Sunday, January 16, 2011
Koins for Kenya: March Expedition, Anyone?
Koins for Kenya: March Expedition, Anyone?: " Koins for KenyaSpring ExpeditionMarch 16 - 27, 2011 Expeditions are work. Expeditions are awareness. Expeditions are famil..."
Friday, January 14, 2011
Happy New Year from the Quesenberrys
Back row: Ted, Jami, Holden, Josh, Lauren, Andrew, Steve, Austin, Leigh, Ben (Jami's brother)Front row: Liz, Tim, Daniel, Grace
It's been a few years since we've sent out a family letter. Most of our friends are on Facebook, so we haven't felt the need. If you're getting this letter you must be born before 1980! If you're on Facebook, and you haven't already, please 'friend' us. We'd love to hear from you!
Here are some of our Facebook highlights from 2010:
Steve: "Was just called as a Sunday School teacher to the inmates at the Utah County Jail. How exciting! My first assignment is to the gang unit, and I get to wear an 'emergency recall beeper' in case I am attacked!" (5-5)
Steve is busy with work, church, and family. He coached basketball and football, skied and camped with the kids, enjoyed several church callings (including teaching his beloved inmates at the jail), travelled with the boys back East on a history tour, and stayed busy at work with trials in Las Vegas and Boise.
Jami: "2 1/2 weeks in Africa - not even a mosquito bite. 2 1/2 weeks in the US - a nasty cold" (8-12)
Jami continues to homeschool the three youngest children, volunteer for Koins for Kenya, and serve as a counselor in the Relief Society. She made her second trip to Kenya in the summer, with Leigh, and hopes to go every year. See http://www.koinsforkenya.org/ if you want to go along!
Steve and Jami celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this year. Both sets of our parents – Ed and Eva, and Glen and Kaye - celebrated their 50th!
Lauren: " I had a truly wonderful day in the temple surrounded by dear friends and family for the wedding of my oldest daughter Lauren to her Prince Charming Andrew Wright. They were sealed for time and all eternity by none other than my wise, kind father Glen." (11-19)
Lauren remarried in November. Her husband, Andrew, is a high school teacher and an all around nice guy – he even speaks German! He is a good dad to Holden (2 years old in February), who is turning into quite a little comedian. Lauren is going back to BYU this winter to finish her undergraduate degree in Art History, while continuing to work as Steve's assistant.
Leigh: "Congratulations, Leigh, for getting accepted into the Nursing program and the University of Utah! All of your hard work is paying off." (4-23)
Leigh and Austin are living in Salt Lake City where Austin works selling and installing garage door storage racks and Leigh attends Nursing School at the University of Utah. She finished her first semester with flying colors. She just got a job in the Alzheimer's unit at Emeritus, an assisted living center. She especially loves doing clinicals at the VA Hospital, and her volunteer work at a SLC homeless shelter.
Grace: "Has anyone seen Grace? Anyone? Anyone?" (6-23)
Grace turned 18 this year – and promptly disappeared for a week. As a sophomore at the University of Utah, we rarely get to see her even now. She is a bundle of energy and ideas, majoring in psychology with a minor in gender studies. She loves all things "U of U" and enjoyed being part of the MUSS ("Mighty Utah Student Section").
Daniel: "Here's the phone call from Steve: 'Could you go to the church and clean up the broken glass and blood?" (11-26)
Daniel has been practicing, practicing, practicing basketball all year, not without injury. As a result, he made the 10th grade team. He is over 6 feet tall and gets his driver's license (if he's lucky!) in February. He does well in school with the goal of becoming a doctor one day.
Ted: "You really shouldn't take all of your kids on a field trip to the animal shelter." (4-15)
Ted turned 13 this year. He made the decision to go back to public school in the fall and has done very well. He won the school geography bee and continues to love and play football. He convinced us to visit the animal shelter in the spring and, as a result, we added Charger, a pug, to our animal menagerie.
Josh: "Josh is at a Civil War re-enactment at Camp Floyd. Liz and Tim are with me at the children's museum. School is officially in session." (8-25)
Josh, 11, is the oldest student in our home school this year. He keeps threatening to go back to public school. But when he thinks about all the uninterrupted reading (and playing) time he enjoys now – and how much his mom and little brother and sister enjoy having him around - he continues to stay home, at least on a month to month basis.
Tim: "This is Salem: Came home from running to the post office to find a police officer there. Seems a 6 year old matching my son's description was at the gas station, bought $20 worth of candy, ate a bit, then left the rest at the store. Wanted to know what to do with the candy." (8-23)
Tim loves to "read" Encyclopedia Brown and "write" in his journal. He wants to be an author, and a professional basketball player, and a fireman, and a singer, and ... He is a most creative, giving child. He has about 8 girlfriends, but his best girlfriend is Mom.
Liz: "I have a pair of electric shears up for grabs. Come and get them!" (1-28)
Lizzy continues to be the cutest, most adventurous 4 year old we know. She has a fascination with cutting her hair at the most inconvenient times. We've learned not to turn our backs on her for too long! The quote of the year 2010 belongs to Lizzy. During one of her bedtime prayers, she asked that Jami could "survive being old."
That is our wish to all of you for the New Year. We hope that you all "survive being old"!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Great Quote
Why do so many people never amount to anything? Because they don't think. It's astonishing what an effort it seems to be for many people to put their brains definitely and systematically to work. They seem to insist on somebody else doing their thinking for them. The individual who doesn't make up his mind to cultivate the habit of thinking misses the greatest pleasure in life. He not only misses the greatest pleasure, but he cannot make the most of himself.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Monday, December 13, 2010
What I Did Today
Thought it would be good to catch up on a few day to day things. Gotta start with yesterday, though.
Sunday, Dec. 12
Woke up with a sore throat. Read scriptures. I'm studying Isaiah. I figured that with Jesus Christ and Nephi recommending it, I probably should tackle it. Steve and I started reading it together a few weeks ago. We got bogged down in the "burden" chapters, where Isaiah predicts death and destruction for Moab, Damascus, Egypt, Babylon, Ethiopia, Tyre, the drunkards of Ephraim, and even Ariel (whoever or whatever that is). So now I'm reading by myself and finally got to some really, really good stuff in Chapter 40. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people", "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength", "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
After reading, I got Lizzie some breakfast, then went back upstairs to write a new blog post.
Then time to tackle the newspaper. My favorite sections of the Sunday newspaper: the editorials and the crossword puzzle. Settled down to work the crossword puzzle. Ted helped for a bit. I had to interrupt the puzzle for a bit while I ironed Daniel's shirts. He was going to his basketball trainer's missionary farewell.
Said goodbye to Steve, who left to go to Kansas City for business. Then finished the puzzle. Studied the Sunday School lesson that Steve asked me to teach for him. Actually, studied is too big a word. I skimmed the lesson and considered it done. I would regret that decision in 3 hours. Oh well...
By that time it was getting close to choir practice. I quickly showered and got the little ones bathed and dressed and headed to the church. I love singing in the choir at Christmas time! We are singing 4 songs this year, two of them we have sung in previous years. One of the new ones is not coming along well at all. Basically, we need a Christmas miracle.
After practice, went home to pick up the kids for church. Sacrament Mtg went fine until Lizzie decided to bite off a chunk of yellow crayon and show all the people sitting behind us what was in her mouth. Took her out, washed her mouth and scrubbed her teeth, then had her sit down in a corner with her arms folded (not to be mean, but just because the couch was all taken).
She didn't want to go to Primary, but Sis. and Bro. Lamb came out and gave her no choice. No one says no to the Lambs. She went and left me to try and convince Daniel into his class. Which took a lot. Then went to face Steve's class. All I'm going to say is that one can not go into a class of 13 to 15 year olds unprepared and expect all to go well. Also, Ted should consider himself lucky that he's still alive. His ADD was showing big time.
Let the class out early and headed to Relief Society. It truly was a relief to be there. I played the piano because our regular pianist was sick. The lesson was on the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit was so sweet in there. I love our RS ladies!
Went home and got everyone dinner, then attempted to do a little visiting teaching. But no one was home. So went home and cracked the whip. "Forced" the boys to do the dishes and clean the kitchen so we could do our Advent celebration. I tell ya, it is NO FUN to get boys to work - especially Ted - when they don't want to. Ted plays this game of making himself so obnoxious that I send him to his room and he gets out of his work. This time, though, I waited until he was almost done, then sent him to his room before we did Advent.
Advent was nice. A nice new tradition. After we lit the candles and sang a few songs, I read a couple of Christmas stories, then we worked on gingerbread houses. They didn't work well at all, so we mostly just stuffed our faces with candy. Lauren brought Holden over and we talked for a while. Helped Ted with an online Science test, and put the kids to bed, then drove Lauren and Holden home at around 8:15 to Goshen. Had to tutor Lauren a bit in getting Holden to go to sleep on his own. Not a fun stage. But it passes quickly if done right.
Then came home and watched a bit of "White Christmas". Unfortunately I turned it on right as the "Minstrel" number came on. Yikes! Don't know how that song made it passed the film editors. But, right after that comes the "When you're worried and can not sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep" song. That was the perfect place to turn off the TV and go to sleep.
Dec. 13
I didn't sleep well. I had a sore throat and couldn't seem to swallow without effort. But I got up right before scripture study. Wasn't the most scintillating sections - D&C 47 and 48. But we did it. Lauren dropped off Holden and picked up Ted to take him to school. I went walking with Kim. Jill had to stay home with Lyle, who is sick. Kim and I had a good talk, but my favorite part of the walk came after I dropped her off at the bottom of her hill and I saw Timmy running to meet me and walk me home. He was in shorts and still in his PJ top. He had such excitement and love in his eyes as he ran towards me and then took my hand. I'll never be as popular with anyone else as with my little children. I never want to be.
After our walk, I had breakfast, then read to the kids - first "The Wizard of Oz", then our history book. We read about the late 19th C. immigration. I love this quote by German immigrant Carl Schurz:
It is an old dodge of the advocates of despotism throughout the world, that the people who are not experienced in self-government are not fit for the exercise of self-government...[but] liberty is the best school for liberty, and self-government cannot be learned but by practicing it. This, sir, is a truly American idea; this is true Americanism, and to this I pay the tribute of my devotion.
That goes along with my philosophy of parenting and home school. Reading and writing and math will all be taught soon enough. But what I try to concentrate on with my kids before those things is teaching them to use agency wisely while there is still a bit of a safety net. It's taken me a while to get to that place where I honor my children's agency and their divine spark. In my earlier years I played God too much and tried too hard to control every facet of their lives. I fell into the trap of thinking children were empty pitchers, waiting to be filled. I know now that isn't true. Children come with an inner desire to learn and to progress. When they are controlled too much their inner flame can become extinguished. Now I try to give them space to listen to their spirits and to God's spirit so they can hopefully discover their inner mission and purpose.
For instance, Timmy is trying hard to read. I have tried in former years to sit down with him and practice reading with him for a certain amount every day. He got bored with it and soon hated it. So I backed off. Now he begs to have me help him. I put him off as much as I can and give him help here and there, but only until just before he gets bored. I follow his lead. I haven't actually had a reading lesson for 2 weeks. Yet today he picked up a chapter book and started trying to sound out words. He's actually gone through 2 pages, mostly by himself. It's like watching a baby take tentative steps. They don't give up. And neither will Tim.
Anyway, after reading history, the kids played outside for a bit, then did a bit of math. I cleaned up the yard and house, then put Holden to bed for a short nap. Then we went to the Anaya's school. We learned about Christmas around the world. Not too much going on there, except that the kids like to interact with other kids. We are going caroling together tomorrow.
Came home after that and I had to get salad and dessert ready to take to the Swensons. Then we watched TV a bit, then had dinner (Burger King), then watched the movie "Ramona and Beezus" for FHE. It is such a tender, good movie. I was surprised that all the kids watched it without complaining. Daniel gave me such a nice hug before bed. It's not often I get those hugs from him these days. He towers above me and he is gone a lot with basketball. He is growing up to be such a nice young man - as are the rest of my boys, for that matter. And my girls. I am feeling very blessed right now.
Sunday, Dec. 12
Woke up with a sore throat. Read scriptures. I'm studying Isaiah. I figured that with Jesus Christ and Nephi recommending it, I probably should tackle it. Steve and I started reading it together a few weeks ago. We got bogged down in the "burden" chapters, where Isaiah predicts death and destruction for Moab, Damascus, Egypt, Babylon, Ethiopia, Tyre, the drunkards of Ephraim, and even Ariel (whoever or whatever that is). So now I'm reading by myself and finally got to some really, really good stuff in Chapter 40. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people", "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength", "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
After reading, I got Lizzie some breakfast, then went back upstairs to write a new blog post.
Then time to tackle the newspaper. My favorite sections of the Sunday newspaper: the editorials and the crossword puzzle. Settled down to work the crossword puzzle. Ted helped for a bit. I had to interrupt the puzzle for a bit while I ironed Daniel's shirts. He was going to his basketball trainer's missionary farewell.
Said goodbye to Steve, who left to go to Kansas City for business. Then finished the puzzle. Studied the Sunday School lesson that Steve asked me to teach for him. Actually, studied is too big a word. I skimmed the lesson and considered it done. I would regret that decision in 3 hours. Oh well...
By that time it was getting close to choir practice. I quickly showered and got the little ones bathed and dressed and headed to the church. I love singing in the choir at Christmas time! We are singing 4 songs this year, two of them we have sung in previous years. One of the new ones is not coming along well at all. Basically, we need a Christmas miracle.
After practice, went home to pick up the kids for church. Sacrament Mtg went fine until Lizzie decided to bite off a chunk of yellow crayon and show all the people sitting behind us what was in her mouth. Took her out, washed her mouth and scrubbed her teeth, then had her sit down in a corner with her arms folded (not to be mean, but just because the couch was all taken).
She didn't want to go to Primary, but Sis. and Bro. Lamb came out and gave her no choice. No one says no to the Lambs. She went and left me to try and convince Daniel into his class. Which took a lot. Then went to face Steve's class. All I'm going to say is that one can not go into a class of 13 to 15 year olds unprepared and expect all to go well. Also, Ted should consider himself lucky that he's still alive. His ADD was showing big time.
Let the class out early and headed to Relief Society. It truly was a relief to be there. I played the piano because our regular pianist was sick. The lesson was on the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit was so sweet in there. I love our RS ladies!
Went home and got everyone dinner, then attempted to do a little visiting teaching. But no one was home. So went home and cracked the whip. "Forced" the boys to do the dishes and clean the kitchen so we could do our Advent celebration. I tell ya, it is NO FUN to get boys to work - especially Ted - when they don't want to. Ted plays this game of making himself so obnoxious that I send him to his room and he gets out of his work. This time, though, I waited until he was almost done, then sent him to his room before we did Advent.
Advent was nice. A nice new tradition. After we lit the candles and sang a few songs, I read a couple of Christmas stories, then we worked on gingerbread houses. They didn't work well at all, so we mostly just stuffed our faces with candy. Lauren brought Holden over and we talked for a while. Helped Ted with an online Science test, and put the kids to bed, then drove Lauren and Holden home at around 8:15 to Goshen. Had to tutor Lauren a bit in getting Holden to go to sleep on his own. Not a fun stage. But it passes quickly if done right.
Then came home and watched a bit of "White Christmas". Unfortunately I turned it on right as the "Minstrel" number came on. Yikes! Don't know how that song made it passed the film editors. But, right after that comes the "When you're worried and can not sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep" song. That was the perfect place to turn off the TV and go to sleep.
Dec. 13
I didn't sleep well. I had a sore throat and couldn't seem to swallow without effort. But I got up right before scripture study. Wasn't the most scintillating sections - D&C 47 and 48. But we did it. Lauren dropped off Holden and picked up Ted to take him to school. I went walking with Kim. Jill had to stay home with Lyle, who is sick. Kim and I had a good talk, but my favorite part of the walk came after I dropped her off at the bottom of her hill and I saw Timmy running to meet me and walk me home. He was in shorts and still in his PJ top. He had such excitement and love in his eyes as he ran towards me and then took my hand. I'll never be as popular with anyone else as with my little children. I never want to be.
After our walk, I had breakfast, then read to the kids - first "The Wizard of Oz", then our history book. We read about the late 19th C. immigration. I love this quote by German immigrant Carl Schurz:
It is an old dodge of the advocates of despotism throughout the world, that the people who are not experienced in self-government are not fit for the exercise of self-government...[but] liberty is the best school for liberty, and self-government cannot be learned but by practicing it. This, sir, is a truly American idea; this is true Americanism, and to this I pay the tribute of my devotion.
That goes along with my philosophy of parenting and home school. Reading and writing and math will all be taught soon enough. But what I try to concentrate on with my kids before those things is teaching them to use agency wisely while there is still a bit of a safety net. It's taken me a while to get to that place where I honor my children's agency and their divine spark. In my earlier years I played God too much and tried too hard to control every facet of their lives. I fell into the trap of thinking children were empty pitchers, waiting to be filled. I know now that isn't true. Children come with an inner desire to learn and to progress. When they are controlled too much their inner flame can become extinguished. Now I try to give them space to listen to their spirits and to God's spirit so they can hopefully discover their inner mission and purpose.
For instance, Timmy is trying hard to read. I have tried in former years to sit down with him and practice reading with him for a certain amount every day. He got bored with it and soon hated it. So I backed off. Now he begs to have me help him. I put him off as much as I can and give him help here and there, but only until just before he gets bored. I follow his lead. I haven't actually had a reading lesson for 2 weeks. Yet today he picked up a chapter book and started trying to sound out words. He's actually gone through 2 pages, mostly by himself. It's like watching a baby take tentative steps. They don't give up. And neither will Tim.
Anyway, after reading history, the kids played outside for a bit, then did a bit of math. I cleaned up the yard and house, then put Holden to bed for a short nap. Then we went to the Anaya's school. We learned about Christmas around the world. Not too much going on there, except that the kids like to interact with other kids. We are going caroling together tomorrow.
Came home after that and I had to get salad and dessert ready to take to the Swensons. Then we watched TV a bit, then had dinner (Burger King), then watched the movie "Ramona and Beezus" for FHE. It is such a tender, good movie. I was surprised that all the kids watched it without complaining. Daniel gave me such a nice hug before bed. It's not often I get those hugs from him these days. He towers above me and he is gone a lot with basketball. He is growing up to be such a nice young man - as are the rest of my boys, for that matter. And my girls. I am feeling very blessed right now.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Benny and Hill
I woke up this morning feeling grateful for my friends. I'll call them Benny and Hill, just for the sake of privacy. When I was a youth, friends were very hard to come by for me. I was painfully shy - so shy that a lady in church once told my mom that I needed to get counseling. In thinking back on this I can only surmise that I was always just afraid of making a fool of myself. It took a lot for me to be comfortable enough around someone to let my hair down and be fun. My siblings were my friends and that was enough.
Through the years my relationship with my siblings has gone south a bit - I'll have to do an anatomy of that in another post. I love them - I adore them - I miss them. But for whatever reason we just don't talk anymore on a regular basis.
While my sibling relationships have weakened, my need for friends has increased. I really - really - like to talk now. I have turned into a chatter box. Sometimes I can get downright obnoxious in a conversation and have to tell myself to shut up! Who would have thunk it back in the day when I was a mute?
It takes more than one mortal man (sorry, Steve, that's what you are, after all) to keep up with this need. That's where Benny and Hill come in. They are the sisters that I don't have anymore. What I like about these 2 friends is that they balance each other out so well.
They have a lot in common - each are beautiful, for instance. Part of why I love them I think is so that beauty will rub off on me. They are creative. You should see their respective homes!! Ditto on the rubbing off on me stuff. I walk with both of them - though not at the same time due to their schedules. I love each of them so much I have been known to wake up at 5:00 am to walk/jog/run 4 miles with Benny before she goes to work, then come home for a quick breakfast before I walk 3 miles with Hill after her kids go to school at 7:30. I just can't get enough of either of them!
That is where the similarities end, though.
Benny is talkative, a bit brash, with not a lot of self editing. If I had to compare her to a movie star, she would be Sandra Bullock. She loves to throw parties. She loves Halloween. She loves scary movies. I think their are only 2 movies out there that are so scary she would have to turn them off. She secretly watches R rated movies - when her kids aren't looking and if they are really good.
Hill is more reserved. She's like Grace Kelly. She cries, however, at the drop of a hat. She is very careful of her words and worries a lot after conversations if she said something stupid - which, of course, she never does. She epitomizes dignity. I was once walking with her in winter when she hit a slippery patch. When she fell down she did it so gracefully, that I thought she was sitting down on purpose! She hates Halloween and any movie with the F-word - even 1.
I love these women. And here's where they are perfect for me. Benny is the one I go to when all hell breaks loose. I could tell her any bad thing and she'll make me feel better. We will be friends forever because we know too much damaging information about each other. Hill is where I go with the victories. She loves to see me succeed. Not that Benny doesn't, too. It's just in a different way.
What I like about both these friends is this: I could call each of them saying, "Listen, I just killed my husband." They would immediately say, "It must have been justified. I'll be right there." Benny would bring eclairs, Hill would bring cleaning supplies.
Benny and Hill. We all need friends like these.
Through the years my relationship with my siblings has gone south a bit - I'll have to do an anatomy of that in another post. I love them - I adore them - I miss them. But for whatever reason we just don't talk anymore on a regular basis.
While my sibling relationships have weakened, my need for friends has increased. I really - really - like to talk now. I have turned into a chatter box. Sometimes I can get downright obnoxious in a conversation and have to tell myself to shut up! Who would have thunk it back in the day when I was a mute?
It takes more than one mortal man (sorry, Steve, that's what you are, after all) to keep up with this need. That's where Benny and Hill come in. They are the sisters that I don't have anymore. What I like about these 2 friends is that they balance each other out so well.
They have a lot in common - each are beautiful, for instance. Part of why I love them I think is so that beauty will rub off on me. They are creative. You should see their respective homes!! Ditto on the rubbing off on me stuff. I walk with both of them - though not at the same time due to their schedules. I love each of them so much I have been known to wake up at 5:00 am to walk/jog/run 4 miles with Benny before she goes to work, then come home for a quick breakfast before I walk 3 miles with Hill after her kids go to school at 7:30. I just can't get enough of either of them!
That is where the similarities end, though.
Benny is talkative, a bit brash, with not a lot of self editing. If I had to compare her to a movie star, she would be Sandra Bullock. She loves to throw parties. She loves Halloween. She loves scary movies. I think their are only 2 movies out there that are so scary she would have to turn them off. She secretly watches R rated movies - when her kids aren't looking and if they are really good.
Hill is more reserved. She's like Grace Kelly. She cries, however, at the drop of a hat. She is very careful of her words and worries a lot after conversations if she said something stupid - which, of course, she never does. She epitomizes dignity. I was once walking with her in winter when she hit a slippery patch. When she fell down she did it so gracefully, that I thought she was sitting down on purpose! She hates Halloween and any movie with the F-word - even 1.
I love these women. And here's where they are perfect for me. Benny is the one I go to when all hell breaks loose. I could tell her any bad thing and she'll make me feel better. We will be friends forever because we know too much damaging information about each other. Hill is where I go with the victories. She loves to see me succeed. Not that Benny doesn't, too. It's just in a different way.
What I like about both these friends is this: I could call each of them saying, "Listen, I just killed my husband." They would immediately say, "It must have been justified. I'll be right there." Benny would bring eclairs, Hill would bring cleaning supplies.
Benny and Hill. We all need friends like these.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Just A Quick Intro...
Hi, I'm Jami, and I'm a Know-It-All.
I'll just put that out there so you can help keep me honest. I am prone to relapses - I've had several. Fortunately, I have 8 wonderful children and a supportive husband who take great pains to assist in my recovery. Every time I lapse into thinking I have the world by the tail and can lift my head high and raise my voice in the crowd - and all those other pat phrases - they kindly, but not necessarily gently, take me by the hand and guide me back to a course of humility.
This is my memoir.
I'm not sure if I'll ever get to the point where I'll share this. I'm hoping it will stay buried in the e-universe with the other millions of blogs floating out there. Maybe I'll have it written in my will that my descendants can share it 100 years after my death, like Mark Twain. Just to be on the safe side, I will be changing names to protect not so much the innocent as the guilty who may be in charge of my care when I am elderly.
An explanation of the name of the blog. I am a woman in my late 40s. A wonderful age, by the way, if you don't mind jiggly thighs and arms and, I have just discovered, chins. I also have a huge jiggly fold of skin where my cute stomach and belly button used to be. Alas, they are gone with the wind.
But that's what I'm talking about. Back in the Know-It-All stage of life, I would have been mortified to have those jiggly bits. I ran several marathons in my 30s in the quest to eliminate jiggle from my life. And to be able to eat all the red licorice I wanted and not feel guilty. Now, as I approach my 50s, the vanity is losing ground. I'm not going to lie - I still care about what I look like. But I've gone from wanting to look good in a swimsuit (my teens and early 20s), to wanting to look good in shorts and skirts ( my late 20s and 30s), to wanting to look good in slacks and long sleeve shirts.
Another example: my parenting. I used to be a parent who took kids to dance lessons and music lessons and art classes and museums, for heaven's sake. I used to go to parent teacher conferences and TAKE NOTES! I still go now, occasionally, but only when I know the teacher likes my child and I need a little pick me up. Otherwise, why bother? I homeschool my 3 youngest children for the sole purpose of avoiding reading calendars and science fairs.
Well, enough for tonight. My unmade bed awaits me. And that's not something I can blame on getting older.
I'll just put that out there so you can help keep me honest. I am prone to relapses - I've had several. Fortunately, I have 8 wonderful children and a supportive husband who take great pains to assist in my recovery. Every time I lapse into thinking I have the world by the tail and can lift my head high and raise my voice in the crowd - and all those other pat phrases - they kindly, but not necessarily gently, take me by the hand and guide me back to a course of humility.
This is my memoir.
I'm not sure if I'll ever get to the point where I'll share this. I'm hoping it will stay buried in the e-universe with the other millions of blogs floating out there. Maybe I'll have it written in my will that my descendants can share it 100 years after my death, like Mark Twain. Just to be on the safe side, I will be changing names to protect not so much the innocent as the guilty who may be in charge of my care when I am elderly.
An explanation of the name of the blog. I am a woman in my late 40s. A wonderful age, by the way, if you don't mind jiggly thighs and arms and, I have just discovered, chins. I also have a huge jiggly fold of skin where my cute stomach and belly button used to be. Alas, they are gone with the wind.
But that's what I'm talking about. Back in the Know-It-All stage of life, I would have been mortified to have those jiggly bits. I ran several marathons in my 30s in the quest to eliminate jiggle from my life. And to be able to eat all the red licorice I wanted and not feel guilty. Now, as I approach my 50s, the vanity is losing ground. I'm not going to lie - I still care about what I look like. But I've gone from wanting to look good in a swimsuit (my teens and early 20s), to wanting to look good in shorts and skirts ( my late 20s and 30s), to wanting to look good in slacks and long sleeve shirts.
Another example: my parenting. I used to be a parent who took kids to dance lessons and music lessons and art classes and museums, for heaven's sake. I used to go to parent teacher conferences and TAKE NOTES! I still go now, occasionally, but only when I know the teacher likes my child and I need a little pick me up. Otherwise, why bother? I homeschool my 3 youngest children for the sole purpose of avoiding reading calendars and science fairs.
Well, enough for tonight. My unmade bed awaits me. And that's not something I can blame on getting older.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)