Lazy Boy

This past Memorial Day weekend we saw this "lazy boy" sitting on a La Z Boy chair on Hazel Avenue.  Behind the sign, the guy was actually playing a Game Boy.  He looked comfortable on that recliner.  I must admit that the trick to catch my attention worked.  Nonetheless it was not compelling enough to tempt me to go shopping for furniture.  :) 

Sparkies Leader

This is the Sparkies Director.  He does not always look like this, believe it or not.  I will recount what happened.

Our local AWANA club plans to support another similar club in India.  To do this a penny-drive was launched.  The team who collected the most money at the end of the drive was given a special reward - the privilege to throw pies at our Awana Commander, Andy Haug, and Sparkies director, Tim Lewis.  Hence, the picture.   It was unfortunate that what was supposed to be pies were in fact pseudo-pies (whipped cream).  Otherwise, Tim would have secretly enjoyed the experience.

This whole exercise provided entertainment for the kids for a few minutes.  Both Tim and Andy were fine after washing their faces.  I hope that next year the club will come up with a different and less messy reward for the winners!

Anyway, Tim is in France with Brahms right now, so there will be a guest teacher during AWANA council time - me.   They better not throw pies at me becaue I will be prepared to throw them bread.  :)

Content is the Same

Obviously, I've been trying change the layout of this blog... and I must admit that it is not fun. This is like living I suppose.   Sometimes we give so much attention into modifying our physical appearance.   We think that it will improve our value and happiness.  The process is undoubtedly energy-consuming and definitely frustrating.  Then we realize that "content" matters more than the "fonts and colors" of our lives.   After trying so hard we find out that our value remains the same.  That's what happened here, don't you think?

Power in Weakness

Her sun-shiny morning attitude was subdued by stuffy nose and sore throat.  She had to stay home to get some rest and gather her strength.   I'm sure that Mr. N is glad not to have a vector sitting in his class. 

Sick days are happy days in this family.   If you are sick you get special privileges.  For example, reading the comics normally comes at the end of a long list of things: breakfast, devotions, chores and then comics - but not when you are sick.  Miriam, played unlimited hours of computer and PS3; normally she gets thirty minutes of screen-time a day after the required game of chess with a sibling.  

She was sick enough to stay home and yet well enough to climb trees.  I enjoyed working in the garden with her today.  She'd come to me and complain about her nose; I'd stop and sit with her on a bench and cuddle a little bit then she'd go around again.   

When Brahms came back from school his first question was "Did you stay home today?"  Shannon who came home an hour later asked the same question.  At first I didn't attach any meaning to their query other than probably concern for Miriam.  Eventually, however, the truth came out.  They know the "power" that comes with being sick and they were poised to take advantage of the situation by influencing Miriam's choices. 

"Mommy, can we have In-N-Out for dinner?"  "Ask Daddy."  "He said to ask you."  

We don't want our kids to get sick but we try hard to make sure that they enjoy being sick. 

On Braces

This afternoon, Shannon and I were on our way to her orthodontist appointment when we were delayed by a traffic accident on East Bidwell Avenue.  Her braces by the way are soon to be removed.  Dr. York is just doing a little bit more fine-tuning on the position of some of her teeth.  Usually, I check her teeth and tell her that they are the same.  This time she pointed out to me that her teeth actually have moved, before I could even inspect them.  Then the following conversation followed:

"Oh yeah.  I remember when they used to look like pop corn."

"Mommy, I would have been fine without getting braces."

"But don't you like it that you now have straight teeth...almost?"

"I lost TWO years..."

"Lost two years of eating tootsie rolls?"

"Yes,  TWO long years."

"Don't worry, during the next two years, you can eat as many tootsie rolls as you could eat in four years.  After that you'll have recovered all the lost years of eating tootsie rolls.

"I should not have braces at all. Straight teeth is not worth the pain, inability to smile well, and not being able to eat everything."

"Yes they are!  If you didn't have them you would have ended up like me."

"You're fine Mommy!  See, you got married."

"I married but you don't understand."

"Daddy loves you just the same."

"Yes, but...you don't understand."

"Mommy, straight teeth are not worth the two lost years."

"You do not understand how it feels to be married to someone whose entire family has straight teeth."

"Mommy, you're fine."

"No, I'm not.  When we all get together, I imagine that everyone is wondering about my crowded-teeth."

"Mommy, when I have children, I will tell them not to get braces.  I will tell them that they are fine the way they are.  Whenever, I see people with straight teeth these days, the only thing that comes to my mind is the thought that those people have wasted two years to get those teeth straightened."

Before completing our conversation, we got to Dr. York's office and we were late.  Shannon got a tiny spring to close the gap between her teeth.  She hopes to have them removed before the new year.  We'll see.