Connie Cootie

When I was in kindergarten, there was a girl whose stop was near mine in what my family called "The Circle." Her name was Connie. I think she was probably in at least fifth grade when I was in kindergarten. Connie had had a case of head lice at some point. I was so traumatized by what the kids on the bus did to her, I still vividly remember it over thirty years later. She would all but run off the bus, ducking her head behind her notebook as kids shouted, "Connie Cootie! Connie Cootie!" It would begin with one kid remembering to torment this poor girl and as soon as the one child was heard many would join in. I guess I didn't join in because I have always had compassion. I was so sad for her. Day after day Connie endured this torment and humiliation.

I knew or was familiar with many of those kids' families. We grew up in a time where a good whoopin' was not frowned upon. I am by no means advocating beating or abusing your child, but the fear of a little discipline goes a long way. Even those mean little kids on the bus had parents who would not have tolerated the kind of behavior I witnessed. Most of them sat in a pew on Sundays and heard the Gospel preached. They knew of Christ's love and compassion. There was no compassion or kindness in their actions.

There has been a story in the news recently about a male college student who had a sexual encounter with a man in his dorm room. The encounter was secretly video taped and then posted on the internet. The college student committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington bridge into the Hudson River.

What humiliation this young man must have felt from his tormentors to take his own life. I am by no means condoning homosexuality. The Bible does say homosexuals will not enter the kingdom of God. However, the full scripture reference reads, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom Of God." I Corinthians 6:9-10. Hold on! We cannot leave out the following scripture, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." I Corinthians 6:11.

There is a story in the book of John about a woman caught in the act of adultery. She is drug before a crowd of people and Jesus. The accusers want to stone her. Jesus tells the accusers, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Some of us "Holier Than Thou" Christians, may not have committed a sin from the list in I Corinthians, but Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." We have all had our moments. I have them every day. Keep reading in Romans 3, "(for all) are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Those scriptures aren't telling us only the ones who get caught are sinners. We all are. Neither do those scriptures tell us that only the perfect are redeemed by Christ's blood. It is offered freely to all of humanity.

If you had never heard the Gospel and your first encounter with it was someone pushing their beliefs of how wrong your sin is down your throat would the Gospel be appealing to you? A qoute from Oswald Chambers, "Conviction of sin is one of the rarest things that ever strikes a man. It is the threshold of understanding God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict of sin, and when the Holy Spirit rouses the conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not his relationship with men that bothers him, but his relationship with God." The Holy Spirit was given the job of bringing conviction to the world (John 16:8).

I am not suggesting we run out and buy all the rainbow flags and bumper stickers we can find and display them with pride. It is great to stand up for your beliefs. But when we are trying to be a witness to someone or a group of people, how about we start with a little compassion and an out pouring of God's love through acts of kindness? How about we start with the simple things like, "Jesus loves me. This I know?"

Rachel's Birthday Sleepover

Rachel turned 11 this year. It wasn't as traumatic for me as some years are. For example, when she turned 5 it was harder because at 5 you just aren't a baby anymore. Ten was tough because she hit double digits. Twelve will be hard to take because it is the last year before she is a teenager. Eleven is just there.

I usually let the birthday child choose the dinner menu for his or her birthday. Rachel's Girl Scout troop was having dinner at Scouts that night, so we didn't do the traditional "pick your favorite" dinner that night. Aaron and Hannah did surprise her with a cookie cake for breakfast and she used the celebration plate. I had the camera out and she said, "You aren't planning to take a picture are you?" Well, I was, but I can appreciate the 11 year old not wanting her picture taken in her bedhead.

Because I knew she wouldn't be home for dinner, I had mentioned a week before that I would take her to Starbucks after we dropped the other two at school. It had slipped my mind, but she reminded me the night before.

Here she is enjoying her DECAF Java Chip Frappacino. I skipped my usual nonfat vanilla latte and opted for the seasonal pumpkin spice latte. It tastes like Fall. I may have to treat myself to another one when it actually feels like Fall around here.

My kids have had a birthday party almost every year of their lives. Rachel would be quick to point out that she turned 6 on the cross country trek from California to Illinois so we kind of missed that year. We also didn't have a party when she turned 4, but we took her to Disneyland. Hello! Who wouldn't rather do that?

This year she wanted to have a sleepover. Big surprise there. I kind of like my sleep, so I don't "heart" sleepovers. Having one friend sleepover on a non-party night is fine, but when you have multiple friends there is a lot of excitement. Rachel invited eight friends and all of them came. I also let Aaron and Hannah have one friend sleepover to keep them out of Rachel's hair. More to keep Hannah away than Aaron. When there are multiple girlfriends in the house Aaron tends to make himself scarce. PK was still out of town for the party so I was a bit panicked as party time arrived and I realized I was going to be outnumbered 13 to 1.

The kids were all great! All of Rachel's friends got along well and there was no drama!! Bonus!!! Hannah had several friends sleepover at one time last Spring. It was a bonus sleepover...not a birthday sleepover and there was DRAAAMAA! The key to any successful party is to keep the kids busy.

We started with dinner. Rachel wanted to do snacky kind of things. We had Pigs in a Blanket, mozzarella sticks, chips with salsa and cheese, cheese cubes, strawberries and a vege tray. What is is with kids and Pigs in a Blanket?

Here's the spread. Loving that center island, by the way.

The girls enjoying dinner. We had one late comer who wasn't here yet.

What would a party be without a little Twister? The girls played while I cleaned up the kitchen and got ready to paint t-shirts.

Rachel wanted to tie die the shirts, but I have never done that before and with the number of friends we had that seemed a bit overwhelming to me. Instead we used puffy paints. I found multi packs at WalMart that were reasonably priced. I bought packs of men's t-shirts instead of buying individual shirts in the craft section. I think I got a pack of five for less than I would have paid for two individual shirts.

Hannah and Paige working on their shirts.

They worked on the shirts for about 45 minutes. I thought they would be done in ten.

Cookie cake at the dining room table. Aaron and his little friend did not participate in any crafts. They chose to hang out in the basement and play LEGOs instead.

We found out the nine girls is the maximum amount of kids with sleeping bags we can fit in the rec room in the basement. About 9:00 they all got set up and watched two movies. I came down to check on them about 1:00 and Rachel had started movie number three. She said, "This is our movie to fall asleep on." I said, "Uh, no. That is what the last movie was for." They were all out by 1:30 and slept until they smelled the bacon and cinnamon rolls around 7:45. Not too bad for a sleepover.

Aaron did get in one shot before breakfast. They had cinnamon rolls, bacon (with 13 kids two packages are not enough) and yogurt parfaits.

I found some suncatchers on clearance at Michael's and the girls worked on those and Fusion Beads until the parents came.

It is fun to sit back and watch them interact. Their personalities are so different and I couldn't help but envision their high school graduation and all the memories we will have made before then.

Contraptions

Aaron loves to build and make contraptions. There is scrap wood in the shed from the basement project just waiting for some hammer and nails to see what he will come up with. He wants Daddy to come home first and saw it into smaller pieces.

However, those are not the kind of contraptions this post is about. Yesterday I was going over Aaron's spelling words with him. One of the words was "they're." He spelled it t-h-e-y-'-e-r. I wrote down the words "they" and "are" and showed him how the apostrophe takes the place of the a and the re stay in the same order. Contractions are not a new concept to him, but the little bit of teacher that is left in me couldn't resist breaking it down. He said, "I just have a hard time with contraptions." I smiled and said, "Yes. Those contraptions can be tricky." He'll eventually figure out what they are called.

Granilla

Granilla is a word that rhymes with gorilla. It is what Hannah calls granola. No matter how many times she hears one of us say the word correctly, she still calls it granilla. I will personally take out (as in do away with) anyone who corrects her. She doesn't mispronounce too many things anymore and I think it is too cute.

The Swing of Things

PK called the other day to ask me if I remembered something funny Aaron had said in the car one day. We both remembered the gist of it, but PK was wanting to know the specific words. I don't remember. We were all in the car and Rachel mentioned going to Justice and Kohls. Aaron said something like, "That is my most torturous store." It was so quick and dry and Aaron-like, we all cracked up. It probably happened sometime last winter. I have run a half marathon, bought a house, sent my husband up north for three months, traveled, gone through two dogs, started a new school year and am now running kids to and from activities so fast my head is spinning. It is a wonder I don't forget an entire kid, let alone something they said eons ago.

All the running around brings me back to the title of this post. We are officially back into the swing of things around here. Even though some kids across the country just started back to school this past week after the Labor Day weekend, mine have been back well over a month.

Rachel adjusted to middle school in, well, perfect Rachel fashion. She marched right in there with the confidence the good Lord has blessed her with and has taken on everything that has come her way. She is on the yearbook staff this year which requires her to stay after school once a week. She is playing trumpet in the band. PK plays the trumpet, so when he finally makes it back home (in five days...not that I am counting) they are going to practice together. She practices without me saying a word about it. I can tell she is learning and the notes sound less and less like a dying elephant every day.

Aaron is a different child than his sisters. He has two friends who he has had over to the house. That boy having at least one friend makes my heart sing. He had such a hard time adjusting when we first moved here. Hard to believe we have been here two years already. Well, sometimes when I am missing my peeps, it seems as though we have been here twenty years.

On the second morning of school Aaron told me, "I figured out I like school. I just don't like paperwork." I can relate. I like having a checkbook. I just don't like writing checks and the balancing act that comes along with it.

Aaron asked to sign up for the martial arts program offered at the school. "Sure!" I said. I had told the kids they were each limited to two activities one of which is Scouts, but I don't mind the after school clubs. They just stay later. It doesn't involve me trying to get three different kids to three different places at the same or overlapping times. He is also participating in chorus this year. I was really surprised when he asked to join that one. Rachel was in chorus the last two years and Aaron was eligible after the first semester last year, but he didn't want to. I think maybe it had something to do with it being Rachel's "thing" at the time. One new club this year is the Garden something-or-other Nature Club. (I have it written down, but if I get up from this spot to go look I will be side tracked somewhere along the way and won't get this post finished.) One of the teachers is a real tree hugger. I mean that in a good way. She wanted to start an environmental club and worked first hand with some people who developed a curriculum. After one day, Aaron LOVES it. He has really been into a show on Animal Planet called Whale Wars. A group of activists go fight Japanese whalers and defend whales. Aaron now has a grand plan of buying a big ship and defending whales or becoming a Navy Seal and defending the country. Either way, it's all good. Right?

This post could also be titled "Randomness" as I am recording a few thought so I don't forget how things were. That brings me back to PK and whatever Aaron said about Kohls. PK asked if I blogged about it. No. Of course, not. That would mean I actually do a good job of keeping up my blog these days. That is why I am posting some every day run of the mill stuff now. More randomness...I decided there is absolutely no television watching (at least by the children in this house) on school nights. I expected a lot of whining, but can I just say it has been WONDERFUL! The kids don't fight as much and I often catch then just making up some game and playing together. Who knew t.v. stifled creativity. If you know me well, you know I can be sarcastic. If you don't know me well, I can be sarcastic and you should re-read that line about t.v. and stifled creativity with the sarcasm I intended. I also think some of the less than desirable attitudes expressed by the offspring in this house were learned from some of the more popular shows. The attitudes are improving and I am sure there is a direct correlation.

Hannah is rocking the first grade world. Her teacher had a baby this morning, so we have a sub for the next couple months. I've needed to talk to Miss Sassy Pant's teacher about challenging her, but knowing her teacher was going to exit the premises at any moment, I was just waiting for the sub. Hannah has read chapter books along the lines of Junie B. and Magic Tree House all summer long. First graders are kept in the "easy reader" section in the Media Center at the school so Hannah is bringing home some fun books. However, she needs to bump it up a notch. She is allowed to check out two books at a time so I am going to insist that one of them be a chapter book. She is getting ready to start an after school art program. It is very artsy crafty with a little bit about different artists thrown in there. She is all about artsy crafty so this will be perfect.

Rachel has eight of her friends coming for a sleepover tonight to celebrate her birthday. Rachel and Aaron have each invited a friend to keep them out of their sister's hair. I really should have done the math on this one before I agreed. If you didn't do the math, that leaves it 13 to 1. Nice.

I had an exterminator come today and have contracted for the company to come spray quarterly for the next year. Our landlords at the previous house had a similar arrangement and it worked well. If there is any kind of infestation in between sprays, they will come take care of it. I really don't like bugs. Especially spiders, crickets, those giant Southern flying cockroaches and house centipedes. Bluch!

I discovered the t.v. series NCIS this summer. I think it is getting ready to start its eighth season. How have I missed this show until now. Love, love, love it! PK and I don't really watch a lot of t.v. We are fans of The Biggest Loser, but it comes on too late here. We usually watch it on Hulu a week late so we can watch it on an old people bedtime schedule. He better like NCIS. Just sayin'!

I am volunteering two days a week in the Media Center at Aaron and Hannah's school. I have done it in the past. There is something therapeutic about shelving those books. I am the room parent for Hannah's class this year. I like being at their school. I have my name on lists to help at Rachel's school, but haven't been asked to do anything. Of course, I will help if asked, but I am not going to push it. Rachel being in middle school and radiating all the coolness that comes with that isn't as thrilled to see me walking the hallways as her brother and sister are.

The kids and I spent last Saturday morning cleaning and organizing the garage. We pulled out the last of the stuff the previous owners left behind. I have a man coming to haul it all off on Saturday morning. Once that junk is gone, I think it will officially feel like my house.

Around here, we have blue jobs and pink jobs. Pink jobs are mine and blue jobs are PK's. I have had to do way too many blue jobs lately. I am in the middle of one that is driving me crazy. The filter for the ice maker and water in the frig needs to be changed. I can't for the life of me get the old filter out. I think the part that I pulled out is supposed to pull out the entire filter. I guess we will just forgo ice until PK gets home.

I have less than an hour before the masses descend looking for sleepover fun led by yours truly. Not to mention I have about a gazillion little pigs in a blanket to make.