How A Boy Prepares to Read

When it's reading time, it's best to prepare yourself for the arduous task ahead of you.

You may start by practicing with the basics, such as map reading:

Or, perhaps work on drawing conclusions about text by referring to the pictures:

Maybe get the blood running by tying a rope around your legs and getting some exercises in?

(video for the full effect)

And once you're good and "pumped":

You focus in and read... for about 10 minutes... 

at which time you realize you need to get prepped again!

Wordless Wednesday: Annah in the car through the years

(Not in chronological order, however the first is the latest and the last is the earliest)

               

1-800-FOR-RENT

"Mom?  Can you text with this?", asked Jesse while in apparent deep thought. After trying to figure out why he would think that I said, "No."

"Well, why are there these letters on the numbers?"  I replied, now smiling, "Sometimes businesses will have a phone number such as 1-800-FOR-RENT.  So to dial it you have to push the different keys that have those letters on them."

He sat staring at it for a minute........ "Well, where is the shift button?"

It shocks and amazes me whenever there is this apparent gap in technological understanding.  Not because it is too advanced, rarely because of that.  Usually because it is obsolete.  I think we're going to watch The Brave Little Toaster today, in honor of obsolete technology.

(Tap, Tap) "Is this thing on?"

For two years I've thought about blogging again.  For two years it's seemed overwhelming and scary.  I feel like I've come through a sort of fire that was unseen by many.  Although God definitely was working in my life throughout this period, it was still a fire.  I'm not very good at keeping my "public life" and "personal life" separate, and so I struggled with wanting to blog but feeling I'd overexpose private issues and damage the good work being done by the fire.  I've also re-realized how much I allow self doubt to make me compare myself to others and so fail by not trying.

So, so far we have:
a) I want to blog
b) I'm ascared to blog
c) There was a fire
d) It was refining
e) I overexpose
f) I'm insecure.

As you can see, it's a fun time in my head.

I'm trying to identify the times I want to blog and, am seeing them directly correlating to pretty much every time I update my FB status.  (oversharing habit)  (but FB is even more public than this little blog, so it's easier to remember my boundaries)

I really think my kids are cute, and I think they say pretty cute things.  So, that is what I'm going to try and blog about.  The other stuff is too messy for now, although I do think that I ought to begin journaling so that there is some outlet for my overfilled brain.

So, consider this a warning.  :)  I'm going to attempt to put my FB posts into blog posts instead of inundating my larger viewer base with silly things my kids say and do.  If you want to see and hear about it, check back in.  If you don't, feel free to continue to check out and just pretend that I'm still on hiatus and nothing is going on.

My only regret in this new focus is how out of focus my phone pictures turn out.  Do I really want to lug my camera around to sneak pictures of my cutie patooties?  It's not as stealthy as my iPhone was.  Hmmm, a problem I'm sure I'll find a solution to.  ;)

It's nice to see you again, I hope you'll stick around.  Thank you for your patience as I try and figure out my boundaries, and life in general.

Summer

(A sample of their adorableness)