Week 2, Gratefulness Journal

Here is my Lenten Week 2 offering, three things I am thankful for each day.  Some days this is more challenging than others, but it’s making me notice the small things around me.  Here goes…

2/29/12 .  I am thankful

for iPhones. 4/5 of us now have them!

I saved that Snickers bar from the other day to finish today.

When I make a new healthy recipe and the pan is empty at the end of dinner!

3/1/12 I am thankful

Tara made varsity soccer at LZHS!!

Devon loved her volleyball season, despite their win record.

A family looks to be moving into the house next door, empty since last summer.

3/2/12 I am thankful

I had a few hours to start on the tax prep for the accountant.

For two hours home by myself, to watch whatever movie I choose.

Work colleagues have become friends.

3/3/12 I am thankful

Tara got accepted into National Honor Society!

For the beauty of snow.

Snow melts.

 3/4/12 I am thankful for

family dinners.

An evening with a fire, no tv, catching up.

Bob’s coaching season is over.  And Ronan got to play one game with Bob’s team this morning, before his own game.

 3/5/12  I am thankful

Bob got his 10 year all-clear from cancer!

For the first fat robin,  sitting outside my office window.

For the smell and taste of freshly-baked chocolate chip banana bread.

3/6/12 I am thankful

for 67 ° blue sky days in Chicago, the first week in March.  Sublime.

I live in a school district that shows the film “Race to Nowhere” to open dialogue with people in the community about our education system.

For homemade Asian spring rolls (by us).  Yum!

C

Special Celebrations

sorry it’s been awhile!  been very busy and ill…

This past week I have been choked up several times at the support that the various organizations in our small-ish town give other groups.  This is especially true, since I know that everyone is super-crazed with the end of school/season events.  Here are a couple examples, but I bet there are others I am unaware of.

A few weeks ago was the Senior honor night for girls’ soccer at the high school.  17 graduating seniors, between junior varsity and varsity.  On a cold night, there were many people in the stands from both the high school and the local rec/travel soccer program to applaud the girls as they marched on to the field with their parents.

Last Friday on a beautiful spring night was the Senior honor night for the boys’ HS lacrosse team. The area’s quickly-growing LAX program had all the current younger players storm the field before the game with their jerseys on, then the 2-3 graders scrimmaged at half-time.

The most-inspiring evening of the three was during the middle school choral concert.  The director there was retiring after 17 years in the school district, over 40 years expanse of teaching, with a few years off in the middle to raise her children.  The band director and HS choral director semi-hijacked the show from her, to amusement to all but the self-admitted control freak herself.  Instead of the concert opening with the sixth grade chorus, the Bear Voices from the HS sang a song.  This group is chosen by audition, acapella only.  Impressive voices.

Bear Voices came on mid-concert as well for fun “Happy Trails to You”. Each singer who had been trained by the director (not all were) saying a kind sentiment to her.

During the concert, the band director and HS choral director told us about her life.  Then the principal gave a speech–her had calculated that during her tenure at our school alone she had taught over 10,000 students!  Wow!

The combined choruses worked on a secret song with the band director that they performed.  Then the finale–Bare Voices came back on stage with all the middle-school choruses and a whole group of additional HS chorus performers who had sung with her.  The audience stood, and we all sang “Celebrate!” with much on-stage dancing.  She was overflowing with gratitude to all.

It was an honor to be there to celebrate with the school and the chorus.  And it’s so inspiring to see so many local groups sharing in the success of those who have moved up the ranks.  Who knows what the rest of the art shows-soccer banquets-band concerts–lacrosse tournaments will bring? Another reason to tear up?  C

No More Hole in the Wall

We recently transformed our self-described “hole in the wall”  to the centerpiece in our family room.  Long overdue, friends now ask if we even had a fireplace before adding metallic tile to the wall, granite to the floor, a hand-built and stained mantle,  and log set to the fireplace wall.  A backdraft several years ago that consumed our basement in smoke and rendered the wood-burning fireplace unusable in my mind.

The unworking Hole

A lack of lighting, other than hideous “fish eyes’ above the fireplace was remedied, as well as an addition of a well-needed ceiling.

fish eyes

The pumpkin wall becomes the focal point of the room, with a usable fireplace, the glass doors re-used with a coat of black paint.

Welcoming, modern, hip, I love the finished look!

Fireplace wall

I will post more photos when I finally get some picture up.  Two other rooms to come, when the personal touches are added. Dust, banging, unexpected wetness behind the old tiles, delays all worth the finished look! C

Cleaning Up

Why is it we want to organize our lives in January?  Clean out the closets, under the bed, the files, the toy room, the dust bunnies, the pantry.  We lighten our drawers, then head immediately to the gym to exercise, exercise, exercise to tighten our drawers.  Is it the start of the new year?  Is it the winter whiteness we want to forget, examining at the explosion of colors in our closets? Then bury ourselves in white papers?

Is it just innate, this clean up, and why the start of the year?  It is not just me, as the kids are rummaging through their own rooms, tossing broken toys and outgrown clothes and changing pictures on the wall.  I was wondering, do people in warmer climates take a break from the sun and beach replace towels and sheets?

We feel lighter, as the recycling bag fills, the volcano of clothes grows.  May this frenzy of cleaning lead to a sharing of purged goods,  a wise disposal of garbage, a more open mind, and a realization that we do not need all this STUFF in this new year.  Maybe this IS the best time of year to start our cleaning, then maybe, just maybe, we can continue on this path we have cleared. C

 

Can mom get sick?

Being sick sucks.  I am not talking about a little sniffle, a minor cough, the 99 fever.  I mean the sick of white spots in the throat when it hurts to breathe, the aches of existing when you have the flu, spewing everything out from your esophagus to whatever surface is nearby, blue lights covering your sight when you move too quickly.

When the children get sick, mom cools or heats, kisses, plays, rub, cleans, cooks, feeds, wipes, watches, sings, bathes, loves.

When dad has his first cough, mom shudders, because she knows she will need to cool or heat, kiss, rubs, clean, cook, feed, wipe, clean and baby the dad.  Hours, days, until the cough fades away. Lights darkened, hidden away, solitude.

When mom gets sick–no matter how hard she coughs, the fever rises, the ear aches, the body slows–she gets one day at most to sleep, skip meal preparation, shower, rest, sleep some more. The next day it is back to work, to clean, to cook, to wash dishes, to drive,  to help with homework, to feed the dogs.

One night erases everyone’s memory of illness as the family awakes. Super Mom.  We all wear the uniform, but sometimes we should passalong the moniker to someone else.  For a day or two.  C

Peeping In

Last Friday Bob and I had a three hour window between dropping kids off and picking up others from parties.  We headed out for an early anniversary dinner, then came home to start a film.  I chose “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” which I had just rented, since I knew it was completely kid-inappropriate and we had an empty house.  The film began raunchy yet funny, and though we watched the whole thing, I became semi-bored as it turned repetitive and predictable. A little disappointing, based on the reviews I had initially seen (and I usually like Seth Rogan’s films).

Two nights later, while watching the Bears game, I took the puppy Cali out to do her business.  As  I walked on our side yard  by our neighbor’s driveway, I realized that in the dark anyone there has a clear shot to seeing what we are watching on TV. How could I not have noticed that before?  We don’t have window coverings on our kitchen windows, so there is no way to block the view.

So, were the neighbors–or their daughters–in the driveway on Friday night?  It was before ten and they have 3 teenage girls, so most likely someone was out there.   Did they happen to glance in our window?  Did they think we were watching porn on an early evening, instead of watching a film about making a porn movie (with a few porn stars who dropped their clothes easily)?  Were they curious and watched longer?  Or did no one notice?

It gave me a great laugh on a Sunday night, just wondering.  More amusing than some parts of ” Zack and Miri”  (re-titled now that it is available in the library).  C

Maxx & Annie & Zoe & Us

OK, so maybe it wasn’t such a great idea for the family to watch Marley & Me last weekend, our first night back in the house after putting Annie to sleep.  Funny, sweet, sentimental, and so sad at the end you know is coming, but a bit more graphic than I expected.  But, a far more enjoyable film than I expected, for some reason.

And just to torture ourselves, we were given the movie as a gift yesterday from my in-laws and we all watched it again, since four of our guests had not seen it.  Is it possible to see that film without crying at the end?  Not yet, for me anyways.

At least it confirmed that Maxx was NOT the worst dog in existence, and the tender, lovely moments like when Marley let Jen cry on him, and how he could not sleep when she was in labor–though she was sleeping– reminded us of how intuitive doegs are, why we want them to be part of our homes, our families, our lives.

My big complaint about the film is that while Marley ages dramatically throughout, the owners do not at all.  And that scene where the family is in the pool after the third child Colleen  is born….no, Jen never had children.  Fit and muscular, I don’t think so.

I truly think you have to have owned and put down a pet to fully appreciate this film.  The loss is wider than you dream possible, as my mother-in-law teared up afterwards remembering putting down dogs from long before I knew their family. But the joy they bring makes us repeat the cycle.  C

The Laundry Room

After a magnificently spring like Friday, it rained, rained again, thundered, lightninged (is that a word) all weekend. Since we had some free time, it was the perfect weekend to do one of those want-to-do but never-have-time projects. 

Paint the laundry room, that everyone uses it as a front door–especially in summer, that has not been painted since we moved in and was sad, embarrassing, and ugly—until today. 

As my friend Theresa said, it is amazing what a can of paint can do!  After the taping and patching and painting, it will  give you a little smile.  Of course, that little can of paint can lead to new outlet covers and lighting and sink and artwork and rugs, but a clean, bright look is a great way to march into spring. C