Seattle's Rock n Roll Marathon

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The bowling birthday was a hit. (Even for the little ones).

However, I've induced more sugar in the past twenty four hours than my body knows what to do with- what was I thinking? I'd type more but my hands are still shaking.

T E N

Our daughter is lovely, she really is. She is sweet and sensitive and smart as a whip. And she is special.

When she was born she had a Spontaneous Bi-lateral Pneumothorax - fancy terminology for both lungs collapsed. They put a helmet on her and rushed her to a more equipped hospital with my husband in hot pursuit. The delivery nurses took a Polaroid of her and I stared at it all night. "Is she going to die?" I asked my own mother. I had no idea how special that little child would be.

With tears in my eyes - to our little saint-in-the-making-
Happy 10th Birthday. You are so loved!

Waiting

I admire all homeschooling families, I really do. I think it's truly honorable to go against the mainstream in the best interest of a child and home educate. And I gave it a good shot.

That being said, my children are officially on a wait list for our parish school for next fall. If they two big kids do get in on an opening and we can make the financial end work, they will be going "back to school".

I know that leaving the house for school will add even more chaos to our lives but I truly miss the experience it offered. The teacher in me misses school days. And who knows what will happen. If school doesn't work out, I can always bring them back home. I don't sound like I'm trying to justify myself, do I??

My Temperament"al" a-ha Moment

We're driving in the car on the way to church and I want to scream. The silence in the front of the van is so stressful that it's making me sweat. I can't stand it any longer. "Why isn't he talking?" I wonder to myself. "What's the matter with me? Plenty of people want to talk to me. Is it because we're going to church? Is he tired? He must notice I'm looking at him but still he's not saying a n y t h i n g"... This and many more things go through my head as one word answers resolve my questions. For eleven years I have wondered why my husband has so little to say to me at times. For eleven years of our marriage I have gotten silently, and sometimes not so silently, upset with him over his lack of conversational enthusiasm. Until now.

I just finished reading The Temperament God Gave Your Spouse by Art and Laraine Bennett and I had a major a-ha moment. I mean it was a moment when I out loud said, "A HA!" and quickly called to my husband to tell him all about it. It really wasn't all about me after all- it's just the way of his temperament. I've read all about these temperaments before. The authors of this book are no strangers to the subject. They've written on the subject before only this time it pertains to our beloved spouses.

My husband is the classic phlegmatic- easy going, never judgemental, a peacekeeper- not one to stir up the pot. He's happy at home. Comfortable with casual. Very bright and confident but not cocky. And he's always been one to secretly slip out and start the car for me on frozen mornings, give up the last egg for breakfast without saying so, and getting up in the night to sleep on the couch when a diaper-bottomed visitor arrived. He's just nice- plain and simple. However, he's quietly nice. Once in college I attacked him for standing in the corner of the kitchen at a party instead of being the "it" guy. He looked at me like I was crazy. It took me so long to get a grasp on not changing my husband to suit my social needs. The Temperaments God Gave Your Spouse has completely opened my eyes and given me a swift kick of reality with a little guilt for my obnoxious nonacceptance all these years.

The authors claim that this book will help to improve your marriage by understanding your spouse and they are right on. I am a sanguine with heavy undertones of a melancholic and my need to socialize and have everything perfect all the time can be grueling for someone calm like a phlegmatic. This book gives us great tips for when emotions (mine) run high and on the occasions of nagging (again, mine). After reading this book I have actually apologized to my husband for my insensitivity to his make up. And I have also been able to convey to him some things with my temperament that perhaps have made him a bit mad.

Just maybe my honey will glean a little insight from my sharing this book with him, too. And the next time we're in the car for a long drive, I'll bring some of his favorite music and perhaps just hold his hand.


This book suits every single married couple I know from my own parents to my dearest friends. This review was written as part of the Catholic Book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on The Temperament God Gave Your Spouse.

Field Trip Friday

A day at the aquarium and we picked a good one. Absolutely beautiful. The city was completely fogged in at first and then the glorious sun came out and the frost melted quickly. The only bummer was that it's winter break out here so- hoowee- it was crowded. We said hello to all our fave sea creatures and then headed to a yummy lunch topped off with a stop here. Dark chocolate covered sea foam in honor of our fish day....what a way to start the weekend.

Don't you love these pics- you get someone else to take the photo and NO ONE cooperates. :)

Not So Sure

A recent visit to our local firehouse to earn part of our Tiger Cub badge. Are we afraid of the Darth Vader sounds coming from this man? I can't tell but I know my little man was trying very hard to stand his distance. (A big thank you to Jesse for showing us how the oxygen works!)

I See the Moon

THE HALF MOON SHOWS
A FACE OF PLAINTIVE SWEETNESS
The half moon shows a face of plaintive sweetness
Ready and poised to wax or wane;
A fire of pale desire in incompleteness,
Tending to pleasure or to pain:-
Lo, while we gaze she rolleth on in fleetness
To perfect loss or perfect gain.
Half bitterness we know, we know half sweetness;
This world is all on wax, on wane:
When shall completeness round time's incompleteness,
Fulfilling joy, fulfilling pain?-
Lo, while we ask, life rolleth on in fleetness
To finished loss or finished gain.
By Christina Rossetti

My husband's empty coffee cup- isn't that amazing?

How To Tell If You're Loved

This morning my little guy read this story in his co-op preschool class. They made their own coats to bring home.

And when asked by his teacher how he knows he's loved? Well...


I'm blushing with pride.

Who Needs a Desk?

When you have a yoga mat and an old dog?

Feliz Cumpleaños

Happy Birthday, Lourdes!
I wish I could be with you on your special day but know that I'll be thinking of you.
Lourdes and I (with her sweet Rosa) on my last visit back to the land of warmth and sun.

Who Needs an Aphrodesiac?

Yes, the cards and flowers were a sweet touch. I loved all the hugs and kisses, too. But when I got this emailed to me yesterday from his phone...that's all the romance I could handle.

My honey is going through the volunteer firefighter training program and has class every Saturday. I believe he sent this pic to me after my many questions about his uniform. That uniform...what is it with that uniform?

I hope your Valentines was a good one, too!

Flying Indeed

Time that is, it's flying by. I can't believe tomorrow is Friday already. And then Valentine's Day already. I have found my life as a homeschooling mother has been very different than my life before. With kids in school and just a baby in tow, I managed to shop and stay on top of things. I could see ahead and plan for it. Now being out in the country and always with plenty of company- I don't get around much anymore. (Probably a good thing with our economy!)

So as I'm sitting here waiting for my honey to get home from an Alaskan business trip, I am painfully aware that day after tomorrow is a special day. Not that he would expect anything from me but that I want to be exciting and full of surprises. And it's not just him but I like to go over the top with the little ones. Heart shaped pancakes, a small treasure waiting on their breakfast plates, sweet cards...

I have got some quick thinking to do- with three children in tow that is.

Folded Friends

This is what you get when you send a child to work separately from the rest of the group...An entire zoo now resides at our house of paper animals. Seriously, there's plenty more. How's that for focused?

Proud

My dad became an American citizen last week in Phoenix. Although we missed the two hour ceremony, we were there with him in spirit. How very cool that a man born in a small town in Canada in 1936 has made this journey.

We're proud of you, dad.

Sweet Cabrini

My good buddy Amanda and her husband have a new, tiny bundle at their house (and no, it's not another chicken). They are adopting this sweet girl who showed up a bit early and took them by surprise. Please keep the family and the birth parents in your prayers that the process will be smooth and peaceful.

Welcome to the club Amanda and Eric!

Better Late...

Being so into handmade gifts these days, I borrowed a craft idea from Dawn.

I missed two birthdays last month of friends- both of which are quite in-tune with nature, gardens, etc. I loved the idea of a garden planning notebook- so here's what I did.


I adore this bird paper that I found at a scrapbook store near me- so much so that I will go back and get more. I pasted the paper onto the notebook with some contrast color on the top. Using a stencil, I penned in grow on the top. The seeds came from the home improvement store and the ribbon at Michael's.

Another Reality Check

So while I'm at home in my sweats drinking herbal tea and reviewing math facts with my kids...

My sister-in-law, Tala, is representing Las Vegas at New York City's NASDAQ. Oh the lives we lead...

Back to Reality

For three days now, we've spent the afternoon playing in the sun and sand. I'm sorry to say that the weather reports indicate those beautiful moments are gone. At least for now. Sniff.

February Frolick

My family and I adore bald eagles. We see them often soaring over the field out back near the river. But we never get up close to them- until yesterday.

Walking was a must after lunch. The warmth of the sun was calling us all. About halfway down the road we spotted two bald eagle soaring in circles around eachother. Isn't it early for mating? We plunked down on some sand leftover from the flood, wide-eyed that the eagles settled into a tree directly above us. And there they stayed- for the hour we were playing, for the remainder of the afternoon, we even saw them on the way to scouts in the evening. And the reports are in, my honey saw them on his way to work this morning. Right there in plain view. I sure hope they'll build a nest and stay.

Barefoot in February. Nothing feels better.

So much sand washed up in the flood we almost feel like we're at the beach. Especially with the seagulls squawking above us.

The road is still pretty chopped up (literally) in areas. Looks like a pretty fun place to race Hotwheels to this little guy.

A Nesting Chain

I love nesting toys and here's one with a twist. Remember the very cool things that my kids learn about at their co-op science classes? Last week they made animal chains while studying life cycles and who eats what. So cute and stackably fun.

So Close

What a good football game.

What a bummer.

Just like the villain in Scooby Doo always said, If it weren't for those meddling Steelers, they would have won the game.