Never Not Negotiating

Maxwell loves finding this patch of sunlight in the piano room to bask in.

Sunday night, Scott and I had a sit down serious chat with Grace about our expectations for her with her dog.  To be fair, she does take care of him at night, and she's usually willing to do what we ask her to do for him, but over the last few weeks, more and more of her dog duties have fallen on ME.  And as I told Scott last week, I can't decide if it's a good thing that I love Maxwell so much, or if it's a really, really bad thing -- because if I didn't care for this dog at all, I'd have no problem giving him the boot if Grace didn't step it up in her care-taking. 

But the fact of the matter is, I do love the little pupper, and getting rid of him is not really an option now that he's a member of the family.  SO.  Scott and I had a little executive council before going in to talk to her on Sunday evening so that we could outline exactly what her specific responsibilities will be.  Because simply telling her to "be more responsible" has been a little too vague to prompt any real actions.

We recognize she's a 14 year old child -- and she is in school during the day and has homework and other responsibilities, too -- so we came up with 4 main things she needs to do everyday to help take care of her pup.  1.)  Get up at 7 every morning to let the dog out and feed him before getting herself ready for school; 2.)  Do a sweep of the backyard after school for any dog poop that needs cleaning up; 3.)  Feed him dinner; and 4.)  Take him upstairs by 8 every night to put him to bed/hang out with her while she does her homework.  I think that's pretty reasonable and doable.  Right??  Here's how Day 1 went this week...

{7:05 AM Monday Morning}

GRACE: Mom

ME:  What

GRACE: Can I slowly ease into waking up at 7
GRACE:  Like can I have this week


ME:  Fine
ME:  You have to be up by 7:15 this week
ME:  Next week it's 7

GRACE:  7:20
GRACE:  Weekend 7:15

ME:  You think you're going to wake up earlier on a weekend than a weekday?
ME:  I'd say that's ludicrous
ME:  And highly unlikely
ME:  I'll give you 7:20 today and tomorrow
ME:  Then the rest of the week is 7:15
ME:  Next week will be 7

{7:20 AM Monday Morning}

GRACE:  I'm awake {after me yelling up the stairs at her}

ME:  You need to be DOWNSTAIRS
ME:  We're leaving
ME:  And Maxwell thinks he's coming with us

GRACE:  But I have stuff to do UPSTAIRS

ME:  That's why you need to get up earlier
ME:  That's the whole point
ME:  Take care of your puppy first
ME:  Then do your stuff
ME:  Open your door so he can come in

So, here we are on Day 3, and she hasn't gotten up on time once and done what she needs to do; I don't think any backyard sweeping has happened; I think she got his food ready for dinner last night; and she's tried to bring him up every night at 8, but he doesn't always want to go -- I'm his new favorite snuggle buddy.  Haha.  Scott and I figure we'll give her this week to "ease" into things, but starting next week, we're going hardcore.  If she can't step it on up, she's going back to the dark ages of no cell phone until she can prove we can trust her.  Hopefully, it won't come to that.  ;)

The Time Has Come

What's that saying?  Fool me once -- shame on you; fool me twice -- shame on me??  What should the saying be when we're right back to square (or should I say nest?) one with Jane's hair for the FOURTH time in two years?  Jane, Jane, Jane.  I really thought the third time was a charm and she'd finally get into the habit of brushing her hair often enough to keep the rat's nest at bay.  But the shame is ALL on me.  And now, I've got some major detangling to do this weekend before I take her to get her haircut for real.

 (She did NOT want anymore photographic evidence of her hair.  Let's just say we're back to "smoothing" into a ponytail everyday.)

I've threatened before to make her get a pixie cut if she can't keep up with the brushing, but she's pretty emotionally adamant that she does NOT want one, and I'm trying to decide if I'll have pity on her.  {Spoiler alert -- I probably will.}   She has agreed that something needs to be done, however, and since I got my hair cut last week (it's just barely chin length), she's willing to go as short as mine. Hopefully, by next Monday, we'll have a brand new before and after to showcase!  ;)

(Not the best picture in the world, but you get the idea of how short she'll be going.)

February Phone Dump

It's hard to believe it's the last Friday in February!  Since I still have hundreds of pictures from this month on my camera roll, I figure now is the perfect time to unload some of those while checking in on what everyone's been up to this month.

Let's start from the top...

ETHAN

This month (and last) have been almost entirely consumed by the "infamous" 1920s project/presentation in his AP Block class (AP U.S. History combined with Pre-AP English).  To say this has been a major source of stress for Ethan would be an understatement.  Apparently, this group project has been a staple of the class curriculum for more than 20 years.  Group projects are never Ethan's ideal -- because really, how can you ensure that you won't be stuck with people who do NOTHING -- but I would say he really lucked out with having an awesomely responsible and on-top-of-things group of Sophomores to work with on this one.  Their group's topic was "Business," and they were essentially required to learn and then teach to the class everything there is to know about Business in the 1920s.  I'm not sure what the exact, specific requirements were for each of the groups, but Ethan's group used a skit for the framework of presenting their topic, complete with a cardboard cutout Model T Ford, visual aids, and "costumes" for each person's focus.  Ethan was responsible for the sub-topic of the economy and dressed in shirt and tie for the occasion.  I don't really know what everyone else dressed as, but I know there was at least one person dressed to represent farming and another dressed up as a character from "The Great Gatsby," which they finished reading before the project.

 Ethan came up with this analogy/treat handout -- the Double Stuf Oreo represents the economy of the 1920s with an economic slump at the beginning, the good years in the middle, and the stock market crash at the end.

All of Ethan's hard work paid off, though, because his group did amazing on their presentation.  I know it was super stressful and so much work, but it's always gratifying to see what a sense of accomplishment comes from doing something so difficult.

They got 100%!

GRACE

Grace is a crack-up.  She had a field trip this month to the high school, where the 8th graders were introduced to the building and all the classes that will be available to them next year when they enter the 9th grade, and the stream of text messages I got from her while she was there was nothing short of    performance art.  For some inexplicable reason, she's decided she wants to try and graduate a year early.  To that end, she's signing up for two math classes next year -- Geometry and Algebra 2.  She's also decided that even though she's never played an organized sport in her entire life, now is the perfect time for her to join the 9th Grade Women's soccer team.  Because, why not?  Right?  Hahahahaha.  Oh Grace.  She certainly makes life entertaining.  Other High School pursuits she will be pursuing are: the Debate Team and maybe choir.  Although, that last one is a big maybe.  She's basically just trying to find stuff that will look good on her college applications.  You've got to admire that kind of big picture thinking.  Hahahahaha.

 When I went to put clothes in her closet earlier this month, I found this sweet display taped up on the inside of the door.  

I don't think it's possible to develop this kind of confidence -- I think you just have to be born with it. Hahahaha.

List the best things about you:

I can make anyone laugh

I'm good with little kids

I am easy to talk to

I am smart in school

I am a creative person

I am trustworthy

I am a "love therapist"

I just have a good personality

SOPHIE

Sophie's biggest news of the month is that she made it into the middle school talent show!  She's singing again this year, and as much as I've tried to steer her towards a more singer-songwriter vibe, she has consistently resisted and insists upon bringing the house down with a rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing."  I'd say she gets her "go big or go home" tendencies from me, but even I would never attempt to go THAT big.  Hahaha.

Along with her GT disco ball project, she has also enjoyed "Creating" for our February focus this month.  I think she recognized more than any of the others that creating things really DOES bring joy.   :)  She's dabbled in painting, helped Grace with decorations for Young Women's, and attempted to make her very own personalized wooden peg doll.

 (The behind the scenes look at the making of the disco ball.)

JANE

Sophie wasn't the only one enjoying an artsy-craftsy month.  But then again, EVERY month is an artsy-craftsy month for Jane.  Hahahaha.  She also had a fabulous time painting wooden peg dolls and  used up more than her fair share of art paper.  Her other fun project of the month was dressing up as Amelia Earhart for a biography report/presentation at school.  When Jane came to me the afternoon before it was due and began insisting that we needed to go to the store to BUY a costume, I was like I don't think so.  Haha.  I had her do a quick Google image search of DIY Amelia Earhart kids' costumes and after looking over the ideas decided that all we needed was: goggles, a hat, scarf, boots, and jacket.  It didn't really matter so much if none of these items resembled the ones that Amelia wore.  She was skeptical that we'd be able to find all of the necessary accessories, but I blew her mind and found the perfect thing for each category.  I think she was quite pleased with the final result.  ;)

 "Amelia Earhart" featuring: Scott's safety goggles, my scarf, a random knit hat from our winter gear, Sophie's vegan leather jacket, and Sophie's boots.  Voila!

Jane's favorite fact she learned while doing her research was that Amelia married her book publisher -- "Who DOES that???" she exclaimed.

(I forgot that Jane made this special little Valentine surprise for me at the beginning of the month.)

ALEX

Alex had the privilege of being "Camper of the Week" in his 2nd grade class this month.  The most distinguishing thing about this prestigious week was that he forgot to turn in his all-about-me sheet until Wednesday or Thursday, and he missed school on the Friday because he was running a fever that morning and had a cough.  It was all good, though, because when he returned to school this Monday, he was presented with a booklet that had a letter from everyone in his class.  I think it's safe to say that we ALL found the letters entertaining.  One in particular has become a running joke around the house -- "Your eyes flow like a river and you're as nice as a sunflower."  Hahahahaha.  Words can't even describe how much I love that letter.

Dear Alex, Your eyes flow like a river and your as nice as a sunflower and your my freind...

ISAAC

Isaac also got in on the wooden peg doll painting and discovered a latent love for art.  I was surprised at how long he stayed focused and attentive while painting each of his little people a solid color.  Granted he went a little overboard on the amount of paint he used, but he's 3 -- so that's to be expected, right??  Haha.  I'm not sure that there's too much else to report on our little Dumplin', but I have discovered in the last several weeks that he's uncannily good at directions while we're driving around town.  Or at least he's paid attention enough to the places we drive to on a daily basis that he knows each place we need to turn.  It wasn't until the invention of the GPS that I was able to perform such tasks as that.  Hahahaha.

 This kid falls asleep in the oddest positions.

 His newest obsession this month was our Scripture Time song, "I Know Heavenly Father Love Me." It's his new go to request whenever he asks me to sing him a song.

 Isaac's "people."

And my Peg person rendition of Isaac.

MAXWELL

My cute little pup pup is growing so much!  It seems as though he's gone through a growth spurt in the last couple of weeks, because all of a sudden he looks so much bigger.  We've been working on commands with him so that he'll be able to "graduate" from his puppy training class next week, and I think he'll be able to get his certificate!  As a special treat this week, I made some little doggie biscuits that I found on Pinterest for a training reward.  He really loves them and I love that they're a lot cheaper to make than the ones at the store.

 We took him to run around at a dog park a few weeks ago and he LOVED it.

(Ethan snapping a selfie with Maxwell to text Grace and tell her that her dog likes him better than her.  Hahaha.  Not true -- for the record.)

How cute is this photo I snagged from his little doggie daycare facebook page??

ME & SCOTT

I'm just gonna go ahead and lump the two of us together for this post because the most exciting happening of the month involved me being Scott's plus one at a masquerade ball fundraiser thing that he had to go to for work on Saturday night.  As kooky as it sounds, it was actually quite fun!  I enjoyed dressing up and wearing a mask far more than I expected I would.  Haha.  Scott was slightly less enthused about the mask part, but he was a good sport and kept his on for the first several minutes at least.  (And everyone had taken them off by the time we sat down to eat.)  The only real downfall of the night was that I discovered I do not really enjoy Greek food.  Or at least not that Greek food.

The only other notable thing for the month is my 39th birthday on the horizon for next Thursday.  And then the 40 Before 40 will begin in earnest!  Hahahaha.

Until next time...tootles!

I Love You Because

This year's 5 Days of Valentine was more tedious than fun -- if we're being honest about it.  Womp Womp.  I think it was mostly due to the fact that all 5 days consisted of Alex whining/crying/complaining/demanding that I had to buy him some certain kind of Pokemon cards for the occasion, and that got old real quickly.  I think he has misconstrued our extension of the Love holiday as some sort of Christmas, Jr.  Which it is NOT.  Nor has it ever been.  So, I'm not really sure where all his expectations were coming from.

(Day 4's offering was a bunting of hearts with an "I love you because..." for every member of the family.)

Other than that, though, the holiday passed by as it usually does, with conversation hearts, token "gifts" and treats, and -- of course -- the making of actual Valentines and boxes to hold them in.  The older three have all phased out of this rite of passage now that they're in the upper grades, but Jane, Alex, and Isaac are still fully in the fray.

(BE MINE)

Watching the process of creation for all of their valentine-y goodness was one of the more entertaining parts of the month.  Each one was so perfectly THEM that it made me laugh out loud.  Jane took the longest -- because my little artsy-craftsy moonbeam had a specific vision in mind; Alex was finished the quickest -- because he mostly really doesn't care about making stuff like this; and Isaac was hilariously attentive to details as he fashioned his little box out from an empty sandwich bag box along with construction paper and hearts.

(He insisted on writing his name on the INSDE of the box.  Hahaha.)

As for the valentines themselves, they each went a different route and I loved the final products!  Initially they were all going to use an idea from a few years ago, by making heart-shaped crayons from broken crayon pieces in a silicone mold.  In the end, I convinced Jane to use some smaller flower shaped molds instead (they required FAR fewer crayon bits than the hearts), and Alex totally came up with his own idea that he executed on his own and finished in a matter of minutes.  Isaac was the only one who used the hearts, and since he doesn't have nearly as many kids in his preschool class as the other two, we had just enough crayon pieces left to finish his batch.

 (I haphazardly created this little graphic and pun myself!  It was the only thing that sold Jane on the idea of using the flowers instead of the hearts.  Hahahaha.)

 I literally LOL'ed when I saw Alex's valentines and heard his under-the-breath comment right afterwards.  He used some of the dozens and dozens of Pokemon cards that he already has and turned them into "Valentines" by adding everyone's name from his class.  When I complimented him that it was really nice of him to give away his cards, he as quick to say that he was fine with it, followed by the aforementioned follow-up of "I gave them all weak cards."  Hahahahahahahaha.  Oh Alex.

Lest you think the older three missed out on Valentine's Day this year, have no fear!  They each had their own special experiences this season, too.  Ethan was given a "candy gram" type secret admirer gift at school -- I didn't take a picture of it, but it consisted of a can of Strawberry Crush soda with some kind of punny note attached to it with curly ribbon -- and I think he was equal parts baffled by it and flattered.  Hahahahahaha.  Grace was in charge of the decorations for the Young Women Valentine Party for mutual, and let's just say she went ALL out.  She spent HOURS working on stuff up in her room every night for a couple of weeks before the big day and she also required an hour and a half before the party started that night to set everything up with Sophie, Gianna, and their friend Katie.  I'm pretty sure it made quite the impact.  :) And FINALLY (I've saved the best for last), Sophie had her own not-so-secret-admirer experience on Valentine's Day as the deacon in question colluded with Grace to get all the goods delivered.  I think everyone in the family enjoyed the spectacle.  Hahahaha.  :)

 These hand-cut hearts were hot-glued to fishing line to make a "curtain" for the entryway to the room.

 Balloons, streamers, photo backdrops -- she went with the works!

 (Scott's texted commentary while the decorating was going on was pure comic gold.  Overheard from GRACE: "I'm going to be an amazing Young Women's leader when I'm older.  I already kind of am." Hahahahaha.)

 (Gianna, Grace, and Katie)

"Because I like you I try too hard,

that's why I write in this card

To explain my feelings it's kinda hard,

that's why I write it in a card."

And that is about that, folks!  Another 5 Days of Valentine in the books.  Maybe next year's festivities will be more inspiring...  ;)

 I did cave and get them all a present for Valentine's Day itself.  And even though Alex was initially dismayed (UNDERSTATEMENT alert) that I didn't get the Pokemon cards he wanted, once I sat down with him to work on the Pikachu block building set that I got him instead, he was able to dry his tears and enjoy his day.