Rock-Fakie!

John Mark has been working really hard on his skateboarding. He goes at least once a week with JP to practice on a private ramp. I thought I'd share what he's been up to...


So now you too know what a Rock-Fakie is!

Mom and Riley Day

For the past 3-4 years, JP has had periodic "John Mark and Daddy Day"s. They are special days that are all about spending time together doing some ordinary and not so ordinary things. Times to celebrate the special relationship between a father and a son. Times to lock in the memory bank for when he is older and only wants to hang out with his friends.


So this past Friday, Riley and I had a "Mom and Riley Day". We planned it all week. When I asked her if she wanted to know where we were going she said "No, don't tell me. I want to be surprised!". So unlike her mother. But we got up on Friday morning and she was bursting at the seams.

We started out our day with a trip to Michaels to get some craft supplies. Like her mother, the girl loves crafts!

Then we headed to the bookstore (for me) and then to pick out some new earrings for her to wear with her Easter dress. Easter will be the first time she will be allowed to change her earrings so I wanted it to be a big deal.

Then we headed to lunch at her choice of restaurants. She chose TGIFridays. I chose the french fried green beans, but I think she ate more than me!

Then we headed to Third Coast Clay to paint pottery. Riley painted a jewelry box in the shape of a flower (to hold her new earrings in) and I painted a mug to commemorate our day (sorry I forgot to take a picture of that one!).

We ended the day with a viewing of the Princess and the Frog. If you haven't seen it yet, GO GET IT! It was fabulous! At times a little too real with the voodoo, but a great movie. Riley even cried at the end....once again, so NOT like her mother.

Lent

No I am not Catholic. But for the past few years I have been "giving something up for Lent". I'm not doing it because I have to, but because it is good for me to "fast" from things that are not necessarily good in my life. Not necessarily bad, but not necessarily good. Last year, I fasted from candy and Target. Neither of those things by themselves are bad things...in moderation. But in excess....well that's a different story.

So this year I decided to give up Facebook. I don't think Facebook is a bad thing. It keeps me connected with my friends. It has reconnected me with friends I have not seen in 20 years. It's where I can see what people are up to and see pictures of their families. It is a good thing...in moderation. The problem is, Facebook can be a terrible waste of time. I have found myself spending hours looking through people's profiles when there are plenty of things to be done around my house. Hence, the need for a fast.

For awhile it was easy. But now I am really starting to miss it. I feel disconnected. What is going on in the world? How is my friend Melanie's first pregnancy going (Melanie from CT not Melanie from TN!!!) When will I get to see picture's of Julie's trip to Thailand? Argghh! I have 16 more days of this fast. It cannot come soon enough. I think I will spend all of Easter afternoon with my laptop and a big basket of candy!

Worry

A few nights ago I was lying in bed with John Mark and we were talking about how JP and I were going to donate blood the next day. He asked why he couldn't donate blood and I tried to explain to him about volume and oxygen delivery and all that good stuff. He finally said "Mom I'm not really getting this". I told him that was okay, he didn't really NEED to understand it all! He asked me how I know about all that stuff which led to a conversation about my love of medicine and the human body. I told him that God made me to love to study those things and I love to teach him about those things. He then got "the serious" look on his face. Here's our conversation after that:

JM: Mom, how do I know what God wants me to be?

Mom: Well, you pray and study and someday He'll show you. But you don't really have to worry about that now because you are six.

JM: I think God wants me to be a vet.

Mom: Okay, if that's what He wants I think that's great!

JM: (long pause) But Mom, what if I don't get into vet school

Mom: John Mark, you really don't have to worry about that when you are six.

JM: But Mom, Nicky Hackett (family friend who is 20!!!) says that vet school is harder to get into than medical school and I don't know if I can do it.

Mom: John Mark, that's a long way off and I know that you can do it.

JM: What if you are having hard times though and we don't have the money to pay for vet school? Then what do I do?

Mom: Seriously? Are you really worried about these things? John Mark you are SIX! That is a long time from now.

JM: But this is the stuff I worry about Mom.

Seriously people??? What do I have to look forward to when he is 16?

Family Fun

Last night the kids and I joined JP and about 70 other people at Let it Shine (a local gymnastics center) for youth group. It was the monthly outreach to the Against the Grain moms and kids. My kids love these events, especially since they love the AtG kids. They all had a great time, despite Riley getting hit in the face with a cell phone before it even started! And the 47 times John Mark got hurt playing dodge ball with the big kids. Here's some pictures for y'all!

Could she be any cuter in her "gymnasitcs outfit"?

I think he has his mother's graceful style.

This is a cute family shot in the foam pit. What I am not posting is the horrible view of me trying to get OUT of the foam pit. Not pretty!

JP trying to "dunk"

A confession

This is the bane of my existence right here:

That's right, the washing machine. I have a love hate relationship with it. I LOVE that it gets my clothes clean and that my family does not have to stink on a regular basis. But that's where the love ends. I HATE laundry. It is never ending. It does not fold itself. It does not hang itself back up in the closet. And just when you think you have it all under control, there is more, lurking its evil head around the corner of your child's bedroom door. But this problem is not a new one to any of you mothers out there. The never ending laundry cycle seems to be at all of our homes.

But my problem with the washing machine goes a step further. You see, I have a problem. It may be a "bordering on needing a twelve step" kind of problem. I don't check pockets. Occasionally this has turned out for my benefit when I make some money off of the laundry. But more often than not, it turns out with that sinking feeling of "Oh no I've done it again". So I am here to confess the things that I have washed:

1. an iPod
2. a cell phone
3. 1,000 guitar picks
4. JP's wallet
5. JP's wallet
6. JP's wallet
7. JP's wallet
8. JP's wallet.

No, that's not a mistake. I have literally washed JP's wallet 5 times now....the most recent being this past Monday. JP uses his wallet to house not just the usual credit cards and cash, but also his business receipts. The ones he needs to turn in to keep an official record of. And he sometimes keeps checks that he receives from families to pay for different youth events. Neither one of these things hold up well in the wash. If you want I can tell you which restaurants in town use better ink than others, but that would just be encouraging this bad habit I have. So this week I had to once again hang my head in shame and apologize to the bookkeeper at church for the terrible shape JP's receipts are in. And I had to contact a church family and ask them to re-write their check because the one I have looks like a dog ate it. Please help me...I have a problem. And I think if I wash the wallet one more time, I will be demoted off doing laundry at our house. Hmmmm maybe that's not such a bad idea.