I Love This: Green Earl Grey

I am on a never-ending quest to add healthy things to my life. And I love when I can do something healthy, but doesn't feel like I am moving mountains.

•30-minutes of walking (and talking with Ben).

•Skipping Starbucks.

•A dropper-full of berry flavored B-Complex under my tongue.

•And my personal favorite... therapeutic massage.

I read a lot of health focused magazines for ideas; the easy ones that is. And I read "green tea" over and over again. Problem is I don't really care for green tea. It's a little, well, green tasting. So I was excited to find Twinings Green Earl Grey Tea at of all places... Big Lots. Traditional Earl Grey tea is my tea of choice so I thought the flavors would mask the greeniness of Green Tea.

It does!

I love this tea!

Be warned: Green Tea does contain caffeine and a day of "being healthy" could leave you with heart palpitations and a late, late night. You can "decaffeinate" your tea yourself by steeping the tea for 30 seconds, pouring off the water, and re-steeping the tea. However, you may loose the healthy you were after in the first place. I just take any "extra" energy I get from caffeine as another bonus to tea drinking.

The Tooth and Nothing But The Tooth!

Emeline has lost her first tooth and she is so excited!

It all started about a month ago when she complained about having a blister in her mouth. Upon investigating, we discovered that it wasn't a blister, but rather her six-year molars coming in on the bottom. She was thrilled about this amazing coincidence... six-years old, six-year molars! Later we found out that the emergence of these teeth was the prerequisite to losing baby teeth.

And right on cue... that first baby tooth came loose. An ever-so-slight shift that she first noticed last Saturday came a long way in just one week. By this Saturday it was downright wiggly! Breathing in made it wobble around. While showing off just how loose her loose tooth was it plopped right out into her palm.

So much for all her planning to tie string to it and yank it out with a slamming door. Or her plan to hang on to it... even if just by a thread... for school on Monday so she could get a tooth necklace from the school nurse.

She's placed it in her treasures box and it is her newest most prized possession. Funny how a lost tooth gets so much more attention and admiration than when they are doing their job in your mouth. In fact, Emeline is so impressed with this first lost tooth that she's already on the hunt for another one!

Back to School

I tried to post the summer in pictures. We did way more than got posted. Summer was really great this year!

My only complaint... and I do have one (as usual): Summer's not long enough!

Emeline and Holden went back to classes on Friday for a half day. Monday is teacher in service and Tuesday it's back to reality. Both of the kids had their reservations with back to school. Holden starts middle school (6th-8th grades). Emeline is in first grade this year; "real" school. And big brother's not there. Plus there's the bus. Holden's comes at 6:35 am... ouch! Emeline will be riding on her own this year.

But they both took day one like troopers.



Holden's bus almost passed up our stop. The bus came flying over the hill and past our driveway... only to stop short to get him. He walked on without looking back. And couldn't help but cry as he got on that big yellow box filled with teens and preteens. All on his own. I think I was just as scared as he was that day. When he got home his smile showed me how much he enjoyed it. Even though he doesn't really have any of his elementary school pals in any of his classes he seems to be eager to do back and experience this new part of growing up.


Emeline skipped the bus on the first day and I took her to class. I like to meet the person I am leaving her with rather than just ship her off to the unknown. It is total chaos at that school because I am not the only one who feels that way. In fact, more people bring their children that day than not. But we managed the parking lot... even though Emeline did suggest just going home since there was no where to park. I would have liked that myself... I am a fan of living in denial... even if I don't get to practice it often. Emeline decided by the end of the day that she really loves her new teacher, Mrs. Ferrell. She thinks her Kindergarten teacher has communicated with her new teacher so that she knows exactly what kind of girl Emeline is... hence, the PINK Playdoh on her desk. She can't wait to go back on Tuesday. Wonder if she remembered that she has to take the bus then. Probably not... she's a fan of denial too.

I still wish they were going to be home with me. August is proving to be the hottest month of the summer. Perfect for swimming at Gramma's! Guess Owen and I will get to work on our tans while they are stuck inside... learning. But I am happy they are happy with what life has handed them this 2009-2010 school year.

Let's get it started!

@ District Convention/Evansville, Indiana

Thursday night we start the weekend off right at our favorite place to dine while in Evansville... The Tin Fish. It's actually in Newburg, Indiana - an adorable little town just outside of Evansville - right on the river. The restaurant ships fresh fish and seafood in daily. The have everything... even Walleye... a rarity in these parts. Ben got oysters on the half shell and Holden was eager to try one. It wasn't his first oyster; that was in Alabama when he was about four years old. That one didn't go down as easily as this one. I guess his tastes have matured.


The kids... happy to have Granny. They'd all be on that lap at once if it was possible!


Cousin Pierce and Emeline. Best buds.


Emeline with Granny. I love her smile!


The whole gang... this doesn't happen that often. And when it does, we usually aren't all looking and smiling. But this one is pretty good... even if we aren't all looking, we all look happy. Guess 'cause we are.

Cool Site!

As a Mac user I am sometimes presented with files that I cannot open. Yes, there's Office for Mac and I have tried installing it, however, with the volume of fonts I use for graphic design it just isn't possible. Plus it only happens at the most once a month and I don't like installing programs, I rarely use... and forget I have.

So when this happened today I Googled converting a Word Perfect file to something a Mac could read. Often text documents will open on my computer, but this kept saving as a QuickTime movie. Don't ask...

Anyhow, I found Media Convert. It's free and converts just about anything to anything. I was concerned that the converted file might be some horrible disgusting image or virus, but felt pretty confident in my ability to quickly "red ball" the file (as the kids say) and my Mac's security. So I took the risk and the converted pdf worked great!

Ah... it's the simple victories in life that make life sweet.

@ Center Hill Lake

The boss had us out to Center Hill Lake for a day on their houseboat.



Heading down the slide...



And SPLASH!



Owen wanted to go, but didn't have the nerve. I didn't have the nerve for him to go either!



Owen got to ride a Waverunner for the first time. Me too! That's my boss, Bill at the wheel. It was so thrilling Owen was falling asleep!



Nice water for swimming... for Tennessee.

@ Kentucky Kingdom Part 2

While Dad & Holden were off riding the roller coasters over and over... we hung out in the kiddie area and had some high-flying fun!




There was a giant Batman to be won at the rope ladder... the only giant Batman in the park and Owen wanted it. Big brother and sister tried hard to win it for him...






But it wasn't happening...




Watching them fall (repeatedly) was worth the $10 though!


Celebrity sightings... Foghorn Leghorn (AKA the chicken) Owen became obsessed with him.



Suffering Succotash it's Sylvester!



Contrary to popular belief... I am not a bad photographer! I was unable to move back any further to get little Owen in and he would NOT take my direction.

@ Kentucky Kingdom Part 1

We visited Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom at the beginning of June. It was a beautiful day and not too crowded. Good for us... not good for their Chapter 11.

Our first ride in the park. Owen's first "big" ride ever.



The old fashioned carousel. A classic that you gotta love. Of course, Owen chose the dragon and was playing "dragon slayer", but I managed to catch a sweet innocent moment.



The GIANT Wheel. Whatever you do, don't look down!



The kiddie swings. Emeline had to work her way up to the Flying Dutchman. After this (lame) ride, she was ready for the real deal.



That empty seat next to Emeline is where Owen should have been. He lost courage at the last minute (or he was tired). She had fun though!

@ The End of the School Year

Yes... I know school ended a month and a half ago, but things have been BUSY! I am going to try to do "summer in pictures". That would be easiest, right? We'll see...

Here's something Emeline knew all about before kindergarten, but she no doubt perfected her skill during recess. This was taken at the kindergarten picnic.




Owen came with me and had fun too!



Emeline is not afraid of the very top of that jungle gym. Gives me the willies just looking at the picture!



Holden's Promotion Ceremony. This was the only picture of the three times went across the stage that came out. He was moving fast!



Our end of the year party! Ice cream cake, bakery cake, and presents! Yea!!!

Pomp and Circumstance

...or 2-1/2 hours of sitting in hard folding chairs while sandwiched in an overcrowded room holding a heavyweight, sleeping two-year old, starving, and feeling oddly sad at the arrival of the end of yet another school year.

Yes, Holden "graduated" from elementary school on Thursday, May 21st with much fanfare. Actually, they didn't play the song. I guess it wasn't technically a graduation so they skipped it. Good thing... because as emotional as I was I no doubt would have started to cry. Those cliches get me every time!

Holden is finally happy to be done with 5th grade and ready to move on to middle school next year. I am still quite ambivalent about the whole thing. I am proud of him. His all A report card; his Presidential Award of Academic Excellence; his good relationship with all of his teachers and classmates. He works really hard. The only way to go is up. But I wish he could stay here for a little while longer... for me.

The ache in my gut is still there. I suspect it will remain until middle school becomes the norm. Perhaps writing it down... putting it out there... will help me to let it go and enjoy summer. I know he will!

Holden and Mrs. Terry:

I've Got a Story to Tell

While reading to Emeline tonight I read the most wonderful lines...

"Oh, Sara!" she whispered joyfully. "It's like a story!"

"It is a story," said Sara. "Everything's a story. You are a story - I am a story..."

It's from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Yes, it's a little bit heavy for a six year old, but she loves stories however long or complicated. She "gets" them, follows them, sees the details in the fabric of them. I love reading to her.

People have said to me "why do you write a blog?", "I can't imagine what I'd write about", "who wants to read about me?". Ben is baffled by the Facebook and Twitter phenomena. Why do people want to put out there what they are doing and why do people care? I think that quote reveals the answer.

We are all stories.

In the book, Sara Crewe is a little girl who loves to tell stories - for her friends and for herself. When her father dies and leaves her pennyless, she is reduced to the life of a scullery maid and forced to live in the sparse attic. She starts using her storytelling skills as a method of coping with her circumstances.

I love telling my stories. I share them on this blog for my family and friends that we don't get to see as often as we'd like to. In the beginning, there was also the lure of moneymaking from my blog so I added a Site Meter to keep track of my "hits", but now I don't check it because my readers are not the main reason I write. (And I don't write consistently enough to or write only about one main topic to gain a following anyway.)

The main reason I write is personal. I love writing. I have a pile of journals... one for Holden, Emeline, and Owen; one for tracking diet and exercise; and one for just me. The ones from my childhood and teenage years have laid untouched for years. Sometimes the current ones lay untouched for years. The blog is a bit more of a commitment and obligation... whether I have readers or not. Plus there's the bonus of hearing from my mom about how much she enjoyed this or that she read here. My biggest fan.

For whatever self-serving purpose... I'll keep sharing my story.

Found!

We are animal lovers. Animals are amazing... each in their own unique way. And they bring great joy to loving owners. That being said we aren't necessarily "dog people" although we have owned dogs in the past. And even though we currently own two cats, we are barely cat people.

How can we be animal lovers, but not love owning animals? That's primarily because pet ownership is hard work! And we love animals so much that we want to be the best at owning them that we can be, but with three (animals) children already and an extremely full life besides we don't have much time for being world's best pet owners. I know, I know... lots of important people have pets and make time in their busy lives for them. Doctors. Lawyers. Heck, even the President has time for a dog... but not us.

Another reason that we shy away is because we get extremely emotionally attached to the animals in our lives. We feel enormous guilt about leaving the pet (especially a dog) behind. I am not talking about death... not even a lengthy vacation. We feel guilty leaving the dog for just an afternoon. See what I mean about extremely emotionally attached?

Then there's the money factor. Inevitably, something bad (read costly) happens to them. Take Brick, for instance. Ben found him on a job site in the early spring of 1994. He was a tiny kitten probably too young to be away from his mother, but there he was making his way over a pile of bricks (hence the name) in a rainstorm... starving, lonely, and afraid. Ben took him in and fed him out of his lunchbox. He became an instant member of our family. In the fall of that same year, Brick was attacked by the neighbor's German Shepherd and seriously injured. The vet said he could do one of three things to our kitty: euthanize, amputate the severely broken leg, or repair the leg in a lengthy and difficult surgery involving pins that would leave no guarantee he'd ever be able to walk like normal. Putting him to sleep was out of the question. Ben couldn't imagine a three legged cat. So, yep, he opted for the surgery. And Brick became our million dollar cat (not literally, but when you've been married for only a few months and you are barely 20 and you are living above your parents garage... it might as well have been). Similar tales of woe could be told about all of our subsequent pets... except Amber, but I am sure her time is 'a comin'.

So this morning we awoke to a beagle meandering on our patio. Holden, who was sitting on the couch, munching his breakfast, and watching Curious George with bleary eyes, perked right up when the words "dog" and "our" were sounded in the same sentence. Yes, the kids have been after us for quite some time for a dog. To tell the truth, about five months ago, the "puppy bug" bit me. The puppy bug is somewhat like the "baby bug" where you see an adorable dog that is well-mannered and lovable and suddenly you want one for your very own. The longing continues until you run across a not-so-adorable and well-mannered dog or baby as the case may be, then the longing suddenly and abruptly ends not to be brought up again... at least not until you get another bite. Another admission... the dog I've been longing for... a beagle. Yes, this is my fantasy dog... a hairless, barkless, poopless beagle named Dash. This is another sign of "the bug"... a fantasy that lives perfect in your head, but is never to be realized because reality ain't perfect.

So here sits this beagle. Thirsty. Hungry. Sweet. Sad. We water him. Feed him... cat food, it's all we had. Pet him. He stays. The kids leave for school. He stays. Ben and I spend an hour picking off ticks... no less than 50... during which he lays submissively actually enjoying the attention, I think. Then Ben and I leave the house with the usual guilty ache in the pit of our stomachs. He stays! We bring home food and tick medicine. The talk of names begins...

I am torn. Ben is torn. The kids are decidedly thrilled. We will put forth a good faith effort to find his rightful home... if he indeed has one. If that is the case, Ben and I will be relieved because we want all animals to have a loving home. But if he stays with us... that's what he'll get.

Yearbooks

Nothing signals the near end of the school year quite like receiving your yearbook. Holden and Emeline's yearbooks came home with them on Wednesday. As soon as Holden, hopped in the car he announced "I'm in there five times!". I guess kids still immediately scan every page hoping to see the image they see in the mirror every morning forever inked on the glossy paper. Being immortalized in your school's yearbook beyond the one "gimmie" class picture is almost like being famous. A story in your own tabloid magazine.

When we arrived home the kids sat for at least an hour pouring over the books, page after page, looking for friends, teachers being silly, the kid who blinked when the flash went off... anything unique and memorable. That's what yearbooks are for after all.



By the way... Holden's been moved up to six appearances. Emeline stands at three. Look out for the paparazzi mob!



Who wants a two-year old's grimey fingers on their brand new fancy-shmancy yearbook... not Holden and Emeline. Owen had to get his own "yearbook" so he could sit on the couch just like his brother and sister. I couldn't leave him out...

A Happy Haircut

Emeline finally got her wish this weekend and she got her hair cut in a bob. She's been asking since before she started Kindergarten this past August, but I wasn't ready for it. Yes, I'm one of those who likes long hair. I don't mind the extra hassle of brushing out the tangles in the morning or braiding it for a hot summer day. And Em has beautiful "Breck Girl" hair... flowing, full of body. Needless to say I wasn't thrilled with the idea. So I put her off...

"After school pictures", I'd say. That came and went.

"After winter", I'd reason, "you'll want that hair to keep you warm."

"After school is out for summer", yet another stall.

But my mom and Ben both were on my case to let her be and let her do it... it isn't a nose ring after all. Hair will grow out. It's getting warm and will soon be hot. Days at the pool are just around the corner and that means bleach blond streaks in her hair... better to get it cut now so we don't cut off all the highlights in a month or so.

Saturday was the day.

Before:

After:

Can you tell she loves it? Her whole personality has changed. She's even bouncier than before. And she's been plain silly and giggly since. I am happy that she loves it so much.

But I, on the other hand, had a lump in my throat the entire day. Ben says I get too emotionally involved in stuff like that. He's probably right, but at least I let her do it. I think that's a big part of parenting... letting your children do things that maybe you wouldn't do or want for them and letting them live and learn. Roots and wings. Maybe along the way mom will learn a thing or two.

It's actually not "easier" to fix. I haven't mastered the blowout yet. Getting it smooth and bobbed under like the stylist did. Her natural wave is working against me, but she doesn't care. She's glad it's short. And when Emeline's happy, we're all happy.

A Good Read and Listen

We love Public Television. Sesame Street is only the beginning. Nature. Frontline. Soundstage. The list goes on and on. And even though you would have never been able to convince Ben of it back when he was a young teen in Minnesota we now love National Public Radio. Yeah, I love to blast silly pop songs and sing along to embarass my kids too, but you've gotta love knowledge wrapped up in entertainment.

A friend passed along this link to me and I wanted to share it here. One of the programs we love on our Public Television is Independent Lens. It features informative and enlightening documentary films that educate and entertain. This is an interview with Terrence Howard, the host of Independent Lens, discussing one of the features, Knocking. It's a brief article with an interview you can listen to via the link at the top.

Enjoy!

Snow Party

My mom (aka Granny) read about this adorable "Snowman Party" and decided it would be a great thing for the kids. I agreed and we put our heads together to come up with some ideas. But life being the crazy thing that it is with work, three kids, illnesses, jury duty, aging parents to care for, and actual snow the party keep getting pushed aside.

After about a six week absence Granny made it to Tennessee for a visit. Turned out the weather was quite nice... not a snowflake in sight... at least not outside! We did a few "snowy" activities Saturday evening. The kids had a blast!

Decorating snowman t-shirts with Granny's help...



Emeline's beautiful paper snowflakes were perfect for this party too...




What party is complete without some delicious treats...



Emeline thought it was so silly when the icing dripped on her lip...



After all that paint Owen needed a bath. Bubbles are kind of like snow for a kid from Tennessee...



The finished products...