It's a Toy?

So, she is not really hurt. I went to a pharmacy to see if they had a band that I can put around my arch. I think it is falling, and it hurts a little sometimes. They didn't have what I was looking for. The trip was not a bust though. Emily made a purchase. She found a pair of crutches. She was so excited to use get them. She asked me if she could buy them. I looked at the price and they were $20. I asked her if she was willing to use her own money, and she said she was. I think I asked her five or six times if she really wanted to spend her money on a pair of crutches (my child who will not spend $12 on a dress for school), and she begged me to let her buy them... So I did.

She has been happy with her purchase ever since and has had no buyer's remorse.

When asked why she wanted crutches, she told me that when we went to the Children's Museum of Minnesota she was able to use crutches. She has wanted them ever since.

Take a Look

I was sitting at the dining room table working on a project and Emily came and laid down across the table. I looked at her eyes and was amazed at how green they are. I know they aren't totally green, and when I asked her what color they were, she said they were hazel. I decided to really look at the eyes of my other children.

This is what I came up with. (top left - Caleb, top right - Emily, bottom left - Eli, bottom right - Claire) In looking at this picture, I noticed that Emily and Caleb have lighter eyebrows than Eli and Claire.

I may be very unobservant, but it was fun to really look at their eyes.

Nutcracker - Again!

The children are doing the Nutcracker again. It is so much fun to watch them. Caleb is the actually nutcracker and prince again (this makes 3 years in a row). Eli is Fritz, the younger brother to Clara (the girl who gets the nutcracker doll), and he is also the rat king. This means that Caleb and Eli get to sword fight on stage. Caleb will have to stab Eli and kill him. They will love that part.

Emily gets to be a candy cane this year, and she is also in the party scene. This should be fun because she has watched her brothers in this scene for two years now. Claire will be a gingerbread cookie again, and hopefully she will be able to do her whole dance. Last year, one little girl was sad, so the rest of the girls stood there and waited for her to join the dance. I think they finally decided to go on without her. Bridget does a great job with the choreography, and it is slightly different every year. I am excited to see it.

This means that they practice their group dances in their regularly scheduled dance classes, and then they have their extra practices on Saturday. Needless to say, we spend a lot of time at the dance studio.

Preschool Computer

On Thursday, I was able to go to a luncheon and training because our preschool applied for a new computer. We were fortunate to be able to get one. It is a Young Explorer computer system. It is a grant through Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation and IBM. As part of the training, I was able to play with the software, and it was a lot of fun. I am so excited to be able to bring one to our preschool (I was supposed to bring it home with me on Thursday, but they didn't make it - parts weren't quite ready).

It was a great experience to be able to meet some of the wonderful people who made this possible.

Saved from my Stupidity

One day, I was called to go and pick Caleb up from school. He is playing the cello, and his cello had to be sent in to repair the bridge. Caleb would be bring home another cello to borrow until his came back. So, when I got to the school, I left my friend in the car with her son and Claire. The keys were in the ignition so that they could listen to the music. I didn't remember that the lights were on. Well, I was inside the school for a little longer than I expected, and when I came out... the car was dead. It would not even turn over. I didn't even have jumper cables in my van either. We called my friend's husband - no cables. We asked the man who came out of the building and go into the car right next to us - no cables. I finally called my friend, who told me about three months earlier that I should get jumper cables in my car and that she carries two sets in case she can't get close enough for one set (she was at my house teaching the cub scouts about cars). Well, she laughed at me, and then she came right over to rescue me. As a gift, she gave me one of the sets of jumper cables she had in her car. Since Brett doesn't have cables in his car, I didn't bother to call him, but I know what he will be getting for Christmas.)

Just a Test

This is an editted version. Thanks for catching the misspellings.

A Child's Perspective - Caleb

1. What is something mom always says to you?

How was school?

2. What makes mom happy?

A clean house.

3. What makes mom sad?

disobedience

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

Um, stupidity?

5. What was your mom like as a child?

NO CLUE!

6. How old is your mom?

36

7. How tall is your mom?

Guessing about 5'4"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

You don't really have a favorite thing to do.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?

I'm not there, how am I supposed to know?

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

Um - Preschool

11. What is your mom really good at?

Reading

12. What is your mom not very good at?

Let me see, how can I word this? Copying dance moves.

13. What does your mom do for her job?

You teach preschool, and you're the director.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

You don't have one.

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

How you help me with my school work.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Jerry in Tom and Jerry

17. What do you and your mom do together?

Umm - Drive in the car.

18. How are you and your mom the same?

We both have hair.

19. How are you and your mom different?

You're a girl and I'm a boy.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

Because the things you do for me.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?

Umm - I don't know!

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?

Do you have a favorite place to go?

A Child's Perspective - Eli

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Clean up stuff
2. What makes mom happy?
Chocolate
3. What makes mom sad?
Hmmm, that just makes her mad, HEY!, you're gunna write down what I think. Stop it. O.k. Ummm... When dad doesn't kiss you when he leaves.
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
By showing me funny pictures
5. What was your mom like as a child?
Little
6. How old is your mom?
I think thirty-four
7. How tall is your mom?
About five-three, well, I think that
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Sleep
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Well Claire's around so, she, you eat and mostly just be on the computer
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
I don't know... Ummm... this one is hard, I don't know.
11. What is your mom really good at?
Working at dance on the computer, which I don't like.
12. What is your mom not very good at?
Not yelling when she gets mad
13. What does your mom do for her job?
Preschool, work
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Chocolate
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
That she's fun to be around
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Probably the mom on dah, I don't know. Probably Sydney on Jimmy Neutron
17. What do you and your mom do together?
Eat, that's pretty much it.
18. How are you and your mom the same?
We both have... did you like to play outside when you were a child? Fine, we both like to play outside when we were children.
19. How are you and your mom different?
You don't like playing bored games.
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
She reads to me at night and she spends time with me
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
His stories that he tells
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
To her bed.

A Child's Perspective - Emily

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Not right now
2. What makes mom happy?
Being good
3. What makes mom sad?
Not listening
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
(shoulder shrug) doing good things
Take two: doing a weird face and being goofy
5. What was your mom like as a child?
Good
6. How old is your mom?
Thirty-six
7. How tall is your mom?
That's uh, (hmmmph), you're writing all that stuff down? Erase that. (fake cries) Five inches tall (laugh, laugh, giggle)
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Yell at us
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Go to preschool
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Playing the guitar (air guitar) and being a singer (hand held like a microphone "I love you baby!")
11. What is your mom really good at?
Yelling at us
12. What is your mom not very good at?
Saying good job - you're mad at me
13. What does your mom do for her job?
Work at preschool
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Pizza
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
(Whisper) Can you go back to the laughing one? I have a good one (scrolling back up)
I don't know... helping me?
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Sponge Bob Square Pants
17. What do you and your mom do together?
Ask questions
18. How are you and your mom the same?
Same eyes
19. How are you and your mom different?
You're bigger than me, I'm smaller than you
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
You bring me to the earth
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
You married him
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Hmmm, that's a hard one... preschool? No, no, wait, hold on... (whisper - why are you doing this? You're so weird. You're writing down everything I say) HOME!

A Child's Perspective - Claire

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Listen to you
2. What makes mom happy?
Cuddling you
3. What makes mom sad?
Me not cuddling you
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Telling jokes
5. What was your mom like as a child?
(shoulder shrug) I don't knooow
6. How old is your mom?
I forgot
7. How tall is your mom?
(hands stretched from the floor to as high as she can reach) you're this tall, or maybe this tall (hands stretched from the floor to as high as she can reach with a jump added)
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Got to school
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
I don't know (with a one shoulder shrug)
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Uh? Money?
11. What is your mom really good at?
Umm, school work, oh wait, working on the computer, actually
12. What is your mom not very good at?
Ummm, trying to be happy
13. What does your mom do for her job?
Tell the kids stuff at school
14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Onions? Is that your favorite food?
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Mommy, can I paint when I'm done with this? Letting me do what I want to, like watch T.V.
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
I don't know
17. What do you and your mom do together?
Cuddle
18. How are you and your mom the same?
(shrug of the shoulders) I don't know. We both go to school
19. How are you and your mom different?
Ummm, (one shoulder shrug and then the other one added) Our hair (hers is down & mine is in a pony tail)
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Because I'm cute
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
I don't know. Actually, I think I do know... him letting you sleep with him
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Uh, in the office, because you always do this, you always go in this. I really know this is your favorite place to go, because this, you always go.