Take My Breath Away

Love in a heart- shaped Venn Diagram.

Princess Party

I got an invitation today for a princess party.

I was to wear my fanciest dress......I didn't want to do it.

But I've said no enough.

It was to start at 2:05. I was three minutes late. And I heard about it. I apologized.

They had sandwiches and hot chocolate. They made me coffee. (it was way too strong).

They cleaned a small part of my basement, so the party was surrounded by boxes and laundry that needed to be folded.

Someone smeared peanut butter on my fancy dress. My coffee was spilled. We watched a movie about a princess and a unicorn. I did not take pictures.

You cannot imagine their excitement. Brooke sat on my lap. Summer put her head on my shoulder. Savannah beamed with pride. Max was a stinker.

They planned. They counted down the minutes until the starting time. They prepared. They worked together- and did not fight. They enjoyed it. They got me to sit down and just be there with them.

They didn't even mind cleaning up afterward.

Princess parties are good.

Summer Love

Summer, my middle daughter, reluctantly complied with my direction to work on her English.

"I think I have to memorize something next." she grumbled. "I hate to memorize.
"Well, you are not going to make a very good movie star if you can't memorize." I responded.

"Wait. You thought that I am going to be a movie star?"
"Well, I thought so until now when you told me that you don't like to memorize."

She paused, twirled around a few times, and said, "I guess that sounds like fun." and walked off to work on her English.

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It was her turn to go to the store with me. After a year and a half of construction, we are now privilaged to go to the grocery store via the new overpass. This is not just any overpass, though. It has colorful lights that change colors every few seconds. Red, Purple, Blue, Green. It reminds me of the horse on The Wizard of Oz.

But to Summer, it is magical. That trip across the highway was like a magic flying carriage with white flying horses surrounded by ever changing colors. Even though the actual trip only takes a few seconds, time seems to go in slow motion amidst the awe of the experience. Could anything be more beautiful? I know, because I saw it in her imagination, through her huge brown wondering eyes. Oh, the thrill of going over that overpass.

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Turning into our subdivision, I said, "Summer, I like you."

"You tell me that all the time", she answered.

"Are you tired of hearing it?"

"No, I am not."

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She knows life is cruel. She gets her tender heart broken. She doesn't always get her way. And she still has to do school (which she says she doesn't like but I think she might be fibbing a little). And sometimes she has quite a temper.

But there is a huge burst of pure joy in that soul. I am so thankful for my Summer.

Seven

She looks like my mother-in-law,
Understands math better when she's in character.... using accents,
is in the Middle,
is a Most enthusiastic chef,
Entertains effortlessly,
Radiates with charm.

After all, she is my child. All of them are my favorite...in their own special way. She is no exception.

Happy Birthday, my love.

Spreading The Love

I currently have four girls in the house- 5,6,7, and 8. One word. Drama.

This morning after an epic showdown, Savannah and I had a discussions about self control. She asked, " WHY do I always make the bad choice?"

So we talked about what we could do when we start to get angry.
1. Recognize that Satan wants you to get angry and hit. Don't listen to him.

2. God is love. Say it over and over until you can be like God, use his love to love instead of hurt.

After lunch, I sent Savannah downstairs to fold laundry because she needed to separate herself from everyone again. She reacted in anger at first, but when I went down the stairs I saw a pillowcase with something in it and a note.

"Dear whoever saw this note,

Open the present behind me. If it is a basketball, play with it in the park.

Love you, From Savannah."

It made me smile.

One angry response seems to upset the whole house...maybe one loving response can repair it?

That's what we are working on today.

Beautiful - MercyMe

I wish I knew how to tell my beautiful girls just how much they are treasured, because this has been a challenge lately. The last thing I want for them is to hate themselves as I once hated me.

Everyone is beautifully made. Everyone is their individual incredible creation.

YOU are so beautiful and no scar can take one ounce of your beauty away.

No judgement against you can take it away,
No opinion can take it away,
No abuse can take it away,
Not even you can take it away. You are beautiful, and you need to live with that fact.

Anything else is a lie.

Sidewalk Chalk

You may look at my children and wonder if I'm their birth mother....

But this one for sure is mine.

 For almost an hour......

 She has this technique with water and blending that she came up with herself.

I had to join her.


I love sidewalk chalk. There is so much you can do with it.

Artwork, number lines, tracing bodies, and even hopscotch.

What is your favorite thing to do with sidewalk chalk?

This Is How We Do It...(Birthdays)

My theory is that everyone should feel like a rockstar on their birthday. We focus on experiences, not presents. (presents = more stuff for me to manage) 

My husband's cultural differences have proven that birthdays just aren't a big deal, so some of this is without him. The best part includes him, though.

Gettin' Ready!

We started the day with a makeover using her new makeup

Out on the town

We even got rockstar parking

Ate brunch

(Max likes to take pictures so he can see the pic in the camera)

His work

Surprise! Grandma shows up and takes us to Science City

(Savannah's favorite thing of all is science. Perfect.)

Then over to the Crayola Cafe in Crown Center

"Oh, mama! This is the best day ever!"

...followed by a little shopping with some birthday cash....

She got the butterfly wings, a wand, and fairy skirt. I was relived that her choice indicated she is still a little girl!

She had one gift to open

Pinwheels and kaleidoscopes for everyone

An ice cream cake (a must-have)

Saturday morning we woke up "early" and she and Daddy ran her first 5k!

I was so proud I cried. Good thing I had huge sunglasses on.

More family came. The neighbors were having a garage sale. They manned the lemonade stand. Playing in the perfect weather. Until sundown. It was a perfect birthday weekend.



Tea

I gave up blogging for lent- so worth it..but I have to share this.

I was searching for dirt in my compost pile- not really wanting a break. But they insisted. Real tea, sugar bowl, and a wreath of dandelions around mine. They were so proud. For three minutes I was having fancy tea with the most wonderful company I could ask for. It's moments like these I wish to cherish. I shall return in a few weeks...

Giving Grace Wand

I used to work in a kitchen full of women....the DRAMA!

The amount of time spent on feelings hurt and rumors spread could have produced gourmet meals...but instead it was frozen pizzas and sloppy joes, much to my dismay. (Sloppy joes. Slop, slop-py joes...)

Now I have a house full of school aged girls. No different- except that the fights are over what is the best color in the whole wide world and which Poly Pocket girl is the mean one.

AND they have a great imagination. I can work with that.

So, when there is an argument that has no clear cut solution, we give grace.
Or, when someone refuses to work it out, we give grace.

Cause it's no fun to stay mad.
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We have worked on using our words when we are sad or mad to let the offender know what they did. First, we try that. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

"I feel sad because you pulled my hair"
"That's because you stomped on my foot!"

...and then it gets ugly. That's when we give grace (undeserved favor).

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Giving grace makes the other person more beautiful, it fills the giver with joy, and it usually melts the anger. (And it makes my job much easier)

This works for my little girls. I have no clue what would work for little boys!

You will need:

A magic wand or a pretend bottle of fairy dust

A believable imagination

So, when I have one mad little girl telling me that her imaginary unicorn really has pink hair but so and so says it's purple and there is no way around it, I say, "Oooooh, I guess you need to give grace!"

If they resist, I ask them if they want to stay mad or go back to playing- usually they make the better choice. If not, they can take some time out and cool down.

And I tell them, "Wave this wand over her head and press the button (which makes a magical noise) and you will drop magic grace sparkles on her head and she will be beautiful because you gave her love when she hurt you."

When she tries it, I say, "WOW! She is so beautiful right now! You are so kind to give her grace!" or something like that. They usually get into it. After a while, they don't need reminders, they just get the wand when they need it.

It has sparked many grace questions, and strengthened the love for one another. Everyone can use a little (or a lota) grace from time to time.