My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents and I lay them both at his feet.

Ghandi

This quote just made my day.  Thank you Spiral Sisters!

HAPPY FALL!!!

I am going to start writing down random acts of kindness that I happen to witness or be a part of...

1.  I was thrilled to be able to join Finn's Fall Party last week.  The theme was outer space.  Each child got a small pumpkin (donated by a kind parent) to decorate like an alien or planet or other space related work of art.  Finn's awesome friend Ava (who has a broken arm in a big, clunky cast) took young Stella under her wing.  She gathered materials for her, explained the project carefully, AND offered to help her poke holes in the little pumpkin for feathers and such...(with only one working arm I might add!)  She was sooo sweet to little Stell that it made me tear up a couple of times. 
Stella was sparkling with happiness and excitement.  Ava made her feel pefectly at home in a class full of big kids!

So thank you sweet Ava!  Your kindness was greatly appreciated!  

  

My goal is to record kindness as often as possible to remind myself that it's out there.  Everywhere.  Every day.

Stella's 4th Birthday!

I don't  know how I managed to go so many days past her birthday before posting! 

I no longer have a baby!  I have a house full of big kids!  Happy Birthday sweet girl. 

(you will always be my baby!)

I did it!!

Well....the day is almost over and I survived!  I had fun too!  Several mishaps along the way...but I managed to get some great shot...cause they are great kids!

Here's a sneak preview with a little editing!  I am still playing around with PhotoShop and cropping..but here goes....

SCHOOL PHOTO SHOOT TOMORROW!!!!

TOMORROW IS THE BIG DAY.....

for the first time ever...i am doing our school photos for the year book!!  Here are a couple of test shots from my practice session today!   I'm so nervous.  AND I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Things are looking up!

Photography jobs are starting to come!!  Yippeee!!

Caught in the Red

Dear Debt Collector (from that credit card that I had before I got divorced) : 

Please leave me alone.  I'm doing the best I can.  I will pay you one day.  Just not right now.  I'm sorry.  I hate it too.  But this is the way things have to be for right now.

Peace Out,

Suzy

One Word Wednesday

Surrender

Sibling Love

Lately, Finn (8) and Stella (3) have had a hard time getting along.  Toys have been snatched, shoes have been thrown, words have been flung into the air recklessly.  Finn has made it clear, on more than one occasion, that he is tired of all the girls in this house and that he needs to be treated like a "big kid" who gets to make his own decisions.  Okay.  Point taken.  As long as love and respect are used in his need to take a stand for independence. 

In the meantime, Stella wonders what is going on with her "big brutha".  He has less patience than he used to.  He plays with her sometimes and sometimes he shuts his door in her face and tells her to go away.  And even though she knows how to get a quick reaction out of him when he's in a mood, she really just wants to be around him.  She wants to play what he plays, watch what he watches, go outside when he goes outside.  She even frantically tried to hop up on a skateboard the other day.  She was convinced she could catch up with him. 
Scary.

So when he makes a demand for some Finn time...free of females and younger kids...Stella has to come up with other interesting things to do.  While he's gone, she plays with his toys,  hangs out in  his room, and even wears his shoes.  (she also likes to sleep in his t shirts now!)

Trying to keep up with big brutha is a tiring job.  Apparently, she's got some big shoes to fill!!

(hang in there sweet stell. he will come around.  he just needs time to be a big boy. and he loves you very much!)

One Word Wednesday

enlighten

Fighting Fears

I am having a hard time today. It's Saturday and I should be enjoying the weekend but I feel very overwhelmed and I only just want to stay in my bed. Ego and fears are plotting and scheming and I am finding that I need lots of quiet today.

Here's a quote from The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz. I am trying to let these thoughts be my mantra today...

Love is ruthless; it doesn't feel sorry for anyone but it does have compassion.
Fear is full of pity; it feels sorry for everyone. You feel sorry for me when you don't respect me, when you don't think I am strong enough to make it. On the other hand, love respects. I love you; I know you can make it. I know you are strong enough, intelligent enough, good enough that you can make your own choices. I don't have to make your choices for you. You can make it. If you fall, I can give you my hand, I can help you stand up. I can say, "You can do it. Go ahead." That is compassion but it's not the same as feeling sorry. Compassion comes from respect and love; feeling sorry comes from a lack of respect and from fear.

Love is based on respect. Fear doesn't respect anything...

Love is always kind, fear is always unkind...

I really love this book!

Maddy. Very athletic and very social. She has definitely been the most excited about summer ending and fall beginning. She loves going back to school. This year, she is really excited because she's in 7th grade. And 7th graders can play school sports. She has waited her whole little life to play school sports. So while we have been waiting for this opportunity, she has filled her time with rec ball and club ball of all sorts. Her favorite three...basketball, soccer, lacrosse. She decided to venture out and try something new this year. Volleyball. Probably becuase this is the season for it, the time is now, and she wants to be playing something ALL the time. (keep in mind she's playing soccer for CUFC right now too) SOO she has been practicing volleyball a lot. Last week, tryouts began. She got to stay after school, meet the coaches and work hard for 2 hours each day. After many kind words from her coaches, she felt sure she would be one of the few 7th graders to make a mostly 8th grade team. (she's NEVER not made a team. EVER.)
AND then came her first soccer game of the season on Sunday. Within the first five minutes of the first game, she had the ball and was on a run to the goal and she got tripped. She rolled her ankle. BAD. After much ice and tylenol we went to the doctor only to find that she has to stay off that foot for at least 2 weeks. This means no soccer for a while. AND she had to tell the volleyball coaches what happened and hope that she may make it based on her first two days of try outs. NO SUCH LUCK. She missed the final day of tryouts...and she didn't make it.
Poor kid. NO sports for at least 2 weeks and no volleyball. Period. I guess she had to experience not making the cut at some point, but I sure hate it for her. *sigh* And let me just tell you that not being able to run around is KILLING her.

home sweet home

all children are home. house is clean. broken dryer has been fixed.

ALL IS GOOD.

happy Labor Day!!

Kindness Blog Obsession

My sister sent me the link to a blog the other day. I can't stop looking at it. I HAVE to find ways to use kindness the way she does. Unbelievable. I am totally inspired and I can't wait to try some of these things out.

See, it's like this...
I work in a little charter school. The first charter school in Charlotte, NC in fact. I knew many of the founding members of the school. I worked with several of the women who helped write the charter and open the doors. They fought hard to open that little school of mine and I desperately want to honor it's Progressive Educational philosophies. The problem is this...many of the other staff members don't share my ideas on the original philosophy OR share my ideas on any kind of philosophy...I don't think. I am sort of viewed as a hippie chick radical who needs to keep that Positive Discipline crap to myself. We have some seriously challenging behavior problems at our school and their idea of letting kids have MORE freedom....TERRIFYING. Sadly, I understand their fears. I do accept their differing opinions sometimes...I know I have to be respectful. They are just as certain their traditional ways are the way to go, ya know? We all wanna be right. So there is a great divide that unfortunately affects the children and the whole school. The Star Bellied Sneetches are officially having a stand off with the ones without stars upon thars!
SO...I am going to do some thinking and try and find a way to use these kindness techniques to make some sort of small difference. Not sure what yet. But I am gonna come up with something.
I will keep you posted.