wanted to dress up this year. The boys seemed unenthusiastic, but Paige said, “Well, of course,” indicating with her voice that her answer was ob-vi-ous… (my girl). In my brilliant plan, Daniel would be Peter Pan; Paige would be Wendy; Timothy would be John (top hat, Harry Potter glasses) and Mark would be Michael with his teddy bear named Chunky. Richard would be Captain Hook and I could be Tiger Lily or Tinkerbell. I swear the Tinkerbell idea was not mine. It was Paige’s. I know, I know. Don’t worry. I won’t make myself ridiculous. And there isn’t time to make costumes this year. Halloween is on Sunday, so that pretty much destroys my plans: we’re not going to be Peter Pan this year.
In other news, I haven’t been blogging lately because I have been
a. pouting
b. reading
c. really grumpy
d. all of the above
Yes, you guessed it. The answer is d.
Today I finished reading McCullough’s John Adams. I love that book. I find a lot of comfort and inspiration in the Adamses’ relationship and sacrifices. I also like reading how time and experience mold perspective and patience. I’d be a historian if I could remember facts like Melinda Ross. As it is, I have to read things every few years to remember them.
I plan dinner parties in my mind. I never carry them out, though. If I could invite any prominent person living today, it would be David McCullough. I used to think the guest would be Michael Medved because even though we might disagree, he would keep things civil and would talk with a soothing voice about a broad range of subjects. Now I just want David McCullough to come over and talk to our kids about American history and all of those Providential Storms in the Revolution.
One more thought before I drive Paige to ballet. The blog phenomenon is interesting to me. Why do people keep reading? I recently decided to stop reading two very popular blogs because they were getting on my nerves. Updated daily, these two blogs were a part of my daily routine (yikes).After removing them from my blog list, I literally feel no loss in my life. It has made me think that blogs are read because they are
a. much like reality t.v., providing a glimpse into someone’s home that we wouldn’t otherwise have.
b. updated. People come back to anything that moves.
c. inspirational. Some truly make me happy.
d. a good way to communicate/sort family and personal events.
e. a way to feel connection without commitment.
Hopefully you’re not reading just because this blog moves. If you are, you should rethink your decision. It’s a beautiful world out there. Go turn off the computer and enjoy it.
Today one of us dressed up in 1776 attire to give a presentation to a class…
and others tried their hands at plein air painting at our pond after a Monet lesson.
We saw this a couple of years ago on a drive to Patagonia Lake. Adorable.
Today I discovered personal notes from the books I had read recently and some notes from a religious institute class I took a couple of years ago. I decided to put them in a binder and call them evidence of my continuing education and love of learning. And the fact that I can’t remember anything unless I write it down.
We discovered today that five days of vacation from school just isn’t enough to allow for all that we want to do. Today we went off-roading. Paige and I were amazed to find a Red-tailed Hawk that was brave enough to perch just a few feet away from us almost at eye level. This sight was enough to stop me from rambling on and on to Paige about John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Mark rode the little jeep up and down the hill. Daniel rode his scooter and Timothy rode his bike. We found a tree with nearly every leaf bearing the eggs of some kind of insect. We baked in the sun. I really need a refund. I was led to believe that fall is pleasant in Arizona.
I used to cook with a pressure cooker all the time. One night I was making mashed potatoes and there was a lot going on. As I was running water over the pot and opening the valve to release steam, the lid burst off and potatoes flew out on my face and hands.
I learned the hard way about being in the way when high pressure objects go flying.
It’s so cliche to hear people saying it’s okay to say grumpy things in order to “let off steam.” I think this is a poor excuse to behave badly and spread the anger. It’s better to release steam slowly and allow time for high impact moments to die down before words are said. The last few months have brought some intense situations and I’ve learned to appreciate Richard’s wisdom through it all.
Since I’m not complaining in this post or “venting frustration” in a negative way, I will say a few words of gratitude. I’m thankful for a little knowledge of logic. This has helped me identify error and truth in what people say. I’m grateful for the teachings of Jesus Christ as a guide for reacting to people who have been grumpy to me about my faith. I’m grateful for Richard who spent the weekend with me, talking to me, listening, and encouraging me. His steady and direct words have made a great difference.
Anger fills a room, exclusive in its dominion; it drains its object of self-confidence; anger finds its expression in gossip, name-calling, and humiliation of others; it is contagious. It hurts like a burn, too.
One of my regular childhood rituals was preparing to run away from home.* Now my method of running away is staying home… after a quick trip to the Mexican food restaurant with Richard.
* Due to the drama queen in me, and not for any real or memorable reason!
Marbles: $1
Pipe insulation from hardware store: $1
Add some scissors, duct tape, and a ladder and the kids can design a marble run that will entertain for an hour at a birthday party. We even had a loop, but didn’t get a good picture.
Our lifestyle keeps me honest. My children and I are are together most of the time and I know them and they know me. They went with me last week to deliver cookies to the women I should have visited with a spiritual message from church. I’m a terrible visiting teacher. And unfortunately, my kids know it.
The boys and I gathered happily in the van after dark with cookies wrapped in bows. Mark said he thought it felt like Thanksgiving. I think he meant Christmas. We grew more cheery with the anticipation of leaving cookies with someone. One boy asked if we could just leave them on the door and run. As tempting as this was to me (the absent visiting teacher), I said we needed to visit.
Our first stop was a dark house. I pulled out my flashlight and we walked to the door. Hmmm… no curtains in the windows… no furniture in the house… I had no idea this woman had moved. We walked away disappointed and I felt true shame.
The next house was also dark, but I knew this woman had not moved. She was probably out of town (as she often is).
No cookies were delivered that night and our spirits were low. We drove through the darkness towards Paige’s ballet studio and I told them the importance of being a visiting teacher or a home teacher and that I needed to be better. I told them about being a Relief Society president and trying to find women who had stopped coming to church. This is a hard job, so it’s up to the visiting teachers to help watch for and care for the women of the church.
Daniel began talking about preparing for a mission. I asked him what he thought he needed to do to prepare. He listed several things like scripture study, exercise, becoming an Eagle Scout, and learning about priesthood responsibilities. He expressed a desire to be better at studying the scriptures, beyond just reading them. He’s in the middle of trying to read the Old Testament cover to cover. I shared what I am trying to do to make my own scripture study better. I knew this conversation was important and it probably wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t taken my sons visiting teaching with me.
This morning, I found my son with notebook in hand, studying the Book of Mormon intently.
I need to make some visiting teaching appointments… today.
If you could carry a piano with you like Charlie Brown’s friend, Schroeder, you would.
We’re glad that you are a reader and that you like to talk. Conversations with you are very interesting.
It’s good that you’re always working on a project and making plans for improvements in your buildings.
Your robots, stop-motion animation movies, ships, castles, space stations, bridges, catapults, enormous holes in the dirt, collections, ready and accurate facts, and great laugh are some of the great things we enjoy because you’re in our family. You’re a great athlete. We’ve seen some amazing pitches and hits from you this year in baseball.
You’re a great son, younger brother, big brother, and friend.
