bright eyes + blue eyes

gingi shoes

I've been a mom for a little over 10 years.

Throughout that time, I've had the priviledge of hanging out with my parents at least twice each year. Sometimes even three or four times per year. It just depends on the year.

Our time together is wonderful, and I treasure every minute of it.

Today I'm going to tell you about one little tiny aspect of our time together that has become very special to me.(and my kids)

Usually, at some point in our visit, my mom (Gingi) will say to me, "So, do the kids need any shoes?"

Sometimes it's a no.

But many times, it's a yes.

Fellow parents, you know how it goes.

You try to keep your little critters fed, watered, and clothed.

And you try to keep their feet shod. (not sure if that's a real phrase, but you get my drift.)

The thing is, those little feet grow so quickly.

And sometimes you have a shoe that fits perfectly in July, but it's no longer the season for that type of shoe. (winter boot, for example.)

There are quite a few moving parts: growing feet, what time of year is it, is there money in the budget for a new pair of shoes?

When my mom asks, "Do the kids need shoes?", it is such a gift.

It's so thoughtful.

It's so generous.

It's so helpful, in a practical sense.

And it's so much FUN for the kids to go pick out a new pair of "Gingi shoes."

I remember being with my sister-in-law, Allison, last year. As we were talking I said, "oh, I love those cute little shoes she is wearing" (pointing to my niece's feet.)

Allison's response: "Oh, those are from Gingi!"

I should've known!

Gingi shoes.

(So Mom, I know you'll read this at some point: I know we've said it before, but I'll say it again--thank you so much for all the shoe love! I appreciate it so much, and you know the kids do, too!)

If there are any grandparents who are reading, take note: here's a wonderful blessing you can give to your grandchild....offer to buy that cute kiddo a new pair of shoes!

* * * * *

I was just looking through a box of hand-me-downs the other day.

Manzo is wearing some hand-me-downs from his big brother. And some hand-me-downs from his cousin, who is 4yrs old.

Anyway, I opened up a box that said, "Boy shoes, infant to size 6"

What a delight.

A little boy's feet grow so fast--most of the shoes in my box are in GREAT condition.

And when I look at them, the memories of Superboy being that age just flood back to me!

Makes me happy about the past (Superboy as a 2 yr old) as well as excited about the future (Manzo as a 2 yr old.)

Thank the Lord for little feet, little shoes, and beloved grandmothers who pour out love and blessings on all her little people!

quick question to people who I know in real life

Quick question for readers of this blog. I have a mental note of family members who read our posts. I also have a mental note of friends who read (people who I know in real life), but I need to know if I have a complete list.

If you are a friend and you read these posts, will you please shoot me an email to let me know you're reading? I can explain. (later)

Some of y'all don't need to send me an email because you're already on my mental list: Jessica, Susie, Brooke, Kristie, Mary Lynn, Jenny Beth.

thanks, friends! -abbie

manzo : five loves

Here are 5 things that Manzo LOVES these days:

(1) Big trucks & schoolbuses: When a noisy truck passes our house, he looks at me and smiles. Then he makes his best car noise with his cute little lips.

(2) Music: Manzo LOVES listening to music. Sometimes, when we're in the car listening to a playlist, he will cry when we get to the little 10 second pause between songs. Poor little thing! We try to tell him, "just wait! The next song is about to come on!" but he remains distressed until he hears the "moo-kah" come back on. (Moo-kah was Superboy's word for music when he was about 2. We still say that word a  lot.) Manzo usually bobs his head up and down as he enjoys the music.

(3) Dogs: When a neighbor walks by our house with a dog on a leash, stop the presses. Manzo is very interested in dogs. His "word" for dog is "Buh! Buh!" I think he might be trying to say "woof woof", but I'm not sure. He eagerly points out dogs in books, magazines...you name it. He looks over at me with such a happy, surprised look as if to say, "there's ANOTHER one!!"

(4) Wrestling with daddy: This is very cute. When Hunter is down on the floor, Manzo will charge into him and climb on top of him. Hunter is such a good "baby wrestler"...he rolls around on the floor with him, and Manzo just loves every minute of it.

(5) And lastly, the beloved blanket fort: Manzo loves it when his big brother or sister puts a few chairs together and drapes a blanket over the top. For some reason this is like winning the lottery for him--it makes him so excited. He crawls in and out, in and out, in and out! Here's a quick fort that Superboy built this morning before school.

we're about to finish this book

This is my "read aloud" book with the kids right now. (the big kids)

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, by R. O'Brien.

We're getting close to the end. It's been a big hit.

Mommy mouse wanting to protect her family = major appeal to Pumpkin, who loves animals SO much. She is so concerned about poor little sick Timmy. His mouse house needs to be moved so that he can make a full recovery!

Rat civilization & infrastructure = major appeal to Superboy, who loves anything having to do with the design/structure of a particular civilization. His 4th grade class had a massive study of ancient civilizations last year, and it really got his wheels turning. (Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece--each one was covered throughout 4th grade.) In fact, his favorite recess game to play right now (5th grade) is some sort of miniature civilization that he and his friend Grant build on every day. I need to ask him for more details---sounds interesting.

 

superman suit

Friday flashback:

When: Halloween 2006

Costumes: superman & cowgirl

Ages: 4 and 2

I was sorting through our costume collection the other day because I'm gathering stuff up for a garage sale.

This superman costume was made by Gingi in approximately 1987 (is that about right, Mom?). Robert wore it first. Then Joe. Then my little boy.

I am taking good care of the superman suit & look forward to the three little boy cousins enjoying it in a few years.

 

saving up for a tennis racquet

 

 

When Superboy was in 2nd grade, he had an awesome teacher named Mrs. Thompson.

Mrs. Thompson has kids who are a bit older than mine---they're in junior high and high school right now. She is an incredibly wise mom (and teacher.) Whenever she talked about her kids or gave any "mom-to-mom" advice, I always tried to soak up every word she said!

I remember a story she told once about a tennis racquet. It helped shape my perspective on my children and their possessions.

Here's the story. (I'm paraphrasing what Mrs. T told me. I'm sure I don't have all the specific details right, since she told this to me in passing about 3 yrs ago. But I know I've got the basic concept. I'm going to use the name "John" for her son in this re-telling.)

"John was in junior high and loved to play tennis. He wanted a specific tennis racquet, which was particularly expensive. We, his parents, had paid for various extracurricular items during that time, including other tennis expenses. We told him that if he wanted that specific racquet, he was going to have to come up with a plan to save up for it and purchase it on his own. So he did. He used a family racquet in the meantime. He worked hard to save the money he needed for the new racquet, and happily purchased it when he'd met his savings goal."

"One day, during a tennis match, John watched one of his teammates (let's call him Luke) become very frustrated with his own performance. (i.e., Luke was disappointed with how he was playing that day.) Suddenly, in a moment of anger, Luke lifted up his own expensive racquet and slammed it onto the ground as hard as he could."

"As John and I were in the car on the way home, John turned to me and made the following observation about his teammate: 'Mom, I don't think Luke saved up for that racquet.' "

* * * * *

unrelated:

I wrote a post for Saturday 10/13 which just showed up on the blog. You might not see it because it's buried behind this week's posts. So just in case you're interested, here's the link:

Time: 31 Healthy Foods You Should Be Eating Now -- bright eyes + blue eyes post, 10.13.2012

sneak peek

Here's a sneak peak of Pumpkin's diorama. There is still lots to be done.

Several of the items below still need to be painted.(There are two African Gray Parrots in the picture...they aren't painted yet, so you can hardly see them.)

Also, Pumpkin is going to construct and paint one or two banana plants.

Next, Pumpkin wants to do one more hippo who is bathing in the pond. Her plan is to model the top of the hippo only, and then sit that piece on top of the pond so it looks like he's taking a swim.

* * * * *

When I picked Manzo up from his "school" yesterday, he had a little piece of artwork pinned to his bag. His first masterpiece! So cute.

* * * * *

Here's a video clip of Manzo doing the sign for "please."

 

more strawberries, please from ellie and abbie on Vimeo.

10.16.2012 : highlights

(1) The big kids have standardized testing at school this week. Sharpened pencils ready. Eggs for breakfast.

(2) I took the kids to school. Hunter left the house at the same time for his bi-annual dentist appointment.

(3) I came back home and fed Manzo some breakfast. Then I put him in the car and we went to the dentist, too.

(4) Quick Manzo transfer. (He went with Hunter, who took him to his little mother's day out program.) I stayed at the dentist for my appointment. Sometimes when we juggle a lot of logisitcs, all with very specific times, I feel like I'm a contestant on The Amazing Race. ha!

(5) I love going to the dentist. Joy is my hygenist. She's super friendly & I always enjoy getting to visit with her. Love it when my teeth are super clean. I would definitely go more than twice a year if it were covered. Hunter and I both got good reports today. (hooray!)

(6) Back home to do some housework. Also, I transitioned to my new calendar today. This is significant to me because I use a big calendar that lasts me for three years. So now I'm on a nice fresh new one. Time to break it in. Next, it was time to pick up Manzo. His little class was out on the playground when I picked him up. One of his teachers was pushing him in the bucket swing. He cried when I took him out of the swing. Poor little guy--it is definitely hard to stop swinging sometimes.

(7) Long afternoon nap for Manzo. Pumpkin got home from school at noon. (She has a half day on Tues/ Thurs every week. It's one of the distinctives of the kids' school. They start going for 5 full days when they're in 4th grade.) She spent the entire afternoon working on her "hippo diorama." I mentioned it before here on the blog, I think. Basically it's a big school project that's due next week. I'll post pictures! She's really put a lot of thought into it.

(8) Picked Superboy up at 3pm. Both big kids had their regular Tuesday tennis lesson (group lesson) from 5-6:30. Mazno and I threw tennis balls back and forth on the sidelines.

(9) Homework/Dinner/Bedtime

(10) ...and now I'm about to sit down and watch Presidential Debate #2 with Hunter.

happy monday

photo: the boys in the grass, earlier today

Happy Monday.

It's the end of a busy day & I'm about to sit down on the couch next to Hunter to watch last week's Survivor episode.

Just wanted to say hi!

* * * * *

In other news, I was quoted in an online article a few days ago. Interesting! Scroll down to the bottom where it says, "read what others are saying."

Here's the link: Dactyl Applications Pioneers a New Vision for Education in the Classroom

I enjoyed reading about the events which led up to the creation of MuliFlow. (i.e., GMAT test prep)

This is a great quote from the article:

We focused very hard and created a high-quality product across many domains: the visuals, the proprietary algorithm, the music, the icon, and the UI were all created with strict attention to detail and an adherence to our unified vision, which was to create the most effective product in the world for drilling multiplication tables.

I think they succeeded! It's been the most effective tool our family has used thus far.

time : 31 healthy foods you should be eating now

I find myself drawn to meal plans & eating recommendations which emphasize real food.

Food from the ground.

Food from the trees.

Essentially, food from the earth. (...instead of from a factory or processing plant of some sort.)

As I've mentioned before, I like naturally occurring stuff.

Also, I like to incorporate the KISS principle ("keep it simple, silly") when it comes to healthy eating.

For example, I'm not drawn to statements such as this:

"Studies have found that 1/4 cup of fresh berries, when consumed 45 minutes after a 3oz serving of calcium-laden food, will reduce LDL levels by 10-12%. On a Tuesday. If you're wearing a red shirt."

Bleh.

Too much to keep up with there.

I do, however, love it when I read good, common-sense advice such as this:

"Aim to fill half your plate with colorful fruit and veggies."

That's some good advice. I can handle that.

* * * * *

All this to say, I really liked the following Time article:

31 Heatlhy Foods You Should Be Eating Now

Check it out.

* * * * *

After I read the article, I made myself a little cheat sheet.

I can post this in my kitchen or on a page in my calendar, with the aim of incorporating more of these foods into my family's diet.

Note: on my cheat sheet, I left off the following items--I can remember these without putting them on my little reminder card.

Lean Meat, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Red Wine, Dark Chocolate

* * * * *

So here's the cheat sheet. Feel free to copy and paste this image directly into your own photo files. I designed the card to be 4x6 so I could easily order a print the next time I order family photos from snapfish.