Flying by

In case you haven't guessed from the recent lack of posting, it has been quite hectic here the past few days.
We are pretty "birthday-ed" out at this point, though Jo's "kid" party on Saturday was a lot of fun for him and for me.

Mom helped out with the games and decorations, drawing a pretty good rendering of a heifer for a game we called "brand the heifer on the hinder." Kind of like pin the tail.
It was a cowboy themed party, and guests were given cowboy hats, bandannas and sheriff badges when they arrived.
Daniel played the part of the Indian.

They also had to "guess how many cowboys and Indians are in the mug?" when they came in the door.
We started off with some cowboy grub: franks and beans and chips and watermelon.

After lunch, it was time for the games.
Mom rounded the kids up, and first they had a scavenger hunt. We had hidden cowboys, Indians and horses all over the house and the kids broke into two groups (the outlaws and the posse) and went a-hunting.
The team with the most acquisitions at the end won.
There was "snake bite", like hot potato, but with a rubber snake. Whoever was left with it in their hands when the music stopped "got bit" and "died" in a heap on the floor. I think "dying" was more fun than winning in this one, (except for those few boys who just hate to lose).
"There's a snake in my boot" was a game in which the boys had to stand behind a line and toss small toy snakes into a pair of cowboy boots.
And there was a horseshoe toss. The kids got two tries to get the horseshoe into a hat.
Last was the "brand the heifer" game.

It was pretty cold on Saturday, so all the games were indoors, which was not what we were planning on, but it worked well.
After games, Jo opened gifts, and then we had cakes in a jar and root beer floats in cowboy boot shaped mugs.
It was tiring and a lot of work, but so worth it to see Josiah all lit up with excitement. We have never done a big party like that for him, so it was about time.
We also got the key to our new house on Saturday, so Mom, the boys and I took a ride out there in the dusky evening and let ourselves in and looked around without a realtor.
We just sat on the floor and let the kids run all around the empty space.
It is so peaceful there, and whenever I am there, I love it more and more.
Sunday was a beautiful day.
Daniel seems to be taking to the pasta tradition with relish! (Not pasta with relish. That would be gross!)

Had friends over and went to look at the new house with them after dinner.
After that it was home to homework and baths and family time.
Yesterday, we started ripping carpet out and peeling wallpaper off at the new house. My deepest thanks to our good friend Mike, who is there helping, and is walking us through the process of picking out flooring, etc.
There is quite a bit of work to do there, more than we expected, I think, which is usually the case; but when it is done, it will be wonderful, and it will be our space with our touches.
Meanwhile, I still have much packing to do.
Life seems to be flying by, at this point. This is not something I like, particularly when I think that soon, Isaac will be 10, Josiah is 6 and Daniel is just two months shy of his first birthday!!
The other day, I was sort of grumbling as I toured the house, picking up toys, stepping on legos, peeling half chewed Cherrios from the carpet.
"I hate this mess! There are toys everywhere in here!"
Joe was working at the computer and looked up at me.
I sighed.
"I know, I know," I said.
"One day, I will be wishing I was picking up toys . . ."
"You will," he said.
We are probably right.

Relief for parental stress?

I found this on a blog I read regularly and it looks very interesting. I thought I'd share it with you.
If you want to join the study, the deadline is tomorrow, or just try it to see if stress decreases in your own life.
This would be good for teachers, too, and others who are not parents. You don't have to have children to have stress, I'm sure.

Gratitude is always right.

WANTED: Parents who desire to reduce child-related stress.

COST: A little bit of your time.

PERKS: Improved outlook and better parenting relationships! HOW? Introducing an exciting study in the works with an outcome that will benefit you! We are happy to present you with the chance to participate and hope that you will find this helpful to your daily life. Read on for more information ~

The Purpose of the Study:

- To consider gratitude as a method for reducing stress in parenting
- To measure instances of parenting stress using the method below
- To measure the potential benefits (and maintenance) of gratitude as a means of stress reduction in parenting

The Method of the Study:

The 2 Simple Steps:

[Prior to beginning, compile a list of 10 specifics for which you are grateful. This should make the required expressions of gratitude easier.]

#1: When you experience a moment of stress related to one or more of your children, “reset” your thinking by verbally expressing gratitude, either in reaction to the current stressor, or by reading/saying something from your list.

#2: Add a mark to your daily tally (so that we have a record of how many times this happens each day).

That’s it.

This exercise will be carried out for seven days, beginning on Tuesday, April 1st, followed by a seven day break, and then repeated for a second seven day period.

If you want to participate, please e-mail gratitude.study@gmail.com by Tuesday so we can have an idea of the size of the study. Give your name, age, and gender—although you are welcome to participate anonymously, if you like. Feel free to spread the word to as many adults that you know that wish to participate. (This would make a fun project to do with friends and/or a spouse—men being specifically encouraged to participate as most studies tend to neglect the impact of gratitude from a male perspective.)


What’s in this for you?

Multiple studies have shown that people who feel more gratitude are much more likely to have higher levels of happiness, lower levels of depression and stress. They are seen as more empathetic, agreeable, and extroverted. Grateful people should be more likely to notice they have been helped, to respond appropriately, and to return the help at some future point.

You mean, you’ll get all that, just by adding some gratitude to your life? YES!


Definitions, for the purpose of this study:

Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks.

Parenting Stress is defined as those moments when life as a parent seems overwhelmingly unpredictable and uncontrollable (based on the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale). Within the context of parenting,

- you become upset because of something that happens unexpectedly.
- you feel you are unable to control the important things in your life.
- you feel nervous and “stressed.”
- you feel you cannot cope with all the things you have to do.
- you become angry because things are outside of your control.
- you feel difficulties are piling up so high that you cannot overcome them.

Obviously, this will be a largely subjective assessment—that is the difficulty in measuring an emotional state. Just try to be as aware as possible.

Thank you! We look forward to sharing the results of the study.

Join us at gratitude.study@gmail.com by Tuesday.
(Feel free to repost this post in its entirety. Let's give thanks in all things!)

Time keeps on slipping into the future . . .

" . . .Of all the gifts that a parent can give to a child, time is the most precious." --Robin R. Meyers

Time flies. The older I get, the more true this seems. All I have to do is look at my sons to see it. My oldest will be the big 1-0 in a few months, entering his "tween" years; soon, my five year old will be six -- hardly a baby at all, now, but a big little guy; and even the baby will be nine months old in a couple of weeks. Nine months.
We won't even get into how much older I am now than I used to be.
There are days like today, when nothing too out of the ordinary happened. It was a day. A pretty good day. Not spectacular. Not devastating. Just a day.
Or was it.
My children are growing up so fast I can almost hear their bones and muscles and skin lengthening and stretching, their minds expanding, their spirits opening, and it is happening on days like this.
Ordinary days.
It is on days like this that lifetimes happen. Days add up, and before you know it, years have passed. Whole lives are lived on ordinary days. Extraordinary lives, because there is magic in these days too. It's true. Magic in each and every one of them. You just need to know where to look for it. What to listen for.
I find it in my son's eyes. They light up with wonder at little things, they laugh, they search my own eyes with love, for love.
I hear it in their voices, excited with new discovery and spilling out stories of their adventures. It rings in their laughter and bubbles out in their giggles, bouncing around my head.
I feel it in their hands, varying in size, the three pairs of them still seeking me out for a hug, a squeeze, a touch.
I feel it in my husband's kiss, the brush of his hand against my arm, his fingers feeling for mine as we drive down the street.
It was in the cups of tea I shared with mom today.
In the morning spent looking at houses with grandpa.
"Life happens while we wait for something to happen, and so it's no wonder that when we get there nothing seems to be happening!" -- Robin R. Meyers
I want to embrace the life that is happening. It all comes back to time. Taking time to see. Giving time to our children, our loved ones, to let them enchant us. Letting go of our perception of what is ordinary, so we can become aware of the ordinary magic of our everyday lives.

Some pictures from this "ordinary" day:
Isaac the scout













Josiah is crusin' the universe





























Daniel wants to know, "Bedtime story, anyone?"