My Real Life

So, Halloween is being postponed again in NJ and we are pretty much just over it.

We explained to the kids that there are bigger things happening this year and that we weren’t going to do trick-or-treating whenever it was rescheduled.  At this point, we’re into November and at some point, you just have to call it a day.

So, we said that today would be our Halloween.

The first thing we decided to do was carve our pumpkins.

Confession:

We’ve never carved pumpkins with the monkeys.

Carving pumpkins has always sounded, to me, like one of those holiday activities that would be SO exciting for the monkeys.

Until the work began.

And then, I’d find myself elbow deep in pumpkin guts while everyone else was off playing somewhere that was not the kitchen.

This happens a lot.

Not the pumpkin guts, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, every year, I have deferred the pumpkin carving until, uh-oh…the pumpkin has rotted and is soft…guess we can’t carve it.

This year, though, I felt like there needed to be a little give-back if we were asking them to give up Halloween.

So, I spread the papers, pulled out the pumpkins, Sharpies and knives and we went to work.

In this first picture, you can see that even Monkey in the Middle shared the angst that came with putting a sharp knife in the hands of Monkey Girl.

Oh, how we love her, but she’s not known for her grace, delicacy, or precision.

However, she was diligent and careful, and soon, we were all feeling safe enough to come a little closer.

Finally, she relinquished the knife and gave Monkey in the Middle a turn.

Despite the fact it is Baby Monkey who has been relentless with the pumpkin carving questions, he was nowhere to be found after the first three minutes and Tiny…

…entertained himself rearranging the drawers.

I was, at one point, up to my elbows in pumpkin guts.

But I was never alone.

So, the jack-o-lanterns are carved, the pumpkin seeds have been separated, washed and are drying, waiting to be baked tomorrow.

Halloween books have been read, some candy has been eaten, and an amazingly well-timed Halloween gift bag delivery from our favorite neighbors was very much appreciated.

And, for our family, thus concludes Halloween 2012.

Daily Gratitude, Day 5

Today, I am grateful for the flexibility of my children.  Again and again, when faced with situations that did not occur as planned, they have been able to go with the flow with a minimum of whining.  Some whining…sure.  They are kids.  But, overall, they get it.

So, my parents came by, the other day, with this picture of my Dad when he was 7.

As we looked at it, we were pretty amazed at just how much he looked like Baby Monkey.

In fact, when we showed Baby the picture, we asked “Who does this look like?”

His immediate response?

“Me.”

So, I’ve been scouring my pictures, trying to find one in a similar pose (because we all know if you ask a 6 year old to pose a certain way, it won’t ever be quite right) and the best I could do was this one.

Different pose, same face.

It may be more of a moment to moment thing, but my Dad’s face, in the above picture, is the exact replica of Baby Monkey in so very many moments throughout the course of a day.

I love it.

You expect kids to look like their parents, but not often do they throw back to their grandparents, and it’s pretty darn cool.

So, I guess Baby has a pretty good idea what he’ll look like when he’s older, and I think he’s pretty lucky.

Daily Gratitude, Day 4

As much as I’ve dreamed of moving far, far away, over the years, today I am grateful that we live so close to our children’s grandparents.  My children get to see at least one of their grandparents every single day and that is such a wonderful thing for them.  One set of my grandparents lived in Ohio and I only got to see them two to three times a year and I missed them terribly.  One might think that seeing their grandparents so often would make the grandparents seem common and unexciting, but the yells and jumping that happens when the grandparents come over shows that my monkeys are just as thrilled to see their grandparents walk in the door whether they saw them the day before or two months before.

Warms my heart.

15 Amazing Acts of Kindness During Sandy

Daily Gratitude, Day 3

Today, I am grateful for the 15 amazing acts of kindness mentioned above and the thousands that have not been caught on film.

The monkeys and I hit the library every week.

Sometimes more than once a week.

We borrow dvds, we borrow magazines, we borrow books.

We check out the exhibits (this week they have a cool Lego exhibit that Baby Monkey went bananas for).

Our favorite section of the children’s room, though, is the holiday book section.

About a month or two before each holiday, we head to the holiday book section and begin making our selections.

We leave with about ten holiday books each visit.

Athletes jump around and bounce off each others chests and listen to hard rock to get themselves pumped for the game.

We read holiday books to prepare for each season.

The library has a great collection of books for each holiday and they make sure they are rotated in a timely manner.

Last night, we finished our Halloween season by sitting in front of the fire and re-reading, for the last time this season, some of our Halloween selections.

Next time we hit the library, we’ll return our latest Halloween selections and will take out our first round of Thanksgiving books.

The holiday books can only be held for two weeks, as they are pertinent for only a short time, but that just makes it more exciting.

We also don’t just take out books about holidays we celebrate.

Some of the kids favorite holiday stories are about Kwanzaa and Hannukah and other, lesser known holidays from other countries.

We still take out regular reading books and mix them in with our holiday fare, but when a holiday is coming near, it gets a little more exciting to hit the library.

So, if you have kids and visit your local library, check out the holiday books.  I bet your kids will be pulled right in to the thrall of fictional stories that blend with tradition.

Today’s Gratitude

I’ve decided that, since Thanksgiving is in November, this would be a month of daily gratitudes for me.

So, at the end of each post, I am going to share something I am grateful for, because we can always take a moment to say thanks.

So, in keeping with the theme of today’s post, I am grateful for public libraries.

They are amazing and wonderful for families like mine, but even more so for families that can’t afford to buy books, can’t afford to buy computers, and for kids who don’t have a quiet place to study.

Every time we are there, we bump into at least five to ten of my students…studying, reading, doing homework on the computers.

The floor is scattered with kids reading…big kids, little kids, parents.

One of my favorite things to see is some of our small children reading to their non-English speaking parents…reversing the roles and teaching their parents the language as they read.

I’m devastated when I hear talk of cutting funding for public libraries.

So, today, I am grateful for public libraries.

So, let me begin with a huge thank you to those of you who donated or sent well-wishes to me with regards to the Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes.

I wound up raising $1,001.00!

So, thank you!  So very, very much!

The walk was this past Saturday in Bridgewater, NJ.

Monkey Girl went with me and we had a blast.

It was held at TD Bank Stadium, which is where the Somerset Patriots play.

We had a great time driving down together, chatting and having some girl time.

When we arrived, we headed to the check-in table and I handed them my paperwork.

The woman immediately picked up a cowbell and started ringing it and all of the volunteers behind the table (about 10 of them) started clapping their hands and cheering.

Monkey Girl looked at me and said out of the corner of her mouth “Um…what did you do?”

“I have no idea,” I responded.

The woman checking us in overheard and laughed and explained that since I had raised over $1,000, as an individual (there were many teams there, but only about 100 individuals), I was considered a champion.

Then, she handed me a nice, long-sleeved black t-shirt proclaiming me a champion and a warm red hoodie that said the same.

Sweet!

She looked at my paperwork again and then said “Oh!  You are a Red Strider!”

Again, Monkey Girl and I looked at each other with a “Huh?” look.

She said, “It means you are a walker with diabetes.  Many of our walkers are simply here to raise money for the cause, but don’t actually have the disease.”

So, she stamped my hand and told me to visit the Red Strider tent inside, and then gave me another t-shirt, this one short sleeved and gray and very nice.

We said many thank you’s and headed inside.

At the Red Strider tent, they gave me a red bag and a red baseball cap, identifying me as a Red Strider.

At this point, I started to wonder how much all this swag was costing them and whether that money could have been better spent going directly to the cause, but Monkey Girl reminded me that it’s always nice to reward people for their efforts.

The voice of reason, that one.

We walked around and looked at the different vendors, all health related, and did some general people-watching.

They made an announcement for people to enter the stands, and so we went and found some seats.

They then started the pre-game show, which involved the National Anthem, some key speakers, and then they started calling people onto the field.

Which people?

Oh, the Champions.  The individuals who had raised over $1,000 by themselves.

Monkey Girl said “I think they are going to call you out!”

I said, “Um, I wasn’t prepared for this!”

She said, “You have to go!”

I said, “Then you’re coming with me!”

So, one-by-one, they called 15 of us out to the field.

The 15 of us had raised over $20,000 for the walk, alone.

They gave us a medal and the crowd cheered.

It was a pretty proud moment, and I had my girl right with me.

Then, we walked.

I said to Monkey Girl, “I don’t expect you to walk a 5k with me.  You can certainly take a seat in the stands.”

She said, “No…I want to do something for the cause, too.”

And so, hand-in-hand, she and I walked 13 laps (5k) around the field.

There were over 500 of us that started and less than 100 that finished, but me and my girl did it and I was so very proud to be there with her.

And so, I share this experience with you not to toot my own horn but for a few other reasons.

First of all, to say thank you.

Thank you to everyone who donated.

Thank you to everyone who sent me a message of encouragement.

There are very few people that I know that didn’t at least say “Good luck!” at some point during this journey, and I appreciate that more than you know.

I also share this with you to show that no matter what the cause, there is always something you can do.

There is always some way that you can help out, no matter what your passion.

Will I find a cure for diabetes?

No.

But I can do this…fundraise and walk and do a small part in funding the search for a cure.

On the wall in my school, there is a mural that has this saying on it:

I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. – Helen Keller

Do what you can.

It’s enough.

I’m writing this on Saturday morning, but you will be reading it on Sunday…right before what is supposed to be  “Frankenstorm.”

After the debacle of losing our basement during Hurricane Irene last fall, I’d be lying if I said that Real Man and I aren’t really nervous about the impending storm.

The difference is, this year, we have a generator.

Now, there is always the possibility, the very real possibility since they are saying this is “The Perfect Storm,” that, even with the generator, the sump pump won’t be able to keep up with the water.

And that would stink.

Still, the generator does provide some feelings of comfort as we prep for the storm, and we are all feeling good about it.

Well, almost all of us.

Monkey Girl is disgusted with the whole generator business.

She loved having no power and having everyone sleep in sleeping bags on our bedroom floor and using candles for light and going to Grandpa’s to shower and having to eat out when we ran out of non-perishable food.

She truly saw it as an awesome adventure, which is a fantastic thing.

I hope she views all of her hardships and obstacles in life as awesome adventures.

For now, though, we could do without the stomping and eye-rolling and “this storm isn’t even going to be any fun because of the stupid generator!”

Every time something on the news mentions the storm she gets up and says “But we’ll be fine, because we have a GENERATOR!” and leaves the room in a huff.

Real Man reminds me often that while still in the delivery room after finding out that Monkey Girl was, in fact, a girl, one of the first things I said to him was “Oh boy…the last thing you want in your house is an 11-year old girl.”

And while she has proven to be one of the greatest blessings of my life and I love her and her drama with all of my heart…

…there are days when I think I was right on the money.

We all try to feed our kids good healthy food.

We all also realize that there is a balance and that everything is okay…in moderation.

However, one area I won’t compromise on is breakfast.

As a teacher, I can tell you with 100% certainty that what you feed your children before they go to school absolutely matters.

So, we don’t have sugar cereals in the house.

There are a few exceptions: winter break and spring break and every now and then in the summer

Other than that, I try to keep their brains and bodies fueled, in the morning, with healthy fare.

There really has been minimal complaining on the part of the monkeys.

At least, they haven’t said anything to me directly.

Yet, on Sunday, when I sent the boys ahead of me to the cereal aisle to pick the cereal for the week, I found this as I rounded the corner of the aisle:

Yes, my boys were either praying or begging in front of the Frosted Flakes.

We left with the Apple Cinnamon Cheerios.

Compromise.

It’s a good thing.