I Told You So.....

The 'Mom Talk' on the way to school had to do with many things. 'If at first you don't suceed......being proud of what you have accomplished....since we are not rich, college means scholarships and this is ONE more thing for that particular application....and finally 'you are a role model for all of those 7th graders who did not make it in this year either...and if you DON'T want to be their role model then I am ashamed of you.....' Heh. I insisted that he go to the practice...and swore that I would call the school during 2nd hour to make sure he was there....and THEN if he found it unbearable he could make the decision not to go.

I was in the principal's office of my school getting a piece of candy for a job well done (remember the 750 white pine seedlings that needed to be bagged??) when he walked in. I casually asked if we were going tonight and he nodded ever so slightly. My boss asked where we were going and he didn't want to tell her. She dragged it out of him that he was being inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. Her mouth dropped open. "That's like a really big thing," she said. "You know that right?" He just nodded. I am not sure I am liking this 'ultra cool, let's not get excited about anything, 14 year old' stage. But it was cool...and sweet and inspiring. There were candles being lit, pledges being said, certificates handed out and he even had fun. He actually admitted it. Heh. Oh...and there is another 'ryte of passage' on our agenda. He has been invited to his first boy/girl party Saturday night and he actually WANTS to go? I am SO not ready for this........

Insomnia......Thy Name is Exhaustion

I am exhausted. Totally, inexplicably exhausted. So why am I wide awake writing this? We started back to school today after a week long spring break. I had three classes of very excited second graders who could not get the words out fast enough for what they had done over break. Set them to work writing 10 sentences about their vacation in Microsoft Word to use for an assessment next week. Gotta make sure they know how to maneuver their way around fonts changes, font size changes, font color changes and inserting pictures. Short lunch break spent wolfing down a toasted tuna sandwich and cucumber slices in between bucking up the Music Teacher/Community Theater Director I am helping with a production that opens on Friday. Several actors still haven't gotten their lines down....sufficiently. Sets have not be completed. He is getting nervous and needed reassurance. After lunch there were four classes of fourth graders who slipped in to the lab and became total Power Point Gurus as we explored the 'action button' process. Heh. And they thought 'custom animation' was fun. In between classes I fielded no less than 30 emails regarding a tree bagging 'event' to take place tomorrow. 750 pine seedlings need to be bagged, tagged and twist tied so students can take them home on Wednesday in celebration of Earth Day. Someone 'forgot'. Guess who is going on on her day off - which was supposed to be spent painting Max and Ruby on little girl underwear more on that later...heh - to organize and oversee the assembly lines manned by enthusiatic 4th graders to get the job done? Heh. That is AFTER I meet with the producers eager to show me the work they have done editing the cable show on literacy we taped a few weeks back. Immediately after school we picked up a take out dinner and went to rehearsal where my kiddos learned the ropes of being 'back stage crew' and I finished painting faux gravestones and stressed over costumes. I took pictures of 50+ cast members that need to be printed, autographed and laminated. Or was that printed laminated and then autographed?? In and out of this activity was an ongoing argument with the Royal Prince regarding a Junior National Honor Society induction ceremony tomorrow night - for which we are skipping play rehearsal, soccer practice and a clarinet lesson to attend. He has suddenly decided that he doesn't want to go...to participate...to be inducted. Sheesh.

But I know we will go and he will participate. He will be inducted. 750 pine trees will be bagged, tagged and taken home to be planted so we can have more options for cleaner air. Pictures will be printed and autographed and hung. The play will happen on Friday and the sets will be done. The lines will be learned and the costumes will be okay. The Kindys will love the books we will read on Wednesday in class and the 5th graders will become Power Point Gurus as they explore the 'action button' process. As for me.....well..... think I will sleep in on Saturday. Unless we have an early soccer game.

It is only Monday, right?

Welcome to MY life. What's new in yours?

YOU KNOW YOU’RE AN ADOPTIVE PARENT IF…

1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.

2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love & family.

3. You can’t watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.

4. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who’ve experienced the blessing of adoption.

5. It drives you crazy when people ask you about adopted child’s “real” parents. (This one actually doesn't bother me. My kids know who their 'real' parents are....I think)

6. You’ve been “pregnant” with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth. (well....8 month wait for one and 11 month wait for the other doesn't really count...)

7. You’d no idea how you’d afford to adopt, but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing He’d provide.

8. You’ve taken an airplane half-way around the world with a child you just met.

9. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart & family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.

10. You know what the word “Dossier” means & you can actually pronounce it correctly! (And 'apostile'...that one was OUR biggie.)

11. You’ve welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.

12. You shudder when people say your child’s so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you’re the blessed one to have him or her in your life.


(found this on someone else's blog...thought it was pretty neat.)

Gifts

I have been cruising through blogs based on infertility lately. Don't really know why. I post occasionally and share our adoption story. Infertility has been an issue with us but not a deeply rooted one. We were older than most when we were married. He had two biological daughters from another marriage so it wasn't a real issue with him to have another. I had been curiously interested in adoption from a very young age. Probably because - when I was 10 - one of my favorite books to read and reread was one called 'The Family Nobody Wanted' by Helen Doss. It's the inspiring story of a minister and his wife who adopted twelve children of different races and varying shades into one family. And then there was 'They Came to Stay' by Marjorie Margolies. This her adoption story - Lee Heh from Korea and Holly from Viet Nam - as a single parent. Interesting that it wasn't difficult - after all these years - to remember their names. I could probably still reel off most of the Doss kids as well.

Thanks to the internet, I have been in contact with both authors in the past several years. I let them know how their stories came to play in my own life. Adoption? No biggie. Lots of paperwork. Lots of curious questions from people who have not done it. Different? Don't really think so....in the long run. We have our differences and similarities based on the fact that we are males and females who share the same house...the same experiences....the same arguments.....same laughs. I wasn't really sure if my kids really felt the same. Are the lines between biological and adoption as blurred for them as it is for me? Maybe.

I went to my daughter's educational planning meeting the other day. Her Study Skills teacher told me that she'd given her students a paragraph to write in class and was very impressed with my daughter's work. She had a little conference with her to discuss how thoughtful the piece was...how varied the language...how well written it was. She said my daughter just smiled and leaned in close - conspiratorially - and whispered, "Yeah.....and I get that from my Mom."

The Game Winning Goal

I bought the tickets last January in a price reducing promo for Michigan schools. Stuck them in their Valentine cards and made their entire week!DH and HRH have been before but this was the very first Red Wing experience for my daughter and I. We were up in the nose bleed section but I don't think there is a bad seat anywhere at the Joe Louis Arena. The game was also very special in that it was an 8oth birthday celebration for Gordie Howe...Mr. Hockey....a Red Wing hero when I was a kid. Sheesh. But the best thing of all was that I was a bit bored by the nothing/nothing score in over time and rueing the possibility of a shoot out. Was playing around with my camera and just happened to be focused on the net when the Red Wings crashed in their only goal for the game and won!!! I think HRH is going to be a bit easier on his old Mom for a couple of days....hee.

Dipsy Doodle's Flower Pot Shop

Well, it finally happened. Something I did on paper actually came to life. Real live bouncing pink coiffed life. Heh. I posted earlier about a weird little idea that I had regarding a show for our school cable channel. 'Dipsy Doodle's Flower Pot Shop...a place where seeds of learning are planted.' The theme song was written by a first grade teacher in my building and recorded by her students. Another Kindergarten Teacher friend read a story aloud on camera...which was also pre-recorded. Last weekend my husband built a store counter for the set.....in my kitchen because of a snow storm. I had to remake the costume because - much to every one's surprise - dark purple with black flowers and silver threads does not show up on a blue screen. My daughter looked like a floating head as she was modeling it. (Hey, I am just glad that we tried it out a week early!) The plan was to start shooting on a Thursday afternoon and do as much as we could. If we needed Friday, the place was available. So, I arrived at the high school television studio two hours early with the counter, a huge collection of plastic flowers, one three foot live plant, baskets, watering can, kiddie cash register, gloves and everything else we needed for three episodes. My three producers helped set up the set. We played around with the background to get it perfectly aligned. We arranged and rearranged plastic flowers. Tried tape....and finally drove in screws to use flowers to hide imperfectiosn here and a latch or two there. The girl who had agreed to play Dipsy arrived shortly after. She had spent the weekend in Las Vegas with her best friend's family and had had no sleep the night before as she was doing 'catch up homework' all night. (I am in awe of teenagers. How DO they do it?) The elderly friend playing 'Farmer Bob' brought along his wife. High school students were in and out. Farmer Bob's daughter - a Teacher at the high school - popped in to see what was happening. We rehearsed and re-rehearsed, tried camera angles, moved set pieces, rehearsed again and finally began shooting at 1:45. We shot, reshot, rearranged, rewrote and rehearsed again. By 3:15 we knew we would need to finish. Everyone had places to be after 4 pm. It had been a long, tedious process for a short kids' show. Finally we were done with one episode. Dipsy had split to her afternoon job. Farmer and Mrs. Bob were gone. We tore down the set and packed it all back in the bag I'd brought. I loaded my car and left to pick my children up at their after school play rehearsal. Exhausted and entirely exhilarated. Weirdly let down. I have been working on this for three months. Chasing down copy right permissions, conscripting help from friends, writing and rewriting, searching web sites for costume pieces, worrying, bouncing ideas off of anyone who hadn't lost patience to listen...again. Now I will wait for the editing process to take place. I was assured that I would be part of the thinking process for another episode. In the mean time, Dipsy Doodle is no longer just a figment of my imagination. And that's pretty amazing.

Need a laugh?

I LOVE Anita Renfro. Her 'Momsense' video of all the things a Mom says during the day is a classic. Reminds me - whenever I need a reminder - that I am not the ONLY one. Heh. Just discovered her 'Dadsense' vid. Here are the links. Haven't figured out how to add a You Tube videos here yet. Enjoy. I did.

Momsense: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W95Y8hNQiH8

Dadsense : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtNGFh-dCe0