As we stand here at the doorstep of 2007 and get ready to turn the doorknob, I can't help but poppin' on my iPod and listening to reflective songs from say, Coldplay or The Fray. For some reason I like to make the transition into the new year with a music video created by myself, in my head, using my memories and my music. Ok, I admit, my methods may be strange, but I think the process is still important. It's important to access where you were, where you're going, and where you really want to be. Hopefully the last two things match up. Jason and I did this together over some hot chocolates …
Kim's Random Musings
Kindergarten Shopping
When I was in kindergarten my school had one of those shops set up where you could buy gifts for your family. All of the items were a buck or two. I made a list of everyone in my family and my mom gave me a few dollars and away I went. The shop was set up in the school library and they even had older students gift-wrapping the magical gifts for us. I was in awe! I had never been given the freedom to buy gifts for anyone without one of my parents supervising. Unfortunately many of the memories from this experience have faded but a few things still stand out. I was a little unclear about how …
Make a Joyful Noise
This morning started as a normal Sunday morning at church. The opening song was starting as the priest and altar servers were walking down the aisle. As they approached the altar I noticed they had a visitor- a young girl, my guess is 3 1/2 – 4-years-old. She had followed them up on the altar. She was dancing freely to the music with a big grin on her face. She danced and danced for what seemed like minutes, but it was probably only ten seconds. Then she did something that surprised us all! (As if this wasn't surprising enough already!) She went up to the podium and grabbed the microphone, …
Wings and Freezers
A few years ago when I first started teaching kindergarten I quickly realized that I had a lot to learn about kids and parenting. Five years later I feel like I walked away with a treasure chest of knowledge that I wouldn’t trade for the world, however there are still a number of questions I have. The first one is this, “Did the person who invented juice boxes ever actually try out his/her invention with a child?” My guess is no. As a grown-up, I, myself, find it challenging to drink one of those things without squeezing it just a tag bit too hard and wearing some of it. How are toddlers …
Can Almonds Bring You Joy?
I have a confession to make. I can be an emotional eater. Ya know, when you have had a rough day or something is bothering you, and you seek out foods that will make it all better. Some of my favorites are brownies, ice cream (put them together and it’s even better), macaroni and cheese, and 3 Musketeers, just to name a few. Jason and I just experienced this a week or so ago with a common experience that stressed us out. …
Good Game
This afternoon I had the chance to play a competitive game of balloon volleyball with Jason, my niece and brother-in-law. My poor niece didn’t have a chance with me on her team. It did bring back some great memories of high school sports, though. The excitement of a great play, the sting of defeat, the teamwork… sports are awesome for teaching so many life lessons. I didn’t even realize them all as I played as a kid, but now the metaphors are pretty obvious. …
Midnight Multitasking
Family weddings can get a little crazy, especially out-of-town weddings. As you saw from my last post my sister got married last weekend. It was a beautiful wedding with a beautiful bride! By the end of the night, after the happy bride and groom had left the reception, lots of people were helping clean-up and everyone was pretty tired, to say the least. The next morning we got up and were making our brunch plans in the parking lot of the hotel. One of the trunks got opened to put some bags in and a sweet discovery was made. The groom’s cake! …
Life Imitating Art
It’s hard to know what’s real and what’s fictional some days when your husband creates a comic strip character modeled after you. Yes, this is the “real” Boompa, all dressed up at my sister’s wedding last weekend. …
Set-Up for Failure
Jason and I got a chance to catch an episode of "Honey We're Killing the Kids" the other night on TLC. I was, like many people, intrigued by the concept. The premise deals with the important issue of childhood obesity. In true reality TV fashion, an expert (in this case, a nutrition expert) comes into an "extreme" household and shakes it all up, giving them challenges that are meant to improve their lifestyles. Some of the challenges have included: "Sack the sugar," "Family eats together," "Set a bedtime routine," "Limit television hours" and "Exercise together." It's so sad that these …
My Mom Won
I don’t know if you are aware, but my Mom is THE BEST MOM EVER. She is the official #1 Mom! I have collected the evidence right here for you to see for yourself. Here’s one piece of evidence for every year of my life. 1- Labor and delivery, late night feedings, cloth diapers, teething… need I say more? 2- My Mom would refill the orange juice in “my baby cup” (as I called it), what probably seemed like dozens of times a day. I loved juice, apparently. 3- After I “helped her” run her errands we’d stop at the bakery and get the best gingerbread men cookies, together! …