the price for being self-sufficient

I am so exasperated with the welfare situation of our country!   This afternoon I went to the Parking Garage to figure out parking for the new auto.  I told them I'd like to sign up for the roof-top parking, which Bryson was quoted last week at being $100 a month.  That's a bargain we thought!  We wouldn't mind parking on the roof to save from the usual $190 to park in the garage and vastly different than parking in the city for anywhere from $300 and up. 

However, the man looked at me and asked what our address was on the island.  When I told him, he shook his head.  "Sorry ma'm - you don't live in the right housing to get you the lower rate.  You'd have to live in one of these housing developments to get the discount - and with that he pointed to a list of housing on the island that are all "government assisted.   Instead we live in "regular" housing and with that we will be charged $190 a month to pay for parking in a garage where others are going to get a discount for about 1/2 of what we'll pay because they can't afford the regular cost.  I looked at the man, and the only thing I could think of came out...."But isn't that reverse discrimination or something that we aren't allowed the same discount as others, simply because people are assuming we can afford it?"  The man told me he didn't make the rules - he was just enforcing them.  Great - thank you sir.  Extremely helpful.  


Here is an idea for all those people that will be parking on the rooftop where there are at least 50 extra spaces that aren't used and could go to families like us that would be interested in them....DON'T have a car if you can't pay the full price for your housing, food, medical care - therefore you wouldn't need discount parking!

GRRRRR!!!!!  We are fortunate that we have a job that we can pay for things on our own and not rely on the government...but seriously why do people living on government assistance need help to pay for their parking?

What is wrong with the situation our country has put itself in with this...it's such a vicious cycle we have created for these people.   And it just is frustrating to me on many levels!  Mostly welfare and government assistant levels - but that is obviously a situation I could go on about. 

Sunday Funnies

While driving home today, I had to hide a chuckle with Bryson Jr. and these little tid-bits....

He was getting restless in his seat and complained that his leg hurt and then pulled it up and gasped, 

"AH!  My knee-pit itches and hurts SO bad!" 

I don't know why this struck me as so funny - probably because I have never heard it referred to as a knee-pit, which I suppose I am the only one....but it just made me laugh, but then I had to hide my chuckle as Bryson Jr. can be a little sensitive when we laugh at/with him!  

Then there was this one  ------

Bryson Jr. ....."and then it was all filled up." 

Me:  "Honey, don't say all filled up.  Simply say it was full or you can say you filled it up.  To say it was ALL filled up is stating something twice, and it doesn't make sense." 

Bryson Jr.:  "But I like to say it that way - that it was ALL filled up!" 

Me:  "Yes, I understand that - however it's not proper English to say it that way." 

Bryson Jr.:  "Why?  Those are English words!" 

I really had to bite my lip to stop from laughing out loud at his reasoning back with me.  As Bryson Sr. said when I got home and told him the story - each of our children are smart in their own ways.....Madeleine is leadership smart, Bryson Jr. is Book Smart - he is smarter than he knows he is, and his practical approach to everything catches us off guard all the time....and Jacob - well, at such a young age....he's street smart.   

I was trying to convince Jacob that leaving Virginia was a good think, although hard for him to leave his cousins and all the playing he had enjoyed over the past few days.  To ease the pain of leaving, I told him Daddy missed him so much we had to get home.  Which resulted in Jacob saying this anytime I stopped at a red light out of town, if he didn't think I was driving fast enough & anytime we stopped for a potty break....

Jacob:  "Drive faster Mom!  Daddy misses us!"

I love that funny boy :)  

MORE FUNNIES

While talking with our cousins one day about where their dad was --- I can't remember now but he was at work or doing something and getting home a bit later than they had thought or planned on....

Jacob:  "That's okay your dad is gone - our dad is always gone at work.  He is never home!"  

funnies...

As we were cruising along the 95 on our way from NYC to Virginia, the kids were giddy with excitement to be in their "new" car. It's not new - new....just new to us. It's an '04 Ford Explorer, but it has more bells & whistles than our '96 mini-van has, and we are in love with the fact that the kids can all sit on seperate sides of the car and there is relative peace on our drives. I couldn't decide if that or the seats that I can heat up were my favorite thing :)

Two funny parts of the trip down....

1) I had to stop in the city to have a car shop take pictures of the car to send to our insurance company. We had planned to leave between 10-11am....and we finally pulled away from the apartment building at 11:30am. I thought we were doing fairly well - and we didn't hit traffic through the city --- however, it must have all been too long for Jacob, because as I pulled up at the car shop, he let out a huge sigh of relief and stated.... "Oh good, we are finally at our friends!"

2) After we had driven for a time and the kiddos had done a few pages in their workbook, I agreed to let the DVD player come out so they could watch a show. Madeleine was trying to set up the DVD player so that all 3 kiddos could see it, and I heard them discuss that the best place to put it would be in between Madeleine & Jacob on the 2nd row - but to put down the seat so that it was a flat surface and so Bryson could see it from the back row. Problem was - I didn't know how to put down the seat and I was driving on the NJTurnpike. Not a place to stop. I told the kiddos they would have to figure something out, and after a few minutes I heard a triumphal... "AHA! I knew I could figure this out!" Bryson Jr. was so excited to tell me that he had figured out how to put his seat down & when I congratulated him, his response was.... "just call me Bryson the SMART!"

happy days are here again

I'm having a really great day today. I don't know if it's been the long winter, the small cramped apartment, living in a city that has lost its' luster in the day to day tasks, and the confusing school system....to mention a few things that drive me nuts here - but the last few months have been a struggle for my emotions.

Yesterday was a hard and good day. A day when you start to get down to the bottom of some emotions. Bryson and I read some things that made us discuss and open up. It felt great to allow myself to really think and talk. A smile came up. We laughed. We cried. We laughed some more. Life started to feel like it was climbing back to that "normal" point I keep referring to that I think is out there...somewhere! :)

Today was a better day even still. I have started to work out more than I have....in well, um too long to think about. Strange that I never worked out while we lived in Provo but that is when I lost all my weight - and it stayed off for those two years. We moved here and I technically was moving more than ever before...but the weight came on. With a vengeance.

In regards to working out, I have come to some really funny conclusions - I even know they are funny before I tell them to Bryson. Realizations that I should have figured out long ago....such as if I run faster I burn more calories. Seriously, it's so painfully obvious when I write it out that it makes me laugh at myself for this huge awakening I had last week while on the treadmill. Sometimes I am too naive...or just completely out of the loop!

We woke up this morning and after the busy weekend celebrating Madeleine's birthday - we've had very late mornings (as in yesterday we woke up at 9:15am with church starting at 10am,and today our goal was to wake up at 8:00am....so naturally we woke up at 9:30am....we are doing so totally great aren't we?!). We had brunch which finished around 11am, and Bryson was great to let me run down to the gym while he got ready to go into the office.....as it was one of those days when he had just a "few hours" of work, the miracle of it, he really only did stay there a few hours! A first I think ;) I had a great workout, where again I had some real "mind-blowing" revelations....for me. At least I am coming around, although I feel like I have missed out on some time that I should have been doing more to care for myself armed with this great information!

The kids and I then did some jobs around the house - which spruced things up and it was not so dusty and neglected...and it didn't take that long either. We really do have great helpers in the kiddos - they can be so great. Madeleine had two friends come over to play, while the boys took out Legos and Magnetix and spread them all over the living room carpet completely immersed in their imaginary play. It was amazing! I started to make dinner, as the Elders (missionaries) came to dinner - and I think my favorite part was when I served the salad and they both said that they haven't had a salad served to them in weeks and this looked and tasted like a fancy restaurant meal. Ahhh....that really made me happy. And actually it was one of the first times I didn't mind cooking a meal either - probably as the kids were all happily occupied and I'll admit I was occupied as well - I had on the Biggest Loser via Hulu on the laptop propped up on the kitchen counter to keep me company in the kitchen....and on track (meaning trying not to snitch while I was cooking!). I have never watched that show until a week ago, and I actually like it...probably the first and only reality show I've liked (wait, I do like SuperNanny)....but I find that I learn some new tid-bit on there each time. Go figure - watching other people work out is actually pushing me to want to do better myself.

Okay....the best part of the night came when Bryson bought us a car. Yes. He did. Fabulous husband is what he is.

We have talked about the option of getting a vehicle. I complain often enough how insanely hard it is to go shopping, and do anything with a car. Even though we rent a truck from some friends - we don't have it at our disposal all the time...we share on weekends, and some times I want to be able to walk out (okay walk out and then up to the parking garage!) and know that we have our own car waiting for us to use. Having a car here is a nicety. It's not something that you have to have. It can be expensive. However, he has picked up on my hints - outright (life is SO hard, the whining, the crying, the moping, etc.....I'm worse than the kids at times with how I absolutely do not want to take the subway anywhere!) - and the not-so obvious hints...which come to think of that, I'm not sure there are many of those....but thankfully on days when we don't have the truck available for our use and we want to go somewhere it's easy for us to both say..."oh, a car would have made that nice".

Although I know that I'm really the one that is going to benefit most from this. And I am so thankful that he was able to see it would really help my life out.

Bless his heart....happy days are here again.

AND - more happy to share. We are leaving tomorrow for a few days down in Virginia - our other home! The children have mid-winter break this week and are off the entire week, so I'm going to drive down with them tomorrow and stay with my sister-in-law and their family, and then hopefully if all goes as planned Bryson will take the train or bus and join us on Friday night and we'll all drive back up on Sunday evening.

I am so excited to get out of this city and have a change of pace! We are hoping for the time to head into the city and see a few of the sites that the children don't remember at all!....and to spend time letting the cousins play, for me to see a few old friends - and of course...the shopping. There are stores here, but they are a pain to get to, I pay for parking and the stores are just not the same as in other places....how I miss these little things in our life!

So....that is all. I just had to say I'm so, so, so happy today. And to share the reasons why - even if now they sound a tad superficial.

True happiness can still come from things that are a little superficial right?!

Happy Birthday - Miss Madeleine

Madeleine turned 9 years old today!

It's 10pm and we just barely turned the light out in the children's room. We are all exhausted from a fun day celebrating the life of our little miss.

I have a lot to write, but my eyelids are heavy as well.

I just wanted to save this spot on blogger-world with the date February 19th....so that tomorrow or the next day I can come back and actually write on this specific day what a great day it was. It was full of family. Ice skating fun. A friend sleepover last night (staying up until midnight - probably another main reason we are so tired today!) and the love that Madeleine felt through many generous presents.

What fun a birthday is.....more updates to follow.

To Madeleine - 9 things we love about you!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Madeleine!

We are so lucky to have this amazing girl in our family!  Here are 9 fabulous things about Madeleine:

1) Madeleine you are a born leader!  Perhaps being the oldest helps you out, but you have great leadership quality which we see daily as you help me around the home, with your brothers, and is looked towards as a leader in your class and school.  Being Class President has helped you accept leadership in a new area - and watching you blossom in this new role has been such a joy this year!

2) You are such a beautiful girl!  Inside and out.  You have been blessed with a kind heart that wants to help out....growing each year with being able to look at a situation and find ways to help those around you is a special gift you have been given.  At times you can be cautious as you see a new situation, however your heart is always in the right place!

3) Smart, smart, smart!  Not only do you have a great ability to be smart about how to lead - but Madeleine you are a girl who has a bright mind and a love for learning!  How amazing it has been to see you grow in your desire to learn and all that you have been taught and how it adds onto what you are capable of.  You especially love literature - both reading and writing it.  The growth in your writing this past year is evident in your essays, personal narratives and the work you bring home from school and do here at home.  I love that you are enjoying expressing your thoughts, opinions and views through the written word....it has helped you be able to express yourself more easily in many different ways - what a blessing and what a gift you have!  

4) Reading! Watching you pick up a good book to read is one of my greatest joys!  I love that you'll take recommendations on what to read....currently you are finishing the 'Little House' series, and I love when you tell me about what you are reading and learning about Laura Ingalls life.  I shouldn't be that amazed when you finish a book - but sometimes I still can't believe between everything else on your schedule, that you find the time to read and finish a book (usually around 200 pages) about every 2-3 days.  And again, your interest in reading has lead to adding to your knowledge....what wonderful choices you are making!

5) Sense of style!  I love how you put your outfits together, and then add a flair with a scarf, or one of your fabulous headbands, little bit of bling from some jewelry or your shoes.  Your teacher this year is just in love with your outfits and constantly tells me that she just loves when you walk in the room to see what you'll be dressed up in that day!

6) Internal Alarm Clock.  Your body has a very keen sense of what time it is.  I've never had to wake you up, or get you moving in the morning - you just seem to know what time it is and you wake up at the needed time.  Even if we it's earlier than usual!  You are able to balance your schedule and do what is needed in the time allotted you - whether that is getting ready for the day, doing your homework, practicing the piano or any number of jobs ---- you are amazing to use your time most effectively and I never rarely have to remind you to stay on task.....rarely as after all you are still human! :)

7)  You love to participate in activities!  If you could, you would be doing things from sun-up to sun-down!  Currently you are doing ballet on Monday, Piano and Girl Scouts on Wednesday and Activity Days with the girls in church on Friday nights.  The only reason you aren't doing more....is that I can't figure out how to get you everywhere you want to be without having your brothers fall apart because of the busy schedule!   You love to get into new projects and on Tuesday & Thursday you enjoy being able to have time to play with friends outside or to enjoy your American Girls.....which you still love and play with using your imagination to a level that really makes us happy to see that you are still enjoying these more simple joys in life!

8) This past year turning 8, you stepped into a new responsibility with being baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and receiving the Holy Ghost.  You have learned how to listen to the promptings this year --- you are learning how to let it guide your life.  There are times when it seems you have been able to listen and see the ways it can bless your life.  You've also had some times where you didn't make the right choice - and with consequences you realize the importance of always trying your best to listen and obey the teachings of our Savior and to follow those promptings that you are now able to receive through the gift of the Spirit.  It's a learning process - and one that you seem to be taking seriously as you have matured in a beautiful way of spiritual understanding this year.  It will be wonderful to see how you continue to grow this next year. :)

9) Change and adaptability!  You help to create a stability in our family while we have gone through some different changes with this move and look forward to different changes in our future.  You have learned that change is going to be inevitable in life, and your ability to adapt to different situations shows that you again are maturing and growing in ways that are blessing you and our family.  I find that I include you in talking about possible situations for our family - example being that we are seriously considering moving this summer.  I worried that you would take things too seriously and get worried - however you seem to be able to understand that there are things we need to discuss before decisions can be made and although you are excited and nervous about some changes - you do your best to realize that life can always through in a few surprises in life and that we can never plan completely for what will happen.  It really has helped me to have you be so mature about our families new, exciting and sometimes crazy adventures!

We love you so much Madeleine!  We remember that first time driving home with you in the car and hearing you make all those precious baby sounds and having it sink in that we were your parents!  From the beginning you have been bright eyed and ready for whatever experience life has to offer.  We love you and your excitement, that you are our sweetheart and we loved celebrating you and another amazing year in your beautiful life!

Happy 9th Birthday!

more things to love...

There is more to love. Of course there is more. There is always more to love.

I love...

Reading.

To celebrate February's 'I Love to Read' month, I wanted to talk about this little hobby that has sadly been on the back burner during the past (childrearing) years. I realize how blessed we are to have children that are such avid readers & realize that the more I find moments to read it's something I love, and I pass that love of reading on to my children.

My favorite books to read are......drumroll please.  My children's books - not just picture books, of course those are fun!....I'm talking about their chapter books.  Yes, that is right, they are definitely below my official reading level and may not provide the intellectual stimulation within every paragraph, page and chapter. However, I love that I can sit down and read through a book within a few days. It was when I was teaching school - particularly 5th grade that I realized how incredible these "children's" books are - although often overlooked due to the fact that they are in the Juvenile section. These are great finds! The books I love most are the historical fiction (historical non-fiction is absolutely even better!), as they are based around real events, real people, real emotions - although they weave in some fictional characters or situations that probably happened, but it's not documented - or they weave a few true stories together to make one large story.  

And the bonus is that it helps me read books that I can recommend to Madeleine and Bryson...and soon enough to Jacob. My favorite book that I read this week is 'Letters from Rifka' about a young Jewish girl that escapes with her family from Russia and emigrates to America. They face many set-backs, however personally she has the most challenges but turns them into significant learning and growing experiences.

With talking about the love of reading, I wanted to say how much I have loved being involved with one of the best fundraisers at the kiddos school. This year, I decided to pick the Scholastic Book Fair as another pet project for my to-do list. And I have loved it! We just finished our 2nd Book Fair and we have the 3rd in June. Each time gets better, we learn more, and I get to know more of the students, the books they love and the teachers who are so appreciative of the books that we are able to give them through the credit we earn from the sales.

I also love how much the children enjoy being at the school with me for these extra hours. And there are a lot of extra hours. The set-up for the event takes a good 2-3 days...last fall we had 2 days this time we had 3 days. The great news is that we were able to finally hold the Book Fair in the school library....seriously, you have no idea the amount of persuasion this took with our administration! They are very protective about their library, which is ironic because no one uses it! We don't have a librarian due to budget cuts, and the students can't check out books from the library. Sad to say - the library is a beautiful space that isn't used as it could/should be!

The Book Fair is a chance to start turning that around, as the Administration is now open to getting the library up and running, and that has become another project that I and another gal on the PTA are working on. I suppose even though I don't find a lot of time to read, I want to be sure that reading is available to these children and that we have options of using a space that is meant for reading, discovering and learning.

Thankfully hours of hard work has paid off in a big way with each Book Fair.

And here are some pictures of my little loves in the Book Fair - and some of the other people we know at the school as well :)

On Tuesday we had a Family Literacy Event with Super Heroes reading to the children (along with the theme of Reading Gives Us Super Powers!).  This is our principal Ms. B reading to a group of students...Bryson is in the brown laying on the bean bag.

Next a Firefighter read to a group of students...