Grade School in a box

I have a box for each grade of elementary school for my girls.  I label it on the end with a sharpie and stick it on a shelf in the garage.  At the end of elementary school I go through all the boxes for that child and combine them into one "Elementary Years" box.  I just finished doing Emma's.  Yeah, I know, I'm almost an entire year behind.  But I got it done and here is the finished product.

I decided to write the names of all of her teachers on the outside of the box. As I wrote each name I became a bit nostalgic about it all.  How grateful I am to each of those teachers.  They gave of their time so selflessly to teach my child how to read, how to write, how to form sentences and paragraphs.  Most teachers work way more than their 40 hours and many of Emma's teachers were no exception to that.  Inside the box are 3 years of science fair pictures with her project.  Certificates of Battle of the books, and even a Presidential Scholar award.

It's was good for me to see all this.  Especially since she has really struggled with 6th grade.  I was reminded of how capable, smart and amazing she is.  Stuff I know but gets shoved aside as you battle with homework and projects not getting done.

So now I'm putting the box on the shelf.  Those elementary years are behind her and she is moving on to bigger and better stuff. 

And I cry.  That's what moms do when their baby's grow up.  I just can't help it.

Are you ready to run?

If you are like me, the answer is NO.  But that will be changing.  Remember this post?  Well, after I ran that Turkey Stuffer I kind of got lax in my training.  It just seemed that it wasn't fun anymore.  The life had gone out of it.  I tried to find other races to work towards but then things came up that prevented me from being able to do them and without a goal in sight I just didn't feel like running.  But then my weight started creeping up.  Again.  It seems that no matter what exercise routine I do, nothing is better to getting the weight off as running is.  Darn that running.  I don't love it.  Sorry all you lovers of the runner's high.  Maybe it's because I've never experienced that runner's high they talk about that causes my brain to put running in the same category as three hours of church.  I don't love it but I do it because I know it's good for me.

So here I am again, starting over.  So if you want to be ready to run come Thanksgiving time then join me now.  Or maybe you are closer than me to running a 5 K and you want to do This Race.  Or perhaps you are one of those people and would like to train for a 10 K or half marathon.  Whatever your race may be join me in training.  Just say YES.

If you are a beginner don't forget the Couch to 5K program. 

Signing off,

The runner within (it's in there somewhere, right?)

What I've learned today

Notes To Self:

When going to an LDS singles dance to watch your daughter perform as part of the entertainment WEAR YOUR WEDDING RING.

Next time when going to Mother's bring an autograph book in case you see a finalist from So You Think You Can Dance.

Don't forget your umbrella in your friend's car during the wettest May in Oregon in 30 years.

Don't order oatmeal at Mother's again.

Next time Heidi wants a 10 piece chicken nugget, order 2 five piece ones off the value meal instead of the combo meal. She never drinks the drink anyway and those mandarin oranges are about ten cents worth.

Makenzie didn't know what she was talking about when she said that she could just use men's briefs as shorts underneath her ballroom dance dress. I looked at them in Target. Not an option.

Hugs and kisses make the world a better place.

Talk to the reunion committee about improving the nutrition of the meals at our next family reunion.  According to Makenzie the four food groups of my side of the family are Bacon, Butter, Chocolate and Cheese and she doesn't mind it one bit.  

Crown me, I'm the Queen

This morning I did Makenzie's hair in a half french braid crown.  It was so easy to do.  I am laughing at myself that I have three daughters and I'm just now doing their hair in creative and fun ways.  I mean my oldest is 15!  But with all the different types of dancing that she does it has caused me to dig a bit deeper and discover the beautician in me.  Thank goodness I have this site to rely on.  I love it and pretty much use no other.  So go there and check out what I did.  Who knows, perhaps I shall one day be worthy to wear such a crown myself and all my grandchildren shall refer to me as the Queen of Hair.  Maybe?

Aren't you impressed?  I am.

To My Mom

Dear Mom,

You are an amazing individual. Krista and I joke about how we got the mom with the white skin when all of our aunts, uncles and cousins have this gorgeous olive skin. I think Heavenly Father wanted to set you apart from the rest, make you different. From a young age you were different. Your siblings had to be "careful with Marilyn" because of your heart condition. As an adult you were never cynical when life handed you lemons. And life did and it has. I never appreciated this until I was an adult. Things go wrong in my life and I tend to complain about it, that is until I remember the lessons you unknowingly taught to me. You don't complain, you bear your burdens with grace. I know it's been lonely the past six months without Ben. It's been lonely but I believe Rich as well. You are experiencing a new chapter in your life, and you are having a fun time with your grandchildren, daughters and friends. We love spending more time with you. We wish you could spend even more. Spending the month of April with you was incredible and I cried when you left.

Now as an adult I realize all the sacrifices you made for Krista and I. You didn't work when we were young but started working as our activities increased. I never made that correlation until years later. Or maybe I did but just didn't appreciate it. You sacrificed your health and time so that Krista and I could go to camps, participate in cheerleading and have class rings. I mention this last one because you were so excited to buy me one. I remember you telling me how your parents couldn't afford to buy you one when you wanted one. So you made sure that I had one. Although I don't wear that ring anymore, I love it and it is special to me because it is a symbol of the sacrifices that you made for me. Another sacrifice you made for me is control of your kitchen. When I was young you let me have creative control in the kitchen, encouraging me to make whatever recipe I found and was excited about. A lot of good things came out of that kitchen but most important of those things was time spent with you.

I am blessed to have you for a mother. I hope that I am as good a mom to my girls that you are to Krista and I.

I love you,

Darilyn

Some Perspective

 Sand Tray

Every year around this time I just start feeling so overwhelmed. There are an abundance of things going on at the schools, church and for my children's extracurricular activities.  I have to balance a lot of different things and I end up feeling like I'm not doing a very good job.  I have two reactions to this stress. 

Reaction #1:  Go, Go, Go until I get cranky and irritable with most people around me.

Reaction #2:  I do nothing.  I have so many things that are on my list that I don't know where to start and so I do none of it. I blog or something like that.  (can you tell which one I'm feeling today?)

Yesterday I took Emma to a counseling appointment.  The therapist had her play with some toys in some sand.  He told her to "create her world."  After the session was over he invited me in to see what she had created.  I thought it looked cool. He thought it looked "busy."  Sigh. He said it was peaceful though, those were Emma's words apparently, and so that meant she was happy.  I asked Emma about it afterwards on the way home and she thought the whole thing was weird.  She said 12 year-olds don't play in sandboxes with toys.  The sand tray above is not Emma's.  Her's didn't have as many things as this and hers had the snake corralled behind a fence for her Mama. I'm afraid of snakes.  Thank you, Emma.

So back to my reactions.  As I was reading some blogs this morning I noticed that my mind started shifting from how worried I was about the stuff not done to not really worrying about it.  I was achieving an inner peace from reading about the lives of others.  But some of the things I was reading were about way more important things than what I have going on, true life struggles that I am grateful to not have at the moment.  So it made me take a look at what is on my plate and say, "whatever, All is Well."  For that is my mantra, or it's supposed to be.

After seeing Nie's necklace on her blog back in August, I just had to have one.  I fell in love with it.  I asked for one for Christmas and didn't get it.  But for my birthday my mom hands me a small box. Inside was a silver medallion on a chain that read, "All is well."

And it is.