We welcomed the sweet month of May by reading, play acting, and attending the show of Robin Hood at the Lesher Center. I say play act because as soon as we got home from the show, Charlton and I reread the story and then pretended to be characters from Robin Hood. I insisted in wanting to be Lady Marian, but Charlton wouldn't hear of it. He wanted me to be his sidekick, Little John. Hilarious! Well, if nothing else from this character, at least the name fits me, little mom. As always, Charlton loved meeting the cast in the end of the show. He highfived Little John, his favorite character, and took a picture with Robin Hood and Lady Marian. The cast interacted with the audience freely throughout the show, and the kids loved it. Add to that the great pleasure I had listening to the melodious voice of Robin Hood, and this made for an enjoyable afternoon with my little one.
On Saturday, May 4th, James had a soccer try-out. I usually have the kids try sports that they can all play at the same time such as swimming, running, etc. I haven't put my boys in any team sports before, for the main reason that they have each other to play with, and Elijah and I always play with them. And believe me, I don't baby them when I play; I'm too competitive for that.
Being active is a big thing at our house. My children are the better example in this area. (I'm trying but a little lady can do so much.) My kids bike to school every day, attend the playgrounds often, and love to play catch or baseball in the weekends. They play every day either basketball or soccer as soon as they get home. I think they all need to get their school stress out before they get into homework and piano practice, so I really encourage them to play for a while. Elijah fortunately comes home early enough to join them in their games. Jefferson is amazing at basketball, but James really loves soccer. And since I'm very protective of our family time, I've asked them to choose only one sport each per semester. James chose soccer and he is really excited about it. Practices start in August, and although I'm not looking forward to driving to and fro, I'm excited to see him enjoy himself.
On Monday, after a year and a half, Gillian's braces were taken off!!! She was very excited and relieved to be braces free. At least for the time being. They told her that if she didn't keep her retainers on, she would have to get braces at an older age. But for now, her smile looks beautiful, and what's even better I don't have to peel her apples anymore :) Jefferson had his appointment the next day. It's looking like he too will need braces. Do parents ever get a repose from dental expenses?
To celebrate Gillian's freedom from metal slavery, the kids requested to eat out at their favorite dinner. After a nice time at the playground, we had some much needed nourishment and enjoyed some fun conversations with each other.
This Friday, I taught art at my children's school. I've had such a great time doing this that I offered to do it next year as well. I can't wait to come up with some new and exciting ideas for the coming year. Since Mother's Day was going to be on Sunday, I had decided to make this last art project into a Mother's Day gift. I had read one of my friend's blog some time ago where she had posted an art project she had done at her kids' school - a silhouette pasted on a canvas painted in Pollock style. I thought that was such a great idea, and it was, but it also was very demanding and time consuming. I took profile pictures of about 55 students; used a photo shopping program to transform the pictures into silhouettes; cut the silhouettes for K-1 kids and just printed the rest for the older kids to cut and trim; bought canvases for each kid as well as acrylic paints; and set shop outside each classroom so we wouldn't make the classroom itself dirty. The project required a lot of effort from my side, but the kids just had a great time splashing paint all over their canvases as well as themselves. I had my kids work on one set before Friday, so I kind of knew what to expect the next day. That set went to my mother. The Friday one went to me for Mother's Day.
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| Gillian - Grade 5 |
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| Jefferson - Grade 3 |
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| James - Grade 1 |
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| Charlton - Preschool |
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Yesterday was Mother's Day. I relaxed in bed trying to finish a crossword puzzle I had started the night before. The kids and Elijah brought me breakfast in bed, and after that the kids gave me their presents. Our church meeting time is a bit early, so Elijah took the kids with him to give me the chance to enjoy a long shower and take my time getting ready without distractions. The whole day felt relaxing and stress free. I love being pampered.
My kids' favorite part of Mother's Day is undoubtedly the giving of the presents. My favorite part is reading their cards. Gillian's writing is always full of love and with a touch of dramatic flair, Jefferson loves to use wit and honesty, James is just learning how to share his feelings in words, and it's way adorable. And Charlton, well, he is better in expressing his love through hugs and kisses than through the written word, and for now that's how I like it. Here are a few of the cards my kids wrote to me this year:
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| Charlton's flower for mom |
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| James and Mom are best friends forever! |
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| I love Jefferson's wit and silly rhymes. |
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| Gillian's dramatic, but sincere love for her mother |
I hope you all had a great Sabbath, and to all of you mothers, in my son's words: Keep Calm and Love on.
