Did You Know That...

My youngest son is generally a calm and quiet sort.  He’s very content to do an activity alone and can entertain himself with no problems, but yesterday, this quiet child of ours hopped in the car after school and never stopped talking.  Random information was pouring from his lips.  “Did you know that you can’t fold a piece of paper in half more than 7 times?”  “Did you know that when a lobster loses an eye is grows another one in its place?” 

He was filled with fact after fact.  I had to ask where all of this information was coming from  and he told me one of his friends found a “cool” random facts site on the internet and he couldn’t wait to get home and check it out for himself.

We arrived home and he went straight up to our bedroom to get the laptop and without even taking off his coat, fixed himself into the cushions of the couch and began surfing for random information.  He laughed and read every one he thought was interesting aloud to us and waited for us to offer our “wow,” and our “really?” to the unusual tidbit of information.

He must have been on that site for thirty minutes straight when hunger began to set in.  He couldn’t stop talking and filling his mind with all sorts of random goodness.  He loves that kind of knowledge.  We must have book after book filled with silly true stories and facts.   He gravitates to the unusual facts and can’t wait to share them with all of us and his friends.

I’m sure the lunch conversation will be lively today and am certain they will all go home knowing that the total worldwide weight of termites outweighs the weight of the human population ten to one. Gotta love a ten year-old’s curiosity.

Waiting For A Little Bird To Sing

Lately I feel like an elephant-sized sponge.  I have the desire to learn and learn and learn about anything and everything.  (Maybe I need to go back to school and earn my Masters in The Art of Learning.  That is a degree isn’t it?)  I want to study religion, psychology, child development, aging, technology in our everyday lives, the power of prayer, friendship, book making, lithography, photography, English, letter press, publishing, and the list goes on and on and on. 

Do you see my problem?  I didn’t have this desire when I was in college.  I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong, but the appreciation for knowledge wasn’t there at that time in my life.  It’s there now.  

If you were to see my library card, you would tell me to stand in line and get a new one. I’ve had it for over fifteen years now and it’s beginning to show signs of intense wear. But, I like the personality it has.   It has a history.  My interests and how they change daily are logged on that card.  If you were to pull a history of my recent check-outs you’d probably think I had multiple personalities or something.  

I can’t seem to narrow my interests down to a single path.  Some days I can, but other days, it’s like looking at the aisle in the paint store at all the color possibilities.  I’m drawn to them all and they all have a unique place in my heart.  Red is bold. Yellow is lovely.  Blue is crisp.  Brown is warm.  I love them all.

I love anything crafty because it makes my soul sing. Getting my hands dirty is very satisfying at the end of the day.  I love learning how to enhance my life in beautiful ways.  Keeping a journal or surrounding myself with candlelight is calming. The psychology of it all is intriguing to me.  I love anything that brings clarity to God and our purpose here on this earth. The world religions are fascinating to me and could study them all day.

But I don’t have all day, and that is where I stumble; so little time.  I want to pick the correct path.  Is there a wrong path in learning?  Perhaps not. I try to focus on the fact that I want to learn each day and that in its own right is healthy and feeds a daily need for me.  Perhaps it’s a phase of life that we all go through?  I am waiting by open doors and windows for that little bird to sing my song and draw me to it.  Then, I will know which way to walk.  Until then, I will gaze at their openness and potential and appreciate them for all they could bring.  I do hope that little bird shows up soon. 

Tomorrow Isn't Just Another Tuesday

I know you’ve been waiting for it.  It’s one of the biggest events of the year (at least in Liberal, Kansas, it is.) It’s less than 24 hours away and will be filled with excitement for everyone. Tomorrow isn’t just another Tuesday, it’s Pancake Day in Liberal, Kansas. You heard me right, Pancake Day.

It’s a day filled with pancake eating contests, beauty pageants, talent shows, church services, pancake running races for all ages and a parade down the center of town to finish off the day.  How do I know this you ask?  Because I used to live in Liberal and even marched in a parade or two of my own playing the school fight song in that very parade.  

For over sixty years now, this little Midwest town has been running races with Olney, England, and comparing their race times to see who is the fastest each year.  The ladies of the race wear their red kerchiefs, apron and must carry a frying pan complete with a pancake and run the 415 yards to the finish line.  To be official, they must flip their pancake at least once during the race.  

This is a big day in Liberal, so don’t make fun.   The pageant queens ride in the floats, the tap dancers of the area get to compete for the prize money, and the 16 year old boys get to eat as many pancakes as they want, all vying for the blue ribbon of pancake eating.  This is America.  This is small town, U.S.A.  It’s just plain ‘ole good fun. 

To big city folk, it may seem a bit hokey, but when this is your town, your life, it’s exciting and a chance to celebrate your town’s uniqueness.   If we lived closer, I’d pack up the family and go tomorrow.  I’d love my boys to see where I grew up, went to school, and show them what small towns have to offer.  Heck, maybe we could enter the family race and run for a medal of our own. 

Every town has their claim to fame, and this just happens to be Liberal’s little moment to shine.  It’s a way to kick off Lent with a little more flare than just a prayer and your head bowed at the table.  Be sure to check their web-site tomorrow for the names of the race winners and the latest pictures from the parade. You just might see us in the background waving at the pageant queens as they drive by. 

Feel free to click here, for more information about International Pancake Day and all the festivities.  So, in honor of my home town's celebration, I will be making pancakes for my boys for breakfast.  Won't you join in the fun?  

Just Keep Swimming, Swimming, Swimming

I love that line in "Finding Nemo" when Dory is talking to Marlin, who is being Mr. Grumpy Gills, “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.” 

Life has been a little busy lately with musical rehearsal, musical performances, cub scouts, leaders meetings, field hockey practices, school testing, car dying, car buying, basketball practice, baseball practice, house cleaning, and all that comes with kids, family time and busy schedules.  

I have to admit, I’ve been a bit on edge with it all this week.  I’m just needing a day to unwind and drink a full cup of hot tea before it gets cold because the phone rings and the doorbell rings at the same time.  

I think this is how we get sick.  We just go, go, go until our bodies force us to slow down.  I’m thinking that today, I don’t have that much to do, since I did a marathon of tasks yesterday, so will try to take fewer steps in the world, drive less, and sit down to enjoy that hot pear tea.  It always makes me feel better and gives me the energy to just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.  (You have to sing it like she does when you read it to get he full effect.). 

Enjoy your weekend.

Hat #16

We tried everything to prevent it from happening, but that tiny little virus was able to sneak past every hand washing and made its nasty way into our home.   So, for the last week I have been wearing my nurse’s cap (number 16 of many hats I wear).  My aunt, Sherri would be proud.

It started with my oldest calling early from a friend’s house after a sleepover to request an early pick-up.  This is not normal.  They like to stay to the very last second if at all possible.  (They’ll do anything to put off doing chores or homework.)  I picked him up and sure enough, the handy-dandy thermometer told me I had a sick child.  This was last Sunday.  Fever, body aches, chills, and that dreaded croupy cough.  Yuck is pretty much all I can say.  How can something so tiny cause so much havoc?

With a trip to urgent care to rule out the flu and a follow up visit to the doctor, it was confirmed.  He was sick.   We got out the motrin and the cough medicine, the Clorox wipes and the Lysol to try and contain it to one room.  Would we be successful?

Well, three days later, it happened.  He came into our bedroom with his droopy eyes and a flushed face.  It had spread to our youngest.  Higher fever, no body ache and that cough that makes your ribs hurt.   One more trip to the doctor and sure enough another confirmation, he was sick too.

The two of them camped out in the master bedroom with a wall of pillows tucked behind their heads, the electric blanket on, water and juice beside the bed and room service to boot.  Quite the hospital if I do say so myself. 

“Mom, could you bring me my book?”

“Mom, could you bring me my magnets?”

“Mom, could we watch a movie?”

“Mom, could you bring me some more orange juice?”

I don’t know if nurse is the real definition of my job the last week or not.  I’m thinking personal butler is probably more like it.   Needless to say, six days later, they both have recovered and still have a bit of that lingering cough, but can at least move around and work on the homework that piled up over the missed days of school.  Now I’m just hoping that my husband and I don’t come down with it.   I’m not so sure the boys would be as eager to be our personal butlers for a week.

FEBRUARY VOCAB CHALLENGE 101

Day 11

miasma:  (noun) Noxious emissions: smoke, vapors, etc., especially those from decaying organic matter.