Paper Bridges » Living

Daydreaming of the future

Monica Brand — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:45:28 +0000

Susan is off on another adventure.

She’s at my parents’ house. It’s not as far away as camp, but it’s still away from all of us here at home. I know at 12 years, that is the point. Being apart from your siblings and mom and dad. It’s quite the big deal.

I miss her.

Last summer, she came home from Grandma’s declaring she only wanted to do one night away from home. She couldn’t wait to get back home, to her own room, her special things. I know she missed her little sister terribly. Yesterday, she called to ask if she could stay an extra night, making it three nights total. Looks like being away from home for a week at camp has made all the difference.

No homesickness for Susan as a 12 year old.

I’m glad. She having fun with my parents taking her out to her choice of restaurant, a splurge shopping trip at the dollar store, and I think my brother is treating her at the bookstore tonight. She packed three books in her overnight bag. Lots of quiet for reading at my mom’s.

Susan is growing up.

I will miss her.

Vacation Bible School 2010 pictures

Monica Brand — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:46:09 +0000

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Saturday Snapshot: She knows how to work it

Monica Brand — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:33:54 +0000

Yup. She knows she’s a cutie.

Oh, to be that confident in yourself again!

They’re back!

Monica Brand — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 15:16:29 +0000

My bigger kids are home safe from camp, filled with tales of the awesomeness of their week.Thumbs up on the cabins, lack of bunk beds for the girls, the breakfast cereal available, huge in-ground pool and making new friends. We are already talking about next year’s camp week.

Birthday tween found her card in her duffel. She didn’t need the extra “If homesick, open this” letter. Good for her. Her brother never found his letter from home – I guess he never noticed it as he pulled items out for use. Not surprised, really. We read it together as we unpacked. Silly me, I keep thinking he’s like I am, wanting to save every scrap of paper that holds emotional value. When I asked him if he wanted to keep the letter as a memory from camp, he could not have been more uninterested (I should have kept it for myself.)

It’s raining here finally and all are flopped in front of the electronic box. Doc is on a coffee roasting frenzy. God bless him!

I have two books on hold at the library, one in transit and I just now requested another. Plotting and scheming when to do the pick up and wondering who is coming with. I’m sure Susan is in, as long as her swimmer’s ear is abated. Poor girl was in tears yesterday from the pain.

That’s all for now. It’s Saturday. Housework, reading, goofing off. Enjoy your weekend. Perhaps I’ll chat with you over on Twitter.

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Wild berry harvest

Monica Brand — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:44:42 +0000

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All I want to say that won’t fit into Twitter

Monica Brand — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:57:56 +0000

My two biguns left this morning for their first sleep-away Bible camp, into the wilds of Pennsylvania. I loved camp as a girl. The crafts, canoeing on the lake, the awesomeness of being away from home. I know my two young people (the word children feels too young) were excited to not only be with their church friends for the week, but to be away from home (read: me and Daddy). Isn’t independence one of the greatest allures of sleep-away camp, if only for a week?

We are still in birthday party mode. Friends of the newly minted eight-year-old are due here any minute for a sleep over. Another first around here. We’ve had a cousin once spend the night a long time back, but this is the first time for friends. The plan is to put up the tent in the backyard, but we will see if that happens in this heat. Our official Tent Man is currently flopped on the sofa after changing the oil in my van.

Tomorrow we are set to go to my parents for the day. I’ll be leaving my boy behind to spend the night and my mom can take him shopping for a birthday present. We’re calling it Grandma Camp.

Then I will be down to one kiddo on Wednesday. O, the places we can go for on the cheap, right? That’s how one starts to think when all the kids normally in tow are suddenly scattered hither and yon. Where can I go with this last girlie left behind? She’s easy to please so it might be the park to wade and the lunch of her choice with ice cream.

That’s our July so far. We’re off and running, coming and going. It already feels like the summer is moving too fast. Vacation Bible School starts next week, but more about that later.

What are you doing this week?

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Happy Birthday to my firecracker boy

Monica Brand — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 17:38:33 +0000

Eight. A time to be missing your front teeth. What a great age!

Happy Birthday, young master.

Thanks! More thoughts on chores

Monica Brand — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:56:56 +0000

Thanks to everyone who chimed in to my chore question here or over at Facebook. The consensus is that I’m not asking too much and that I could be asking her to do more than just clean the bathroom once a week. I see the wisdom in that. All of my children need to learn how to clean, but more importantly, they need to learn the value in pitching in to the benefit of all.

So, she has more chores coming her way. In fact, the younger three have more coming their way too.

I’m thinking this is not going to be an overnight transformation with kids begging me for work or volunteering to do a new job. In fact, this might take years in the physical sense and lots of maturity in their spiritual life. I know I need all the patience, gentleness and self control to tackle those jobs I’d rather not do. Sure I can scrub with the best of them, but my attitude. . .yes, sometimes the moms attitude isn’t so pure or lovely. And I’m grumbling under my breath the whole time.

Teaching children the value of a job well done, to work without complaining, and to do their best work: these are my goals for having the kids do chores. I know how much more I enjoy my house when it’s clean or how much more I can relax if I’m not thinking about a job left undone. Part of me enjoys cleaning - I told you about that recently – and let’s be honest, as a homeschooling, stay-at-home mom, housework is a big part of my day.

So because I’m already blogging about chores (thanks, Susan for the idea), I might as well give you updates along the way. Who is doing what chore, how long it takes him or her to master and the general attitude of all of us.

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Chores for girls: What do your daughters do?

Monica Brand — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 16:53:58 +0000

My 11 year old daughter, you know her as Susan here on the blog, challenged me to post this question to Facebook, but I decided to cast the info-gathering net wider. So I ask you, blog readers:

Do you have your 11 year old girl clean the bathroom once a week like I do? Clean as in: scrub and wipe down toilet. Wipe down counter and sink. Clean mirror if necessary.

When I was Susan’s age, my sister and I had to dust the dining room furniture every Saturday. With polish. Even if we weren’t having fancy company that required use of the table. Friends, I HATED dusting that table. So many nooks in the woodwork. I truly believe I’ve been scared for life as a result. My husband can attest to my great aversion to dusting the house today. At least Susan is cleaning something that is much more worthy of a good cleaning.

Come on, let me have it. Am I an old meanie or is Susan getting off easy? I’m open to all criticism and advice.

Large rock climbing and a memory

Monica Brand — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:41:33 +0000

Yesterday we met up with other homeschoolers to tramp about at Ringing Rocks. We climbed on rocks, hiked to a waterfall, admired beauty. The peanut butter granola bars back at the car were a big hit. None of my kids got outrageously wet. Proof all are growing up, or maybe just really good at not slipping on mossy rocks? I’m going with a bit of both.

Ringing Rocks is one of those places I have tucked away in my heart as extra special. Doc popped the question there 13 Junes ago as I sat on one of the large rocks near the waterfall. He was nervous. Silly man, I thought at the time. Why is he nervous? Doesn’t he know how crazy in love with him I am?

All these years of living later and I’m having a hard time remembering exactly which rock I rested upon. The romantic in me wants to remember the spot. Why didn’t I mark it somehow? Because it never occurred to me the memories would fade over time.

Here are a few pictures:

Climbing on the rocks in the wrong type of shoe:

The waterfall:

I’m not 100% sure, but I think this is The Rock of Romance (aka Where I sat to say “Yes, of course.” ) :

I don’t have much else to add other than it was a pleasant, cool-ish day. A good day for a day hike and to revisit a memory with my kids. My friend Jill has more pictures and video of why it’s called ringing rocks and screaming girls catching a frog. Very fun.

Friday night square dance