what a day for paceboy!!

everything sort of came together for pace the other night and he started reading on his very own!!  the night we hung ornaments on the tree and max was asleep in bed, pace chose a book from his top shelf to read for bedtime.  i told him the top shelf was very special--they were all books he could read on his very own.  it's lately been like pulling teeth to get pace to do his workbook and practice letters and reading, so i figured i'd just drop it and wait another few months.  but when we sat down to read the other night, he said, "i can read this, mommy!"  and he just started sounding out the letters and putting them together!  probably the proudest moment in my entire life! 

since then we've read these little "bob" books (i think from uncle je?), and pace has done really, really great.  i've had to do some coaxing along the way--if he reads a whole word correctly all by himself, we jump/bounce on the couch or his bed (wherever we are reading).  we have also read in the dark, and pace uses his special flashlight to shine on the letters and words he's reading.  

today was pace's turn to tell a story in school (that's one of the skills they pass off this month).  i asked his teacher if it would be ok if he read a story instead of telling a story, since that's what we've been working on at home.  she said of course!  so we practiced and practiced, and yesterday pace read Mat all the way through, all by himself!!!  LOTS of jumping!!!  and today, i went to pace's school a little early to pick him up to help him read Mat to his class.  pace read the whole thing with just a little prompting from me!  so proud!!!

we've been in the high 50s and sunny all week long!--we've been outside all week long, between the park and out back with our neighbor friends!  tj and pace pretending they are sinkholes.  they are not in sinkholes, they are sinkholes..."be careful, mommy, don't walk on us because we'll suck you in."  duly noted.  do not walk on paceboy.

decorating the christmas tree

although we did bring our christmas boxes with us, we decided to not put up our tree.  it would have made our squished room even more squished, and we just didn't want to deal with that.  so the boys and i decided to paint our own tree!  i also remembered doing lots of crafts with the boys last year while david was working peak hours, and i thought this would be a perfect combination--paint our own tree, then spend our time making ornaments to decorate it!

first we made some glittery glue paper ornaments

then we made a green and red pattern with pipe cleaners and beads and they ended up being cute little wreaths!

max had wandered off and found his blanket, binkie, and yellow duck, and fell asleep on the floor while pace and i were making wreaths.  so after i got him tucked away in bed, pace and i made a couple more ornaments, and then hung everything on the tree!

weeschool letter K

Letter K week started out with tracing our Letter K and talking about "k" words.  We were sad to see Camilla move, but we are so happy Lynlee is in school with us now!  She is a great addition!

We read Curious George Feeds the Animals to see what kind of "K" animals George would meet at the zoo.  We found a koala bear and a kangaroo!  We spent some time talking about what makes kangaroos different from boys and girls.  We discovered kangaroos have pouches, really long tails, and they jump a lot.

Then we made kangaroo paper bag puppets (joey included!)

And then we went outside (to enjoy this amazing December weather!) with our very own kangaroo pouches to find letter K's out in the yard!  I scattered letters A-K throughout the yard, and the kids were only allowed to put K in their pouch.  It was a hit!  And so cute to watch them get excited when they found the right letter, stick it in their pouch, and then hop away!

On day two of letter K, we created K's with fuzzies (Max was very excited and finished his while waiting for everyone to arrive)

Then we read the story of Teddy Koala Bear's Secret, about a Koala bear who lives in England, but takes a secret tunnel to Australia every night and meets up with his friends, a kangaroo and a kookaburra bird.  

Our two last activities were sizing--matching up small, medium, and large kings with their small, medium and large crowns, and then also matching up shapes (circle, square, and triangle) on a letter K crown.  Then snacks and outside to enjoy playing!

the goldfish

my dad called a little while ago, saying he found a bedtime book i used to love reading with him at his house.  "i'll mail it out for pace's birthday!"  he said.  i could not recall the book he was referring to!  i remember a greek mythology book i loved him reading to me; i remember reading the comics on his lap on sundays.  but a bedtime story book?  hmmmm..."you'll remember it as soon as you see it.  it's yours; you wrote your name in it." 

this book arrived in the mail the other day, and just as he'd promised, i remembered the book the instant i saw it.  as i thumbed through the pages, i was flooded with nostalgia--i loved reading this book when i was little!  i remembered the illustrations, the stories, everything!  the characters were still all there!--poor little charlie centipede with his 100 cold feet; teddy koala bear who traveled from england to australia every night while his owner was sleeping; that tricky mickey monkey and his farmyard mix-ups!  they were all still there, waving right back at me.

and then, as i was thumbing through it all, another little poem came right through the cloud of nostalgia and hit me over the head, and i instantly starting laughing.  this was it!  this was the book with the goldfish poem!  

when i was in 2nd grade, the elementary school i was attending made a school-wide call for poems to publish in a school poetry book.  now, my mom taught me to read well before i entered kindergarten, and i loved reading.  i was the wormiest little bookworm alive.  and i knew just the poem i could submit--the goldfish poem from my book!  

my mom was in school and had an early class, so my older brother and i went over to our neighbor's house before school, and ms. irene took us and her daughters to school (my mom dropped my younger brother off at preschool).  i had packed my book in my backpack, knowing i wanted to use this before-school time to "write" my poem.  i remember making sure christian and susan were occupied with a cartoon before i pulled out my book and a blank sheet of paper.

my heart immediately started racing, and my palms got cold and clammy.  i didn't know the word plagiarism, but i knew copying someone else's work and submitting it as my own was wrong.  and i didn't want to get caught.  i copied as quickly as i could while still trying to keep my penmanship neat and tidy, all while keeping a sleuthy eye on christian and susan.  i finished copying the poem, and then even added my own goldfish in a bowl illustration.  back in the backpack, and phew!  done!

my heart started racing again getting out of the car when ms. irene dropped us off at school.

i don't remember turning it in, and i don't know if my teacher called me up to her desk that same day, or a different one, but ms. payne asked me about a line in the poem.  she said, "how did you decide to write "swims and swims" here?"  if you'll notice, the words should be "swim and swim" to be grammatically correct...i think.  now that i'm looking at it as an adult, i think the grammar was fine, maybe my teacher was just asking me how i thought to put it all together...as a 7 year old...anyway, when my teacher posed this question to me, i couldn't very well explain i had plagiarized the poem, and that was what the author had written, so that's why i wrote it that way...so i pulled my shy face and said, "i don't know".  

well...no one else in the world must have had this book, teacher or student, because "my" poem got published.  my mom said she remembers ms. payne asking if she had helped me write the poem, and she said she had not.  so when it was discovered i had creative-genius tendencies, ms. payne suggested i join the gifted and talented reading/writing student group.  i remember going to these little groups--we got pulled out of normal class for our special group.  we wrote a group story together about rabbits.  

i called clearview elementary and talked with mary, a very nice secretary, who said she would be glad to check their file drawers for a school poetry book from 1986 or 1987...maybe i'll be able to include a photo of that bit of nostalgia, too!

pov...his vs. hers

thanks, fightingmean.com

How to ask your wife to wear makeup in public: A Christmas Story

My entire life experience merged on this question yesterday, "Is it possible for me to ask my wife, Michal, to put on makeup before going out in public without sounding like a chauvanistic jerk?"

A few years ago the week after Thanksgiving was especially bad at UPS. We were really blindsided by an almost incomprehensible number of parcels. By the end of the week my coworkers and I were tired, angry, and altogether spent. When my wife heard how bad things were she took it upon herself to make the week a little brighter. So she made cinnamon rolls. A lot of cinnamon rolls. Homemade delicious beautiful cinnamon rolls from scratch for a hundred UPS Drivers. The baked treat filled more than the driver's stomachs that year, it nourished their spirits. Several drivers came up to me and, nearly in tears, offered their thanks. Since then the rolls have been a tradition.

This year I suggested that for the first time my wife and kids help serve the rolls. Mostly, I thought it would be a good experience for my sons to come and help serve a group of people during the Christmas season. Secondly, I wanted to show off the Beautiful Chef that had conjured the confections.

The night before I made my plan on how I would take as much off my wife's to do list so she would have time and stress fuel (is that a term? it should be) to look nice for the cinnamon roll presentation. The morning started off as I had planned. I made the kids breakfast and Michal got in the shower. I thought, "Sweet! She's getting a shower, halfway there!" Next step, her hair. So I said, "If I get the kids ready will you do your hair?" A sly move, I know. But it worked and she began doing her hair. Little did I realize a fashion faux pas firestorm was about to ignite.

Her clothes started off ok. She slipped into a pair of blue jeans that are both modest and manage to compliment her shape well. As I nervously watched on I was still hoping for the best. Then the firestorm was ignited with a 'No prob-llama' t-shirt. I love a graphic t-shirt as much as the next guy but there's a time and a place. Michal bought the t-shirt at Journey's and she thinks it's hilarious. I also appreciate Journey's t-shirts. My favorite is one that says, 'tattooed and employed'. I almost bought it then remembered I don't have a tattoo. And after further consideration it seemed like not the best idea to get a tattoo for the sole reason of making a funny t-shirt work. However, she really likes the shirt and the cut does flatter her figure so it wasn't complete disaster, yet.

I was busily loading the car with the cinnamon rolls, taking care of the kids, getting myself ready, and   worriedly keeping my eye on Michal's progress when it happened. She went for her hat. What magical powers do women think hats have? Women act like donning a hat grants the same effect as Harry Potter's invisibility cloak. As long as a woman is wearing a hat she thinks there is no beauty blunder that won't be overlooked. And she had just done her hair! What was she thinking? She was riding a no prob-llama to a makeup free oasis with her safari hat firmly in place. But instead of crystal water and coconuts there would be package cars and cinnamon rolls. And instead of palm trees there would be over a hundred of my coworkers looking on. Once she put on a hat I knew the moment I must intervene had come and I asked, "Are you going to wear makeup?"

Boom. Bomb dropped.

Michal's laser guided missile defense sprung into action and she said, "So you're saying I'm not pretty without makeup?"

Keep calm. Think. Smile. Breath. It's going to be, OK. Breath again. Smile again. ThinK. There has to be a way out. THINK.

I asked, "Do you remember the episode of Modern Family we just watched?" I continued, "Remember how Gloria went to that restaurant in sweat pants and no make up?" She replied, "Yeah? Remember the whole point she was trying to make?  That Jay had given up and never dressed nicely for her when they went out somewhere?!  I made the cinnamon rolls; I created the event; I can dress however I want to!"  I don't think she realizes that she was being Jay in our scenario...After quibbling over the Jay-Gloria storyline, my gentle requests did get through (to some degree) and I heard from the other room, "Fine.  I have make up on.  Can I put my hat back on now?"

Michal had gone to great lengths to make sure this group of drivers knew they were loved and appreciated for how hard they work. This year she had every excuse not to make the rolls. We literally do not have counter space to roll out dough. She had to roll the dough out on the only solid surface in the entire apartment, the top of a mobile dishwasher. We desperately need to save money for our new house but this tradition was not something she was willing to compromise even though the ingredients are prime cinnamon roll ingredients, no skimping--cream cheese frosting and all. She's taken on a new and demanding calling at church and has spent hours working everyday and had a large event to conduct the next day. My hours had grown and so she was basically functioning solo taking care of the kids all week. She literally had every excuse not to make cinnamon rolls for the UPS drivers this year.

I ride my bike to work and it won't fit on our car so by the time I arrived she and some of my coworkers had already setup all the tables and cinnamon rolls. My sons thoroughly were enjoying watching all the boxes on the conveyor belts and Max was in awe of the awesome number of "daddy trucks". A couple days before I asked the Center Manager (my bosses boss) if he had any requests for how we served the cinnamon rolls. He jokingly asked, "I like mine with raisins." To his amazement Michal had indeed made a single roll with raisins. He walked up to me with a goofy grin on his face and said, "she made me one with raisins". I replied, "I know." Then I expected him to say, "That sure was nice", or maybe, "thank you". But he didn't say anything else. He just walked off
with his special roll and his goofy grin. That's when Christmas came into the building.

While serving the rolls driver after driver came up and asked, "why did you make these for us?" She always replied with a radiant smile, "We believe in Christmas." As she worked serving my coworkers cinnamon rolls she brought warmth and was a delight to everyone she met. During the morning meeting she came and stood right by me. My beautiful wonderful wife stood right by me. 




The Holidays have a nasty way of beating any cheer out of me. I work so hard and such long hours that by the end I'm functioning in a low survival mode. I've had years past where by the time December 25 comes all that's left is fatigue and anger. People will cheerfully ask me, "Do you feel like Santa Claus?" Santa is celebrated, magical, and receives cookies. All UPS guys get is bad press, 14hrs a day, and worn out bodies. So I reply, "No, I do not feel like Santa Claus. I feel like an overworked reindeer and not that showboat Rudolph. I feel like that reindeer no one remembers. I feel like Donner." However, this year my stunningly beautiful talented wife brought much more than cinnamon rolls to a group of overworked delivery guys. She delivered the spirit of Christmas.

all i have to say is:

1.  i had no idea my showering was part of david's "master plan", as i had set my alarm to get up early for that express purpose (and david was still in bed when i got in the shower...)...

2. i will remember from now on when david offers to split tasks, he has an ulterior motive.  i will especially have to remember to dangle an "ulterior motive carrot" on sundays when i set my alarm to wake up and get ready before everyone else so the rest of the day can run smoothly; when i am getting myself and two boys ready for church by myself; when i wake david up from a pre-church nap at 1230 so we can all make it there on time...

3. i didn't "DO" my hair.  as any girl knows, "doing" hair requires a hair dryer, brushes, straightening iron or curling iron (depending on the amount of time you have to get ready), and special products to make your hair look awesome.  i knew we had limited time that morning, so all i did was blow-dry my hair.  i didn't even use a brush.  hence the hat.

4. i suffer form the curse of the blondes.  without makeup, i look washed out and dead.  with makeup, i look like a normal person.  and it isn't like i wear a lot of makeup, either!  my makeup routine takes me literally 50 seconds, maybe 65 tops.  it definitely doesn't turn me into a drop-dead gorgeous knock-out, that's for sure!--it just makes me look normal.  

5.  i totally believe in the hat-is-a-harry-potter-invisibility-cloak theory.  so i wear a hat a lot, with or without makeup. 

6. if you will notice, in the photoshopped david-gloria-michal-jay photo, i have showered, "done" my hair, have make up on, and david has neither shaved nor showered in x amount of days.  just saying.

7. the first time we walked into this apartment, i noticed the hook-up portable dishwasher and thought, "awesome.  i can roll out my cinnamon rolls on that!"  i have never even hooked up that darn thing for dishes.  knowing my luck, it'll leak and flood the apartment below us.  if i can do the dishes by hand in 15-20 minutes, i figure i'm good--i'm getting my money's worth using it as my cinnamon roll and bread station.

8. and yes, we do believe in christmas.  and yes, i do love that shirt.  what?  120 cinnamon rolls due by tomorrow?  no prob-llama!

cinnamon roll time

good thing we've been having amazing weather and the boys could play outside while i was cinnamon-rolling-it (playing red light, green light with the boys downstairs)

when i get to the final 2 batches, i actually think, "is that really it?  am i seriously done?!"  and i feel kind of sad.  even though i've been up since 5.  kneading.  rolling.  shoulders and back a little tight.  despite that, i love making cinnamon rolls!  

yeah, that's about an inch of goodness on that dough.