I'm so thankful

We've been having a nice holiday.  We are back to a routine of going to the park most days.  We went to the zoo on Friday.  This was the first time for B and L being interested in the animals.  I feel like we've been to the zoo a lot, but it's been a few years.  With your first kids you are eager to take them them to experiences they are mostly too young for.  Then with later children you forget to take them places thinking you've already done that.

We're to the cooler time of the year and I'm letting G and M explore in the back yard.

I'm also beginning an ambitious project to paint the doors and molding in the house white.  It'll be a while.  One door at a time...

people not things

I'm hosting thanksgiving this year.  I'll admit to being a fan of the people more than the food.  I love the food but I want to avoid stressing out about the food.  I want to have emotional energy to play a game or hang out for a few hours.  Growing up there was often stress about people showing up late with partially finished dishes.  Forget the food, just come and spend some time enjoying your family.

This stress really plays into my preference to supply most of the food.  And what I make is simple or easy, like stuffing from a box.  C'mon people!

On the flip side of this I'm going to start letting the kids plan menu items they will provide for holiday meals.  I asked them what they will bring when they are grown up.
G: Spare ribs!
M: Jello
lP: Stuffing
B: Brownies!

Hurtles of parenting

Some folks like to focus on the milestones of parenting and of child development.  I feel that it is important to be aware of the hurtles.  Like milestones, hurtles correspond with the age of a child yet they are nuisances that you can't knock down or go around.  You just have to get over them and keep going and try not to fall down.

Age 3:  child discovers what a computer is and demands to be on it all the time.  Child has also not mastered consequences or self control.

Age 3:  wants to have shirt tucked into shorts/pants.

Age 3:  child will not remember their own shoes when they get into the car in a garage and never need shoes, until you "arrive at destination".

Age 6:  child teaches smaller siblings to say bad words and then gets mad when sibling says said words back to them.

Age 6:  child mistakes the golden rule to mean do mean things to people that did them to you.

Age 8:  wants to have shirt tucked into shorts/pants.

Age 11: wants to have shirt tucked into shorts/pants.

OK, I used to be very fond of tucked in shirts myself.  My children are mine.  I love them.

my talent for forgetting

I'm still avoiding sugar with good results.  I lost 25 lbs and am hovering in a 3 lb range that I'm happy with.  I haven't eaten any of the children's halloween candy.  I may be able to avoid the usual over indulgence during the holidays.  It's great that I don't have a taste memory.  I know I love to eat certain things, but I can't taste them in my mind.  And often it is very nice to just smell them.

I've notice that I'm OK eating things that aren't sweetened, and that I don't eat as much of them as I would if there was sugar because they are frankly not so tasty and that's kinda the point.  I'm eating because I'm hungry, or like to chew.  The motivation to just keep putting tasty things in my mouth is lowered.

realizing my racism

We went on a field trip with our homeschool co-op yesterday.  It was a fun trip and we saw 20+ tigers and other big cats.  During the field trip several of the children were acting childish and disrespectful.  I spoke to them several times to back up the employees instructions.  Their moms were occupied with smaller children or chose not to talk to them about it.  Later as I thought about their behavior I imagined what people would have thought if it had been black children.  I think everyone would have been a lot less tolerant of their disrespect and playing around.  That really struck me to think of my own racism. 

One of the moms is a Trump supporter.  That is what a "great America" means to some people.  An America where people like them can do what they want, and anyone else does not deserve the same license or respect.  This will be a sad 4 years ongoing.

voting

I voted last week with the children.  I wanted to be done with it.  I've been able to just ignore all the drama, knowing my vote has been cast.  Also I stay off the facebook.  Still I can't believe that tomorrow is election day.  P didn't get around to voting early and plans to vote tomorrow.  I hope he doesn't hit big lines.  He doesn't think he will but this is a very contentious election and I'm sure the polling places will be busy.

It's been hard to protect the children from negative attitudes.  It always is.  But the issues are so much more middle school and base. 

A family in the neighborhood had a pumpkin carved with a candidate's name and a sign.  They also had a chainsaw clown hiding in the bushes.  Lovely folks I'm sure.

Forever Young

I love my children.  I love that G is is still excited to put on a plastic fire fighter hat and climb up in the truck.  "Too cool" is not even a thing.  I love it!  He's all about enjoying life and hasn't been infected with the teenage blight of bad attitude.

Today we got to go see the Blue Angels perform up at the beach.  What is this crazy life?!  There was a lot of crying and fighting from lP and B on the drive up.  Ugh!  And traffic was real.  But it was so amazing to see the air show.  I'm so glad we went.

The girls got to go to a princess party today.  It was lovely.  I'm glad that some of their friends are willing to go all in for that.  I'm just not that mom.  But I am glad they got to have that experience.

G is doing great in his math class.  I'm trying to help him learn to have study and note taking skills.  Tonight I printed the note guides for this segment of the class.  I also gave him dividers to organize his binder.

I realized tonight that my 10th grade teacher was trying to teach us how to have an organized binder.  I just thought she was being a control freak.  I also thought she didn't like me.  And she maybe didn't since I was a brat.  But she was trying to teach me an incredibly useful skill and I didn't get the point.  I remember other teachers trying to teach me to make tables, outlines and timelines.  Oh, I wish I had understood that was my brains primary way of organizing! 

M is just like me and really fights being asked to do simple academic things.  How I would love to help her understand how much easier learning is when you are organized...!