Emily knows all the state capitals. I didn't teach her. She taught herself with a puzzle of the United States that she would look at in bed at night. She's a unique one, my Emily. She is also very intrigued by the presidents. It's fun to see where their interests lie.

Tara loves fashion and computer games. She has her father's capability of sitting a long time at the computer playing and learning games. Puzzles are also very easy for her. When we go to the library, she always makes a beeline for the puzzles, of which she's done every one. We can't keep them organized at home, though. :) Her newest challenge is tieing her shoes. We can't seem to get the loop thing down. It's a requirement of her kindergarten that she learns this. I remember Em struggling with her laces, too and then one day just getting it right in front of me.

• OOOOH I'm so excited! I went on a Kent career site and looked up teaching positions. Almost ALL of the schools had position openings for an Intervention Specialist- my major. Doing the happy dance!!!!

On a side note: What is your least favorite chore? I hate to mop. Well, hate is a strong word. Yeah, hate about sums it up.

God kisses

Today was a lovely day. I want to remember it so I will write about it before I forget.
It's late now and everyone is in bed but me.
We started the day getting ready to take the girls to a birthday party. Tara was in the bath. She was pointing to her freckles and beauty marks all over herself and happily saying ," Look Mommy, another God kiss!!!" God must really love me!" Awwww the simple joy and belief of a small child. I have taught the girls from an early age that these marks are made from God kissing you in your sleep because He loves you so much. These freckles took on new meaning to her. They were directly from God. Now she happily looks around her body for more. She asked me if God loved me more. Oh no, I say. God loves us all equal. Then why do you have more God kisses than I ?
She thought she had me with that one." Well, my dear I am much older than you and He started kissing me earlier. You'll catch up."

The girls allowed me to do their hair, not always an easy task.
The girls were excited about the PUMP it UP party they were going to.
We went to Hartville for this and dropped them off and kissed their little heads good bye as we practically took out other party goers trying to get out to our TWO HOUR FREEDOM TIME. Anyone who is a parent understands the beauty in those four little words. We could go anywhere (within a few miles of the place granted) and do anything!
We went shopping at Goodwill, which is my personal happy place and I am embarrassed to admit it but there it is.
Then my sainted hubby took me to a craft store, where I got a very nice hand made wreathe from beads for 10 cents, I kid you not.
Then this jewel of a husband bought me a burger and opened my car and talked about weird surreal things just cause he loves me.
To maximize our time we moved quickly. We went to the Hartville Market and got fruit. We went to a second hand store and got some clothes. Really pretty ones with the original tags still on them.

We picked up the bouncy, sugar ladened, kiddos and proceeded home where I cut up no less than 8 flats of stawberries for my berry crazed family.

Then it was time to go to church. Church was about prayer. This is a subject with which I need serious help and education . Jay rubbed my back during the service.

On the way home we talked about what they learned in their class. Tara learned about the prodigal son but started the conversation saying , "It (class) was about pig food. This guy has to eat pig food cause he was bad and his dad said it's ok and no pig food would he owe."

Emily discussed Jacob and Esau like it was a story that happened today. The simple but right way she told what she had learned was hysterical and sweet.

We came home to dinner and stories (The Magic School Bus with Bees) and bedtime stuff...

Jay and I attempted to watch a creepy French film. So intriquing at the beginning, so so bad at the end. Jay fell asleep during it.

So here I type about my family life, which is is fun and unpredictable and sometimes holds precious moments along with being a very hard job much of the time.

Oh, I left off the moment when Jay and the girls and Millie were dancing in the kitchen to 80's music. I should have photographed it but then Jay would have had to kill me. :)

JayTime I

Pardon the fluky moment, but this is Jay typing. Joann encouraged me to! That's nice, because I don't have the patience or initiative to make my own blog. So now I can just take the wheel at random from Jo and make my voice known. Bow down to me, internets! All your screens are belong to us! ;)

I am on a continuing journey of spiritual honesty. That means if I don't understand something about God, I no longer artificially disguise it with pious words or churchy quotables. Most of you are forthright that way already, but for me it is a big step forward away from the days I was involved in campus ministry. Not to knock campus ministry, but it often can find itself in the mire of a pseudo-faith where each person in attendance is trying to win the most-spiritual-sounding award with how he conducts himself. Anger and other human emotions are not openly dealt with - they are swept under a rug of contrived holiness.

This doesn't mean I am some kind of seething nihilist, trying to tear down all that is good and right. But I am looking to be more real, wherever that needs to be done. More later, perhaps!

Random thoughts

Ashely Judd says this :

"What other people think of me is none of my business."

I so love this quote. I read her sister's book, so I have a bit of an idea of where Ashley is coming from. I so want to live my life under this premise. That would free up a lot of negative self talk and worry, I imagine.
What do you think of that? ... Oh I think I am missing my own point. I mean it's none of my business what you think of these ideas - that is unless you want to share those ideas. :) But seriously, I have been stopping myself in mid-thought at times and reciting this quote and you know what!!!? It doesn't work. hee hee. No, it does kind of take the edge off of worrying incessantly what people think about this and that.

On another note, the shows Wife Swap and Trading Spouses are fascinating to me. I love these shows. But I have a problem with the formulaic way they're produced. The idea is to pick two very fringe and opposite families and have the wife go and change places with the other wife. Then they do some formulaic stuff. But it is so interesting when they get halfway through the show, they have the guest wife change the way the house runs to her tastes. The families always balk at this and someone is usually screaming or crying by minutes end. Why???? They know they only have to do this new change for a week. WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL??????? Maybe it is the adrenaline of being on the show or feeling that their lifestyle is being attacked, but these people get nuts about the rule changes. Then everyone is happy at the end. Fascinating stuff. I just like to peek into their lives, however staged for an hour.

A very good day!

Jay did very well on a specialized accounting test and multiple interviews. He has been in an interview so many times in the last couple of days! Things are progressing and we should know more in a couple of weeks about several job possibilities. I'm so proud of his hard work.

I met with an advisor today. I have been accepted as a Masters student!!!! Now on to class schedules and financial aid. But this advisor said I could waive a practicum ( student teaching for special education ) because I taught already. I just need a letter from my past employer.... you know how it goes. If I cram in every possible class starting in May and going all three summer sessions, fall and spring, then I will graduate in a year! I am so happy about that. This advisor will also be my professor for many classes. She said she is tough but I know I can do it. A couple of the Summer I courses are online, which is great for me as that will mean little to no childcare costs.

It was an overall great and encouraging day. Thank you God.

Happy Birthday Eric

We all had a great time yesterday celebrating Eric's birthday- who is still so young we worried he might burn himself on the birthday candles. :)

One thing that was so sweet was how all the kids wrapped themselves around Eric as he opened his presents. Kids know who will be nice to them and who is a kind person. Kids know.

Emily and Tara had a great time dressing up as the military and the like. They also enjoyed the video gaming about a tenth as much as we adults!

Those video games can be so much fun. If we had those games here I think I might be a video junkie. I just don't have the strength to limit myself! ha ha.

Jenny and Eric, you are great hosts and I can't wait to play Talisman over here soon. Tara and Anthony need to come over too. You guys are great to talk to and play WII with!

Thanks for the pictures Kirk. I would show more but I want to respect people who don't want to be on the internet.

Jay's shoes

Ok so I am not a very observant person sometimes or worried about fashion but even I have to draw the line somewhere.

Jay and I went to Kent State today. He and I both had separate business to do there. We walked into a building together so I could turn in some paperwork. We both were joking around, which we do all the time. We saw the person we needed and Jay seemed really ready to leave. I looked at him puzzled. He pointed to his shoes, which until now I hadn't noticed.

Let me describe these shoes. I can't even do them justice. They are worse than your nastiest, old grimy slippers you wear only at home. He calls them his, "walking Millie shoes" . Now about a month ago our dog Millie got these shoes and ripped a gaping hole in the side. The shoes were gnarled beyond belief. They were already old and nasty, which is probably why Millie went after them with such tenacity. They are covered in mud and strangely one shoe is a slightly different color than the other one.

I burst into laughter when I finally notice his shoes, if you can even call them shoes. The person taking my paperwork was right across the hall and probably thought we were crazy. Jay said, "I look like I just crawled out of the woods. I might as well have smeared bear-poop on my face." This made me laugh even harder.

Jay has a test and job interview at Kent on Monday. I suggested he wear these "shoes" on Monday. Actually, when he goes to sleep tonight, his shoes might need to have a little accident and end up in the trash...It's for his own good. He will thank me someday.