Jack has "mad yoga skills"

Jack has a new passion this week -- yoga. (This new passion was ignited even more when I bought a pink yoga mat.) Granted, all Jack knows of yoga are the few poses that I can remember from class (a class that is a mix of yoga, tai chi, and pilates), but that doesn't stop him. He is happy as a clam to do the downward dog pose and the tree pose over and over again. And, then he began to throw in some of his own yoga moves. Of course, these may be moves that fly in the very face of yoga as he jumps and twirls and his arms fly in every direction. Ever since he found out that the poses have names, then he proceeds to name whatever maneuver he has just done. Some have enigmatic names, and others, like "the rainbow" make sense because he has moved his arms in an arc. Jack was happy to have Eric tell him that he has some "mad yoga skills."

And now, on what would seem to be a completely unrelated thought -- let me share a favorite DVD that would make an EXCELLENT gift for any young child. It is the DVD called "We are the Laurie Berkner Band." (The link is the DVD on Amazon.com, but you can pick it up even cheaper at Target or Walmart.) After practicing our "yoga" (I am actually thinking to pick up a DVD for yoga for kids, since Jack is very interested), we popped in the above mentioned DVD and danced around like mad. Both Molly & Jack (ages 2 & 5) love this DVD, and I do too! The music is fun (and catchy!) and there are lots of movements for active watching. We were singing the songs even after we had to turn the DVD off for bed. And -- here's where my yoga connections comes in -- we made up our own verse for the song "The Goldfish" where the fish wake up and decide to do yoga. LOL! Of course, if you have already seen the DVD or know the song, you would know that our verse HAD to end with..."Wait a minute! We're fish...we don't do yoga!"

Sometimes insurance companies aren't the bad guys

One time, about two years ago, we tried to get a prescription filled at a pharmacy that we didn't usually use. (It was late at night and ours was closed.) Luckily, the prescription was cheap, because they insisted that the insurance company was indicating that Molly wasn't on our insurance. They even appeared to call someone "from our insurance company" and they said that she wasn't in the records. (Mind you, we went over our insurance information with them, they had the card, and at least one of the boys was also getting a prescription that DID get approved.) I thought it was odd, since I was pretty sure nobody was at our insurance company at that time (at that time, I was working for the clinic portion of the same company, so I knew their hours were typical business hours). So...the pharmacy makes it out to be the bad insurance company's fault.

On Monday when I called the HMO, they say there is no way they could have talked to anyone, because nobody would have been there, AND they have Molly on the insurance, of course. They then told me that I should go march into that pharmacy with my pharmacy receipt and insist that they re-run the claim properly. I will admit, I wanted to, but then didn't. I figured the $6 - $8 wasn't worth how irritated it would make me to go in there.

So, why am I thinking this right now? It's because we have had another experience of a pharmacy (our regular pharmacy) being at fault but blaming the insurance company. For a week, we have been trying to get a prescription for Noah that the pharmacy said needed HMO approval to get first. They said it would be 3 - 5 business days. So, I finally called today to check again. They said they keep filing it, but the HMO is denying the claim each time. So, I called to the doctor's office to check on it (they had been called by the pharmacy last week to get the insurance approval through them). The nurse said the approval had gone through just fine. Then, she asked me a few questions (it's a long story-ish), that made me realize it was because of something the pharmacy was doing wrong. So, she apologize that we hadn't gotten the medicine sooner, but sounded annoyed (with the pharmacy) and said she would be calling them.

Well...what a coincidence (not!) -- just about five minutes later, I get a call from the pharmacy, "Hi -- it's Mark from (pharmacy) that you spoke to earlier. The insurance company just finally approved the prescription, so we're filling it now and it should be ready in 15 minutes." Like all the sudden out of the blue the insurance company had come to their senses and approved it. I refrained from saying, "Oh, thanks, Mark. I'm sure it has nothing to do with me calling the doctor's office and then probably actually filing it correctly this time."

I seriously feel like I need a rolling eyes icon here!

About marriage...

I have been trying to get ready for my afternoon as Molly is in her room not really napping, and I am thinking of Eric. I was thinking how funny it is to be so much like someone else, but also so different. I typically think of us as having pretty different personalities that just mesh well together, but then there are so many things that we are of exactly the same mind about, and it often cracks us both up.

Like, case in point, I knew that he liked science fiction (which I, as unkind as it is, will often see a movie he has requested from Netflix, and then I declare it to be "a crappy movie that I don't want to watch" when I tell him what is next in the queue). Imagine his surprise when years into our relationship (dating), he found out that I have loved Star Wars since I was a little girl. He tells me that's science fiction too, but I don't buy that. LOL *wink* I just see it as our little way of identifying ourselves as nerds. (We do agree though, that as Star Wars nerds, we rank above Star Trek nerds.)

I have, I feel, successfully brought him to my way of thinking many, many times of the years. That's what I do -- I'm persuasive. LOL He will now eat (and enjoy) macaroni & cheese with tuna in it, as well as things like broccoli and spinach. He even eats his Dinty Moore Beef Stew on bread (on a plate) instead of in a bowl. He will, however, still not eat tomatoes, despite my best efforts. My efforts in "molding" him have also somewhat worked as far as music goes. He and I enjoy a lot of the same music. However, it is still painful for me every time I forget and his the "3" button on his car radio and hit the country station (just for effect, even when I am alone, I have to screech). And, I fear that he will never enjoy sitting down to listen to The Cure, the Violent Femmes, or Michael W. Smith (how are those for a crazy combination?).

But, I suppose if people were too much alike, there would be no fun in life. So, maybe there is fun to be had in me knowing that he likes to sometimes watch crappy movies, and he thinks that I sometimes listen to crappy music. (Ha -- see there, Eric -- I know that your movies are crappy, but you only think that my music is crappy.)

As I was pondering on these things, I also thought of our marriage. It hasn't been perfect, but I don't think there is such a thing as a "perfect" marriage. Perfect happens in books and movies, we are influenced to believe in a perfect marriage from the media. This year, we will be married for 11 years, and I think the good times have FAR out weighed the bad.

I think the key to that is we have always been committed to each other. There were a couple of times where some people might have gone their separate ways. Not because of fights, but just because there were a couple of periods of time when we both knew that it was like we were living together as best friends who happened to have gotten married and had a child. I guess we both knew that it was a phase, and we lived through it. I feel that I can safely say that in this period of time, we love each other more than we probably ever have before. There are some things, I think, that only come with time. And, this period of our relationship feels that way. We've been building to this -- this is a place you only get to with time.

I will finally end this long-winded posting with two thoughts that stick in my head about marriage and relationships. One is from our priest, and then other by me, at age 16 after a reconciliation after a short break up.

The first lesson would be that you have to find someone that you can't be without. Mind you, this doesn't mean that things are great when you are together, but you need to not be able to image your life without them. Upon us getting back together, I told Eric something I think I will always remember, "I guess sometimes we will have to be unhappy together, because we are miserable apart."

And, the second is from Fr. Dan. He told us in RCIA that you need to be married to someone that helps you to be the best person you can be... someone who will help you get to Heaven. I don't think truer words could be spoken. As for me, I think I am good on that one.

The Devil works for Hershey

That just must be it...the Devil works for Hershey. I will admit, I'm not even that big of a chocolate eater. If I had to give up sweets forever or carbs (more like your bread/pasta carbs) forever, I wouldn't even really have to think about it too long. But, man oh man -- these darn cherry cordial Hershey's kisses are killing me.

The kisses "called" to me at the grocery store. "Please take us home. We are so tastey. And, you can be good. You'll just eat three at a time." Yeah, then I'll go back to the pantry and grab three more, and then three more, and then three more -- and then I'll have a pile of little red and black balls of foil. Augh! I even had the audacity to think, "Well -- at least once I eat them all, then they'll be gone." LOL

I'm trying to get back to eating better, and it's kind of hit and miss. I have been trying to lose weight for almost a year now, and had only lost 27 lbs. However, then I started gaining some back, and am back to having only lost 19.5 lbs. Blech!

Seriously -- I really need to make a new committment to losing weight! Although, in an odd turn of events, I have had several people tell me lately how good I look and saying that they noticed that I had lost a lot of weight. So, that's nice. (I think it helps that I stopped wearing clothes that were so darn baggy as well.) Although, I do see (in looking at pictures) that some of the weight I lost was in my face, so that helps too.

I just have to say though -- why in the world can't there be rice cakes that make a person think, "C'mon -- I NEED more. I love them -- they are so tastey." Hmmmmm....

On the up side, today will be the third day in a row of going to exercise! WooHoo! Yesterday, I attended my very first class -- BodyFlow (it is a mix of Tai Chi and Yoga). My muscles are a bit sore today, but not too bad. I have decided that I need to start trying out some of the other classes too, since the hour of that class went MUCH faster than an hour by myself out on the cardio and weights.

And, so, to you Devil employed by Hershey, I say, "Get thee behind me..." but just don't get ON my behind.

Oh the horror! (aka ketchup isn't meant for everything)

Well, first, I must make note that Noah brought home a spelling test with a grade of 90% this week, as well as a DOL (daily oral language) test that was a 100%. WooHoo!!!! We were SO thrilled! (And, we will be make a trip to the ever fun [or not] Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate.)

So, after I have sung his praises, let me just say, ketchup is NOT meant for everything. Sure, it is a fun condiment. And, I have even been known to put it on a few more things that some people. However, today at lunch, Noah had a TV dinner. He ate his chicken nuggets and dipped them in ketchup. Okay, that's totally fine. Next thing I notice, he is eating the brownie with it dipped in ketchup. Augh!

I said, "Noah -- don't you notice -- you are dipping that in the ketchup!"

He said, "Oh yes, Mom, I know. It just makes it taste better like that."

It would seem that I will just have to take his word on that claim, because that is one culinary creation that I will NOT be trying.

Isn't it funny how relative time is?

Time is a relative kind of thing. I have been thinking about the passage of time a lot this week. And, although I do get that kind of idea in my head from time to time, this time it comes for a reason.

I am 30. And, I must admit that I hardly even remember being 12 anymore. I vaguely remember being in the middle school that I drive by each day when I drop Jack off for kindergarten, but I know that I must have been 12 because, of course, I'm 30 now. It just seems like it must have been another lifetime ago.

So, why talk about being 12? What has me emotionally charged on that age this week? Well...it was less than a month after I turned 12 that I became an aunt for the first time. (I consider myself very blessed that I have had it happen many, many more times since then as well.) But, that was the first time. And, so, if you're following with the math, then you have probably figured out what has my mind preoccupied with the passing of time. My oldest nephew will be 18 years old in mere hours. It's funny how it feels so long ago that that happened, but it still seems like yesterday that he was just a little boy. I remember babysitting him one summer before his next brother was born, and it is so vivid to me -- walks to Baskin Robbins, feeding him green beans as he sat in his high chair -- and now when I see him, he is this man that is taller than me. It just doesn't seem possible.

It's funny -- I had a lot of people ask me if I felt older because I was turning 30 last month. I kept saying, "No, I'm actually excited. But, what makes me feel old is that my oldest nephew is going to turn 18." Life is crazy like that sometimes.

It's like being a kid again!

We have had a pretty snow-less winter thus far. And, in my opinion, that is just fine. Sure...it's pretty enough, but I hate when it gets icy, as it always seem to do with the snow. It sucks to walk on and it sucks to drive on.

So, they were finally calling for some snow (which was to be, of course, a "snow and ice mix") at the beginning of this week. Molly had a difficult time sleeping on Monday night, and so we were up extra late. I peeked out before going to bed, and saw that Mother Nature had been busy while we were supposed to be sleeping. There was a blanket of snow (along with very visible ice).

You may say, if you don't like snow and ice, why was this like being a kid again? Well...it's because that sight had me thinking that I had better check the TV in the morning before I wake anyone up for school. Since we live outside of the city limits, our kids go to the county schools. (Just as I did when I was in school, since it's the same house!) And, sure enough, just four school corporations in the area had a two hour delay, and we were one of them! And, so, with much delight, I re-set my alarm and went back to sleep. What a treat! There's something so beautiful about a two hour school delay.

Truly Random Reflections (long posting)

I haven't had a chance to get on for a few days, and so, from the Random Reflections from Angie blog come some Truly Random Reflections from the last several days...

*I think I have whiplash. Seriously. I was shopping at Target on Saturday afternoon and was going to leave. I was about to pull on to a two lane highway, and then all the sudden realized, "Wait! That car is in the lane I want, not the lane farther over." So, I stopped. And then I thought, "Hang on...it just feels like I got hit, but I didn't pull out." Needless to say, I had quite the moment of confusion before I realized -- I got rear-ended! Both myself and the gal who hit the car jumped out, and there didn't appear to even be the slightest bit of damage. Bad, I know, but we didn't then exchange information. I know...don't lecture me, if you feel so inclined. I was able, however, to write down her license plate number after the fact, since she got in a different lane than me. I did notice that my neck hurt, but it has been hurting for days, so no big deal. Well...now it hurts in a different way. I'm not in horrible pain, but it is uncomfortable. Oh well -- what can ya do? At least everyone was okay and I was in the car alone.

*Gray's Anatomy was excellent this past Thursday night. But, really...c'mon..."to be continued?" Seriously. *Sigh* Unfortunately, we are quite certain that George's Dad will die. Too sad!

*Something that I always thought would happen isn't going to happen now, and that is hard to get my mind around. I always thought we would adopt from China. Really...I've thought it for years now. However, I had to be 30 before I could do it (their rules). And, then three days after my birthday, China put into effect new rules for adoption. I thought, "Okay, I think we're still good." Well, then this weekend, I happened to have a reason to look them up, and I saw one thing that I hadn't seen before about a net worth requirement that we just don't meet (and probably won't for a long time, I would imagine). This has been pretty disheartening for me. Here, after years of thinking this was something we would do, when it is finally time that we might be able to actually think about it, it's gone as a possibility. That sucks.

*Friday was report card day. In our house, report card day sucks. I can remember when I was a kid (heck -- even when I was in college!), report card day was awesome. I never really had to work at school (even in college), and I got good grades. And, here we have boys that struggle in school. Even when they try hard, the results are not always so great. We promised Noah earlier in the week that maybe he could get a video game that he had been wanting if he did a bit better on the next report card. Duh -- we weren't even thinking that the next one would be coming out that same week! Most of the grades stayed the same (including the nasty stupid "F" in spelling, even with the modifications that we put in place), although math went from a B- to a C+ (not a huge difference), and the writing grade (with modifications in place, since this was one of the main areas of concern) went up from a D- to a C. I decided that was a good enough "improvement" and told Noah he could get the game. I thought that would be good enough for him, but then all of the sudden, as we were driving to a haircut (right after opening the report card), he BURST into tears. He said, "I keep working and working. Why can't I get A's?" It felt like my heart had been ripped right out of my chest. Oh geez!

On the way to the haircut that night was the first time I shared with him the big "A" in our household -- Autism. How do you explain that to a seven year old? I told him, "You have something called Autism." He wanted to know, "What's an autism?" I wasn't really sure how to explain it to him, but just told him that something in his brain works differently than some of the other kids in his class. And, because of that, school might be harder for him sometimes. I told him, "I know that stinks. It's not fair at all, but that's just the way it is, and I'm sorry." Of course, I was starting to cry by then. I did point out though that this was why he gets to take breaks at school, why he gets to chill out in the resource room sometimes, why sometimes his tests look different than the other kids, and this is also why he has his "helpers" (what he calls all the people who work as one-on-one paraprofessionals with him). I told him all of that is because everyone wants him to do well, and they want to help. He was pretty on edge for the next several hours and seemed to cry at the drop of a hat. I don't think he really got what I was trying to tell him, but hopefully it plants a seed, and we'll revisit it again later. I don't want him to feel like it's an excuse, but he also needs to know that there *is* a reason that this seems so hard.

*I put in an entire year's worth of book keeping into my new Quickbooks Simple Start for one of my businesses this weekend. Whew! Glad to have that done! (Not so glad though that I have to remit my sales tax for the whole last year and I haven't been setting it aside. Blech!) Oh...and on the money front, I actually balanced the checkbook last week for the month of December. Wow! I'm such a big girl. *wink* (Oh, this was, of course, using the +/- $10 method. LOL)

*I'll end with a little funny (at least I thought it was funny), since the things that I have written about seem kind of down. I got Jack (age 5) dressed the other day for school. I put a rugby type shirt on him (with a collar, etc.). He said, "Are we going to church today?" I said, "No, just school." He said, "Then why am I wearing such a handsome shirt?" LOL!!!!!

*Shoot -- one more thing to add. I had a meeting with the school on Friday *finally* about Jack. I had felt like it was like pulling teeth to get them to finally meet, and here he has been struggling in kindergarten for an entire semester. I was not expecting the meeting to be so positive, but it really was. The people there were: me & Molly (who watched a Blue's Clues video on our portable DVD player, and also handed me feminine supplies occassionally from my purse), the speech therapist, the occupational therapist, Jack's teacher, the elementary special ed facilitator, and the assistant principal. It was great that we got to talking about things, and really were all on the same page about Jack's strengths and difficulties. His current "label" is Communication Disorder, but that isn't accurate at all. (Heck -- they figure he might not get to receive speech soon because he is doing so well in that way.) They will finish up some testing and we will meet again near the end of February for an annual case conference review. It is a bit early for that, but since we may be changing his "label," they wanted to do that. They are looking into if he qualifies for an Emotional Disability (because of his sometimes extreme anxiety/distractability), Learning Disability, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (which is what one psychologist said before, but nobody else has seemed to agree). We all agree that it is hard to pin down Jack for labeling needs (for him to get services). There was also some discussion about alternate programming for him next year, such as half day in kindergarten and half day in 1st grade or half day in kindergarten and half day in the resource room, but to consider him a 1st grader. This would be because his school district doesn't hold back kindergartners. He just barely made the cut off this year (because of a law change that moved back the date), and so he is one of the very youngest in his class. As the facilitator said, "And, this means he is *always* going to be one of the youngest." So, we'll have to wait and see. I just hope that if that comes to pass that he will take it in stride. I suspect it is really the best option though, and then for him to start "real" 1st grade the following year. Keep him in your thoughts, if you are inclined!

Things I Never Would Have Expected...

Last night, Eric and I talked to our priest about children after our RCIA meeting, and so that kind of had the idea of kids on my brain last night. I started pondering about some of the things that have surprised me about being a mother, and that also led me into thinking about just some things that surprise me about having gotten older (you know, I *have* been 30 for almost a whole two weeks now).

1. I am a music lover. I have an iPod that is packed with music, and I love it. I have always loved music (even back to when I was little and my Mom would put a sticker on the side of a 45 record to let me know which side I liked before I was able to read). But, I never would have expected that the songs that warm my heart the most are those that come out of my kids' mouths. There is something almost magical (to my ears) of hearing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" come out in a two year old's voice -- "Tinkle Tinkle Wittle Stwar..."

2. I never expected to ever have such an urge to knock a five year old to the ground. Not my own, mind you, but any little child that is messing with my kids. You know it -- you've been there. It is a suprisingly powerful urge to protect our children.

3. I would never have thought that I would happily give up getting Christmas presents when money has been tight just so that I could give our kids more for Christmas.

4. I never would have expected that the people at the McDonalds drive through would know me on a personal basis. Okay, really -- that's a lie. They don't know my name or anything. But, some of the people that work more often *do* seem to recognize me. LOL

5. I wouldn't have expected that leaving home would be so hard. I remember taking a weekend girls only trip right after I got married, and I don't remember feeling all that weird to leave. But, now when I have gone away for a weekend, I have to fight the urge to cry when I'm falling asleep the night before.

6. I never knew that it was going to hurt so much to be a mother. It is in those times when one of my kids has been hurt (either physically or emotionally), is scared, or the like, when my heart will just ache. Literally, it seems. I try to realize that there is a comfort in those moments to know that it is because I love those kids so much that I am feeling that way. It's still hard though.

7. I couldn't have imagined that I would be so interested in other people's poop. I mean, c'mon -- really. I have had entire conversations about the bowel movements of another human being. There is just something weird about that, but when it is actually going on, it seems so darn normal.

8. I never expected that I would want to stay at home with my kids. While I never thought that I *didn't* want to stay home, I do know that I went to college with the full intention of teaching. I am thankful now to have my businesses and be able to stay home most of the time with them now, but still work a bit.

9. Speaking of teaching, I used to think it was crazy to hear about people homeschooling while I was in college getting my teaching degree. Now that I am a Mom, I can not only understand it, I admire those that do it.

10. I would never have expected that there would ever be an opportunity in my life where I felt inclined to catch the vomit of another person. Yes, that's right, catch it in my own hand.

11. I always felt like I was a pretty liberal person as a teenager, I never expected that I would have become more conservative as I grew older and as I had kids. (Of course, I'm sure the road to becoming Catholic has also made me become a bit more conservative as well.)

12. I would never have expect that each time my youngest child was between the ages of 12 - 24 months or so that I would long for "just one more." During a busy day, I will then think that I was insane for having that feeling, but then it always manages to come back. (Obviously, because we *do* have three kids.)

13. While I already appreciate my mother, I wouldn't have expected to have grown to appreciate her as much as I do now. Not only is it nice to be able to get advice, I can now appreciate all the laundry she must have done when we were all living at home (since I never did laundry until I got married!), all the large meals she cooked, and how much work it must have taken to keep the house clean.

14. But, on the flip side, I wouldn't have expected to look back at my childhood and think, "What were they thinking to let me do (insert whatever situation I am questioning)?" My Mom says it was a different time then. Still, I think things like, "I don't let my kids cross our cul de sac alone, and they let me cross huge busy streets when I was just about the same age." In an odd juxtaposition, my parents will sometimes indicate that I shouldn't let my kids do something because it is unsafe. I will always remind them of something that they let me do that was far more dangerous, and my Mom usually follows it up by proclaiming that she was stupid then, but knows better now.

15. I wouldn't have expected that I would ever mediate fights and come up with solutions when everything in the fight is imaginary. This happens to me every so often, and it makes me chuckle each time when it is done. For instance, last night, the boys were fighting because, it turns out, Noah planned to make us pretend lemonade when we got home and didn't need Jack's help. I finally suggested that cookies went well with lemonade, and asked Jack if he could please make us pretend cookies. Problem solved. And, of course, as any parent may guess, they totally forgot about it by the time we arrived home, and so there was no imaginary feast to be had. Oh well.

16. I would never have expected to sometimes listen to things like the Veggies Tales in the van and sing along...when I've been all alone. ;)

17. I wouldn't have expected that the compliments that I would appreciate the most would be those having to do with my kids.

18. I wouldn't have imagined that I would find my husband most attractive when he was doing things like reading a book to the kids, singing in the garage with Molly while he is working on a project, or when he is doing dishes.

19. I once helped to take care of kids in a family where the kids slept with the parents. I thought, "How crazy!" I never would have expected that I would have one of the kids in bed with us for so many years, even though he is finally in his own bed. (But, when he snuck in to bed last night, I was happy to cuddle up to him.)

20. I would never have expected that being a mother would both consume so much of my life and be so darn rewarding.

4 x 7 = 42 (aka It's hard to argue about math)

I have come to realize that perhaps some of the most difficult arguments can be about math. Sure, I'm sure people can have an intelligent argument out the ying-yang about some math concept or theory. I'm talking about good old, simple mathematics, particularly when it comes to money. And, this also leads me to send out the warning...if someone is adding up some simple math when you are buying something, please do the math in *your* head as well. I understand that in a situation like that, it usually isn't that someone is trying to cheat you out of money, it's just an error, but since they are the ones that made the error, whatever logic they used to get that number makes sense to them. So, then it's hard to try to convince them that they are wrong.

I know this is true because I was also the wrong one the other day. Eric sat down to do the bills with me. After my blog posting about my checkbook woes, he felt inclined to want to do bills with me. I have to admit, it was nice for him to see where our money was going. Anyway, he was doing the math on a calculator, and I was usually writing it down (from doing it in my head) before he had the amount on the calculator. One time, I knew that I did it wrong, but wrote it anyway. When he said the right amount, it just didn't make sense to me. We had to go around a few times before I said, "Oh -- duh! Sorry!"

It was not long ago that I went to a craft fair. While I was there I bought nachos and a drink (since my sisters and I had a booth, so I was there for the long haul). The drink was $.50 and the nachos were $1.75. She said, "$3.05." I'm not even sure where the math logic was on that one. I verified the price of each item, and then said, "$2.25?" Oh! She then realized she was wrong, and I was on my way, though I was wondering how many people she may have overcharged by this point in the day.

I was reminded of this exchange today when I heard a speaker and wanted to buy four of her CDs today (they were $7 each). I also picked up another little extra for $5. The woman who was ringing me up said, "$47." "Wow!" I thought. I really didn't mean to spend that much! Hang on...I didn't *actually* spend that much, did I? So then I politely said, "Are you sure?" She said the CDs came to $42 and then the other was $5, so it was $47. I told her, "Actually, the CDs should be $28. 4 x 7 is 28." She looked at me like I was a poor unfortunate math fool. "No," she told me, "they're $42." Hmmm...I wasn't really sure how to argue the basic times table. I again tried to gently offer up that four times seven is twenty-eight. Again, she told me no. Finally, I said, "7 + 7 is 14..." and I was going to then continue with the fact that 14 + 14 is 28, but as soon as I pointed out what 7 + 7 was, I could see she had finally figured it out. She was embarrased, of course. I told her it was not a big deal.

And, so, I say again, it's hard to argue about math sometimes.

My menu for the month (plus some!)

For a few years now, I have planned out my menus a month at a time. I started doing it when Eric became a salaried employee, and thus only got paid once a month. Now I'm in the habit of doing it, so it's hard to move to planning a week at a time or whatnot. (I had tried to just reserve the cash needed and then plan and shop each week, but apparently this bigger planning is what I like now.) I end up doing one MAJOR shopping trip per month, and then each week, I stop by the store for things that need to be picked up more regularly like bread, milk, produce, diapers, eggs, and the like.

I sat down to do my planning (which, I will admit, I have not been good about for the past several months, and it means that we have been eating a lot of junk), and I came up with 35 separate dinners. Now, I do sometimes get asked, "What about the leftovers?" Well...Eric usually takes them to work or I'll eat some for lunch the next day. But, I did make a concerted effort to use some of them in the menu planning (especially after we're going to make a ham one night -- it is one of the two hams that Eric got from work for Christmas). If something is on the list more than once, it means that we plan to have it more than once in the month.

This list is not in any particular order yet (although I will put it all onto a calendar that I will post inside one of our cabinets):

1. Roast with potatoes and carrots

2. Roast with potatoes and carrots

3. Pancakes

4. Pancakes

5. French Toast

6. Scrambled French Toast

7. Lasagna

8. Spaghetti wth Meatballs

9. Spaghetti with Meatballs

10. Chicken Pot Pie (from Market Day)

11. Popcorn Shrimp

12. Chicken and Biscuits with Gravy

13. Steak Fajitas and Spanish Rice

14. Tuna Helper

15. Asian-style chicken and broccoli

16. Teriyaki Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice

17. Cobb Salad

18. Ham with Mashed Potatoes, etc.

19. Fried mashed potatoes with ham (fry it all up in the skillet -- yummy leftovers!)

20. Laded baked potatoes (with ham cubes and cheese -- some more yummy leftovers of our ham)

21. Beef and Broccoli with Rice

22. Oriental Chicken and Noodles

23. Meatloaf

24. Roasted Chicken

25. Cheddar Chicken and Rice Skillet

26. Oven-Fried Chicken Fingers and Fries

27. Pizza Sticks

28. Ham and Cheese Stuff 'n Puff

29. Beef Enchiladas

30. Creamy Rice, Chicken, and Spinach

31. Layered Fiesta Casserole

32. Crockpot Chicken Rice Casserole

33. Spaghetti Casserole

34. Beans and Cornbread

35. Hot Dogs (with the hot dog rotiserre thingee that we got for Christmas from Erin & Alex)

One Word for the Year

So, I was reading on Ali Edwards' blog (she is big in the scrapbooking world, for those that don't know her). She talked about picking one word that would be your word to live by for year. Here is her posting on this topic. I was really intrigued by this idea, and I set out to find my word for 2007.

I knew in my mind what the idea was that I wanted to go with, but I wasn't really sure what my word was. Finally, I went with SIMPLIFY. There a whole lot of things I need to simplify in my life. I need to simplify my schedule, especially to allow myself special time with the kids, a particular time to clean the house (and not just when I am expecting company), some time to just sit down and relax every so often, and some more time to pray or spend time with God. I need to simplify my desires -- I need to be happier with what I have, and spend less time and money trying to get things that I don't have. This would also allow me to simplify my bill paying. I also seriously need to simplify my eating, although I think this will mean more work for me, so it doesn't really feel like simplifying, but my intention is to eat better foods, and somehow this seems like a more simple way to eat.

2007 is brand new. It's a chance to try to refocus your energy. So...what's your word?

Marking growth not by inches, but by joke telling

Molly is getting older. I will admit that she amazes us. Perhaps we are just easily amazed though. In all fairness, since our first two children were a little behind (or sometimes a lot) developmentally, we tend to think of Molly with this Einstein kind of aura. LOL Okay, so we know she's not going to be Einstein, but the boys didn't count at all when they were her age, and she'll just sit around and count to 11 or 12, and I am in awe.

I know she is getting older for many reasons. One would be the obvious passing of days. Another, is the length of her hair -- man...it's getting long! (Although she will still not allow bows or bands in her hair. Augh!) And, still another way I know she's getting older is that her speech is growing more clear and she has just changed (usually) from calling my Mom "jammie" to calling her "grandma."

As if I needed any more proof, joke telling has become another marker of the passing time. With brothers who are five and seven, she is bound to hear knock knock jokes. At first, she would listen with interest, and laugh when we laughed. And then, she grew...and she started saying, "knock knock" as she would extend one arm and slap it with the other hand in a "knocking" motion. If you said, "Who's there?" she would say, "Knock Knock!" And, again it would continue.

And, then she grew some more...

Molly: Knock Knock!

Me: Who's there?

Molly: Dora Who?

Me: Dora Who Who?

Molly: Knock Knock

If you tried to tell her a knock knock joke, she would turn it around into her own joke. She thought each joke was very funny, and it is usually accompanied by a tiny hand cupping her mouth as she giggled away.

And, here we are. Just a day or two ago, I said to her, "Knock knock."

Molly: Who's there, Mommy?

I was shocked! Not only did she not follow it up with her own knock knock, she even threw in that "mommy" with it.

Me: Olive.

Molly: Olive who, Mommy?

Oh my goodness -- she was actually participating in this joke! I couldn't believe my little girl was getting bigger.

Me: Olive you! (get it? I love you!)

And, then, her little hand cupped her mouth to contain her laughter. What an angel!

She followed this up with a knock knock for me that left me asking, "Dannen who?" She laughed and laughed.

Perhaps she still needs some time to grow on this whole joke thing. But, I suspect it will all come sooner than I think it might. And, then it will be my turn to cup my hand over my mouth to hold in the laughter.

A Tour of the Church

Last night's RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) class was an informative one! We got into three groups and we heard about different aspects of our church from each of three different people. During one section, we learned more about the altar, tabernacle, and that area of the church. In the next section, we walked through the priest sacristy and the work sacristy. And, then the last section, we walked around the nave.

It was pretty interesting to learn more about some of the things that we had wondered about before. Like, for instance, we had no idea where a person went for reconciliation. Who knew there was a little room in the back?! Although I knew it wasn't going to be like in the movies, this definitely was not. A couple of the gals in our group were pretty sure that the priest can tell who it is in there, even if they should decide to be behind the wall/curtain thingee. (It wasn't until earlier in RCIA that I found out that it's an option to actually sit face to face and not behind the curtain.) It reminded me of when Fr. Dan had said that when he was a child that he almost soiled himself when, after doing confession, the priest asked him how his grandmother was doing. LOL!!! He said when he was little, he had no idea that they might actually recognize his voice or whatnot. Too funny!

Eric and I had our first trip up into the balcony area. I have to admit that that is a little high up there for me. Augh! I guess this will be my reason to always make sure to get to Mass on time! LOL It is not unusual to be asked at the beginning of Mass to scrunch together to make more room, and there are still sometimes people standing in the back. It doesn't happen at every Mass, but it seems to happen a decent amount. (There is a Saturday night Vigil Mass at our parish, as well as four Sunday Mass times.)

We also had a chance to learn some about the stained glass windows (one side features the joyful mysteries and one side the glorious mysteries) and statues that are in the church. I really love our church for all of these beautiful features. It was fun to learn more about them, as well as the candles on either side of the church for prayer intentions.

Very informative class, although Eric was sore from standing for so long. (I didn't mind, since we had a lot of chances to walk around.) We're looking forward to next week, since Fr. Dan will be speaking to us, which always makes for an enjoyable class. He said we all needed to be there because the topic is moral decision making. Eric and I decided that perhaps we needed to make some immoral decisions this week just so we could say, "Shoot! Why couldn't you have given this talk a week ago?" ;) Okay, maybe not really.

One particularly nice thing that happened while I was at church last night was that someone who bought some of my Hail Mary prayer cards asked for some more. She said she had given them all out, and then gave her last one (that was hers) to a friend going into the hospital. Seems like she enjoyed telling people they were made by someone that isn't even Catholic yet. LOL I ended up dropping her some in the mail today. I have been trying to think on how I might be able to use these as my own personal ministry, perhaps. I don't know. But, I do know that I like giving them to people, and I like knowing that they are being enjoyed.

Oh, and we were happy to finish up our service project for the holidays for RCIA. We cooked a bit and did some baking for my grandmother, since, as harsh as it sounds to say it about your own grandmother, she is a shut in. She doesn't get a chance to eat too many homemade things (unless my Mom or I make them), and so I'm hoping that she will enjoy our efforts.

Our mortality

It is, perhaps, fitting to write on our mortality here on what is a national day of mourning (for the passing of former president Gerald Ford). This, however, is not the reason that I have been thinking about this topic. Last night, after 20 weeks in the hospital, my Dad's older sister (my Aunt Carolyn) passed away. I didn't know her well, and hadn't seen her in about 10 years, since she lived on the opposite side of the country from us. But, I had been praying for her, and prayed that her passing would be quick and peaceful.

I am not really sure what I have to say on this topic, honestly. Thus far in my life, I have been pretty lucky to have been spared from having to deal with too many losses of family or friends. It wasn't until I was 16 years old that I had a close family member pass away -- my paternal grandfather. And, while it can believe it has been a while ago that that happened, it does not feel like it could possibly have been almost 14 years ago. I can still remember vividly going to visit him and the way that he would always hit you in arm as a greeting, sometimes maybe a little more firmly than I wanted, but it was his way, and it didn't actually hurt. He would always be sitting at the kitchen table, watching his TV programs. Thinking of that kitchen makes me think of him. And, perhaps it is a blessing that my grandparents moved into a retirement complex before he passed so that we wouldn't have to be in that kitchen and know he wasn't there.

I think that deep down, even when we worry about death, we don't think that it will happen to us now. It is something far in the future. But, then you have the experience, as I did in my second year of college, of hearing that a girl who I had been on the newspaper with in high school (who was still in high school at that time), had been having headaches. Her family found out it was because of a tumor. And, then within three weeks, she was gone. It is in instances like that that we see that life is not quite as certain as we expect it to be.

God has His plan for us, and it does not always follow the plans that we have for ourselves. And, I think that can be difficult to remember sometimes. Perhaps these are events that happen in our lives that serve as reminders to us to embrace every moment, and to take this time now to do what we can for others and to try to more closely follow the path that God has laid out for us.

there is comfort in predictability

You know, you read in magazines or see on TV all of these ways that women swoon when their man has done some hugely unpredictable and exciting thing. Eric sometimes thinks he is trying to do some little unpredictable things, but I am usually expecting them. This always seems to make him feel a little bad.

Last week, I called him at work to say that he should just run home with lunch for us from Lone Star. Of course, since that is one direction into town and we are the other, even as a grand gesture, he really couldn't have done it. Deep down, after our conversation (when he indicated that sounded good), I thought, "I bet he will bring it home for dinner." He, however, didn't seem to think that I might have had that thought. He came in feeling very sneaky with a bag from Lone Star for us, and a bag of McDonalds for the kids. I admitted that I was expecting it, and he felt not so sneaky. Maybe I could have pretended to have been shocked, but I was so beyond not shocked that any attempt would have looked foolish, I suspect. And, again, as in times past, he lamented that he is so predictable, apparently.

But, for me, I need somebody who is predictable. I find comfort in his predictability. I am a person who likes to know what to expect -- I will admit that I don't deal well with change. Sure, I like a little surprise here and there, but overall, I like predictable. To me -- that is one of the beautiful aspects of Eric's personality -- I know what to expect most of the time. For me, the sweeping gestures that surprise me are times when I get home from doing therapy in the evening and Eric is standing in the doorway of the bathroom watching the kids play in the bath. I usually excitedly say, "Oh wow -- you're giving the kids a bath? Thanks!" Forget surprising me with diamonds. Bathed children and a kitchen sink with no dishes sitting in it -- THAT is romance.

So, I guess the moral of the story is, just because the media tries to tell men that they need big sweeping surprising gestures, I don't suspect that all women need that. I know I can't be the only one. For some women, there is comfort in predictability, and those sweeping gestures are ones that are much more easily accomplished by going the extra mile around the house instead of dropping money in a store.