That's What You Get !

I never liked Halloween on Sunday's.. just doesn't seem right. Especially when you walk into church on Oct 31st and your 6 1/2 year old turns to you and says, "Are we going to sing any Halloween songs this morning?

Nice...... I guess I should be happy he didn't ask to wear his batman costume to children's church.

Dancing With The Stars

My husband was playing a Beethoven/Salsa clip that he found on Facebook. While sharing it with us, he broke into a little impromptu dance. I guess Chris was impressed with his coordination, moves and musicality which made him wonder if he was a musician... however, the question that he came out with was "Dad, are you a magician?" We had a good long laugh and then I said "Yes... he is a magician and maybe if we turn off the music he'll make the dancing disappear."

Breast Cancer Controversy

There has been a ton of "buzz" in our school district regarding breast cancer awareness these last few weeks. Apparently, there are some retailers who are selling "I Love Boobies" bracelets. In general, there are several organizations who make bracelets available for purchase and a portion of the proceeds goes to that charity or organization. The problem with this particular bracelet is that, while it is supposed to be worn in support of breast cancer research, etc., the children sporting them (as young as 7 and 8) are obviously wearing them for other reasons (sexual comment). Call me crazy, but should a 2nd grader in my son's school be allowed to wear this bracelet?

I personally think the bracelets should just have the common symbol for breast cancer awareness, the pink ribbon, and let that be it. To have that phrase on it, to me, just demeans the whole purpose. Having lost a parent to this horrible disease, I take offense to it and really hope that parents pay attention to the bands your kids have on their wrists and have a heart-to-heart conversation with them about it.

To me, it's not cool for a young boy to have this band on his wrist (and to be able to wear it under the pretense of supporting a cause when the really is wearing it more as a joke - sexual remark). Don't wear a t-shirt to public school that has religious meaning behind it, but go ahead and wear the "I love boobies" band - that's just fine. Any thoughts out there? Do you think I'm overreacting or not getting mad enough?

Yogi

A few weeks ago, I was driving Chris to soccer practice, minding my own business, when all of a sudden, a HUGE black bear ran right in front of my car on this 2-lane road. I was thankful that he didn't run into my car and that my car wasn't going too fast so I didn't hit him. Chris and I just starting screaming --- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH It was so random and so unexpected.... the closest I had been to a bear prior to this was watching Yogi Bear on TV... oh and Special Agent Oso for those of you with small kids.

I am so thankful for God's protection on the roads!

Heaven

Chris has been asking a lot of deep questions about heaven and what it's going to be like. Where do you live in heaven and more importantly, what do we do in heaven. So, I explained to him that we will be praising God and singing and worshipping forever. So, he looks at me for a few seconds and then comes out with... "And then what? When do we get to play with my Wii?"

These Boots Were Made For Walking

Up until this morning, I believed that there was no other activity more disheartening to a woman than shopping for a bathing suit or a pair of jeans. Both quests can make a woman have a moment of two of body image regret... (regret eating that bowl of ice cream, regret eating that piece of cake, etc.) Today, I realized that bathing suit shopping and jean shopping are a walk in the part compared to the dreaded "boot".

I went off to Marshalls this morning for some retail therapy and I wanted to buy a pair of boots. Specifically dressy boots (AKA -- boots that have no function in bad weather, are not waterproof, but boy do they look nice!) . There are so many different types of boots out there so I grabbed a mix of them (ankle boots, calf boots, knee high boots, etc.) First up was the knee high boot. I sat down and proceeded to pull them on. I had the zipper half way up my calf when IT happened.... I couldn't close the zipper! On the top part of my calf! Are you serious??? Now, call me crazy, but my calves have not changed size. (Thighs are a different story for a blog on a different day) I have not begun a body building regime so they are not muscular and super toned, but my goodness, it took me by surprise.

So then, I am reasoning to myself, that maybe the boots were cut "thin" or "narrow". You know.. if they have a "wide" shoe, maybe this was a "narrow". So, I grabbed a few other pairs, and while able to zip some of them, they just didn't look good. AT ALL. What is a girl to do? So, I guess once you hit 40, I'm best to keep the boots either at my ankles or slightly higher... no knee high boots for this girl.... I guess I better go shopping for a bathing suit or jeans to bolster my body image. LOL

Getting Ahead of Myself

I haven't even put away the summer clothes, but I have:

-Learned the words to almost every song in Christopher's upcoming Christmas play

-Purchased several Christmas gifts

-Researched airfares for our trip to Florida in December

-Updated my Christmas Card list

-Pulled out all my Christmas CDs

-Enrolled myself in a Christmas Cookie class at Cookie Crumb Productions, owned by my pastry chef friend, Melissa.

I think I'm a little ahead of myself, but I don't like frantic Decembers... I like everything in order and ready to go so I can sit back and enjoy those weeks... well, that's the plan anyway.

Why I Don't Like First Grade

Let me just say, life was simpler in Kindergarten. Everyone loved each other, they all shared, the world was a happy place. First Grade is the ANTI-kindergarten it seems. It's such a hard age... I remember being six... you learn a lot about your world and the people who make up the world. As a mom, I wish I could shield my son and tell him that everyone will love him as much as I do, everyone is always kind and that the world is a totally loving and happy place. Is it just me, or is it torture watching your child learn to navigate their way through the world?

So far, he's learned that kids are mean (for no apparent reason), that they will throw things at you and tease you just because they feel like it. He's learning how to fight his own battles and to make friends with kids that are nice to him and stay away from those who always seem to be in the "reflection" chair. He also just realized this past weekend that not everyone goes to church! I think he was SHOCKED when he realized that not everyone loves Jesus the way he does. He is growing up and I feel like I'm reliving all those childhood growing pains once again. It just means some extra time on my knees praying each day for him.

Boy, I miss kindergarten...sigh

Addendum: After talking to my concerned father, I should note that the reason why the kids seem so miserable is because they merged two elementary schools into one... so the majority of Chris' classmates are from the other school who are now trying to adjust to this new environment. It doesn't excuse bad behavior, but I truly believe things would have been a little different if they had kept the schools separate. Just my observation.

It's Been A While

So, what have I been up to?? The first week that Chris was in school, I spent my time cleaning and organizing.. not that you would know it and we are only a few weeks into the school year. Now, I am in the throws of running my business, running our home, being the Room Parent for Chris' class, bible study, walking with friends, soccer practice, soccer games, book fairs, etc. You get the picture. It's been non-stop but it's all good.

Fall just crept up on me and it's hard to believe it's time again to haul out the winter clothes. I hope with the Fall will come some more opportunities just to be home and to catch you all up on my life and blog a little about all that's happening in our little neck of the woods.

Got to close for now -- hosting 5 girlfriends at my house for coffee and some goodies. Promise to be back soon!