A Sister's Influence

I am driving the carpool home. Gavin is showing his best friend his favorite feature of the new car--the back windows are in his control.


The song "I Don't Want This Night to End" by Luke Bryan comes onto the radio.  He turns to Noah and says you have to roll down your window." Then looking at me says "Mom!  Turn it up!" and he starts singing at the top of his lungs;

You got your hands up
You’re rocking in my truck
You got the radio on
You’re singing every song
I’m set on cruise control.....

Thank you Marissa.

Bird Feeder?

Did you know once a month they have a free kids project at Home Depot?  Beyond the benefit of it being free, they have a kit with everything you need, the area setup with paint and tools and glue, and the biggest benefit is that none of the mess ends up in your home.  I love this idea!

Gavin and Shawn went to Home Depot on Saturday to "build something". The project was a bird feeder that attaches to the outside of your window with suction cups.  Gavin spent almost thirty minutes building and painting it very intently.  Then he proudly pronounced it done.

One the way home Shawn and he were talking about where to put it.  "I want to put the Bird Catcher on my window in my room."  commented Gavin.

 "It is a bird feeder, not bird catcher" corrected Shawn.  "How will the birds get inside to eat the bird seed if you put it in your room instead of on the outside of the window?"

"Well we could leave the front door open and put seed in a line leading the bird to my room.  Then we could catch the bird and keep it."  Gavin is always thinking.

"Gavin, how do you think Mom would like it if we spread birdseed all over the floor?"  Gavin thought about it, and Shawn added "Remember that this isn't to catch the birds, it is to feed them food." 

"Ok.  Fine." relents Gavin with an audible sigh, "We can hang it on the outside of the window.  And I will just hide in the bushes and catch the bird when he sits down to eat."

Candy for Sale

Gavin decided today to set up a shop on our street selling some of his Easter candy.  He set up a table and chair, put some jelly beans on toothpicks, labeled glasses with prices and took his seat waving at the cars driving by our house.


Our dear neighbor and friend pulled up in her car, called out her window.  "Hey Gavin!  What are you selling?"

Gavin put on his best salesman attitude and said calmly from his seat at the table.  "Jelly beans on a stick, M&M's--but some are broken-- and chocolate kisses."
Seeing that the kisses were the only wrapped candy, our neighbor opted for them.  "I'll take one of the kisses.  Wait make that two kisses. Brecken is at home I will get one for her too."  Gavin busied himself digging out a kiss from the glass and walking over to the car.

"How much?", she asked, digging through the change in her car.
"Four dollars." responded Gavin.  She looked up and laughed out loud as Gavin drew her attention to the clearly labeled glass....$4.
"Uhhh..." I started interceding with Gavin "You can't charge...." but I was interrupted by our neighbor.
"Well, Gavin.  I don't have that much here.  How about 10 cents?"
"That's OK" Gavin responded.  "You can have two of them for 10 cents."
"Oh no!" responded our neighbor.  "Let me find another 10 cents." she found the money and thanked Gavin for the treats.
When she arrived home she texted That was so funny. I am still laughing.  I am sending up other customers.
At the end of 30 minutes, Tiffany helped count up the money.  He took in $8.32.  "That kid made $16 per hour!"  Tiffany said astonished.  "Selling old Easter candy--the day after Easter.  That kid can sell anything!"

Fear and Spiders

I know it is incredibly irrational of me....but I really am afraid of spiders.  No amount of telling myself they are God's creatures, or that they fear me more than I fear them, makes me feel better about spiders.  Would I brush one off one of my kids?  Yes.  But that is about my limit.  My sisters are going to have to brush off their own.

If you visited my room in my teen years, you might very well see glasses upside down--mini spider prison cells --on my carpeted floor.  I would leave them until daylight, when I could see them properly.  Then slipping some card stock under the glass, I would carry the spider on the card stock--with the glass still in place over it-- to the toilet.  Being careful not to hold my hand directly under the spider--in case of some "spider scurrying vibrations" were felt-- which might cause me to scream, throw the glass, spider and run.  It happened once....it wasn't pretty.   (Looking back I think it interesting that I didn't beg Matt or Todd to dispose of them for me--you'd think they would have done it for me if I'd asked them.)

Shawn got a chuckle out of our Peruvian guide showing me a scorpion spider in the Amazon jungle. We were on a night hike, and I had been asking to see a tree frog for a couple days.  The guide asked me to step forward and turn my light on a certain spot on the bank. I didn't see it at first.  But then I saw what he was asking me to see.  The biggest spider I had ever seen.  FREAKY!  --For everyone in the group not just me!  It was LITERALLY the size of a dinner plate.  You'll be happy to know that out of sheer determination not to land by it, I didn't faint.  Nor did I scream for fear it would move towards me.

Literally the size of a dinner plate and  sitting less than 10 feet from where I stood.

As an adult, I feel I should try to set a good example for my kids--you know be brave and not let on how it terrifies me. I am hoping to not pass on my irrational fears, and I have skirted the issue as much as possible.  Alas, Gavin discovered my fear this past Halloween, and he enjoys teasing me about spiders.  Thankfully he is trying to freak me out with glow-in-the-dark ones and I can feign my fear.

Seriously-- it is freaking me out looking at the pictures I put on this post!

So what do you think is the most healthy way to deal with your fears? Especially as a parent, I don't want to pass on my fears--it seems a lot of parents do that.  However, I want them to know that everyone fears something, and it is natural to feel that way about something.  Tell me your thoughts.  How do you deal with your fears?  Perhaps you are evolved and have already overcome them.

Ideas for Service

Shawn is off on his trip this week, and I have been contemplating things I can do here to occupy my time, as well as help me feel like I am accomplishing things while he is gone.

I have decided to do a house project, and a service project each of the 4 weeks he will be gone.  (Heaven knows I have enough home projects to fill everyday he will be gone.)  I am hoping this will help me focus my thoughts and energy in a positive way.

But I need some ideas!  Watching someone's kids, or making dinner.  I would love to hear your ideas.  

Comment in!  All ideas are welcome. 

Easter Bunny--Gavin Style

Gavin brought home this Easter picture and I put it up on the fridge, as a mom should.  I hadn't had time to talk to him about it, with guests, swim meets and busy things going on.  Today he and I were having a drink and looking at it.  I told him I liked the colors and asked him about the black dots on the bunny.

"That is spider hair" he commented waiting for me to squirm.  He knows how much I dislike spiders and enjoys teasing me.  "Ughh.  Gavin!  Why would you do that to a cute, soft little bunny." I say adding to his enjoyment.  

"Because it is a Vampire/Zombie bunny." He smirks.

"What?  I've had a picture of a Spider-haired Vampire Bunny on my fridge for the last two weeks?"  

"Yeah" he chuckles with delight.  "I knew you'd be freaked out if I told you, so I thought I would wait until after Easter."  His smile broadens.  "You see that egg by his feet?  Do you want me to tell you about that?" he chides on.

"No.  I think I like it better when I think it is a cute furry bunny with black poka-dots."  I say shaking my head and moving away.  I start to run with my hands over my ears.  

He chases me, yelling "You know why that egg has a crack on it?  It's cause a ZOMBIE is coming out of it!!  Mommmmm!!  Uncover your ears!!"

Tiffany's First Long Course Meet

Tiffany and I spent the weekend in Cedar city at the pool.  She had her first long-course meet.  I assumed that meant that the lengths of the pool were longer, which they are.  However, it also has the affect of slowing down the swimmers times, because there are fewer flip turns.  The Long Course Meet also it creates the opportunity to swim longer lengths.

Previous to this meet, the longest Tiffany had ever swam in an event was the 500 meter.  These events are dreaded among high school swimmers because they take a long time and a great deal of endurance.  Tiffany has swam that event a few times this year, but it was not her favorite event.

We saw the "heat sheet" for this weekend's meet and the 800 meter was listed among her events.  I casually said "No worries, you swim that far at least 4 times in practice every day, it shouldn't be any big deal.  Think of it as a practice set."  Then I saw the 1500 meter. You have got to be kidding.  Tif's first long course meet she is swimming 2- huge events!  Let alone the other 6 events she was in. Crap!  Is the new coach trying to discourage her?  Or break her in? I wondered.  When Tiffany commented that 1500 meters was a mile, I relaxed a little.  Tiffany and I ran a half-marathon 13 1/2 miles a couple years ago together, the word "mile" is not scary to me in the least.

The 1500 is such a long event that they do it as the last event on the last day.  They let all the volunteers who have been timing the meet go home.  Each swimmer must find a counter (they hold a lap count under the water on one end of the pool), and a timer to sit on the other and write down her split times, and make sure the time stops when she hits the pad at the end.

For some perspective to the non-swimmers, in a standard pool the 500 meter swim has 20 lengths (10 laps).  A length means going from one end to the other, a lap is going from one end to the other, flip turning and coming back.  The 800m--only swum in the long course--has 16 (8 laps), and the 1500 has 30 lengths (15laps).

Tiffany found a teammate to be her lap counter and I sat at the other end of the pool to record her time and splits.  Before she began we discussed her strategy.  "Coach says I should go out slow for the first 9 lengths, speed up when I see 9 to a good steady pace, when I see 19 speed up to a racing speed and when I see red (the red blocks signal the next length is finish) I will sprint.  I think I want to swim the first lap fast.  It will get me ahead of the others, and get rid of some nervous energy.  Then I will settle in for the swim."  I remarked "Sounds like a good strategy."

Right before she got on the block to start the event Tiffany said to me "Sometimes when I am swimming for a while I can't really tell how fast I am swimming.  Mom, if you can see that I am getting tired and I am starting to slow down, will you yell, encourage me and tell me to go faster?"  "Of course!"  I said.  "You know I love yelling at you!"  She smiled and got ready.

She dove into the water and began her race.  Her initial lap was strong and quick, then she settled into a steady pace.  Her counter on the other end about length 7 started yelling and wiggling the number in encouragement when she neared that end.  Her coach whistled a rhythm occasionally as she lapped, and when she reached my end I cheered, and yelled positive, "looking great", "great pace", "go Tiffany"

At length 10 I noticed that her time had increased, so I began cheering more loudly and encouraging longer as she approached.  At length 18 I could tell she was working harder to keep the same pace.  Her counter cheered, and wiggled her number more frantically.  Her coach who is usually pretty laid back about the swimmers, began whistling a quicker tempo, and Tiffany found somewhere in her the ability to speed up.

Break Down of her lap times were:
1:05
2:06
2:15
1:34
2:13
1:34
1:32
1:33
2:10
1:30
1:32
2:13
1:28
When she came in at a 22:59:22, her coach, who does not react to the swimmers, punched his fist above his head in a yes!  She was exhausted and red faced as we helped her out of the pool.  The assistant for DART came over and congratulated Tiffany for her first ever 1500 swim, and a couple of the parents told her good job.  We didn't realize until later that Tiffany had swam a near Junior Olympic time.  We were told that with altitude adjustment and an evening of the 4- 2:00 lap times, she could qualify.  When Tiffany checked in with the coach before leaving, he said "Well Tiffany.  Looks like we need to move you up to the Gold group and start pushing you harder."  Tiffany's smile was very broad when she turned to come towards me.

Because Tiffany's birthday is in 10 more days, she swam as the oldest in her age group.  A 17 year old on her team said "Enjoy your blue ribbons this meet, because next meet you'll be competing with 18 year old swimmers--just like me!"  It is true.  We are going to enjoy the first place, 2 second, and 3 third place medals from the weekend, as well as relish in the victory of completing her first ever mile swim.

While re-capping the meet on the way home Tiffany said "Most times I can't hear what you are saying when I am swimming, but I can see you there."  I thought of how this is often true out of the water too.  I hope  my kids know I love them, that I am cheering for them, and that I am here.