Lessons from kids

Hannah: Mommy, when we buy things at the store, do they use the money to help poor people or do they use it to make themselves rich?

Michael (today at CVS): Mommy, this has to be on sale or we can't buy it.

Michael (after I told him to turn the light back on while I was helping Hannah get ready for school): No, when the lights are on it costs a lot of money and hurts the Earth. We have to save the Earth and save money.

Hannah (after she lied about how she cut her finger--which was on a soda can she wasn't supposed to have): She wrote this note: "I am so sorry I lied to you."

Hannah (on a previous occasion of disobeying): "I am so sorry I thisobad"...(that says disobeyed). She always illustrates her letters and this one has her with a sad face and me yelling at her. After a month, it is still on my refrigerator.

I find it funny that a 6-year old can apologize with such simplicity yet adults have to find someone to blame (often the very person they should be apologizing to) for all their inappropriate actions, words and wrongdoings.

The other day Hannah cleaned her room unexpectedly without any prompting from me. When I went to her room and saw how "shiny" it was, I told her I'd have to find her a special treat. She said, "Mommy, a treat would be nice, but even if you can't find a treat, having a great family is enough of a treat." Either she is a great little manipulator or I am a sucker, but I wanted to give her the biggest present ever.

When we were shopping for her water bottle for kindergarten, she asked if we could get 2 water bottles to which I immediately replied, "No! These water bottles are $15. She said, "Mommy, I don't want 2 for myself. I want to give one to my teacher in case there is a little girl in my class whose mommy can't buy her a water bottle. Then my teacher would have one for her." I'm telling you...how can I argue with this child?

When Hannah turned 4, she donated her hair to Locks of Love. About a month later (fortunately after we had some professional pictures taken), she cut her hair all the way to her scalp with safety scissors. I took her to DooLittles the next morning. The stylist looked at me and said, "What are you going to do?" I was like...What are YOU going to do? to which she replied that there was nothing she could do. She cut all the remaining hair as short as possible and suggested I buy very wide headbands (at a cost of $10 each which I gladly paid) and come back in 3 months. By then her hair was just long enough to make a little water spout in the front--kind of like you would for a 4 month old not a 4 year old! All this because my little Hannah wanted to give some more hair to another sick little girl. We had many a conversation about where we get our hair cut. It took a full year for her hair to grow out enough to make a cute very short bob. Now that she is 6 1/2, I am anxiously awaiting the day we can get this hair cut. Hannah wants me to find the little girl we saw at Wendy's last summer who had just lost all her hair.
No one ever leaves our house empty handed. If I don't give them something, Hannah will chase them out the door to give them something even if it is a picture she has drawn.
Hannah's kindergarten teacher said she was the most spiritual child she has ever taught. I hope her spirit doesn't get broken as she grows up. There is so much that is wrong in our world.

A few weeks ago, I had a dispute with a friend's husband which resulted in him yelling at me, my 3 year old crying uncontrollably and him yelling louder so I could hear him over Michael's crying. I was able to end the argument pretty quickly, but my kids certainly aren't accustomed to this type of yelling. Later in the day, Hannah asked if Mr. ________ loves Jesus and that if he really loved Jesus why was he yelling at me that morning.

Kids are smart! They are perceptive! We can wear crosses around our necks, put fish on our cars, and go to church every week, but what they see is how we treat others. The way we as adults behave is the programming we give our children. It is why my husband exercises even though he hates it, it is why he reads a non-fiction book every week even though he is dyslexic, it is why we serve the poor even though our schedules are already busy, and so on....how are you programming your kids? What lessons are they teaching you?

Last Day of Kindergarten

Yesterday, I dropped Hannah off for her first day of kindergarten and today I picked her up from her last day of kindergarten. Seriously, where did the year go? I am amazed at how much she has learned. This has been a year of milestones: tying her shoes, riding her bike without training wheels, reading and writing, sleepovers...
Tomorrow we embark on a new journey. I am going to practice homeschooling this summer. If all goes well, we may continue for first grade. Hannah really wants to do it. She had a great kindergarten experience. I honestly do not think there is a "wrong" answer.
Happy Summer, Everyone!!!

One Nation, Overweight

Frank and I watched this on one of the PM news shows Sunday night. It really motivated me to get moving. I've always been pretty active. Before kids, I was a trainer at the YMCA and faculty fitness coordinator for Charlotte Country Day School. I ran 3 marathons, lots of half marathons, and tons of 5K, 10Ks, etc. 4 months after Michael was born, I ran the Kiawah Island half marathon and then the Nashville Country Music half marathon when he was 7 months old. Since then, I have had a consistent running partner. We have been meeting at 5:45 or 6:00 am for 3 years.
Admittedly, the past 6 months I have been pretty slack. Carol has been traveling a lot and has been chronically injured. I'm not very good at getting up at 5:30 without someone to meet me.
All this to say, I have the idea in my head that if I don't work out for an hour and really sweat then there is no point. For me, there is no greater feeling than the high after a great run.
After watching all the obese people struggling with their weight and subsequent health problems, I decided that I am going to walk 2 miles every morning. Then if I get a chance to "really work out" later, great! But if not, I have at least done something.
I challenge all of you to start in small increments. 10 minutes of weight training with simple hand weights, jump rope, hula hoop, walk a mile or two, etc. Just get moving!!!
If you have children, it is incredibly important for them to see exercise as an integral part of your life. We have such a childhood obesity problem in our country. As parents, we have a duty to set the example of fitness as a lifestyle choice.

The person I've known the longest since arriving in Charlotte 17 years ago was killed in a motorcycle accident yesterday. I first met Don Fumo at Carmel Middle School in 1993. It was my first teaching job and Don was an experienced math teacher. I was always a little jealous because he taught geometry which was something I wanted to teach, but there was only one class in middle school and I was new. 2 years later, Don transferred to East Meck HS when our principal, Ron Thompson, became principal of E. Meck. I got the geometry class and 2 years after that I transferred to East Meck. My room was right next to Don's and he was assigned to be my mentor. The two years I spent teaching at East Meck resulted in some of my dearest teacher friends. There was a group of us on the 9th grade hall who "congregated" every morning before 7:00 am. At the time, I was a young, very single teacher. I learned so much from Angie Dickison and Don Fumo about parenting and marriage. Angie gave each of her kids $100 each month and from that they had to buy everything they needed: lunch, clothes, gas, meals and movies out with friends, etc. Angie taught me that I should never ever go anywhere without my make-up and hair done. Don wasn't so outright in his life lessons to me. He just modeled great marriage and family values. One day I was teasing him about his wrinkled shirt and said, "Don't you have an iron?" He said he didn't feel like ironing his shirt that morning. I replied, "Well, don't you have a wife?" to which he responded that it was not her job to iron his clothes. I took that lesson very well and haven't ironed anything for my husband either. For most of the time I knew him, Don drove an old beat up car with plastic in the back window so that his wife could drive the nicer car. He made sacrifices that most men would be embarrassed to make. He taught part time at Central Piedmont during the school year so he could be home with his kids during the summer. Donna, his wife, worked 9-2 at the bank so she could be home when the kids went to school and when they got off the bus. They saved up for a pop up camper to use on family vacations. I would always tell Don how much I admired the way they lived and how they were one family that had their priorities straight. Don would always laugh his quiet, humble laugh, but what I said is so true. I have always respected how they put family at the top of their priority list and lived within their means. They didn't even have cell phones until their oldest son started driving.
This morning after hearing of his accident, I began to call my friends from East Meck who aren't at the school anymore. We are all in shock and bewilderment. Mary Lou was in utter disbelief. Niva burst into tears as I gave her the news. We all want to do something, but are at a loss as to what we can do. I talked to my friend Chris for a long time. He said he always told Don that he was the richest person he knew and Don always laughed it off. Chris said, "Don had a wife who loved him, 3 children who were well-behaved and grounded, a career he loved and great friends." How can you get any richer than that? Chris said he was lucky to meet him and grateful to have known him. I echo those thoughts.
Last Memorial Day, the old East Meck gang got together at the Fumos for a barbecue. It was a ton of fun and laughs and really the last time all of us were together. I am hoping to reunite our group at the little Mexican restaurant Don introduced us to 13 years ago on a teacher workday. It became the norm that we would go there on teacher workdays. Don was our quiet leader and I'd like us to celebrate his life.

Zumba

I saw my friend Ashley at our pool opening party on Saturday and she invited me to Zumba today at the Y.
Me: I've never taken zumba.
A: Girl, all you have to do is shake it.
Me: Ok (thinking I need to do what she does since she looks amazing).

10:20--arrive at Y. Can barely get in the door (to the building, not the class) because there is a sea of women packed like sardines waiting to "shake it". I quickly decide to escape, but realize it is impossible to get out the door or even to another area of the gym.

10:30-stay in the very back and do my best to keep up with all the moves. try to follow the girls who know what they're doing since I can't see the instructor. Seriously, I've taken lots of aerobics classes in the past, but I've never seen a room so packed. There must be something to this Zumba stuff!
11:05--announcement that a windshield has been smashed in the parking lot and we all need to go make sure it's not our car. glad for the break, slightly concerned it could be my windshield.
11:10--all of our cars are fine--back to zumba.
11:40--class ends. I survived and have worked up a good sweat. I tell Ashley I'll come back on Monday.

Memorial Day Weekend--big boy bed and canning adventure

1. We moved Michael to his big boy bed. This may sound simple. It involved moving furniture in 4 rooms. Michael's race car bed went to Austin's house. The downstairs guest room bed that matches Michael's dresser moved to Michael's room. Hannah's mattress to Michael's room. Queen bed from beach room to downstairs guest room. Buy adorable white furniture from Wendy for beach room. Now the worst: find a mattress for Hannah's bed. I still contend that a mattress should cost no more than $100. I bought the furniture for the beach room for $150--twin bed and dresser. I bought Hannah's furniture--solid wood, made in America: full bed with 2 huge storage drawers underneath, desk with hutch, mirror, nightstand, 6-drawer dresser all for $400. But after much search--internet and in-store--by myself and Wendy (who also needs a mattress for her little girl's new furniture, hence me buying hers), I concluded that a mattress is about $350-$450 for something not even terribly comfortable. I don't like it, but it is a necessary evil.
What I do appreciate is my husband's "get er done" attitude. When there is a task(s) to be done, he has gazelle-like focus and does not stop until everything is complete. It drives me crazy sometimes, but when I want things rearranged around the house or the garage cleaned out, he is amazing!
1 (a). so now I just need to buy sheets for Michael's bed since I don't think he appreciated the pink gingham sheet I put on temporarily. I have plenty of full size girl sheets. Michael wants a Simba bed. If you've spent any time with my son, you know that when Michael wants something, he asks for it non-stop--I want milk, I want milk, .... until his request is granted. So while I am grateful for Frank's manual labor in getting all the furniture moved, I have the daunting task of finding "Lion King" room decor for a full size bed. I am convinced that Disney is out to make my life miserable by "vaulting" the Lion King. I can't buy the movie on DVD so we watch the VHS on a 13 inch tv in the playroom. I bought one figurine set several years ago (before said vaulting) and it is almost a full time job keeping up with the 6 characters.
2. I was picked by House Party to host a Ball Fresh Taste of Summer canning party. They sent me the water bath canner, recipe books, pectin, step-by-step instructions, coupons for 4 cases of free jars, etc. We'll be making home made salsa and pepper jelly. I had to do a trial run before the party. Frank picked up all the vegetables needed at the Farmer's Market--$26. My friend Niva came over and away we chopped. It took about 4 hours (partly learning curve, partly chopping tons of veggies). First we made pepper jelly. Yummy!!! Then after 1 1/2 hours of chopping, we made the salsa. Delicious with home made tortilla chips sprinkled with sea salt!
I am so glad I did the trial run. I am very glad I had Niva to help. It was pretty cool to hear all the lids seal (that means that we can store the food in our pantry for a year--or longer). The folks over at Ball will be glad to know we plan to do lots more canning. I don't know how cost-effective it will be since we will have to buy jars this year, but our food will be healthy and preservative free, not to mention delicious!