#4 and his friend started making movies together 3 years ago.
Our sandbox is the favorite location for many of their shoots.
They often come in for props, and special effects equipment.
Yesterday they were rummaging through the kitchen tool drawer looking for string.
"What you two doing?" I asked.
"Working on a proddy." Replied #4.
"A proddy, is that what you call a production?" I like to prove how cool I am by being down with all their slang terms. I'm tight like that.
#4 rolls his eyes ever so slightly. "Were making fun of Iron Man."
"Uhhh, a parody?" I ask.
"Is that how you say it? Good to know."
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Happy Fathers Day
This morning I woke up 15 minutes before church started.
Adorable Hubby had lovingly dressed #6 and #7 for church, in plaid shorts, t-shirts and the new brightly colored foam shoes(Croc's) I had bought for them on my Saturday night grocery run.
I changed them into church shirts wiped them down with a diaper wipes just in case their baths from the night before had worn off, and told them they would need to put on church shoes.
#7 turned to me and stated emphatically, "It's Fathers Day and DAD said we could wear these shoes, Dad can say whatever he wants today because it's Fathers Day! I'm listening to Dad and wearing these shoes!"
To all the great dads I know and love...Have fun saying whatever you want today. Hey, since this is being posted so late at night feel free to say whatever you want on Monday as well.
And, a great big HAPPY FATHERS DAY HUG to you.
Adorable Hubby had lovingly dressed #6 and #7 for church, in plaid shorts, t-shirts and the new brightly colored foam shoes(Croc's) I had bought for them on my Saturday night grocery run.
I changed them into church shirts wiped them down with a diaper wipes just in case their baths from the night before had worn off, and told them they would need to put on church shoes.
#7 turned to me and stated emphatically, "It's Fathers Day and DAD said we could wear these shoes, Dad can say whatever he wants today because it's Fathers Day! I'm listening to Dad and wearing these shoes!"
To all the great dads I know and love...Have fun saying whatever you want today. Hey, since this is being posted so late at night feel free to say whatever you want on Monday as well.
And, a great big HAPPY FATHERS DAY HUG to you.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A Rant
Three weeks before school let out #5 came home with an important 3rd grade assignment. He was asked to choose from a list of famous Americans then write a report on his choice.
For #3 the choice was obvious, he would do his report on Nicola Tesla a Croatian born inventor who was a contemporary of Thomas Edison and who WAS NOT (for some odd reason at least in my third graders mind), on the list of famous Americans.
That darn educational TV teaching 9 year old's about inventors and history and crab fishing. How do you tell a nine year old who has taken up the cause of a man who did become an American citizen and who really should be equally as famous as Edison, that he just can't do the report because it isn't what the teacher wants.
So we compromised. My passionate, intelligent third grader and I, wrote the report,(his ultimatum involved not writing a report, picketing and possibly a hunger strike), followed all the guidelines, for the Edison paper then added our own twist by comparing the lives of Edison and Tesla, concluding that if both men had been willing to use their ability to see things in new and creative ways, to work together and get along with each other, the results could have been phenomenal.
At the conclusion of the last day of school when I went through #5's box of papers I came across this note attached to his third grade report.
Isaac,
Wow, I learned a lot about someone I had never even heard of. Next time please follow the instructions.
People, I have loved this teacher. #5 would not have made it through the year without her loving, consistent patience with him.
But, WHAT THE...
I don't know who the other Famous Americans he could have chosen were. I do know that not one of them followed the instructions as outlined. They were free thinkers, visionaries, rebels even.
Edison made it through three months of formal schooling, before the teacher called him, "addled". Tesla would have "sick" spells and do nothing for weeks then wake up with the entire working model for his next invention envisioned in complete detail.
I do know that Paul Revere was one of the choices, I wonder if the British teacher of his day would have pointed him out as a role model for following instructions.
In fact weren't most famous Americans once infamous Americans.
As I said, I have loved this boys teacher. I don't believe she is the problem just symptomatic of a larger problem.
And thus my rant.
If a third grader cares deeply enough about any subject to think outside of the instructions and fight for his right to express his beliefs by going where most third graders don't go... Shouldn't we be celebrating that?
Does our current system of education encourage and support the next generation of famous Americans.
Have we gotten so mired in trying to follow set after set of instructions that we have lost the meaning of life?
Do we think ourselves above those who follow different sets of instructions then ours or who throw out the instructions all together.
I don't have any answers just my little rant here.
I believe people and relationships are more important then the instructions.
I believe the only set of instructions that really matters is to Love God and others. And,that it is these instructions, purely lived which create the only basis for true teaching.
As Thomas Edison said of his mother who became his teacher. "My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint."
Rant over. Now let's just hope his teacher wasn't referring to the fact that we didn't type his report.... a rant for another day.
For #3 the choice was obvious, he would do his report on Nicola Tesla a Croatian born inventor who was a contemporary of Thomas Edison and who WAS NOT (for some odd reason at least in my third graders mind), on the list of famous Americans.
That darn educational TV teaching 9 year old's about inventors and history and crab fishing. How do you tell a nine year old who has taken up the cause of a man who did become an American citizen and who really should be equally as famous as Edison, that he just can't do the report because it isn't what the teacher wants.
So we compromised. My passionate, intelligent third grader and I, wrote the report,(his ultimatum involved not writing a report, picketing and possibly a hunger strike), followed all the guidelines, for the Edison paper then added our own twist by comparing the lives of Edison and Tesla, concluding that if both men had been willing to use their ability to see things in new and creative ways, to work together and get along with each other, the results could have been phenomenal.
At the conclusion of the last day of school when I went through #5's box of papers I came across this note attached to his third grade report.
Isaac,
Wow, I learned a lot about someone I had never even heard of. Next time please follow the instructions.
People, I have loved this teacher. #5 would not have made it through the year without her loving, consistent patience with him.
But, WHAT THE...
I don't know who the other Famous Americans he could have chosen were. I do know that not one of them followed the instructions as outlined. They were free thinkers, visionaries, rebels even.
Edison made it through three months of formal schooling, before the teacher called him, "addled". Tesla would have "sick" spells and do nothing for weeks then wake up with the entire working model for his next invention envisioned in complete detail.
I do know that Paul Revere was one of the choices, I wonder if the British teacher of his day would have pointed him out as a role model for following instructions.
In fact weren't most famous Americans once infamous Americans.
As I said, I have loved this boys teacher. I don't believe she is the problem just symptomatic of a larger problem.
And thus my rant.
If a third grader cares deeply enough about any subject to think outside of the instructions and fight for his right to express his beliefs by going where most third graders don't go... Shouldn't we be celebrating that?
Does our current system of education encourage and support the next generation of famous Americans.
Have we gotten so mired in trying to follow set after set of instructions that we have lost the meaning of life?
Do we think ourselves above those who follow different sets of instructions then ours or who throw out the instructions all together.
I don't have any answers just my little rant here.
I believe people and relationships are more important then the instructions.
I believe the only set of instructions that really matters is to Love God and others. And,that it is these instructions, purely lived which create the only basis for true teaching.
As Thomas Edison said of his mother who became his teacher. "My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had something to live for, someone I must not disappoint."
Rant over. Now let's just hope his teacher wasn't referring to the fact that we didn't type his report.... a rant for another day.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Marvel-ous Laundry
Blog Reader, I'd like you to meet my Laundry Room.
Laundry room, this is my dear friend Blog Reader.
Laundry room was looking really great one day, little patches of the concrete floor could be seen. Boxes of pictures hoping for a scrapbook were nearly visible. I was listening to the washer swish and the dryer tumble thinking, "Wow, 1,2,3,4...umm 7 loads of dark's two, 2 loads of towels,1 load of blankets and the laundry will be done. Except for the clothes on the bathroom floor, and in the bedrooms, and the socks in the backyard... sigh."
Still, knowing Laundry Room at its worst, I was feeling super proud of myself, then I noticed a pair of feet poking out from under the dryer. Ah Ha!
I should have suspected that it would take the help of an actual super hero to get Laundry Room looking this good. I'm not surprised that Bruce Banner got very angry at Laundry Room what with piles of wet sandy shorts and t-shirts, mounds of jeans and sweatshirts because, hello? it snowed two weeks ago. And, I'm sure he popped a button or two when he noticed clean folded clothes, boys didn't put away, cleverly mixed in with sweaty, stinky football girdles and grass stained socks. I'm guessing it was the used once tossed on the floor towels that made my pal Bruce furious enough to transform into the Hulk. Whatever did the trick I was just thrilled that he was there until...
Laundry Room is one tough villain.
No worries, I'm sure somewhere in the piles are a few pairs of X-Men underwear to lend headless Hulk a hand.
Laundry room, this is my dear friend Blog Reader.
Laundry room was looking really great one day, little patches of the concrete floor could be seen. Boxes of pictures hoping for a scrapbook were nearly visible. I was listening to the washer swish and the dryer tumble thinking, "Wow, 1,2,3,4...umm 7 loads of dark's two, 2 loads of towels,1 load of blankets and the laundry will be done. Except for the clothes on the bathroom floor, and in the bedrooms, and the socks in the backyard... sigh."
Still, knowing Laundry Room at its worst, I was feeling super proud of myself, then I noticed a pair of feet poking out from under the dryer. Ah Ha!
I should have suspected that it would take the help of an actual super hero to get Laundry Room looking this good. I'm not surprised that Bruce Banner got very angry at Laundry Room what with piles of wet sandy shorts and t-shirts, mounds of jeans and sweatshirts because, hello? it snowed two weeks ago. And, I'm sure he popped a button or two when he noticed clean folded clothes, boys didn't put away, cleverly mixed in with sweaty, stinky football girdles and grass stained socks. I'm guessing it was the used once tossed on the floor towels that made my pal Bruce furious enough to transform into the Hulk. Whatever did the trick I was just thrilled that he was there until...
Laundry Room is one tough villain.
No worries, I'm sure somewhere in the piles are a few pairs of X-Men underwear to lend headless Hulk a hand.
Things That Go Bump in the Light
This Graveyard Shift thing means that I try to spend from 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM sleeping. Meanwhile, life continues as usual.
Summer sunlight streams through the windows. Brightly!
Lawns get mowed with LOUD, sputtering mowers.
Cars come and go and come and go. Go. GO!
Phones ring! RRiiiiiinnngggg!! Hello...Yes, but she's sleeping....No, I don't think she wants to wake-up right now....OK, I'll ask her. Mom....mom....mom...um, Uhh, do you want to talk to the...Who is this again?...Red Cross? To the Red Crossss... Bleary evil eye! Ummm, she'll have to call you later.
Teenagers eat three, no four! Well, you had three too... I didn't get one, I'm telling Mom! Bagels.
Door bells ring.
Electric guitars are practiced, amplifier on. Kashmir is the current craze. Please Rock and Roll God's let this Led Zeppelin revival end.
Elmo costumes are tried on dogs. Three laughing boys are sure Mom will want to wake up for this. One embarrassed, growling, dog insists Mom wakes up for this. Ok, it was almost worth it. Just wish I'd gotten a picture.
Weeds grow!
Laundry molders!
And sleepy or not I'm there for it.
Kinda!
Summer sunlight streams through the windows. Brightly!
Lawns get mowed with LOUD, sputtering mowers.
Cars come and go and come and go. Go. GO!
Phones ring! RRiiiiiinnngggg!! Hello...Yes, but she's sleeping....No, I don't think she wants to wake-up right now....OK, I'll ask her. Mom....mom....mom...um, Uhh, do you want to talk to the...Who is this again?...Red Cross? To the Red Crossss... Bleary evil eye! Ummm, she'll have to call you later.
Teenagers eat three, no four! Well, you had three too... I didn't get one, I'm telling Mom! Bagels.
Door bells ring.
Electric guitars are practiced, amplifier on. Kashmir is the current craze. Please Rock and Roll God's let this Led Zeppelin revival end.
Elmo costumes are tried on dogs. Three laughing boys are sure Mom will want to wake up for this. One embarrassed, growling, dog insists Mom wakes up for this. Ok, it was almost worth it. Just wish I'd gotten a picture.
Weeds grow!
Laundry molders!
And sleepy or not I'm there for it.
Kinda!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Oh Baby!
Of course I love all my boys the best, just ask them.
There is something about my baby, #7, though.
I'm not sure if it's his killer sense of style.
Or, that he sings Led Zeppelin.
Or, that he is surviving life with seven older brothers, tenacity, love, and cuteness intact.
Maybe it's just a wise Heavenly Fathers way of letting me know that it's OK to let go of the raising babies stage of life.
Because, "Duh, Mom, I'm always gonna be your baby!"
And, baby, that's a promise I can live with.
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