PB & J

It's kind of freaking me out, how independant my little girl is becoming.  Nevermind the fact that she doesn't need me to stay with her to fall asleep.  Forget the truth of it that she can pretty much take a shower without me.  Let's focus on the day she decided she also didn't need me to make her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches anymore.  Isn't that one of the quintessential duties of a mom?  To make their kids pb&j's?

It almost hurt, like a growing pain, to watch her do it so well! I did get to help cut off the crusts, though.  Phew!  I'm still needed. She has told me a couple of times in the past week that pretty soon she won't need me...  Can I put her on a time-out for a statement like that???

The Independent Clause

It has been brought to my attention that I coddle my nearly 5 year old way to much.  My husband has been telling me that for ages, but it didn't really hit me until the good Lord above called me out.  So, I started to think about our daily routine starting with bedtime.

We start in the bathroom where I put the toothpaste on the brush.  She then she opens her mouth for me to brush her teeth.  After, we go into her bedroom to read some books and bible stories and then she'll lie down.  I will snuggle up next to her as we say our prayers and then I sing and snuggle until she is asleep.  I quietly sneak out of her room and into my own bed at this time.

At about 3am Savannah either calls me from her room or shows up at the side of the bed.  "Can I sleep with you?"  She then crawls up and we snuggle until the morning.  I usually wake up before her, so I wait until she wakes up so that she doesn't have to wake up alone.

Then, I grab her animals and her nightime juicy and carry it downstairs for her where I proceed to make her breakfast.  After breakfast we head back upstairs where she picks out her clothes.  I sit on her bed and she brings them to me and lifts her arms so I can take off her jammies (nauseated yet?...)  I then hold out her pants as she places her feet in each leg hole.  I follow that by pulling her shirt down over her head for her.

After this, we go to the bathroom to brush her teeth.  I put the toothpaste on the brush and then she opens her mouth for me to brush her teeth.  After I brush my own teeth, I go into her bedroom, grab her socks, and we both head downstairs.

Once downstairs she sits down either on the couch or at the kitchen table while I put on her shoes and socks...  Yah, I could go on, but I won't.

I have to tell you, as much as she got (yes got, that is past tense) pampered and coddled, she showed little to no appreciation!  In fact, she was getting *cough, cough* a bit spoiled.

So, I decided that a lot of things needed to change.  I instituted the "Independent Clause" in our house.  She now dresses herself, brushes her own teeth, puts on her own shoes and socks (I still help a bit with the socks, but just a little bit, I promise!) and even washes her own body in the shower as well as drying off after.  It's amazing what a change I've seen in her in just the past week.  In fact, she even made her own PP&J (that's a post all by itself because it was so cute...)

Just yesterday, after accomplishing to put on her own socks she says to me, "Mommy.  Now all I have to do is be a good listener, and then I'll be a big girl."  Yah.  By todays standards, honey, you've been a big girl for over a year.  Being a good listener ain't the way to get there.  I kept that to myself though, hoping that she'd try to behave better so she'd "be a big girl."

Going into Retirement

Her shoes, that is.  I'm not sure exactly how long Savannah has been wearing these Wal-Mart brand "Crocs" but it's been well over a year.  She wore them in Hawaii in June of 2007 and I know that she had them approx. six months before that!  And, as you can tell from this picture, they have been worth the whole $6 a pair that I paid.

"Why are they two different colors?" you may ask.  Let me tell you a story...

Once upon a time Savannah had two pairs of Crocs (yah, I know they aren't really Crocs, but that's what we called them); one pair were pink and the other pair were blue.  She loved matching them with her outfits.  And then, the unthinkable happened.  One of her blue ones fell out of the car when we were shopping never to be seen again!  She was so brave.  She didn't even shed a tear because she still had her favorite pink ones.

Then, one day while Savannah was playing at the park with her cousins, they decided to start kicking dirt into a grated drain.  As everyone knows, Crocs don't fit on the foot real tight, so after a few kicks, her right pink Croc went flying and fell down the drain!  Daddy tried his best to retrieve the shoe, but to no avail.  This time tears were shed.



Wouldn't you know it though?  What are the chances, I ask rhetorically, that she'd lose the opposite shoe?  She still had a complete pair, even though they were two different colors.  So, she began to wear her Crocs, one of each color.  We would get so many people commenting on how unique and "hip" she was to step outside the norm and wear two different color shoes.  Sometimes we'd just smile and other times she'd share the story.  Pointing out her left blue foot she'd say "This one fell out of the car," then she'd switch to the right foot and continue, "and this one fell down the drain."

So, my daughter's fashion statement was nothing more than a set of unforeseen circumstances. She did look pretty cool though.  (At least to me.  I was one of the weird kids in high school that would wear two different color of Converse shoes...)

Anyway, the poor things had seen their day.  The tread was almost completely gone from the bottom.  Her toes were almost popping out the little holes, not to mention the fact that they looked as though they'd been run over buy a car at least half a dozen times.

Off to the mall we went to purchase her a pair of "real" Crocs.  And "real" Crocs is what she got.  They are a nice shade of purple.  We even got those little things that pop into the holes.  I'm thinking of getting her a pair of pink ones hoping that she will opt to wear one of each color.  :)

Soccer/Team Mom

That's me, minus the mole above the lip.  Even my haircut now looks similar.  Well, I don't wear high heels either, but honestly, that's besides the point.  The point being that I am a soccer mom.  And more specifically, Team Mom for Savannah's AYSO soccer team.

I'm not sure why I chose to volunteer to be a Team Mom.  I think I just wanted that experience since I grew up with my mom usually being the Team Mom for my brothers' teams.  I myself never played soccer.  I was the gymnast.  I thought it would be fun to take on that role.  Which it has been.  Well, kind of.

There is a "kink" so to speak, in my Team Mom status.  Mostly that my kid refuses to play the game.  Practices go wonderfully.  She loves to kick the ball back and forth to her team mates.  She even likes to dribble the ball down the field into the goal.  However, as soon as Coach starts a scrimmage game, she runs off the field in a pout.  She looks at me and says "I don't want to play that game."  Um.  I hate to break it to you kiddo, but that IS the game.

Game days are so stressful for me.  Wayne even told her that if she scored a goal, we'd go to Build-A-Bear.  And honestly, had she joyfully played even one quarter we would have taken her.  She was excited last night to play because she is good and I was pretty sure that if she played she would score.  However, we get to the field and all the sudden she starts her pout and again, refuses to go on the field.  This, of course, upsets her daddy, and reasonably so.  Not only were we one player short today, but we've vested time and money into this.  And she wanted to play soccer this year!  *sigh*

I'm not sure exactly what to do.  I know that a few things need to change at home (I coddle her way too much) but I'm at a loss at what to do on game days.  I seriously am dreading next Saturday.  I guess I just need to offer it up to the Lord (in the grand picture of things, this is really no big deal) and pray that the changes that I know He wants us to make will make a difference in just six short days.

Any suggestions are welcome.

BTW - Her team name is Flutter Power.  I'll have to upload some pictures of her first game.  She at least played one quarter then.  Of course, I was on the field because the coach had to leave early.  Oh, and in case you are going to say I should go on the field with her, that's not an option.  I think that is part of the problem.  She doesn't feel that she can do anything without me (my fault *cough, cough*)

First day of Kindergarten

My little girl is officially in grade school. I can't believe how fast the time has gone! I remember my mom saying that and thinking, "Are you kidding?!" Now, as a parent, I completely get it. And although I still cherish the season when she was a toddler, it is so rewarding to see her off to "big school" as she called it. She realizes that kindergarten is different than preschool. She will correct me though, if I call it school. She wants it to be called kindergarten. ;)

I was a little nervous to drop her off because the last few months of preschool, she would cry when I first dropped her off. I wasn't sure how she would react to kindergarten. I tried to not make such a big deal out of it, because she's too smart for that. But, she did get brand new shoes and a brand new backpack which I think helped a lot. The night before it took me at least 30-45 minutes to get her to sleep because she was "so excited!"

Here is a picture of her with her new shoes and new backpack.


A closer look at her pink camo backpack (wish I wouldn've taken a better picture of her shoes.  They are so cool!)



Here she is being silly.



I think she feels a little more comfortable at this school because we are within walking distance.  It's on the same street as us, about 3 minutes of walking time.  So, we walked to school for her first day, since she has afternoon kindergarten we have to time to do that.



Once we got there, we waited for her teacher to come to the back gate and let the kids in.  It's a closed campus, so unless you go through the office, you are not allowed in.  I love that.  Once her teacher came, Savannah gave me five kisses and two hugs and went through the gate to stand in line.



Here's another shot where you can actually see her teacher too.  I was shooting through the chain link fence, so it was a bit of a challenge.



I have to admit, I got a little choked up while she was standing there.  Not as much as when she started preschool, but a little bit.  I turned to the mom next to me as I started to say "I think it's harder on us than them," when I noticed she was bawling.  Her son was so cute though.  His little brother who was about 2 1/2 was crying so he says to him "When I get home, we'll play roller coaster like 5 times!"  Every one was saying "Ah..." when the dad says, "Yah, who do you think the roller coaster is?"  LOL!

I waved to Savannah a couple more time before her teacher told the kids to blow us kisses.  As soon as she was out of site, I walked home.

When I picked her up, I asked if she had fun.  She said that she did, so I asked her, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," she said.

"Okay."  So much like her daddy.  Everything is on a "need-to-know" basis, and I guess I just didn't need to know.  LOL!

I was so excited for her first day, and I know she was too.  The best way that I could've and did prepare her was by praying and letting her know that Jesus and His angels would be with her.  I just trusted Him that she would be fine, and she was.  It was also comforting to know that she was exactly where the Lord wanted her to be.

Thank you, Jesus, for the beautiful little girl that I have the privilage of calling my daughter.  Thank you that you love her more than I ever could and that you always have her best interest at heart.

I'll miss you, Grandma Vi...

I have to be honest.  When my parent’s first told me that Grandma Vi had past, I found joy.  I was joyful because I knew where she was going.  To be with Jesus.  It was that fact that I pondered upon. I know that we will all miss Grandma Vi, but as Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: For we walk by faith, not by sight: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.”

I know that God the Father will accept Grandma Vi.  Not because she was part of the quilting club.  Not because she fed the homeless.  Not because she attended a church service every Sunday.  These are not the things that will make her acceptable to God.  Only Jesus can do that.  It was His blood, and His blood only that washed away her sins so that she could be with our Father in heaven.  As Jesus said in the gospel of John “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”   Even the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Grandma Vi believed in Jesus.  She believed that He was the Son of God, that He died on the cross for the remission of sins, and then was raised again on the third day.  She believed that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16.

Isn’t that wonderful!  We are all here to celebrate the life of Grandma Vi.  But, according to the truth of Scripture, she is still alive!  She may be absent from us, but she is present with the Lord!  She has everlasting life!

Although I’m going to reflect on the memories of her life on earth, her life in heaven is only just beginning.  Halleluiah!

There are so many wonderful memories I have of my Grandma, it’s hard to know where to start.  One of my first memories is sitting in her rocking chair with her, sucking my thumb and holding my blanket while she “patted and shooshoo’ed me.”  She’d rock back and forth in her chair gently patting my back as she softly said, “shoo shoo shoo.”

Another fond memory that her and I shared was baking at her house.  Before I was tall enough to reach the counters she’d have a card table out in her tiny little kitchen so that I could help her bake.  She let me do everything from measure to mix as long as I had my hair net on.

When I got a bit older, she taught me how to do more complex things like knit and quilt.  It must have taken a lot of patience to teach a 7 year old to knit.  That was my Grandma.

As a child, I would spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  I remember waking up before Grandma and Grandpa would tell me to go climb in bed with her.  I’d step out of the bed onto the creaky wood floor and tip toe into her bedroom.  I’d slowly open the door and climb into her bed.  Of course she’d wake up immediately.  We’d stay there for a few moments before she got up and made Finnish pancakes.  I was allowed to eat as many as I wanted.

Even as I got older, and I’m sure my brothers will agree, I still enjoyed spending time with Grandma.  Although I got too big to be patted and shooshoo’ed she would still comfort me with hugs and kisses.  I knew that if I ever needed anything I could call Grandma and she wouldn’t even think twice.   Whenever I’d call her on the phone she’d say, “Is this my favorite granddaughter?” or “Aw, Tooter!”

And she never lost her sense of humor.  The last time I saw her I asked her how she was feeling.  Her reply?  “With my fingers.”

There are so many wonderful memories that I have of Grandma Vi, but the one that I am picturing now is her standing on the front porch waving goodbye as we drove away from her house.  This time though, she’s no longer alone.  My Grandpa is on one side and Jesus is on the other.

Plastic Bags

I usually don't post things like this, but in my quest to be a bit more "green" (without loosing my head over it) I've decided to try my hardest to never use plastic bags again.  Take a look at this. It really got me thinking.  If certain cities in the US as well as whole countries have banned plastic bags, that should speak volumes.  So, I'm getting more Trader Joe's bags and using them everywhere I go.  I'd love this bag, but I'm not one for making statements unless it's for Jesus.  :D