Childhood Attachment

Meet Cinderella. She's been Rory's best friend since last September, when she received her birthday present from Grammie. Rory sleeps with her every night, plays with her everyday, and sometimes, is even allowed to take her in the car or to the store. Cinderella has been a great friend, and has taken quite a beating. She's already had a patch job on her rump and her gloves have needed restitching too. I firmly believe that the Disney Store puts out a quality product, but when a little girl's love is this deep, even Disney Store products need some fixing up. Cinderella's been getting dirtier by the month and finally today I decided she needed a bath. Rory handed her BFF over to me with a very serious and concerned look when I told her Cinderella needed a ride in the washing machine to get clean, but her look also said, "I trust you." I'm so not kidding. So here we sit, with baited breath, hoping the gentle cycle doesn't do too much damage.

Rory opening up her present

The first hug

A child's love...right before I took her for her first bath =)

Another Friday...Another Movie...

"Life is an occasion. Rise to it." --Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

"See that girl, watch that scene..."

Mark has always been somewhat picky about the music he listens to. He likes mostly the latest in Christian or worship music (your basics: Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder Band, Hillsong, etc.) He also, being an athlete, likes your basic Jock Rock--anything that gets you pumped up--a little Van Halen, a little Def Leppard, a little Eminem, a little House of Pain. You get the idea.

I have always liked pretty much anything and everything except for R&B. I love rock (harder rock, indie rock, folk rock, soft rock, classic rock, alternative rock...get the idea?!), oldies, country, eclectic, classical, showtunes, crooners...I don't claim to love hip hop, but even I have my weaknesses for certain songs.

So imagine my amusement this morning when I woke up to my big tough guy husband whistling and singing along to Abba's "Dancing Queen" (which was loudly playing on my clock radio) as he went about his morning. My groggy first words upon waking up to this brand new day were, "Wow, nobody can resist a little Abba."

Eat, Pray, Love

Disclaimer: This is not a Christian book.

Those who know me best know I don't read a lot of Christian authors. Mostly because I don't prefer Christian fiction, and I am by nature a novel lover. I have started reading a little more non-fiction by Christian authors, mostly because the older I get, the more I realize how clueless, helpless, (insert another synonym here), and lost I am when it comes to the fact that I am actually responsible for 2 human beings on this earth.

Anyway, I just finished reading this non-fiction piece of secular writing and I couldn't put it down. It was an adventure. It was eye-opening. It was a lot of crazy world views. Although there is so much I disagree with in this book, I have to say I agree whole heartedly with 2 major themes:

1 -- Food is divine (and I wish I could experience more)

2 -- Everyone should discover their purpose and their place in this lifetime

A Perfect Afternoon

We had a fabulous day last week. I haven't mentioned much about it here, but I've started babysitting my neighbors' kids fulltime, and because of that, I don't get out anymore. Having 5 kids everyday makes it impossible to be on the go the way I once was. But it's only temporary, so it's okay for now. Anyway, I had a day off last week because Jake had a Kindergarten visiting day. It was only a couple of hours, and since I had the entire afternoon off, my friend suggested we go to the park for a picnic and then over to Slate Run Historical Farm. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my one free afternoon! We had the best day. First of all, it felt so good to be out in the fresh air, eating a picnic lunch, which the kids and I love to do. It was our first one of 2008 and I'm looking forward to lots more. Second, I've been hearing about Slate Run since I got to Columbus and we just hadn't made it there yet. It's the coolest place for my kids ages and they had a blast. I felt like the day was our kickoff for spring and summer this year.

Rowan (the little guy), Ella, Rory, Jake, Silas, and Quinn

These are our new friends. Their middle two kids are the same ages as Rory and Jake, so we have fun together. Jake and Quinn claim to be best friends, which is very cute.

Kid Conversation

Pretty much the only thing that could drag me from watching The Office last night was my kid losing his first tooth. This really snuck up on me. I've never even mentioned teeth falling out, tooth fairies, or anything else on this topic. It started yesterday afternoon during lunch when Jake was crying telling me his mouth hurt. We've had a house full of criers lately so I was pretty unsympathetic and told him to just keep drinking water to make it feel better. Then yesterday afternoon, Jake found me to tell me that his tooth "broke." HAHA! Meaning it was loose cuz he was showing me how he could move it around. And by the way, OOPS, about the unsympathetic lunch. So I acted like it was so cool and tried explaining how teeth fall out and then grow back when you're a little kid. Who knows how much of that he actually comprehends. The 6 yr. old I baby-sit everyday told Jake that if he put it under his pillow the Tooth Fairy would bring him "3 dollars or 4 dollars or 5 dollars or 6 dollars." Huh? Things sure have changed since I was a kid! So I told McKensie that I was pretty sure the Tooth Fairy was still working with coins, not dollars in the Chapman house. Anyway, last night Jake calls downstairs from bed and tells me he has something to show me so he comes running downstairs proudly carrying his tooth in his hand. Mark said we should put it under his pillow right then, but I, of course, needed to give this auspicious event its due, so said we'd hold off until tonight instead. I have a fun book to read called "The Night Before the Tooth Fairy" by Natasha Wing that I've been saving for this very occasion. And we need to make a big deal and have fun with it all day. Any chance I get I have to make some magic around here. So this morning Jake was all excited when he woke up and told Mark again that his tooth "fell off." It kills me what wording kids come up with on their own. So Mark mentioned putting it under his pillow tonight and asked if Jake knew what would happen. Jake said, "the tooth fairy will put my tooth back in!" Again, HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

A New Day

I think spring has sprung here in Columbus, Ohio. We've had two gorgeous days and a couple more are on the way. There's also a ton of rain, which is fine with me because I like my surroundings green! My windows are wide open and fresher air I've never breathed. Maybe the germs we're fostering in here will be gone with the wind and all the crazy sicknesses we've been dealing with will leave with them.

With the spring comes the bi-annual task of sorting through kids clothes, finding what still fits, and of course, re-stocking flip flops. Since they're all my kids wear througout the spring and summer, we go through quite a few pair by the time fall comes around again, but it's okay with me because they're wonderfully cheap. And of course with flip flop weather comes toenail polish, so Rory and I took care of that paint job yesterday afternoon.

The other thing I'm especially thankful for today is my deck. We built it on at the end of last summer, so we barely used it before winter hit. I feel like we have another room on our house now that we're out there so much.

It's nice to know that tonight during the kids' soccer practice, instead of shivering on the bleachers for an hour, I'll actually enjoy it.

Mmmmm

I love Oreo Cakesters!

Second Star to the Right

I love Peter Pan. I have always loved the animated Disney version (did you have any doubt?) and I thought Hook was pretty good. Then of course, Finding Neverland was both wonderful and heartbreaking. But I just discovered the 2003 version of Peter Pan and it's so magical, they should slap the name Walt Disney on it! I'm still trying to figure out what I was doing that year, that I didn't realize this movie existed until recently. After reading up on it, I found out this is the closest version to J.M. Barrie's plays and novel (which I have a vintage version of...SO FUN!). The narration sounds eerily like Lord of the Rings narrator, and the actress who plays Wendy is phenomenal. As both the real world and Neverland decide, "I DO believe in fairies," there is nothing short of chills!

As a kid, I remember being torn between wanting to grow up and wanting to stay a kid (hmmm, sounds a lot like a certain tale...) I loved my childhood. There was no shortage of heartache, but there was so much happiness too, as it was full of friends, family, books, movies, music, delicious food, big imagination--all the things that still make me happiest. Now that my own kids are at an age where they can use their imaginations, creating worlds to play in, enjoying the timelessness of childhood, I'm determined to hold onto that for them as long as possible. But knowing that someday they have to grow up, I hope they take some magic with them, as I have tried to do...

Erin Go Bragh!

IRELAND FOREVER!

Now that I've been to Ireland, I feel more connected than ever to all things Irish and my heritage. This St. Patrick's Day season has been so fun.

I love Celtic knots and all things gaelic looking.

These images stir something in me.


As usual, the kids and I like to do it up big.
Happy St. Patrick's Day 2008!

Spring is Here

I just finished one of many Cadbury Eggs that I will be consuming this spring. There is nothing like them. They are pure chocolately, sugary goodness and I love them more than any other candy in life. It's probably more a dessert than candy because you can't just pop it in your mouth. It must be experienced. I have encountered a lot of people in life who hate them. I think Cadbury Eggs are like Peeps...you either love them or hate them. There's no halfway. I do have a couple of friends though who I have enjoyed many an egg with. We'd sit there, nibbling on them, licking out the smooth sugary middle, not saying a word since the chocolate is so velvety it makes speech pretty much impossible. Maybe the fact that they're seasonal makes them even more desirable.

Pure decadence.

Kids...

Kids little brains amaze me sometimes. Jake brought his latest creation out of bristle blocks up from the basement a few minutes ago and told me it was a building from Ratatouille. I said, is it the Eiffel Tower? Of course, he doesn't know what the Eiffel Tower is so I went and got the DVD case out and showed him and he said that's what it was and seemed excited that I knew what he was building. It's so fascinating seeing how they develop into their own people. Jake is 5 and has to memorize Bible verses for Cubbies every week, and he struggles with that. And there's Rory (who is 3) in the background basically memorizing them no problem because she's always listening in. And she helps him. Freaks me out a little bit and makes me feel a little bad for Jake, not that he really cares about that stuff yet. Then yesterday I was trying to teach them about clocks and telling time from these cute Disney flashcards I picked up at the dollar store. Rory caught on right away while Jake just kind of listened and watched. But look at what his mind does...creates a famous structure out of toys! We've always had lots of building stuff around the house--bristle blocks, magna logs, lincoln logs, small, medium, and large legos, and magnetix (which, by the way, if you don't have magnetix and you have a boy 5 or older, GET SOME cuz they are so cool and fun and seem to make kids be really creative!!!). Anyway, it seems like Jake has become quite a builder in the past few months. It's become his favorite thing to do and I love seeing what he comes up with. Kids are amazing!

To Love a Couch...

Sometimes my couch wraps its arms around me. I am cozy, I am warm, I am taken care of by my red cushy couch and my very faded and soft blue quilt with the flannel back. I love moments like this when I feel overwhelming contentment with my simple life...just me and family at home, the kids playing upstairs, me reading whatever novel I currently have my nose buried in, knowing Mark will make his way home to hang out with us before the day ends. This is why I love winter. To be able to burrow into my home for days on end is not a bad thing. So here I sit, book in hand, my latest cookbook next to me on the coffee table in case I need a change of pace, and a fire going to take the bite off the air. The wind is howling, more snow is expected, and I say bring it on. My cozy couch (and piles of quilts) will keep me warm.

Family Sing Along

Does anyone else love those freecreditreport.com commercials? There are three that I know of and I'm almost ashamed to say this out loud, but all four of us know them word for word. Why the obsession? I have no idea. I just know that I giggle uncontrollably when my kids sing the the pirate restaurant version to absolute perfection. I tried to upload them here but I'm getting errors, so just go to YouTube and search for freecreditreport.com

First Timer

I just finished my first sewing project! This winter I've been really antsy to do something with my hands. I don't have a hobby, other than cooking, and I've wanted to find something else to help keep me busy. As many people know, my mom is a quiltaholic, so when she was here in January, we went shopping and got all the makings of a quilt. It was so fun choosing fabrics that I really love. And I just happened to have a sewing machine on hand because Mark bought me one right after I had Jake. I have gone back and forth for years on weather or not I want to try sewing, but now that I have, I realize using a machine is really addicting. I started my quilt while my mom was here and I'll be working on that for a long time. I'm really excited about it, but I also wanted to try something that I could finish quickly and see an end result. So I found a simple pattern for a tote bag online and just went for it. Even though it's sloppy I love it! Sewers of America, count me in!

Elizabethtown

A couple of posts ago I mentioned I'm passionate about movies that move me. I love Cameron Crowe movies--he has such a poetic way of telling stories. His most popular film is probably Jerry McGuire, but my two favorites are Almost Famous and Elizabethtown. I absolutely can't resist Almost Famous--I am always mesmerized as I fall into that world of classic rock. The goosebumps never fail when everyone on the bus ends up singing along with "Tiny Dancer."

But tonight is about Elizabethtown. I saw this movie two years ago, sitting in Abby's cozy little apartment on a frigidly cold snowy night in Minnesota. I remember freaking out after seeing it, as I have a tendancy to do when I fall in love with a movie. I just sat there, rehashing everything with Abs, and wanting to get into my car and drive across the country. I also remember being really tired that night and not catching all the details.

I have an ideal movie situation. I get to indulge myself a lot during the winter, with Mark being gone for basketball so many nights. I have a routine...phone ringer turned off, limited lighting, waiting for the kids to fall asleep, a lone candle on my coffee table, beverage, snacks, and chapstick ready and waiting so I don't have to get up for anything. Tonight was a night with zero interruption so I was able to fall completely into the story.

I don't think I remembered how amazing the soundtrack is...peppered with sprinklings of Elton John, Patty Griffin, Tom Petty...really wonderful stuff. I checked out Amazon and saw they had to jam the soundtrack onto 3 separate CD's! For me, this movie isn't about the romance of the characters, it's all the underlying symbolism and stuff that's hard to write about this late at night...and the highlight is by far the road trip, followed closely by me simultaneously laughing and crying during the Moon River tapdance routine.

I feel like this post isn't flowing so I'll just end by saying that Elizabethtown is a movie that moves me.

Half Empty or Half Full?

In the last two weeks...

Our red car needed new brakes.
Our water heater kicked the bucket.
Our basement storage room was completely flooded from the stupid water heater.
Rory flushed her Cinderella phone down the potty, making it unusable.
Our van is now smoking and smells like foul burnt rubber.
My kids drove me crazy.
The Patriots lost the Superbowl after a perfect season.
We felt alone and vulnerable.

On the other hand…

God provided a job for me that will not take me away from my kids.
Some men came down from another church to help install a new water heater.
The only stuff ruined in the basement flood were the yard sale boxes--hazzah for plastic bins.
Mark’s dad dismantled the toilet, fished out the phone, and put it all back together.
A friend here may be able to fix the van.
My kids are a gift and make me laugh out loud every day.
At least we had the Red Sox this year.
New friends seem to be at every turn.

Invaluable lessons are being learned about God’s faithfulness.

8 Things

A blog tag, huh? Well, this is the answer I’ve been looking for because apparently, my creative self has taken a leave of absence as there has been nothing to write about in the last month or so. Here goes…

8 Things I’m Passionate About:
My little family
People using their gifts within their church family and in life in general
Holidays
Movies that move me
Food
Hosting a memorable party
My kids becoming readers
Coffee

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die:
Influence someone toward God
Know my grandchildren
Take culinary classes
Run a business of my own
Eat in the Mediterranean countries
Go back to Ireland because I need to spend more time in that magical land
Live in a picturesque place that inspires me daily
Visit Daylin

8 Things I Say Often:
What time is practice tomorrow?
I need a smooch.
What are you guys fighting about?!!
I don’t know what to tell ya.
Are you gonna be home tonight so I can go to Barnes & Noble?
What cartoon do you want to watch today?
Nice to meet you.
Is that me or what?

8 TV Shows I’ve Recently Watched:
Gilmore Girls
The Office
The Today Show
Everyday Italian
Barefoot Contessa
Lilo & Stitch, the Series
How I Met Your Mother
October Road

8 Artists I Never Tire of Listening To:
James Taylor
Sara Evans
Dixie Chicks
Michael Buble
Wicked soundtrack (not an artist, but the CD case is always on my kitchen counter for easy access)
Some old Passion conference CD’s
Lillith Fair type girl power chicks (Indigo Girls, Jewel, Sarah McLachlan---yaay for the 90’s!)
Ellis Paul

8 Things That Attract Me To My Friends:
Down to earth
Fun
Things in common
Loyal
Openness
Sincere
Quick to laugh
(Basically, I stole Gretchen’s list cuz she nailed it!)

8 Things I Learned in 2007:
Transformers and Magnetix are a mother’s best friend because little hands stay very occupied.
God is my Father.
Lonliness really stinks.
God grows us together.
The 2008 election will take more of a toll on me than the 2004.
Homemade vinaigrettes win out every time over bottled dressings.
Being 30 rocks.
How to truly love my neighbors.

Who Am I Gonna Tag?
My blog circle has already been tagged so just keep em coming.

Children of the 80's, Unite!

I admit, I'm a total sucker for nostalgia. Being born in 1977, I got to enjoy my childhood in the 80's. I was always so glad I wasn't a teenager during that decade because as silly as some of those early 90's trends were, nothing is worse that the 80's. I can live with seeing pics of myself as a teenager with the flannel shirts (loved the grunge era!) and the huge oversized sweaters.

But I will admit that as hideous as those 1980's were, being a kid rocked...the toys were great, the Saturday morning cartoons were great, little trends like snap bracelets, leg warmers, and banana clips were so fun for kids, and Punky Brewster was the coolest. In the last few years, toys from my childhood have made a huge comeback...Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, and Transformers, to name just a few. Whoever decided to do this is a marketing genius because those of us who played with this stuff as kids now have our own kids. I am such a sucker for all of it. My kids have their fair share of this stuff and we love it. We just rented DuckTales Season 1 from the library and I think the kids get such a kick out of the fact that I know all the words to the opening song. I would kill for Boomerang, the network that plays all those old Saturday morning cartoons like Smurfs and Snorks and Pound Puppies, but alas, DirecTV has to dangle them in front of my face without putting it into the basic package.

So, all this to say, did anyone else watch the comeback of American Gladiators last night? Twenty years later, and there Mark and I were, watching those goofball gladiators as if we're still 10 years old...

Thumpity, Thump, Thump!

These are my two favorite children's books EVER! They are so fun and imaginative, not to mention beautifully illustrated. Today in the spirit of magic, we made our first snowman of the season. I have to say it is the rockingest snowman I've ever seen in real life! Thanks to my mom, who gave us a special little treasure box that is a Snowman In a Box kit. All you have to add is snow. In our case today, we added a real carrot instead of the wooden one it came with because we happened to have some in the fridge and Jake was begging to put one in. And Jake also found the arms. He was adamant that he have stick arms. =)

Yes, that is a pipe in his mouth. My favorite part of the morning was when Rory proclaimed with as much heartfelt feeling as Tiny Tim, "Mom, this is the best Christmas day EVER!" Did my heart melt? Oh, you have no idea. It's amazing when you see or hear yourself in your kids. That was absolutely something I would have said outloud.

The kids felt the need to sing Frosty the Snowman during the picture taking, that's why their mouths are open here. Hee hee!!!