No Party Day

Jordan's birthday party was scheduled for today.  Unfortunately, Jordan was still sick enough that I had to postpone it.  Last night, Lexi asked if we could make a special birthday breakfast for the birthday boy. She thought pancakes with whipped cream and sprinkles would cheer him up. I was happy to try anything to get him eating again. He was pleased with her choice and managed to eat it all. I decided to wrap up two dvds that I had bought for Christmas so they could watch them today.  

New Family Members

A week and a half ago, Lexi and Jordan got to meet the special lady in their dad's life.  She, Sarah, sounds very nice and he is head-over-heals in love with her.  They are madly in love with each other.  It was a big moment because soon, Lexi & Jordan will have a new step-mom, step-sister (six year old Savannah) and step-brother (8 year old Aaron).  The plan is for me to meet her pretty soon and I am definitely looking forward to it.    

Sunday Gingerbread House

We went to church this morning.  I needed to go because I started teaching the 8 year olds (turned 9 this year) now.  It was my first Sunday with them.  Since my kids aren't 100% feeling better quite yet, they were actually quiet and calm.  When we got home this afternoon, they both took naps that lasted several hours.  

This evening, I pulled out a gingerbread house kit that we had and let them go to town.  I thought it would do them some good to work together and have fun.  Lexi was in charge of icing and Jordan was in charge of the candy.  There was lots of giggling and planning going on.      

Thanksgiving 2012

With my kids feeling ill this week, I wasn't sure we would make it to our Thanksgiving celebration with friends.  Fortunately, neither of them were horrible even though they were both not themselves today.  Lexi's eyes were watery and irritated all day.  She also doesn't have her appetite back yet.  We all enjoyed being around our friends though.  Lexi even helped with the veggie tray (made into a turkey).  

Fall Harvest Party

For the past few days, Lexi has complained about not feeling well.  The kids spent the weekend with their dad and she threw up on Saturday.  I didn't really know what to think about it because Lexi gets car sick rather easy.  Steve took them up north (about 45 minutes away) to meet his new girlfriend and her kids.  They went out to eat at Red Robbin.  It was after eating that Lexi threw up.  I thought it might have been the car or the food.  Jordan started throwing up tonight, so now I know it was the stomach flu.  I text Steve today & he has it too.

This morning, Lexi was really whiny.  It is so difficult to take days off of school in Texas, so I hate to waste them.  She also had her Fall Harvest Party.  Kids should never have to miss the fun days of school.  I promised her that I would send a note letting the teacher know what was going on.  Right before lunch, I got a call from the nurse saying she wasn't doing well.  I don't think she was that bad, but she had already had her party and now had an excused absent from the nurse.  Lucky for her.  She brought home the above craft with a picture of her and I holding hands.  I'm thankful for our relationship too.

1st Grade Parent Teacher Conference

I went to meet with Lexi's teacher this evening. I took a few photos outside her class.  Of course, Lexi is doing amazing.  She is on a third grade level and has very good work habits.  Her teacher loves having Lexi in her class.  

Another Missing Tooth

This evening, Lexi showed me that her other baby front tooth had become REALLY loose.  It was barely hanging on.  I told her I'd pull it before bedtime.  Of course, it took minimal effort.  Despite the bleeding, it didn't hurt at all. She is just excited to get another dollar from the tooth fairy.  Jordan and I are laughing that she suddenly has a lisp.  

Lunch with Lexi

I went to Lexi's school today to have lunch with her.  Parents can go any time and eat with their kids.  We just have to check in at the office and go straight to the lunch room.  They have special visitors' tables where kids eat with their parents.  This happened to be a rare day that very few parents were there.  We were on one end of the tables and there was a father & son clear on the other end.  It was fun to just sit and talk to Lexi.  I have been before, but never when we were sitting practically alone.  

History & the 1600s

As we walked Lexi home from school today, she started talking about the 1600s.  She is learning all about that time period in social studies.  When we got home, she pulled out her crayons and paper and sat on a barstool at the counter.  She started drawing like she usually does.  This time, however, the theme was the 1600s.  The above picture is a family in the 1600s.  The below picture is a village.  She told me that everyone had to build their own houses.  As you can see, they had dirt roads and fences.  It is neat to see kids so excited about learning.  

Lice Prevention

A little over a year and a half ago before I moved back to Texas, one of my good friends here quickly became a lice expert. She would treat it, but it kept going around her school and coming back again. She ended up doing a lot of research on the internet and driving herself half insane trying to completely rid her family of this problem. I remember her horror stories too well.

For some strange reason, I started talking about lice two weeks ago to another friend. We were talking about how horrible it would be. Like me, she has long hair and so does her daughter. She commented that she would probably go to a specialist and pay the $500 for them to get rid of it. I didn't know that was an option, but realistically, it is not an option for me to pay that kind of money. I was just glad that I hadn't heard of any cases.

Last Monday, I decided to shave Jordan’s hair. I had been thinking about letting it grow a little since winter is coming, but I pulled out the clippers and buzzed it off without even thinking about it. On Thursday, I was so glad I did. I got a note from his school saying a child had lice. All the kids were checked, but they wanted us to keep an eye out. Suddenly, I was so thankful to have a son that is too energetic to cuddle or lie down where other kids have been lying. Good thing, they don’t have nap time for his age at pre-school.

My alert level was definitely kicked up another notch this weekend when a friend whose kids attend a neighboring elementary told me that her daughter got lice last week. She said that the best treatment is olive oil in a shower cap for about an hour and using a flat iron. The chemical shampoo sold at the store is not only very harsh, but the lice have become resistant to it. She also recommended tea tree oil. I already use tea tree shampoo for the kids, so I didn't think too much about it. She lent us one of her flat irons in case we would need it.

I made sure to wash Lexi’s hair with tea tree shampoo last night. Another good practice that I already do is that I RARELY let Lexi go to school with her hair down or even in a pony tail. I was feeling pretty safe.

Yesterday evening, I took the kids on a walk. We saw one of my neighbors/friends and I asked her how she was doing. She said, “Horrible!” Then, she proceeded to explain that she just noticed her daughter in 4^th grade came home with lice. I told her about the olive oil and cap. As my kids and I walked home, I decided to kick up my lice prevention a notch. We headed to the grocery store and bought 2 bottles of tea tree oil (one for us & one for my neighbor). My kids will get a little drop on their necks every morning. Lexi will also not only have a braid; her hair will be up in a bun. I have cautioned her about hugging other kids and laying her head on their shoulders. Sadly, this is no time to be affectionate. 

Lexi's Drawings

I told the kids that we should spend the afternoon drawing and doing crafts.  Most of the time, I like to let the kids come up with their own ideas.  I think it really fosters creativity.  This time, I started by asking Lexi to draw pictures to send to the family that gave us their beds.  She did the pictures on the left.

The picture below was a complete surprise to me.   It is Marty from Madagascar 3 (movie clip below for those who don't know the movie).  I didn't need any help recognizing him even though I haven't seen the movie yet.  I really like how she drew him across several different sheets of paper.

Twin Party

Lexi and Jordan's friends, Kacy & Cole, had their 7th birthday party this weekend.  It was at Westside Gymnastics, which is always fun.  It is even fun for the parents, because we can sit off to the side and let the kids go for it.  The gymnastic workers keep the kids going from activity to activity and watch out for them.  It was just the kind of party that I was in the mood for.  I'm not sure who liked it more.        

Rock Star Party

Last night, Lexi had a birthday party for a friend from school.  The theme was Rock Star.  I helped her pick out an outfit and get ready.  The make-up, high ponytail, and funky nails were her idea.  She actually wanted half of her fingernails pink and the other half black.  I suggested polka-dots even though I hadn't painted nails like that since 7th grade.  It worked out and she was thrilled.  

Jordan and I dropped Lexi off and 5:30 and picked her up at 8 pm.  She had fun at the party.  Her favorite part was karaoke.  Now, she feels like a true rock star.  

Remembering Grandpa for Veteran's Day

 Lexi had an early dismissal day, so she was out a little after noon.  I had decided to take them to the Houston Veteran's Cemetery to see my dad's grave.  We hadn't been since Jordan was about 1 years old (4 years ago).    

Lexi & Mommy

Brown for Cooperation

Every month, Lexi's school has a characteristic that they want the kids to learn about and develop.  They start with wearing a certain color on the first Wednesday of the month.  This month, they selected brown for cooperation. 

Winning Votes

Like a lot of schools in the United States, Lexi's school set up a voting system for today.  It was all tied into a social studies lesson.  Lexi told me that there were several kids that were undecided in her class.  She convinced them to vote for Mitt Romney.  She told them that she had met him before and that he is nice.  Lexi is really rooting for Mitt because she wants to tell everyone she has met the president.  I guess we'll probably know tonight if she can say that.   

A few weeks ago, Lexi's class had another day devoted to voting.  They voted for the class leader and Lexi won.  It sounds a little rigged to me though.  The teacher picked the candidates.  She picked two boys and Lexi, which of course split the boys' votes.  Now, Lexi has "to do everything."  She told me she is like a substitute teacher, but she works harder (funny!).  She keeps the kids in-line, takes papers to the office, calls the kids in from recess, reads books to the class, reads the instructions for schoolwork, reports misbehavior when the teacher steps out of the room, and escorts kids to the nurse or principal's office.  Apparently, this will be her role until the end of the year or until she gets tired of it.     

New Twin Bed

As my kids lie sleeping tonight, I am overcome with gratitude for the kindness of church members. I haven’t exactly kept it a secret that I am struggling financially. On the other hand, I am rather independent and truly feel that for the most part we are doing fine. When anyone asks, I usually say we’re getting by. Of course, I constantly pray to have our needs met and for us to make ends meet. This way of life is stressful to say the least.

Now, I am about to admit something that I am quite embarrassed about, but it is necessary for the post. I hate to say it, but my kids have been sleeping in toddler beds all this time. Jordan is about to turn 5 and he is really tall for his age. Lexi is going to be 7 in a few months. They have completely outgrown the little beds (a while ago), but I didn't know what to do. I struggle to buy the essentials, so even looking around at garage sales or thrift stores wouldn't help.

Last Sunday, two men from church that come to check in on us every month (a.k.a. Home Teachers) asked their usual question, “Do you need anything?” As usual, I said, “We’re fine.” This time, they broke it down. “What about food?” I said no. “What about clothes?” I said no. Then, they asked, “What about furniture?” Suddenly, I felt a spark (you could call it a light bulb moment).

I wanted to approach the topic without any urgency, so I said, “If you happen to know of anyone that has twin beds that they are giving away, we could use them.” I explained that the kids were still sleeping in toddler beds and that we were ok, but that it would be nice if we could get a twin bed or two in the next few months.

They called me on Friday to ask if I would be home on Saturday. They had two twin beds for me. Apparently, they had sent out an e-mail to all of the men/families in the congregation (a.k.a. ward) letting them know someone was in need of twin beds. One of the men responded. His wife had seen the e-mail and wanted to give the matching twin beds from their guest room. They felt that the beds could be put to better use. I am pretty sure they used them for visitors and were just being generous. They certainly don’t know me well enough to feel any kind of obligation or duty.

I am quite overwhelmed by their kindness. First of all, these are very nice beds with perfect mattresses and they were not cheap at all. Even if I was financially ok, I would not have been able to afford these. I know that the family who gave them to me did it out of pure goodwill.

The charitable acts didn't stop there. I didn't have any sheets or blankets that were twin sized, but I wasn't about to say anything. I decided that we would just make do with the queen sized ones that I have in my linen closet for now. I was telling my second mom/friend about the beds. She asked me about sheets and I admitted that we would have to make do. She went right to work going through her closets to pull out sheets and blankets for me. She came up with two sets of sheets for Lexi’s bed and a blanket. She also found a blanket that was still in the package for Jordan. It was even his favorite color, orange. She didn't have any sheets to match for Jordan, so she actually went out and bought a set.

I sit here thinking about how completely amazed and grateful I am for the compassion that we've been shown this weekend. It is truly like Christmas here. My kids are thrilled and we've all learned something about great acts of kindness. I definitely hope to either re-pay them or pay it forward as soon as possible.

Last Night in the Toddler Bed

This morning, we received some exciting news from a church member.  This is the last night that Lexi and Jordan will be sleeping in their toddler beds.  Lexi is very excited.  She hasn't complained at all, but I've felt very guilty that I couldn't afford to get her a bed that she actually fits in.

Pumpkin Carving

At our Halloween Gathering last night, Uncle Stephen (who is actually the uncle to Avery, Camden, Savannah & McKenna) started carving this pumpkin.  He cut a hole and pulled out all of the yucky guts.  Then, he did the eyes.  The party was wrapping up, so that is how he left it.  He said we could finish it ourselves the next day.  When the Lexi & Jordan got home from school, we went in the backyard and cut out the nose and then the mouth.  I free-handed it.  I must admit this is the perfect way to carve a pumpkin.  It is nice when someone does all of the yucky work & clean-up.