Bibbity Boppity Boo

Since finish the Sentence Friday took last week off for the Labor Day holiday, I have actually had two whole weeks to contemplate today's topic.  However, this one has been unexpectedly hard for me.

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The sentence for this week is If I had a magic wand the first thing I would do is. . . . 

I will admit that my initial thoughts on the topic were miserably superficial.  I thought, "I would
make these stubborn 15-20 pounds vanish for good."  Then I thought, "Or maybe I would whip up an endless source of cash so we would never, ever have to worry about money.  We could give to charity, take a family trip to Europe, and pay for all three girls' college educations and weddings without even batting an eye."

Those things seemed rather frivolous, though.  I decided I need to be more contemplative and come up with something more meaningful and worthwhile.  So, I thought "I could cure cancer.  I could end hunger, poverty, and suffering.  I could wave the wand and create instantaneous world peace."  However, all of them seemed like such weighty and important aspirations that I still couldn't narrow it down to just one.

One evening, after I had spent a great deal of the day pondering this post and the deadline was rapidly approaching, I decided on a whim to ask my girls what they would do.  They are all familiar with my blog.  As we sat around the dinner table, I explained the premise of Finish the Sentence Friday.  Then I asked them, "If you had a magic wand, what is the first thing you would do?"

Emily, 6, answered first.  Not surprisingly, she said, "I would turn our house into a castle and we would all be princesses.  You and Daddy would be the King and Queen!"

After a little thought, Rachel answered next.  "There are a lot of things I would like to do so it's hard to decide.  I would probably just give myself a great big zoo - the most awesome zoo ever!"  This response was not terribly surprising either.

Later that evening, I realized that Megan had never answered, so, as I put her to bed, I revisited the topic.  "You know, you never gave me an answer about the magic wand question.  If you had a wand what would you do?"

Her answer did surprise me.  My always active, super silly, quirky, and wonderful Megan said, "Well, I might get myself a horse, but I already have a roof over my head, and food, and this warm bed, and a family that loves me.  So, really, I don't need anything else."

And that, my friends, is the best answer of all, don't you think?

There is just nothing that puts things into perspective like the innocence and simplicity of life as seen through the eyes of a child.

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This post was written as part of Finish The Sentence Friday which is hosted by the following bloggers.  Please give them a visit and see all the other blogs that participate as well!

Janine at Janine’s Confessions of a Mommyaholic

Stephanie at Mommy, for Real

Kate at Can I Get Another Bottle of Whine?

Kristi at Finding Ninee

Finding Our Rhythm

My youngest daughter who is six has just recently started taking piano lessons.  I took lessons for years when I was younger, but was never "musically inclined."  It never came easily to me.  However, I do know the basics and can play few tunes.  So, over the weekend, I sat down with her to practice.  Currently, she is learning the difference between quarter notes (which get one beat) and half notes (which get two beats).  As I helped her, we discussed counting the beats and finding the rhythm.

As I thought back on it, it seemed a bit paradoxical because we haven't quite found the rhythm of fall and school just yet.

This Labor Day weekend, we said good-bye to summer.  My kids had a full week of school last week, so this long weekend was kind of like an encore - an extra little bonus.  We enjoyed our lazy mornings and spent some time splashing in the pool.  (Time that was slightly marred when my oldest took a nasty tumble on the concrete pool deck - but, that's another story.)  We held that last note of summer just a little bit longer.

Now, we are back in the groove of school with no rest in sight for quite a while.  Summer's song has ended and the music of Fall is in the air.  We are still re-adjusting to new bedtimes, early mornings, homework, and extracurricular busyness.  Things are still a little off-key and we haven't really found our harmony.

As I told my sweet Emily by the piano, though, practice makes perfect!  We will continue to plunk out the notes and, eventually, they will get smoother.  There will be crescendos and lulls, long notes and short ones.  Over time, we will hit the right keys and find the correct tempo.  We'll find our rhythm and  dance to the music of the school year.

And, before we know it, we'll be singing summer melodies once again.

So long for now, summer!  It's been fun!

Ten Things I've Learned From My Kids

For almost everyone, school is now back in session.  Each day, our kids are busy learning (we hope!).  They are studying numbers, words, science, and history.  They are learning about social dynamics and following directions.  Hopefully, they are filling their minds with lots of valuable knowledge.

A couple of weeks ago, when we were on the brink of this new school year, I read this post from AnnMarie who blogs over at Tidbits From The Queen of Chaos.  In it, AnnMarie writes about the things she has learned from each of her children.  Her post inspired me.  As I send my children off each day to learn new things I began to think about all the things I have learned from my children and from motherhood.  So, for today's Tuesday Ten, here are . . . .

Rachel has taught me:
1.  Determination - When she sets her mind to something, she will not let it go until it is accomplished.  For example, she LOVES animals and has plans to become a zoologist.  At age 7, she learned that eating meat meant killing animals and decided to become a vegetarian.  She has stuck to it now for almost four years.  I realize that I may be a little biased, but I don't know many eleven year old kids who can "stick to their guns" that way.  It's impressive and reminds me to not give up.
 2.  Self confidence - I'm not always the most self-confident person.  However, Rachel is.  She is not concerned what others think of her outfit or her decision to be a vegetarian.  She is confident in her decisions.  She is confident in who she is and doesn't let other people or what's "popular" sway her.

Megan has taught me:
3.  How to be silly - As a mom, I have a lot on my plate.  Most days, I'm too focused on schedules and logistics.  Megan, on the other hand, is a lot more "go with the flow."  She loves to be silly and, even when I don't want to, she makes me laugh.  When she was 4, I went into a conference with her PreK teacher and, honestly, expected to hear that Megan talks too much or doesn't focus.  Instead, her teacher started off by saying, "I love Megan because she is just so joyful!"  That's true.  Megan makes people smile.  Megan makes me laugh.  Megan reminds me that, sometimes, it's o.k. to be silly.
4.  Bravery - Megan has no fear.  She started playing soccer last spring and, when the team was short a goalie, she jumped in without giving it a second thought.  It turns out that she loves to play goalie, but she never would have known if she hadn't tried it so fearlessly.  She tries new things with very little hesitation.  I strive to be a brave as she is.

Emily has taught me:
5.  Faith -  As an adult, I think it is only natural that we questions things we cannot completely understand.  Not Emily.  She seems to have this innate faith in God and goodness.  She once told me that the best things in life are God, Family, Red Velvet (frozen yogurt),  and Firehouse Subs!  In her sweet mind, those are the most important things in life and I think it's pretty special that she put God first even at the age of six.  Faith that strong is not easy to achieve.
6.  Princesses do exist - Emily is most certainly the "girliest" of my three daughters.  She only wears dresses or skirts/skorts - the fancier the better.  She dislikes bugs and getting dirty.   She loves all things pink and frilly.  Of course, she loves princesses and castles, too.  She is my little princess and reminds me that anything is possible with a little imagination.  

Motherhood has taught me:
7.  Patience -  I think most parents would agree that nothing can try your patience like a child.  From temper tantrums to whining to sibling rivalry to constant messes, there are time when we want to yell or curse or just run away.  Parenthood takes a great deal of restraint sometimes.  When we think we are completely out of patience, we have to dig deeper and find more.
8.  Strength -  Childbirth itself is an act of physical strength, but that's only the beginning.  We have to  find strength to keep going after sleepless nights and through sickness or injury.  We have to find emotional strength to endure letting them "cry it out" or to let them go to school for the first time or to put our foot down despite hearing "You're the worst mom!"  As a mother, I have found strength that, previously, I didn't know I possessed.
9.  Not to be judgmental - I admit that I am often too quick to judge.  Children, however, are not unless we teach them to be so.  Knowing that children are always in earshot has taught me to choose my words carefully and wisely.  Seeing things through their eyes has taught me to see the positive and to not judge so swiftly.
10.  Unconditional love - I love my parents and my brother.  I love my husband.  However, there is absolutely no love that compares to the love you feel for your child.  It is a love that you cannot fully comprehend until you have experienced it firsthand.  Sometimes I look at them and think my heart may just burst.  Being a mother has taught me the true meaning of unconditional, all-encompassing love.