Circumstance

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent Saturday night at Reliant Stadium enjoying Kingwood High School's graduation.  I was touched that Madeleine's friend Alexis invited our whole family to see her toss her hat in the air but in the end, Chris decided it should be just me and Madeleine.
The festivities opened with the National Anthem and the pledge to the Stars and Stripes.  Next up was the pledge to the Texas flag.  Interesting--because I didn't know there was a special Texas flag pledge.  Of course, I'd have to be blind not to recognize the flag itself.  There's quite a bit of Texas patriotism round these parts.  It's contagious.  Makes me want to buy a pick up truck.  Even more amazing than the pledge was the fact that my daughter recited it right along with everyone else.  I truly had no idea I was raising such a good little Texan.
After all the singing and pledging, the class speakers took the stage.  A couple of things caught my attention there.  First, no valedictorian or salutatorian was identified.  Speakers were chosen based on "random criteria" according to the program.  I'm curious about that.  Is it because the top two academic performers are not good representatives of the class?  Do too many students tie for those spots to be able to choose two?  Or is this one of those initiatives to try not to make anyone feel bad?  When I graduated, the top two students spoke.  I don't remember the salutatorian's speech at all but our valedictorian, Ann, urged us quite seriously not to "forget our core".  If we'd been playing a drinking game where we drank every time she'd said "core", we all would have passed out long before the diplomas were distributed but it was a good speech with a very solid message.
Saturday night, the speeches were a little lighter.  There were a few good stories and nuggets but mostly, it was a lot of "follow your heart", "seize the day" and "make your own opportunities".  One speaker did nothing but say a prayer for the class.  She did a fabulous job and, as she walked off the stage to loud applause, all I could think was "only in Texas".
I noticed that all the speakers shared "wisdom" from famous people.  It surprised me that it all came from pop culture icons.  Madonna, M & M and, of course, Harry Potter over and over.  Now, I am all for recognizing wisdom where it can be found.  I've certainly been known to quote Dave Matthews, Tony Horton and Gregory House.  What I wonder though is what else our kids are exposed to.  Are they reading the great books?  Are they reading biographies and learning from the triumphs and failures of our ancestors? Can they identify Truth when they find it?  I don't know.  I do know that the liberal arts are way under appreciated and yet, more than anything else, they civilize us.
One statement from the night stuck out for me.  The speaker urged her classmates--"say "yes" to life."  She added,  "And hopefully, you'll find someone out there to say "yes" with you."  Now that is good advice.  Forever and Ever Amen kind of advice.

Congratulations to Alexis and all of the members of the class of 2011!  

Pomp

I had the opportunity to spend some quality one-on-one time with Doyle Dame Number One when we went to her friend's graduation last night.  It was downtown at Reliant Stadium.  You know you go to a super-sized high school when they have to hold your graduation at a place like that.
So, I am a very big sap and as Madeleine and I looked for seats and heard the first strains of Pomp and Circumstance, I felt that familiar tightening in my chest.  Rites of passage--anyone's--get to me.  They are so exciting, the doors we walk through in life that change us forever.
I have a few stories to share from the evening but I'll save those for next time.  For now, a photo:

Remember when.......?

I'm the Dog

We've been having a bit of trouble with Ella at bedtime lately.  It's our fault really.  For three and a half years of her life, we've let her go to bed with her pa/ pacifier.  We meant to wean her at three but our efforts were half-hearted at best.  So now we're dealing with a serious addiction.  Ella is on board with the effort to go pa-less but doesn't quite know how to settle down and sleep without it.  So, for a week or so, she's been awake until we go to bed.  It's had a domino effect on her roommate Sophie and now they're like two college students, up half the night and sleeping till noon (or nine).
I was talking to Ella about the situation this evening.  She told me that she wanted me to go to bed too and I explained that babies go to bed first so parents can have some grown up time.  "Ella, when you're the Mama, you can stay up but right now, you're the baby."  Her reply?  "No, I'm the dog."
That stumped me.  I suppose I'll try again tomorrow.

Good Times

 It was the best of times.....it is a good time.  The school year went out with a fizzle as we moved into the swim season and ambitious house projects.  We'll actually take school with us to Woodstock where, without all of my normal chores to attend to, I'll have more time to spend with my students one-on-one.  Because the bottom four have never really gotten used to a school schedule, complete with summer off, they don't mind.  And though I'm not completely on board with the un-schoolers, I do agree with their concept of the world as classroom and learning being seamless rather than something that begins in September and ends in June.
Below, some random photos of the good times here at CD:

 We're converting the homeschool room back into a bedroom for Mia and Grace.

Here, they're camping out together while their room is under construction.

 Sophie won swimmer of the week at tonight's pep rally

 Then, she gorged herself at the trough of ice cream the coaches brought out.

Poor Grace went home with a tummy ache.  She asked why the coaches would give them all that ice cream if they knew kids would get a tummy ache from eating too much.  Good question.  A better one?  Why didn't mommy stop her?  Hmmm...

Boogying the night away.  Yes, that's me on the right, trying to imitate Ella's boxer dance moves.  Hers are much cuter.

Life's not all fun and games.  I completed the great clothes organization project of the season this week.

10 boxes, filled and labeled.  A lot of work but worth it when it's all ready to go for the winter.

I hope your summer season gets off to a good start this weekend.  Cook out, Swim, Shop the sales, Enjoy life with the ones you love!

See you here next time.

You Really Should Read This

My sister-in-law Jes has been lighting up the blog scene lately as she's chronicled their family's trip cross country.  My brother David gets a sabbatical every seven years and they chose to spend this one seeing the states.  Today, Jes wrote about six weeks of togetherness, in particular with Dave.  I loved it and hope you take the time to read it.

I really admire Jes and Dave as a couple.  They are content and comfortable together without being showy.  Truly a perfect fit.  As I love them both, I am very happy for them.

(And the inside-out shirt photo...100% David who always has much more important things to think about.)

Super Hero Swimmers

Every week during swim season, the Wahoos host a pep rally to get swimmers pumped up for Saturday's meet.  Our coaches come up with good ideas to make the experience fun for everyone and the energy generally carries over to Saturday morning.  Last week's pep rally had a superhero theme.  Thanks to some great gifts from Kevin and Abby, we had capes for everyone and the girls went as Super Mia, Super Grace, Super Sophie and Super Ella.  Madeleine was definitely super but didn't dress up this time.

The top two Wahoo six-and-under backstrokers.

Certainly Super!

Sneak attack by Matthew C.

It ended well.

Pizza-- favorite fish fuel

My favorite of a series of pics of Chris' hair.  Here he's hiding it.  He got a pretty bad hair cut on Friday.

Think buzz cut for The Basic School.  The good news?  Hair grows :)

Super G

The "Dolphin Divas", two of our super star coaches

Coach Keith AKA Pescado Rápido*

Coach Kara with a pescada pequeña*

Madeleine and her six-and-under buddy Brady

He has quite the crush.

Super Buddies

Hmmm.....what to do with this water balloon....

I know it's for a game but....

...it might be more fun to soak Sophie with it now!

(They played the game and Sophie got soaked about five minutes later)

Balloon on the tarp game

Tossing and catching

Big toss to the other team

Barbara may have been reminiscing about fun times like this as a PE teacher

Super Ella waits in the wings and watches from the play area

next year's upcoming super star Wahoo gets ready for lift off

The other day, Ella started a sentence, "When I'm on the Wahoos, can I...."  "When"---I like that.  

Tata for now!


*not technically good Spanish.  The word "pescado" refers to dead fish, prepared for dinner. "Pez" is the word for a living, swimming fish.  Interesting that there is a distinction.  Because I am still employed to teach Spanish, I felt I should issue that disclaimer.

Failing Better

I'm reading a good book right now.  I picked it up on the table at Barnes and Noble and, miracle of miracles, had the discipline to write the title down and check it out from the library*.  So, for the next two weeks, I will be racing through The Best Advice I Ever Got by Katie Couric.  The book is a compilation of advice given in commencement addresses by famous and not so famous folks.  The advice itself is not especially groundbreaking.  I have heard most of it before.  What interests me is the way the speakers have learned their lessons and used them to become successful.
Perhaps my favorite section so far is called Fail Better.  The author, Tavis Smiley, emphasized, "Let's be clear:  There is no success without failure.  Period.  And usually a lot of it."  He quoted Michael Jordan's Nike commercial:

I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career.

I've lost almost 300 games.

Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot....and missed.

I've failed over and over and over again in my life.

And that is why I succeed.  

Smiley (what a name :) referenced a quote by poet Samuel Beckett about failing better and ended his advice by encouraging graduates to "fail up".

I could fill quite a few pages expounding on the failures in my life but the one area in particular that came to mind as I read was friendship.  In my friendships, I have had both great success and stunning failures.  

The difficulty with failing in the area of relationships is that it's not necessarily easy to learn from.  It also tends to make a person question "what's wrong with me?" or to put up walls to keep out those who do not tread with care.  Of course, walls do a good job of keeping everyone out--not good.  For the most part, I have been able to resolve any problems in my friendships by talking through them.  Old friends rarely need even that.  

In the last year though, a friendship I cared about fell apart.  The details are a bit long to go into but Chris and I did our best to forgive some very painful things that had happened between her family and ours and to achieve true reconciliation.  At one point, we thought we were headed down that road.  I tried to continue to act as though we were friends again and as if the past were forgotten.  It became clear that on their side, it wasn't.  Now, they are moving across country.  This week in fact.  When I heard the news, I made a dinner to help with the busyness.  She probably wished I'd just leave her alone.  And I wonder why I care.  She has not behaved like a friend to me in a long time.  Still, I can't believe she is going to leave without a goodbye.  Surely, a year and a half of friendship rates more than that.  To me, it is tragic and worth mourning.  And I'll probably be in mourning until she actually gets on the plane this weekend.  Then, the door will be closed.  And life will go on.  Minus one friend.

Over the years, several people have commented on the number of good friends I have.  Some of my closest friends are members of my extended family.  The reason for any success I have in this area is that I have invested a lot.  Everything really.  My personal motto is a line from a sonnet that hung over the stage in my high school gym.  It said, "Grow rich in that which never taketh rust".  To me, that means faith, education and relationships.  I have never been very concerned about the number in our bank account or what kind of insurance we have (fortunately Chris is more practical).  The people in our lives are what count with me.  So, I will continue to look for kindred spirits and to show up with the lasagna if I think it might help.  Hopefully, I can follow the advice I quoted and use this rather sad situation to "fail up" to something better next time.

*I actually consider buying books at real live bookstores an investment in live bookstores.  Talk about mourning.  I will be crying hard the day Amazon drives them all out of business.

Necessity

They say necessity is the mother of invention.  A few days ago, I made a list of a few of the many chores on the the to-do list here at Casa Doyle.  I asked each of the girls to choose one.  Grace surprised me by choosing the downstairs bathroom.  I told her where the supplies were and named a few of the things she needed to do including picking up a pile of toilet paper that had been unraveled and putting the roll back on the holder.  I didn't know that Chris had taken the tension rod out and hidden it until he could tighten the holder on the wall and generally repair the whole damaged thing.

Even without the rod, Grace did as I asked her.  Here is how she solved the problem:

When we found it, it had a roll of toilet paper on it and was quite functional.  (I'm wondering if I should send the photo to Sharpie for a "many uses of" ad...)

And here, a photo of the problem solver herself at last Friday's pep rally.  

The story and more photos coming up soon!

Second Nicest Mama

Ahh...Ella.  So funny, smart, sweet and beautiful, complete with a freckle in the very same spot as Cindy Crawford's signature mole.  She is a mama's girl when she isn't pretending to be a dog.
Lately, more often than we'd like, the terrible threes have reared their ugly head.  And Ella, not getting whatever it is she wants--candy, time on the ipod Touch or just a piggy back ride upstairs--sticks out her bottom lip and gives us the stare.  It says, "you can't make me" or "I don't like this" or simply, "no".

Anyone who thinks that kids are born perfect and innocent only to be messed up by their parents needs to see the Ella pout.  It is untaught and purely rebellious.  Always, along with the pout, she tells me emphatically, "you're not the nicest mama".  I'm pretty sure this is the worst thing she can think to say to me.  A statement to wound me to the core.  Fortunately, her older sisters have helped me develop a bit of toughness.  I respond, "well, I'm going for second nicest mama anyway."  She doesn't know what to say to that.  So, I pick her up, hug her tight and cover her with kisses.  I tell her, "You're my favorite Ella".

The Ella look (the war paint was from the swim meet)

One Fine Day

I wrote this post last weekend.  Enjoy.

Sunday, May 15

Yesterday was one of those days, fine in every way.  It wasn't a special day that we'd looked forward to for any particular reason.  Which is why I loved it.  It snuck up on me, even bringing me to the point of tears twice.  Yesterday, I may have felt what it means to be a "resurrection" person.  Life was beautiful, good and victorious.

The day started before 6AM--an inauspicious beginning.  Thank God for hot showers and coffee!  Our whole motley crew arrived at the South Woodland Hills pool by 6:45 where I kissed them all and headed off to the concession stand for my volunteer shift.  The lack of organization was comical as we struggled to take care of customers without ice, drinks or change.  I was queen of the cash register--an antique that would add amounts and hold the cash but would not calculate change.  I did that in my head while trying to be pleasant to all the swimmers and parents.  It was like playing store--surprisingly fun.

The best part of the meet was seeing our newest Wahoo, Sophie, not only join the no-lane-rope club but win both of her races.  My heart was literally in my throat when I saw her touch the wall ahead of three other girls in freestyle.  She sailed down the lane doing "hot dog"--flipping back and forth from crawl to back stroke.  It was beautiful and seamless.  Sophie is by far the smallest swimmer on the team.  The coaches look out for her and I can tell by the way they are with her that they have a real affection for her.  Between watching that and seeing my little baby fight through her nerves and shivers not just to finish but to win.....well, I can't even put it into words.

Back at home, tired girls napped and the house was quiet.  I got on my lap top and looked at beach houses for our annual trip to the OBX.  I spent a little over an hour checking out options and getting very excited both for the beach and our yearly pilgrimage to VA.  A lot to look forward to.

While I was researching, Grace was doing chores and, after finishing those and taking a quick shower, she and I left for some one on one time.  Grace is invited to a birthday party at a skating rink next Saturday and I thought it would be a good idea to take her to practice a bit so she wouldn't have to spend the whole party on the rail or the bench.

Roller rinks haven't changed much since the 80s and all the time I spent gliding around under the disco ball back then paid off as I was able to teach Grace to balance and skate (I took a few speedy solo turns for old times sake).  She was so brave, taking one fall after another and getting right back up.  I felt the second lump in my throat of the day as I watched her train to take on the world.  We had a wonderful time.

Chris and I wrapped up the day with a movie from Red Box.  Sometimes, that activity ends with me getting mad at whoever wasted the time and money to create that particular film.  The Fighter was the most recent movie to get a huge thumbs down from the Casa Doyle critics.  Life As We Know It surprised me by being good and entertaining--if a bit formulaic.  We stayed up too late and it was hard to drag myself out of bed for early Mass today but I guess you could say I didn't want my fine day to end.

A list of yesterday's firsts and highlights:

*First time one of our meets has been delayed for cool temps in and out of the water (it was an off the charts gorgeous day--unheard of for May in steamy Texas.)

*Sophie's first no-lane-rope swim

*Sophie's first freestyle win

*Sophie's first back stroke win

*Grace's first time at a roller rink

*My first time doing the chicken dance on roller skates

*Madeleine's first day as a lifeguard (more on that later)

*Madeleine's first day at any "real" job

*Chris' first time in a long time making sangría--one of the keys to our happy marriage

I hope your days are fine and full of blue skies.

The photos:  I apologize ahead of time for the glut of swimming pictures today and to come.  I love taking them so you'll be seeing quite a few over the next six weeks. 

 Coach Keith encourages a cold and crying Sophie

 And she's off

 First to the wall in freestyle

Yay Sophie!

 Proud Papa

 Finishing with a smile

 Wahoo sisters

 Madeleine in the breaststroke

Great form

 Here she goes again. 

Keith gets her goggles just right.

 Pep talk

 Ready for backstroke

 Well ahead of the competition

 And another first place for Sophie

Too bad the meet was unofficial.

 A great start for Grace

Post-meet nap.  No idea how she sleeps in that U formation.

See you back here next time!

At Home Date Night

So, even if you didn't win a copy of my latest favorite movie, you can rent it at Red Box this weekend and plan your own at-home date night.  I wrote a few discussion questions to get you thinking and talking afterward if you find that kind of thing fun.  Rather than go through the whole list, I recommend that you choose a few that interest you.  Or, you could print the list, put the questions in a bowl and take turns picking.  Maybe you'll want to save the questions to kill time on a long car trip or perhaps you'll mull them over alone in the shower or on a run.  It's really up to you.

WARNING:  The questions are spoilers so if you haven't seen the movie, I recommend that you wait to read them until after you do.

Questions for Discussion about Disney's Tangled
by Alice Doyle

#1  At the beginning of the movie, Rapunzel is trapped in a tower both by Mother Gothel and her own sense of duty toward her.  When in your life have you felt imprisoned?  Was your prison of your own or others' making?  How did you feel?  When and how did you break free?

#2  While she is trapped, Rapunzel "waits for life to begin" by teaching herself to do all kinds of things and playing with her friend Pascal.  Have you ever felt like you were just biding time while waiting for the next thing?  How do you spend the times of waiting in your own life?  Are you more patient and trusting, do you chomp at the bit and leap forward at the first opportunity or something else?

#3  It is Rapunzel's dream to "see the lights" that finally inspires her to leave her tower.  What personal dreams have acted as catalysts in your life?  Do you have a dream now that you need to act on?  What can you do this week to take the first step?

#4  One of my favorite scenes in the movie is right after Rapunzel leaves and goes from gleeful to morbidly guilty over what she's done.  The audience, knowing the full story, recognizes her guilt as inappropriate.  Everyone experiences feelings of guilt--both appropriate and inappropriate.  Can you think of an example of each in your own life?  How do you distinguish between the two?

#5  Even after she leaves the tower, Rapunzel continues to be burdened by her "magic golden hair".  It literally weighs on her and holds her back.  Do you have any special gifts or talents that sometimes feel like burdens?

#6  I find the bad guy, Mother Gothel, to be an interesting character.  Despite her wickedness, Rapunzel grows up obeying and even loving her.  In fact, even at the end, Rapunzel reaches out to keep her from falling from the tower window.  Scripture says that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and serve according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  Think of an example of a good that has come from a bad situation or even a bad person in your own life.

After waiting a lifetime, Simeon holds the savior

#7  Rapunzel's parents, the king and queen, persevere year after year in hoping that their daughter will be returned to them.  The lanterns symbolize that hope and, in the end,  are the beacons that guide Rapunzel home.  There are many stories in the bible about God rewarding Hope.  Simeon's story is a favorite of mine.  What does it mean to you to hope for something?  Is Hope an active or passive virtue in your life?


#8  And last but not least--Flynn Rider's story is one of redemption.  He goes from damaged, selfish thief to true hero, laying down his life to save the one he loves.  When he cuts off Rapunzel's hair at the end, he frees not only Rapunzel but himself from the hell of always putting his own interests first.  How has love saved you?  I'm not only speaking of romantic love.  It could be love for any person or Jesus/God Himself.  Is there anything you need to cut out of your life to enable you to love better?


OK--that's enough.  If you have kids and like the movie, I encourage you to adapt some of the questions for them.  They may amaze you with their insights and show you that you don't have to have a long white beard or lots of letters after your name to think deep thoughts.  Having the heart of a child is really much more useful for these kinds of things.

Happy Hump Day mañana!

My Contribution

So, here's my answer and I apologize if I have raised expectations as to what I have to add to the discussion.  I previously mentioned that my initial pick was The Wizard of Oz and, in some ways I have much more in common with Dorothy than with the character I am about to name.  Heck--I dressed up as Dorothy one Halloween growing up.  Is there anyone who doesn't dream of a place where there "isn't any trouble"?

I said in my last post that Kevin's answer tied in with mine.  Here's how.  Sometime when I was in elementary school, I started noticing that everything I studied could teach me something about God.  I started looking for those connections.  Specifically, I remember my seventh grade science class where I drew cell structures and reflected on how the electrons moving around the nucleus were like souls orbiting their creator.  Those were thoughts I kept to myself but from that time on, I have never read or watched or learned anything without placing it in the context of what I know about God.  So when Kevin said that he responds "As you wish" to God's call to him each day to be the best husband and father he can, I nodded.  He gets it.

Every story we hear, read or watch has meaning.  There is no such thing as "just a story".  I evaluate stories for the way they tie into the story of salvation.  They get a thumbs up for corresponding to it and a thumbs down for contradicting it.  This is especially true of love stories.  True love always leads to God from whom all love flows.  It calls us to be the best version of ourselves and often, to change.  But always, to respond in some way.

My story is about a love that frees and brings forth new life.  I'm sure some of you know it.  It is Disney's Tangled.  People have criticized Disney for changing the title from the original Rapunzel to Tangled but I love the name because it describes perfectly the state of things at the beginning of the film. Rapunzel is tangled in the web of Mother Gothel's vanity and deception and the hunky hero, Flynn, is tangled in a life of sin.  Fortunately for both of them, Flynn climbs the tower and acts as escort to the lost princess who eventually reclaims her birthright.  

While I really love everything about this movie and have quite the crush on Flynn Rider (Chris doesn't mind since he's a cartoon character), the part about the movie that makes me cry every time is the boat scene.  Rapunzel has waited her entire life to see the lights (lanterns released for the lost princess) and there she is, beginning life anew with her guy.  Visually, the scene is stunning and the song even more so.

All those days watching from the windows

All those years outside looking in

All that time never even knowing

Just how blind I've been

Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight

Now I'm here, suddenly I see

Standing here, it's all so clear

I'm where I'm meant to be

Eugene(Flynn):

All those days chasing down a daydream

All those years living in a blur

All that time never truly seeing

Things, the way they were

And at last I see the light

And it's like the fog has lifted

And at last I see the light

And it's like the sky is new

And it's warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted

All at once everything looks different

Now that I see you

So, Flynn and Rapunzel are singing about "seeing the light" in each other and all I can think of is God.  I don't know about you but I am aware every day of my limitations in getting close to Him.  I see dimly.  I squint.  I fumble and fall.  But one day I know that I will sing the words to this song.  I know I will.  Because heaven will be freedom and perfect sight.  No more contact lenses for me.  

As for my prince down below, Chris has taught me more than anyone in my life what love is.  If I am able to love even one person beyond our daughters, it is because of him.  And that is what love does.  It empowers us to spread that love to the end of the earth.  Which is what we see at the end of Tangled.  Rapunzel becomes a kind and loving ruler with her sidekick Flynn to support her.  True love gives and shares.  True love is forever.  All love comes from God.

See you back here next time.

Madeleine drew this for me for mother's day.

Awesome really.

Here, Chris does "the smolder".  Ok...it's working..gotta' go :)

We Have A Winner!

So, as I said in my original contest announcement, the entrants' task was to answer the question by making as many personal connections as possible with the chosen story.  Our winner made seven explicit connections with her chosen story and several implied ones.  In order to be fair to the other entrants, I decided to only count the explicit ones but Jen Henkel, my cousin, still came out ahead with her score of seven.  She asked me not to share her answer but I will tell you that it ended with a kiss and a promise of good times ahead or, in fairy tale lingo, happily ever after.  Congratulations to Jen!  The mystery movie/ date night bucket will be on its way to you this week.  (Though it turned out she didn't need it, Jen also got extra credit for submitting answers for three of her kids and her husband.  Well done Henkel family!)
Close behind Jen with a score of five each were my sister Tara and my brother-in-law Kevin.  I want to share some of what Kevin wrote because it ties in with my answer which I will post next time.

Kevin wrote about The Princess Bride and compared himself to the main character, Westley.  His words:

Throughout this charming fairy tale movie, Westley is driven by one simple motivation--true love.  More specifically, true love for his first and only sweetheart, Buttercup....But Westley had another weapon that aided him in these and all his other fantastic adventures and that was the wonderful catch phrase "As you wish".  This thoroughly selfless attitude is what I hope and aspire to share with this fairy tale hero.
Being a stay-at-home dad gives me plenty of time to be selfish.  That's an odd statement, but true.  However, I make all the effort I can to mirror Westley's selflessness and to keep our home ship running smoothly and to father our kids to the best of my ability.  I imagine that each morning when she leaves, Abby asks me to be the best husband and father I can be and in my mind, I reply "As you wish".  I think also that God is, each day tasking me with the responsibilities of reflecting His path and His word in what I do and in my mind, I reply, "As you wish"....
...That's the spirit that keeps me motivated as a stay-at -home dad and why I love my role so much.  I get to make Abby's, Cecilia's and Joseph's life as wonderful as possible because that's what they wish and what I wish and because, together, my family is my one true love.


Kevin also made excellent mention of "buckling swashes" and other pirate-like behavior that apparently happens at the new moon in Lenexa, KS.  I know I will never be able to watch TPB the same way again.  Thank you to Kevin for such a humorous and insightful answer.

Other answers:

Maggie Henkel said that she is most like Alice in Wonderland because she falls asleep when her older sister is talking to her.

Jeffrey Henkel first said that he is Peter Pan because he never wants to grow up and then changed his answer to Edmund from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe because Edmund made mistakes and lied but in the end, saw the mistake and chose to be a better person.

Stephen Henkel said that he is like Cinderella because he does chores 24/7 and his siblings treat him like dirt.  (I'm sending his mom a very small violin.)

Tim Henkel, Jen's sweet hubby, said he is most like Fred Flintstone because "he screws up all the time but really loves his wife".  Much as I like the "loved his wife" part of this answer, I had to disqualify Tim on the grounds that FF is not a fairy tale character or a character from a well known story.  In fact, these days, he may be best known as a chewable vitamin :)

Dolores Credeur said that her story would have to be The Lord of the Rings for the war between good and evil.  I have to give her answer a thumbs up because, as our blog is named for Frodo, the hero, we consider LOTR  an important story in our lives as well.

So that's it.  Muchas gracias to everyone who entered.  I hope you had as much fun as I did.

My pick, which also happens to be the mystery movie, coming up next!

Contest Back Story

A little over a year ago, I planned an all day birthday celebration for a friend here in Houston.  I went all out squeezing in things she might like to do but there is only one moment that stands out in my memory from the whole busy day.  We were driving between activities and pulling fun questions from a bag when the question, “Which fairy tale best depicts the story of your life?” was asked.  The three of us in the car each offered an answer.  Real answers all, with meat and meaning.  The air between us was charged with authenticity and then…the moment passed and we all went on with our day and our lives.

I gave an answer that afternoon that fit but it has since changed and that is what this contest is about.  Thank you to all of you who humored me with an entry.  I had eight in all and several “I really meant to”s.  If you did not submit a response, I hope you thought about the question for yourself.  That was the point after all.

See you back here next time with results.

Confession

Late this afternoon, I did something I'm not particularly proud of.  I exempted myself from Jury Duty.  I know, I know, not the juiciest of confessions but I am pretty sure that Mrs. Southard, my excellent but very intimidating Government teacher, would not approve.  Civic duties are important and should be fulfilled if at all possible.
It was surprisingly easy to opt out.  I simply entered my juror number and checked my reason for exemption (having custody of children under the age of 15 who required my presence at home) and, like magic, I'm off the hook.
Of course, if I'd wanted to, I could have asked Madeleine, Jack or Barbara to babysit on the 24th while I spent the day downtown at Jury Duty.  Not my first choice of a way to spend a vacation day away from my job as head teacher at The Doyle All Girl Academy, but possible.
Here's the thing though--I do not feel particularly motivated to bend over backward to support the "system".  I recognize the need for government, laws and all the rest.  The problem is that in one big area that is very important to me--education--the powers that be are not doing a very good job.  I say that from the perspective of both a parent and a teacher.
As you know, we, like many, many families, have opted to educate our children at home.  This saves the government money because we are sending five fewer children through the school system.  We absorb all the costs of our kids' education and, in the end, if we are like most home schoolers, our results will be better than the public schools' both academically and in the area of citizenship.  I think it would be fair for us and all home schoolers to receive at least a small tax credit.  I don't want anything that comes with government interference, just an amount for each child not drawing from public school funds.
That will not happen for two reasons--#1) the government has little interest in supporting home schooling or encouraging it in any way because  #2) school today is as much about sensitivity training or institutional "brain washing" as anything else.
If that sounds far fetched to you, you might want to pull up a list of the books taught in English class in junior high and high school these days (these will be different depending on where you live).  I looked at a few different lists at the beginning of this year in an attempt to find some standard reading lists but recognized few titles.  They all seem to deal with kids with sexual identity issues, serious family issues, drugs, you name it.  Traditionally, English class is where students are supposed to read good literature, learn to write well, think critically and contribute to a good discussion and other related things.  If you talk to college teachers (including myself), many will tell you that they are getting students lacking in most of those areas.  Many are totally unprepared for college level courses.  As a result, the first part of college involves filling in the gaps in a student's high school education.  In my opinion, that is sad and a misuse of both time and money.
But back to Jury Duty.  I said that I wasn't proud of shirking.  In an ideal world, I would be there doing my best to be a fair juror.  Really though,  I'm probably doing more for society by staying home and teaching my kids that day.  Sophie is learning to read, we're almost finished studying the planets and Grace and I are getting ready to start sacrament preparation.  I think I'm okay with letting someone else fill in for me this time.  Sorry Mrs. Southard!

More on Mother's Day

The best word to describe this year's Mother's Day is "easy".  The whole day (except for the mad dash to get the girls ready for singing in the children's choir at Mass) was smooth, easy and fun.  After Mass,  Chris slipped away with Madeleine and Ella to do some last minute grocery shopping.  I stayed behind with the other girls and visited with friends for an hour--a huge treat.  G and G Doyle came over for brunch and enjoyed a Mom/ Grandma appreciation activity designed by Madeleine.  The afternoon was full of pictures and spending time together and Chris gave a last minute call to our friends Michael and Michelle to join us for a casual dinner--grilled of course.  After we ate, the kids played outside while the adults played 31 at the kitchen table.  The stakes were high--three quarters each--and I was the lucky one to walk away with the pot of $3 (which Chris spent today on tolls--I'm charging him interest).

And below, more photos from our Mother's Day shoot.  I've been wanting to go to a real studio to get group photos of our family but didn't want to ruin Sunday with the kind of hassle that involves.  So, we did the next best thing--we set up a studio in our master bedroom.  The walls are off-white and it gets great light so it was perfect.  Normally when I'm indoors, I set the ISO at 1600.  For our shoot, with the light overhead and coming in the windows, I had it at 1000.  I think that made a big difference in the crispness of the pictures.  I really loved the "winner" that I posted last time.  Below, a few of our bloopers and some shots of a few posers :)

 Mommy in a head lock.  Is this a good idea?

 They seem to be in turmoil but I'm ready and smiling

I like Sophie in this one

 

and, our favorite again

 Black and White--white pants, black feet

 Always peaceful

  the infamous blue chair...

(more on that later)

 the oldest and the youngest

I hope all is well with you.  Happy Halfway Day tomorrow!

Love, Alice