Five Question Friday

I really enjoyed reading some of the other posts for Five Question Friday this week, and decided once more to join in the fun. You can too- just copy these questions and answer them, and then link to your post on the MckLinky below. Thanks Mama M!


1. What's your favorite line from a movie?
2. What "group" did you belong to in high school? Goths, jocks, preps, drama, nerds?
3. If you had $1000 just for yourself what would you spend it on?
4. What was your favorite childhood cartoon?
5. What kind of sleeper are you? Back? Tummy? Side? Sprawler?

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1. What is your favorite line from a movie?

I am having a REALLY hard time picking just one. In our house, we throw out movie references as much as Rory & Lorelai. So I guess I'll just share a few that come to mind:

"We came on the rocket car!" ~ Rat Race

"We'll sell t-shirts saying 'I slapped Oiuser Boudreaux!' Hit her!"~ Steele Magnolias

and a more serious one... "...we're too young to realize certain things are impossible. Which is why we will do them anyway." ~ Amazing Grace

2. What "group" did you belong to in high school?

I went to an all girls Catholic prep school. Our cliques were a little different! I mean, we still had the athletic girls and the preppy girls and the artsy girls, but we only had 150 in our graduating class, so we were kind of mixed together. A lot of my friends were preppy, but some of us were hippy or grunge-ish too. A lot of us spent our afterschool time in the music or drama department, but we were also the calculus and AP physics crew too.

3. If you had $1000 just for yourself, what would I spend it on?

Hmmm... There was a day when I would have said "Shoes." To be honest, I probably would get myself something small like a new shirt or a massage, and then end up spending it on my kids or putting it toward something we're trying to pay off- our new car, student loans, the mortgage... We're not strict Dave Ramsey followers, but we do like to try to keep our expenses in check and try to get rid of our debt.

If this is a poopy answer and I HAVE to pick something for myself, I would buy stuff for the house. I'd head to an antique shop and get a cute buffet for my dining room, some organization/storage for our newly converted playroom, and some yummy fall candles, soaps, etc.
4. What was your favorite childhood cartoon?

I wasn't much of a cartoon kid. When I got to choose, it was something on Nickelodeon. I remember watching Danger Mouse, The Little Prince, Belle & Sebastian- a show which NO ONE but me remembers,by the way, but just to prove it existed, here is a picture:

5.What kind of sleeper are you? Back? Tummy? Side? Sprawler?

I'm a tummy sleeper. Pregnancy was extra-exhausting because I couldn't sleep well if I couldn't sleep on my belly! I was super bummed after Little Sister was born, since she came via c-section, that I couldn't go back to laying on my tummy right away. In fact, I remember trying it WAY to soon, and I got stuck! I was upstairs, away from everyone else, and I wondered if I was just going to have to lay there until they found me! I had to roll & scoot centimeters at a time, rest in between, and brace myself with way too many pillows, just to finally get out of the bed.

"There You Go" Thursday

I kind of did this as a joke two weeks ago, but it sure did help me focus and figure out what to write. So it's time for round two!

Have you ever wondered what a jujube is? Or how they grow? Or what you can do with them?
(no? oh. well... humor me, okay? I find this interesting...)

When we moved into our house four years ago, we knew we had some Asian fruit trees in our front yard. We had a Persimmon tree (the guy who put in our fence killed it when he moved it & waited 48 hours to put it back into the ground). We had two Asian Pear trees (one died, one is in the process... I'm not sure what's going on). And we have two other fruit-bearing trees that are NOT dying. Actually, they are thriving. And for four years they have deposited heaps of rotting unknown fruit onto the ground.

Until now.

Because I finally figured out what they are! They're jujube trees- they grow Chinese dates.


When they are ripe, they look like this.


You can eat them when they are fresh; they're kind of like dryer, less sweet baking apples. Or you can dry them, which is why I am looking on freecycle & craigslist for a dehydrator. Or you can make jujube butter with them, which I hope is good, because it is what a lot of you will be getting for Christmas. (surprise!)

Apparently the fruit, as well as the leaves and bark, have holistic health benefits as well. So you could make teas or poultices or essences or something.

Or you can let your dog eat them (instead of everything else in the house including a Snappi diaper fastener that you really wish you'd noticed before she destroyed it). See? Nutritious, and helpful...


SO... JUJUBES.

There you go.


Before someone freaks out, no, I'm honestly not 100% sure these are ok for dogs to eat. But no, I didn't really GIVE it to Sophie to eat. And she didn't wait for me to google "jujbes safe dog" before she stole one and ate half of it. So far she is her crazy self, so I think they're safe. But I'm NOT really recommending them as dog treats. It's called humor. Or at least an attempt...

Little Sister Speaks

Our sweet Little Sister is starting to say quite a few (darling) words. She isn't quite as verbal as her sister was at this age, but that is probably due in part to Big Chatterbox Sister's continued, er, vocal abilities... Sometimes I'm surprised Little Sis has managed to get ANY words into the conversation!

But she has. Quite a few really:

Mommy, Daddy, Siss-see, Baby, Al, Sophie (I'm pretty sure she fussed at her today!)

Mo', yum-yum, eat, bite, bib, cup

Sit, shoes, uh-huh, uh-uh, walk, water, ball, that, 'side (in or out), bubbles, chalk, see, book, light,

bye-bye, hi (the cutest little "hi" in the whole wide world, by the way), nigh-nigh

eyes, toes, hair (I've only heard that one once), and belly...


'lright, yay, and Hooray!

Song for Sunday: A new law

This is another song from the Mockingbird album. It's quite possibly my favorite. Although it doesn't read like a beautiful poem, it definitely has profound meaning.

A New Law
by Derek Webb

Don’t teach me about politics and government.
Just tell me who to vote for.
Don’t teach me about truth and beauty.
Just label my music.

Don’t teach me how to live like a free man.
Just give me a new law.

I don’t wanna know, if the answers aren’t easy,
so just bring it down from the mountain to me.

I want a new law.
I want a new law.
Give me that new law.

Don’t teach me about moderation and liberty.
I prefer a shot of grape juice.

Don’t teach me about loving my enemies.

Don’t teach me how to listen to the Spirit.
Just give me a new law.

I don’t wanna know, if the answers aren’t easy,
so just bring it down from the mountain to me.

I want a new law.
I want a new law.
Give me that new law.

What’s the use in trading a law you can never keep
for one you can that cannot get you anything?

Do not be afraid.
Do not be afraid.
Do not be afraid.


"Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:35-36

First soccer game of the year

Or Why I Am Almost Glad My Daughter Got Hit In The Face With A Soccer Ball

Saturday was the first game day for Upward Soccer. Big Sister "played" with the three-year-old team last year, but this is her first year for weeknight practices and "real" games against another team. Judging by these first photos, you might think she is a serious soccer player:




You would be wrong.


She had a lot of fans though. Nana & Papa are in town, so they came to cheer.


Little Sister had especially high expectations. She was a demanding fan...


...until she got sleepy and snuggly.


Big Sister spent most of the game simply running with the pack of kids who were going after the ball. There were some moments when she seemed to actually want to go for the ball, and a few times she got to do a corner kick or dribble down the field (she is a pretty good dribbler). But there were also a few times when she seemed to be completely uninterested.

And then she got nailed.

Let me be clear about this. My subtitle above does not mean that I found any sort of glee in seeing my daughter take a soccer ball in the mouth. For one thing, I was quite concerned. For another, I didn't actually see it. I was probably talking to my parents, or gawking at how much bigger the other kids were, or trying to figure out the name of one particular little girl boy on our team. (Not kidding- I thought he was a little girl until several hours later when the hubs told me otherwise!)

So, when it happened I rushed over and checked out my wounded player. She was fine- just shaken up and completely horrified at what had just happened, as well as at the idea of returning to the game. Nana & I both comforted her for a minute.

Then, I remembered a story about my roommate's sister and the time she fell off of her horse. Her mom made her take the horse back to the barn, put up the saddle, and do whatever else was needed to finish her ride, before they took her to the doctor. She had a broken arm, but her mom (a nurse, by the way) knew that if she didn't finish that ride, she would never get back on a horse again.

So, I asked our big girl to try to catch her breath and dry her tears. I took her back to the sideline and told her daddy that I wanted her to go back in the game as soon as they were ready. The tears came again, and I felt horrible as he led her by the hand onto the field. Was I doing the right thing?

I think so. After a few minutes, she was fine. She was a maybe a teensy bit more concerned about getting injured, but she was still playing! At the end of the game, she earned the gold star for perseverance, or as she said, "because I was tough!"

So, am I glad that she got hurt? Of course not. But am I glad that she was able to see that she is strong enough to overcome a soccer ball to the face? Absolutely. Am I glad that she kept playing, even when she had every reason to turn in those too-cute cleats? Definitely. I hope that she develops a tenacity and determination to keep going when the going gets tough- something I know I lack all too often.

And besides, it was nothing a little snack and juice box couldn't fix.


See? A happy tough little girl.

Where were you...

They say everyone will remember where they were eight years ago. I always will.

I was working as a para-professional in a special education preschool classroom. I was helping my sweet little J, a three-year-old with Autism, pull velcroed juice-can lids off of a felt board and maneuver them into the slot cut in the lid of a crisco can. Special ed classrooms are so resourceful!

Our kids arrived just before 9, and the first part of the morning was often the busiest, so both towers had been stuck by the time we heard anything. The principal stuck her head in the door to tell us about the tragedy unfolding at the World Trade Center, and that there were confused news reports about the Pentagon. Although I can not remember her exact words, I remember her face and the fear that gripped us all as she told us that we were under attack.

My first thought was for the children under our care. I know it might sound silly, as if someone would strategically take out a little school in Ohio, but at the time we didn't know how widespread these attacks might be. We didn't know if there was more to come- by air or something else. We didn't "lock-down" or anything like that, but there was this sense that we were responsible for more than ourselves- and since I wasn't a parent at the time, it was a new feeling for me.

My second thought was about DaddyClay. At the time we had only been dating for a little over a month. He grew up outside of DC; his family still lives there. I wanted to check to see if he had heard from his family. I also just wanted to hear his voice. But when I called his cell-phone, the call wouldn't go through. So many people were calling loved ones, the lines were overloaded. I remembered that I had the number to his apartment in Birmingham in my wallet, so I tried again. He was just getting up and ready for class when he found out what was going on. He stayed in that morning, watching coverage.

We took turns slipping across the hall to the conference room where the TV was in constant "Special Report" mode. I remember praying and crying, watching the people hopelessly jumping from the towers. I can still see snapshots in my head of the video, played over & over, of the plane colliding with one of the towers or of the first tower collapsing. If I remember correctly, there were moments of hope when they thought the second tower would stay standing. It did not.

All of us went home that day and turned on the television for more information. But there were some questions that news anchors, first responders, even the president, just couldn't answer. There still are.

When we visited NYC for our 5th anniversary,
hubby and I visited ground zero and the Tribute WTC Visitor Center. Though it had been six years since the attacks, there was still a lot of construction going on. The visitor center was a beautiful tribute- there were times when the grief of the experience made it hard to breathe, but at the end there was a gallery entitled "Voices of Promise" that offered hope. Reminded me of the good in people. Helped me find my breath again.

Today, I pray for all of those affected by this tragedy 8 years ago. That they too, can find hope. That they are surrounded by love and goodness. That, slowly, they are catching their breath.

And that we will never forget their story.

Big Backyard or A Whole New World?

A few nights ago when I tucked Big Sister into bed, I told her that a new Your Big Backyard magazine had arrived and we could look through it together in the morning.

But I accidentally called it Ranger Rick, so then I had to explain that Ranger Rick is the same type of magazine, but for older kids- like 7 or 8.

She asked me what older kids who were 60 (I hope someone calls me an "older kid" when I'm that age!) might read instead of Your Big Backyard or Ranger Rick, and I guessed National Geographic. (If anyone is interested, the "grown-up" publication of the NWF is actually just called National Wildlife and it comes with your membership.)

I tried to close the conversation and tuck her in, but after I kissed her goodnight she asked, "Can I have Ranger Rick when I'm bigger?" and when I agreed, she continued, "You mean when I'm eight and have my rabbit and my pet tiger?"

The rabbit was one of those discussions I was hoping she would forget, when I said that maybe when she could help take care of a rabbit, we would look into having one for a pet.

I'm pretty sure we never had the same conversation about a tiger. Darn Aladdin movie...