Life Lessons from an 11 Year Old

I never know what I'm going to find in the piles of school papers the kids leave on the counters, or tables, or bedroom floors, or living room floors, yeah guess that's something else we need to work on, but I found this treasure a couple weeks ago and its just too good to not keep permanently.

How to Make A Besty

By: Anna Marnell

2/12/15

Ingredients:

* 6 cups of laughter

* 3 tablespoons of kindness

* 4 teaspoons of swag

* Dash of conversation

* 2 cups of fun

* 1/2 cups honesty

* 3 teaspoons of support

* Pinch of secrets

* Dollop of forgiveness

* Jokes

First you must mix in 6 cups of laughter with the 3 tablespoons kindness. Next, slowly beat in the 4 teaspoons of sway. Then you should throw in a dash of conversation because your friend will need to talk. Then gently stir in the 2 cups of fun because I know I like to have fun with my friends. Next, we will need to add a 1/2 cup of honesty because who wants their friends lying to them? After you mix that in add 3 teaspoons of support and a pinch of secrets. Then you should put it in a tin of jokes and cook it for about ten minutes. Finally, we to spread a dollop of forgiveness on the top, and there you have it a new best friend.

Snow Fun

The kids finally got their snow day, or more aptly four snow days. The snow didn't last long, only a couple of hours but we made sure to enjoy it. Captured  a few photos but I was too busy playing to get many. Wonderful memories made.

Beau thought Oscar catching snowballs was hilarious.

Luke couldn't wait to peg me with this snowball.

Sledding down the driveway with cardboard didn't workout so well.

I walked down to get the mail, it was so peaceful and so beautiful, I do love the peace serenity of a simple snowfall.

A snow day isn't complete without a snowman.

Owen didn't want to take a break from his snowball fight for a picture, but we tried.

Owen's MOCs

In case you don't know what a MOC is I will tell you.

A MOC is My Own Creation and Owen has made some

Impressive ones this week and he wants them online.

So I put them on my blog even though he wants them put on a LEGO site, 

But this  4 year olds may be able to build but he can't read yet so I can get away with my fake.

It's been a couple days so it was time for a change, he can't think of a name for the first one but the second one is Mini Guy.

One More Time

I do not want to do this my heart does say

My brain says otherwise on this day

Get up, get dressed, wake the kids,

Pack the lunches, sign the papers

Load them in the car, drop them off where they belong

All routine, all so simple, every school day is the same.

Back home to get the little one ready,

Pack his bag and take him too.

It’s the best for him to go today

After he’s dropped and my chores are through I sigh and know there is more to do.

Back home I help him back up his things,

The boxes are checked the list complete.

The minutes tick by

 I wish for them to slow down as we pass our words of love around.

His things are loaded in the car

One last check of the list

The time has come

Pick up the kids a little early

try to enjoy a little ice crem

 a special treat on this Friday.

hearts are heavy

We pay the bill and continue the journey

We drop him at the airport

We walk inside and hug goodbye a curb drop off will not do

The tears run down my cheeks as the kids faces look incomplete

One will cry

One will ask why

They do not understand

Looks of concern hide in their eyes

We give those last hugs, we don’t want to let go

The countdown begins til he comes home.

I’ve done it before I can do it again.

I put on my brave face as he turns one way and us the other.

Return to the parking lot, get in the car

(Ben forgets his phone...

Beau saves the day with a sprint back inside)

Home to make dinner and start the weekend.

(It takes two hours in traffic and one stop at a shady Kroger)

One day at a time, one meal at a time, one task at a time.

Dry the tears mine and theirs,

Feed their stomachs and their hearts

I can do this my heart will say it hurts like hell but there is no other way

He’ll come home my brain tells me too

And until that time I know what to do.

Pray hard, love hard, try hard, it is hard

 it is my life, my gift from God and through His grace

His will be done.

Anna's Speech

I don't understand Anna's learning style. She is auditory learner, I can't even begin to comprehend how she does it but we've learned to go with it. She had a speech due this week. She wrote it, she read it to her phone, she played it back to herself multiple times, but she never once practiced it out loud. I asked her every night and every morning if she would practice it in front of me and she flatly refused. I shrugged and figured when she flopped in class and didn't get a good grade she'd learn from her mistake and do it differently next time. It's funny how often I'm the one that learns from her successes, she understands herself even if I don't. I need to learn to bite my tongue more. She gave her speech on Tuesday, it had to be between 4-5 minutes, it was 4:36. Her teacher complimented her on how well she did, SHE NEVER PRACTICED. I don't get it but there is so much in this parenting scheme I don't get that I just need to accept so I will add it to the list and continue to pray that they continue to tolerate me and everything I pretend to know.

Luke Wins First Place

Luke won 1st place for the 3rd grade for his essay about Pepere. He felt so great afterward, he is the kind of kid that a little affirmation goes a long way.
Luke also learned what the phrase second nature means. After his reception and getting his ribbon we ran to the grocery store to get him ice cream to celebrate. Luke doesn't like to be made fun of even when we are all joking, and he never makes fun of himself. But that night he made a little pun of himself saying "Hey Mom, you know what's second nature for me?...puking." We both laughed loud and long. It was so great to hear him laugh at himself its something I strive to teach him, life is better and easier if we just laugh at ourselves sometimes because we aren't perfect and we never will be.

Something He Said

In Owen's preschool he goes to Bible every week. This week they talked about how Jesus made fishers of men and they were called disciples. So they each got a cut out of a little person and they had to tell someone about Jesus write that persons name and take it back to school. Owen told Luke about Jesus today, Luke really told Owen a lot more than Owen told Luke.
The discussion turned to Jesus dying on the cross and that he died for our sins. I asked Owen what a sin was, he said "it's a rock painted red". I knew exactly why he said it. Last year I taught Luke's 2nd grade CCD class and I painted the word sin in red on a bunch of rocks to teach the concept of the sacrament of reconciliation. They were to take the rock and give it to me and I made it disappear representing that God takes our sins away for good. I guess Owen took it a little literally. Luke had thought Owen had said walking in red, and Luke's said "that's right Owen sin is walking away from God."
I don't always take the time to write these moments down but I'm trying to more as these preschool years are slipping away and life is filled with teen drama and stress of papers and speeches and exams.