Thankful

My 6 year old son David has a school project that's due at the end of each month. It's something that he works on at home sometimes with help from us if he needs it. These usually have a theme and of course this month's theme was Thanksgiving. Every day in November David had to write two things he is thankful for in a journal. At first it was difficult for him to get in the habit of writing in it, and difficult for me to remember to remind him. At this age, any homework for him is also homework for me. But it only took about a week for him to consistently remember to write in it on his own and the more he did it, the more he seemed to enjoy the process of writing and bringing to mind all the things he's glad to have in his life. I got a kick out of what he's written so far, and so with his permission I've written them here, spelling errors and all:

I am thankful for my famuly and my home.
I am thankful for my Legos and my K'nex.
I am thankful for birthdays and food.
I am thankful for drinks and toys.
I am thankful for ise crem and I am also thankful for trees.
I am thankful for fish and grass.
I am thankful for watr and sand.
I am thankful for my friends and whole milk.
I am thankful for birds and lemonade.
I am thankful for darey prodx and pizza. (me too!)
I am thankful for ham and mashd potato.
I am thankful for land and sea.
I am thankful for clocks and muusic.
I am thankful for cats and dogs.
I am thankful for lemons and baskits.
I am thankful for Pokemon and peckoks.
I am thankful for pigs and paradis. (reminds me of a Jimmy Buffet song)
I am thankful for Miss Hazzalton and Misses Graval. (his teachers)
I am thankful for church and gym.
I am thankful for school and light.
I am thankful for rice and chicin.
I am thankful for juice and cake. (mmm...cake)
I am thankful for mackarony and chees and bred. (absolutely)
I'm thankful for chereos and cinamin tost crunch.
I'm thankful for soup and my cats.

All I can say is, that kid likes his food. You wouldn't know it by how much he fusses at dinnertime, but then you'll notice he did not say he was thankful for "mom's experimental chicken dishes with weird sauces and spices". What I also found interesting was that some of the things were obvious associations (land and sea), while others were less so (soup and cats). He's probably heard me making too many jokes about how I'd gladly cook up the cats if I had no other means of feeding the family.

Mostly I'm thankful for my family, my home and our health. There are many subcategories but those are the big ones. And of course I'm thankful for "mashd potato". How could you not be thankful for that?

What are you most thankful for this year?

My Top Ten Reasons to Run

#10 It's good for the heart. You can lower your blood pressure quite a bit by running regularly and that ticker will last a hell of a lot longer if it gets the workout it needs.

#9 Makes your bones stronger. The impact from running increases bone density which is crucial as we age, especially for women. Recent findings support that lower impact exercises, while helping your heart, don't do much for those bones.

#8 Lowers stress. I can speak from personal experience on this one. If I don't get my regular runs in I get crabby and I don't sleep as well. And no matter how I feel prior to a run, I ALWAYS feel better after one. Always.

#7 You can eat more of what you want. I enjoy food and because I run I need to consume more calories than the average woman my age. That said, I have no idea how many calories I consume each day. I know I eat enough to feel good and I don't put on weight, so that's enough for me!

#6 It's good for the kids, too! Kids today are at high risk for obesity because of increasing sedentary lifestyles, but children who witness their parents taking part in physical sports are much more likely to follow suit and get the exercise their little bodies need.

#5 A good excuse for some alone time. Who couldn't use a little time out of the house alone? I know for myself that even a few minutes away from the demands of being a mom of little kids really refreshes me. It's not at all the same as being alone in the house or getting time to watch a show or something. This feels like good, quality time that's spent making me a better person.

#4 You can wear cool things like this. Well, not if you're a guy, I guess.

#3 It makes you feel like a kid again. Nothing brings you back faster to childhood than running around. You might not be as limber as a ten year old, but you'll find with some effort you can be a hell of a lot faster than one!

#2 Racing is fun. If you can run three miles, you can run a race. And the opportunities for races grows every year and it's a great way to meet new people and put yourself to the test. Also, free snacks afterward!!

#1 You will get to know yourself a lot better. Running strips you down and builds you back up. You learn a lot about your inner nature when you push yourself physically, and running is a sport that demands much of both your body and your mind.

Okay, so there's my two cents. So what are your reasons for (or against!) running?

Name that picture

I am a lazy blogger. So lazy, I can't even come up with a caption for this photo. So you do it for me. Best caption gets my utmost respect and a copy of my unfinished short story.

These are tough economic times. We do what we can.

The DMV lives up to its reputation

I got a notice in the mail that I needed to renew my driver's license. Just another opportunity to stand and line and hand over $50, and I get grumpy thinking about it but then a faint, low voice echoes in my head, "Driving is a privilege, not a right!" Whoever said that did not have to drive around in my dirty minivan with my three kids.

Anyhoo.

So I got to the DMV early yesterday morning with Sofia and Isobel in tow and it seems quiet enough at the registration desk, but then I round the corner for the licensing and OH! There it is! The long line of sullen faces reaching back to the far wall, the herd corralled within the line dividers so they can't escape, their hands all clutching their little renewal notices. They all look at me, their eyes pleading, it's not too late for you...run while you still can! But I'm here. I could come back tomorrow but I'm here now so I'll just get it over with.

The first 20 minutes go smoothly. The girls have snacks, then some water. Then Isobel gets restless. She keeps grabbing at the skirt of the woman in front of us. It looks silky, so I guess she likes the way it feels. Then she tries to go under it. The woman tries and laughs it off, but I apologize and hoist 'Bel unto my shoulders. Then she messes up my hair, which didn't look so hot to begin with, but now it's totally craptacular. Now Sofia is getting restless. "I'm so bored," she moans. "Me too, hon. Nobody likes to wait in line. Let's just try and make the best of it." I try doing finger plays with the girls, like "thumbkin" and "open, shut them" and they are only mildly amused. The line shuffles along, slightly. Now we're 40 minutes in. Still about 8 people in front of me. Isobel begins to lose her cool, so I throw her in the air repeatedly, but then after about 10 tosses my arms begin to fatigue and I have to put her down. She wants nothing to do with the stroller. Then "Desperado" starts playing over the speaker. Now, you're probably wondering what I've got against that song. I used to really like it a lot, but years ago when I worked for a dinner theater I was in a play in which my character had to sing it 5 nights a week for 4 months. Sometimes we had matinees and I would sing it twice a day. So now I just really hate it. That's all.

So if that's not bad enough now Isobel is really starting to lose it and nothing I do is helping and then in walks some man with a little boy of about 2 years old in tow and he starts yelling, "REPENT all ye sinners! REPENT!" Now, I've nothing against repentance- it's good for the soul, for sure, but this guy is nutty and I am scared because I am certain any minute he is going to pull out a gun and start shooting everyone. I'm already planning my exit route with the kids and I'm glad I'm wearing my sneakers in case I have to haul ass out of here and I think, "no, I can't die at the DMV...anywhere but here, please!"And then, suddenly...it's my turn.

So I take my eye test, pay my fifty bucks, get my hideous picture taken and leave with my life intact.

Thanks DMV for such a stellar birthday gift. Really, you shouldn't have!

Into the Unknown

So close

Before I die I WILL capture a photo of my kids without one of them doing the "thumbs up" and/or sticking one of their tongues out. But probably only during the sullen "emo" years of puberty and then I'm pretty sure they won't let me take their picture at all.

I guess I'll just have to be happy with this.

A couple more and we'll have a proper band

You should hear us cover "London Bridge", man. We totally rocked the house.