Full of Activity

We did 3 major projects today.
1) We made our own pizzas. We made the sauce first, then the crust, each rolled out our own crust (some of us tossed them in the air), baked them, added lots of toppings, and baked them again. It took all morning, but they were so good!
2) We put up our Christmas decorations, including the tree, fake snow on the window, nativity scene and lighted cross outside. We bought a flocked tree at a garage sale about 10 years ago, and that thing has plagued us ever since. At least a gallon of flocking comes off each time we put it up, and I'm always amazed that when we pull it out of the box the next year...it's still covered in flocking. I think that stuff regenerates itself all year long. This year we did get smart and wear our vinyl pants and jackets while putting up the tree and decorating it. In the past we've worn pajamas or sweat pants, and the flocking sticks to us like velcro, and then we track it all over the house. This year it was contained to the living room floor, where Noah vacuumed it all up.
3) We made Christmas cutout cookies, which took much of the afternoon.
We also played outside, jumped on the trampoline, drew, played hide and seek, danced and wrestled around, played tag, read books, went for a walk around the neighborhood after dark (Sarah and I in our pajamas), and then drove to the next neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. Noah decided that when he grows up and has his own family, he's going to put multicolored lights all over the house and various gawdy decorations all over the yard. That surprised me, since he's such an introvert. Sarah said, "When I grow up and have a family, I'm going to take my kids with me everywhere, and at night I'll sleep with them in beanbags on the driveway."

Good Day

It was a rare day of near-perfection. It was sunny and warm enough to ride bikes and play outside for awhile. Both kids bathed when we came in. Great smells are coming out of the crockpot. Laundry is done. Lots of good school with extra math, and both kids did very well. Nothing is scratching my eye. Best of all, the kids played well together and got along great all day.

Plank Removal

The plank has been removed from my eye, thanks to my son, the ingenious problem-solver. I told him that my eye had been bothering me all day and that I didn't know how I was ever going to get Sarah's toenail out of it. He said, "Cut an onion." I breathed in the fumes of the onion and cried prolifically, and washed the thing right out onto my eyelashes.

Freak Accident

I was hunched over Sarah's feet, clipping her toenails. One of the clippings shot straight up into my eye, completely incapacitating me for a few minutes. It's still there, but it's lodged itself into a more comfortable position. I'm trying not to rub my eye. I even got in the shower and tried to flush it out, but that was unsuccessful. So I'm left with a chunk of Sarah's toenail in my eye and a greater appreciation for the way God made eyes. Their defense mechanisms are amazing. As soon as the obstruction got in, fluid started surrounding it. And the eyelids, wimpy as they appear, are a powerful force when you try to pry them open. Is any of this blog-worthy? Probably not.

Rewards and Promotions

We were having a power clean this morning. That's where I give out assignments, crank up some music, and yell, "Power clean!" Noah loves it. Sarah mostly holds down the couch. They cleaned the living room while I was working on the bathroom. I was planning to reward them by playing a game with them and reading to them when we were done. They did a pretty good job, so I said, "You're earning your reward..." Noah's eyes lit up, and he said, "Is it a promotion?" I asked him what he wanted to be promoted to, and he said, "I want to scrub the toilet!" Being the gracious mother that I am, I let him.

Tilted Hearts

Sarah's behavior was pretty appalling today. She did a lot of things that I won't write, because I don't want to remember them. While I was getting lunch ready, she didn't like the cup I gave her, so she stormed off to her room and slammed the door. I made Noah's lunch and went to talk to her while he was eating. She had taken her clothes off, turned on her electric blanket, and curled up under the covers. I started lecturing her about her attitude and how I wasn't going to put up with her rude behavior, etc., etc. She glared at me the whole time, when she even looked at me at all. Finally, spent and frustrated, I sat down next to her and asked her in a softer tone, "What is wrong with your heart?" Right away she looked at me and tears came to her eyes, and she said, "It's just tilted." That defused the whole situation, because I realized that my heart is tilted more often than it's right, so I sympathized with her. We prayed that our hearts would straighten up, and then she perked up and came out for lunch.

Bosses

Conversation between Noah and Sarah while they were doing a Mom-mandated cleanup:
N: When we grow up, we'll have our own houses and our own kids that we can boss around.
S: Yeah! And we can watch TV all day!
N: Dad can help us install a satellite dish, and we can watch whatever we want! But...how will we make money?
S: We can be cashiers.
N: At what store? Aldi? Wal-Mart?
S: No, we're going to open our own store.
N: That's brilliant, Sarah! Then we can boss around the people who work for us!
S: And when we go home from work, we can start bossing our kids around!

Conversation with Sarah

Sarah: When I grow up, I'm going to marry Noah.
Me: I know you love Noah, but you can't marry him, because he's your brother.
S: I'd like to marry Kyle Nix, but I don't like Livvi.
M: Livvi is his sister's dog, so she wouldn't be living with you and Kyle.
S: Kyle is going to build us a house right in the middle of your yard, like a dog house. Then you can visit us whenever you want.
M: That will be nice.
S: I don't think Daddy would mind if Kyle borrows some of his tools to build the house.

Questions

The questions around here are getting harder to answer. Noah has always asked hundreds of questions a day, and they usually involve scientific things. He's always been interested in how things work. Lately, his questions are becoming more moral in nature, such as "Is it wrong not to tell if you know something?" He knows that lying is breaking one of the commandments, but I've been talking to him about "telling the truth in love" and how you can't always blurt out everything that's on your mind. He said, "If an ugly person asks me if they're ugly, is it more important to tell the truth or be nice?" It was easier when I could look up the answers to his questions on the internet. It's easier to explain why the sky is blue than what the difference between a lie and an exaggeration is. At least the only question Sarah asks is usually, "Can I have a snack?"

Dalmation Wedding

Noah and Sarah spent the entire morning setting up an elaborate wedding for two stuffed dalmation dogs. They dressed up in their fanciest clothes. I was asked to play the harp for the wedding, so I was also required to wear a fancy dress. The wedding itself was rather uneventful, and then we spent a long time cleaning up while the happy couple went off on their honeymoon. The pictures show:
1) Noah and Sarah in their wedding clothes
2) Me in my wedding clothes (I also had fuzzy slippers on)
3) Guests
4) The happy couple
5) The fancy layered wedding cake

What a guy!

Thursdays are rushed, thanks to my harp lesson at 5:30. We have to eat immediately when Mike gets home, and then I have to leave while everybody else is still eating. Last night I made stir fry with scallops. The stove top was a mess, and I didn't have time to wash the dishes. When I left, the kids were eating salsa and tortilla chips, and the table was a mess. I had a wonderful, peaceful time at my harp lesson and stopped at Kroger on my way home. I was really dreading the big kitchen clean up I knew would be facing me when I got home. My wonderful husband had it all done! He had even enlisted the kids' help, and the whole kitchen was clean. He had also managed to play tumble and chase with them and took them out to look at the stars. I'm a lucky woman!

Poetry

We all wrote poems this morning in writing class. Here is Noah's:

Done Dad
Sad Sarah
Mad Mom
Oh how wonderful this day could be without that!

After he said his poem, Sarah said angrily, "I'm not sad. I'm happy!"
Here is her poem:

I'm going to whisper in your ear,
so Noah won't hear.

Noah scowled at that. Then there was an unfortunate incident, which inspired us to write the following poem:

Once there was a bowl of oatmeal and blueberries tall.
It took a terrific fall.
Oatmeal on the wall.
Now I've seen it all!
Cleaning up will not be a ball.
I wish I could stall,
but I have to crawl.
Wish there was a maid I could call.
It's creeping towards the hall.
What if we don't clean up at all?
Let's just go to the mall!

Porcine Musings

As a pig trailer passed us on the interstate, the children and I discussed, "How can pigs smell so bad when bacon smells so good?"