Friday



I never know whether to feel relieved that the weekend is here or not, with our crazy schedule and lifestyle.  There's not all that much going on, though.  I might get together with my friend and her family tonight while our husbands are off "working"/camping. And Saturday morning Madelin will be singing with a few other kids for a large women's group - she's both excited and nervous.  Other than that I plan on sitting outside and enjoying the sunshine as much as possible.

This would blow Mademoiselle's mind.  A clever and fun combination of two of her big obsessions is great, but if she saw this she would want to make one of her own.  Is it bad that I don't want to support her experimenting, just this once?

I've been a little obsessed, I have to admit, with the story of Bethany Hamilton, a young surfer who was attacked by a shark.  I remember seeing an interview with her shortly after the attack and just being amazed at her strength.  I think it's safe to say she's my opposite - brave, courageous, adventurous.  I'm really looking forward to the movie coming out soon about her life and triumphs (she's now a professional surfer!).

Reading this was super sweet.  I always wonder what memories our kids will have of their childhoods, and what will have slipped away.  What's your favorite childhood memory?

One of these days I've got to go through all of our film-developed photographs and organize them, and then choose digital photographs to print.  It's an incredibly daunting project!  I like the idea of organizing mementos and photos in categories like this.  Now, all I need is a few days without anything else to do, right?  Yeah, right.

Every Easter we do things a little bit differently.  We always give the kids a little something, usually a craft or activity to do together, and we usually give them a few treats.  I like the way this is packaged - kind of less is more, in that it looks spectacular, but doesn't hold too much candy inside.

Speaking of candy, I've read a lot over the last few years about sugar, and it's effect on especially young bodies. I really struggle with this!  I know it's such a danger, yet I haven't figured out how to raise my kids in such a sugar-saturated culture without consuming it pretty regularly.  And, honestly, I'm a big part of the problem, aren't I, since I just made our family cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting for breakfast?

Something I truly believe is that our biggest opportunities for growth and learning are found in our family relationships.  I thought this post was moving, and spot on in defining what I think a parent ought to be.  It reminded me of one of the best dad's I've ever met - my older brother.

And, by the way, have you heard about what Blogger's been up to?  Seems that they're about to release new ways of viewing your blog.  You can preview the new view styles here. (You'll find a drop-down menu on the top right of the page.  Click on each of the 5 styles to preview.) I like "flipcard", but it's hard for me to know if I'd change over to use one of these!


How about you?  Any big weekend plans?

5 comments:

MandaMommy said...

I know what you mean about the sugar...

Peg Lewis said...

Wow. I just read the Dad post. I'm reeling from it. I'm so sad for the multitudes of oppressed, unloved, broken children of the kind of dads he's talking about. Any kind of power trip, any kind of choosing not to listen but impose, any kind of chosen inattention - any of these things gives us another generation of thugs. He said it far better, and I hope it is widely read.

It's nice to hear a dad's voice in the world of blogs.

Unfortunately I passes easily from one generation to the next. How do we ever stop it?

Linsey F said...

Re: Sugar...It is my worst enemy! For almost 2 years our house was almost completely sugar free (with exception of bread, condiments and natural sugars). It was hard but totally worth it. We need to get back on that, but once we fell off the wagon, it's been a lot harder to get back on. The funny thing was, the kids didn't miss it. They never asked for candy and junk. It just wasn't there and they forgot about it. Instead they were asking for apples and grapes and good stuff. My kids love sugar because I love sugar. It's up to me.

Janalee said...

katie - how do you go about finding all of those links? also, I'm interested in that Sets game you talked about. You have all sorts of good resources and ideas if only I would take heed.

this weekend is open and free. Art and I will get chinese food tomorrow night. The girls will have a bake sale to raise money for Japan tomorrow. that's it.

Brooke said...

Daunting task -- indeed!! The picture thing, I mean. I am in the same boat. The past 9 years are all on CD's waiting to be real photographs.

And sugar, it really is hard to get away from it. We try hard but the stuff is everywhere! It's in everything!

My favorite childhood memory is of my Grandpa (he's been gone for 25 years now)... He didn't like us grandkids eating Jolly Ranchers for fear that we would choke on them but he always had them on hand for himself. I remember taking one once and he smelled it on my breath as I climbed onto his lap. He was holding a glass of milk and made me spit the candy into it. He then proceeded to drink the milk and eat the candy.

Kind of a strange, random memory that I have but it's so vivid in my mind. I think I was about 5 years old.

I really like your blog, by the way.

This is Brooke from babblin-brooke.blogspot.com