I love Laurie Berkner. She's spunky and wacky and she sings catchy kids' tunes. Plus, she has amazing red curly hair AND plays the guitar. What's not to love? Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite LB songs:
I'm not perfect
No I'm not
I'm not perfect
But I've got what I've got.
I do my very best,
I do my very best
I do my very best each day
But I'm not
perfect
and I hope you like me
that way
What a great little song. I'd encourage you to look it up and listen to it online if you don't know it already. Or call me (really!) and I'll sing it to you. :)
Last night I was reminded that I don't have to be perfect to have a perfectly good time. I invited 5 people to join me at our home for an informal meeting to discuss the concept of 'community'. Here's what the day looked like:
SCURRY and try to clean EVERYTHING, and make the boys work in the yard (even in the rain) and and get groceries and make my famous dark chocolate torte.
The downside is that:
1) water from the waterbath slopped into the torte .. guess what .. from that moment on, I knew it would not be PERFECT
2) there is no way to make my house look like 3 kids, 3 dogs and a cat live here .. there was dog hair, clothes on the floor, dirty dishes here and there ... the more i cleaned, the more messes I found.
3) I didn't have serving plates. Or enough coffee cups. (Thank GOD the forks were all clean!)
4) I ran out of toilet bowl cleaner. seriously.
5) Most of these people had never been to my house before. I wanted it to be 'just right' ... I wanted them to be comfortable ...
6) I battle with several forms of social anxiety. I was worried that it would attack me ...
7) When it was time for everyone to arrive, I realized that there was a pile of dirty dishes in the sink!
Guess what happened NEXT: My children worked so hard all day .. cheerfully (94% of the time) and helped me get SO MUCH done. My mother loaned me 8 gorgeous china dessert plates. The house was tidy ... the porch was swept, the weather wonderful, the coffee amazing (thanks to Troy for that!). Everyone arrived on time, cheerful and eager to try 'the torte'. . which was, I must say, delicious. We had a productive, civilized, amazing conversation. My husband was so impressive ... he had so many great ideas and good points to contribute .. I was really proud of him!
Items 1-7 on the list were completely irrelevant to the whole point of the gathering as soon as the first guest arrived. Everyone had a great time. And the house was NOT perfect, but that... my friends ... was PERFECTLY FINE.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
I'm making a 'hug' to give away to someone I don't know.
When I was a little girl, my granny taught me how to crochet. It's something I've enjoyed doing ever since, but it hasn't been very high on the priority list for years. Every time I pick up a hook or look at the new amazing yarns available now, I think of summers at Granny's house and it makes me feel as warm and cozy inside as if I were wrapped up in one of her afghans.
I've been visiting a wonderful little church for a while now, and I had heard that they have a 'crochet class' that meets on Monday mornings. I went for the first time last week, and had a great time. I was greeted by a lovely bunch of women, I was given my very own 'crochet tote' with scissors, several patterns, a hook, and a HUGE skein of yarn. I heard a little bit about the prayer shawl ministry that they have been involved in for the past 4 years, and I was so excited to be included in that!
These ladies have made OODLES of prayer shawls. Mary Anne would know exactly how many, I should ask her. Anyway, they make them and donate them to people who are having surgery, or dealing with cancer, or several other situations when a 'hug' would comfort them. There are special tags that go onto each one when it is finished, and then they are put on the alter at church. Every month the pastor, the 'crochet gals', and the congregation pray ... not only for the people who will receive these shawls, but for people who have in the past, for the ministry and for the ladies who make them.
This is a picture of my first one. Obviously, I have a lot to go yet. My goal is to finish one per month .. though I think that some of those ladies in the group can whip them up in about a day. Every time I pick it up to work on it, I clear my mind of anything unpleasant. I relax. I take a deep breath. And then I start crocheting. I don't know where this shawl will end up, who will get it, or why they will be in a position to need it, but it is MY prayer that it will let someone out there know that a woman who doesn't even know them cares.
If anyone would like to join me, let me know.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thank You, Thank you, Thank You
Challenge: Thank people SINCERELY & QUICKLY when they do something for my family, my friends, or my community
Obstacle: I never have any stationary, or a stamp, or I get distracted and forget until it seems too late to respond. Plus, I always think that things have to be "perfect", and that gets in the way of my actually SENDING a note of thanks. (The pic has to be great, the words 'just right', it's more proof that I'm a little crazy .. but I'm ok with that)
Picture this: Often, people amaze me with their generosity, kindness, or flexibility. Here are three ways that I can be PREPARED to show my appreciation right away.
Thank You #1: "The baggie" I have a ziploc baggie in my car. There is a pen, a couple of thank you notes, and 3 or 4 stamps in there. If I am away from home, I have everything I need to jot down a quick note of thanks and pop it in the nearest mailbox. If I'm inspired to thank someone while I'm away from home, I can do it quickly ... and I ALWAYS drive by a mailbox when I get home, so there is no excuse to 'lose it' in my pile of desk papers! In my honest opinion, a handwritten note is much more fun to receive in the mailbox than an email! It doesn't have to be long, eloquent, or fancy. The picture on the front of the card doesn't have to be 'perfect' for the occasion. The point is .... I just need to DO IT! "The baggie" helps me reach that goal.
Thank You #2: "Form letters" My kids hate to write thank you letters. It's like asking them to tear off a toenail every time i ask them to write thank you letters when a gift giving holiday comes around. Now, I realize that 2 of my kiddos have a genuine difficulty with it, but it's no excuse. What I needed was a SOLUTION ... to make it "Do-ABLE". Here's what I came up with. It's probably not in the "Emily Post Book of Manners", but it works in our family. I printed up some 'form letters' with blanks. They say something like "Dear _______, Thank you so much for ___________. I really appreciate it because _______________________________." Then I left a lot of room on the paper for them to draw a picture, or to attach a photo. I have a few printed out on regular printer paper, so they can fill them out and decorate them whenever they need to thank someone.
Thank You #3: "Dr Suess-ese" We're kind of silly around here. (go figure) So sometimes, we work together as a family to write a "Suess-ish poem of gratitude. Here is one of my favorites ... "Dear, Dear Fantastic Miss Sue, This poem was written for you, to say "Thanks a bunch" for that fabulous lunch and for all the nice things that you do." I jotted it down on a piece of construction paper and put it on her desk while she wasn't looking. It's FUN to try to come up with poems of thanks ... they make you giggle ... they make the recipient grin ... they are super fun to illustrate too!
Here are a few ideas that help me get those HANDWRITTEN notes of gratitude written and delivered. (Note: I tried to NOT use food as a 'thank you', since I have a child with food allergies, I'm kind of 'sensitive' about that. I didn't use treats either ... but we'll talk about that another time.) What are some things YOU do to let people know that you appreciate them?
Obstacle: I never have any stationary, or a stamp, or I get distracted and forget until it seems too late to respond. Plus, I always think that things have to be "perfect", and that gets in the way of my actually SENDING a note of thanks. (The pic has to be great, the words 'just right', it's more proof that I'm a little crazy .. but I'm ok with that)
Picture this: Often, people amaze me with their generosity, kindness, or flexibility. Here are three ways that I can be PREPARED to show my appreciation right away.
Thank You #1: "The baggie" I have a ziploc baggie in my car. There is a pen, a couple of thank you notes, and 3 or 4 stamps in there. If I am away from home, I have everything I need to jot down a quick note of thanks and pop it in the nearest mailbox. If I'm inspired to thank someone while I'm away from home, I can do it quickly ... and I ALWAYS drive by a mailbox when I get home, so there is no excuse to 'lose it' in my pile of desk papers! In my honest opinion, a handwritten note is much more fun to receive in the mailbox than an email! It doesn't have to be long, eloquent, or fancy. The picture on the front of the card doesn't have to be 'perfect' for the occasion. The point is .... I just need to DO IT! "The baggie" helps me reach that goal.
Thank You #2: "Form letters" My kids hate to write thank you letters. It's like asking them to tear off a toenail every time i ask them to write thank you letters when a gift giving holiday comes around. Now, I realize that 2 of my kiddos have a genuine difficulty with it, but it's no excuse. What I needed was a SOLUTION ... to make it "Do-ABLE". Here's what I came up with. It's probably not in the "Emily Post Book of Manners", but it works in our family. I printed up some 'form letters' with blanks. They say something like "Dear _______, Thank you so much for ___________. I really appreciate it because _______________________________." Then I left a lot of room on the paper for them to draw a picture, or to attach a photo. I have a few printed out on regular printer paper, so they can fill them out and decorate them whenever they need to thank someone.
Thank You #3: "Dr Suess-ese" We're kind of silly around here. (go figure) So sometimes, we work together as a family to write a "Suess-ish poem of gratitude. Here is one of my favorites ... "Dear, Dear Fantastic Miss Sue, This poem was written for you, to say "Thanks a bunch" for that fabulous lunch and for all the nice things that you do." I jotted it down on a piece of construction paper and put it on her desk while she wasn't looking. It's FUN to try to come up with poems of thanks ... they make you giggle ... they make the recipient grin ... they are super fun to illustrate too!
Here are a few ideas that help me get those HANDWRITTEN notes of gratitude written and delivered. (Note: I tried to NOT use food as a 'thank you', since I have a child with food allergies, I'm kind of 'sensitive' about that. I didn't use treats either ... but we'll talk about that another time.) What are some things YOU do to let people know that you appreciate them?
Fresh Starts
Objective: Spending Time Together, Taking the 'mundane' out of meal prep and presention
Challenge: I'm already busy with a long to-do list for the day, no time to cook, and my 6yo daughter needs breakfast
Solution: "Tea Party" and Time Together
Story: In our house, during summer vacation, everyone wakes up slowly. Sometimes the boys aren't even up until 10:00 (or later) and I'm fine with that. But that means that breakfasts aren't usually a big deal. Sometimes we'll have an egg and toast, but mostly we have leftovers, or a bowl of cereal and a piece of fruit. Today I thought I'd change that up a bit.
Picture this: It's Wednesday morning. I have a list of things to do as long as my arm, and I'm really wishing I could just give my 6 year old daughter a granola bar and keep working on the project I started at 5:30 AM. But that 'mom guilt' is tugging at my heartstrings. So here's what I came up with ...
I dug in the cupboard and found some whole wheat ritz crackers. I put a little dab of peanut butter on 6 of them, then sliced thin 'discs' of banana and 'stuck' them onto the peanut butter. I arranged them on a clear glass plate and added a quick shake from the 'cinnamon sugar' shaker. Next, I poured her chocolate almond milk into a 'fancy glass' with little pink flowers on it. For extra pizazz, I served this all on a flowered lap tray with an embroidered hanky.
Now, I realize that this isn't necessarily the most wholesome start to the day, but the look on her face when I 'served' her was priceless. Here's the best part .. I SAT DOWN with her while she ate. Now, that doesn't sound like a big deal to some folks, but in MY reality, it was a lovely start to the day.
Pic Comment: Mac (the cat) inspecting my work and keeping me company while I prepare C's breakfast.
Invitation
One of my favorite quotes is "If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it". I hope that this blog will serve as kindling for you (and for me) to do just that.
In this blog, I'm going to attempt to share a journal of SIMPLE things that can be done to show the people around us that they are SPECIAL, VALUABLE, LOVED, and APPRECIATED. These ideas come from my own experience as a mother, a friend, a daughter, a wife, a sister and a member of my community.
The title of the blog has a double meaning. It's a reminder that every day DOES matter ... for lots of reasons. That being said, the things in this blog will be 'everyday' activities and gestures. Hopefully, it will be full of ideas that don't take a lot of time, or money, or talent, but will absolutely nurture and inspire the people in your life.
cheers!
D
In this blog, I'm going to attempt to share a journal of SIMPLE things that can be done to show the people around us that they are SPECIAL, VALUABLE, LOVED, and APPRECIATED. These ideas come from my own experience as a mother, a friend, a daughter, a wife, a sister and a member of my community.
The title of the blog has a double meaning. It's a reminder that every day DOES matter ... for lots of reasons. That being said, the things in this blog will be 'everyday' activities and gestures. Hopefully, it will be full of ideas that don't take a lot of time, or money, or talent, but will absolutely nurture and inspire the people in your life.
cheers!
D
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