My 9yo wrote an imaginary letter to a girl named Amanda for an assignment based on the book, “Because of Winn Dixie.” It warmed my heart and made me teary, so I wanted to share it with you.
When other people are around, this kiddo tends to be the socialite, but we’ve had several past-bedtime, private talks about fear and worrying. He has a sensitive heart, and I’m proud to see him sharing it with others (even in an imaginary letter).
A friend commented recently that with five kids, I must be bombarded with lots of questions every day. It is so true! Most of the questioning is in the car, so I can’t exactly jot them down while driving, but I’ve tried to remember a few to share with you (in no particular order):
I’m confused. And frustrated. I know that the census is important, and I didn’t have any real qualms about filling it out, at first. When the form arrived, however, I began to ask questions.
Right off the bat, the form says NOT to include people in the military. Later on (Question 10, to be precise), it asks if the person “sometimes” lives/stays elsewhere, including the military. What the heck? What am I supposed to answer?
My concern is mainly how the results will be tabulated. If I don’t count Lane b/c he is away w/the military, then when references are made to the “number of children raised in single-parent homes based on the 2010 Census,” how do I know that my family won’t be counted in that number?
Furthermore, I already list all of my dependents’ full names & birthdays on my annual tax return, so couldn’t they pull that info by cross-referencing my name & address? Why do they need it all again?
I am a little surprised that there aren’t more questions about household income, level of education and other demographic details.
On a related note, I think the postage required for the pre-letters, census forms and postcard reminders should be enough to get the U.S. Postal Service back in the black this fiscal year.
No. 3 woke up this morning with a quarter clutched in his fist as he showed it to me exuberantly: “Look! The tooth fairy came!” He pulled his first tooth yesterday evening, and that child fell asleep on his stomach with his arms wrapped under his pillow and holding the tooth-enclosed baggie with a death grip in both hands.
No kidding – he was snoring and soundly sleeping, and I had to go after that rascally tooth from both sides of the bed, gingerly trying to reach under his pillow to pull the baggie out of his hands without waking him up. I felt like The Tooth Fairy in all of his clumsy hockey gear!
The tooth fairy was out of dollar bills, so she left five quarters. When he showed me that one quarter this morning, I was happy for him but asked, “Are you sure that’s all?” and he replied, “Well, it was only one tooth.” LOL – glad to see that his expectations are more realistic now; last night, he proposed that the tooth fairy might leave him a thousand dollars! In his dreams!! I encouraged him to look some more, and lo & behold, he found the other quarters.
Look out, world – there’s one happy first grader on the loose! 🙂
The oldest boys have been hounding me all week for book fair money, and I kept forgetting to get cash. I very seldom carry cash, so I needed to either cash a check at work or swing by the atm, and I simply forgot. I promised them that I would give them some money to take tomorrow (the last day of the book fair – no pressure).
Anyway, as we were leaving karate tonight, No. 2 asked, “What time is it?? The book fair closes at 8:00!” I asked what he was talking about, since I thought tomorrow was the last day.
No. 1 piped up and said to his brother, “Tonight is just for the parents who go to the PTA meeting. She ain’t got any time for P-T-A!”
I LOLed and wondered where he came up with that. Granted, I am not especially eager to get involved in PTA (not because it is an unworthy organization, but mainly for the reason No. 1 so bluntly referenced). However, I don’t think I’ve ever verbalized that fact. It made me laugh, but it also reminded me to be VERY careful what I do say in front of them!
When all was said and done, they went to bed happy with cash in their backpacks for tomorrow.
Anytime I’m with all five of the boys, I find myself counting under my breath periodically as I try to keep an eye on everyone. It can be a little nerve-wracking at times, especially in crowded places.
My mom came with us to the zoo on Sunday afternoon, and it was more crowded than usual, because they have a pair of baby jaguars. She overheard me counting, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5 …” as we were heading from one exhibit to another. She made a great suggestion, which I implemented immediately. Instead of me counting to five, just assign each boy their number in birth order. Then, when I say, “Count off!” they recite back their number so that everyone is accounted for.
It worked pretty well, except that J was in a sour mood and mumbled his number, and Ri couldn’t seem to remember his number. It’ll take practice, but I think it’ll work.
I have worked for some great bosses (and one really horrible one), but I genuinely love my current job. My boss is terrific, and the group dynamic in my office suite (four of us in very close quarters!) is an amazing balance of diverse personalities and a big dose of humor. People from other units within our department — and other departments, entirely! — have said on multiple occasions that they wished they worked in our office. As the supervisor, that thrills me to pieces.
There are days when my job is pretty stressful (grantseeking has taken a nose-dive in the current economy) but the success stories make it worthwhile. Really, though, it’s not just the successful grants that we’ve written that make the job great, but it’s the process, the people and the purpose for which we write.
I talked with some colleagues from another Big 12 university at a conference in Kansas City, MO, earlier this week, and they mentioned a job vacancy that they’ve been trying to fill in their office. I just had such a feeling of appreciation when I listened to them, because not only do I have a job, but it’s one that I look forward to doing.
Do I do my job perfectly? Hardly. Do I have much to learn? Certainly.
I am grateful, and the encouragement that I receive almost daily from my boss and co-workers makes me want to do an even better job. Sic ’em!
In June 2008, this blog began as an assignment for a graduate course in communication law. We were tasked with finding and reviewing news articles and op/ed pieces pertaining to class discussion topics.
Two hundred entries later, it has become my semi-public journal – a soapbox for my rants, reviews and random thoughts. This blog has been my outlet to think aloud, grieve, share, preach, vent and inquire about the twists and turns of life.
And what a roller coaster we have ridden together, readers! You have walked alongside me through the darkest hours – and days, weeks … months – of my life and also celebrated with me during times of great joy.
Writing to you … for you … has blessed me more than you may ever know. I used to keep a paper journal, but there is something so special about writing for an audience (however small, lol!) that gives me, the writer, a sense of affirmation that what I write is really worth reading; therefore, it is worth writing, in the first place.
To me, writing is a way to connect with the world, one reader at a time. Thank YOU for making the effort to journey with me.
Tomorrow is Storybook Day at school where the kids can dress up as their favorite character, and my 10yo wants to go as Harry Potter. Easy enough, said I. We found one of Dad’s white dress shirts in his closet and a wrapped Asian-style jacket that passes muster for “dress robes.” All we needed was a necktie with stripes, and we’d be good to go!
D’oh – I didn’t remember how to tie a necktie! I’ve done it several years ago but must have purged the details from my brain somewhere between having children and grad school. So, I googled it and found a step-by-step video. I could swear that I followed the instructions to a tee and even had the tie on myself, but to no avail.
Thankfully, my awesome stepdad came to the rescue, not only providing a great tie that we could borrow but he also pre-tied it and kept it loose for easy transfer! Kudos to Granddad!
I’ll try to remember to take a picture of handsome lil’ Harry Potter in the morning before he catches the bus.
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Update March 5:
Ta-da! There’s our finished dress-up project. I think he turned out quite dashing! Little brothers No. 2 & No. 3 decided this morning that they, too, wanted to dress up for Storybook Day, so we improvised on the fly and came up with Mr. Brown (from Dr. Seuss) and the cartoon boy from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. “Mr. Brown” borrowed one of Dad’s brown Army t-shirts and wore a pair of brown pants. The “Wimpy Kid” wore a plain white shirt and dark pants … he’ll have to explain that one, b/c it’s hard to double as a cartoon drawing! At any rate, they had fun.
Lane just called from the plane; they are sitting on the tarmac, waiting for the flight crew to finish rearranging seats to adjust the weight of the plane before they leave. I know they do that for the little puddle-jumpers that fly out of Waco, but a big plane? He did say that they have a LOT of checked baggage. I’ve seen his Army duffel bag when it is packed full, and that sucker is Heavy with a capital H.
So, here we go. I thought I was ready for this, but now that it’s happening, it’s harder than I originally thought it would be.
On a lighthearted note, he said they have a layover in Ireland. I’m so jealous! Granted, they probably won’t actually leave the airport, but still. Ireland is definitely in my Top 5 Places to See Before I Die list. I told him to drink some Irish whiskey for me, and he grumbled about not being able to drink in uniform. Poor baby.
faith, sweat & tears 