Life After Death

Our Grandma Phyllis passed away peacefully last week. She lived with us for almost 3 years and even though we have been preparing our kids for the inevitability of this, we have been concerned that this major change in our household and lives would really upset them.

So far, these are their reactions:

Grady: "Dear Jesus, please help me to be a good boy today and please help Jesus to help Grandma have a nice time in Heaven. Amen."

Emma: "Mom. Can we eat outside for dinner tonight because we usually can't because Grandma is here and it's too cold for her to eat outside but since she died and is in Heaven she won't be too cold and we can eat outside. Please?"

and "Mom. I'm really, really, really glad that Grandma is in Heaven because she loved God and now she doesn't have to be really old and sick anymore."

So yeah, I guess their mourning has been a bit less traumatic than we thought it would be. Oh to have such peace like a child!

{one of the ways that we prepared our kids (mostly emma) was by reading a little book called "What happens When We Die?" published by Moody Press. it's a very matter-of-fact yet comforting book about a child's reaction and questions when a bird dies. I would recommend having a copy around the house if you have kids}

The science fair won't even know what hit it.....

Why we plant a garden

We plant a garden because our 3.6 year old boy will eat anything that grows. Seriously, if it is in a garden, ripe or not, he will pick it and eat it. Lettuce, kale, chard, radishes, tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, hot peppers, onions... you get the idea.

He was hungry before bed tonight so I said he could eat more lettuce that we picked today, so after he brushed his teeth he stuffed a handful of lettuce in his mouth and climbed into bed. Weird? Yes.

The other day Emma and I went to the farmer's market and I bought a bunch of radishes as a surprise treat for Grady. He was SO excited and promptly went to work eating through the bunch.

Often times when I'm chopping onions for dinner, he'll reach up onto the counter and help himself to a handful of raw onions as a snack.

Tonight (and most nights) he'll announce that he doesn't like the dinner that I made. So I've learned that if I explain the ingredients that are in it, he'll usually end up eating it and enjoying it. But when that fails, I'm not above using a little good old fashioned bribery:




Grady- "Noooooo, I don't like this. It is not my favorite dinner. It will NOT make me strong!"
Me- "Well, if you don't eat it, you won't get any artichoke.
Grady- "I don't want any noodles. They're mushy"
Me- "You have to eat them if you want any artichoke"
Grady- "I want the heart part. With barbecue sauce*."
Me- "Sure. You can have as much artichoke as you want if you eat your dinner first."
Grady- silently stuffing his face with dinner....

*And yes, I know that barbecue sauce isn't a normal accompaniment to artichokes, but that and Italian salad dressings are the only condiments that his dad will eat so they're the only condiments that Grady will trust.

Cinco de Mayo

Lest you think we've fallen off the face of the planet, I'm here to assure you that quite the opposite has happened. We've been swallowed whole by life and all my energies are being spent elsewhere. But, here we are on this very important National holiday and I thought I'd celebrate by sharing 5 fun facts with you:

1. 6 years ago I was pregnant with a baby girl. I was really hoping that she would be born on 5 de Mayo so her birthday could be 5-5-05. She didn't oblige but I love her anyway. And in 11 days, she'll be 6!!!!

2. Yesterday one of my best friends in the whole world woke up in excruciating pain and had to go to the hospital for an emergency surgery. Thankfully, I just happened to be home at 7am when they called and asked if I could watch their two girls indefinitely. So, I have 5 kids right now. (Their mom is better now and coming home from the hospital today).

3. Last night when I was attempting to feed 5 kids dinner, the firetrucks and paramedics showed up to our house again. I wonder what they thought about the pregnant lady who followed her 5 kids out to take a picture with them!!!

4. We have been raising 5 baby caterpillars for the last several weeks. About a week ago, they formed into chrysalises and today, the first one emerged as a butterfly. Pretty awesome!

5. We have approximately 5 weeks left in our first year of homeschooling. And we survived. And Emma still loves me. And we're gonna try it again next year. Phew!

!Feliz Cinco de Mayo!