Concert, Play, Photo Shoot, Food Storage, Birthday… All In One Week

Monday-Enjoyed a day with no real demands outside of the ordinary routines.

Tuesday– Cleaned out my messy hallway closet so my parents had somewhere to put their things when they came. Nana and Papa arrived for a fun filled visit.

Wednesday-Hunter’s orchestra concert was held in the evening on the Concordia University campus. It is a beautiful little campus with a nice music hall that made our impressive son and his classmates sound wonderful. Hunter has been taking violin lessons at school this year along with half of the other fourth graders. He hates practicing, but hopefully he could hear how well it paid off during the performance. Hunter has great music teachers and we all thoroughly enjoyed the concert. The fourth graders started out the night playing three pieces on their violins and violas including “Shark Attack,”which seemed to be the kids’ favorite. Then the older kids played with some on strings and the others on wind instruments. The crowd favorite was their rendition of “Teddy Bear Picnic” which featured a dozen of the kids playing kazoos. We are so proud of our musician!

Thursday– It was a bright, sunny morning, so my Dad and I decided to go take pictures at mission San Juan Capistrano. It was gorgeous there with all of the gardens and the historical buildings. We had a great time, and I liked to watch him find the best shots and learn more about photography and how to best use the camera and it’s lenses. He had some really stunning photos, and I took a few that I was really happy with too. I don’t often get one-on-one time with my Dad, so it was a wonderful morning.

That afternoon Emma was in a school performance of Annie. She took an after school class and although it was simple (no set, just costumes), we all loved watching her perform in the play. She played an orphan named Kate in the beginning of the play, and Rosie (the Rooster character which was changed a bit to work for a girl) and was of course the best in the show. She really shines on stage and loves to put on a show. She sang her songs well and remembered her choreography in the little dances. Emma’s debut was delightful.

In the evening, my mom and I went to Enrichment night at the church. She was the keynote speaker on the subject of “Creative Pantry Cooking.” She continues to surprise me with her vast knowledge on food storage, what to store, and what to do with it. And I love, love, love her food calculator. She designed her own based on the food pyramid recommendations and it is way better than the old school types that tell you to store 500 pounds of wheat and 50 gallons of vegetable oil etc. She is working on getting an e-book up on her blog with all the information you need to start your food storage from scratch. (As an aside, just last night I saw a report on the news about how our country’s corn supply is being ruined by flooding, so food prices are bound to go up even higher. Start storing now!) Her presentation was fabulous and well received. She was bombarded with questions and compliments afterwards, so I think people really enjoyed hearing the hows and whys of food storage.

Friday-Hunter turned 10. Yes, it was Hunter’s birthday and he has reached double digits. Oh My Goodness! For dinner he chose Costco “chicken bakes”, and I added salad and fruit for the rest of us. He picked a coconut cake and ice cream for dessert and it was delicious. We were lucky that Aunt Jeanette was able to come down and celebrate with us and bring the coolest rocket kite that Uncle Dan picked out for him. We love having Hunter as our oldest son. I can sympathize when he gets frustrated with being the oldest child, because I had those same feelings. It can feel like a lot of pressure when he is expected to do more than the rest of the kids and try everything first. Hunter is really getting into Star Wars now, which for some reason he had never seen before this year. He is always coming up with new inventions and has built quite a few contraptions including an elaborate Leprechan trap, a teeter totter, stores, vehicles, and forts. He is a sweetie, and although he would never believe it, I have a hard time telling him no. He’s just so cute.

Update:

 

 

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Playing Santa Claus

I hesitate to post about this, but in the interest of using this blog as a journal, and because so many people have donated to the cause, I thought I should.

You may remember when I posted on this subject earlier. Sandra is a friend of mine who is so sweet and willing to help others whenever she can. She has many difficulties to deal with in her life, and in January witnessed the murder of her two neighbors. She is, of course, still recovering from the trauma of the experience. She heard screaming and yelled at the man with a knife to stop from her front door. He didn’t stop until he had wounded his estranged wife, and killed his mother-in-law. Sandra and her older son tried to help, but both women died, and the man drove himself to a bridge and jumped to his death.

After talking with Sandra about it on the phone, and knowing that she was not comfortable in her home because of the bad memories that keep returning, I tried to come up with a way to help her. I live too far away from her to drop in and check on things, so I’d have to help long distance. I talked with my mom about my concerns and she suggested we work together as a family to make her home a more pleasant place to be. In spite of her hard work at several jobs, she still struggles financially, and I thought changing her surroundings with some new things might help brighten her spirits.

My mom came across a great deal on frozen cinnamon rolls sold by the case, and we thought it would be great to use them as a fundraiser to get some nice things for Sandra’s home. It wasn’t hard for me to get my friends behind me and we sold more than two hundred cinnamon rolls. Erica and her boys also got in on the action and sold some at a yard sale and to their friends. Some of my local friends also gave me things for her grandson like toys and books, and even a living room rug was donated.

I arranged to meet Sandra for a visit at her home last Saturday. My parents were in town visiting for the week prior and they came with us to deliver the goodies. We drove to her house which is about an hour and a half away. I was nervous because I didn’t want to embarrass her or make her feel uncomfortable. I wanted her to feel that there were people who don’t even know her that care about her, and that her happiness is important to me as well. I wrote her a letter because I was not sure if I could convey what I wanted once I was there with her. She speaks primarily in Spanish, so I wrote a letter in English and used an online translator to change it to Spanish. Along with the letter I included $110.00 that was raised, but had not been spent. She was taken by surprise, and it was a little awkward because she just didn’t know what to say.

I told her about my friends and family that wanted to do something nice for her and she was so sweet saying over and over, “This is a happy day…. I am so happy.” The best part for me was when she asked me, “How did you know I needed these things?” I went for a light answer because I didn’t want to cry, and answered, “oh, I know everything.” But I also explained to her that I had thought a lot about what I could do for her, and shopped with a prayer in my heart so I would be led to the things that would be most appreciated. It was a wonderful visit, and Rob and I agreed that although it was a little awkward for her to receive these things and for us to give them, it was worth it. Knowing that as soon as we left the awkwardness was over, and she could be left to enjoy having some new things to make life more pleasant, and having the feeling that there are so many people out there hoping for her happiness. I think too often we don’t do service for others because we worry it will be awkward, but how much better it is to endure those awkward moments than let someone go unacknowledged.

I have pictures in the gallery of everything we brought to her and our visit. (Except for the rug, I think that one is on my Dad’s camera.) Thanks so much for your ideas, and for the donations I received from you all!!!

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A Ketchup Post

Catching up on May:

The School Carnival: Carl’s Junior provided food and Hunter’s friend got to take three friends on a tour of the inside of the truck since his Dad manages the store.

Hannah had cotton candy for the first time.

Sabrina has dubbed this her favorite dress and cries when I pry it off of her to wash it.

Hannah planted strawberries at preschool and loves to water them. She only does this angry face when I make her pose. She also loves dressing up and playing princess.

Rob and Hunter sitting on the tailgate after packing the trunk for the Father & Son Campout. They had a blast on their one night adventure in a great big tent that we just got. They got in some fun bonding time eating s’mores and playing games while the girls and I hit Taco Bell for dinner, met some girl friends at Yogurtland, played and chatted there, and then came home for a sleepover in the living room while we painted our nails and watched High School Musical 2.

Except for some help with the saw for shaping, Hunter made his pinewood derby car completely on his own.

Hunter modeled his car after a speeding bullet train, and won the “Most Rocketlike Design” award.

Hunter also finished the requirements for and was awarded his Bear patch.

Daddy lead Hannah on a pony walk at Irvine’s Regional Park on Memorial Day. She was beaming the whole time.

Emma went for the pony trot, and loved it even though is was pretty bouncy.

Hunter in the Orange County Zoo.

Sabrina got help from Emma when she needed a better look at the animals.

All of my monkeys babies.

My cutie pie husband.

Emma and Hunter on the water bikes.

Rob and Hannah in their paddle bike.

Sabrina hated having to wear a life jacket, and whenever the kids would pedal over and ask her if she was having fun, she would grunt a whiny nasal “uh.” But as soon as we were finished and safely on dry ground she said to me, “that so fun Mommy!”

 

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We’re All In This Together

You know those people that annoy you by always telling their own story when you’re telling one? Today I am one of those people.

When Hunter was a baby, Rob and I were living in a two bedroom apartment that was part of a fourplex. We were starving students and I was going to WIC to get peanut butter, breakfast cereal, and baby formula. We went to the local utilities office to get a subsidy for our utility bills and had to take a class about how to lower your electric bill. One thing they suggested was draining the water heater. Sediment builds up inside the tank making the water heater work harder because it cannot hold as much. We thought it sounded straightforward enough and hooked up a hose to the water heater, which was in a closet in the living room/kitchen of the apartment. We let it drain all day long and saw the sandy colored sediment all over the parking lot proving that it was actually working. We felt like grown ups doing this and congratulated ourselves for the money we would save.

At about midnight we were ready to go to bed, and Rob said he would disconnect the hose from the water heater so we could close the front door and lock it. He turned the water valve off and unhooked the hose. Water started spraying everywhere! He was instantly soaked from head to toe and yelling to me, “Go get Damon!” Damon and Becky lived above us and I hated to go wake them up, but ran up the stairs and started pounding on their door. I scared them to death as I tried to communicate the problem but all I could think to say was, “Our water heater just exploded! Will you help Rob?” Later they told me that they thought there would be pieces of the water heater lodged in Rob’s head by my reaction. But Damon tried to turn the water off as Rob tried to get the hose back on so the water would at least be directed out of our living room. The water knob wouldn’t budge so I had to go wake up the on site maintenance guy and he got out his big plumber’s wrench and with one hand turned the water off. Luckily we didn’t flood the apartment too bad and it cleaned up with towels and few days of fans blowing on the carpet. (Thanks Kirsten for sparking this memory with your water heater story.)—–

I pulled into the car wash last month to get a shampoo of my mini van’s carpet and seats. We’ve had this van for about seven years and I’ve vacuumed many times, but never washed the carpet. The Hispanic man working there slides open the door and says pleasantly, “What can I do for you today?” Before I have a chance to answer he looks into my car and says, “Oh you need everything!” I laughed, and he must have felt some pity for my situation because he offered me a free upgrade on an exterior wash. It took almost two hours for the crew to scrub the insides of my family’s home away from home. It took a few days for everything to dry out completely and I was starting to worry that I was going to have to drive around in a van that smelled like wet dogs forever. Luckily the smell faded as things dried out and now it just smells like dirty kids again. (Thanks Korby for jogging my memory of this with your post about how to “Mom Your Ride.”)

After dinner every night we do Helper Jobs at our house. One person is in charge of cleaning up the dining area, and the other is in charge of the family room. Hannah and Sabrina usually help out by putting toys or shoes away. One particular night in our last house, Emma was supposed to be working on clearing the table. She said, “I have to go to the bathroom!” At the time, this was an excuse we heard a lot when the kids wanted to avoid chores or some other task. I usually would allow the break by saying, “Go! And hurry back!” followed by a continuous string of calling out, “it’s time to come finish!” until they returned. On this night Rob was feeling tired of the game and said she couldn’t go until she had finished her job. Emma continued with, “but I really have to go Dad!” To which he called her bluff with, “I guess you’ll just have to wet your pants then.” I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm and made some comment about kids not getting sarcasm. Well, it wasn’t a bluff this time, because she proceeded to stand there next to the table and wet her pants (Thank goodness we had wood floors!). I turned to Rob and said, “You’re cleaning that up.” And in a way I was happy that Emma had proved me right. (Thanks Audra for reminding me of this incident with your post about kids taking things literally.)

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April Fools!

Rob set up this joke for the kids’ breakfast. We never have these “sugar” cereals in our house, so everyone was very excited to have breakfast today. The kids busted in a little early, and Hunter came into our room holding the white slip of paper reading, “April Fools” and said, “Emma wants to know where the real Cookie Crisp is!” I have a feeling she wasn’t the only one wondering. We were amazed when Hunter barely flinched at getting tomato clam juice instead of what he thought was ruby grapefruit. Emma took a nice big swig though and gave us a great reaction, “I don’t like this! What is it??” So fun for Mom and Dad, not sure if we’ve been forgiven yet though…

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Happy Easter!

Here are some pictures of our family on this beautiful, warm Easter Sunday.  I thought it would be nice to include a little about what we are thinking about on this holiday:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0vQZQieI-I

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