So I started a new book last night. I"m already 250 pages in. (As most of you know, I read a minimum of 1 book a week... often 2 or sometimes 3 in a week...every once in a while a book will take more than a week if it's particularly long, but not often) The book is called The Life You Longed For by Maribeth Fischer.
It is about a mother named Grace whose son Jack has mitochondrial disease and is dying. But someone accuses her of having Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. This is a disorder where mothers purposely make their children sick to get attention (think of the mom in Sixth Sense). They thrive on the attention given to them and their child by doctors. This mother is innocent, and it sounds like many who are accused are innocent. But sadly, of course, there are far too many children out there who are hurt by their parents. It's a really compelling and interesting story. I know, from my experience as a teacher as well as from reading I've done, that there are sick parents out there who intentionally hurt their children. But it's scary to contemplate this disorder because most of the things that characterize someone with this illness would be true of most educated, caring parents. Fascinating read. I can only imagine how awful it would be for your child to be terminally ill. But then to have the threat of that child being removed from you, that would be awful!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
kindergarten orientation
Yesterday we took Michelle to kindergarten orientation and to register her for kindergarten at Jackson Elementary. Jackson is a school in my district that has a dual immersion Spanish/English program. We were able to meet one of Michelle's teachers, Miss Jennifer. Miss Jennifer will be her teacher half of the day and will teach in English. Her other teacher, Senorita Dahlquist was ill and was not there. Srta. Dahlquist will teach her the other half of the day in Spanish. Half of the students will be native English speakers and half will be native Spanish speakers. I'm both excited and sad to have Michelle starting kindergarten in a few months. It's hard to believe she is about to turn 5! My girls are growing too fast. I feel good about putting Michelle at Jackson for next year. I've heard amazing things about the kindergarten teachers there, especially Miss Jennifer.
Interestingly, Jackson is a uniform school. I taught at Mountain View for six years and Mountain View had a uniform. I loved it. But I'm a little less enthused now that it's my child that will have to wear a uniform. The uniform is navy, khaki and white and she can wear denim jeans or skirts as long as they don't have designs on them. It's not that restrictive and they have "choice day" on Fridays where they can wear other clothes. My main "complaint" is that I've found a bunch of clothes that were deeply discounted and was already mostly done with clothes shopping for the next year for Michelle and Ella. But now I'll have to buy more clothes that fit the uniform policy. Ah well.
Interestingly, Jackson is a uniform school. I taught at Mountain View for six years and Mountain View had a uniform. I loved it. But I'm a little less enthused now that it's my child that will have to wear a uniform. The uniform is navy, khaki and white and she can wear denim jeans or skirts as long as they don't have designs on them. It's not that restrictive and they have "choice day" on Fridays where they can wear other clothes. My main "complaint" is that I've found a bunch of clothes that were deeply discounted and was already mostly done with clothes shopping for the next year for Michelle and Ella. But now I'll have to buy more clothes that fit the uniform policy. Ah well.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
General Conference
Wasn't General Conference wonderful?! I loved it. I loved President Monson's talk. I've always thought he was a great storyteller. I loved the talk on prayer and the talks on parenting.
We had stake conference about a month ago. One of the speakers shared a quote from Elder Elder Bateman. It is from General Conference, October 2005. I really loved it. I have studied the scriptures and I have a firm faith in my Savior and in His Atonement. I know that He suffered for my sins. But I had never thought of it in such a personal one-on-one way:
“For many years I thought of the Savior’s experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him. Through the words of Alma, Abinadi, Isaiah, and other prophets, however, my view has changed. Instead of an impersonal mass of sin, there was a long line of people, as Jesus felt “our infirmities” (Heb. 4:15), “[bore] our griefs, … carried our sorrows … [and] was bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:4–5).
The Atonement was an intimate, personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each of us.
The Pearl of Great Price teaches that Moses was shown all the inhabitants of the earth, which were “numberless as the sand upon the sea shore” (Moses 1:28). If Moses beheld every soul, then it seems reasonable that the Creator of the universe has the power to become intimately acquainted with each of us. He learned about your weaknesses and mine. He experienced your pains and sufferings. He experienced mine. I testify that He knows us. He understands the way in which we deal with temptations. He knows our weaknesses. But more than that, more than just knowing us, He knows how to help us if we come to Him in faith.”
It is amazing to think that the Savior suffered, one by one, for each one of us. Not all at once for everyone, but one by one. And to know that He understands us and can help us through whatever problems and challenges we have. I have always loved the scripture that says that he will succor us, which means literally to run to us. What an amazing blessing to have the Savior and to know of Him!
*******
On a related note, during conference, Ella asked, "Is Jesus going to speak to us?" I explained that Jesus is in heaven with Heavenly Father but that leaders of the church would speak to us and tell us what Jesus wants to know. I love that my girls see Jesus as a real, living person and someone who would speak to them. I am often amazed at their faith and their spirituality.
I'd run upstairs for a second ... I can't remember why, probably to go to the bathroom, and Michelle came running... "Mommy, the new prophet is on. Hurry so we can hear him."
We had stake conference about a month ago. One of the speakers shared a quote from Elder Elder Bateman. It is from General Conference, October 2005. I really loved it. I have studied the scriptures and I have a firm faith in my Savior and in His Atonement. I know that He suffered for my sins. But I had never thought of it in such a personal one-on-one way:
“For many years I thought of the Savior’s experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him. Through the words of Alma, Abinadi, Isaiah, and other prophets, however, my view has changed. Instead of an impersonal mass of sin, there was a long line of people, as Jesus felt “our infirmities” (Heb. 4:15), “[bore] our griefs, … carried our sorrows … [and] was bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:4–5).
The Atonement was an intimate, personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each of us.
The Pearl of Great Price teaches that Moses was shown all the inhabitants of the earth, which were “numberless as the sand upon the sea shore” (Moses 1:28). If Moses beheld every soul, then it seems reasonable that the Creator of the universe has the power to become intimately acquainted with each of us. He learned about your weaknesses and mine. He experienced your pains and sufferings. He experienced mine. I testify that He knows us. He understands the way in which we deal with temptations. He knows our weaknesses. But more than that, more than just knowing us, He knows how to help us if we come to Him in faith.”
It is amazing to think that the Savior suffered, one by one, for each one of us. Not all at once for everyone, but one by one. And to know that He understands us and can help us through whatever problems and challenges we have. I have always loved the scripture that says that he will succor us, which means literally to run to us. What an amazing blessing to have the Savior and to know of Him!
*******
On a related note, during conference, Ella asked, "Is Jesus going to speak to us?" I explained that Jesus is in heaven with Heavenly Father but that leaders of the church would speak to us and tell us what Jesus wants to know. I love that my girls see Jesus as a real, living person and someone who would speak to them. I am often amazed at their faith and their spirituality.
I'd run upstairs for a second ... I can't remember why, probably to go to the bathroom, and Michelle came running... "Mommy, the new prophet is on. Hurry so we can hear him."
Ella makes me laugh!
Yesterday, Ella was in the kitchen. I walked in and she was standing on a chair, dancing around. She said, "Mom, I'm so sexy. I'm sexy. I'm sexy." She doesn't know what that means ... other than that it's kind of like pretty. But she was telling all of us that she is sexy.
On Friday night, I went to a crop at Heartland Paper. I go from time to time on Friday nights. You can scrap from 6 PM until midnight. (I got about 10 pages down and I won a package of chipboard letters. It was fun.) Anyway, while I was gone, Alfredo was giving the girls a bath and getting them ready for bed. Ella was in the tub and said, "Look daddy. My tummy is fat. I'm getting big like Mommy." She paused for a minute and said, "There's a baby in my tummy. But it's a boy." :)
On Friday night, I went to a crop at Heartland Paper. I go from time to time on Friday nights. You can scrap from 6 PM until midnight. (I got about 10 pages down and I won a package of chipboard letters. It was fun.) Anyway, while I was gone, Alfredo was giving the girls a bath and getting them ready for bed. Ella was in the tub and said, "Look daddy. My tummy is fat. I'm getting big like Mommy." She paused for a minute and said, "There's a baby in my tummy. But it's a boy." :)
amateur scrapbooker
I spent the weekend scrapbooking while watching General Conference. Michelle wanted to participate so I gave her some scraps and a couple of pictures she could use. Here is her first ever page. Not bad for a not-quite-five year old. I think I may have a scrapbook helper in a few years.
tuesday tell all photos
This is the beautiful painting I bought in Korea.
The blessing dresses that my mom made are in a box in the attic. I'm too tired to get them down, but here are photos of the girls in their blessing dresses. I wish you
could see the details on the dresses better. This is Ella when she was just 3 or 4 weeks old.
Ella again... isn't she so sweet and so little
Michelle in her blessing dress
Poor Michelle had bad baby acne when this picture was takenYou can't really tell in this photo of the photo, but she had little red spots
all over her face. I think both girls were beautiful.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Tuesday tell all
So I saw on Suzanne Graham's blog a Tuesday tell all and checked out www.tuesdaytellall.blogspot.com and saw that each week they post a topic for you to respond to. So, mainly for my own self, I thought I'd try some of these out. Obviously, it's already Wednesday, but Tuesdays are busy for me and I'm just now getting to it. Plus I have no pictures to post because I turned on my camera to take a couple and the battery was completely dead. I mean COMPLETELY.
This week's topic is to tell about some special homemade/handmade items you have. I'm not much into sewing or cross-stitch or anything, so I don't have a lot that I've done. I have 2 shelves full of scrapbooks, but that's it as for what I have created.
But my mom has sewn both of my girls' blessing dresses. They are both beautiful. When my camera is working again (and I have a few spare seconds), I"ll snap pictures.
I'm cheating on my other two items. They aren't really handmade by anyone I know. One is a beautiful painting I bought in Korea. My good friend from high school, Charity, worked as a teacher for Network of International Christian Schools in Korea for four years (or perhaps five?) and now works for them in Indonesia. Nine years ago, I was able to visit her for a week in Korea. I went into a little shop and this man was painting some amazing paintings, and I purchased one. I think it is beautiful. I met the painter very briefly, so I am counting it as handmade but mainly because it's one of my favorite things.
The last item is a quilt purchased for me in Indonesia by Charity when Michelle was born. It has a little tag that tells who it was handmade by, but again, it only sort of counts because I don't know the person who made it.
I have several baby quilts made by family and friends as well. But the one from Indonesia is especially beautiful and interesting.
So there's my first "Tuesday tell all."
This week's topic is to tell about some special homemade/handmade items you have. I'm not much into sewing or cross-stitch or anything, so I don't have a lot that I've done. I have 2 shelves full of scrapbooks, but that's it as for what I have created.
But my mom has sewn both of my girls' blessing dresses. They are both beautiful. When my camera is working again (and I have a few spare seconds), I"ll snap pictures.
I'm cheating on my other two items. They aren't really handmade by anyone I know. One is a beautiful painting I bought in Korea. My good friend from high school, Charity, worked as a teacher for Network of International Christian Schools in Korea for four years (or perhaps five?) and now works for them in Indonesia. Nine years ago, I was able to visit her for a week in Korea. I went into a little shop and this man was painting some amazing paintings, and I purchased one. I think it is beautiful. I met the painter very briefly, so I am counting it as handmade but mainly because it's one of my favorite things.
The last item is a quilt purchased for me in Indonesia by Charity when Michelle was born. It has a little tag that tells who it was handmade by, but again, it only sort of counts because I don't know the person who made it.
I have several baby quilts made by family and friends as well. But the one from Indonesia is especially beautiful and interesting.
So there's my first "Tuesday tell all."
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