Summer Incarnate

After a first hectic, action packed week of summer filled with Vacation Bible School, tennis lessons, soccer camp, and a six day visit from Manna that involved shopping, eating out and a trip to the coast, I needed a little vacation from my summer vacation. . . So I took one.

Today I awoke, sent Rob off to work and my mother-in-law and her mother off for home and did. . .almost nothing.  After a little picking up and a little laundry ( I needed to wash sheets to hang them on the line outside to add to my summer enjoyment of watching them line dry while wafting in the breeze, all crisp and white, to breath their fresh crispy cleanness as I climb into bed tonight--and because after guests leave that's what you do, wash sheets) I took my lunch out on the patio, along with a magazine, a book, and a mountain dew, and I watched the girls play in the water.  (Sig assured me that when people want to "slip and slide, they use a slip-n-slide"--of course!)

Someone was burning something. . . someone was mowing their lawn. . . febreze dryer sheet scented air occasionally wafted by on the sunny summer breeze. . . it was heavenly.   I wiggled my toes in the grass and let the soda bubbles tickle my tongue while I drank in the sight and sounds of girls laughing and splashing--the sounds of summer.  And of course I allowed myself to get absorbed in the pages of a good book.  It wouldn't be summer without it.

We did take a walk through the neighborhood, but for the first time in weeks, the car stayed in the garage.  Sometimes it is just good to be home.

**I finished the book "Love Walked In" by Marisa de los Santos. (I read the sequel "Belong to Me" first inadvertently!) and I loved it so much I feel like I need to read the sequel again to truly appreciate it--and I loved it the first time!  So if you need a good book for summer reading--go get it.   

The Slow Pace of Summer. . .

. . . skipped over our house this year.

The way my summer is looking, it's a good thing my drink fridge looks like this:

In Honor of Our Fathers. . .

"Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes." 

           

            ~Gloria Naylor

We have reasons to be particularly grateful for our fathers this year.  My dad has made several trips to help us with construction projects and given much advice.  Plus the girls love it when he teases them, just like he teased me and my siblings growing up.  

Bob is always willing to help us out when we have furniture or appliance needs and he is quick to express pride in all our achievements. . .  and when we visit, the girls love for him to take them on bike rides and to the pool.

And of course, Rob is essential to the happiness of our family.  He gives us everything and often says, "Anything for my girls."  I hope he doesn't realized one day that the three of us are definitely getting the better end of the deal.  

At school Hannah wrote a letter about her dad:

The most fun I ever had with my dad was when we went to Lagoon for a daddy daughter date.

I'm just like my dad when I play Punch Out on the wii.

I'm proud of my dad when he learns a new song on the guitar.

If I could give my dad one thing it would be his dream home with a pool.

(I have to note here that the dream home with the pool is really a certain nine year old's dream!)

I like working with my dad when he is building the tree house.

Some of my dad's favorite things are listening to talk shows, laying down and watching TV with us, barbecue pizza, and playing punch out with us.

I love my dad.

Signe also answered questions about her dad:

What does dad say a lot?

He sings: "You are my sunshine, my only Sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey."

What do you like to do with Dad?

Pretend wrestle

What is Dad's favorite color?

Black and blue

What does Dad like to do?

Listen to Dave Ramsey and play Punch Out with us.

These girls know their dad!  And they know he loves them as much as we love him.

Happy Father's Day

It's Not Always About MY Writing. . .

Writer's Workshop with Mama Kat.

Only it's not about MY writing, but a book I just read.  And I love reading as much as writing and this girl is good, so I am going to do as the prompt suggests and tease you a little with her wittiness.

1.) Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page and share two “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

Book title: Belong to Me

Author: Marisa de los Santos

The sentences--Page 49, lines 3 - 10:

At Lake's encouraging , and it didn't take much,  I poured out my tale of woe--okay, not woe exactly, but at least embarrassment and dislocation--and her vehement, beautifully timed interjections of "Tell me you're joking!" and "She did not!" were music to my ears.  By the time I got to the air-bag story, I was well on my way to being head over heels in like with Lake, and, when I got to the line "Safety first!" the horror-struck expression on her face--jaw dropped, eyes widened, eyebrows leaping--cemented it.

And just in case that doesn't convince you to read this touching, real, and hilarious book, I'll give you one more excerpt (This time from the 15 year old boy's perspective after he has just kissed THE girl for the first time and now her forehead is pressed to his--it's also worth noting his is brilliant and really into science, and cute to boot)--page 313:

With Clare's mouth this close to his, it was impossible not to  strongly consider kissing her again, even though Dev suspected that asking for anything more at this point might be interpreted (by God, the universe, whoever presided over these things) as a lack of appreciation for what had already happened, and Dev felt appreciative in every bone of his body.  Still, Clare's hair hung in glossy, sunlit curtains on either side of her face and the tips of their noses were almost touching, and the right thereness of Clare seemed to have a gravitational pull of its own (and, of course, technically, Clare did have such a pull, if you believed Sir Isaac Newton), and Dev was just beginning to question who he was to argue with gravity when Clare said, "I'm supposed to be inviting you to lunch."

It is the second book by her--a sequel, and I didn't read the first one (Love Walked In--I plan on reading it), but you never really felt like you were missing anything.  I think I loved it so much because her writing seems to mimic my own rambling, analogy spewing, circuitous mind.  It made me laugh out loud a lot. . .and cry a couple times.  I highly recommend it.  And since I consider summer the perfect time for reading I hope a few of you recommend good books.

Now go forth and enjoy summer!

How do you stave off boredom?

This is an important question with the onset of summer knockin' at my door.  Today is Sig's last day and tomorrow Hannah's, so we need to know the answer to this question. . .

After yesterday, I may have an idea or two:

Yesterday while Signe and I were waiting for Hannah to get out of her achievement day activity we were hanging out in the foyer of the church.  I happened to bring my camera.  I had a relatively willing subject--who am I kidding?  I had an eager subject!  Here is how I stave off boredom:

Seriously, this girl's feet are filthy--what kind of mother lets her child go around with such filthy feet?? And then takes pictures of them??

This went on a while, so if you have any interest in seeing what else I had her do for the sake of an interesting shot, I will post more on the photo blog.

My girls have other ways of keeping boredom at bay. . .

They make costumes out of whatever they can find at hand -- I only wish I had gotten a picture of Signe before she took of her "whiskers".  She had cut up some small brown twine and taped it all over her face!  Very cute.  

Hannah got really creative and made herself into some kind of bird. . .then proceeded to fly about the house.  She was the ringleader here.  I hope she keeps the ideas flowing. . .for the handful of days we have this summer that aren't booked to the hilt. . .

Remember when summer was a wide open expanse filled with possibilities?  Yeah, ours is sort of looking like Swiss cheese after we filled in all the things we have to do.  Hopefully we will squeeze in a few fun trips. . . or  creative craft sessions.  And of course I will no doubt take pictures of everything.

The Hunt Continues . . .

(More T-ball Action Than You Probably Care to See of Someone Else's Child.)

In our on going effort to discover our children's hidden talents and life long desires we are continually trying out new extra curricular activities.  Signe professes a desire to be a veterinarian, and since you can't actually try that one out, we are going through a process of elimination. . . because knowing what your child should be when they grow up at the tender age of five, or six. . .or at least by ten, is vital.  So far we have eliminated cheer leading in our quest and I have to say, maybe T-Ball.

When Signe heard her friend was signing up for t-ball she was all for joining her.  I cheerfully signed her up and purchased the necessary equipment--almost. Shortly thereafter, Signe looked at me with her head cocked sideways and her nose scrunched and asked, "What is t-ball anyway?"

Perhaps that was not the best sign, but we plunged on undeterred--after all, the point of playing at age five is to learn the sport, right?

It might help the child learn the sport to have a parent who knew at least two things about the sport. . .like enough to have the forethought to purchase her child a mitt before showing up to practice--causing her child to be the only one catching the ball bare-handed.

Even still she enjoyed herself.

At one of her last games her Manna attended from out of state.  We sat on the sidelines and got a chuckle out of Signe's antics--and those of her teammates.  Her coach had a tendency to yell "Signe, keep your eye on the ball." (He also yelled this to the other kids.) This clearly made an impression Signe, because she certainly kept her eye on the ball as it rolled past her. . . and the time she managed to catch it and stand there like a deer caught in headlights while we all hollered frantic: "Run to third! Run to third!" to no avail. 

But it must be said she had fun.

After the game her Manna told her that she had done a good job. 

Signe replied: "Well, at first I wasn't very good, but then I learned to keep my eye on the ball!"  I can't argue with that (Except the couple times she got distracted by the grass, a dandelion, a worm, the clouds and a cute boy from preschool standing on third base.)

At least WE were all entertained.  And the whole team made vast improvement from start to end of season. Signe even hit a few thrown pitches, rather than just off the T.  We were suitably impressed.

Enjoyment aside, she confessed that perhaps she was not cut out for t-ball.  Soccer, now that sounds like fun.  (And I have to say the fact that she knows what soccer is and gets the general point of the game is greatly encouraging).

So with t-ball crossed off the list of Signe's talents and aspirations, we move on to soccer in the fall.  I'll keep you posted on that front.

Rules of Friendship . . .

. . .when you are five. . . and Signe.

As a parent you can't help but dread the moment when your child gets rejected by another child.  When someone else's kid decides your child is not good enough to be their friend--like they are somehow superior to your child. . . and that is inconceivable.  

I remember when it happened with Hannah.  Hannah collected friends everywhere. . . at Burger King (Exchanging phones number with a girl whose name she forgot to ask) and the Home Depot (while both girls' parents took too long picking out crown molding) and while visiting grandma's pool (because really, they had cool water toys).  But one day while at Arctic Circle, when she was perhaps five years old, she was playing along side a boy a year or two older.  I say alongside, because though she missed the finer points of the interaction, said boy was NOT playing with her.  

When I told her it was time to go she stated, "I'm not ready.  I am playing with my new friend."

To which the "new friend" turned and gave her a look of annoyance and stated quite matter of factly, "I am NOT you friend."  

I thought she was going to crumple right on the spot.  The look of sheer shock on her face that someone would NOT want to be her friend was beyond her comprehension.  

As the parent, I of course wanted to say, "Your loss buck-o!"  But I just hurried her out and we were on our way. Of course, part of me wanted to laugh too.  But I hated that some random boy at Arctic Circle taught her about selective friendship.  Luckily, at age nine, she is still pretty inclusive and generally gets along with anyone and everyone.  

Signe, on the other hand, likes to really get to know people and weigh their interests before deciding if they will make compatible friends.  But once you are in, she is very loyal and takes great interest in your likes and dislikes.  This of course puts her in high demand.

For instance,  she knows that her friend Tanner is very smart about animals.  She likes to play farm with him and covets a pink lasso at the farm store, because she knows that Tanner would be so impressed if she got one.  She has a stash of bunny stuffed animals and bunny littlest pet shop toys set aside for when Jacob comes over because she knows he loves bunnies.  She is sure to wear her white sandals as often as possible because then Grace will be happy that they are foot twins (although her and Grace are two peas in a pod so little forethought is required).  When she visits her friend Avery she is sure to bring along her bug catcher because she knows there WILL be bug hunting.  

And the other day she came home with this wise advice:

Sig: I know what you have to do to be a good friend.

Me: What?

Sig: When they do something you tell them "Good Job" even if they didn't do it very well. 

I couldn't help but laugh, but really, that about sums it up, right?

So Sig hasn't been rejected YET, but she has been fought over, just a little.  Case in point: Her preschool class took a field trip to the fire station recently and we had a minor issue because she had three friends that wanted to stand by her and only two sides. 

 

But the problem with popularity is it is often accompanied by jealousy.  One day when one friend wanted Sig's attention she proclaimed that she was starting a club and Sig was invited. . .but Grace was not.

This was a very bad move.  And Sig's loyalty never faltered. She linked her arm through Grace's and said: "If my friend Grace isn't in the club, I am not in the club." After which she walked away.  

Later, Grace's mom related the story, because Grace had been so pleased that Signe has stuck up for her she had raced home and told her mom.  

It was a proud moment. 

 

I hope it sticks. . .heck, I hope I am such a loyal friend.  I know I certainly have many such loyal friends.  So apparently you can take advice from a five year old--mine at least!