Sunday Six - summer!

"Sunday Six!" is a game where Kelly asks us to have six questions answered. Remember, the idea is to post answers to the following six question, but the trick is to get your kids to answer them! If you don't have kids, use your imagination... Your pet, your neighbor, your elderly family member, your roommate, etc. Did you play? Let me and Kelly know so we can visit you.

Today I was able to ask Sarah (SB - age 6 yrs) and Sydney (SK - age 3 yrs) the Sunday 6. I asked Sydney first so she was not influenced by her big sister's answers. Here they are:

1. What does Summer Solstice mean?

SK:

SB:

2. What do you like best about summer?

SK:

SB:

3. Is summer always hot?

SK:

SB:

4. What do you do during the summer?

SK:

SB:

5. Which do you like best, summer, winter, spring or fall?

SK:

SB:

6. What do you not like about summer?

SK:

SB:

This was as much attention as I could get from the girls. They are too busy playing with their cousins to pay attention to Mommy's questions. So, they don't like bugs (and Sarah will tell you that she doesn't like jellyfish now that she has experienced one up close and personal.) They love playing in water - esp the way Pops plays (sprinklers on the swingset slide with a plastic tarp down the grass making a slip n slide or filling the back of the pickup truck with water to make a wading pool).

So, maybe another time.

My sister only has dial-up, so I'll add pictures later this week.

I'm HOME!!

Ever since I left for college, I have always felt that I have two homes. One is where I'm currently sleeping, one is where my family lives.

Yesterday, I flew home for the first time in three years. I've not seen my sister or nephews in that time. I really miss them. They have not seen my girls in that time.

The girls did pretty well on the flight. DH couldn't come this time. It was just me. But, I've flown with them alone before, so I knew I could do it.

My only complaint with visiting home is that I never get to visit my friends because my family is a bit protective of my time. That, and my mother/father live a couple of hours from everyone on one direction, my sister in the other, so it's not really easy. When it was just me it was no problem, but harder with the kids.

But, this time, I'm looking forward to a low key visit.

But, WE ARE GOING TO THE NATIONAL ZOO!! I love the zoo (good ones, the ones that don't stink) I used to bring a book to the zoo and sit near the lions and tigers in the grass and read for the afternoon when I used to living in Arlington after college.

So, I'll be intermittent, but then again I've been pretty intermittent lately anyway.

Thanks for sticking with me.

To Obliviate or Not to Obliviate

Last night, I sat comforting my husband. I set aside everything I had planned to do last evening, and let him tell me about his past 48 hours. I knew something had been wrong, but I couldn't ask him about it until then.

You see, DH had been called for Federal Jury duty. Because of where we live, the Federal courts are 100 miles away, so he had to stay in a hotel. He said it was probably a good thing because he wasn't sure he would have gone back if he had come home.

The case he was put on was a sexual abuse of a minor by an uncle. He didn't tell me exactly what that entailed but based on the tears he shed, I don't think I want to know. He talked about how this 13 y.o. girl had sat on the stand and bravely talked about what her uncle had done three years prior. He said that she sat through everyone else (including her Aunt's) testimony - much of it contradictory to her own.

He said she did everything right, she told him no, she told her aunt who didn't believe her and then she told her guidance counselor.

DH felt helpless that all he could do was find the guy guilty. I told him that was a lot. That for this girl to know that people believed her did help. It gave her power. I hope I'm right about this and it's not just me wanting it to be so. If anyone has insight, please share.

But, it won't fix anything.

I wonder sometimes why we don't just have a process to erase our minds so we don't have to dream about the horrors that exist in the world. But, if we turn a blind eye to them, the horrors don't go away. I think back to the 50's when things like this weren't talked about. All the people who suffered not knowing they had the right to say "no," the power to face them in court.

Yes, we have to be aware of genocide, abuse, torture, etc. But aren't we better for knowing it exists and trying to fight it?

But, as I held my husband last night, wanting to take away he pain for this little girl, his fear that our daughters are only so safe, I wish I had a way to make it all go away. But, I'm grateful that he could turn to me as helpless as I felt.

Oh, and if anyone is wondering why this was a federal case, it is because we live close to an Indian Reservation as the defendent was Indian and this occured on an Indian Reservation it was a federal case.

Sunday Six - Our Father.

"Sunday Six!" is a game where Kelly asks us to have six questions answered. Remember, the idea is to post answers to the following six question, but the trick is to get your kids to answer them! If you don't have kids, use your imagination... Your pet, your neighbor, your elderly family member, your roommate, etc. Did you play? Let me and Kelly know so we can visit you.

Today I was able to ask Sarah (SB - age 6 yrs) and Sydney (SK - age 3 yrs) the Sunday 6. I asked Sydney first so she was not influenced by her big sister's answers. Here they are:

1. What is a Father?

SK: I don't know.

SB: Our Dad.

2. Why do we have Fathers?

SK: I don't know.

SB: To play with.

3. What do Father's do?

SK: I don't know

SB: Work in a workshop

4. How do you celebrate Father's Day?

SK: I don't know.

SB: Each chocolate cake

5. What have you learned from your Father?

SK: I don't know.

SB: A ton of things.

6. Do you have any other names for your Father - if so, what are they?

SK: No. (well at least it's a different answer)

SB: Daddy. (and when she was little - Dabby)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The other Sunday, our Priest's sermon was on how our culture has become a culture of shoppers. We shop for the best price, the best product, etc.

She went on to comment about shopping for the church that best meets our needs. Or the church with the best sermon, the best music, etc. The way she phrased it, it was obviously a bad thing. But I didn't see it that way. After all, I had shopped for a church.

To me, my relationship with God and my relationship with Church are two different things. I don't need a church to have a relationship with God. To me, Church is a community that has a shared mission, shared values, shared vision. Am I doing myself a service if I just join a church because it's the religion I've always been?

I was raised Catholic. I decided that I had two many issues with the church's beliefs to stay Catholic. I knew that I wanted to stay within a religion that held similar beliefs - after all I wanted a community with shared views - and I didn't disagree with all the Catholic Churches teachings.

But, I wanted to be in a church that I could agree with the sermon's teachings, that the music moved me, and I liked and felt accepted by the people who belonged to the congregation.

So, is it wrong to "shop" for a church? To find the group that best fits your need for community? I guess it's all in the sale.

The other side

Last night I had a dream that I arrived in class only to discover that I had forgotten to sumbit the list of books for my class and none of my students had them.

I guess I've changed the perspective of the "I lost my homework" dream.

Sunday Six - Busy

"Sunday Six!" is a game where Kelly asks us to have six questions answered. Remember, the idea is to post answers to the following six question, but the trick is to get your kids to answer them! If you don't have kids, use your imagination... Your pet, your neighbor, your elderly family member, your roommate, etc. Did you play? Let me and Kelly know so we can visit you.


Today I was able to ask Sarah (SB - age 6 yrs) and Sydney (SK - age 3 yrs) the Sunday 6. I asked Sydney first so she was not influenced by her big sister's answers. Here they are:

1. What does it mean to be busy?

SK: We just clean up with mommy or daddy or Sarah.

SB: Your working a lot.

2. Who is busier, Mommy or Daddy?

SK: Mommy (not sure about that lately)

SB: Both (good answer)

3. Are you busy?

SK: Yea - sometimes I'm busy. Sometimes I'm busy with you mommy (places arm around my neck) because we are friends.

SB: Not really.

4. What do you do when you are not busy?

SK: You just play and play and play.

SB: Play around.

5. What do you forget to do when you are busy?

SK: We forgot we were playing and make a big mess.

SB: I forget to make my bed and brush my teeth and check my backpack.

6. Can it be fun to be busy?

SK: yea!

SB: uh, yea. Like cooking with mom in the kitchen.

SPF: ap·er·ture

Kristine wants us to represent the definition of aperture. So I give you my representation of wide open spaces, bright, and dark.

Here are my kitchen counters now that I have cleaned them off:

This is the view from my front yard. We spend many months in the dark, so we really celebrate our sunshine.

This is my DD in the dark sleeping - with the flash, you can't tell that it's not daylight. I didn't know the camera could do this before I tried. Unfortunately, I woke her up taking the picture.

Did you play? Let me know and I'll try to visit.

The unknown

Tomorrow I go for an MRI to see why my ankle (that I sprained in Nov) is still weak. The suspicion is a peroneal tendon tear.

I won't know what the results are for another week, then I will also find out if its something the Ortho here can fix, or if I would have to travel. I also have to decide if I would want a 2nd opinion.

I have a friend who has been on the cross country team here - she's going to ask around about the Dr. I'm seeing as well as those in the towns I'm most likely to travel to.

Too much to think about. I'll blog about fun stuff tomorrow night.

Sunday Six - Thank you Jack.

"Sunday Six!" is a game where Kelly asks us to have six questions answered. Remember, the idea is to post answers to the following six question, but the trick is to get your kids to answer them! If you don't have kids, use your imagination... Your pet, your neighbor, your elderly family member, your roommate, etc. Did you play? Let me and Kelly know so we can visit you.

Today I was able to ask Sarah (SB - age 6 yrs) and Sydney (SK - age 3 yrs) the Sunday 6. I tried to ask Sydney first so she was not influenced by her big sister's answers, but Sydney wasn't into answering today. Here they are:

This week's questions - brought to you by Jack:

1. Do you have a Kitty?

SK: Shakes her head no.

SB: Yes, I have a stuffed animal kitty.

Sydney: Mommy, someone has to bring me a stuff animal kitty.

2. Why do bears roar?

SK: Ask Sarah first.

SB: To, I don't know.

Sydney: I don't know.

3. Why do lollypops have sugar?

SK: I don't know.

SB: Because they are junk food.

4. Why do girls wear earrings?

SK: I don't know.

SB: That's a good question. Boys can wear earrings. They think they look pretty?

5. Why do girls have make up and all girl's stuff?

SK: I don't know.

SB: To look pretty.

6. What is a box?

SK: To throw downstairs. (we roll the boxes down the basement stairs to recycle them.)

SB: Something that things come in.

Stuff Protrait Friday

Kristine wants sparkly, dull, and colorful.

So, I give you my first SPF

Here is my 3 y.o. playing in the sprinkler on Monday. I loved the way the sun sparkled in the water.

While I enjoy most of the books in our library, I'm not as keen on my husbands collection of military books. I find them a bit dull.

Here is my 6 y.o. at last years dance recital. She was a very colorful parrot.

I hope to play again.

What would you bring

I've been starting to think about lesson plans for next year. One of the hardest things for me to convey is the idea of culture to freshmen. It's just a term that they can't comprehend.

The way I have found to talk about culture is the talk about the culture that exists at each of their high schools. What was it like. Then, talk about the way that each of them has brought something that has created the culture of their freshman class. The each bring something different and create a new culture. Then we talk about members of their new culture who are resisting joining- what barriers are they facing. What can they do to overcome the barriers these students are facing to help bring them in to be an active member of the new culture.

I've decided that maybe I would have them bring three things to class one night - something that identifies their high school class, something that identifies them, and something that identifies the University student body. I'll see if this will help them visualize the concepts I am introducing as we talk about change in organizations.

What would you bring if I asked you to bring something that identified you?