mathmom's blog

I sometimes write a list of the things that need to get done on days when the kids are home.  One such day had things like "clean rooms," "practice," and "library" on it.  Luke had wanted to make granola bars for a while, so I put "granola bars" down as the last item.  I went back to look at the list a little later and saw "granola bears" as the last item.  "Wow," I thought to myself, "I must have been really distracted to write that!  How funny of me!" I laughed. You all probably know what happened before I did.  Every once in a while I would go back and look at the list and laugh at the funny item, and I started noticing that the "ears" in "granola bears" was written in a slightly different handwriting.  Eleanor did confess to changing the list, but she says that she only did it because the original looked so much like "bears" instead of "bars." I enjoyed the joke, but

Amanda picked up a pomegranate at the grocery store, and since it is my principle to let the kids get anything from the fruits and vegetables part of the grocery (well, almost anything) I let her pick it up.  I still remember my first pomegranate.  I was younger than 7th grade (it was in our first house) but not too much younger.  My dad brought it home.  I don't think they were scattered all over like they are now, I'm pretty sure they were rare.   It was amazing then, and it still is amazing now.  I also remember when he brought home a coconut and some sugarcane---I think I enjoyed it more since we really didn't see them around every day. The best part of having Amanda get the pomegranate was having her get the seeds out, with Luke's help.  Someone somewhere suggested to me that you peel it under water. I'm not sure that was necessary, but it was fun.  Sometime along the way Luke suggested that they plant some seeds.  He claims that he remembers where he plante

In our back hallway, we have a beautiful shoe rack that Michael built.  It is interesting to see how many pairs of shoes accumulate on the shoe rack, and to whom each pair belongs. One person had 1 pair of shoes, 2 people had 2 pairs, one person had 4 pairs and one person had 5 1/2 pairs.  Can you guess who is who? Luke had 1 pair, Ella and I had 2 pairs each, Michael had 4 pairs (including flip flops and hiking boots) and Amanda had 5 pairs, plus a lone moccasin and a worn out roller skate. For jackets, Eleanor has none (she keeps hers in her room), Michael has 1, I have 3, and Luke has none---all of his are in the lost and found bin at school, I hope.  Amanda had 8, some of which I have moved to her room. However, I have about 10 bags of different sorts: the library bag, the swimming bag, the grocery store bag, the picnic bag...  I am the definite winner in that category.

In Sunday School yesterday we went to a class called "Welcoming the Stranger" about a Biblical way of thinking about immigration.  We talked about the great commandment, "Love your neighbor as yourself," and some of the other commandments in Leviticus, including "Love the stranger as yourself."  Amanda was quite eloquent about how this meant that you should love anyone you come across. This morning as I was cleaning up her room I came upon a square of toilet paper written on in sharpie.  The writing was, "I (heart) U*"  At the bottom was an explanation, "U means everyone."  I guess when you are inspired, you have to write on whatever you find.  I am relieved she didn't get out of the bath and run down the street shouting, "Eureka!"