Wake-up Call

Photo by Ksugirl126

Today at the pool I was watching some of the kids play in the water while an older girl fumbled around in her mother's pool bag aimlessly for minutes on end only to end up empty handed.  It was evident that she didn't fit in the with the other kids, played either by herself or spent most of the time with the adults present but not engaged in conversation or activity like the other kids her age.  It seemed as though her mother was annoyed by her mere presence and though the girl didn't seem to notice, I can't help but wonder if deep inside she sensed the annoyance that her mother wore all over her face and with her body language.

I sat for a while and pondered how I react and respond to my children when they are on my last nerve.  I know that at times I can be short tempered and don't always remember to hold my tongue...and then I wonder why my children respond in the same manner to each other.  How can I expect them to respond to each other in a Godly manner when I don't always model for them love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control, and gentleness?  I guess that means I'm not always filled with those things and I should be. 

So for a while I plan to spend time really trying to figure out what is causing me to not always be so "fruitful" and I need to weed those things out.  In that process, I hope that I am able to start living out the fruit the God intends for me and to share with my kids so they can start to grow and tend their own fruit.

Maddie's Room

Maddie has decided she wants to ditch her bubblegum pink room for something more hip and stylish. Teal seems to be the common theme, so in an effort to try to wrap myself around something artsy for her, I made this...

What do you think? I was thinking of a darker shade of the teal in these flowers. She has a gray solid beadspread, so I figured some fun pillows in lots of bright colors would be good and then maybe a canvas of this somewhere (if it's not too dorky for an almost 7 year old's taste).

It's About Time!

Several friends have mentioned that they stopped linking my blog to theirs because I haven't written in such a long time. Well...I'd say that 14+ months does fall into the "long time" category.



It's been a long and eventful 14 months. We have had our ups and downs and with God's grace, we keep plugging along at full speed ahead.



In that time, Buddy had tubes put in his ears and his adenoids removed. He started walking, qualified for First Steps due to a speech delay (b/c of his ear issues), was released from First Steps b/c he basically caught up before he really got started, he actually started gaining weight and hit a whopping 3% on the height and weight growth chart (not 5% is when the scale actually begins). The true test will be at his 3 year check up to see where he is at now (yes, I said 3 year...sniff, sniff).



Boo graduated from kindergarten and has had a wonderful year in a pre-first grade class with the same teacher. She has blossomed socially and with confidence and is reading, writing and drawing like a mad lady! The girl can make art out of junk and I have to hide recyclables so that she isn't dumpster diving for her newest inventions! She is a huge help and is a wonderful big sister. If I had a big sister, I'd want her to be at the top of my list.



Bear has really grown and changed a lot this year. She has lost her "budha belly" and has shot up like a weed to where she is wearing clothes that Boo wore last year! She has lost her toddler look and as she starts to approach #4, she is blossoming into a big girl! She has an amazing imagination and is such a sweetheart. Bear has struggled for months with her sleep, and after an adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy, we haven't seen the kind of improvement we'd like, so I think we are on the path towards a sleep study. In the meantime, the king sized bed we bought last fall is coming in quite handy!



The King of the house has enjoyed our new basement renovation and finds it to be a place of solace and hobby. He has a beautiful space where his love and passion for wine has been able to grow and he actually has a place to store and serve it! We are enjoying the "man cave" as he calls it, and it has afforded us many more opportunities to entertain friends...and the 60 in. plasma helps too!



I have had an interesting 14 months myself. I have enjoyed teaching and realize again how truly blessed I am to have the opportunity to work and be home with the children. My colleagues are outstanding teachers and friends and have been a tremendous support to our family as we have plowed through health and sleep issues over the past 12+ months. We are excited to be opening Faith Montessori Preschool in Noblesville in the fall and I will continue to teach while Bear and Buddy get to reap the benefits of the best early childhood program in Hamilton County!



I have also had a chance to grow personally this year. I had the pleasure of being introduced to and inspired by an amazing woman who is in the business of changing lives of children and families in Indianapolis. Amanda Byrd is the Executive Director of The Indianapolis Early Learning Center. Amanda has opened an amazing school in a part of Indianapolis that a lot of people don't want to talk about. IELC is a Reggio inspired school and as an early childhood educator, when I enter the building it's like I've stepped into Disney World. To see the learning opportunities created for children and the potential they have to become intrinsically motivated learners is amazing; especially when many come from homes where education is not at the top of the list of needs. When research shows that children who do not participate in an early childhood experience are 70% more likely to be arrested for a violent crime by age 18 , we're on to something. If a child that hasn't caught up socially by the 3rd grade has a 50% chance of graduating from high school - we need to do something. That "something" is being done at IELC. If you have some time, I'd love to share IELC with you!

I have more to write, but as many of you know I like to ramble. So I will ramble on some other day.

Save Handmade

Click on the bear to read about the future of handmade children's items in the U.S.

Maybe not...

For some reason, the thought of sleeping in this morning crossed my mind...right. Gone are the days of sleeping until noon on a day off! I guess I need to start going to be earlier if I want to catch some extra shut eye. So instead, we spent the morning cutting up a cardboard box for the dog to have a "cave" to sleep in...good luck with that one kids.

Does it really have to be winter?

I've finally gotten past fall and have forced myself to admit that it's finally winter...UGH! I've lived in Indiana for 16 years and still have the desert rat in me. There's nothing better than 60 degree weather in Phoenix for Christmas! Gotta love those desert holidays! I remember our last Christmas in Phoenix was cold (may 50 degrees) and our first Christmas in Evansville was colder than a well diggers bu$$ (as my dad would say). "It rarely snows in Evansville," he said. Yeah right...we missed almost a week of school and I learned how to sled by the river without getting hit by cars or arrested...

Today was my first day off for Christmas Break (I can call it that since I teach at a Christian school). We spent part of the day playing with friends and then came home to a clean house for naps/quiet time and then playing in the warm basement. Tonight I had a chance to update my personal and A. Ashley Designs blogs and my Etsy shop.

Tomorrow will be a relaxing day of play, laundry and coffee!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have much to be thankful for this year! Paul's mom came to visit and we celebrated Thanksgiving at our house with all of our favorites: turkey, Williamsburg sweet potatoes, Aunt Wilda's rolls, mom's Mexican cornbread crack mix, cranberry apple pie and dairy free pumpkin pie (tastes the same as regular!).



For as quickly as we devoured our dinner, it sure took a long time to clean up!




As I reflect upon 2008, I have a lot to be thankful for and realize how lucky we are and how we are continually blessed by friends and family. Where I fall short is figuring out how to teach my children (specifically Maddie) how to be thankful...any ideas?

Paul and I celebrated the 9th anniversary of our first date on Black Friday by our traditional visit to the Children's Museum...with children. Finn was the brave one willing to have his picture taken with Santa...