I Can See Clearly Now...

So in an effort to truly get Harry ready for middle school, we are getting him braces and glasses. The crazy thing is that he is

really EXCITED to get them! I don't know how long that excitement will last...

He had been complaining for awhile that he was having trouble seeing distant things clearly. Like the good Mom that I am, I put off bringing him to the eye doctor until it was convenient for me. His vision wasn't terrible (20/60), but it did need correcting. When we picked up the glasses at the store, Harry laid it on pretty thick! "Oh wow, there are so many things I couldn't see before, " he said. You would have thought we had just cured blindness.

Anyway, his glasses are pretty cute. According, to the woman at the store, the current trend in eye ware is called, "geeky chic". Great! I told Harry if he broke them, we would use duct tape to fix them, since insurance only covers one pair of eyeglasses per year...

Braces, here we come, July 6th...

Think of your fellow man, lend him a helping hand...

A few years ago, I had a conversation with my children's pediatrician. I don't remember the exact conversation, but I do remember I was begging for advice on one of Becca's latest outbursts. Strong willed and adversarial since birth, I have had my share of parenting headaches with Becca over the years. Anyway, I clearly remember his advice, "Becca has all the characteristics to be a great adult; independent, motivated, strong willed. It's your job to guide her to adulthood." And I still clearly remember my response, "Ask me on any given day, and I'm not sure we are going to survive that long."



Raising kids with the thought that someday they will be adults can be challenging, but I do think it makes you see things differently. Suddenly, it becomes clear why angry outbursts and disrespectful comments need to be addressed right away. Someday it won't be me hearing those things, it will be a boss or a spouse. Along the same lines, I think it is also important to teach kids how to see outside of themselves. If they aren't taught as children, how can we expect them to learn that as adults? I'm sure we can all name people we encounter on a daily basis that never outgrew "the world revolves around me" attitude of youth.



Yesterday, Becca, Harry, Bella and I helped with a family service project for Becca's confirmation class. We volunteered at a Loaves and Fishes site. On the way there, I gave them a brief explanation of what we were going to do, explaining that we would be helping people who didn't have enough money for food. When we got there, we were given our job for the night, "food runners". It was our job to serve the trays of food to the people sitting at tables.



At first Bella was nervous to bring the trays out to the people, because she was afraid she might drop the tray. It probably didn't help that Harry kept telling her he was SURE she would trip and fall with the tray. She started by bringing out the silverware rolls and the bannana (that didn't fit on the tray). After a few minutes, she was a pro and started bringing out the trays. Everyone commented what a hard worker she was. Something I have known for quite awhile!



I was also very proud of Becca. She delivered the trays with a smile and looked all the people in the eyes. When there was work to be done, whether clearing trays or helping clean up in the kitchen, she was happy to help. At the end of the evening, she commented that we should do this every other month with our church. And that is the plan...



Harry also helped, but with a little less vigor than Becca and Bella. Perhaps he was tired from his track and field day at school. Perhaps he didn't think serving trays of food was very exciting. Whatever the reason, I think helping last night (and over the next few months), will eventually make a difference in what kind of adult Harry turns out to be. Understanding that not everyone's greatest worry is what Wii game to get next, is an important lesson at 11 years old.



Well I can only hope (and pray) that they will all turn into "great adults" someday...

Under My Umbrella (ella, ella, hey, hey)...

So as I write this, it is pouring down cold rain in 45 degrees. I was really hoping for rain because we just planted some flowers in the front last weekend. The bad news is that tonight, the weatherman is predicting snow with 1-2 inches of slushy accumulation. Looks like we will be buying some more flowers next weekend...


This week, I have been busy protecting the interests of Becca. As some of you who have been following me for a while know, Becca is headed to high school this coming fall. I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around that fact, but it is true, despite my denial. The big issue has been where to send her for high school. As of last year there are two high schools in our district, Chaska and Chanhassen. Becca has been at a Montessori charter school for the last 8 years and wanted to go to Chanhassen to be with her friends. Unfortunately, the district is being very strict and not letting kids who are in the Chaska High School boundaries open enroll to Chanhassen this year. Some of her friends at school are going to Minnetonka High School and Becca also knows girls from her lacrosse team that will attend Minnetonka so...it looks like it will be Minnetonka. So next year, the school calendar will be a mess. Harry will be in Eden Prairie, Becca in Minnetonka, and Bella in Chaska for part of the day. 3 different Spring Breaks, yeah!

On Monday, Becca will leave on an 8th grade class trip to Chicago. They are taking the train and will be gone all week. I'm sure she will have fun, but having her leave and dealing with all of this high school stuff is making me reflect on the fact that we don't have our kids as kids very long at all. They can't always be "under our umbrella" of protection. We can just hope and pray that we do the best to teach them how to protect themselves out in the world when the time comes for them to go.

Tiptoe through the Tulips...

On Wednesday, Bella had a field trip to the Arboretum. It was a bright sunny day with some wind, but still pretty nice for April in MN. The highlight of the trip was the beautiful tulip garden that was in full bloom. There were so many people there to visit it when we were there. Some were having engagement pictures done, some were with family, and some were with schools like us. I was amazed at how many colors of tulips were in the garden. It made for a lovely sight. Bella knows that tulips are my favorite flower and she was eager to share that information with her classmates. She also kept saying how good they smelled. I never thought tulips had much of a scent, but when they were all together they did seem to give off a fresh scent. To me it just smelled like Spring...

It is always fun to watch Bella interact with her classmates. For this field trip, the class was divided up into groups and the parent chaperones were given a group of about 6 children to lead around and explore the Arboretum for the 1st hour. I had 6 girls including Bella in my group and they were all fascinated with the same things: water fountains (or wishing ponds as some called them), bridges over water, and lookout towers which you could climb. They were all very well behaved. It was fun to see Bella laugh and giggle with the girls about jokes and other things. Her teacher told me how far Bella has come this year both in her schoolwork and her interactions with others. She told me how amazed she is that Bella can come in half way through the day when everything is in full swing and blend right in, seamlessly. It made me feel very good about our decision to homeschool her half the day. It has provided her with what she needs in a lot of ways.

At the end of the field trip, the groups got back together and they explored the Japanese garden together. The children learned about the different lanterns and their meanings. One thing I learned was that one lantern is designed with a flat top so that in the Winter it can look like a flower with snow piled on top. I must say, I am a much bigger fan of the bright flowers in April than the icy snow flowers of January!