Por fin conozco a Anne of Green Gables

This year I learned:
*Anne of Green Gables was on my mother's top ten favorite book list.
*Anne of Green Gables was a book that my dear friend Alisa loved.
I also read references to this book in a Power of Moms article.
I felt like it was time for me to discover what all of the fuss was about. I have never even seen the movies or anything. It was fun reading this book as the mother of a girl about Anne's age when she arrived at Green Gables.

p.126. "There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting."

p.138. "There must be a limit to the mistakes one person can make, and when I get to the end of them, then I'll be through with them. That's a very comforting thought."

p.139. "For Anne to take things calmly would have been to change her nature. All "spirit and fire and dew," as she was, the pleasures and pains of life came to her with trebled intensity...The downfall of some dear hope or plan punged Anne into "deeps of affliction." The fulfillment thereof exalted her to dizzy realms of delight. Marilla had almost begun to despair of ever fashioning this waif of the world into her model little girl of demure manners and prim deportment. Neither would she have believed that she really liked Anne much better as she was. "

p.219, "Oh, it's delightful to have ambitions. I'm so glad I have such a lot. And there never seems to be any end to them- that's the best of it. Just as soon as you attain to one ambition you see another one glittering higher up still. It does make life so interesting."

p.224, "For we pay a price for everything we get or take in this world; and although ambitions are well worth having, they are not to be cheaply won, but exact their dues of work and self-denial, anxiety and discouragement."

p.238. "The beauty of it all thrilled Anne's heart, and she gratefully opened the gates of her soul to it. 'Dear old world, she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.,"
(I felt this way this past summer both while boating at Lake Powell one morning, and while riding bikes down Provo Canyon on Labor Day.)


After I typed up these quotes that I connected with during my reading, I found that several of them were on "top ten" lists.  I love it when literature can speak to so many about things like emotion, that all humans have in common. That entertaining familiarity is what makes this book a classic.

Things Kids Say

Desi wanted a certain hat for hat day- the kind that keeps you cooler because it doesn't cover the top...so she asked me

"Mom, where's the white geyser?"

Describing a fierce wind storm, she was in shock that even the "shin guards" were flying off the rooftops.


When Nathan was younger, he asked if he could sleep on the "crouton."  (futon)

Love it when they crack me up in the middle of the day out of nowhere.

Mahalo

Dream Vacation Reflection
            by Julia

Mahalo Hawaii !
You enveloped me in calm.
As waves refreshed my being,
I beheld the swaying palms.

En route to crisper climate
I hold as souvenirs,
Aloha spirit in my heart,
Along with sand inside my ears!

Bag It

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Bag It

The Toy Story backpack selected by my son during our back to school shopping trip the summer before fifth grade had me tongue tied.

“Should Mom be the one to tell him that most kids his age have graduated from wearing cartoon characters, or should I risk insecure feelings that may come when this “coolness” lesson is learned through the school of life?, I wondered.

The sadness about having to grow up portrayed so well in the Toy Story movies eventually got to me, and I kept my mouth shut.

Maybe I was out of touch with the ten year old world, I thought. Maybe kids are nicer and less concerned with appearance than I assume. Besides, it’s just a bag. As long as it carries your items, that’s all that matters. Or is it?

My non-fashion conscious train of thought came to a screeching halt day I got - what I like to call “coached.”

The Bridal shower gift that did it was pearly white in color with glowing gold accents.  The pockets were amply sized, the zippers obviously very durable. The fabric was thick, and decorated with a repeating letter C pattern that I had noticed before but clearly not understood. Coach.

Squeals rung out the moment the Mom to be lifted it from it’s perfectly wrapped box. Then the comments came.

 “Your Daddy scored some points this time!”

“Now I can’t stand next to you carrying this bag from Target.”

“You sure didn’t get THAT free at the hospital.”

“I’m so jealous!”

            I myself was without words to add. Although I appreciated the quality of the bag and would have loved to carry it myself, I was not as jealous as I was confused. I had gone through four free hospital bags, and loved them all!  Had I been walking around looking sub par all these years and not even known it?

            It took only a few seconds for me to snap out of my adult version of Toy Story backpack trauma that I had worried my son may face.  I was able to smile at myself and others the rest of the shower, sharing in the joy brought from such a perfectly personalized gift.

            Then came time for me to select my next diaper bag. Child #5 was on the way, and I had heard the freebie bags were offered by the hospital no more. Comments from the day I was “coached” swum through my head as I debated about how much money to spend. Tips I’d heard from a beauty seminar about color and design further clouded my ability to choose.  I wanted to look put together and have all my gear organized.  I also wanted to stay within a budget, and not give in to materialistic marketing.  After concluding that I had spent way to much time thinking such a trivial thing over, I decided to take the peer pressure and BAG IT!

            I drove straight to D.I. , rummaged through the rack until I found a bag that would work, paid my $3.00, and was on my way.

            “When I no longer need to carry bulky diapers, smashed cheerios, and leaky bottles, I will spend money on the perfect purse. “ I thought.

            Now my baby is turning toddler, my thrift store bag is shot, and it’s time to shop. Choosing the bag for me should not be that hard, but because I was not born with fashion as my forte, I may just have to consult,  a coach.

Picture taken after problem solved. (out with the old, in with the new)

Personality

It is a treasured night when I am able to get housework done to a point where I allow myself to relax and even joke around a little with my kids. Here is a conversation from one such night.

While playing scrabble with my two oldest...
Cara: "No more talking unless you're challenging."
Will: "I'd say you're pretty challenging."
Mom: "Yeah, Cara, I guess you can talk all you want."
Cara: (to Will) "I am going to lick your nose off while you sleep."

New word learned this scrabble game: vexer.  Caroline will try ANYTHING to see if we'll challenge it.

The girl's got personality.

Jabberwocky

On the way home from church last week:
Nathan:  "I did three flips off my chair in class today."
Mom: "What?  Nathan, that was a bad choice. That's not being reverent. What did your teacher say?"
Nathan: "He didn't say anything. pause He was amazed."


On the way in to the Colonial Festival:
Mom Reading a sign: "Welcome to the place where you meet history face to face. Are you kids ready to meet history face to face?"
Nathan:  confused "Who's that?"

Reframe (to be read AFTER May 15th entry)

Time for some Hillary Weeks clicker magic
Move over "natural man."
Here comes my yesterday, in a new light...

1. I can walk, as opposed to when I was pregnant and had to go clear to the swimming pool to get my heart rate up because walking hurt so bad.

2. Have clothes to wear. Could always just wear my stretchy workout capris I got last yr. for my bday I guess. Although fluffier now, I am basically healthy except for my perpetual sugar intake. Also, glad weather is warm enough for capris.

3. Having fam scrip. study. A good habit. In fact, we finished the BOM last month after like four years reading ten verses a day.

4. Washing machine. Better than washboard.

   *Preschool slide show put together by John was ADORABLE. He put several hours into it, as he has
     for the past few years each May. He is my tech guy.

5. I love my girls' hair. I will style it as long as they will let me. It is beautiful.

6. Deposits are the best kind of bank business.

7. Let's not bring up the capris again.

8. Love my suburban. So glad I have a comfortable, reliable way to transport all of us.

9. Thankful I don't have to hold down a job, so I can pop in to field trips and do other volunteer work at the kids' school on occasion.

10. The mana from heaven. That was already a positive.

11. Glad I can do basic sewing, mending. You know how I feel about mending.  (insert link to "A Common Thread" article)

12. Peggy bought John a nice suit. Nice enough to need dry cleaning. And he looks handsome in it.

13. Our neighborhood. The best. Friends everywhere.

14. Mom's Day was more than I deserve. John re-did the front flower beds. He did mucho dishes and other housework on Sunday, made sure I got a nap. At church I got FOUR packs of herseys kisses- one from each of my Primary aged children. They said that was surely reason enough to share with them, since I got about the most caney of any Mom in the whole ward!

15. I LOVE my baby boy and our cuddle time. Obviously I love nursing (at home, that is) a little too much. Okay, let's also not bring up the lack of bottles again.

16. My kids are READERS! And we all know about my library love affair. Still my oasis!

17. Food to eat. Kids getting better at veggies.

18. Nothing positive about Koalas. Sorry guys, you entered my life on bad timing. Oh, wait- this morning Desi was up at 6:30 so we had a much more positive study session and are done with the reasearch portion of the report. Today we go to the copy shop and finish the visual aids. That is my positive thing about Koalas.

19. Piano. Neat to hear developing talents. Especially when the song is mastered. Maybe not so much the process, but what an analogy for life THAT is!

20. Free Papa Murphys Pizza coupon from when John went to Jazz game!

21. Safe school. Amazing teachers.

22. I guess I'm thankful for that student who left their hoodie on the hallway floor.

23. My new tracfone with texting capabilities! And a contact list full of friends and family.

24. So glad Caroline had the confidence to sign up for the tapping part. She wore my old clogging shoes. Her only exposure has been last year when I held weekly lessons and taught my kids a routine for the family talent show. Pat on the back for that.

25. The van. Our second family sized vehicle. Usually when John goes on scout camps he takes the time to clean out all of his tools and install a few more seats for us. Very considerate of him to do that extra work.  Tonight was just a short ride, and he was stretched thin as was I.

26. Active scout troop Will's age. You know we are scout CRAZY over here. (I am the new cub committee chairman, to add to it all.)

27. Always thankful for prayer. Direct help line.

There. Now I have "counted my many blessings"...surprise me.