Today I am feeling grateful for:
*the health that my family and I are blessed with. Teeth problems are not significant when compared with the cancer that so many people in my social circle are struggling with.
*living in a small town, where people are supportive of our schools and library. I'm excited about the growth of our story hour, library, technology in our schools, etc and proud that our little town wants to support these things.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Gratitude 9/9/09
It's been a while since I've taken the time to blog -my routine has been scattered (to say the least) since school started back up. Today I am grateful for:
*my relationship with my daughter. I've made a determined effort the past couple of days to relish in-the-moment time with her, to make the most of our evenings, to really listen, and it has been very rewarding. She has such a sensitive soul and a creative mind - I love to hear how she is thinking about and processing everything around her. Tonight she wrote a story, then dressed up as her main character, acted out the story and had me take photos of key points, loaded the photos onto VoiceThread, and then she narrated her story on the "slides" on VoiceThread so that she could share her story with other people we know. I'm pretty sure that my mind didn't work like that when I was her age!
*the joy I find in organizing - I may not do it terribly effectively or frequently, but it just makes me feel good to sort through boxes or cupboards and organize my "stuff". The impending change from summer to fall wardrobe is always a doozy when it comes to organizing our closets.
*the State Fair. I don't know why I enjoy it so much - maybe it's mostly in the abstract, being more fond of something when it is not a part of my daily life, but rather more like a fond fuzzy memory. I love the IDEA of the State Fair, and the opportunity to show L things we wouldn't otherwise see on a daily basis. I could, given a more generous income, go to the Fair every day it is here and just meander around in the afternoons. However, I am not willing to pay $8/day or whatever outrageous price it is currently. So we'll go a couple of times and buy flavored honey spread and warm spiced nuts and maybe some Crocs. And ride on the carousel and assorted other slightly-frighteningly-temporary, don't-think-about-the-safety-regulations rides. And spend an excruciating amount of time in the animal barns. And apparently, ride the SkyChair this year (which is my phobia, in case you didn't know. I intensely dislike ski lifts, but L and Stuart love them. And I feel compelled to ride with them because the idea of them falling and dying without me is more frightening than the idea of just riding along with them. My rational mind knows that isn't sensible, but I just can't get over it. Stuart frequently points out that if you feel from a chair lift, into the snow, you probably wouldn't die - but so far we have never ridden one over snow, only in the summer over bare ground. At least the one at the Fair is not as high up as traditional ones.)
*my relationship with my daughter. I've made a determined effort the past couple of days to relish in-the-moment time with her, to make the most of our evenings, to really listen, and it has been very rewarding. She has such a sensitive soul and a creative mind - I love to hear how she is thinking about and processing everything around her. Tonight she wrote a story, then dressed up as her main character, acted out the story and had me take photos of key points, loaded the photos onto VoiceThread, and then she narrated her story on the "slides" on VoiceThread so that she could share her story with other people we know. I'm pretty sure that my mind didn't work like that when I was her age!
*the joy I find in organizing - I may not do it terribly effectively or frequently, but it just makes me feel good to sort through boxes or cupboards and organize my "stuff". The impending change from summer to fall wardrobe is always a doozy when it comes to organizing our closets.
*the State Fair. I don't know why I enjoy it so much - maybe it's mostly in the abstract, being more fond of something when it is not a part of my daily life, but rather more like a fond fuzzy memory. I love the IDEA of the State Fair, and the opportunity to show L things we wouldn't otherwise see on a daily basis. I could, given a more generous income, go to the Fair every day it is here and just meander around in the afternoons. However, I am not willing to pay $8/day or whatever outrageous price it is currently. So we'll go a couple of times and buy flavored honey spread and warm spiced nuts and maybe some Crocs. And ride on the carousel and assorted other slightly-frighteningly-temporary, don't-think-about-the-safety-regulations rides. And spend an excruciating amount of time in the animal barns. And apparently, ride the SkyChair this year (which is my phobia, in case you didn't know. I intensely dislike ski lifts, but L and Stuart love them. And I feel compelled to ride with them because the idea of them falling and dying without me is more frightening than the idea of just riding along with them. My rational mind knows that isn't sensible, but I just can't get over it. Stuart frequently points out that if you feel from a chair lift, into the snow, you probably wouldn't die - but so far we have never ridden one over snow, only in the summer over bare ground. At least the one at the Fair is not as high up as traditional ones.)
Friday, July 31, 2009
Gratitude 7/31/09
Today I am grateful for:
*the smell of baking bread. L and her friend who is over visiting and I made banana bread, and the smell is filling our house. Yum!
*real fruit popsicles - strawberry is the flavor of the day.
*flip flops. I love wearing flip flops and would wear them year-round if Kansas weather would permit.
*Unseasonably gorgeous summer weather. For some incomprehensible reason, the weather the past few days has topped out around 80 degrees - lows down to 60 at night! It's been such a blessing to open the windows and spend comfortable time outside!
*the smell of baking bread. L and her friend who is over visiting and I made banana bread, and the smell is filling our house. Yum!
*real fruit popsicles - strawberry is the flavor of the day.
*flip flops. I love wearing flip flops and would wear them year-round if Kansas weather would permit.
*Unseasonably gorgeous summer weather. For some incomprehensible reason, the weather the past few days has topped out around 80 degrees - lows down to 60 at night! It's been such a blessing to open the windows and spend comfortable time outside!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Summer Fun - July 09
Wichita Zoo with cousins
Kansas Cosmosphere - looking into the tip of the SR71 Blackbird
enjoying the lake with her dolphin
Gratitude 7/27/09
Today I am grateful for:
*evening walks with my daughter. Tonight we spent the entire walk discussing the possibility of life on other planets, and the scientific views about that versus the religious views about that. I love having uninterrupted time devoted solely to exploring interesting topics.
*bats - we've seen them flying around the past few nights on our walks. They are L's favorite animal, so she is THRILLED beyond belief.
*having playdates for L - it is such a productive time for me. It forces me to clean my house - I'm always in need of motivation in order for that to happen. And then once the playmate is here, it is still more productive for me, since I am no longer L's playmate, and can focus on chores or homework or cooking, etc. Today I cleaned my house, make rice krispie treats, worked on my scrapbook a bit, and finished a book that I wanted to be able to talk to my class about when school starts. More than my typical lazy summer day lately, that's for sure!
*evening walks with my daughter. Tonight we spent the entire walk discussing the possibility of life on other planets, and the scientific views about that versus the religious views about that. I love having uninterrupted time devoted solely to exploring interesting topics.
*bats - we've seen them flying around the past few nights on our walks. They are L's favorite animal, so she is THRILLED beyond belief.
*having playdates for L - it is such a productive time for me. It forces me to clean my house - I'm always in need of motivation in order for that to happen. And then once the playmate is here, it is still more productive for me, since I am no longer L's playmate, and can focus on chores or homework or cooking, etc. Today I cleaned my house, make rice krispie treats, worked on my scrapbook a bit, and finished a book that I wanted to be able to talk to my class about when school starts. More than my typical lazy summer day lately, that's for sure!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Gratitude 7/18/09
Today I am grateful for:
*geocaching with L. Today, while walking to find one, she told me that she loves when we get to walk and talk together. One of my favorite blessings!
*aspirin - I have a toothache, but I'm trying to hold out until Monday.
*geocaching with L. Today, while walking to find one, she told me that she loves when we get to walk and talk together. One of my favorite blessings!
*aspirin - I have a toothache, but I'm trying to hold out until Monday.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Gratitude 7/15/09
Today I am grateful for:
*friends who have seen what I looked like in high school and are my friends anyhow
*living so close to my job - it's so nice to be able to put in a few hours at a time during the summer as I work towards getting my classroom ready
*my in-laws, who are amazing people, fabulous grandparents and thoughtful role models in every interaction I have with them. I thank God for the relationship that Lauren has with them, and anticipate what a blessing that will be for her in the future, too (I'm thinking the "my parents don't know anything" teenage years) As we left their house today, Lauren was laughing and laughing in the backseat at Grandpa, who was prancing around the flower beds in the front yard, pretending to be Lauren wearing the new dress Grandma had just made her, holding his overalls out like they were a skirt and dancing around!
*friends who have seen what I looked like in high school and are my friends anyhow
*living so close to my job - it's so nice to be able to put in a few hours at a time during the summer as I work towards getting my classroom ready
*my in-laws, who are amazing people, fabulous grandparents and thoughtful role models in every interaction I have with them. I thank God for the relationship that Lauren has with them, and anticipate what a blessing that will be for her in the future, too (I'm thinking the "my parents don't know anything" teenage years) As we left their house today, Lauren was laughing and laughing in the backseat at Grandpa, who was prancing around the flower beds in the front yard, pretending to be Lauren wearing the new dress Grandma had just made her, holding his overalls out like they were a skirt and dancing around!
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