{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real}..Celebrating our Patience

Good things come to those who wait. And, in our case, this good thing was free admittance to our local children's museum. Our town just opened up a children's museum a bit over a year ago. We hadn't been yet...because..well..we can't afford it. So I was wicked excited (did I just reveal my New England roots by using the word wicked?) when the library started offering free passes to the museum.

 So, I put a hold on a pass and waited...and waited...and waited..for SEVEN months. And, then yesterday I was rather surprised to FINALLY get an email that our pass was ready..and we only had 3 days to pick it up and then 7 days to use it.

So, today..it just happened to work out that we had NOTHING going on (a rare day for us) so I hopped on over to the library, picked up the pass and off to the museum we went. So, I'm joining this post up with Clan Donaldson Theme: Thursday Celebration because we celebrated that we FINALLY got to go (after hearing all our friends rave about it for the past year). Plus..I managed to get a somewhat, quarter-way decent family  just-the-kids portrait..using a few (okay..maybe just one) of Cari's tips..but it should count for something..right?

 Like this:

   

Ooops..sorry. Wrong family. 

 How about this?

:  

Okay..so only 2 out of 4 kids are looking at the camera.

Let's try this one.

:

Kinda cute I think! 

 or this

 

They're not all looking at the camera..but it's still pretty cute in my admittedly biased opinion.

{pretty and happy}

It was a pretty day..and they were so happy bouncing down this fake hill with fake grass.

Pretty girls doing pretty crafts which make them happy.

They look happy here!

{funny}

Fits perfectly..don't ya think?

Scary looking alligator with sharp teeth..no problem..John will save me.

I'll just hold his mouth shut.

{Real}

Really, I just like to pull John's hair.

Really cute.

John is working really hard.

Overall, it was a really fun time!

p.s. Please excuse the low-quality photos.  I don't have a fancy-schmancy camera.  I took these with our Ipod, which is HORRIBLE at taking pictures.

Now go visit, Like Mother Like Daughter for more pretty, happy, funny, real. 

 

Tinatella

This is the story of Tinatella (tin-a-tell-a). Tinatella is different. She has pink skin and polka dots on her face. The other girls think she is ugly and make fun of her, but I think she is beautiful. See her...she is so beautiful, with her beautiful pink skin and polka dot face. The other girls make fun of her and think she is ugly, because she is different..but she is really beautiful and I love her.

This is the story Greta told his afternoon while she was procrastinating doing her actual school and begging to finish this one drawing while I drink my milk.  Greta doesn't just draw pictures though...she tells stories about every picture.  And, this was the story she told this afternoon.   I found it very interesting...her choice of words and topic.  We haven't really talked about people who are "different."  They really only know one person who is "different"  or has a "disability"...my sister/their aunt, and they've always known her and her "difference" has nothing to do with her face (it has to do with her legs).

Yet, this was the story she told.  And, it got me thinking.  Last Thursday (on 3/21) was World Down Syndrome Day (see...told you, I'm always late to the game..just posting about it now).  Other than seeing a few random adults with Down Syndrome at church or stores, I've never really known any families affected by Down Syndrome until about 1 1/2 years ago when a family we knew through law gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with Down Syndrome.  They are 20-something and Abigail is their first child. The husband graduated from law school last year and they've moved out of Florida, but I've followed their lives and adventures through Jacqueline's blog, Journey Narrative.  Since knowing them and reading her blog, I've really learned a lot about Down Syndrome. 

I had already known that over 90% of all babies prenatally diagnosed with Down Syndrome are aborted (thanks to my mom and her book.)  Which is a tragedy...because EVERY person's life is valuable and important and worth living and worth fighting for.  So, this post is my small way of trying to bring awareness to this issue.  It's ALWAYS worth it to choose life, because LIFE is worth choosing.  No mother regrets the babies she has...only the ones she doesn't...so if you ever come across anyone dealing with an "adverse" prenatal diagnosis...send them this book and help them choose LIFE...because EVERY LIFE has value and worth.

And maybe, just maybe, Greta's story and drawing was more important than her spelling words this afternoon.

What I Wore Sunday..A Windy, Humid Palm Sunday

Linking up again for another WIWS. It's a windy, HUMID, HUMID, HUMID Palm Sunday here. The temperature isn't too bad, and the breeze feels nice, but the air is so thick you could slice it. And, the humidity wreaks havoc on my hair...I hate humidity. I can't complain too much though..it's been an AWESOME spring so far...not too hot and still lots of cool days. I think the same weather pattern that has been giving all my northeast friends tons of snow and cold weather...has been giving us a super, awesome, nice, cool, beautiful March, so I'm happy with it!. I'll go clean out my inbox for all the hate mail I'm sure to get now.

So, here's the pic.  Definitely not one of my favorites..,,but here it is. I prefer dressing for cooler/colder weather because I love wearing layers and boots and jeans...but I HATE to be hot..  And, today promises to be a hot, humid one.

Yeah..that tree looks a bit weird in the background...at first glance I seem to blend in with it..which is NOT a good look..makes me look HUGE.  Why doesn't my photographer point this these things out?  Oh yeah..because she's 11.

Tank Top: Thrifted
Shirt: No clue where I got it from?  I think it was in a bag of clothes someone once tossed my way.
Skirt:  You can't tell from the pic...but this skirt is actually really cute and has little white polka dots on it.  They don't show up well, though.   I think I bought this skirt several years ago..not sure where  possibly Wal-Mart???
Shoes:  Given to me by someone passing on a bunch of clothes.

As you can tell, I seem to be quite blessed with other people throwing clothes at me!  People are awesome!

In other nice things that happened today..at Mass an elderly, bossy lady gave the kids rosaries with St. Joseph prayer cards (St. Joe is our fav. saint) and  a young lad gave my kids palms-already turned into crosses. Which is great..because for the life of me, I can NEVER turn palms into crosses myself.  Never.  No matter how many instructionals I look at, the palm cross eludes me.


 No go visit FLAP to see what all the better dressed bloggers are wearing.

Bloglovin

Nothing exciting here..just "claiming" my blog on bloglovin. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

What I learned about housekeeping from watching Downton Abbey

I'm always late to the game. So, while everyone else was watching Downton Abbey when it first came out on Masterpiece Theatre, I didn't start watching it until recently.  I will admit it took me awhile to get into the first episode.  I kept trying to watch it on our Amazon Prime account and falling asleep midway through.  

I have this annoying habit of falling asleep while watching movies (or TV shows, or basically anything after 9:00 PM...except for Dr. Who.  Not even I can fall asleep during Dr. Who.)

But, everyone kept raving about Downton...so I persevered and persevered (oh the struggle) and finally one day while sick in bed, I watched several episodes in a row and discovered that I liked it.  I really, really liked it.

I've been doing some blog-reading on housekeeping lately (mostly on Like Mother, Like Daughter about how to have a reasonably clean home).  I'd actually settle for a somewhat clean home.  I have low expectations.  Anyway, the idea of housekeeping and cleaning has been on my mind, and I've actually been on a bit of cleaning streak today (try not to fall over and faint with shock, Mom).

Anyway, for anyone who might be unfamiliar with the show, Downton Abbey is basically a soap opera that takes place in England spanning the time from 1912-1921.  Actual historical events (the sinking of the Titanic, WWI and the Spanish Flu) play a significant role in the plot.

While watching last night, it occurred to me that the servants in Downton Abbey do less work than I do.   Oh, don't get me wrong..they work hard.  But they each have their own job and that is it.  There are the maids and the butler and the footmen and the cook and the kitchen maid and the chauffeur and the valet and they each do their own job.  The maids aren't expected to cook and the footmen aren't expected to also chauffeur.  If I recall correctly, there was even some scandal about maids having to serve in the dining room, which apparently was unheard of, but the household was short-staffed due to the war. 

While nowadays, everyone is basically expected to do/be all those things.  And, not only to do them all, but to do them well.   We're expected to cook and clean and chauffeur and child raise  (no doubt the daughters in Downton Abbey would have had nannies and tutors when they were young) and garden and even teach (for those who homeschool).  Granted, our home is much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much, much smaller and we have the advantage of modern conveniences they didn't have back then (like washing machines and electric stoves).

But, I still find it interesting, that not only is the modern parent expected to do all those things, but to do them well.  Not only do we have to cook, but we have to grow our own organic vegetables, cook everything from scratch using organic, free-range, cruelty-free ingredients and avoid anything processed or convenient or easy.   Not only are we supposed to bake our own bread, but we're supposed to grind our own grains and then soak them as well.   Not only are we expected to clean, but we're expected to keep our house, company-ready at all times.   And for those families that homeschool..you can add teaching/tutoring on top of that.

Now that any of those things are bad, or that we shouldn't be doing all those things.  Just pointing out that in times past...no ONE or TWO people were expected to both do and excel at ALL those things.   Even going further back in time and looking to a poor family, we see that most people didn't have all these multiple hats to wear.  Ma Ingalls certainly worked hard..no doubt about that.   And, way harder than we do nowadays...but she didn't have to wear all the different hats we do. She wasn't spending time driving Laura and Mary around to piano lessons and practices.  She didn't spend time scrubbing toilets..since they didn't even have toilets..just an outhouse.  While doing laundry was much, much harder back then, there was also much, much less of it, because they didn't have nearly as many clothes.   Cleaning a one-room log cabin was likely much simpler than cleaning a multi-room, larger home with A TON more stuff in it.

So, maybe it's time to cut ourselves some slack, if we can't do everything..  if we can't have a perfectly clean home and cook perfectly tasty, healthy meals, and grow our own organic food, while perfectly driving kids to a billion different activities and teaching them ourselves (or just helping with homework)...not to mention those parents who have significant commitments outside the home or at home (work or school or volunteering or ministry)..which is another added pressure and demand.  People in times past didn't do EVERYTHING, so how can we?

7 Quick Takes Friday....The "what they said" version.

It's Finally Friday..which means it's time for 7QTF.  This is the "what they said" version.  Cute or not so cute kid sayings in Household Bentrup.
--- 1 ---

Elsa just started being able to sit unsupported.  She's pretty steady and but does still wobble over on occasion.   So, today John said

Elsa, you're so cute, sitting by yourself, but you might fall so I will rescue you and save you. 

--- 2 ---

Greta...said all in one breath..without stopping.

Mom, did you know that a salties (saltwater crocodiles) are the most aggressive crocodile in the world., so if a person ever sees one they need to stay far, far away.  But, we probably won't ever be in India or Australia, right?  So, we probably won't ever have to worry about being attacked by a saltie.  Did you know that a saltie can even eat a tiger.  But I thought tigers were apex predators. So does that mean that salties are apex predators or are tigers apex predators? Tigers are really aggressive too, and sometimes attack people.  But, there are no tigers in Fl. right?  Well, except in the zoo, I saw a tiger in the zoo, but it's in a cage, so it can't get us, right?  Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a crocodile or a tiger.  Which would you rather be.  I think I'd rather be a tiger because they're pretty, but I might want to be a crocodile, because they get to swim all the time and I like to swim.  Oh, I just can't decide.  And, did you know that tigers can climb trees...and climb them well?  And, tigers can also swim, so there is no place that is safe from tigers.

She has a tendency to just ramble on...and she currently has this fascination with "dangerous animals".  I really, really hope she doesn't decide to be the next Crocodile Hunter.

--- 3 ---

Grete, while I'm on Facebook

Is what you're doing important?  Because it doesn't look important to me.

You mean Facebook isn't important?

--- 4 ---

Heidi, in a super sweet card to me.

I'm giving you my favorite picture and my state quarters that with them you might amuse yourself. 

Yeah..she likes to read a lot of books where the characters speak with "old-fashioned" language. 

--- 5 ---

This one is a few years old..but it's so good, I just have to share it.

Greta..when she was 5 and shortly before we moved to FL so Ben could attend law school...as said to our parish priest.

My daddy is going to go to liar school.

--- 6 ---

This one is from the beginning of Lent.  I told the kids that I was going to give up yelling for lent and try to be more loving,.

John:

Darn it, I wanted ice cream.

 --- 7 ---

And, I can't think of anything else, so anyone have any cute kid's sayings they want to share?  I love to hear what gems other kids come up with.

Have a great weekend, all!

 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

{Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real Mud}

I just LOVE link-ups.  So, I'm joining up again with Like Mother, Like Daughter for PHFR and Clan Donaldson for Theme Thursday: Mud

{pretty}

Pretty birdie, pretty birdie.  

This is Snowy..our pet parakeet.  For those of you don't know..I am an animal person.   I've always had pets and was the kid sneaking hamsters into my dorm room in college and guinea pigs/parakeets/rabbits into "pet-free" apartments.  So, almost 2 years ago, when our next door neighbors were moving and looking for a new home for their parakeet, naturally, I couldn't resist. 

He had some other name that I can't remember, but we re-named him Snowy, because he's white and we missed the snow.  Isn't he a pretty birdie?

{happy}

What else, but a picture of a smiling, happy Elsa?

{funny}

Just like mommy, Elsa is good at sticking her foot in her mouth.  Pun intended.

{real mud}

Joining up with Cari to post this dirty picture.  Ha, ha..more puns. I'm just cracking myself up over here.

Mud is actually pretty scarce in Florida this time of year.  It doesn't rain much in the spring, and the sun is so STRONG that everything tends to dry out SUPER quickly.   But, while there is a lack of mud outside, there is no lack of mud inside.

We've been studying animals in our homeschooling and learning about animal tracks.  These mud tracks were made by young homo sapiens.  Notice the 5 distinct toes and the way the mud pattern clearly shows the pressure points as the species walks upright with an arched foot.  Much can be learned from these tracks you see.   We can also use our powerful deductive skills to learn that this mud track was made from a right foot.    Oh..the learnin' just never ends.

See, my floors aren't just dirty..they're dirty in the name of science.

Don't worry Mom, I did actually clean the floor after taking pictures and studying these tracks.


Now, go visit the ladies at LMLD and Cari for more link-up fun.