Kate loves the 12 days and sings while she works November 30, 2008
Posted by irisia in Kate personality, kate.Tags: 12 days of Christmas, 8 yr old sings christmas carols, girl sings 12 days while she works
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I am SO glad to be done with the Santa thing November 28, 2008
Posted by irisia in mom.Tags: kids finding out there is no santa, santa lie, santa myth, santa story, telling kids about santa
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I was never a big fan of the whole Santa story. I had an aunt who didn’t tell her kids about Santa because it was a lie. I remember as a child thinking she was a scrooge. Then, as I became a parent, even though I also felt it was a lie, and was reluctant to perpetuate the lie with my children, I didn’t want to be the scrooge that I thought my aunt was.
So I went along with it but I wasn’t terribly careful. As a matter of fact, the truth always came to light by the use of the same wrapping paper that the kids saw me purchase. This is what happened with Jack. I remember telling Matt when he was about 10 and Matt said he had already known but kept the (lie) alive for me. Ugh! Now Kate is 8. We have to carefully budget Christmas this year and we need to keep the kids to a strict budget. So, my plan was to have Matt fish around about what Kate believes and if he feels it’s the right time – spill the beans. No offense to Matt but he’s a known bean-spiller:)
So, yesterday we were having lunch and I told the kids that they were going to be limited to 1 big present each this year. They said they wanted a wii and we said that would have to be a family gift – and the only gift that the kids get and they don’t get other gifts. Kate said that would be great because Santa would still get her lots of presents. So, I blurted it – Kate, there is NO Santa. Dad and I are Santa. At that point she said the wrapping paper had given it away years ago – sheesh! I now believe that they don’t keep the lie alive because they think it’s important to Mom and Dad. They do it because they know they’ll get more presents.
Well the lie is completely exposed now – the end of the Santa era.
Jack earns his cords as Den Chief November 27, 2008
Posted by irisia in jack.Tags: boy scout cub scout den chief, boy scout leadership, den chief badge, den chief cords
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Jack decided completely on his own to become a den chief. He now goes to a second weekly meeting for the cubs. He was really excited this week because they were doing a pack meeting where the cubs get their badges and patches. Jack wanted to get there early to lead them in a flag ceremony and he also delivered the blessing. At this pack meeting, Jack was given his cords. They look awesome on his uniform. He also was given his den chief badge so we have to change out his patrol leader badge for his den chief badge. This sewing is fun sewing.
Words to say more often – “my pleasure” November 26, 2008
Posted by irisia in lamentscha, mom, musings, personal development.add a comment
Lately I had the great blessing to be seemingly over-appreciated for something I did. Whilst I should just count my blessings, I must admit I had a hard time not overly basking in the praise and wasn’t sure what to say. I had to admit that humility is something I’m working on and is sadly not my strong suit. So, I said “my pleasure”. I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t think I’ve ever said those two beautiful words before. So, as I ponder more ways to be more humble in life and work and parenting, I looked up some quotes.
Do you wish people to think well of you? Don’t speak well of yourself. – Blaise Pascal
I long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. – Helen Keller
the anti-humility quote:
Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose honest arrogance and have seen no occasion to change. – Frank Lloyd Wright
I guess if I have to look up quotes and read more about it, I have a long way to go.
Crowder’s Mountain NC Hiking Trail Map November 24, 2008
Posted by irisia in hiking.Tags: crowder's mountain hiking trail map, crowder's mountain trails, crowders mountain trail map, hiking trail maps
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The line between eccentricity and madness November 24, 2008
Posted by irisia in reading.Tags: jeannette walls, the glass castle
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I’m reading The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. So many people have read the book – especially people I know in book clubs. The book is incredibly sad as the author tells of this terrible life she had growing up poor with “odd” parents. I’m about 100 pages into the book and I can’t help but feel sadness more because of the societal constraints that thwart creativity and imagination, letting go and having fun, and bravely going where others don’t go. The parents in the story are made out to be these terrible “mad” sort of people who drink and don’t hold jobs, cannot manage money, don’t set appropriate boundaries for their children, and move their kids to new towns in the middle of the night when they get over their heads with debts. But, the father is highly intelligent and the mother is an artist. Society would say these people wasted away their talents by not channeling them to run into the course of everyday life and the pursuit of earning a good living for their family. But the children are learning, they’re unencumbered and often they laugh and have great fun. Of course the father’s carousing and the mother’s lack of good common sense are the sobering points in the story. But where do you draw the line? One of my favorite lines so far is “the civilians are revolting”. The father said this when they went to the zoo, climbed over the chain and stuck their hands in a cougar’s cage. He did it after carefully studying the animal, maintaining eye contact and feeling that the Cougar was friendly. He did it carefully and the cougar nudged the side of it’s face up against the side of the father’s hand. The crowd of onlookers became enraged which was the pretext to his comment. So where is the line between eccentricity and madness? Are we all so constrained by modern society that we sacrifice fun and freedom, free thinking and abandon?
Followup: my opinions changed quite a bit after finishing the book. Read my followup here.
Children always give me rocks November 23, 2008
Posted by irisia in mom, musings.Tags: children giving gifts, children giving rocks, rock-giving
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OK. Three times in the past month of two, children have given me rocks. I wonder why? The first time was when we were hiking and this young boy was walking with his grandfather. They were carefully selecting particular rocks and staring hard at the ground. As I walked by, the boy pointed out to me that you could find rocks that looked normal but were sharp like arrows. He asked me if I wanted one. Normally I would say no thankyou but he seemed so earnest that I accepted the rock and said thank you. I then felt compelled to keep the rock which he had given to me as a gift.
Then, I started working in Kate’s class. On one of the first days, a boy came up to me and offered me a rock. He didn’t seem to think it was a special rock. In fact, he had several rocks in his pocket. But again, he seemed so earnest that I accepted his rock with a thank you. He was pleased. I’m sad to say that I did not take good care of that rock because I no longer know where it is.
Yesterday, I was offered a third rock. I was working in Kate’s class again and out of the blue a boy offered me a rock. It was this beautiful purple rock and looked like it might have been purchased somewhere. I told him I could not accept the beautiful rock but he told me he wanted me to have it. So I accepted the rock. Then, he told me that most people would have paid him for that rock. I told him I would be happy to pay him with a smile – which he accepted. OK, here’s the sad part. I lost that rock too! I had it in my pocket of my jacket and when I went to look for it, it was gone.
So what does it mean when 3 kids offer me rocks in such a short period of time? What does it mean when I promptly lost 2 of them?
14.4 mile hike at South Mountain State Park November 23, 2008
Posted by irisia in jack, jack boy scouts, mom, personal fitness.Tags: boy scout hiking merit badge, hiking south mountain state park, north carolina mountain hiking, north carolina mountain hiking trails
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Jack and I hiked the last 10-mile hike for the Boy Scouts hiking merit badge. It was a really small group – just 5 boys and 3 adults. South Mountain was beautiful. We started out walking up this gargantuan set of stairs overlooking a river with falls. Then we hiked on various trails, staying on the horse trails. This was a decent strategy since our objective was wide trails for safety and so we could see the boys. It was cold enough that there likely would be very few horses if any. The strategy paid off and there were only a couple horses so we kept down on the horse doo.
The trails did not have tough terrain in and of itself but there were several really steep climbs. I had trouble with the steep climbs and needed to stop every little bit. My heart would be racing and it felt like it would race out of my chest. But, they did end soon enough and the overall grade was moderate.
It was COLD! I didn’t even think about it being very cold. I wore my moisture-wicking shirt, a sweatshirt and a vest. My body quickly heated up to where the sweatshirt was too hot but I don’t think I fully appreciated how cold it still was out there. I had my camelback on with my wicking shirt and my vest which kept my torso very warm. But my hands were not in good shape. They swelled up to about twice their normal size. They were red and stiff. I borrowed someone’s gloves but when we finished the hike, my hands were still really stiff and didn’t fully warm up for about 3 hours. We also could see our breath so I would have a better pair of gloves if I went there again in the winter.
Overall, I love the state park. It was very well taken care of and beautiful. I highly recommend it. Crowder’s was still my favorite hike location.
On to the 20-miler!!!
Kate (8) explains her spelling mistakes excusing handwriting November 20, 2008
Posted by irisia in Kate school, kate.Tags: 3rd grade correct spelling test, 3rd grade spelling, 3rd grade spelling tests, funny spelling story, grade 3 spelling errors, grade 3 spelling test
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Kate now has to submit a written correction for any mistakes she makes on her spelling tests. I noticed this when I checked over this last night. It’s hilarious.
