Life At The Circus

Looking at this picture one would assume I was preparing to dive into the swimming pool. Don’t be fooled. Despite being on the swim team for 5 summers and having literally every adult I knew work with me one on one, I never learned to dive. This is me looking the part before I belly flopped into the swimming pool.

Starting in about 3rd grade and going through the end of middle school, I spent every summer on the swim team. I actually enjoyed it even though I was not very good. I could swim all of the strokes and I loved practice because you really only had to get in the pool once, then you just swam lap after lap. Swimming laps I could handle. Diving and doing the flip turns was another story. My flip turns were more like flip half turns. I really liked the back stroke because I could start in the water. My first year I was great at back stroke because you only had to do one lap of the pool. I never really excelled in swimming because despite how fast I could go down the lane, the late start from the dive-flop and the delay from the half-flippy-turn around slowed me down. Sometimes I got to go to the Divisional Championships. This wasn’t because I was “SO GOOD” but more because their were few enough swimmers in the category that I “qualified.” I distinctly remember looking up my standing at the Divisional Swim Meet and seeing they ranked me 18 of 18 going into the meet. All I had to do was show up and I could attain the goal set for me by my coach, if I beat ANYone then I exceeded expectations. Nice to have no pressure!! (I never exceeded these expectations)

I can remember every coach I had pulling me aside to work on diving, life guards during free swim, my mom, my parents friends, LITERALLY every grown up I knew that knew how to swim spent time working with me on diving. Eventually I learned a sort of dive flop… not a full out belly flop, but still not a complete dive.

I am thankful I did learn to swim and I do enjoy swimming. To this day I prefer to just get in and do laps and I stay away from the diving board. I would be happy to teach my kids to swim, but they’ll have to learn to dive from their father.

Visit We are THAT Family for more pictures and anecdotes from the past that will never make it into a scrapbook. Embarrassing moments are worthless if we can’t laugh about them later! I would know, it was just yesterday I posted a more recent bit of self deprecating humor. Check it out here.

Last weekend my husband picked my daughter up and noticed she was incredibly wet. He commented that someone must have put her diaper on wrong (Since I was the grownup home at last diaper change, the blame obviously fell to me). I muttered something about those stupid diapers not absorbing properly.

Check out her look of disappointment. (MOM, you let me down)!

My husband called me in to check out what went wrong with the diaper…

It was then that I remembered the two older kids fighting and one screaming bloody murder while I was changing the diaper. I grabbed the baby and ran to check on the situation. Guess I neglected to finish… the odd thing is I did go back and button all 12 buttons on her pants, never noticing the fact that the diaper wasn’t on.

So, this one wasn’t exactly Wordless but it does verify that, generally speaking, diapers Work for Me. Not that it was intentional but if you were contemplating potty training at 9 months - that didn’t work work for me. Truth is my 27 month old daughter is old enough to potty train but we are being lax because its just easier that way. Slapping a diaper on gives you timing flexibility (just remember to slap the diaper on).

Yesterday I posted about how similar our life is to the real circus we visited last week. I would now like to point out two unfortunate differences.

At the circus they have these men dressed in all black that come into the ring between acts and clean up. They remove equipment, clean up poop, and set up for the next act. I need these men at my house. Imagine if after the meal (act 1) these men just instantly appeared and quietly, miraculously, cleaned up the mess when we move on to playtime (act 2). Then, when suddenly it is time for act 3 (get out the door to go to wherever we’re going) these men appear again to clean up the mess we left in our wake (ie, the pjs, toys, oh and don’t forget the poop)!! I want that.

The other unfortunate difference has to do with safety. I pointed out yesterday that we have acrobats and tumblers at our house, just like at the circus. Their performers enjoyed a network of safety nets (assembled by the men in black) which insure their shenanigans are performed safely. We lack the safety net. If only our house was draped with nets so that when the kids lunged off of the couch, I’d know they wouldn’t bump their head on the coffee table. I’d breath a lot easier at the park if I could just tie a safety line to my daughter when she went on the playground equipment. Then I’d know she was safe if she decided to just walk off of one of those random openings at the very top of the playground.

I guess our life is not exactly like the circus after all. My son pointed out another difference when we were watching one of the trapeze artists hang from a bar from her legs while juggling. He leaned over and said to me, “Mom you couldn’t do that!” He is so right, I couldn’t even manage to climb up onto the trapeze. I still consider myself to be a juggler though!

Last week we took our kids to the circus. We couldn’t help but notice the many similarities between life at our house and life under the big top.

At the circus, they had people who could stand on their hands. We’ve got that.

There were wild animals which had been tamed. Yup, we’ve got that too.

There were also people hanging upside down from their legs. We’ve got that too.

And let’s not forget those darling clowns…

The circus was incredibly loud. We sat by the entrance where the performers came into the ring. Three motor cycles raced right beside us and into a cage where they raced around in circles. My husband and I were prepared for the kids to scream and cry at the loud noises… to startle… to react in some way.

Instead, here is a picture of our baby in her classic “putting herself to sleep pose” (sucking her left two fingers while stroking her right ear) while the action is taking place only feet in front of us. Hmm… do you think she’s accustomed to a little bit of noise at our house?

Guess that’s why we call it Life At The Circus!!

It’s Monday again and time to post this weeks meal plan. Be sure to click on the link above if you want to see what other people are serving their families this week. I have discovered many fun new recipes from participating in this carnival.

• Monday: Tonight is my last MOPS meeting of the year. Since I arrive early for set up, I skip dinner and eat at the meeting. Daddy will be serving fish to the kids tonight. (Perfect plan for me b/c I hate fish (the smell, sight, and taste) so I don’t have to cook it, eat it or clean up after it, BUT my hubby and the kids get to enjoy the healthy change of pace. I got frozen cod fillets for them. They liked them last week, so here it goes again!!
• Tuesday: I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand last week to make the Mexican Tortilla Soup, so I plan to get the necessary cans of Cream of Chicken Soup and serve it up tonight. The kids aren’t big soup fans, so I’ll just serve them the corn bread and save out the beans and a few pieces of chicken.
• Wednesday: My husband has a Wednesday Night Sailing Race again tonight, since it’s just the kids and I we’ll keep it simple… I’m thinking grilled cheese for dinner.
• Thursday: A nice, hearty lasagna sounds yummy for tonight.
• Friday: We’re heading out, so I’ll pack pepperoni bread for us to eat in the van on the road.

Two months ago, my mom came across some of my old school papers and she passed this one along to me. I wrote it in first grade. I have no recollection of writing this, but I have to think that God smiled as I wrote it, thinking, “You have no idea Crystal that your dream will come true exactly as you wish for.” Today I thank God for allowing me to be the mom to 3 wonderful children, one son and two daughters.

Is that cool or what? I really am living my dream!

Since Mother’s Day is this weekend, I thought I’d make my thoughtful post about my mother. Growing up my mom was my best friend. She was approachable and always willing to listen. I could ask her about anything and she never made me feel awkward or silly. Mom knew how to make things special. She decorated the house for the seasons and holidays and made our birthdays into something we looked forward to all year. I try to do the same at my home with my family. She is an excellent cook and would make many things from scratch. Some of my favorites are her potato salad, zucchini bread, nut rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy (I still haven’t learned how to make gravy), apple pie, and her strawberry jam. I loved helping her in the kitchen. Every year when I bake Christmas cookies I think of her. I remember we’d spend the whole day baking cookies, all kinds of cookies, and listening to Christmas carols.

Mom is a talented seamstress. She made all of my costumes for school plays and assignments as well as my prom dresses, a memory quilt, and most specially my wedding dress. I know I put a lot of pressure on her when I asked her to do that. They always turned out even better than I hoped for and meant all the more to me because they were, “made with love by Mother.” I have fond memories of mother/daughter shopping trips trying on dresses and then searching for the right pattern (often she had to combine more than one pattern into one dress) and the perfect material.

Mom loves my Dad. They’ve been married for 30 years. I always admired the priority they placed on their marriage. While they loved my brother and I deeply, they made sure to make time for the two of them a priority. One thing mom taught me before I got married that I really took to heart was the importance of not tearing down ones husband. She’d tell me how woman tend to put down their husbands both behind their backs and to their faces and how destructive that was. Mom made it point to never put down my Dad to her kids, her friends, or her coworkers. I have applied this wisdom in my own life.

My mom worked as a pediatric nurse growing up. This had its advantages (because she always knew how to take care of us when we hurt or sick) and also its disadvantages. Since she was used to seeing kids that were REALLY sick, there was no staying home from school for simply a cold. Now that I am a mother I appreciate having nurse Grandma only a phone call away when I need to ask her a medical question about the kids. As a stay at home mom, I am truly amazed at how my mom managed to juggle all of her roles. She worked odd shifts (sometimes nights, sometimes evenings) and long hours but yet she always made time to be there ANYTIME we needed her. I never felt like she was too tired or too busy. I just remember her always being there. Looking back on it now, I realize how much she sacrificed of herself. She always put us first. I think I am tired at the end of the day, but my mom must have been even more tired. I have so much respect and admiration for her.

I was blessed to be raised in a Christian home by parents who loved the Lord and had a personal relationship with Jesus. I don’t remember the exact moment when I became a Christian. I do remember going through a stage of doubt and worry when I was in third grade. I carried around weird guilt and fear and I remember talking to my mom about it and her telling me about the peace of Christ and comforting me with the truths of Scripture. When I was in Middle School my mom and I did a mother/daughter Bible study at home. This was huge for me. My mom modeled to me her true reliance on the Lord and I learned that she wasn’t perfect. It always further opened the bonds of communication between the two of us. In High School she lead a girls Bible study at my church for my friends and I. She was an excellent teacher and listener. In college we started a tradition of attending a spiritual retreat together. We’ve been to Women of Faith Conferences, Beth Moore Conference, and church retreats. It has been a special time of growth in both of our walks.

Happy Mothers Day Mom! I hope you know how very much I love you and how thankful I am that the Lord made you my mom!

Week End Thoughts:
My posts typically relate funny anecdotes about the happenings of a stay at home wife and mom with three kids. While my days are seldom “normal” enough to leave me without a “post worthy” moment (i.e. read here), I intend to take some time on the weekend to highlight something from my week that’s a little more “thoughtful” and significant. If you had a post from this week that was reflective in nature, please feel free to add a link in the comments section. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

My kids and I have truly enjoyed our local library. We go to to story time, baby story time, special events, and we go just to check out books. The kids LOVE it! It’s a happy place, a fun place, a place where a kid can be a kid… until today.

I took the kids to the library earlier this week to pick out books. I know my kids can be loud. Sometimes my sons talks at a volume level that is literally shouting. My baby has a cry so shrill sometimes I look for shattered glass… but I promise, this time we weren’t being that loud… really. I was sitting on the floor with the baby while my older two were picking books off the shelf. The library was pretty empty. I think mine were the only kids there. It was a beautiful sunny morning. Only 2 or 3 adults were there perusing the shelves. We weren’t whispering. I didn’t think it was necessary b/c we weren’t that loud and I didn’t see anyone we were interrupting. A librarian was in the aisle behind ours. She came around. At first she seemed nice… asking if we needed any help, commenting on their negotiation attempts (I said they could get one book each, they pleaded for two). I was polite. Then she said in this annoyingly nice and patronizing tone, “You know they are the right age to teach them to use inside voices.” (UGH! As I type this I am still filled with annoyance. I don’t know why… perhaps it was the way she said it… if she had just said, “Could you have them be quieter,” I wouldn’t have had a problem). I responded with a “OK sorry about that.” And then she said, “We have tissues at the counter.” (The baby had a slight runny nose, it wasn’t running all over the place, I promise)! Again, it was the patronizing voice that was so utterly annoying.

While the kids didn’t seem to notice a problem, the library had been ruined for me. I used to feel comfortable here. It was a fun, easy, place where I could take the kids, plop on the floor read a book or two and we all left happy. I didn’t let the kids run helter skelter throughout the building tossing books onto the floor. But I didn’t shush them when they excitedly called out, “Hey Mom, can we get this book?” Now it will be one of those places were I feel like we have to be on our BEST behavior… noses wiped, shoes on, voices whispering…

Week End Thoughts…

I decided to move my Thoughtful Thursday since I am participating in We Are THAT Family’s Sincerely Fro’ Me to You carnival on Thursdays. Since “Thoughtful Thursday” is something I made up, it seems trivial to move the day… same theme, only we’ll call it Week End Thoughts…

Week End Thoughts:
My posts typically relate funny anecdotes about the happenings of a stay at home wife and mom with three kids. While my days are seldom “normal” enough to leave me without a “post worthy” moment (i.e. read here), I intend to take some time on Fridays to highlight something from my week that’s a little more “thoughtful” and significant. If you had a post from this week that was reflective in nature, please feel free to add a link in the comments section. I’d love to hear what others are learning.

As I mentioned last Thursday, I attended a small Christian High School with only 44 students in my graduating class. The school was small enough that you could play a Varsity sport without actually being good at the sport (granted I sat the bench, but still I earned a letter warming that bench) and the majority of the school was in the marching band. Seriously, you were cool if you were in the marching band. I know what you’re thinking… I was not a band geek and I am not in denial… believe me the cool place to be on a Saturday night was at a band competition (We didn’t have a football team so we played in band competitions each Sat from the end of Sept until early Nov). That’s me with my Flugal horn (it was like a marching French Horn) to the left of the girl in all white (our drum major). Come on, just look at that hat, can’t you tell we were all the rage? When I tell people today about my days in the marching band, no one believes me. At their school it was the athletes and the cheerleaders. I guess the difference at my school was that we were so small the athletes and cheerleaders could still be in the band…Hmmm since I wasn’t an athlete or a cheerleader does that mean I really was just a band geek?

For more moments head over to We Are THAT Family with the Sincerely ‘Fro Me To You Carnival.