Don't Miss the Rainbow

This post is two weeks behind...pictures of my sweet baby girl turning eight. Lately, I've been feeling like someone has hit the fast forward button and it's stuck and I can't get it back to normal play. Spring is especially busy for us. We have three birthdays all within a month of each other, Easter, spring break, regular season basketball has ended, travel basketball is beginning, baseball, soccer tournaments this weekend and then there is just the normal stuff that has to get done, like making dinner. As much as I love our family time, I do wish I had a cook at times to make dinner while I'm out chauffeuring all the kids around to their stuff. 

Birthday morning.

Dad was the Watchdog Dad for the day.

Messy faces after ice cream.

Yummy!

The daffodils arrived on Molly's big day.

A snap shot from my phone at 2:12...her birthday minute.

Thursday just happens to be my volunteer day so I snapped some shots before they came in from PE. It was a beautiful day.

I took these pictures with the instagram app on my phone which I really love.

Birthday night, cake and present time.

These pictures were taken on Saturday, March 3rd. I was trying to catch up on my project life journal cards and Molly really wanted me to take her to the tree with the tire like I took Ryan weeks before. I really wanted to finish recording our family memories that I had fallen so far behind on, but I had this little girl saying, "Please, Mama, can't we go?" I had a little girl who wanted to make memories in that moment, so we went.

These were also taken with the instagram app on my phone. "Look, mom, no hands!"

 Molly's signature pose, arms outstretched, loving life.

So on the day that I was sorting through pictures on the computer and trying to write my journal cards, there was a little girl standing by my side asking to go to the tire swing on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and while she was standing there, I remembered a quote I read a few days earlier in a book while shopping...

Sometimes you just have to stop what you are doing and enjoy the moment you are in or you will miss the rainbow.

My Quest to Become a Book Whisperer

Friday I made a trip to the Tysons Mall to go to The American Girl Store. Molly's birthday is this week and she had a few things on her birthday list. After picking up what I needed there, I made my way down to Barnes and Noble. I love book stores and was so sad when the Borders by us went out of business. I love to pick up the books, read the jackets, skim the first few pages, and just see what's new. I am also a big Amazon fan. At this moment I know there are at least three books in my cart but it is not the same as holding that book in your hand and deciding if you want to enter into this world that the author has created for their reader.

This past year I have read a lot of middle school literature and YA literature. When I was teaching second grade, I read aloud to my class everyday. I would read picture books about the upcoming seasons and holidays, I would read biographies of the historical people we needed to know, I would read chapter books beyond their reading comprehension but not beyond their listening comprehension. And I would talk to them. I would talk to them about the books. I would say, "This book reminds me of the time when I was little and...This book reminds me of the book we read last month...This book reminds me of the Kidpost we read together last week because...So read aloud was not just me reading and 20 kids just sitting quietly listening, we were all engaged in the book. We were all participants. Some people may not see the value in this, but every time a student makes a connection to a book, he is more likely to keep on reading, more likely to pick-up another book that reminds him of a  book he read before and enjoyed, more likely to read another book by an author he fell in love with.

Now as a stay-at-home mom, I am trying to get my own kids to become readers for life. When Shannon entered fifth grade, I started reading books that I thought she would enjoy. I was not as familiar with upper elementary books and middle school books as I was with the lower grades. But when you're trying to match a book up with your kid, it really helps if you read it yourself. I slowly started reading books and would pass them on to her. I remember reading Esperanza Rising and falling in love with the story. I then read Becoming Naomi Leon another story by Pam Munoz Ryan. I would read a book and put it in her room, read a book and put it in her room.

From this one small pile of books in her closet, I have read Charlotte's Web, of course, but also Savvy, Elsewhere, The Teacher's Funeral, A Long Way from Chicago, and Tuck Everlasting. All great stories.

Then a teacher friend recommended a book to me, The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. I fell in love with this book! It is written by a sixth grade teacher and it is about how she gets her students to read 40 books by the end of the school year. Yes, 40 books! I read this book with a pencil in my hand. I underlined sentences and circled whole paragraphs that struck me as "AH HA" moments. I wrote down my own thought in the margins and thought about how I was going to apply all this in my own house as a mom and not as a teacher in the classroom. I loved this book so much that I went out and bought it for all my kids' teacher that year. That same year I was having a conversation with the principal and I asked her if she had read the book. She had heard of it, but hadn't read it yet. The week after Thanksgiving break, I got an email from her saying that she had just read it and that she recommended it to her staff to read it. I told her that there were at least three other copies of the book in the building because I had bought them.

Donalyn Miller's basic philosophy to get kids to read is that she reads what they read. She knows all the books because she has read them herself. She can say, "Joe, I read this book last night and it reminded me of you, I thought you would like it." She gets to know her kids. She knows what they like. She knows who likes sci-fi and who doesn't. She knows who to give a sports book to and who not to. She knows their favorite authors. And eventually as the kids start to read, she has kids coming to her saying, "Mrs. Miller, I just finished reading this book and I think you should add it to your "To Be Read" pile. Her students know that she has read a lot of books, so when they find one that they have read and she hasn't, it just gives them a great feeling.  She gives the kids the power to choose what to read. Choice is a powerful thing and in order to give kids a choice, her classroom is filled with books. And that is what my house looks like.

 

We have books in the basement.

I have categorized books...

...and I have bins by authors as well.

And you always need a comfy places to read.

So back to last Friday in the Barnes and Noble. Even though I have been trying to expand my knowledge of middle school books and YA literature, there are books or genres that don't draw me in. I am not one for vampires, slayers, and witches.

And then there is a whole section called Teen Paranormal Romance, shelves and shelves of Paranormal Romance. 

I then move on to New Teen Fiction and find Wuthering Heights there. Really, in the "New" Teen Fiction? Hmmm, is this book misplaced or is it a new publishing with a updated cover and they are hoping to get teens to read this classic?

 After my own quest to read more middle school books and YA literature began, I realized that I really love these stories and that more and more adults are falling in love with YA lit as well. What is it about these stories that we are drawn to? Last night I was up until 1 o'clock finishing The Hunger Games because Timmy kept asking me, "What are you up to?...What are you up to?" I wanted to finish it for him so we could talk about it but I really loved the book myself, this book that was published by Scholastic Inc., meant for young adults. 


I read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin a few years ago and she talks about her love of kidlit and actually belongs to several book clubs that read kidlit for fun. There was a great article in the New York Times about this upward trend of adults reading kidlit and YA literature.

So after finishing The Hunger Games last night at 1 am, do I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green? I've read on a few blogs that his books are great.

Do I continue with Catching Fire so that Timmy and I can keep our discussions open?

But then I need to read this book that Ryan has started to read. He is my toughest one to get to read. Trying to find a book for him is difficult. So I really need to read this one so we can talk about it together as well.

 This is Shannon's night stand. A book that she has read a few times already and that is just fine by me.

And these are Molly's books that she is reading. She still loves her picture books but pushes herself as a reader to read the chapter books. Her recent find is The Molly Moon series.


This morning I was reading The Nerdy Book Club blog. A great blog if you are looking for YA lit and kidlit to read. There was a link to another website and I watched this awesome video about what is happening to our kids in middle school and high school in traditional English classrooms when it comes to reading compared to what happens when you surround them with books to choose from and give them the power to choose their own books to read. I think I watched it three times. I love the part when the kids make piles of the books that they read in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade compared to their 12th grade. The power of choice!!! You can watch it here.

The Day Just Moves So Much Slower

The Nealon Kids have been without electronics for one week now. This was the consequence for the flood in their bathroom that worked its way down to my dining room ceiling. No xbox, no wii, no tv, no ds games, no ipods, no computers. It really is amazing how plugged in we have all become. I have never had too many rules put into place about hours in front of the many screens that my kids have. Our routine has always been to come home from school and get homework finished and then read before they can go out and play...and "go out to play" is what my kids do a lot. My boys can spend hours and hours and hours in the driveway shooting hoops. It could be just one of them out there by himself working on his free throws, it could be two brothers playing one on one, and sometimes there maybe a foursome going on with the neighbors. Whole worlds have also been created in our backyard by boys with imaginations. Forts have been built with tree logs, walls have been raised with stones from the creek and endless battles have been fought with nerf guns until the yard looks like it has just rained bright orange darts. Molly still loves our swing set in the backyard and still asks Chris to push her even though she doesn't need that push any more. She will also spend hours in her playhouse...sometimes it's her house, sometimes it's her school, and sometimes it's her store, it just depends on where her imagination leads her that day. Then there are the countless hours of organized sports and activities: soccer, basketball, baseball, football, dance, piano lessons, horseback riding lessons, girl scouts. 


There really doesn't seem like a whole lot of time left in their day for electronics to play such an important part in their lives and yet they do. Three days into "no electronics" Ryan said, " The day just moves so much slower than it did before." I don't think he meant that as a good thing, but I thought that was a good thing. Why should we always be in such a rush?  Why should we always feel like every moment of the day we have to be doing something? Sometimes I think we should just "be" and not "be doing" something. 


So with all this extra time on their hands (and mine as well because I've been trying to keep the TV off and the electronics to a minimum during this) I have been trying once again to get my kids to read more. I realized for myself that it has been a while since I had picked up a book myself. It amazes me that we have to remind ourselves sometimes to do the things we love to do. So I told the kids to all bring their current book that they were reading to the dinner table to share. Some of my kids are always excited to share what they have been reading and some just give me the eye roll and just go along with it because it's easier than putting up a fight.


Dinnertime is sacred in our house. It is the most important part of the day. It is the only time during the day that we are all together, that we can share the events of the day, that we can relax and be ourselves and I try to make them teachable moments as well. This past Friday, Molly had a play date with a friend. First of all, Molly was very concerned about not being able to have electronics while having her friend over. I told her we would play it by ear and see what happens. Well, these two little girls brought home their science textbooks from school and spent the first part of the afternoon doing one science experiment after another. They had blue dyed water in ziplock bags taped to windows in the sun and bags taped to windows in the shade and then they went back every few minutes to see if they could see a change. They were in dark closets with a flashlight telling me if you shine the light on the black paper you can see stars,"Do you see them mom? Don't you see the stars?" "Hmmm, yah, I see them," I tell them. After they were done with experiments, they went outside and played tennis. No electronics needed. Then we collected food for a food bank for their girl scout troop. No electronics needed. Then the two girls went in the backyard and were on the swings with the boys for over an hour. No electronics needed. The phone rings and it was Molly's friend's mom wanting to know how everything was and if she had overstayed her welcome. I told her everything that they had done that afternoon and that right now there were four happy kids in the backyard laughing and giggling and having a great time. She said that that was great and again wanted to make sure her daughter didn't wear out her welcome because she always talks about the "Nealon Dinners" and that they are so much fun. The mom wanted to make sure her daughter wasn't stretching out her play date to stay for our dinner. 


Wow, I thought, someone is always talking about the "Nealon Dinners?" "Oh, yes," the mom continues, "she says the Nealons are just the funniest family. I just love having dinner with them." Now, to be honest, I really don't remember this little girl having too many dinners with us to make that much of an impression. But, I guess we did, and I was so glad that it was a good impression.  


 Yep...some of those "Nealon Dinners" maybe, "Stop, my side hurts too much from laughing so much," but then you have the mom that used to be a teacher with a Masters in Reading telling her four kids, "bring the current book you are reading to the dinner table." Sunday night was that night. Everyone brought a book and while we ate, each of us shared what we were reading. Timmy was rereading a LeBron James book. Ryan was reading a biography about Dr. Seuss. Molly was rereading a book that her teacher had read aloud to the class. Shannon was rereading a book about Derek Jeter. Chris was reading the Steve Jobs book. I thought it was kind of odd that everyone was reading a biography except for Molly. Ryan and Chris got into a discussion about Dr. Suess because Chris recently read a book about him as well. We talked about some of the same qualities that each of these people possess: perseverance and determination. Then it was mom's turn. I brought The Hunger Games to the table. I told them that I had started reading this months ago, got about two-thirds through it and then our busy life got in the way, I got side-tracted, and now wanted to finish it because the movie was coming out. Timmy's eyes lit up.

"I've heard of this book! My friend told me all about it and said it was a great book and I should read it!"


"Why didn't you say something to me that you wanted to read it?"


"I didn't know we had it."


Just the night before Timmy said he needed more books to read. Recently, all Timmy will read are sports books. They could be either fiction or nonfiction but they have to have some kind of sport in them. I've tried to introduce other genres to him but he wasn't interested and that's okay. This was the first time that he wanted to read a sci-fi book. After dinner was over, Timmy took the book and began to read. With no electronics to distract him, he got to chapter 4. The next morning he was in my room at 7:00 in the morning looking for the book. Another three chapters were read. Then, he was starting not to feel too well, cough coming on, throat starting to hurt, and he had a basketball tournament that lasted all day. By Monday night he was exhausted.  He stayed home from school. I felt bad for him. Here he was home all day with no electronics. Do I let him have tv back because he was sick? But Timmy never asked for it back. He lay on the couch all day and read and read and read. Why would I stop that for tv? Why would I feel bad? He was enjoying the book. A book that a friend told him about but a book that I brought to the table Sunday night. 


Sometimes there are things we do as moms that feel like we are banging our heads up agains a brick wall. How many times have I told you to hang up you coat? How many times have I told you to put you shoes away? How many times have I told you to wipe up the water on the bathroom floor? But if you keep on talking, if you keep on trying, if you have determination and perseverance, eventually we moms start to get through. I always have Dory's voice in my head from Nemo..."Keep on swimming, swimming, swimming." If I didn't bring that book to the table Sunday night, Timmy wouldn't have connected to it from the conversation that he had with his friend and he wouldn't have finished reading it in two days. Through the eye rolls, through the sighs, through the, "Ahhh, I don't have a book to talk about right now!" I will keep on swimming. Most night we just share our books. Most nights there are no great connections made, but every once in a while, there is a connection and I feel like I'm finally getting through to them...one little book at a time. 


Now, if you please excuse me, I have to finish The Hunger Games so I can go see the movie next month. I think I have a date night planned with a special eleven year old.

I Work at the School of Making People

Last night at dinner, we started talking about the kids' birthdays and how old everyone is getting. This time of year is birthday season in the Nealon House. Ryan just turned the big "10" last month, now in the double digits. My baby, Molly, will be eight in just a couple of weeks. Shannon will be turning 14 just a few weeks after that, on her way to high school in the fall. That's just plain crazy! Timmy, 10 days after Shannon's birthday, will be turning 12, his last birthday before he will be a teenager. I am not the first mom to say, "Oh, where did the time go? How did they get so big? How can I possibly have a high schooler?" But here I am, with my children hitting these milestones and me sitting here wondering what the next step for myself will be. 


My life has definitely flip flopped over the last couple of years. When I had babies and toddlers, the craziness of the day was during the day, watching the kiddies, bringing them to preschool, play dates, changing diapers, trying to stick to a schedule with meals and naps and then the day would slowly come to a close with dinner, bath time, and a good night story, everyone in their beds with the doors closed by 8:00. Not an easy job! By this time, I had a moment to breathe, throw in a load of wash while watching a show or two, or even pull out a book to read if I wasn't too exhausted.


Now that everyone is in school, it is the day that is quiet, and it is the afternoon and evening that is crazy. It all starts at that 2:35 pick-up of Ryan and Molly. Homework, CCD homework, reading, studying for upcoming tests, after-school activities depending on the day...CCD, horseback riding, dance, girl scouts, four basketball team schedules to keep track of with games and practices, travel soccer, indoor soccer, training sessions, practice sessions, piano lessons. Last week, Shannon had a soccer game at 9:50 pm. Yes, long gone are the days of 8 o'clock bedtimes and sitting on the couch watching a reality show. It just doesn't happen!


But during the quietness of the house during the morning with two puppies sleeping by my feet and Queen Elizabeth perched by the window watching the outdoor happening, I think: Should I go back to work? Can I make it work? Can I be one of those moms that can "do it all?" Right now, at 10:00 in the morning, while I am writing this, what would I be doing in the classroom? Would we be writing stories? Would I be helping a small reading group understand inferring and the author's message? Would we be getting ready to go to PE or music? But everyday, 2:35 hits and craziness starts all over again and I think, "I can't do it all...at once!" I can do it all, I just can't do everything at the same time. I think God hands us each a plate when we are born. Some of us have these great big platters like waiters in a restaurant, they can carry many things at the same time, and have great balance as well so that nothing ever gets dropped, everything gets to where it needs to be, orders are never mixed-up and they are never delivered to the wrong table. This is not me! When God was handing out the platters, I missed it. Some people have little tea cup saucers. I know people who get overwhelmed with just the littlest change in schedule or routine. They can't handle anything new. This is not me as well. I am somewhere in the middle. I envision my plate to be one of those smaller platters that they use at parties to serve the appetizers, bigger than a dinner plate but not as big as the giant platters the servers use in a restaurant. I know if I put too much on my plate, I will drop something. I will not be able to balance it all. And so I will fill my platter up and when it is empty, I will go back for seconds. The second time round may not look like the first. I may change it up a bit. Maybe I'll be ready to try something new or maybe I'll go back to what I loved to do so many years ago...teach.


But for now, I think about this thought I read in a magazine.

"Parents teach in the toughest school in the world- the School for Making People. You are the board of education, the principal, the classroom teacher, and the janitor."


I would add a few more to this...bus driver, school nurse, school counselor, just to name a few.


Last week at church, Shannon's math teacher was sitting behind us. At the end of mass, when we were walking out, I introduced myself and said thank you to her because Shannon had just gotten an A+ on her report card in Algebra. I told her that she must be doing something right because Shannon was definitely "getting it" and was doing great in the class so whatever it was she is doing she should keep on doing it. She then told me how great Shannon was and that she was "easy peasy" and a joy to have in class.


Another time last week, when I dropped Shannon off at a soccer game, I saw one of Timmy's teachers. This is the teacher that wrote a great thank you note for candy bars Timmy gave him as a small Christmas gift. I went up to him and introduced myself and he talked to me for twenty minutes...he talked to me about how great Timmy is...he talked to me about how Timmy has "brightness"...not that he's just smart but a brightness about people and others and life in general. He said that Timmy gets "it".  You know that "it" we are all looking for...Timmy has "it".  And then he looked at me and told me to keep on doing what I'm doing...that I was doing a great job! No wonder this was Timmy's favorite teacher. I felt like I was eleven years old in that moment and just got an A+ on my test.


So for now, I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing, I work at the School of Making People right now, and when my appetizer platter is empty and it needs to be refilled, who knows what I'll fill it with next?

I Know He is More Than Just a Fish

The other night, Molly walked into the kitchen and  announced that she was going to write a story. This is not unusual for her because writing has become a part of Molly. Storytelling is what she does. She sat herself down at the desk in the kitchen and her pencil started moving while I was cooking dinner. Now, no one ever sits at this desk. It is one of those built in desks with a counter top to match the kitchen. I usually sit down at my desk in the study to do my work, check emails, pay the bills, check schedules, and of course check Facebook and then Pinterest, you know, the important stuff. Molly wants to make this space her own. She wants to move the electric pencil sharpener to the desk just in case she needs it. There's not much room to write. Since we never used the space, that is where we decided to put our fish tank. A few minutes later, I hear, "Mom, do you want to hear my story?"

She reads with expression...My Fish by Molly Nealon


It seems that my fish is just swimming around the castle all day, but I know he is doing more. He might be a knight who is guarding a princess. He might be looking after all the other fish. Maybe he's even trying to escape. He might be trying to get into the castle. He might think that something is wrong. 
He might be a spy the way he looks at me. 
I know he is more than just a fish.


Now the mom in me loves this story, but the teacher in me loves it even more. "Molly, I loooove your first sentence because you hooked me into your story. You gave me something to think about...I started wondering, hmmm, what are those fish really doing?" I love that this girl can look at an ordinary fish and see beyond what she only sees with her eyes. This is a lesson we all can be reminded of every now and again. 


I start thinking about a facebook post from a number of months ago I wrote about making dinner. 


They think I'm only making dinner...but I know better. They get frustrated with me when I read from a book that gets us talking about "stuff"...but I know better. They get crabby with me when I won't excuse them from the table until everyone shares their high and low of the day...but I know better. They think I'm only making dinner...but I know better...I'm making memories.


Everyday, right around 4 o'clock, I start to hear the question, "Mom, what's for dinner?" Cooking dinner is not always my most favorite thing to do, especially now that everyone has gotten older and everyday I am driving someone to some kind of practice. The sports change with the seasons. Right now we have basketball practice Monday through Thursday, indoor soccer, dance, piano, horseback riding, and girl scouts. This is typical for families with kids my age, change the sports a bit and some of the activities but a normal schedule. So how do you have a family dinner when there is always someone missing at a practice? Well, for us our dinners are late. My usual routine is to feed them a snack before we run out the door to their practices, but we have family dinner each night when they get back. This sometimes means 8:00. But it is the only time that we are together as a family. It is the only time that we get to share our day with one another. I want our dinner table to be a safe place for them. A place that they can be themselves, a place that they can share the good and the bad, a place that they may learn from each other's mistakes as well as each other's accomplishments, a place that they can tell the latest joke they learned from a friend, a place we sometimes laugh so hard we start to cry,  a place that we can also have those serious family meetings. You can't do any of this if you don't have dinner together.


So when the kids ask me, "What's for dinner?" I feel like the fish in Molly's story. I know the kids are only hungry. I know they want to know if we are having something "good" that night. I know I am only the "lady" with the food. But I am going to "hook" them. To me, family dinner is more than the food they see on their plates. It is more than nourishment fueling their bodies. I am creating memories and building relationship with my children and they are building relationships with each other and they don't even know it. 

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Things We Do at a Nealon Family Dinner


1. High/Low Game...everyone shares their best part and worst part of their day.


2. Word of the Day Book...When we write in the Word of the Day Book, we share this at the dinner table.


3. Sometimes I read from Today I Will by Eileen and Jerry Spinelli. It contains 365 quotes from children's books and then some words of advice. It sometimes helps get a conversation started. We may not know all the books the quotes are from but we can certainly discuss them. 


Today's quote is...


February 2nd


"What about the consequences?"


                                        -Catalyst
          by Laurie Halse Anderson


Consequences? You mean, like, I can't do bad stuff and get away with it? You mean if I break the law-whether it's parents' or police law-there's a price to pay? You mean the stupid, inconsiderate, foolish decision I make today could bit me in the rump tomorrow?


I understand that the answer to all the above is: Yes.
I understand that there's a connection between what I do today and what happens tomorrow-- or even the rest of my life. So I'll make today's decision a good one.


4. Ask the question, "What do you know today that you didn't know yesterday?" A lot of times they'll tell you something from school, but every once in a while they'll share a little pearl of wisdom, an "ah ha" moment that they had. These are the best! Sometimes they share something that will just make us laugh, like when Shannon shared, "Today I now know that Toby Mac is NOT the same thing as the famous novel about a whale, Moby Dick." When I asked her who was Toby Mac she said, "I still do not know...but I DO know he is NOT Moby Dick."


5. Yesterday I was reading a magazine with these great stories about memories from family dinners. One person wrote that her mom had a book with the famous events from that date. It would get the family talking and if the mom didn't know about one of the events, she would pull out her beloved 1976 Encyclopedia, and they would all learn about it together. I might have to add this one to the mix. I know there are websites that have "This Date in History."


What do you do at the dinner table? I am always looking for new ideas.


We don't do all of these every night. Each night looks different than the night before, but the thing that remains the same is that we are all together. The point is to have 45 minutes together with no TV, no cell phones, just each other and hopefully to walk away from the table knowing something you didn't know yesterday about someone in our family.


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And if you're looking for a good storytelling, every year The New York Times Magazine usually features stories of famous people that have died that year. This year they chose to share the stories of ordinary people. These are their stories. I read them yesterday while sitting in the salon getting my hair done. Warning...you may need a box of tissues. My favorites, I think, are The Uneasy Rider and The Anniversary.

Today was "Someday"

Every Tuesday, Molly, Ryan, and I drive down Sycolin Road to go to Molly's horseback riding lesson. Ever since they have paved it a couple of years ago, I have become more and more familiar with it, the hills, the turns, the open field, and some of the trees. There is one huge, old tree on the side of the road opposite the open field. It is the perfect climbing tree, big, thick, low branches that seem to be perfectly placed so one could work their way up to the top. Every time I drive by it I can envision my boys using their strong arms and legs to get from one branch and then the next. There is another tree that I've also noticed as you come into Leesburg, just past the airport. There is a small open field on the right side and that is where a tree stands with a tire swing. Every week we drive by this tree. There are times when I sit at the stop light and wonder; Who's tree was this? Who put the tire swing up there? It looks so out of place, this big, old tree on the side of the road with a tire swing. I don't see a house or a building nearby. This big, old tree with a tire swing...someday I'm going to stop when I'm not in a rush and take a picture. Every time I drive by I think the same thing. 


There is a great picture book called Someday is Not a Day of the Week. I'm not sure if this book is geared toward the kids or maybe more the parents. A little beaver, Max, is always trying to do something with the grown-ups in his life. They always seem to be too busy with other things and tell Max, "Someday, Max, but not today." But then Max figures out that someday is not a day of the week and that they should go have some fun today!


Well, today was Someday! After dropping Molly off at horseback riding on this glorious 66 degree last day of January, I told Ryan that we were going for a ride. I told him we were going to take a ride to a tree. 


"A tree?!?" he asked. 


"Yes, you know that tree on the side of the road with the tire swing? Well, I always wanted to stop there and take a picture."


Ryan's eyes light up and he's all in! What 10 year old boy wouldn't be?

 A tree, a tire, a rope, and a boy...life is good!

This tree was just calling to me, inviting me, welcoming me..."Someone come, someone swing on my swing!"

Pure joy!

What does the world look like from up there?

Can it really be January 31st?

How high can I push this swing?

What does the world look like upside down?

Love this kid!

The shorts and the t-shirt tell me it's warm outside but the long winter shadows tell me that today may only be a short lived gift.

And as we looked around, we found another tire swing...

...and another.

I'm glad today was Someday, because who knows if these trees will still be here much longer. We were only there for 15 minutes, but I hope Ryan remembers this...someday.


*****


A Project Life note...January is over and February is here. I just downloaded my pictures to Shutterfly and placed my order. I can't wait to get my bright orange folder in the mail and start putting together my first month of 2012.