Toy Story 3 Review

Have you been to see the new Toy Story movie, yet? Are you planning to?

With free tickets and extra coupons in hand, we went to a matinee showing on Friday. We were really psyched. We've been anticipating this movie ever since the first trailer was released and the moment the release date was announced. June 18 was circled in red on our calendar.

Like many American families, Buzz Lightyear, Woody and the gang are almost family members. I recall seeing Toy Story 2 in the theater with my husband well before we had children of our own and sitting at dinner with my sister and her young daughter commenting about the Star Wars references. A few years later when we had our first child, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were some of the first videos added to our collection. 

When Joseph was young Buzz Lightyear was one of his favorites, before he could even say the name. And I admit to encouraging his interest. I much preferred Buzz Lightyear the clearly "good guy" as a super hero over the sinister Batman, Spiderman, and even Superman. At 3 and 4 years of age, I wanted to encourage doing the right thing for the right reasons. Buzz Lightyear and Woody were, usually, good examples for that goal.

Toy Story 3 continues that theme in many ways. It is certainly a family movie which most everyone in the family can enjoy. There is much playful imagination for the young ones and there are lines only adults will (or should) understand. The toys just want to be played with. Andy's going off to college and they're all in a dilemma of what to do. They want to bring comfort and joy to a child, they don't want to end up thrown out, unwanted in the trash heap. And that's a good goal for a toy.

There are wonderfully funny moments throughout the movie, some that even brought the crowd to cheering!
Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed it; laughing and, yes, even crying at several points. The kids loved it too. Cora, said it was a good movie and she loved the end the best. Joseph thoroughly enjoyed it and thought the best part was when Woody and Slinky are battling the monkeys. Hubby's favorite was the Monkey Bomb at the beginning. I loved the spunk and strength they wove into Barbie's character. She has far more depth in this movie than is typical for her.

Now for the practicalities ... If you haven't been to a movie in a while, be prepared for sticker shock. We went on Friday afternoon so that we could take advantage of matinee pricing. Even with two free tickets (up to $8.50), a discount on the second two tickets and matinee pricing - we still paid $25.00 for our 4 tickets. I wasn't thrilled. The extra cost was for the 3-D glasses. This was, in my opinion, a wasted expense. I would have enjoyed this movie just as much, maybe more, without the 3-D effects. My advice ... if you can find a showing without 3-D, take advantage of it.

Now if you haven't seen it, do not read any further ...

***** SPOILER ALERT!!  *****

Do

NOT 

read

further

if you do not want a hint at the ending.


If you're planning to take very young children, you may want to reconsider. The line between good and evil characters becomes a bit fiuzzy in this movie. Some of the new characters are not so clearly good. While I think that's a good lesson to discuss with my 8 and 6 year olds; it's not a lesson I wanted to teach at 3 or 4. At that age it was more important to clearly identify, this is good; that is bad.

Another thing that concerned me about this movie was the level of peril. Near the end, Buzz, Woody and the gang are in real danger of being destroyed in an incinerator. This moment brought 3 of 4 members of my family to tears, especially our young Buzz Lightyear fan. We really thought the toys were going to die. I remember thinking, "Oh my goodness! Surely, they're not going to have them die? What will I tell my son?" In the end, everyone comes out fine and the very end is absolutely delightful (I won't divulge the final plot twist.)  But, specifically because of that moment I almost think it deserved a PG rating instead of G.

Overall, I'd give it 4 ½ out of 5 stars.

If you've seen the movie, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.

13 Things I Learned in the Attic

As I mentioned earlier in the week, my siblings and I spent most of last week cleaning out the barn and attic at my father’s house. Along the way there are some things we have learned:

1. Everything collects dust after 30 or 40 years.
2. Do NOT toss things out of a 30 year old attic – see #1.
3. Cardboard boxes disintegrate after 30 or 40 years.
4. Plastic garbage bags disintegrate after 15-20 years.
5. If you place different parts of something in different places – label where the other parts are. (Yeah. There’s a story behind that one.)
6. If it was tied together when it went up there, it might not be together anymore -- see #2 and #3.
7. Label the stuff you put up there, for goodness sake! (If you are the only member of your family who knows why it went up there; don’t expect them to read your mind after you’re dead.)
8. Some things are trash. Do not put them in the attic.
9. The contents of any given box may not be the same as the graphics on the box indicate.
10. Wigs, hats and hairpieces that looked good 30 years ago, but that have been squashed under more boxes, don’t look good anymore.
11. Some stuffed animals will change color after 20 or 30 years.
12. It is not necessary to keep every piece of paper your children touched with a paintbrush.
13. Different people will always have different ideas of what is trash -- and what is not.

A Busy Week

My apologies for the sudden quietness over the last few weeks and especially last week. In the last seven days we have:

• picked up my brother at the airport (He lives in Oklahoma)
• spent 4 days cleaning out the barn, shed, attic and other miscellaneous nooks and crannies at my Dad’s house
• visited and caught up on life with my brother
• found out my son’s best friend is moving away
• baked cookies and taken stuff (from Dad’s) to a Yard Sale to raise funds for a Youth Mission Trip
• moved my brother’s portion and some of our portion of Dad’s furniture out of the house
• celebrated the 65th anniversary with our home church (an hour away) at a concert in which my husband both sang and played piano
• visited with many past friends – both my friends and friends of my parents at the above concert
• received news of the crumbling marriage of friends
• attended the ordination service of a good friend who’s going to challenge the church in many awesome ways.

There’s been a lot happening, but there’s not been much time available for cooking, couponing, deal hunting or blogging. There’s not been much time for thinking for that matter.

The last few days are ripe with blog fodder. I’m sure I’ll be sharing some of it in the next week or so. In the meantime, for today, I need to spend some time with God figuring out what He has to say about all this. And then I need to spend some time catching up on the other daily tasks of Casa Unfinished Mom.

I’ll be back when the unfinished to do list is a bit less unfinished – ‘cause you know it’s never going to be finished.

 

PS: Don’t forget to enjoy a Blizzard at Dairy Queen for $0.25 this week.

6 Year old Logic

Cora: “I’m making a tea party for Scruffy’s half-birthday”

Hubby: “Oh! Is today his half birthday?”

Cora: “Yes!”

Hubby: “Wait, I thought his birthday was on Easter?”

Cora: “I changed it!”

I guess if we can celebrate her birthday in June, then she can celebrate Scruffy’s birthday whenever she pleases!

Grief – It Comes Out of Nowhere

It comes out of nowhere. You’re going along with your normal every day tasks, and you come across something common. Usually something extremely common. It could be an email address. It could be an old photo or an old note long forgotten. Or maybe, as it was for a friend recently, a bottle of A1 Steak Sauce!

Whatever the trigger – suddenly you’re hit by a wave. A wave of thoughts. A wave of memories. A wave of sadness. Sometimes the wave contains just a hint of comfort, sometimes it contains enough comfort to make you smile.

I was hit by one of these waves a few days ago. It was an every day task – I was searching for an email address of a family member I hadn’t contacted in a while. While I was searching I saw my Dad’s name. There in my address book. One name among many.

And suddenly, before I could stop it, there was a flood of memories. Memories of Dad, well into his 60s struggling to learn to use a computer. And in his 70s learning to use email. The memory of the day he called my husband to ask the ultimate “newbie” question: “Is the enter key the same as the return key?”

And then it turned to comfort, even pride. Dad never stopped learning. Well, into his 60s and 70s he was still learning to do new things. He did learn to use email. He did learn to use his computer – at least well enough to send a Christmas letter each year. A number certainly wasn’t going to stop him. Even as I type this. I am flooded with memories of Dad reading incessantly. Reading to learn more. He never felt he’d mastered anything.

Always he was reading.

Always he was learning.

There is pain and there is comfort in those memories. Pain that he’s not here to talk to anymore. Pain that I can’t ask his perspective on issues I’m currently facing.

But, there is comfort too. Because in some ways I know what his answer would be. I’m pretty sure he’d have his own perspective and opinion. But, he would say “Read about it. Read what the Bible says. Read what biblical scholars say.” And of course, he’d also probably recommend a book or two.

And there is comfort in knowing that answer.

It comes out of nowhere – the pain and the comfort.

Photo Source: Vama Veche @ http://www.sxc.hu/photo/781937

Why You Should Keep Your Sippy Cups

Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile have to be wondering...

"Why does she still have sippy cups? Her youngest child is 6 years old. Why can't the kids drink from a real cup? How lame is that?"

As I sit here writing this post, my daughter is upstairs simultaneously sniffling and hacking and trying to sleep at the same time. Spring has sprung in Maryland and every year it brings with it the sniffles and stuffy noses of allergy season. I'm fairly confident, at some point tonight Cora will want to soothe her throat and calm her cough with a drink of water. However, this momma is never thrilled by the 1:00 AM cry, "Moooommmyy!?"

Enter the sippy cup.

I will fill a sippy cup with cold water, maybe add an ice cube. This can stay beside her bed where she can easily reach it and take a drink when needed. I don't have to worry about it spilling. I don't have to get up or even wake up in the middle of the night.

With the aid of the sippy cup my daughter can be self-sufficient in caring for her own need of a drink.

Keeping a few sippy cups around long after my children have learned to drink from a cup, definitely works for me!

Birthday Cake Roundup: Superman & Princess Barbie Cakes

Today, Fishmama is hosting her annual Birthday Cake Roundup.

In a typical year there is no way I'd be anywhere near this Roundup -- other than gawking at the amazing cakes people create and share. The typical birthday celebration at my house involves chocolate cupcakes, whatever color icing my kids want that year and some kind of small toy stuck on the top of the cupcakes as decoration: store-bought princesses for the girl, store-bought Superman logos for the boy. That's about as creative as I have gotten. After all, with one Halloween birthday and one Christmas birthday, there's a whole-whole-lot to do around here for birthdays.

Because of those weird holiday birthdays (especially the Christmas one), we celebrate Half-Birthdays around here.

We have a standard Half-Birthday Cake.

But this year brought a few surprises. While cleaning out my parent's house, we came across some of my mother's old cake decorating supplies. In particular a Superhero pan and a doll cake pan.

Ah. I thought. My kids would like those.

Maybe. Just maybe I can pull this off.

So I took the pans home and a few months later, tackled the first one:

Superman.

With a few tips and an icing recipe from my real life friend, Amy, along with the plastic face and "S" that came with the pan, Superman manged to look pretty much like himself.

With that success under my belt, and certainly not to be outdone by her older brother, my daughter requested "a chocolate doll cake with pink icing."

Princess Barbie

Barbie, however, was a bit more difficult than Superman. She involved engineering. I had to do a little research to figure out how to make her work. She is the major reason I was still awake at 2:30 Christmas morning.

Here are a few things I learned in making the Barbie Princess Doll cake.

1. Before baking, measure Barbie to see if the cake will be tall enough to come to her waist. If not, you can bake an extra round layer to place at the bottom of the cake.
2. Use a Barbie or similar doll. She looks much better than the typical "half-doll" that you can buy at Michael's.
3. When you cut the hole to fit Barbie into the cake, use a long-handled teaspoon to remove the cake from the hole (that was much easier quicker than the bagel tongs I'd been trying for 20 minutes!).
4. Wrap Barbie in saran wrap all the way to her bust so that she's easier to clean up.
5. Even 8-year old boys can be impressed by doll cakes.

What's been inspiring your birthday cakes this year?

Looking for more creative birthday cake inspiration? Be sure to visit Life as Mom.

Boy v Girl with a Bionicle box

Raising a boy and a girl brings out some interesting differences...

Boy with a Bionicle box:

open box, dump it all out and start building the Bionicle (without looking at the directions, of course).

Girl with a Bionicle box:

open box, take small stuffed animal, "Scruffy", put Scruffy inside of box. Scruffy now has a home.

2010 Goals

Tis the season to be... writing goals. I don't make resolutions. Resolutions to me imply that they must be met. I am the Unfinished Mom. There are many things in my life that are not finished. Instead I'm going to write down goals. Some of these are things I've been working on for a while. Some I've been thinking about how to tackle and others I've been hoping to figure out for a while. So for the year 2010, here are the Unfinisehd Mom's Goals:


Spiritual
Read the Bible cover to cover in 90 days
Read my Bible every day in 2010
After March (see above) read one book per month focused on Spiritual Growth

Family
Greet my children with a smile in the morning (I am soo not a morning person; this is a challenge)
Spend some fun time (>1 hour) with each child 1x each week
Finish cleaning out my father's house so that it can be sold


Home Management
Continue to create a Home Management Binder
Create a morning and evening routine that makes daily life easier
Develop weekly & monthly routines for chores: laundry, cleaning, food prep
Streamline food preparation so that it requires less daily work
Include each child in meal prep at least 1x per week.
Declutter - kitchen desk, computer desk, bedrooms

Kitchen/Cooking
Reorganize my kitchen to reduce counter clutter
Learn to make pie crust from scratch
Learn to make Cinnamon Rolls
Learn to cook a ham

Finances:
Enter income & expenses in Quicken at least weekly.
Spend no more than $100/week on groceries; Reduce this to $80/week by July
Spend 1 hour clipping/sorting/organziing coupons each week (I've recently fallen off the bandwagon).

Personal
Read a book for fun each month
Have guests (other than family) into our home 1x/month
Exercise in some way 20 minutes 3x/week
Get 8 hours of sleep a night.

Blog
Post an entry at least 5x/week
Increase Frugal Living posts to at least 1x weekly
Create a signature line
Create a cleaner blog template
Figure out how to start making a little money ($10/month ?) with the blog.

Attend a blog conference - thinking about Relevant

These are my goals for the year. Some of them I have ideas for how to make them happen, others (i.e., create cleaner blog template) I have no idea  how to begin. 

For those of you with kids: How do you include a 6 and 8 yr old in meal preparation?

For those with Blogger blogs: Any ideas on how to create a signature line and or clean up my template?

A Different Plan - Part 2 (A New Plan)

Remember when I said I had a plan?

We had all the details worked out. A schedule for everyone.

But, God had a different plan.

Christmas Eve I was finished. All my presents were wrapped. The pie I would take for dinner was baked and ready. Hubby had someone to fill in for him for Christmas Eve service (just in case). I stayed home that evening to put Joseph to bed at 7:00.

Hubby got home about 8:30. He still had a few things to wrap. So, I puttered around on the computer for a bit while he finished up. Then, as had become our tradition for Christmas Eve, we watched "It's a Wonderful Life" and went to bed.

As we were getting ready for bed, I felt a bit uncomfortable. I thought it was indigestion. It would pass. And it did. Hubby wondered if it was something else.

Then, it happened again ... about 10 minutes later. Hmmm. This is different than any indigestion I'd had before. Hubby thought it was indigestion. I said, "I'm scheduled for a C-section in 36 hours."

It happened again. Hubby decided it was time to call.

Resigned sigh.

I called the doctor. He called his mother to stay with Joseph.

All previous plans went out the window and a whole new plan began.

The details of the trip to the hospital and the hours after we arrived are mostly a fog. We arrived almost simultaneously with 2 other couples. One delivered before me.

Cora arrived about 4 AM Christmas morning. Our Christmas baby.

The plan had changed, but oh what a beautiful present.

Mary had a plan too. She was getting married.

But God had a different plan.

There was a visit from an angel. She was going to have a baby.

A pregnancy she hadn't wanted. What would she tell her family? What would she tell Joseph? How would he react? What would he say? The questions multiplied as the days continued.

All previous plans went out the window and a whole new plan began.

Then there was a decree from Caesar. They had to go to Bethlehem. They wouldn't even be home when her baby arrived. She wouldn't have her mother to help her. Or the other local mid-wives. What if something happened while they were traveling? More questions. The plan changed again.


And while they were away, it happened. They tried to find a place to stay, but the city was crowded. A stable near an inn was all that was available. At least it was under some cover away from the elements.

The details are fuzzy. We don't know very much - and it doesn't matter.

Sometime that day, Jesus arrived. The Christmas baby.

The plan had changed, but oh what an amazing present!



Coming Soon ... Part 3 (Attitude Adjustment)

A Different Plan

Ever had a plan that didn't go exactly as planned? I had one. I had all the details worked out.

To start, my attitude stunk.

I was due on December 29. Four days after Christmas.

Uh oh.

I did not want to have a baby on Christmas Day.

Joseph was just 2 years old. This would be the first Christmas he was really aware of anything. I wanted to be there to watch him open presents. I wanted to see his face and hear his squeals. This was my son! We were starting our own family traditions. It was important for me to be there.

I did not want to have that baby on Christmas Day.

So, we made a plan and scheduled the C-section for December 26. We would go to my sister's for dinner on Christmas Day; Joseph would stay at her house that evening, so that Hubby and I could leave for the Hospital before dawn the next morning.

He would stay at my sister's that day and my father would bring him to the hospital to see his new sister. Then, my mother-in-law would stay with him at our house for several days while I was in the hospital. We had it all worked out.

God had a different plan.

Mary had plans. She was engaged to a kind man. They were going to be married.

She was making plans for their life together after the wedding. She gathered the things she would need; discussed the plans with her mother. How many bowls would she need? How many blankets?

She would take care of Joseph. She looked forward to cooking for him. Later they would have children. The families were excited. She would make a good wife and mother.

God had a different plan. A better plan.


Coming Soon... Part 2

Superman Birthday Cake

I've been puttering around all day decluttering this, running that to the post office, all the while wondering... What am I going to post?

Then, as I was browsing one of my favorite blogs, I remembered ... I've never posted the picture of Joseph's birthday cake!  I've been meaning to do this for quite some time. So, well, here it is...

This amazing creation is thanks to two very special women.

First, my mom. Mom decorated cakes, including my wedding cake, for about 20 years as a side business. I remember watching in fascination as she created flowers of many varieties. For a brief period of time I even tried to learn myself, but alas at 15 I didn't have the patience.  I have no idea why Mom originally bought this pan. I'm sure she used it several times. What's really amazing is that it was still in the house. (Mom died 9 years ago and I thought we'd given all the cake decorating stuff to a cousin!) My sister and I were cleaning out a closet in early October and came across this pan, with the plastic face & emblem and a doll cake pan.  I knew if I could pull it off they would be a hit with my young ones.

Second, my friend IRL Amy. She decorates cakes too. I called on her for the icing recipe. One of the few things I remembered from Mom was that "Betty Crocker Butter Cream" would not work for this kind of decorating. Amy not only gave me the recipe, but several really good tips along the way. It was very helpful. I am very grateful.

Joseph was thrilled with his Superman cake. I was thrilled that it turned out so well.

Now, I have to figure out how to make a princess cake for Cora. I have no idea how to make the tiny flowers or the ruffles. I've got some more research to do. A pink princess birthday cake on Christmas? Can I put red flowers on a pink cake? Should be interesting!

Nests

our daughter loves to make little "nests". On any given day there is no predicting when or where you will find a little nests of stuff. Cora collects a few things from her room, finds a spot to play, and creates a little nest.  Today's nest is this:

Just in case you're not sure what you're seeing: that's her doll in a basket which she lined with a doll size pillow and wrapped her hot pink boa around the edges. And it's sitting on the back of our living room couch. I'm not sure why she thought that was "just the right place for it." She calls it the baby's bed.

Personally, I think this hot pink nest is A Finer Thing.

Can We Go Home Now?

I have a confession.

I've been in a bit of a funk recently. Sometimes I don't do well with the interruptions life God throws at me. This week I was feeling overwhelmed. After news of a death in the family early last week I knew I would be out of town for several days. I had to quickly pull together meals my husband the non-cook could cook, and get the laundry done so that they weren't wearing summer shorts during the chilly Maryland autumn. That went reasonably well, though very rushed (not a big fan of rushing here).  Then, I came home Saturday evening to a sick child and a bunch of new tasks to get a backlog of projects completed early in the week.All this combined to me feeling kind of sorry for myself.

Then, as I was browsing some other blogs today I read something about staying home, "that's where the kids want to be anyway" and God brought me this memory...

Wednesday evening, I'd taken the kids to Kids' Choir. At the end of rehearsal as I was catching up with friends and we were gathering kids, my daughter said, "Mommy, can we go home now?"

I didn't think much about it at the time. But, today realized something. It didn't matter to her that the laundry was piled up or we didn't have her favorites for dinner. It didn't matter that there was clutter on the tables and furniture wasn't dusted. She wanted to go home.


Home.  That's where she wanted to be. Our home. Not to the store, or a playground, or a friend's house.


She wanted to go home. Having a home where even with all its flaws my children feel safe and loved and want to be is definitely a finer thing.

She's Growing

These pajama pants used to be down below her ankles! The growth charts may say it's slow going, but her wardrobe tells me ... she's growing! 

For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Staying Home - Still Learning

Every mom (or dad) has a different story of the choices she's made.

Some of you stay at home with your children. Some of you work outside the home. Some of you balance home responsibilities and part-time work. Each choice comes with it's own blessings and its own challenges.

Our story of why I stay home is an amalgam of many different needs and almost all of the possibilities. I had written a wordy lengthy post, which included the details of how we got to this stage of me staying home. And then I realized something: I've been through most of the possibilities. Full-time work with a child in day care? Yep, that's how we started. Part-time work with a child in day care? Yes, for three years. Staying in a job in order to provide health insurance? That's why I worked part-time for three years. Working full-time with children in (less-expensive) day care so we could pay off debt? Yes. We did that for a year too.

Until finally, it was clear - Working outside the home and being a good wife and mother were simply not a workable combination for me. The year that I taught school full-time while my two children were in day care 3 days a week was the worst year of our marriage. And so, one day we looked at each other and realized, it wasn't worth it.

At the same time, my husband was pursuing a job relocation. It was God's timing. I turned in my resignation. We sold our home and moved to a new one in a new town. God gave us an income sufficient to make the payments as well as the cost of health insurance.

That first year there was much to do and much to keep me busy. I had to learn my way around a new town. Although we'd only moved about 30 miles away, there were times it felt like 500. We had to find new doctors, dentists, banks, mechanics. We had to organize our new home. We had to settle into a new church and build new friendships. And we had to figure out how to maintain the relationships with family and old friends that were so important to us. All of this took time and energy. I was never so grateful to have more of these precious commodities.

Honestly, for many years I resisted being a full-time SAHM because I thought I would get bored and I was afraid I would become lazy. The truth is I haven't been bored at all. Instead, I am grateful for the extra time and energy being at home has afforded me because there is so much I have learned in the 3+ years since I came home.

I've learned to make yogurt. I've learned that my son builds awesome space ships out of Legos. I've learned that if left alone to play by herself, my daughter will invent amazing stories with her dolls. I've learned to be a better help-meet for my husband. I've learned to listen more. I've learned to simplify by not filling every waking moment with a task (and that's okay). I've learned to save money on groceries by matching coupons to sales. I've learned to keep a price book. I've learned that life continues just fine if you borrow videos from the library instead of Blockbuster. I've learned (again) that television is way over rated and that children can survive just fine without it. I've learned to menu plan. I've learned that helping my son with his homework brings me great joy (and occasionally frustration too!). I've learned to blog!

This list could go on and become far longer than anyone wants to read.  But it boils down to this: I'm still learning. And I'm enjoying the learning.

If you are afraid that you will be bored or your last child is in school and you don't know what to do with your time, I encourage you to go seek new skills. Seek new ways care for your family. Let your creativity loose. You might just surprise yourself.

Be sure to check out the other stories of Moms who stay home at Amys Finer Things.

Not Me

Not Me! Monday was born out of McMama's desire to admit some imperfections and reveal a few moments she'd rather forget. Please keep tongue in cheek as you read. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing from time to time!

I did not forget to take something out of the freezer to thaw and so fed my children Mac & Cheese from a box.

I did not walk to the bus stop in sweat pants and a spotted t-shirt becasuse, well, I'm not a morning person and I didn't get up early enough to shower before the kids left for school.

I did not sit around reading blogs and twitter for 30 minutes instead of taking a shower at least one day this week.

I did not forget to finish a load of laundry and end up with one very stinky load that had to be re-washed!

Not me!

For more real life moments with real life Moms visit  "Not Me" Monday @ MyCharmingKids!

A Caring Heart

Early this morning we got a phone call.

That right there should be tell you it wasn't good. Not many people call in the early morning.

It turned out not as bad as we thought. A friend up the street had a sick child and needed someone to watch her son for a few minutes while she and her hubby did the switcheroo.  Okay, sure, no problem. My hubby went down to watch her son for about 10 minutes until her hubby got back.

When he got back we got the low-down from hubby. It turns out the sick child was one of Joseph's best friends.

So after finishing breakfast, Joseph announced, "I need a piece of paper."

I wasn't sure what that was about, but he found what he needed and proceeded with his project. A few minutes later, he had finished -- He'd made a get well card for his friend and he wanted to deliver it on the way to school this morning.

Yes, we made sure he had a chance to deliver it to his friend.

After all, a caring heart in a 7 year old boy - now that's a finer thing.

For more Finer Things visit The Finer Things in Life. Also linked to Real Life.

Ta Ta Ti Ti Ta

I don't remember exactly how it started.

Sometime, not too long after we got married, one of us was in the shower and needed help with something. It might have been we were out of shampoo, or a dropped bar of soap. I also don't remember who exactly started it. It might have been Hubby, it might have been me. But, there was a need to get the other person's attention.

So, the one in the shower stomped on the floor, the rhythm - Ta Ta Ti Ti Ta.

At that sound, the spouse came up to check, "What do you need?" And then whatever the problem was, the problem was solved. This method of getting each other's attention while in the shower has worked very well for us through 4 different residences.

This worked extremely well for us when I was pregnant with our first child and the smell of my soap would make me throw up. (Yes, I know you needed that image didn't you?) I would lose my breakfast, stomp my Ta Ta Ti Ti Ta and Hubby knew to come in with a very cold cup of water for me. I would rinse my mouth, drink a bit, feel better, and we would both go on with our day.

This message system has worked both ways, sometimes he needs a new bar of soap; sometimes I want him to scrub my back.

I had not realized how much a part of our daily lives this had become until very recently when my 7 year old, being quite proud of himself, had gotten into the shower on his own one morning. A shower in the morning for him was unusual, so I checked to be sure all was okay. He was fine. He just wanted a shower before school. So, I went on getting breakfast ready.

Then I heard it. "Ta Ta Ti Ti Ta" -- The stomp that said "I need something."

So I went upstairs thinking he had soap in his eye or some other painful thing happening.

"Can you scrub my back?" he said.

"Sure."

And then we both continued on with our day.

What can I say? "Ta Ta Ti Ti Ta"  It works for us!

Working with Family

For those who've been reading here or following on Twitter for a while you know that my dad passed away last November. Since Mom died several years earlier that left my siblings and I with the task of cleaning out their house.

Cleaning out your parent's house does not conjure the same image for all people. Some parents' homes are small and uncluttered. For others it's large and uncluttered. Some parents downsize during retirement. Some parents expand their home to accommodate in-laws and grandchildren.

For my family, my parent's home is a medium size home, but it was very cluttered. My parents both grew up during the Great Depression and with the mentality that almost everything should be saved because it surely it would or could be used at some time by some one in the future.

My sister and I have been methodically working through all this clutter to try and get down to the usable stuff. We've met at Dad's house one day each week since the beginning of January. There have been a few weeks we missed, but not many. Most of what we've been dealing with is the paperwork clutter. The years and years worth of financial records, assorted generations of photographs in various locations that eventually filled an entire chest of drawers, years and years of magazines that had been kept, teaching notes from 40+ years of Sunday School, and (we've guesstimated) ~2500 books, plus more that I can't even recall at the moment.

This last week my brother took a week of vacation and flew in (he lives 2000 miles away) to help deal with Dad's workshop and work barn.

He, my brother-in-law, my husband, and we two sisters have spent the better part of the last 7 days sorting through power tools, hand tools -- old and new, nails, screws, scrap wood, bottles and bottles of various household toxic fluids (paint thinners, de-greasers, engine oils and more). And we've made good headway. The guys completely cleaned out the top of the barn (where they found our old sled and the old manual mower) as well as cleaning out the bulk of the workshop. I am so encouraged by the progress that has been made.

I am exceedingly grateful for my siblings right now.

Yes, sometimes they get on my nerves. I'm sure I've gotten on theirs too. We don't always agree on what should be kept, sold or tossed. But, for the most part it has not been a divisive process. We have continued to plug away at all the stuff.

I am extremely grateful that I have not had to go through this process and all this stuff alone. If I had to do it alone I would not be nearly as far along in the process as we are. And, I would be far more exhausted. The physical and mental exhaustion from going through each item in the house and making a decision about it is nearly indescribable.

My family, willing to work together, not against each other - most definitely A Finer Thing!