Wednesday, April 29

Life Lessons

**
I was home for 5 years with the girls, and after 18 months back at work, I've learned that...

I can still do it
You can't have it all (at least not all at once)
I'm still ambivalent about work and home
I'm happier than I've ever been

I've found a pretty good balance, and I'm hoping I can hang on to it for a while.

**

Tuesday, April 28

A New Medium

**
Bubble painting and paint blowing. Alex and Rachel created two new great art pieces. 

First - Bubble painting. Mix 2 tablespoons of powdered tempera paint with 1/2 cup of bubbles and blow. The trick is catching the bubbles, because they seem to blow everywhere except where you want them to go.


And the finished piece, which will soon hang in my office...,

Next, a little paint blowing. We had extra paint/bubble mixture left, so we pulled out a couple of straws, a fresh canvas and started blowing. The trick here is not to blow so hard that you get a head ache. (Ok - no cracks!! It was Alex who ended up with the aching head.)


And the finished piece, now brightening up the girls' bedroom....,

Don't you just love original artwork!!
**

Saturday, April 25

Photo of the Day

**

The baby birds born just outside our kitchen window have left the nestventuring out into the big, scary world. Good luck out there little ones

(Click on the image to enlarge)
**

Friday, April 24

Quote for the Day

**
"It is not our abilities that show who and what we truly are, it is our choices."

~ Albus Dumbledore ~

**

Tuesday, April 21

The Big Drop

**
Oh the creativity! I thought for sure we'd see a collection of parent-made egg protectors. I was happily proven wrong, and we saw an incredible array of kid ingenuity!!

Alex's little friend, Emelia created a rocket ship with a parachute and it worked great!

Softly and slowly sailing to the ground.

There were boxes filled with a variety of protection schemes; an open packing box filled with cotton, a plastic bag filled with water, one big bag of Rice Crispy cereal...,
socks filled with batting, bubble wrap everywhere, and even a little steel wool!
Oh - yes and let's not forget the GRAPE FRUIT!! "Well, I had a grape fruit, and I don't really like grape fruits so we put the egg in the grape fruit, used some tape-lots of tape, bubble wrap and some bath toys." (And we were all surprised when that egg broke!)

Alex and Daddy worked together to create a net in a box. An ingenious masterpiece. And then...,

The BIG drop
Oh NO!
Better luck next time.
**

Monday, April 20

The Project

** 
The call:

"As a part of our Egg science unit, your job is to creat an Egg Protector. A parent/child project in which students need to be involved in the planning and making of the protector. Each child will give a presentation and an adult will drop the Egg Protector from a height of approximately 15 feet."

Initially, Alex thought she needed to make something to catch the egg and thought of creating some sort of net. Realizing it was a container for the egg drop, her creation (her idea, Daddy helped with execution) morphed into this...,




We'll keep you posted on the results.

**

Saturday, April 18

Friday, April 17

Donuts with Dad

**That's my adorable hubby and my precious little girl. How cute are they? Thanks TBES!
**

Wednesday, April 15

I hope you dance...,

**
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
GOD forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin',
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along,
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

Dance....I hope you dance.
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.
Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone
I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

**

I Hope You Dance lyrics (Lee Ann Rimes)

**

Saturday, April 11

Friday, April 10

Butterfly Magic

**

Photo of the Day


And what a great day it was. Me, two kids, thousands of butterflies and my Canon D40. Good times!



**

Thursday, April 9

The Happiest Place on Earth

**

Disney's California Adventure. Our first trip and it was GREAT!
**

Wednesday, April 8

Quote for the Day

**

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

~unknown~

**

Sunday, April 5

Division of Labor

**
I really would like to be all things to my children. I do, however realize that there are some things that Dave is simply better at than I am.

Example: School and homework.

I was the “OMG, will she ever make through high school?” girl. (Wow, were they all surprised when I put myself through college! OK. Blatant self-pat on the back, but my reputation is at stake. ☺)

And Dave was the high school valedictorian, with multiple college scholarships.

For me, homework was a chore at best, and punishment at worst! Hated it—saw very little long-term benefit and lots of short-term downside.

For Dave, it was just a natural consequence of life—something that you do. Period.

So, Dave has naturally fallen into the role of tutor. I watch him with Alex and am simultaneously proud and envious.

She is in this place of explosive growth—reading, writing, vocabulary, math—and I am so proud of her. I would so love to be the one to guide her along this critical path. But, I realize, this is not for me. Dave is much more naturally suited for this role. The pride I feel while watching the two of them is indescribable. The bond between the two of them is deep and profound.

A little girl and her daddy…., So simple, and conversely so complex. There is something in this that speaks to the very soul of me.

The bond between a mother and daughter is irreplaceable, but the relationship with her dad can set the course of future relationships (sans intense therapy). And, even if I get very little else ‘right’ while raising my girls, this one thing—the choice of their daddy—will take them the distance.

**

Thursday, April 2

A glimpse of things to come...

**
Taking Alex to school, she loves it when we arrive early and Rachel and I come down to the playground. Today, just minutes after we arrived, she started to run off.

"Alex, where are you going?"

"To chase the boys!"

And off she ran.

sigh.

**

Wednesday, April 1

Quote for the Day

**
Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
it's about learning how to dance in the rain.

~Unknown~
**