Leader of the Pack...

Life lessons occur on a daily basis. Sometimes they sneak up and surprise us. Last Friday, Bella's swim coach handed her a plaque. It had been awarded at the season end swim banquet that we had been unable to attend. It was the leadership award for her last swim level. Her current coach said, "Coach Brenda's exact words were, "She's the best listener, even though she can't hear half the time in the water!"

Receiving the leadership award was such a great lesson to Bella. Does she have the fastest times? Can she swim the most lengths? No, but as he coaches have said in the past, she is always willing to work really hard and give it her all. Life isn't always about doing the best. As I have often told Bella, a strong work ethic often trumps final results. At some point everyone encounters a time/event where success is not easily achieved. For those without a strong work ethic, it is more difficult to power through the tough times. Having things always come easily is not always a blessing.

Bella was so proud of her plaque. She wanted Erick to hang it up right away with the rest of her swim ribbons.

I hope it is the first of many hard earned successes for her!

Too Close For Comfort...

A few weeks ago, I attended my first Twin's game at the new Target field. Well, I say "new", but this is the third season it's been open. New to me, anyway, right? The experience, and several other things that have been going on lately, got me thinking about how things don't always turn out the way you expect.

Some of you may know that almost 2 1/2 years ago, I set out on a New Year's resolution to lose some weight. With a combination of self control and hard work, I was able to lose 30lbs. Last summer, my gym was giving out $50 that could be used on club services if you wrote a story about any weight loss success. I submitted my story and received the money, which I used for some swim lessons for Bella. At the end of March, I received a call from Lifetime asking if I wanted to be "member of the game" for an upcoming Twin's game. They explained that Lifetime is a sponsor of the Twin's and that each game they have a member come onto the field, show them on the jumbotron, then tell a brief summary of their Lifetime success story. My first thought was, "Oh, I better put down the jellybeans!" Not to say I haven't stayed in shape, for the most part. It's just that like everyone, I have certain downfalls. I am a sucker for jellybeans and any other kind of gummy candy. I have maintained a regular workout schedule, but in recent weeks, I may have missed some strength workouts. Everything I hadn't done or had done wrong popped into my mind. Being on the jumbotron and being heralded for being in "great shape" is a bit intimidating. And if the camera adds 10 lbs, I can only imagine how much a jumbotron adds. Still, it seemed like an exciting opportunity, so I agreed.

So here's my picture of how the Twin's game was supposed to go. The sky would be bright and sunny, there would be a warm breeze blowing, my family would be smiling and happy to support me, and everyone would be excited about the game. Not exactly. First of all, I only had 4 tickets so one of the kids was not going to come. Instead of fighting over who GOT to come, they fought over who HAD to come. Bella was out of the equation since she couldn't stay home by herself, so the battle came between Becca and Harry. Harry lost out to Becca, so let's just say he wasn't thrilled. When we got to the game, the kids were starving so we bought food right away. Then my big event happened in the pregame. I must say it was pretty cool going under the bowels of Target Field and then getting to go onto the actual field. I was amazed at how much went on before the game. There were two guys who went out with me who were going to try and catch pop flys for a charity event. Everything is timed to the minute. So here is me on the big screen.

I must say it was pretty unnerving. They have a big TV camera facing you, while they read a summary of your story. The whole thing took about  1 1/2 minutes, but it felt more like an hour. Staring into the camera made me feel very self conscious. At one point in my life I had wanted to be a news anchor, now I know I made the right choice not to pursue that field. Personally I would have been less nervous to give a speech at Target Field than stand there for the 1 minute. The weather for the game was rainy and cold. Thank goodness for the heaters at Target Field. My sister and her family happened to get tickets to the game too! My nephew also made it onto the jumbotron that night!

 A few innings into the game, Harry started to complain about frostbite (he's a little dramatic) and I was a little worried that Bella was going to get sick for her nature camp week long trip on Monday, so we left after the 4th inning. Wimps, yes, I know. My sister and her family (the children are quite a bit younger) stuck it out for almost the whole game. What can I say?

Harry is also discovering things don't always turn out the way you hope or expect. A few weeks ago, he bought a new pair of sneakers. You might have read about how he had four pairs, but none of them seemed to be quite right. He used money he had earned from yard work to buy a new pair of Nikes. He got them from Nordstrom Rack and was happy for about a week. Then a little piece of netting broke on them. He now blames me for telling him to try and save money by getting them at Nordstrom Rack and says he has learned his lesson to never try and get a bargain in the future. Yes, because they were discounted is why the netting broke. Not because he is a very active boy who is very hard on his clothing. He is now asking for a new pair of shoes. Talk about not having things turn out the way you expect, that is almost the definition of parenthood.

Teacher, I Need You...

Teachers- individuals who are underpaid (in my humble opinion) and handle a large workload, often accompanied by complaints, criticisms, and stress. Not a true definition, but I believe true enough.

Bella's teacher at the World Learner School is so great! In an effort to get her some recognition for her outstanding service, I nominated her for a local contest. It is for "teacher of the year" at Let's Dish. If she wins she will get a free 8 meal session. Not much, but a little something she will enjoy and would make a hectic life slightly less hectic for a small period of time.

I would love it if you could vote! Vote often and help her win! Follow the link and pull down the menu to the Eden Prairie location.
http://www.letsdish.com/mnteachers/selection.aspx

Live Your Life...

It's been awhile since my last entry. No particular reason, just life. Sometimes, life gets in the way and we loose touch with certain things. That pretty much sums it up. I'll do my best to catch everyone up to date on the last month of Rowe activities and events.

We are heading into the final stretch of the 2011-2012 school year. 4th quarter. Everyone seems on track and focused. Ask me in a month and I'm sure it will be a different story. That last month of school can be  brutal. Weather is too nice, field trips get planned, and suddenly it is a struggle to pull the kids over the finish line of June 8th.

Last week was Spring Break, Becca's 16th birthday and Easter. Wow, nothing like packing everything into one week. Much to the kids' dismay, there was no exciting trip for Spring Break this year. I did happen to hear from them that EVERYONE, but them managed to get away, so there's that. Glad to hear people are pumping money into the economy, or rather the economies of Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe. Poor deprived Rowe children...

We did manage to visit the Science Museum during Spring Break and saw the Pirate exhibit, which I found to be very interesting. It was all about the Pirate ship, the Whydah, that sank off the coast of New England. I especially loved seeing the real gold and silver. Behind a glass case of course. I'm pretty sure that was for my safety, so I wouldn't be hauled off to jail for stealing.

On another day of break, Becca, Bella, and I went to explore Minnehaha Falls. I hadn't been there in years. Still just as beautiful.

We also visited a Ukranian Church in Minneapolis for Palm Sunday. They were having a "bazaar" after the Mass with perogies which our family adores and I refuse to try to make by hand. I managed to somehow read the time of the Mass incorrectly and we arrived at 9:30am and it had already started. Considering it went until 11:10am, I would say we were there for about all the kids could handle. My Grandmother on my Dad's size was Ukrainian and went to a Church just like the one we visited. Being in the church brought back lots of memories of her and the kids love learning about their "history".

On to the event of the year, Becca's 16th birthday. I am completely kidding, well sort of. I mean it was a very special event for our family, but get out of your mind any ideas of "Sweet Sixteen", the MTV show that ran a few years ago and showed lavish, over the top parties, where the kids drove away at the end in their new Mercedes or Range Rover. Our party featured the likes of steak, lobster, cheese, chocolate and a couple of fondue pots. We went for a night on the town to downtown Minneapolis to visit The Melting Pot. I had never been there before. 

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And then it was Easter. The last day of Break, Becca's real birthday, and the official kick off to all things Spring.  We were a little late with our egg coloring this year, so here you see Bella and Harry painting eggs in their Easter best.

We spent the day at my sister's house. She planned an egg-cellent egg hunt (sorry, couldn't help myself).

And now you are caught up on our life. What's next? Lots! Stay tuned...

Movin' On Up...

As I write this blog entry today, the warm sun is shining on my shoulder, the birds are singing outside, and it going to be 66 degrees outside today. March 13 and near 70 degrees? In Minnesota? I'm really not going to ask too many questions as I am afraid it could be a mirage that might be easily shattered if I fail to suspend my disbelief. I am declaring it now, Spring is here. And if it turns cold and snows in a few weeks, I will bow my head and sink into a deep depression, but as they say, "Live for today..."

Another sure sign of Spring outside of the weather? Bella is on break from her swim team. She finished up her Winter season a few weeks ago. And there is some exciting news! She is moving up to the next level, Bronze. It is something she has been working towards for quite a while. She has had many friends move up, which can sometimes make things tough. But Bella is a trooper and she understands that it takes her longer to achieve some goals. All the sweeter when they are reached. She has had one of the best coaches in the world for the past two years and Bella is really going to miss her. I will too! She has become a good friend during that time and she is a blast to hang out with. We'll have to ensure that our ladies' nights out continue. Bella is so excited to move up and she really likes her new coach, too. Luckily, she got to know him very well because he was helping coach her level this past season. That makes the transition so much easy. We don't have to go through the implant and muscle weakness shpeel the first day.

So with Winter season done and Spring swim season not starting until the middle of April, we have more free time than usual. So far we have been anything but bored. Last weekend, we finished out Girl Scout cookie selling for the year. Bella and I went door to door for about 3 hours and on Sunday there was a troop cookie booth. We have one more troop cookie booth at the end of March, but all of our personal money has been turned in. Selling cookies is not my favorite activity for many reasons. First, there is an over-saturation of Girl Scout sellers in our neighborhood. Erick can't sell at work (or won't, I'm not really sure) so we are forced to hit the streets for our sales. Second, Bella gets that prize incentive sheet for selling cookies and stares longingly at the Ipad and the notebook computer, wondering why she can't sell 1 or 2 thousand cookies. This from the child who gets discouraged and wants to turn around and go home after hitting two houses that don't buy the cookies. Thirdly, I feel like I need to hire a security team to protect the unsold cookies. Trying to ensure a brother, sister and father don't dive mouth first into the cookie pile is exhausting. Not to mention, making sure the dogs don't get close to the pile. This year has been better, but I am sure there are 1 or 2 boxes unaccounted for. Yes, I am glad the selling season is almost over. I feel Bella's 100 cookies sales were respectable and hard fought.

During the next month we have a lot of activities. Becca is going to be turning 16 and we have a special night out planned. No license yet, we are still making it through behind the wheel training. Also, Becca is planning on doing some lacrosse reffing again this Spring/Summer season. Becca is busy, too, with training for becoming a camp counselor for church. Bella is headed off for a week with school in April to a survival camp. I am excited for her, but nervous. I'm sure she will survive...Will I?

What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronger...

Today I started the day out earlier than usual. Instead of bringing Harry to the bus at 6:45am, I had to drive him to school at 6:15am. I thought it would be a nightmare to get Harry up at 5:30am in order to leave on time. Surprisingly, Harry was up at 5:00am in order to take a shower. As I forced my eyes open and my legs out of bed, Harry came in wide-eyed and anxious to make sure I was already up. At no point this morning was I faced with the sometime snide comments that can be heard in the morning or complaints about lunch making or other necessary morning chores. The reprieve was nice, I'll admit, but I am hoping that this is the first and last detention I have to bring Harry to at school.

Harry turned 13 in December and since then I have really noticed he is growing up. I'm not just talking about the physical changes like his deeper voice, his new found interest in daily grooming, and his rapid growth. I am mostly stunned by his intellectual changes. Just last week he was discussing his thoughts on the U.S. constitution and his feelings about the 2nd amendment. This was prompted by his history lessons at school. The conversation was not long, but I was surprised by how thought provoking it was.  Not that we saw eye to eye on his interpretation of the 2nd amendment. He wondered why we couldn't live in a world similar to "Call of Duty", where everyone is in charge of their own protection. The use of guns and weapons would be self regulated. Man, he took that "right to bear arms" stuff seriously! I did comment that his idea scared me a little, but I was just proud that he was really reflecting on stuff he learned and then putting his own spin on it. He does this almost daily now. The other day we were listening to the news and they were talking about Maryland passing gay marriage. Harry thoughtfully asked why there was all this commotion and discussion on gay marriage. He said, "Seriously, Mom. Who cares who marries who? I don't get why people care or why it's a big deal." Out of the mouths of babes...

In the same mode of Harry wondering about various things, he has been a bit fascinated over the last few months about detention. He has wondered out loud what it's like and what goes on during it. I told him it was really boring, you can't talk, and you just sit quietly and do homework. Not that I would know, it's just what I heard :) So last week, Harry comes home to tell me that he got a detention for rough housing and being sarcastic to one of his friends. The note from the teacher called it "bullying", but Harry doesn't agree. The teacher did say that Harry is a very good kid and that he just had a bad day. Well, I have conferences with his teachers this week, so I hope it goes well.

Ahh...the trials and tribulations of being 13. Can't say I miss being that age...

I Made it Through the Rain...

So last week I spent a 1/2 hour looking all around the house for something that was in my pocket. This week I have frantically been searching for my ipod; sifting through disgusting garbage, shoving my hand down areas in my car that aren't big enough to fit a pinkie. And there it was yesterday; sitting in a pile of melted snow at the end of my driveway in the gutter. Wow, I must be turning 41...

The great ending to the ipod story is that it still works! With a little help from Bella's dry and store (a machine we use nightly to extract any moisture from Bella's cochlear implants) and a few heartfelt prayers, it was back up and running. Sure it has some surface flaws. A few more scratches, dents and dings, but nothing that inhibits it's purpose of playing music. Kind of how I feel about turning 41, a few more surface flaws, but still fully able to perform.

The last four weeks have been pretty light on blog posts due to a busy schedule. Erick has been traveling a lot, including a trip to Brazil, so I have had to up my game to keep up with maintaining the household. Having William, our Chinese exchange student has been a rewarding experience, but has also added more activities. Tomorrow he is returning to Bejiing. It will be hard to see him go, as he has really become a part of our family during his short stay. During his time in Minnesota, he has visited two universities, the Mall of America, gone to a hockey and basketball game, and shopped at an outlet mall. Last night, we attended his farewell banquet. It was fun to see all the pictures that have been taken during the students' visit. Especially since I have not done a good job of taking photos. I usually give camera duties to Erick and as he has been gone a lot, I failed to find a replacement photographer.

A few weeks ago, Harry had a Chinese New Year event at the Saturday Chinese school he attends on a weekly basis to learn Mandarin. Below is a picture of his performance. He is in a 1st grade class since he has just started learning the language. As you can see, he is quite a bit bigger than the other students in his class, but he was a trooper about going. I have been warned that next year, he will not be participating.