Favorite Mothers Day Gifts

• A card addressed to : The One Who Gave Me Brith" from Sara
• A birthday card from Steve.
• Lovey notes from the boys with hearts and flowers.
• Kate lying on the couch being incredibly attentive when it was costing her much discomfort AND she wrapped presents for me AND she listened to all my babbling and showing her stupid stuff.
• James making a Ring Toss game out of Knex for me when he was in his bedroom for a timeout and could have spent the time pouting. Also, he picked up some raw onion from the floor, got the taste in his mouth and was just fine with it!
• Ra - taking the solo at her concert in St. Croix Falls on Saturday and singing it to me. A soul stirring moment. She also called me Sunday night and listened to my ridiculous babbling. My girls are so good.
• Peetie - spending so much time decorating the paper bag for his homemadey gift that he didn't have time to finish the gift. The bag is a yellow and black plaid that must have taken a long time to do.
• The outer-space-looking purple/blue hydrangeas from my boys.
• The cool bird bath that's on its' way.
• My mom opening her gifts like she's never gotten any before. She also threw me an unexpected compliment; she called me "such a good shopper". I'll take that.
• A delicious rib dinner with potato salad to rival mine. Topped off with a Baileys Chocolate Mousse (prononced "moose-say" according to Peetie) cake. James trying the penne pasta and chowing it down; AND corn on the cob, AND ice cream. He said, " I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life!" He was relaxed and happy about food.
• Watching the Survivor finale with Unkie.
• My annual phone call from Fran - we share motherhood in a way only we understand.

I am embarrassingly spoiled.

Politics

Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.

- Oscar Wilde

sit on my facebook

OMG. If you like Stephen Fry at all; or over-weight, verbose, self-absorbed charming middle-aged British men, listen to his free podcasts accessible from itunes. The title of this blog is my favorite line from his 3rd broadcast.

What I think about

I had to write this for a class at school. I like having a measuring stick that I created myself. Accountability. It's harsh, but I like it.

Code of Ethics

1. Be a faithful steward of myself, the world and all who are in it – act, knowing that everything I do affects the world. Acknowledge my responsibility and assume ownership of the impact I have here.
2. Respect, embrace, welcome differences. Letter from a Birmingham Jail April 16, 1963. Dr. Martin Luther King “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.” “Appalling silence” is barely tolerant, and, I believe, not enough. My voice is my power to influence change. I believe that whether I am acting, speaking or silent, I am still participating. I must welcome others as I would wish to be welcomed.
3. Respect, embrace and welcome my mistakes and misfortunes. Admit when I am wrong, make amends if I can, eat my humble pie a-la-mode and help others do the same. Do not fear difficulties, rather, accept the lessons they teach me.
4. Listen. This means more than being silent, it means quieting my mind. Strive to keep my own thoughts and responses at bay and truly focus on what is being communicated. Remember that voices are not the only sounds I must listen to and strive to hear; silence can also speak. The earth has a voice impossible to describe, but it is rich in wisdom that can only be heard in silence.
5. Be faithful to provide encouragement. Encourage people– show more faith than I have – people can be energized and influenced by a positive expectation.
6. Believe in hope and nurture it everywhere - to take away hope is to leave nothing but despair – it kills the soul – there is nothing worse. Hope is the foundation of tenacity, perseverance, and refusing to accept limitations. Hope is the belief in possibilities beyond what I can imagine.

My joy

The four most amazing creatures.

sentimental boy

After a rough evening of parenting, the boys were finally in bed and I was washing dishes. James slowly padded out of his room , came up behind me at the sink and put his arms around me. "Thanks for being such a good mom when I'm being a brat" he said. "You're welcome honey, now back to bed", I replied.

A few moments later, he returned, hugged me again and said, "Thanks for giving me life and stuff". He turned and went back to his room before I could say anything and it didn't seem necessary to say anything. Smiles, tears and dishwater mix very well together.

Agile Viscosity

The boys asked me what "molasses" is and I told them it's like syrup only much thicker and slower. Then Peetie says, "Oh, well then it's viscous. It has viscous properties". Earlier that day we were watching James climb a tree and Peetie said, "He has great agility to be able to do that."
Between his vocabulary and his expertise at making fart noises, this kid has it made.