Chuck D & Mr. T

When I was practicing for a dressage test the other day and focusing on the relaxed walk and showing that both rider and horse can take a brake and just be natural in the middle of the hard work of the test, I thought about how that concept should really reach into all parts of life. I really want to teach the children to remain calm and themselves no matter what the activity, no matter how difficult or how much concentration is needed; that pausing to breathe and be present and relaxed is the ultimate way to be and to show mastery of a skill or situation; even in learning or trying something new or hard, you can still be calm, secure and relaxed and being this way will allow you to be happy and peaceful.

Talking to my acupuncturist and health guru, Bob, has made me
Feel so immensely better. He understands intuition and instinct and how one feels about oneself and responds to what doctors say. He tells me to be peaceful, be well, don’t stress, breathe, be in nature, be with my children and I will be well and love happily and healthily. I really am understanding of this. The lessons he has taught me the past few years on being peaceful have been life changing. I hope so much that I’m leading the children and others as will to be peaceful in their lives. It really seems like it is the highest and most pleasant form of living. Peace out.

Tonight was movie night. We snuggled on the sofa and all watched Free Birds together. Funny a movie about turkeys could interest the kids. So interesting my little Teds for scared and I had to take him upstairs. He’s such a sweet one.

I wore my hair curly today. When I dropped Teddy off in his rainbow room his friend Carter and his friend Norah told me “Your hair looks crazy.” I guess that’s why the twins call is “crazy hair.” I better teach them the difference between crazy hair and curly hair. The three of us seem
To have both.

Today we hung up new chore charts and new mealtime manners charts. If one gets stars or checks on the charts at the end of the week they collect their allowance (Charlie gets $2, Teddy $1.50, Scottie and Nelly .10).

Chores for Charlie:
Clean up room
Make bed
Hand up pjs
Put away coat and shoes
Do homework
Practice guitar

Teddy:
Clean room
Make bed
Hang up pjs
Put away coat and shoes

Scottie and Nelly:
Put away toys
Put away shoes

Mealtime Manners:
Sit up at table
Napkins on lap
Use fork and knife
Use a nice voice (no complaints or
Mean discussion at table)
Try something. Anything.
Say something interesting
Ask to be excused.
Each child gets to pick one night to pick what they want for dinner each month

I should add extra credit…

Tonight I read with Charlie. Titles included Little Seeds, Rules, and My Dinner. Charlie also had a guitar lesson. He is attempting Smoke on The Water which he is excited about. He is tired of trying to perfect Jingle Bells but I really think we need to perfect it before moving on to Row Row Your Boat or anything by Deep Purple.

Teddy had a play date today at our house with his good friend Pilar. They had a wedding. The bride wore a blue satin Elizabethan- inspired gown, pink plastic heels, and a Roberta Roller Rabbit quilt as a veil. The groom’s sisters served as the bridesmaids, one in a light blue satin princess gown and the other in a pair of beauty and the beast panties. They also were the pastry chefs, making small confections out of play dough. The groom’s grandmother officiated at the ceremony held in the groom’s family’s kitchen. Present were the mothers of the bride and groom. The ceremony was lovely save for the few minutes where one bridesmaid screamed and accused the bride of taking her princess charm bracelet. Following the wedding, the bride and groom went their separate ways with the bride heading to gymnastics class and the groom off to try to play a game on his mother’s phone.

Scottie gets into my car each time and exclaims “Mommy, you car smell wuk wuk.” I know it may smell yucky but that’s because people-no names mentioned-pour and spill milk and juice and stuff all over it and despite the cleaning and air freshening I can’t get it quite smelling like new. Thank you, Scottie, for pointing it out.

It wasn’t that warm.

Alix’s birthday dinner.

Getting ready to go out with S and N at my side and their approval and advice on what to wear makes me so happy. If they tell me to wear something I will sometimes follow their advice-I like to encourage them by taking them
Seriously and sometimes they have good ideas. More than sometimes. Their taste is good. Ooo la la I say.
Oh and Nelly said to me “Nice outfit. “