Easter Part 2

We had an Easter dinner and Easter egg hunt at my sister-in-law's house.  I took a couple of random photos of her house because I think she is so creative and I enjoy her style-- it is so happy.  She made the frames and the cute thing in the second photo herself.

All of my kids love to play at their house.  My in-laws are kind, fun, and patient; we always enjoy ourselves.

The cousins! 

Sorry I was absent yesterday, we made a last-minute trip to see my mom for the day, just because we could!  We had a great time.  Always so refreshing to go home and see my parents.  I have some fun photos for next week.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends! 

Easter Part I

Enjoy some Easter photos.  I have some fun ones for another day, but we are busily enjoying our vacation together.  Took a surprise visit to an art museum today and have some fun photos for another day.

Isn't this such a fun room?  It is my sister-in-law's, complete with DIY hutch that I'm in love with.

 Dear shirt, make up your mind, in our out?  And please remind your owner to look in the mirror before taking photos.

 Those knobs!

Um

I visited a long lost friend today and completely forgot about blogging.  I guess that is a good thing once in a while, right?  One of the reasons I started this blog was to help me connect with others as sometimes connection can be kind of hard in this modern, hurried world (and/or when you have a lot of kids to haul in and out of the car!). 

We are enjoying  lazy couple of Spring Break days.  Lots of TV (ouch), pajamas, uncombed hair, Easter candy, lingering talks with family and friends, and some tempermentally beautiful weather.   After such a long hard winter, it is so nice to see everything come back to life again.

Tonight, we are off to take the oldest two kids to see the Lord of the Dance  (Part of the whole scheduling of cultural activities).  I'm so excited.  I saw Riverdance years ago and it was amazing.

So, until tomorrow dear friends!  I will get these lazy bones around to some Easter photos and goals very soon.

What do you like to do for vacation?  Go and do, or enjoy some time with no where to go?  I enjoy both! 

Here is a funny saying I forgot to include the other day.  My little ones are currently obsessed with My Little Pony.  They've learned how to work Netflix and it is currently my nemesis.  I'm considering making myself a sticker chart to get myself to stick better to my TV time rule!  Lol.  So, with all the frolicking ponies around here, my baby has been referring a lot to "My Little Phony."  And he refers to ponies as "phonies."  I love it.  So cute.  The other night I let him cry it out.  It was traumatic, I tell you!  While I was sitting on the other side of his door I felt like I was going to cry too.  Because I'd been sick, my tummy started to growl.  Poor little guy, in a desperate, high-pitched, crying voice, said "I hear a dinosaur!"  More to come on this later.

Some Favorite Family Movies

Did you have a good Easter weekend, dear readers?  I had the stomach flu all day on Saturday, but that didn't prevent us from attending a beautifully done Easter egg hunt at a neighbors house (then I went home and collapsed on the couch for the rest of the day).  We enjoyed the day yesterday by going to church and then high-tailing it to my in-laws for a family get together that we have really come to look forward to each year.   Photos forthcoming sometime this week!

This is our spring break week!  I'm so excited!

So, lets face it.  We try to minimize the amount of TV our kids watch.  Sometimes we succeed and sometimes, its, well....harder.  These are all movies that I have watched with my kids on our family movie nights, and some of my favorites, for reasons I'll list below.  Enjoy!  (and please follow your own instincts when it comes to anything that might be inappropriate for your own unique child, since some of these would scare younger children or more sensitive children, I always look up movies on this site before I let my kids watch, I've learned this the hard way.  It gives guidance as to an appropriate age range, too, which helps a lot!)  :)



1.  Ratatouille

For any foodies out there who enjoy cooking and eating as much as I do, this movie is a real treat.  It is a beautifully animated story about a rat who dreams of doing more than eating garbage all day.   He learns all about cooking from a famous chef on TV whose claim is that "anyone can cook."  He meets up with a young man named Remy who is also socially isolated and they create a partnership that allows both of them to thrive and learn more about themselves as they are thrown into the center of a kitchen in a busy Paris restaurant.  I love this movie because it shows the power of following your dreams in spite of social pressure and about friendship and being your best.

2.  How to Train Your Dragon

Another story about a young man who doesn't quite fit in (there is a pattern here, hm), in his Viking village of dragon fighters.  He captures a dragon and surprises himself by refusing to kill the dragon (which would have finally brought him honor and respect at home) and instead befriending it.  Together he and his dragon forge a friendship that helps them overcome their individual handicaps, learn the courage to stand up to forces that kept them down, and bring understanding and change to the village.  A touching story about a parent-child relationship and finding the gifts in our children or ourselves that may be different than our own.

3.  In Search of the Castaways

Ok, this is an old movie (1962) with pretty rudimentary special effects.  But I LOVE it.  A story about two children whose father was lost at sea and their attempt to find him after a French professor found a message in a bottle, it is a fun and upbeat adventure story.  My favorite is the Frenchman and his optimism-- his song "Let's Climb"-- love it.




4.  Meet the Robinsons

A movie about the value of family and following your dreams in spite of setbacks, this is a great movie for all ages.  A young orphan named Lewis is a budding inventor who can't seem to find the right adoptive parents. When he receives a couple of mysterious visitors from the future, he discovers what family is all about (this one is so quirky and hilarious!) and is challenged to keep moving forward in spite of failure and find peace with his past as he races to save the future.

5.  Rise of the Guardians

This is one of our new favorites, though there are some parts that could scare young children.  Jack Frost is uncertain as to how he became who he is, and wonders why human beings cannot see him.  When the Boogeyman threatens to destroy children's belief in the "Guardians" of childhood-- Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman-- by instilling fear, Jack must discover who he is inside and why he has suddenly been chosen to help protect children.  The animation is amazing and imaginative, providing a fantastical and fresh glimpse into the characters and worlds of what could have been stale over-told stories (LOVE the Santa with his naughty and nice tattoos and the Australian accented Easter Bunny).  Instead it is fresh and inspiring story about the power of belief and childhood.

6.  Wreck-it Ralph

This is yet another story about someone on the fringes who goes in search of meaning and inclusion.  Ralph is the "bad guy" in an old-time video game.  Always taught that being bad was important and not to be questioned, Ralph gets tired of being marginalized and ignored for his contributions.  And yes, the poor guy has to sleep in the dump.  One day, in his frustration, he enters a different video game, and then another, in order to earn a medal to bring home.  The chaos that ensues is both cathartic, funny, and painful, as you watch Ralph learn about himself and others finally learn to appreciate him.  He meets a young girl who has also been socially rejected (a "glitch" in her game), and helps her discover her inner talents.  I really enjoyed the animation in this movie too-- the creative and humorous old, nostalgic games (remember Pac Man and games of us 80's brats?), as well as the incorporation of newer themes.



7.  Cars

This has been on my mind a lot because I've got a Cars addict on my hands that I have to fight off a lot around here.  But this truly is a great kids movie, one of my favorites as far as messages go.  Lightning McQueen is a young, arrogant racecar who only thinks of himself.  Until he gets lost on his way to a big race and has to do service in a little lonely run down town off of Route 66, for some damage he did to the road while evading a police car.  He finally learns to see outside himself as he becomes endeared to the various cute and quirky personalities in the small town.  What was once a one-man show turns into probably one of my favorite movie endings of all time, as McQueen finally learns that winning isn't everything.  This movie is chock full of funny automobile references and details that will delight people of all ages (little tiny car bugs?  Click and Clack?  Bring it on!).

I have some more I'm saving for another day!  Are any of these movies a favorite of yours too?

Fave Kids Movies Part II

Back

Well, I guess I'm back from crazy land today.  I'm sorry.  I truly lost it yesterday.  I was indeed crying my guts out while I wrote that post.  I'm kind of embarrassed.  It was cathartic to let it all out, but I tucked the post away for a minute because its a little raw and tender, like a good fat blessed bleeding steak cut fresh off the cow. :)  Maybe I'll put it back up later, when I can laugh about it.  (and you know, it's funny?  I wouldn't change a thing about my life, even all the hard things I've been through.  And I am so glad my parents believed in me so much as a child--and still do--and never wanted me to feel stygmatized or that I couldn't do something I set my mind to.  They are angels and I owe most of what is good in my life to them.)

Thanks for your support everyone, it's been a tough month for me.

Last night I went to listen to a woman speak about becoming a quadriplegic.   Nothing like a little perspective.  Here is a poem she read:

THE WEAVER
________________________________
Written by B.M. Franklin (1882-1965)

My life is just a weaving
Between my Lord and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaves so skillfully.

Sometimes He weaveth sorrow
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.

Not ‘til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And explain the reasons why-

The dark threads are as needful,
In The Weaver’s skillful hands
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

When life is its toughest, I have always turned to God for support and he has never let me down, even though he hasn't ever been the cause of my problem.  I have to admit I was a little angry at him over a couple of things, so I needed a reminder that I cannot do this alone and it is foolish to be angry with my best friend, cheerleader, and helper. :)

The thing that stood out to me  most in her talk was the strong impression that I got about helping others.  For me, it has always been the strongest antidote to sorrow.  Its nearly impossible to feel badly about my own troubles when I'm helping someone else with theirs.  And that is something that has been missing in my life lately, minus the daily little things I do for the kids.  Its funny, that at the same time this came to me, the woman speaking also wove the same thread (looking outside oneself) through her talk.  She spoke about a particularly bad day for her when she saw a little girl in a crowded room (I can't remember where this was?) and had the feeling she needed to talk to her.  She said she was annoyed that she felt she ought to talk to the little girl, because she was very busy and the little girl was surrounded by others who were playing games and doing fun things (if she wanted to play, she would have joined one of their games, she reasoned).  But the nagging feeling wouldn't leave.  So she wheeled over and asked if the little girl wanted to play several different games, which to each request the little girl sighed and said "no."  Then the woman, feeling a little exasperated, noticed that the little girl's hair was uncombed and she was wearing mis-matched clothes.  She asked the little girl if she would like her to comb her hair, to which the little girl responded in the affirmative.  As she was doing this little act of service, the little girl said in a tiny despondent voice that her mother used to comb her hair for her.  To which the woman queried about the girl's mother, who then responded: "she died yesterday."  I don't think there was a dry eye in the place when this story finished.

Isn't that one of the greatest things about having kids?  The daily opportunity we have to look outside ourselves.  Its funny that we moms joke about all the things that pregnancy and childbirth does to our hips, our waistline, our sagging...bodies.  We talk about lost sleep and the times when we didn't shower until 5pm and not being able to go to the bathroom alone, let alone get in some personal time.  Yet there is a little hidden secret in all that, and it is that we get so much more than we give.  The recipe for a fulfilling life is finding someone to bless outside yourself.  

Sorry for the font ADD.  You know what?  In spite of my crazy mood swings, this has been a great month as far as my goals!  I got in a couple of needed doctor appointments, and can use them as stepping stones for the future, and our morning routine has gone pretty well!  

Some Ups and Downs

I've still been suffering a little aftershock around here.  Yesterday I felt myself slipping feet first into a muddly hole of depression and anxiety as I tried to come to grips with everything.  I have been reading two books on ADD (lol), and feeling a mixture of relief and validation as well as the crashing-down realization of what having this has meant for me in my life.  All those little things I've felt ashamed about, that I've tried to hide or apologize for or just fix on my own, well, it's nice to know other people have been there too, and it's not my fault and my condition is both my greatest blessing and an enormously elephantine challenge I've been trying not to look at.  I've also been coming to grips with the fact that I think possibly all five of my children have it too in various forms and what that will mean for the future.  I'm so glad that I can help them, though it's kind of a joke to think that someone like me has to help them learn to get organized and develop routines and not procrastinate!  Ha.  It's a good thing there are other people out there who are good at this who we can turn to for help.  Yes, I'm crying my eyes out as I write this.  I think I've needed a good cry for years, I just didn't know it.  Just letting it all sink in and letting it hurt a minute before I screw my courage to the sticking place like I have done my whole life.  In reading Delivered from Distraction I found it is common for many in my shoes to suffer also from PTSD (I can't remember when I posted about this, but remember when I was diagnosed with PTSD a while back?  I thought it was just from all of our crazy moves and stress, but now I see the role this has played, too).  For me, some of the trauma has come from watching my oldest son start to go through what I went through, and it is not fun (so much harder to watch your kid go through anything than go through it yourself, right?).  He is the main reason I even sought help in the first place, because I did not want him to go through what I did.

Two nights ago when I said my prayers, I reached into my past and realized that the ADD thing is one of the things that has made my life so great and so full of adventure around every bend.  And who knows if I would have had my sweet five kids if I had felt I had to be on medication the whole time?  It's also helped me to be compassionate toward others and given me a depth of love and enjoyment of my little ones that maybe I wouldn't have felt otherwise (I'm learning that ADD'ers especially need people).  Even if the help I'm looking for doesn't really change things, I think I need to finally come to some self acceptance and awareness and embracing of all of the good and bad parts of myself together as a complete package deal.  Greatest curse and greatest blessing.  (Also a good opportunity to see why having things like a big house are just not working out for me!  I sensed this from afar, long ago, but somehow I'm always talking myself into things that are against my better judgement!)  And, of course, in the end, that while I can use the diagnosis to help understand myself better, I can never let it be an excuse to not do my best, but rather as a jumping off point.  And never to let it define me, but to let me define me.

Okay, now for a little comic relief as promised yesterday.  First I must wipe the snot from my face.

Remember our little tooth-brushing fire truck video?  Aw, how sweet.  Just a few days after the posting of that video, my baby revolted against all tooth brushing, fire truck or no.   Since then I've had to be even more creative-- think circus clown.  On the way to visit my  mom after a recent surgery, out of the blue I heard his voice in a deep forced growl say "I. NO. BRUSH. TEETH. ANY. MORE!"

Last night we had a little girl running around wide-eyed and screaming in her sleep.  My husband, in an attempt to calm her, started asking her everyone's names (everyone woke up and was surrounding my bed, where he had her).  She got all the names right until he got to her.  When he asked her what her name was, she wailed "Apple Jaaaaaack!"

My little four year old calls coughing "choking."  She wanted to go to a friend's house while she still had a cough.  She promised me that she would "not choke in Presley's mouth."

Lately I'll absent-mindedly ask my baby if he is my big boy.  He will say "no, I Emer." (Emerson)

Shoot, I know I had some more but I'm drawing a blank right now.  Imagine that, will ya?

No more drama tomorrow, I hope.  Thanks again for listening to my crazy tirades.