I picked up the Sunday paper on Wednesday and have been nibbling on it since then. You know I love to read, but I am not very current on news or opinions (I also love NPR but I rarely get a chance to just sit and listen to that with my kids around). Hence, I came home with the paper. If you have a grandma, then you have probably been sent newspaper articles in the mail. I love to get them because it shows you what they are interested in and what they think you are interested in. I read this article and thought, 'I am going to send this to Kasie,' and then laughed. How old fashioned of me, I'll blog about it instead. (Actually, I may still mail this to my friend since she doesn't read my blog!)
The Elusive Big Idea
Anyway, in this opinion article the author is talking about how we are of an information age and that although we have more information available than ever, we do not have enough time to digest the information.
'We prefer knowing to thinking because knowing has more immediate value. It keeps us in the loop, keeps us connected to our friends and our cohort. Ideas are too airy, too impractical, too much work for too little reward. Few talk ideas. Everyone talks information, usually personal information. Where are you going? What are you doing? Who are you seeing? These are today's big questions.'
He points out that although we are living in a time when many inventions are being created in the marketplace, few ideas are being created. That thinkers are in short supply.
'What the future portends is more and more information Everest of it. There won't be anything we won't know. But there will be no one thinking about it.'
As I continue to fight the battle against facebook, I feel supported by a thinker. I love to read nonfiction. I love to listen to NPR and challenge what I already think. I like going to book group and having time to think about what I have read. Don't get me wrong: I am interested in what my friends are doing and how cute their kids are. But I only need to know that sparingly. I've got kids to teach how to problem solve, how to build strong character, and how to be firm in the faith. I don't see how a day by day play of my friends lives will make me better at any of that.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Texas Storm
AT 6:10 this morning a flash and immediate boom woke me up. 30 seconds later the reverberations caused the waters to gush forth from the clouds. I sat up and looked at the clock and immediately thought, "the boys do not have raincoats or umbrellas!" We bought galoshes and I intended to buy the other rain gear, but it was a low priority. I have not bought an umbrella for me for 5 years and the last one I bought for Ryan was for him to play with in the backyard 3 years ago.
Then I thought, 'I wish we lived in Rome.' When it rains in Rome the peddlers stop selling their street wares and magically appear on every corner with umbrellas. Our apartment had 6 umbrellas in the front stand. They were cheap and we always needed one when we were furthest from home. So it would be handy to step out my front door and have an Indian selling me umbrellas. However, this is a whole other world; the Indians here work for IBM and would not condescend to sell me umbrellas!
So I jumped out of bed, got dressed and ran to the truck (to search for an umbrella) and then drove off to CVS. But as I came to the corner and looked both ways, I looked up at a clear sky with a sliver of a moon shining. The storm had passed. I continued on to CVS and bought emergency ponchos for the kids backpacks. I guess umbrellas and raincoats will be my first priority this weekend!
Then I thought, 'I wish we lived in Rome.' When it rains in Rome the peddlers stop selling their street wares and magically appear on every corner with umbrellas. Our apartment had 6 umbrellas in the front stand. They were cheap and we always needed one when we were furthest from home. So it would be handy to step out my front door and have an Indian selling me umbrellas. However, this is a whole other world; the Indians here work for IBM and would not condescend to sell me umbrellas!
So I jumped out of bed, got dressed and ran to the truck (to search for an umbrella) and then drove off to CVS. But as I came to the corner and looked both ways, I looked up at a clear sky with a sliver of a moon shining. The storm had passed. I continued on to CVS and bought emergency ponchos for the kids backpacks. I guess umbrellas and raincoats will be my first priority this weekend!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Macey's second Birthday
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| 2011-08-24 |
Macey started her day very early since the boys all wanted to wish her a 'happy birthday' and watch her open her bed gift. This threw her off for the rest of the. We stayed home and played with her Sesame Street playhouse all day, when she wasn't sleeping half naked on the floor! When the boys got home we went to pick up her birthday cake. I really do believe in homemade cakes, but the bakery does such a nice job and then I don't have to do anything but pick it up and enjoy it!
We had her favorite dinner, Hawaiian Haystacks and then we got ready for our friends to come. Our LDS-around-the-corner neighbors have a boy 8, a girl 4, and a girl almost 2, so we invited them to come for the fun of playing with the new gifts. Also, my friend Lora and her grown son came by to enjoy cake and ice cream.
I had to include this snippet of video because it is so classic big brother. Watch it again. Did you see that Macey did not open this gift? There were 3 books in there and she didn't pull a single one out. Did you see that the boys looked at each book first and then shared it with her? It was a great moment of sharing and it seems that she is used to it since she doesn't fuss about it.
Gift highlights: An adjustable height kitchen, finally! Ryan has been asking for one for 3 years. Oscar the Grouch stuffed animal, not so cuddly with the trash can, but certainly a favorite. Bert and Ernie action figures. Thank you to all the family who sent her gifts and cards. She had a very happy birthday and we have lots of new things to play with while the boys are off being educated.
Monday, August 22, 2011
First Day of School
Finally, school is here. The last 2 activities for the links were 'Green Lantern 3-D' with dad (he always gets to see the cool movies!) and another movie, Nacho Libre that Dan had recorded. So, for the first day of school, Alex got up ready to go and I had to drag my Ryan out of bed. But once he was showered he was ready to go.
I said goodbye at home since Macey was still sleeping and Dan got to take them to class.
No matching with Dad this year. The boys were excited not to have to wear uniforms. I was surprised this afternoon to not see a single pair of jean shorts on the boys. Maybe 10% were in khaki and the rest in sport shorts. It is just that I have been trying to instill decent wear in public and have put a ban on sports clothes except for when we are playing sports. I guess I'll have to change my ways. I sure could have saved some money and a trip shopping for my idea of decent clothes!
Both Ryan and Alex came home saying that school was AWESOME. Thank goodness!
Ryan has lunch at 10:30 and Alex at 1:00! What madness! Ah well, not everyone can sit down at 12:00 and have lunch at the same time. But I will have to invest in dry snacks...
I said goodbye at home since Macey was still sleeping and Dan got to take them to class.
No matching with Dad this year. The boys were excited not to have to wear uniforms. I was surprised this afternoon to not see a single pair of jean shorts on the boys. Maybe 10% were in khaki and the rest in sport shorts. It is just that I have been trying to instill decent wear in public and have put a ban on sports clothes except for when we are playing sports. I guess I'll have to change my ways. I sure could have saved some money and a trip shopping for my idea of decent clothes!
Both Ryan and Alex came home saying that school was AWESOME. Thank goodness!
Ryan has lunch at 10:30 and Alex at 1:00! What madness! Ah well, not everyone can sit down at 12:00 and have lunch at the same time. But I will have to invest in dry snacks...
Friday, August 19, 2011
Last week to go
Are you tired of all these updates? I think next year I'll do 14 days instead of thirty. :)
Anyway,
8 days left: Happy Meals. Ah, a trip to McD's. Some indoor playing, some eating, some Smurf-ing. Macey was concerned that the Smurfs were naked.
7 days: City pool. We went to a different city pool than we have been to before. It had a great kids playground in the water.
6 days: The link ended up being blank... I was out of ideas and just didn't know what to do. So at the last minute we went to JumpStreet. That is a trampoline and bounce place. The boys had a great time and Macey slept.
5 days: Redbox Wii video game. I was planning on Phineas and Ferb, but the boys picked Cars 2. They also had a babysitter most of the day while I was off on an adventure. I have made a new friend here that works for the art museum, so I asked her to go with me to the Picasso exhibit. It was fabulous. We are certainly going to do that again! Carvaggio is come up and I can't wait to see that.
4 days: Lunch shopping. I have made it my mission to make the boys aware of what they are eating (food group wise) for each meal. I am thinking about getting colored baskets for the different food groups to put the lunch options in. Today was also 'Meet the Teacher Day'. We went on campus and met the teachers, saw the seats and the lockers. It was a fun atmosphere and I think both boys are going to do great on Monday.
Anyway,
8 days left: Happy Meals. Ah, a trip to McD's. Some indoor playing, some eating, some Smurf-ing. Macey was concerned that the Smurfs were naked.
7 days: City pool. We went to a different city pool than we have been to before. It had a great kids playground in the water.
6 days: The link ended up being blank... I was out of ideas and just didn't know what to do. So at the last minute we went to JumpStreet. That is a trampoline and bounce place. The boys had a great time and Macey slept.
5 days: Redbox Wii video game. I was planning on Phineas and Ferb, but the boys picked Cars 2. They also had a babysitter most of the day while I was off on an adventure. I have made a new friend here that works for the art museum, so I asked her to go with me to the Picasso exhibit. It was fabulous. We are certainly going to do that again! Carvaggio is come up and I can't wait to see that.
4 days: Lunch shopping. I have made it my mission to make the boys aware of what they are eating (food group wise) for each meal. I am thinking about getting colored baskets for the different food groups to put the lunch options in. Today was also 'Meet the Teacher Day'. We went on campus and met the teachers, saw the seats and the lockers. It was a fun atmosphere and I think both boys are going to do great on Monday.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Days 11-9
11 days: Netflix. It is very hard to find a movie to download for 2 boys that are so different in their interests. They settled for 'Astro Boy'
10 days: Friends over. Dan's childhood friend Stevey (they call Dan, Danny) lives with his wife and 5 kids about 30 minutes away. They came on Saturday to swim and have dinner. This couple was married the day after us and their oldest is 4 months older than Alex. Those boys have the same interests of sports, movies and video games. I think we are going to have a repeat of that childhood friendship, if only we could get them to move closer...
It rained in TEXAS! The pool is overflowing a bit here because the nice rain that came through early in the morning. The temperatures dropped down into the 90's I think.
Caleb carrying Alex on his shoulders.
Macey loves babies. She was very attentive to this sweet boy trying to cover him up and pick him up. Dan set her up the couch so she could hold him.
9 days: Wii family night
10 days: Friends over. Dan's childhood friend Stevey (they call Dan, Danny) lives with his wife and 5 kids about 30 minutes away. They came on Saturday to swim and have dinner. This couple was married the day after us and their oldest is 4 months older than Alex. Those boys have the same interests of sports, movies and video games. I think we are going to have a repeat of that childhood friendship, if only we could get them to move closer...
It rained in TEXAS! The pool is overflowing a bit here because the nice rain that came through early in the morning. The temperatures dropped down into the 90's I think.
Caleb carrying Alex on his shoulders.
Macey loves babies. She was very attentive to this sweet boy trying to cover him up and pick him up. Dan set her up the couch so she could hold him.
9 days: Wii family night
Friday, August 12, 2011
Aquarium
14 Days left: Kids choice movie. We went to see Cars 2. The kids really loved it. I had the time wrong, so we had to hang out at the mall for 2 hours before hand. We managed with the Lego store, playground, and cookies from Mrs Fields.
13 Days: School supply shopping. Actually, the school district has a contractor that makes up supply boxes that are delivered to the kids desks before school starts. It is probably a little more expensive, but how wonderful for me not to have to supply shop for 2 kids! So the shopping we did was for backpacks, socks, etc.
12 Days: We went to the Aquarium downtown. And it was awesome!
It is an oasis in the middle of downtown.
The first section you go in is the rain forest. You start in the canopy with birds and go down through the layers seeing monkeys, sloths, and anteaters and then the the animals in the water like otters and finally to the fish.
So 'Cheese'-y!
Watching the river otters.
Lack of cooperation here. But I wanted proof that I was on this adventure.
This is outside. There are 2 more big sections with aquariums, flamingos and even a jaguar. It was well worth the money we spent to get in. I enjoyed watching the kids react to the variety of life that was created for us to enjoy.
We stopped off by Dan's office on the way home. I'm sure he was glad to see our whirl wind fly out the doors!
13 Days: School supply shopping. Actually, the school district has a contractor that makes up supply boxes that are delivered to the kids desks before school starts. It is probably a little more expensive, but how wonderful for me not to have to supply shop for 2 kids! So the shopping we did was for backpacks, socks, etc.
12 Days: We went to the Aquarium downtown. And it was awesome!
It is an oasis in the middle of downtown.
The first section you go in is the rain forest. You start in the canopy with birds and go down through the layers seeing monkeys, sloths, and anteaters and then the the animals in the water like otters and finally to the fish.
So 'Cheese'-y!
Watching the river otters.
Lack of cooperation here. But I wanted proof that I was on this adventure.
This is outside. There are 2 more big sections with aquariums, flamingos and even a jaguar. It was well worth the money we spent to get in. I enjoyed watching the kids react to the variety of life that was created for us to enjoy.
We stopped off by Dan's office on the way home. I'm sure he was glad to see our whirl wind fly out the doors!
Monday, August 8, 2011
18, 17, 16
18 Days left: Baskin Robbins after lunch. Well, more like Baskin Robbins after dinner. We waited for Dan to come home. We went swimming and then went in search of the BR. It was a delicious treat!
17: Saturday was a 'Free Day' and we trekked to Dan's company picnic. Oh man, I thought I was going to pass out! It was too hot for walking around at an amusement park. 107 deg is HOT whether it is wet or dry heat. We had lunch in a pavilion. Then Alex and Dan were in the hula hoop contest. Dan was just a couple seconds away from winning his round. But I think he just gave up early because, what would he do with a Cowboys decal?
16: Painting. No art lessons this summer has meant only one day of water colors. So yesterday I pulled out my paints and all that goes with it for the boys to paint two paintings each. This is why I did art lessons: because it is a lot of work and I'd rather do it for lots of kids at once!
17: Saturday was a 'Free Day' and we trekked to Dan's company picnic. Oh man, I thought I was going to pass out! It was too hot for walking around at an amusement park. 107 deg is HOT whether it is wet or dry heat. We had lunch in a pavilion. Then Alex and Dan were in the hula hoop contest. Dan was just a couple seconds away from winning his round. But I think he just gave up early because, what would he do with a Cowboys decal?
16: Painting. No art lessons this summer has meant only one day of water colors. So yesterday I pulled out my paints and all that goes with it for the boys to paint two paintings each. This is why I did art lessons: because it is a lot of work and I'd rather do it for lots of kids at once!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Macey's first haircut
Macey's hair was getting a little too shaggy. After getting a referral from another mom, I took Macey to Snip-its. My boys were surprised. They didn't know that such a place existed. Basically it was a very cool kid salon with little seats, TVs, candy, and very patient stylists.
Sister was buckled into the seat but kept leaning for me so we had to move to the grown up seat with her in my lap. Alex took this picture. Look how long her hair had gotten! Macey gave out a few of her dirty looks, but managed to get a nice haircut.
The stylist even put glitter in her hair! Since the cut I have noticed that Macey's curls have got a little more bounce to them.
Here is her certificate. There is a tiny bag with a locket of hair stapled to the back. My baby girl is going to be 2 in a couple of weeks. She is growing up. We all love Macers and are so glad that she is a part of our family.
Sister was buckled into the seat but kept leaning for me so we had to move to the grown up seat with her in my lap. Alex took this picture. Look how long her hair had gotten! Macey gave out a few of her dirty looks, but managed to get a nice haircut.
The stylist even put glitter in her hair! Since the cut I have noticed that Macey's curls have got a little more bounce to them.
Here is her certificate. There is a tiny bag with a locket of hair stapled to the back. My baby girl is going to be 2 in a couple of weeks. She is growing up. We all love Macers and are so glad that she is a part of our family.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Still counting down
Day 21: Lunch at Chick Fil A. It has a playground so it is another great lunch spot. This time it got crowded quickly. So, while the boys played I shared my table with another mother and daughter. It was so European and fun. And better for them than to stand at the trash can to eat! What a great way to meet new people. I know I won't have many other chances to do that here in the very 'stay out of my space' America, but it was fun for me.
Oh and this was the day with a bonus: I found a cheap-o theater with 75cent movies on Tuesdays. We went and saw 'Rio' right after lunch.
Day 20: Make cookies. Sort of. We bought the ingredients and then we baked the cookies at bedtime. It was another lame pick, but not everyday can be movie day.
Day 19: Harry Potter movie. I had banned the kids from electronics before lunch because they are rotten otherwise. But today I conceded. And it was a disaster again. They did think it was awesome to watch HP3 so it was a good idea. I just can't relent on the E rule. Now, today is another bonus day because that same cheap-o theater has 3d movies. As we speak my boys are watching Thor with dad for $3.50 each. Nice!
Oh and this was the day with a bonus: I found a cheap-o theater with 75cent movies on Tuesdays. We went and saw 'Rio' right after lunch.
Day 20: Make cookies. Sort of. We bought the ingredients and then we baked the cookies at bedtime. It was another lame pick, but not everyday can be movie day.
Day 19: Harry Potter movie. I had banned the kids from electronics before lunch because they are rotten otherwise. But today I conceded. And it was a disaster again. They did think it was awesome to watch HP3 so it was a good idea. I just can't relent on the E rule. Now, today is another bonus day because that same cheap-o theater has 3d movies. As we speak my boys are watching Thor with dad for $3.50 each. Nice!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Days 23, 22
Day 23. We had a paper airplane contest. Ryan's did the best loop de loop and Alex's was the best decorated. Sunday is a trickier day to plan...
Day 22. This is a clever idea. A candy bar treasure hunt. I let them pick out the candy bars at Target and then I put about 12 clues about for them to find. They really enjoyed it. And I didn't even have to hide the candy. I left it in the fridge (it is HOT in Texas right now!)
Amie asked how I came up with my ideas. It wasn't easy. And I'm only writing the clues for one week at a time in case we need to make changes.
Can I say that 21 more days until school feels like a really really really long time to me? This morning I thought about how much the boys need to get out of the house. Then when we were out of the house I thought how much the boys need to be out of the house and not out with me. That eliminates quite a few places the boys can go. So, since I teach Alex in primary now, I guess what the boys really need is to be out of the house, away from stores, away from church and AT SCHOOL! How, oh how, are there mother's out there home schooling? I love my kids, but I want to parent and enrich, not educate and reform!
Day 22. This is a clever idea. A candy bar treasure hunt. I let them pick out the candy bars at Target and then I put about 12 clues about for them to find. They really enjoyed it. And I didn't even have to hide the candy. I left it in the fridge (it is HOT in Texas right now!)
Amie asked how I came up with my ideas. It wasn't easy. And I'm only writing the clues for one week at a time in case we need to make changes.
Can I say that 21 more days until school feels like a really really really long time to me? This morning I thought about how much the boys need to get out of the house. Then when we were out of the house I thought how much the boys need to be out of the house and not out with me. That eliminates quite a few places the boys can go. So, since I teach Alex in primary now, I guess what the boys really need is to be out of the house, away from stores, away from church and AT SCHOOL! How, oh how, are there mother's out there home schooling? I love my kids, but I want to parent and enrich, not educate and reform!
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