People are opinionated creatures…some more than others. I’m fine with opinions. I have a few of my own. All right, I have a lot.

It just seems everyone around me has more.

It’s a bold thing to do~ to share an opinion~ especially these days. If it’s health-related, the new statistics will change from one day to the next. If it’s food-related, google a question about the benefits or risks of…let’s say eggs, and you’ll see a variety of articles stating why their facts show that eggs are excellent and the next will show facts that eggs are the devil’s spawn. Anything related to politics~ well, if you’ve been on Facebook or watched TV at all, you’ll know that’s an extremely volatile topic.

Why does everyone think their opinion is the right one?

It’s not that I mind hearing the various Know it Alls spout why their thoughts on apple juice or X, Y, Z are superior to what anyone else might think. (After all, here I am, being a Middle of the Road Know it All as I type this.) The thing is, I might even share those thoughts, to an extent. What I’m exhausted by, is the attitude that there isn’t room for another idea in there. Or I don’t know~ what about the fact that what works for you, might not work for everyone else?

Could it be…keep an open mind here…that we’re all just trying to figure out this life we’re living and that things change, moderation is still key and that God has it all in his hands? I don’t know. Maybe that’s too opinionated, but that’s mine.

I’ve been known to get on a few kicks myself. I hereby give you permission to just bop me upside the head if I ever go spouting off why my way is the only way. The Bible is a great example of there being all types of people~ most of them failures~ who are in all walks of life. Even, get this, people with all types of diet, beauty regiments, health precautions and political views…

I think we’re all supposed to get along with one another. Respect each others’ thoughts. And I also think it’s okay if I space out if I hear repeated tangents that are close-minded. I will go to my happy place of coffee, chocolate and fairies.

I’ve been known to do a school rant or two…or twelve.

But here we are~ the first day of 8th grade AND 2nd grade. Now, we go full-force into happy, supportive, peppy mode. No more gripes now. Nope, nope, nope.

6 AM came awfully early today for my teenager. She’s slept the summer mornings away, so it was a shock to her system to be up while it was still dark. She actually woke up around 5:30 because of the First Day of School jitters. Remember those? I came stumbling downstairs and she was already in the kitchen, dressed and ready to go…

My little girl.

Snurfle.

“This is what I look like at 6:40.“

Thanks for putting up with your photograph-obsessed mother.

Going where no 8th grader has gone before…

My little fashionista…red Snow White headband, Spiderman shirt, red skinny jeans and these FABULOUS boots…

Have the best day, love.

A little break and then it all starts over with my little man. Oh, how they would love to have their school times switched. He’s the early dude. She’s the late diva. But, alas, it is not to be.

Perky much?

And a little Perry the Platypus action going on the back side…

Yes, BEWARE…my little boy is about to bring sunshine into your classroom! Treat him with loving care, please.

Snurfle, take 2.

This picture is after a million and one faces…and me saying, “OKAY, I have plenty of face pictures now, can you do one normal?” And he wipes the grin off until his lips are teensy nubs, which is actually another face…but I’ll take it.

Have the best day, love.

I will just be here, wallowing having a life and whatnot, until you come home.

Snurfle. Take 3.

If I could wish upon a thousand stars

And make a thousand wishes—

Make all my dreams come true just by wishing…

I would still wish for you.

If a thousand moonlit lakes

Splashed across a thousand stormy miles

Could carry you across the tide…

I would wait for you there.

If a thousand years went by

A thousand secrets whispered

All the truth of love revealed in time…

It would speak your name.

If a thousand mistakes were made

A thousand promises broken

Hope would barter with our souls a thousand times, a thousand ways—

And still leave us standing.

For all my ranting about school suckage earlier in the week, I must now expound on how much I do love teachers. An excellent teacher can change the course of your whole life. Someone who sees your value and finds ways of cultivating your gifts~ that’s priceless. And when it comes to trusting other people to have significant input in my daughter and son’s life, well, it’s a HUGE deal.

I’ve considered the home schooling thing many times, especially when we used to travel more with music stuff…but I always come back around to the fact that I really don’t think I would be a good teacher. My husband, on the other hand, he is a teacher at heart. Everything he says with the kids is a teaching moment. So if we ever get that tour bus I’ve been coveting, maybe he’ll be the one who takes over home schooling responsibilities. You can imagine if I get aggravated shopping for school supplies, how I’d feel trying to teach Math on a daily basis. The thought makes my stomach twist, turn and drop just a wee bit.

So I’m thankful for teachers and their ability to:

*Still have sing-songy voices the whole livelong day…not just with my children, but all the other more rotten munchkins too.

*See through what I think is good or bad and determine what still needs work and what is stellar.

*Cover ALL the subjects thoroughly, not just the one I might be able to cover.

*Remember details about my child after the dozens and dozens that file in and out of their classes all day long. (middle school)

*Make learning fun and exciting~ this is especially fun to see if the teacher starts out the year “scary” and ends up being their favorite teacher because of how they can make the subject come alive.

*Put up with all the smells.

*Tolerate the rotten attitudes and naughtiness…

*Excuse the daydreaming~ this is one I have to be particularly grateful about~ I seem to be raising some heavyduty daydreamers.

*Challenge the shortcomings of kids day after day without bang their head against the wall…at least not in the presence of my kids.

And SO MUCH MORE…

I don’t take the job of a teacher lightly. I recognize it is not my gift and I am so grateful for every teacher (at school or otherwise) who has taken the time to nurture my children. Now, if you could just cut back on homework, I will kiss your feet and write you a song. XO

Remember that old saying, “Life is hard and then you die?” Or was it, “Life is short and then you die?” Or was it, well…apparently I sort of adapted it to say whatever I wanted it to, whenever I wanted to. I have been known to do that with sayings and songs…

Well, that’s how I feel about school. Life is so short/hard. Why does school have to go and wreck all our fun?

Each year, I have to endure these feelings while maintaining the School is GOOD! face before my kids.

Sure, I LOVE to get up at 6:30 to get one child on the bus and do everything all over again for the other child to get on at 8:47.

It is my life’s pleasure to get (8) Crayola Markers, washable~ NOT (12), NOT (16)…they dare NOT be generic…no, I will hunt until I find those (8) Crayola Markers, washable, and rip them out of another angry mother’s hands if I have to. Seriously, why is she so angry?

It will be no problem for me to print two dozen forms on my measly printer. I didn’t need that paper…or ink…or time.

Yes, I will be glad to send Ziploc bags, Kleenex, antibacterial wipes, two flair pens, and two highlighters that my child won’t ever use. I’m a giver.

I don’t mind writing down the exact same information for the ninth year in a row! It was time I learned my emergency contact’s number by heart anyway. I want you to remember that my child can still take acetaminophen. And that I’m still okay if you decide to publish some genius work they produce with my child’s name included. I’m glad to give you our cell numbers yet again. This time you’ll call me maybe?

It’s no big DEAL if every sickness gets passed to us because so many parents send their kids to school sick. Who wants to be healthy anyway???

Homework is our friend! We didn’t need those four hours in the evenings after a 7 hour day at school. Pile it on!

*Laughing maniacally*

Mama’s okay. Don’t be frightened, children. We LOVE school. School is…well, it’s just GOOD, that’s what.

Why are you crying, Mama?

I’m just going to miss you…I mean…I’m crying because I’m…so excited about all the FREE TIME I WILL HAVE TO DO WHATEVER I WANT! These are happy tears of joy and freedom!

Maybe School IS Good!

Maybe I DO like green eggs & ham! And even if I don’t, I must make sure THEY do.

Sigh. I obviously still need to work on my game face.

We have strange rules in our house. It’s a common thing for us to be correcting the kids and for them to suddenly bust out laughing~ not something a parent really loves when they’re in deep correction mode. Our children have finally brought it to our attention how weird we are. Fortunately for us, they are content being different. Also, thankfully, they’re good, sweet kids; otherwise, their laughing would NOT be funny.

*A brief detour: For a while there I was afraid my daughter was going to turn out to be preppy. EEK! The very thought curled my toes. If you’re reading this, Greyley, I promise to love you even if you wear argyle cashmere sweater sets and your hair is in a perfectly coiffed ponytail every day of the week. Swallow. Blink, blink. Truly, I will.

I like it that they’re a little bit left of center. AND I feel a little bad for them at the same time. It means heartache. It also means they’re exceptional.

This is a recurring topic throughout our lives~ for both Nate AND me.

Nate looked at me the other day and said, “You know, not everyone is going to GET us.”

Um, yeah. It’s been a long hard lesson, but I think I’m finally getting THAT.

An old boyfriend said it best, “You and Nate are just out there…on a cloud…together…”

I wanted to bop him upside the head when he said that, but he was right.

Anyway…here’s a sampling of some of the rules that have come out of my mouth just recently:

*No rollerblading in the living room!

*No flooding the bathroom with bubbles!

*Stop flinging __________.  (My son has a serious flinging condition. Flinging- to twirl any and everything very, very fast)

*No playing bongos on your food!

*My buns are NOT your drumset!

*OKAY, let’s De-Chipmunk right now! (think of Alvin singing and you’ll get it)

*No more skating in the tub!

*A bird is going to pluck your eyes out if you disrespect me. It’s Bible. Proverbs 30:17 (For some reason, this sends them into FITS of laughter.)

And the most frequent one of all, so perhaps not very effective:

*If you want to live a long and happy life, you WILL CLEAN YOUR ROOM.

That last one needs work. They’re too happy and young to imagine being otherwise.

Anyway…so I guess there’s four of us…out there…on a cloud…together…

This little one has me wrapped.

It’s been that way from day one.

She loves me. Passionately. (It’s true.) And I love her. Just as passionately. (Also true.)

Ask her mom how Meredith kisses me and maybe you’ll believe it. 🙂

We just click. It’s weird how that happens with babies and kids just like adults. They’re people too, can you believe it?

Meredith turned one and the little peanut has all our hearts so full. She’s been a ray of sunshine in my life this past year.

OK, she loves other people too…

Like Courtney…

Almost as much as me.

I’m kidding.

Kind of.

No, no, really. I am.

🙂

And her mama…I think she might love her too.

Happy Birthday, dear Meredith. May you always have your sweet spirit, your magnetic smile, soulful eyes that go to the depths, your gentle determination to be heard, a good appetite for food and fun, and love for others that is so true it heals. May you always be this way, only a thousand times more as you grow.

Another week has come and gone, another chunk of summer GONE…I can’t believe how quickly the time is flying.

Weddings, birthdays, VBS, crazy children and nerds…these are the things we’ve survived this past week.

The kids were in a play at church Sunday morning. Take a look at this pair…

I don’t know if you can tell, but the one on the left played the part of a NERD. And land sakes, he did it well. He had a ton and one lines. Click “Faulty Reasoning” below to see a little video sampling of him saying my favorite line…

Faulty Reasoning

The sweetie on the right also had a fun part and led the songs…we were very proud; very proud, indeed.

And then there’s that little dose of reality that just makes life so…real…embarassing…humorous.

The Nerd had serious long lines, but I’m repeating myself. And he did it flawlessly, truly he spoke those lines with nerdlike excellence. It was so cute. HOWEVER…he seemed to have a problem in the lower regions. As in, a bundle, wedgie, whatever you might want to call it. The problem was, it was not only in the back, but also in the front.

And things escalated to an all-time nerve-inducing high when he began moving from one foot to the other, doing a little shuffle.

The I-Have-To-Go-To-The-Bathroom-Shuffle.

At first, I just thought he was nervous and that we needed to get new underwear. And new pants. Or maybe he got a mosquito bite. Or please not a rash or something.

Sigh.

Then when the dance came and the end of the play did not seem to be in sight, I began to beseech the heavens to help him hold it. But please, Lord, not literally. Don’t let him hold it literally ANYMORE.

God heard my cry and just when I thought I couldn’t take anymore, it was time for a song.

Estelle (or as Indigo calls her, Mistelle), who was in charge of VBS, bless her, took my boy by the hand while the song was going and let the poor boy go to the bathroom. He came back a new man by the time the song was over.

Whew.

You just never know what miracles you’re going to see during any given day.

Lessons learned:

Force your child to use the restroom before a performance.

Pray the song comes sooner next time.

Sunshine skies and babies’ eyes, these are the things that sustain me…rain is good, too.

Anne Shirley. She has always spoken to me. I love Anne so much. This quote has been my mantra this summer…

“I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” -Anne Shirley, Anne of Avonlea

My simple pleasures grow every day, but here are just a handful or two.

Have I shown you the Thumb Sumo wrestlers?

Entertainment for the whole family!

A fish caught by my boy…the little one on the left, that is.

Good eats.

Minneapolis~ pretty city. Twins’ game…

We lost, but it didn’t matter.

These flowers are still beautiful~ some new ones have even been added since this…

I love them.

Finding a heart-shaped noodle while you’re eating Pho…what could be better?

And the spoons!

These flowers might be my favorite…

My mama gave me this chair and I think of her every time I look at it. I think she’d approve of the flowers, do you, M?

Perry the Platypus Sailor by Greyley Sabin

He’s cute…but look at this one.

Perry the Cowboy is pretty stinkin’ cute too.

You never know where you’ll find Jesus…

He’s waiting with arms open wide. Even when he’s just playing…

Thing 1 and Thing 2. Merciful heavens, I do love these Things.

Go out and be happy. That’s your job for today. 😉

We had as close to a hoedown as we could possibly have in the North Country last weekend. Two dear friends, Jill and Carrie, had MAJOR birthdays and we celebrated them in high style.

Culprit #1, Carrie:

Culprit #2, Jill:

There was barbeque galore~ Carrie’s husband grilled a feast. We had dirty cake from Danna that was delicious.

Perry the Platypus made an appearance, thanks to my girl, Greyley…he’s from Phineas & Ferb, in case you aren’t as cartoon savvy as Jill, Carrie and Greyley.

It was actually hard to say good-bye to the Perrys, but fortunately, we can visit them in their new homes.

The ONLY trouble whatsoever with this shindig was reining in the sheriff~ he wanted to arrest all the cowgirls…

Do we look like trouble to you?

Don’t answer that.