She's Trained and Ready

Miss M is now Infant and Child CPR trained as part of her Red Cross Babysitting Certification training . This means she's now ready to babysit real live children. Your children!

Miss M along with a few of her friends and fellow Balcony Girls spent their day off last week sitting in a classroom for six hours learning all about taking care of children, how to save their lives, and what to do in case of an emergency.

M learned how to interview the parents of prospective babysitting families, the proper diapering of babies, how best to handle strangers at the door, choking children, and what to do if your customer is late returning home.  I sat in on a little of the session and I'm not sure how I ever took care of my own three children.

The girls learned how to give CPR to babies and it was not the old fashioned rescue breathing way, but by chest compressions.  Miss M supposedly got a little carried away, and might have broken a few ribs but the "child' survived.  Isn't that all that really matters. Hopefully, this is a skill she'll never need!  I've been CPR trained for years and am thankful its a card in my wallet I've never needed to "activate."

I can hardly believe my little girl is at the age that she could be in charge of other children.  Not because she's not ready, but where have years gone?  She was the little girl excited to have a babysitter come to our house to play.  She was the girl who would wait at the door for her favorite sitter so they could make crafts and read books.

Now, she'll be the girl that other little girls and boys are waiting for, the sitter that moms will call because they know Miss M will play with their children and not just sit on the couch reading a fashion magazine.  Mr C told his sister that, if she did a good job, she could earn good money and buy herself the Itouch she wants.  Of course, he could buy one today with all his umpiring money.  Miss M said with Christmas coming maybe he could just be the good brother and buy her one today!

Miss M made up some adorable little cards announcing her skills and newly acquired certificates.  She can hardly wait to hand them out to Miss A's little friends' families.

Life Lessons: Not Everyone is a Winner

There are winners and losers in life and sports.  Often, as parents and coaches, we might try to sugar coat this reality, but our kids see through these veiled attempts to make everyone feel like a superstar.  Just go a little league baseball game or soccer match and even when no one keeps score, every player on the field knows who scored the most points and won the game.  We might say "everyone is a winner," but the reality is sometimes we lose, often the other team is better than us, and some days we get out played and end up in second place. Or worse.

Mr C just finished his first ever season of Football as a freshman.  He played on the freshman only team and then suited up for a few Reserve games that had both freshman and sophomore players. He wasn't a star player and he didn't get in on every play.  But when he played, he gave his best.  One game he even got "hit" and was thrilled that he even had some bruises to show for his effort.

Now, I think Mr C would be the first to admit that his school is not known as a football powerhouse.  They are a small school with about 220 students in four grades, but due to the fact the school wants to compete against bigger schools in academic competitions (drafting, engineering, speech, math, science), they "play up." and compete against these bigger schools in athletics as well. 

It can make the match ups in football especially a little uneven. In football, its all about having depth, multiple players who can play a particular spot.  When you only have 62 boys in the freshman class, its hard to be very deep.  Don't think I'm some football expert.  All this info I've gleaned this year on the sidelines was from my husband.  When I cried foul the first few games thinking the other team was stacking the field with upperclassman, my honey tried to calm me down by giving me these insights.

All of this leads to the fact that Mr C's team did not win a game this season. At times, they were crushed by the other team and other times they put up a gallant fight and just fell a little short.  What I was most proud of was how they played the game.  Each and every time, they gave it their all, they never gave up, they never lost spirit and each time they went into the game with the goal of winning and giving their best. 

Watching the Varsity team play with the same result while seeing and hearing the school body cheer for them with gusto brought me great pride.  These upperclassmen continued to fight until the end, to give it their all on the field, and proved that real winners don't necessarily win games or awards, but show grit and determination.  The lessons these young men are learning will take them far in life.  In reality, few of these young men will play football in college, the scholarships they earn won't be for their achievement on the playing field. 

There is something to be said for being a gracious loser. Showing up on the field and giving it your all when time and time again you walk off the field with a loss takes courage, faith and strength that you don't always see in young men (or women) today.  It's an old fashioned trait called Valor which means great courage in the face of danger, especially battle.  Seeing it among these young men and their coaches gave me such hope for this generation.

Valor is a life lesson that can only be achieved when you've been through the battle and fought the good fight.  There is so much to be said for that.  In my book, these young men are the real winners in life.

This Girl Loves to Have Fun

Miss A had Thursday of last week off from school for Parent Teacher's Conferences.  As the sole elementary student in our family, it meant that she was all alone in having a day off.  Perfect excuse for a trip to our favorite children's museum about one hour away with one of our "little" friends.

We had a great morning exploring Space, Water, Gravity, Farming and the world of Engineering.  Really, where else can you experience so much in so little time?  Miss A's imagination was running full as we played each other in football and volleyball, as she grocery shopped to fill her basket with healthy choices, and trying time and again to make a ball go up a chute of piping tubes. 

I've been to this museum probably two dozen times with various children in our family/friends and cousins and its a fun experience every time.  Miss A and I had a fun time with our little buddy and his Mom.  According to Miss A, our lunch out at the Noodles Company allowed her to eat her favorite Mac and Cheese ever.  It's so yummy and made with real to goodness cheese.  "Well  I do like your Pioneer Woman mac and cheese too mom, but this is really good."  I believe those were Miss A's words when she saw my sad puppy dog face.

I love to watch this girl of mine have fun and experience new and old things.  She is a real joy.

Balcony Girls: Lesson Two, Pumpkin Crafts and Confidence

I'm really loving leading this group of sixth grade girls through the Balcony Girls material.  Yesterday was our second meeting of the year and, since it was a week before Halloween, I used the fourth lesson which included an adorable craft you make with pumpkins.

Thankfully, this meeting did not involve a "life lesson" for the leader. 

The topic was Confidence and from the look on the faces of the girls as we sat around the dining room table, it hit home.  I loved the visual of crumpling up a crisp twenty dollar bill and asking the girls what the value of the bill was now that it was all crumpled up and messy.  The examples of gossip, rumors and friends breaking your trust as a way you might get "messy"  really struck a cord with each girl. 

Making our Pumpkin Flower Pots and getting all "messy" on the deck and digging out the guts of the pumpkin so that we could put a little "beauty" back into it was a great visual.  My back deck was a mess of pumpkin seeds and potting soil at the end, but it matched my previously clean kitchen with the remnants of the "homemade apple pies" we made as our snack using biscuits and apple pie filling. Yummo!  But a little mess was so worth it in order to connect with these girls and pass on these life lessons.

It does my heart good to be leading these girls through our Balcony Girls/Scouting year.  Next on the agenda is to make homemade fleece blankets to display our GS patches.  We've even talked of creating our own balcony girl patches so we can remember these lessons in the years to come.  Better get my creative juices flowing.

Loving Uniform Life

Mr C is really enjoying wearing a uniform to school. No, really!  Seriously!  In fact, he might be enjoying it so much that he's thinking we should petition the elementary and Jr high schools his sisters attend and convince them to implement uniforms.  He told Miss M that she and her friends would really benefit from uniforms.  It would allow them to sleep in more, no stress over what to wear, and they would do better in school because they wouldn't be looking at each others clothes and shoes!  Gotta love how quickly he's jumped on this bandwagon and how "willing" he is to pass on his knowledge with Miss M.

Last week was Spirit Week at Mr. C's school meaning the "uniform" rules were waved a little bit to allow for some celebration.  Monday was Crazy Sweater day and I'm sad to say that mine was closet he raided for that event.  Mr C said he got a lot of complements on my Norwegian Sweater. I told him to hold his tongue as it's still in my rotation of wearing ( I love it still B& B- almost 12 years later) and at least I don't have any Christmas sweaters anymore.

Tuesday was Flashback day and he asked his father if he had any "old fashioned" ties that he could wear.  My husbands response got a big laugh from me and a confused reaction from the rest of the family.  He stated, "All my clothing is old fashioned, you are the only people who get new stuff!"  Guess this makes Christmas shopping easy, he wants new ties.  ( I could go into how my husband is now jealous of C's fresh new dressy wardrobe including new shoes, ties, and dress socks but I'm not stupid, P reads this blog)

Mr C's flashback day outfit however was the best ever.  He wore his father's University of Texas fraternity shirt.  P wore this shirt to carry in the big Texas flag at UT games!  It fit like a glove and I think my husband might have been the one having flashbacks to his old college days.  He might have even threatened C not to spill any lunch on it and might have suggesting stripping at lunch to protect the shirt.  Thankfully, it's a single sex school! 

Mr C said that he got quite a few cheers and jeers wearing the UT shirt and he came home without a spill on it.  Thank goodness.

Wednesday was mismatch Day which meant that Mr C, who normally prides himself on wearing smashing outfits, went to school with a tie, shirt, and pant combination that clashed.  Let's just say I think he looked like your average young man. 

Thursday was the last football game of the season, so the boys were allowed to wear Spirit Gear and they could even wear jeans to school.  A sweatshirt and jeans !  Mr C was excited, but admitted that while it was fun to "dress down" he really did notice a difference in how the day went and how it almost didn't seem like school.

I'll admit I'm loving uniforms too, however it has made sock put away a little more difficult.  My husband says I should just put the "nice" socks in C's drawers and the "holey" ones in his.

Trip to the Apple Orchard

We are always in search of fun fall things to do as a family and last Sunday's family outing was probably one of our best in the past few years. We went to a small town nearby known for all things "apple" and had a blast exploring nature, picking apples, and just marveling at Gods' beautiful creations.



We could not have asked for more perfect weather.  It was sunny and in the mid sixties; perfect for a light sweatshirt.  Our first stop was a tree farm that Miss M and I had visited a few years ago with her Girl Scout Troop and we enjoyed sharing the adventure with Mr C and Miss A.  There were hammocks to make out of fabric, a tall tree house to climb, and a trail that took us deep into the woods. 

Miss A complained that she had never walked so much in her life, but the huge smile on her face told of her joy.  Mr C believed that the sign declaring the trail at 2/3 of a mile was just to trick unsuspecting guests into venturing out on a forced march.  In his "expert" opinion, it was closer to 2.5 miles!  (The Boy Scout comes through)  Miss M's only complaint was that there was so much to see "off " the trail including big drop offs next to streams, walking paths that promised treasures, and of course trees that would have been perfect to climb.  Too bad mom and dad are such rule followers that we made her stay on the path.

There were so many photo ops; the bridge over the leaf covered stream, the walking path covered with leaves of all colors, and the "three little bears" chairs that were just adorable.  Even big man Mr C looks mini in that big chair.  Next year, we are dragging the kids there in their Sunday best and capturing a Christmas Card moment.  This year was all about making the memories and having fun.



Finally, our afternoon would not have been complete without a trip to the orchard for "pick your own apples."  When the hay rack ride driver told us to be sure to sample the different types to help us pick which ones we like the most, some members of our family took him at his word.  I think between Mr P and Mr C a least 10 apples were consumed.  Miss A and I decided that Jonigold were our favorites, while Miss M and the boys are divided between Winesap and Braeburns. 

Really, can anything taste as good as fresh fruit right off the tree? They are right when they say that Fresh Local is the best!  Our ten pound bushel of apples is nearly gone, just a few days later and I was told in no uncertain terms that I should just leave them plain, no apple crisp, no apple pies (which is good since I don't know how to make pie crust anyway.) or any other apple "snack."

We finished off the afternoon at the cafe eating apple pie, sampling apple wines and apple slushies, and resting our happy bodies before calling it a day!  I think this could become one of my favorite top ten days of the year!  Happy family equals Happy Momma.

Amazing Race Season 19: Go Big or Go Home

It's our favorite time of the year, Amazing Race season, and it is time to kick back on Sunday nights and watch a little adventure.  This season started off  a little differently with no one eliminated the first week, and two teams kicked off the 2nd week making it hard to draw teams until the now 9 teams were finalized.  With only nine teams, I volunteered to be one man down from the beginning.  I figured I'd "go big or go home" and would pick a fancy restaurant and would hold out hope of finally making it to the finale and winning.  I am the only one who has yet to win.

My team (random drawing obviously) was Kaylani and Lisa the Cocktail Waitresses from Vegas or as Miss M calls them "the Show Girls from Sin City!"  My restaurant choice: Bonefish Grill.  Go big or go home remember was my theme.  Of course who knew that the first week out I'd be going home?  I'm out. 

Thankfully, I enjoy cheering for other teams too.  In fact, as it became evident that my team was going to be out, Miss A jumped up and said not to worry as she'd be sharing with me.   Mr C and Miss M volunteered too, but they weren't as enthusiastic.  My husband volunteered too, but I think it's because he was just thrilled no Bonefish Grill.

Here's our picks for Season 19:  All randomly drawn

Miss M: 

• Amant and Marcus (former Pro Football Player)- Red Mango for dinner
• Bill and Cathy (grandparents) Panera for Lunch

Mr C:

• Ernie and Cindy (newly engaged) El Agulia Mexican Restaurant
• Liz and Marie (twin sisters)  Cine and Dine Movie Theater

Miss A:

• Justin and Jennifer ( brother and sister) Five Guys
• Laurence and Zac (father and son)  Yogurt Shop and Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Dad:

• Andy and Tommy (pro snowboarders) Netties Mexican Cafe
• Jeremy and Sandy (engaged couple) Stellas Hamburger Joint

I think this is going to be a great season even if there is no shot of me winning.  Now, I can watch without trepidation of wondering who is going to be eliminated.