1. I am thankful for friends who make me laugh, even if it is in the middle of the grocery store where people can see me and stare. It all started with this text, which I read while Cuckoo was riding the horse that only costs a penny at Meijer:
My friend, Jen, sent it to me, and as horrified as I was by the haircut her daughter gave herself, I could not stop laughing. I even shed a few tears. With every text she sent, I was thrown into another round of laughter. And I laughed again when she write a post about it. And when I told my kids about it, and Giant got confused, thinking the little girl had cut her mom's hair. I felt kind of bad with all of the laughing, seeing as how her daughter didn't mean to cut her hair, but was simply trying to get a loose bow out. Of course, I still laughed, since her daughter couldn't actually hear me.
2. I am thankful that to balance my grouchiness, Cuckoo was in one of the best moods of his life this week. We cuddled a bunch, he quickly put his shoes and coat on each and every time I asked, he didn't once whine and wonder when we were going back to Monkey Joe's. (They gave him a free pass for another visit, because, as Cuckoo says, "Monkey Joe likes me and wants me to come back.") He's been an absolute peach.
3. I am a strict mom, and I don't allow plenty of things that other parents do. Lately, both Buttercup and Star have been banned from doing certain things their friends are doing, (sleepovers for Buttercup and watching How I Met Your Mother for Star) and they have both been surprisingly OK with it. Hardly a complaint out of them. I am thankful for teens who accept limits without making our lives miserable.
4. I am thankful for parents who are like-minded and back me up on my strictness.
5. I am thankful for everyone who reads the blog. Quite a few people have felt inclined to push the "follow" buttons recently (Welcome new people!), which always makes a person feel good. When one spends so much time and effort writing, it's nice to see people enjoying it.
6. I am thankful for Lent. Funny how we need something to motivate us to make changes. I have known for a while now that I needed to do a few things. It took a looming Lent to get me to finally do them. I haven't eaten a single M&M in over a month, and I have started getting back in the habit of dedicating a part of my morning to praying/reading the Bible/reading "be a better person" books/saying the rosary. It's a good thing.
7. I am thankful for Clark and his Wakefield Doctrine. Phoenix is a child very different from me. Lately, it has become blindingly clear how different. While at times it can be frustrating and baffling, it would be a whole lot worse if I had never read about different personalities and the different ways which these personalities "work".
8. I am thankful for our church/school. There are huge benefits to attending a church with it's own school. We went to the fish fry at our school last night. I sat at a table with one couple we've known since Buttercup was in preschool. As the night progressed, more and more couples joined us, all of whom we've known for a decade or more. Not only do they make me laugh every time I see any of them, I would trust my kids in any emergency with any of the people sitting at that table. Since we live quite a distance from any relative, this church/school family is a gift I treasure.
9. While I have been known to complain about driving my kids all over God's green earth to their various activities, I am thankful for their healthy bodies and minds which allows them to play sports and participate in academic pursuits. Star hit his goal of getting a trophy for his science fair project in the CYO Science Fair. All of the kids have been playing soccer this week, and Phoenix has had a blast learning how to play volleyball. He has a volleyball tournament today, and I can't wait to watch it.
10. Lastly, I am so, so thankful for the gorgeous weather we had yesterday and our ability to get out and enjoy it with friends. We had a ball visiting the zoo and soaking up some sunshine.
Not many animals were out, but the ones that were seemed to be enjoying the weather just as much as we were.
 |
| Yes, there is still snow to be found, but it's melting. Meeeeelllllting. (Sorry, the kids are doing the production of Wizard of Oz this year, so we're kind of in that mode.) |
was very different than the view from the other side. Both the female and the male were up and about and roaring their full heads off.
The gibbons were squawking, the tiger was roaming, the penguins were molting, a guinea hen was eating a mouse it had caught, a dolphin was playing with us,
and the construction workers were busy building the new orangutan area.
We watched the construction for quite a while. They had cherry pickers waaaaaay up in the air working on the sky line.
I hate to call this an orangutan exhibit. It is going to be so much more than that, and we are so excited for it to open in May. (You can read more about it here if you are so inclined.(That was a lot of "so"s for one bullet point. So sorry.))
Okay, you know the drill. Unless you are a new reader!! For you, I shall explain. If you don't have a blog (or can't link up), I'd love for you to tell me about the things which made you smile this week. If you do have a blog and want to link up, I promise lots of cheer and visits.
Either way, have a lovely day!
Your hosts
A Fly on our (Chicken Coop) Wall, Considerings, Finding Ninee, Getting Literal, I Want Backsies, Mother of Imperfection, Rewritten, Thankful Me, The Meaning of Me, The Wakefield Doctrine
First!?
ReplyDeleteFirst.
DeleteWay to go me! Yeah I WILL take anything I can get. Despite the mood you pulled off an incredibly positive list....outside of laughing at the expense of a little girl of course..haha. ..how can you NOT laugh when its not your kid! Cool kiddos of your own though eh?!
ReplyDeleteYay Zoe!
DeleteHonestly, I want to know if there is someone who can't laugh at such a thing.
WTG .....that Buttercup and Star are alright with their restrictions says a whole lot about how much respect they have. You've really done it well.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It helps that they are just good kids with pleasant personalities, too. :)
DeleteOk, not going to lie that haircut made me thankful that when Emma recently did her own at home haircut, it was minimal and that I didn't have that much damage to play with. Seriously, as upset as I was afterwards, I too couldn't help but laugh about the absurdity of it. Now, that I got that out of the way glad you could find some amusement in this past crazy week and hoping that the weekend is bit a quieter and that you have a great one!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. Our daughter cut her hair once, but she only cut herself some long bangs, so it wasn't really a big deal. I don't know what I'd do if she would have cut it down to her scalp. Probably not laugh right away though.
Deletewhat an all time great post. funny, I was cranky this week too, which is exactly why I love doing this wonderful thankful line up, and yours is really fine today, xox jean
ReplyDeleteThanks. It is amazing what a little bit of thinking about good things does for a person's mood.
DeleteI don't think you are being overly strict, I think your are raising your kids to be responsible adults one day. That's what we are supposed to do. Good for you. You are also more upbeat with this post. I'm guessing it was the sunshine and the trip to the zoo. Good for you.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous weekend. :)
Crossing my fingers that what we're doing works.
DeleteThe sun and the zoo helped tremendously.
Thanks!
I can totally see why you wouldn't let your kids watch HIMYM. I have a feeling i'll be like you as a parent- definite limitations. There is too MUCH in the world today I wouldn't want my kids exposed to.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I don't understand why all parents don't feel the same way.
Delete1. The reason that is one of the funniest texts ever is because it wasn't your child. I would have laughed my head off, too, and admit to snickering quite a bit over this and I don't even know them!
ReplyDelete3. Me, too.
5. It's because your blog is fabulous, and it's about time more people knew that!
7. Very cool! Very, very cool!
8. I have some folks like that, too, and it's wonderful.
9. Looking forward to hearing about the vb tournament.
10. Even if it's still pretty chilly, it's much more fun to go to the zoo when the animals are out. Going in the hot, hot, hot summer only gets you hot, hot, hot animals who want to loll around in the shade or air conditioning.
1. You and I, we are very similar people.
Delete3. Awesome.
5. You are so sweet.
7. (gotta go check what 7 was) Yes, it is cool. And helpful.
8. Yay for you.
9. It was awesome! All the teams from his school won all their matches. Phoenix did superbly. Turns out, he's one of their best servers. Never missed one and got at least 4 aces.
10. We rarely go in the summer. Besides the animals not being active, it's so much more crowded!
Love that you had a great week and were able to find some humor in your daughter cutting her own hair! It's not quite the same but I do my best to find humor when my cats start acting up (hence my latest post...lol).
ReplyDeleteHere's to another great week!
If it was my daughter's hair, I probably wouldn't have laughed quite so hard. It was actually my friend's daughter. Sorry to confuse you.
DeleteIt's going to be warm more than cold this week, so how can it be anything but great!? :)
I was so very lucky I never had to deal with "extra" haircuts on my kids...to themself or to the other. I certainly remember other mom's having had that experience. What about your kids? I don't recall that tale in any recent posts!
ReplyDeleteI've never been to a zoo "off season"! Sounds like great fun. Haven't been to the Indy Zoo since my kids were in elementary school!
Fortunately, it is almost always a girl who does the hair cutting thing. Buttercup did cut her hair back when she was 3 or 4. Thankfully, all she did was cut herself some bangs.
DeleteYou haven't?!?! We rarely go to the zoo in season. The crowds are so much bigger in the summer. You wouldn't even recognize the place. It's changed a lot in just the last 5 or 6 years.
Awesome, awesome list! You certainly pulled some good stuff out of a blah week! Best one.... being a strict mom! Parenting is a tough job and being a good parent is even harder, but the day will come when your kids will look back and bless you for it! I'm delighted that they aren't fussing too much about the limitations. Kids need limits, that's how they learn to set them in their own lives when they are grown!
ReplyDeleteI'm not the least bit surprised that your followers are increasing... everyone loves to read stories about family and everyday life, both the funny stuff and the not so funny stuff. You do it all with style and you convey it so well with your words. This is the happiest place that came from last year's A-Z, it's been a wonderful, uplifting discovery! Yay for you!
Thank you, thank you. Yes, it is difficult, especially when I want my kids to have friends and not feel left out. In the long run, though, I pray I'm doing the right thing. I'm thinking caution is best in these situations.
DeleteJosie, that is the kindest comment ever. Thank you.
...this blogosphere is a fairly amazing place, no?
ReplyDeletefunny about #3, the conversation, at the vid chat last night, found itself on the subject of children (ourselves growing up and actual children that some of the participants actually had) funny how topics seem to pop up simultaneously in different places.
(thank you for the mention, the Doctrine does have an amazing proclivity for being useful in a variety of situations.)
I am happy to hear that 'the coop' is getting the followers that it deserves... we were also talking about blogs and writing and achieving a 'voice', (that quality of writing that some blogs have that make them so much more)... you have that here at the 'a fly on the chicken coop wall'
It certainly is.
DeleteI wouldn't have believed it a year ago when I started reading! My mind had been brought over to the Wakefield side. :)
Thank you, Clark. That's about as mushy as I've ever seen you. :)
It is lovely when we feel cranky and our kids are sweet and loving still. I remember once yelling at my girls and the younger one came up and gave me a hug and told me she loved me. It floored me. She would probably have been about Cuckoo's age at the time, so sweet. And how wonderful that the Wakefield doctrine helps you understand Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteGreat list - hope it helped you feel better!
Aaawwww, that is precious. I'm guessing you felt mighty bad after that hug for yelling at them. Kids are the best at letting things go and sensing our moods.
DeleteIt is so helpful. The boy doesn't seem to have any of me in him, and it's completely maddening.
It did. I'm slowly getting back to my old self. Thanks.
I'm glad you, too, have found a family away from family with whom you share so many things. I hope Phoenix's tournament goes well! How wonderful that the weather is nice with you again, too. Love the pictures from the zoo! Hope you get to enjoy the rest of the weekend, Christine!
ReplyDeleteNo joke. Without my "family" here in Indy, I'd be lost. The tournament went well, thanks. This week, all but 2 days are supposed to be wonderfully warm. I'm happy.
DeleteSuch a big list of goodness! Good for you giving teens limits, they need them! Mine doesn't appreciate them, but he needs them them;)
ReplyDeleteLove this weather and that zoo looks amazing. The lions are hard to catch in action!
I'm sure that as they get older and more involved in high school and are able to drive, there will be less appreciation for the limits. As younger teens, so far so good.
DeleteIt is a great zoo.
What? Good weather? HURRAY! So happy for you! I must admit, though, I was expecting a bit more excitement with your "taken from the other side of the enclosure" photo. I was thinking INSIDE the enclosure, as opposed to OUTSIDE on the first photo. However, roaring lions really are viewed best from outside the enclosure. Glad your visit was fun and safe!
ReplyDeleteHurray!! Hurray!!
DeleteHahahaha!!! Ah, Krisit, you always make me laugh.
This is a simply wonderful list - so happy. I loved your one about the fish fry and the church family. I agree that a church/school family can be a wonderful thing and so great to be among people you can trust. I think without family nearby that is huge.
ReplyDeleteI just put up my own post and then hopped over here - and we both used "you know the drill" at the end. Creeeeepy. Or cool. Take your pick.
Have a wonderful week.
That church family is an absolute necessity for our family. We'd be sunk without them.
DeleteCool. We are similar in many ways.
Thanks! You, too.
While I still don't find MY CHILD'S haircut nearly as funny as you do I did giggle my way through the comment your son had! And each time I look at her awful cut I am more horrified that it is going to take us another 4 years to get it as long as it is now… or another 2 years in the least to get it long enough to give it a proper cut.
ReplyDeleteA book that is AMAZING is PARENTING WITH BOUNDARIES Keith actually requires all middle school parents to read it for our school check it out when you get a chance some great advice.
Just to taunt you, Keith and the big kids laid cement today for a few hours. It was 75 not a cloud in the sky play in shorts and t shirts kind of day here...
I knew that story would get you to smile. :) I do feel awful about the time it will take to grow out. Although, I was shocked to find that I loved Buttercup's hair short. (She donated her hair to locks of love one year.) Every once in a while I ask her if she'll cut it short again for me. She never has.
DeleteI will look into that book. The one our middle school parents were told to read (back 16 years ago when I taught) was "Get Out of My Life, but First Could you Take Cheryl and Me to the Mall?"
That was mean. ;)
Well, I would say that you had a fine week for a grouch! I've been through the haircut thing with my daughter and can laugh about it now but I know when it happens, you have to laugh to keep from crying! That's a good chunk of hair there, too! I I think it's great that you are a strict parent. The world could use a little more of that and it's good that you have support. I always love hearing the stories about your community and how tight knit you are with other families and the neighbors helping one another and so on.... Another thing the world could use more of. I know my next door neighbor and that about covers it! It sure sounds like you have chosen a good path for Lent. I bet that will help with the funk you've been in. That and the snow melting and Spring around the corner. I hope, I hope, I hope!
ReplyDeleteOh, it is so, so much hair that she cut off. I would have trouble laughing if it was my little girl.
DeleteWe have a great church community. I'm doubly blessed that two families live nearby, considering we are quite a ways from school. We only know one neighbor, really. (of course, our nearest neighbor is almost half a mile away.) He's a great neighbor, though.
Lots and lots of things to get me out of the funk. It's working slowly but surely.
My youngest was the only one who cut her hair. She had a sort of half mullet. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great zoo visit, you caught the animals feeling friendly!
I hope your weather continues to warm up.
It's a common enough thing for girls to do, just the severity that is uncommon. Buttercup cut herself some bangs when she was 3 or 4, but that's all we've had. One good thing about a house full of boys!
DeleteIt is a wonderful zoo. Always something new to see.
So far, the predictions are for mostly warm, with a couple days of cold thrown in. Progress.
Hahaha hahaha HA! !!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great looking zoo. It looks like everyone was soaking up the sunshine. I love how God provides odd humor moments just when the grumpies hit their peak. Sorry for your friend's daughter's hair... BUT Holy Hannah!! Her HAIR. Kids...
ReplyDeleteWhat a relief when kids accept consequences gracefully. I felt thankful when mine did, it made the cranky times easier. Keep meellllltttinnnggg
It's a wonderful zoo, especially on gorgeous springlike days. It couldn't have been timed better. For me. My friend feels otherwise. :)
Delete:) I'm doing my best.
Me, too. It will take a while, but yes, the hair will grow back.
ReplyDeleteWe are beyond blessed to have our church/school family.
I can't wait until the unveiling in May. Photos will be here, for sure.
They have not heard that one. I'll be sure to tell it to them. :)
What is it with little girls cutting their hair? This is the second post I'm reading where a mom had to deal with this! I've never heard of it being so common until I started reading mom blogs! Crazy. I'm so happy you were able to find things to be thankful for despite how you were feeling. I love that you are able to have a nice community around you and your family that you trust. We're starting to build that here. It's taken a little while but it's starting to become more of a reality now. It will be 2 years that we've been in Arizona in August. We left everything we know back on the east coast. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is very common, unfortunately. Thankfully, they aren't all as bad as my friend's.
DeleteIt has taken us years and years to get to where we are now with our community. We lived here for 3-4 years before I felt like we really had a number of good friends to count on. Hang in there.
OMG that huge pile of hair! Seriously hilarious and I'd have been laughing too!! Once, when I was about 7 years old, I wanted to see what I'd look like with bangs, so I cut some. Then, I realized my mom would be mad at me for cutting my hair, so I cut them all off at the scalp to hide what I'd done. So basically I looked like a moron with a fuzzy sprout at the top of my head for months. Sigh. Mom found out.
ReplyDeleteSorry you're still grumpy but love that Cuckoo got it and was so awesome. Also that the teens didn't whine about you being mean, I mean strict (grins) and for the zoo. Awesome list!