Yesterday Bunny Boo and I were over at her friend's house. Her friend asked all these questions about how Bunny Boo knew all of these things. I don't even remember half of it with how fast they were jumping from topic to topic! Her friend seemed amazed at how she could be so smart. She wanted to know how Bunny Boo learned all these things.
Bunny Boo pointed to me, and then followed her friend's questioning look with, "My mom teaches me. She's my only teacher. I've never gone to school. That's why I'm so smart."
Of course, I had to remind them both that just because one person knows a lot doesn't mean their friend won't know just as much. They probably just know different things. For example, Bunny Boo's friend is pretty good at reading. Bunny Boo may know a lot about a whole bunch of things, but she's not so good at reading.
I also pointed out that I'm not Bunny Boo's other teacher. When she goes to "school" she goes to the homeschool co-op once a week. There she learns from other mothers and with other kids, kind of like school.
As I expected, this started out a new conversation. Bunny Boo's friend told her how she goes to school every day but Saturday and Sunday. She couldn't imagine only going to school one day in a week, or not at all. It's just something kids in school don't really think about. I'm sure some would find it cool, but other kids really like school and all the friends they have there. They couldn't imagine doing it all from home.
That's when things got interesting. I asked Bunny Boo when she stopped learning. She said she never did, and her friend was shocked. "Except when you're sick, right?" she responded. I told her Corde learns even when she's sick and I was told I was mean. Corde thought this was pretty funny and then explained how incredibly hard it is not to learn anything! She went on and on about how you can't ask questions, play games, read books, or even think because you might figure something out that you didn't know before. Even when you're sick you still learn stuff, even though you're just trying to get better. "It's impossible to stop learning!" she declared.
Right there her friend gave this look of disbelief. That's when I dropped the bomb on her. "You know what?" I asked. "We just proved our point. Just by talking to us for five minutes you learned a whole bunch about homeschooling and unschooling. See how hard it is not to learn?"
It was an interesting day. It really did hit home for Bunny Boo that it's true, she never stops learning, and no one way of learning is better than any other. Sure, her friend goes to school and learns a lot of things there, but she learns a lot of things too. They both know a lot of different things, which means if they put their heads together, they really know quite a lot about the world. Better yet, we've shared the joy with someone else, the knowledge that no matter what you do, you never stop learning.
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Friday, September 30, 2011
A Bit of Reflection
Due to the recent visit from a good friend of mine, I've kind of started to reflect on my life and my situation. In many ways, I'm pretty lucky to find a place where my kids and I kind of fit in. The value of having a place I feel like I belong has seemed far too underplayed in my life.
As much as I've got a lot going on in my life that isn't great, I think I've got a lot going for me in my life. Yeah, I'm getting divorced. We're having a hard time getting all of our bills paid, so money is incredibly tight. We live in a neighborhood that, well, isn't exactly one of those neighborhoods people want to actively get into. In general, our situation isn't all that great. In comparison to the other homeschool families I know that all seem to have money (aside from the friend who visited, because she understands where we're coming from), I've got to admit that I'm a bit embarrassed to have people over. Of course, I'm not going to be like my mother was and refuse to let my kids have friends over. I just need to communicate to these families that we're doing the best we can with what we've got. No one can really expect more than that. I know some people will judge us for it, but that's more their problem than it is mine. If my kids can't be friends with theirs because we're all too happy to get second-hand clothing and we live in a poor neighborhood, maybe they're not the kind of people I want involved in my children's lives, you know? Situation isn't everything and we're doing the best we can with what we've got. The fact that we are willing to homeschool even with our limited resources should, at the very least, show how incredibly dedicated we are.
There really are a lot of families out there who would judge me on my situation. I have to admit to the twinge of nervousness I have when I invite someone over that's clearly in a better situation than I am financially. When I see their house is big, beautiful, in a quiet neighborhood (and quite likely, very expensive), it worries me to invite them back to our small upstairs three bedroom in a fourplex right down the street from the club with the worst reputation in town. It makes them wonder how they're going to judge me, or if they just won't want to come over because of our situation. It's not easy for me.
Thankfully, the co-op is filled with a lot of families that just don't seem to ask too many questions. They don't pry into my life. They don't ask what my husband does. They've asked how I ended up here in Texas, so the divorce came up, but no one seemed to really have anything to say about it, beyond giving the impression that they felt it is what it is and our experiences make us stronger. I seem like a happy person in spite of it all, and my kids are great, so why should it matter that I'm getting divorced? It's a wonderful thing. Everyone is so kind and supportive. It just seems like a group of people that really gets me, even if they don't understand everything about me. I'm not treated differently for having a face full of metal, two gauge earrings, and dreads in my hair. I'm not treated differently because I show up in thigh-high striped socks and sneakers under my shorts and just don't look like what most people would expect when they think of "mother", never mind "homeschooling mother". Then you throw in "unschooling mother" and I've gotten some really odd looks! It's amazing what people can expect of you when you throw those labels around!
When my friend visited, I realized just how lucky I was to have her. It's not often I find people who are as wonderful as she's been. She's been there with me through the divorce. We were pregnant together when I was pregnant with my littlest. We've had countless conversations, and even a couple falling-outs, but in the end we're always friends. On the last visit I got a laugh out of her forgetting the cloth diapers I pulled out for her when she left. I know she can be flighty (and I don't feel bad judging because I think I'm worse than she is by far!) and it makes me smile with little things like that. It's not just because I know she's forgetful, but also because it's almost like she planned it that way, so I'd have to see her again sooner rather than later! She's the one that first told me about this magical thing called "unschooling", which really fit exactly the direction I was trying to go with my children. I just wish I'd known about it sooner! I would have felt a lot more confident in the way I was raising my children! She thought I was so well-read on the subject, but I've got to admit, I wasn't well read on much to do with homeschooling and unschooling until I'd met her. She made a huge impact on my life, more than I really thought she would. Because of her, I've felt a lot more confident in my decisions as a parent, and a lot of the choices I've made in my life, especially recently. I can't tell you how lucky I am to have her as a friend!
As she said, a lot of people have been having this great epiphany moment in their lives lately. I couldn't place my finger on just how I was feeling, but that's exactly how I feel. I've found a place where I belong. There are options right in front of my nose, just screaming to be taken. It feels like I've got work to do and I just need to figure out what direction I need to go. I just want to immerse myself into this whole homeschooling/unschooling thing. Suddenly I just want to give up a lot of the things that really get in the way of being the mother I want to be. It's shocking how fast my children are growing up and in many ways I feel like I've lost touch. I just don't know them anymore. I don't know their hopes, their dreams, all because life has gotten in the way. I haven't had the time to dedicate to them the way I always thought I would, and it's time to reconnect. I've had that epiphany. If I start living the life I feel I'm meant to lead everything else will just somehow magically fall into place. Yes, it's going to require a lot of hard work, but that's part of the direction I need to go. The work is all part of the journey.
Already in the past few weeks I've started making major changes in my life. I've started to do the work and already the benefits are paying off. My kids are all much happier. I feel like I have a place I belong at the co-op. I'm making connections with old friends that I really need in my life right now (whether I was willing to admit it in the past or not!) Things are already starting to magically fall in place. (Okay, so I guess it doesn't count as "magically" if it's really my hard work paying off...) I've got a long way to go, but I'm definitely not going to let myself lose touch with my kids like that again. With every step forward I'm getting that much closer to the vision of what I want in my life. Isn't that a beautiful thing?
As much as I've got a lot going on in my life that isn't great, I think I've got a lot going for me in my life. Yeah, I'm getting divorced. We're having a hard time getting all of our bills paid, so money is incredibly tight. We live in a neighborhood that, well, isn't exactly one of those neighborhoods people want to actively get into. In general, our situation isn't all that great. In comparison to the other homeschool families I know that all seem to have money (aside from the friend who visited, because she understands where we're coming from), I've got to admit that I'm a bit embarrassed to have people over. Of course, I'm not going to be like my mother was and refuse to let my kids have friends over. I just need to communicate to these families that we're doing the best we can with what we've got. No one can really expect more than that. I know some people will judge us for it, but that's more their problem than it is mine. If my kids can't be friends with theirs because we're all too happy to get second-hand clothing and we live in a poor neighborhood, maybe they're not the kind of people I want involved in my children's lives, you know? Situation isn't everything and we're doing the best we can with what we've got. The fact that we are willing to homeschool even with our limited resources should, at the very least, show how incredibly dedicated we are.
There really are a lot of families out there who would judge me on my situation. I have to admit to the twinge of nervousness I have when I invite someone over that's clearly in a better situation than I am financially. When I see their house is big, beautiful, in a quiet neighborhood (and quite likely, very expensive), it worries me to invite them back to our small upstairs three bedroom in a fourplex right down the street from the club with the worst reputation in town. It makes them wonder how they're going to judge me, or if they just won't want to come over because of our situation. It's not easy for me.
Thankfully, the co-op is filled with a lot of families that just don't seem to ask too many questions. They don't pry into my life. They don't ask what my husband does. They've asked how I ended up here in Texas, so the divorce came up, but no one seemed to really have anything to say about it, beyond giving the impression that they felt it is what it is and our experiences make us stronger. I seem like a happy person in spite of it all, and my kids are great, so why should it matter that I'm getting divorced? It's a wonderful thing. Everyone is so kind and supportive. It just seems like a group of people that really gets me, even if they don't understand everything about me. I'm not treated differently for having a face full of metal, two gauge earrings, and dreads in my hair. I'm not treated differently because I show up in thigh-high striped socks and sneakers under my shorts and just don't look like what most people would expect when they think of "mother", never mind "homeschooling mother". Then you throw in "unschooling mother" and I've gotten some really odd looks! It's amazing what people can expect of you when you throw those labels around!
When my friend visited, I realized just how lucky I was to have her. It's not often I find people who are as wonderful as she's been. She's been there with me through the divorce. We were pregnant together when I was pregnant with my littlest. We've had countless conversations, and even a couple falling-outs, but in the end we're always friends. On the last visit I got a laugh out of her forgetting the cloth diapers I pulled out for her when she left. I know she can be flighty (and I don't feel bad judging because I think I'm worse than she is by far!) and it makes me smile with little things like that. It's not just because I know she's forgetful, but also because it's almost like she planned it that way, so I'd have to see her again sooner rather than later! She's the one that first told me about this magical thing called "unschooling", which really fit exactly the direction I was trying to go with my children. I just wish I'd known about it sooner! I would have felt a lot more confident in the way I was raising my children! She thought I was so well-read on the subject, but I've got to admit, I wasn't well read on much to do with homeschooling and unschooling until I'd met her. She made a huge impact on my life, more than I really thought she would. Because of her, I've felt a lot more confident in my decisions as a parent, and a lot of the choices I've made in my life, especially recently. I can't tell you how lucky I am to have her as a friend!
As she said, a lot of people have been having this great epiphany moment in their lives lately. I couldn't place my finger on just how I was feeling, but that's exactly how I feel. I've found a place where I belong. There are options right in front of my nose, just screaming to be taken. It feels like I've got work to do and I just need to figure out what direction I need to go. I just want to immerse myself into this whole homeschooling/unschooling thing. Suddenly I just want to give up a lot of the things that really get in the way of being the mother I want to be. It's shocking how fast my children are growing up and in many ways I feel like I've lost touch. I just don't know them anymore. I don't know their hopes, their dreams, all because life has gotten in the way. I haven't had the time to dedicate to them the way I always thought I would, and it's time to reconnect. I've had that epiphany. If I start living the life I feel I'm meant to lead everything else will just somehow magically fall into place. Yes, it's going to require a lot of hard work, but that's part of the direction I need to go. The work is all part of the journey.
Already in the past few weeks I've started making major changes in my life. I've started to do the work and already the benefits are paying off. My kids are all much happier. I feel like I have a place I belong at the co-op. I'm making connections with old friends that I really need in my life right now (whether I was willing to admit it in the past or not!) Things are already starting to magically fall in place. (Okay, so I guess it doesn't count as "magically" if it's really my hard work paying off...) I've got a long way to go, but I'm definitely not going to let myself lose touch with my kids like that again. With every step forward I'm getting that much closer to the vision of what I want in my life. Isn't that a beautiful thing?
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The Co-op Is So Refreshing!
Yesterday was a quiet day at the co-op. Several of the families just weren't going to make it. It felt a little strange to be there with so few people there. Even so, it wasn't too bad. It was just one of those days I guess.
Because of the events of the day, things didn't go as planned. We've been combining the kinder-music class with the sign language class for practicality. Both of them take about a half of the time and the Littles really seem to be more interested in the fun things the Super Littles are doing, so it made it challenging. It's hard when you have to hear the music from next door, which sounds like so much fun, and then have to sit and pay attention. I get where they're coming from. Yesterday the sign teacher was out, so we ended up skipping the sign portion of the class. No one really seemed to know what to do and I'll be honest, I wanted to continue the class without her, but I couldn't imagine what I would teach! I'm very rusty at sign at best! We don't really use it at home much, and never have, so I'm not terribly familiar. However, all of the kids got to enjoy the play time, and the music was a hit, as always.
For the third class of the day, I was alone. I have to admit, I hadn't really talked to the mom who had offered to help me watch the two Super Littles, and someone had suggested we just bring them all to the Littles' class on the human body. We decided to give that a go. It meant I didn't have to be brave enough to come out of my shell and talk to a mom I barely knew for a whole hour. My littlest one was tired and cranky the whole class, and I think the two Super Littles were distracting, but for one class it wasn't the end of the world, and the teacher didn't seem to mind, so we just went with it. It was just going to be for one class because of the absences, and it was a nice chance to see what my older son was doing.
Late last night, just as I was curling up to sleep, I got an e-mail from the woman organizing the co-op. She was asking all the moms of the Littles and the Super Littles how they felt about the two age groups and classes. She wanted to know how we all felt about the situation. There were a lot of changes in the co-op for this semester. The Middles were divided in two. The Littles just opened up to four-year-olds, when previous to that the youngest were five year olds. Now we're looking at the combination of classes and she was wondering if we wanted to do that, or if we'd thought it better to keep them separate, or how we wanted to go with it. This is our co-op. What do we want to do with it?
I have to admit, I was thrilled to have it come up in such an open and immediate way. She was very direct with the question, and definitely was leaving it up to us parents to discuss, share, and figure out what we wanted to do. Ideas are already flowing and it's only been a day. Four of the moms from those age groups have already weighed in and it hasn't even been a whole day since that e-mail went out. It seems like we all agree the third class of the day was a one-time thing in order to deal with the absences, but in the future, the classes will be separate. It also seems that about half the moms like the new format of the second class. I love how one mom put it. The reason she homeschools is to get away from rigid structure. What happened in the class is just a reflection of that go with the flow feeling she's going for. I very much feel the same way.
I don't know what the end result of all of this will be. Even with my very strong willed nature, I've got no attachment to the outcome (something that's very unusual for me). I'm happy no matter how things go because my kids are loving the co-op, and now I have confidence that I will too!
On top of it all, there was a mother there that I was a little concerned about. It's not that I thought she was a bad parent or anything. I just thought there could be considerable friction between us because of our varying views. I mentioned an idea last week and she immediately shot it down. I felt like she was treating me like I didn't know what I was talking about. I was concerned that we would continue down this path. She and I would continue not to see eye to eye. Between talking to her for a good long while yesterday and her input on the discussion, I'm really feeling like we perhaps see more eye to eye than I thought. I'm actually starting to *gasp* like her!
Because of the events of the day, things didn't go as planned. We've been combining the kinder-music class with the sign language class for practicality. Both of them take about a half of the time and the Littles really seem to be more interested in the fun things the Super Littles are doing, so it made it challenging. It's hard when you have to hear the music from next door, which sounds like so much fun, and then have to sit and pay attention. I get where they're coming from. Yesterday the sign teacher was out, so we ended up skipping the sign portion of the class. No one really seemed to know what to do and I'll be honest, I wanted to continue the class without her, but I couldn't imagine what I would teach! I'm very rusty at sign at best! We don't really use it at home much, and never have, so I'm not terribly familiar. However, all of the kids got to enjoy the play time, and the music was a hit, as always.
For the third class of the day, I was alone. I have to admit, I hadn't really talked to the mom who had offered to help me watch the two Super Littles, and someone had suggested we just bring them all to the Littles' class on the human body. We decided to give that a go. It meant I didn't have to be brave enough to come out of my shell and talk to a mom I barely knew for a whole hour. My littlest one was tired and cranky the whole class, and I think the two Super Littles were distracting, but for one class it wasn't the end of the world, and the teacher didn't seem to mind, so we just went with it. It was just going to be for one class because of the absences, and it was a nice chance to see what my older son was doing.
Late last night, just as I was curling up to sleep, I got an e-mail from the woman organizing the co-op. She was asking all the moms of the Littles and the Super Littles how they felt about the two age groups and classes. She wanted to know how we all felt about the situation. There were a lot of changes in the co-op for this semester. The Middles were divided in two. The Littles just opened up to four-year-olds, when previous to that the youngest were five year olds. Now we're looking at the combination of classes and she was wondering if we wanted to do that, or if we'd thought it better to keep them separate, or how we wanted to go with it. This is our co-op. What do we want to do with it?
I have to admit, I was thrilled to have it come up in such an open and immediate way. She was very direct with the question, and definitely was leaving it up to us parents to discuss, share, and figure out what we wanted to do. Ideas are already flowing and it's only been a day. Four of the moms from those age groups have already weighed in and it hasn't even been a whole day since that e-mail went out. It seems like we all agree the third class of the day was a one-time thing in order to deal with the absences, but in the future, the classes will be separate. It also seems that about half the moms like the new format of the second class. I love how one mom put it. The reason she homeschools is to get away from rigid structure. What happened in the class is just a reflection of that go with the flow feeling she's going for. I very much feel the same way.
I don't know what the end result of all of this will be. Even with my very strong willed nature, I've got no attachment to the outcome (something that's very unusual for me). I'm happy no matter how things go because my kids are loving the co-op, and now I have confidence that I will too!
On top of it all, there was a mother there that I was a little concerned about. It's not that I thought she was a bad parent or anything. I just thought there could be considerable friction between us because of our varying views. I mentioned an idea last week and she immediately shot it down. I felt like she was treating me like I didn't know what I was talking about. I was concerned that we would continue down this path. She and I would continue not to see eye to eye. Between talking to her for a good long while yesterday and her input on the discussion, I'm really feeling like we perhaps see more eye to eye than I thought. I'm actually starting to *gasp* like her!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The Death by Chocolate Competition
Yesterday I got an e-mail through the homeschool group. One of the girls was entered into the Death by Chocolate competition in Salado and the whole group was invited to attend. It was a small, free event held by the Friends of Salado Public Library. Everyone was invited to enter a chocolate recipe as part of Salado's Chocolate and Wine Festival. Everyone could vote, and at the end of it they gave away prizes to the winners. It was a chance for free chocolate and time to hang out with some of the kids from the co-op, so we decided we were going to go. Why not? It would be fun for the kids, right?
After a little bout of being lost, thanks to the navigation on my phone pointing us to South Main Street instead of North Main Street, we arrived. The event was admittedly smaller than I'd imagined, not surprising because Salado is kind of a small town. Sadly, a lot of the stuff had been picked pretty clean by the time we'd gotten there, but the kids didn't seem to mind. It wasn't long before my daughter and older son took off to play with the kids they knew from the co-op and I was left with the baby who was happily munching on a moon pie cookie on a stick. I have to admit it was kind of nice to have the kids run off with friends instead of having to listen to them whine that they were bored and there was nothing to do. Being held in a library, the kids all ran off to the children's section to play and look at books.
At the end of it all, the kids all went outside to play. My daughter ran off with the girls. I have to admit it's hard for me to watch her because she's kind of left out with that group. The girls have known each other for years, so it must be hard for them to include someone new, but my daughter doesn't seem to mind. I don't think she even noticed that she was kind of being left to the side a bit. I've noticed she doesn't have that problem so much at the co-op because there's a girl she's made fast friends with there. I think in time she'll fit in a lot better. When you're joining a group of kids that have been friends for years it's not always easy to jump in and be a part of everything. I've noticed the older kids are, the more time it takes to warm up to each other. In time I'm sure they'll all be just fine. Most importantly, it may be hard for me to watch, but it's kind of a good social lesson for her to learn. It takes time to be included in a group and really make friends in the adult world. The fact that it doesn't seem to bother her now probably means she'll be just fine when she gets out there in the "real world" and wants to start making friends wherever the wind may take her.
My older son, on the other hand, finally broke away from being in his sister's shadow. For the first hour and a half we were there he wanted to stay with the girls. He felt more comfortable there since his sister was with him. I think that's proof that he needs more exposure to other kids. He's spent a good deal of time playing by himself or with his sister. He's not so sure on how to jump right in and be a part of a group. When we went outside, however, all it took was a suggestion to go play with the friend he'd gotten so excited to see when he got there and he was off like a bolt. His friend and his friend's cousin were sword fighting with sticks, so when he jumped in walking and growling like a monster (his new favorite thing to be), I was afraid they'd give him odd looks and leave him out as has happened so many times at the playground. Instead they just started "attacking" him (without actually hitting him) and when one boy dropped his "sword", my older son just picked it up and joined in the play. Next thing I know they're running up and down the side of the library playing robbers together. He'd lost his shy nature and jumped right in.
Even my youngest was thrilled. He kept trying to run off with the older boys, but he's so small and not so great on the running, so he kept getting left behind. He was walking so funny! With each step he looked about to fall over. The grass was soft and spongy, which is pretty strange considering the drought we're having. He was thrilled to bounce around through the grass, which provided something new to study.
On our way home, I talked about the competition with my daughter. She's decided she might like to enter it next year. I have a great recipe to teach her, my mother's fudge recipe. The only problem is figuring where I'm going to find the right ingredients. We may have to plan ahead and order some Marshmallow Fluff
online in order to have some for the competition. She may not win, but at least she'll get a great chance to both learn the recipe and do something a little bit fun. Not many kids her age do things like the chocolate competition. There were only four kids in the youth competition this year! It will definitely give her something to look forward to next year. And who knows? Maybe she'll come up with her own recipe to enter, or an idea of her own! We'll have to mark it on the calendar for next year. I'm sure she'd really enjoy being a part of it next time!
After a little bout of being lost, thanks to the navigation on my phone pointing us to South Main Street instead of North Main Street, we arrived. The event was admittedly smaller than I'd imagined, not surprising because Salado is kind of a small town. Sadly, a lot of the stuff had been picked pretty clean by the time we'd gotten there, but the kids didn't seem to mind. It wasn't long before my daughter and older son took off to play with the kids they knew from the co-op and I was left with the baby who was happily munching on a moon pie cookie on a stick. I have to admit it was kind of nice to have the kids run off with friends instead of having to listen to them whine that they were bored and there was nothing to do. Being held in a library, the kids all ran off to the children's section to play and look at books.
At the end of it all, the kids all went outside to play. My daughter ran off with the girls. I have to admit it's hard for me to watch her because she's kind of left out with that group. The girls have known each other for years, so it must be hard for them to include someone new, but my daughter doesn't seem to mind. I don't think she even noticed that she was kind of being left to the side a bit. I've noticed she doesn't have that problem so much at the co-op because there's a girl she's made fast friends with there. I think in time she'll fit in a lot better. When you're joining a group of kids that have been friends for years it's not always easy to jump in and be a part of everything. I've noticed the older kids are, the more time it takes to warm up to each other. In time I'm sure they'll all be just fine. Most importantly, it may be hard for me to watch, but it's kind of a good social lesson for her to learn. It takes time to be included in a group and really make friends in the adult world. The fact that it doesn't seem to bother her now probably means she'll be just fine when she gets out there in the "real world" and wants to start making friends wherever the wind may take her.
My older son, on the other hand, finally broke away from being in his sister's shadow. For the first hour and a half we were there he wanted to stay with the girls. He felt more comfortable there since his sister was with him. I think that's proof that he needs more exposure to other kids. He's spent a good deal of time playing by himself or with his sister. He's not so sure on how to jump right in and be a part of a group. When we went outside, however, all it took was a suggestion to go play with the friend he'd gotten so excited to see when he got there and he was off like a bolt. His friend and his friend's cousin were sword fighting with sticks, so when he jumped in walking and growling like a monster (his new favorite thing to be), I was afraid they'd give him odd looks and leave him out as has happened so many times at the playground. Instead they just started "attacking" him (without actually hitting him) and when one boy dropped his "sword", my older son just picked it up and joined in the play. Next thing I know they're running up and down the side of the library playing robbers together. He'd lost his shy nature and jumped right in.
Even my youngest was thrilled. He kept trying to run off with the older boys, but he's so small and not so great on the running, so he kept getting left behind. He was walking so funny! With each step he looked about to fall over. The grass was soft and spongy, which is pretty strange considering the drought we're having. He was thrilled to bounce around through the grass, which provided something new to study.
On our way home, I talked about the competition with my daughter. She's decided she might like to enter it next year. I have a great recipe to teach her, my mother's fudge recipe. The only problem is figuring where I'm going to find the right ingredients. We may have to plan ahead and order some Marshmallow Fluff
online in order to have some for the competition. She may not win, but at least she'll get a great chance to both learn the recipe and do something a little bit fun. Not many kids her age do things like the chocolate competition. There were only four kids in the youth competition this year! It will definitely give her something to look forward to next year. And who knows? Maybe she'll come up with her own recipe to enter, or an idea of her own! We'll have to mark it on the calendar for next year. I'm sure she'd really enjoy being a part of it next time!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
A Moment with Friends
It's been a while since the very dear friend I last lived with and I have talked. The last words between us were kind of difficult, but these things happen in life. Once you live together, it's not always the easiest to part ways in peace. We both learned a lot from each other, and about each other. There were the good times and the bad, but I guess it kind of felt like we'd gone our own separate ways.
You know how it is when friends part, right? We try to keep in contact, but distance, time, living two very separate lives, it all gets in the way. When there was even the slightest bit of negativity between the two of you, it makes it even harder for that distance to grow. I guess that's why I've seen so many friends walk away in my life. It's all to easy to lose touch.
I had really started to miss this friend, and her husband, even though her challenge is sometimes a bit trying to be around. He's got one of those personalities that almost intimidates me. It's not a bad thing, and he's definitely not a bad person. Actually, I love both of them very dearly and it's pained me not to be in touch, but many people would think I'd have no problems writing him off because he can be, well, a bit much to take. Still, I felt like something was missing in my life being so long out of touch.
The other day I got a text from my friend. To be honest, without looking at my messages, I couldn't even tell you what it was about. I think it may have been that we still had stuff at their house? Anyhow, I remembered that I wanted to tell her about a dream someone had told me, because it was her kind of thing. That started up a whole conversation. We were talking again, almost like it was before we moved in. It was wonderful.
Though we had other reasons for it, we had a nice visit yesterday. In theory we were there to pick up some of the stuff that had been left behind. The kids were going to have a chance to play together again, which was great for all of them. Finally, we were going to pick up her snake, Akasha, who she had been looking to rehome. Personally, I think of it more as "extended snake sitting" because I would be happy to send Akasha home any time, but I understand how it is when you no longer have the time to give a pet as much attention as it needs, and Akasha needs a lot of love and attention. Supposedly this was the only reason we were visiting, but if you know good friends, all of that is just an excuse to spend some good, quality time together.
Our visit was wonderful (aside from my friend feeling like her allergies were drowning her!), even though her husband wasn't there. As much as everything's changed so much, there's still that feeling that nothing's changed at all. In so many ways, it was like jumping back into the friendship again. She and I have been exchanging text messages today and it feels like we're back to normal again.
Our families have so many differences that at one time I would have doubted we could even be friends. We have different views on almost everything. Our lifestyles are shockingly different. On the outside, I'm sure many people would think we couldn't mesh so well, never mind being so close we're like family. I think of her as my sister and her husband as, well, that kind of cooky brother-in-law that doesn't quite share that special, close bond of family, but definitely fits in his own way! What can I say, I love them! They're wonderful people, and I'm not only glad I met them, but I didn't realize just how important they were to me until there was some distance. It's one of those things where "you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone." Well, until I didn't feel like I could just text or call any time something made me think of her, or until I could no longer see her all the time, I didn't realize how incredibly special our friendship was. After not talking for nearly a month, I've realized just how much I've missed them, and just how wonderful my friends are.
I guess for some people, one would think this is a friendship never meant to be, but I thank all the powers that be that I've got these two wonderful people as my friends, that I consider their family to be my family, and that we haven't just let everything fall apart. If any of you are reading this, just know that I love you all very much, and I'm so glad we're back to talking again. My life somehow seems lacking without you.
You know how it is when friends part, right? We try to keep in contact, but distance, time, living two very separate lives, it all gets in the way. When there was even the slightest bit of negativity between the two of you, it makes it even harder for that distance to grow. I guess that's why I've seen so many friends walk away in my life. It's all to easy to lose touch.
I had really started to miss this friend, and her husband, even though her challenge is sometimes a bit trying to be around. He's got one of those personalities that almost intimidates me. It's not a bad thing, and he's definitely not a bad person. Actually, I love both of them very dearly and it's pained me not to be in touch, but many people would think I'd have no problems writing him off because he can be, well, a bit much to take. Still, I felt like something was missing in my life being so long out of touch.
The other day I got a text from my friend. To be honest, without looking at my messages, I couldn't even tell you what it was about. I think it may have been that we still had stuff at their house? Anyhow, I remembered that I wanted to tell her about a dream someone had told me, because it was her kind of thing. That started up a whole conversation. We were talking again, almost like it was before we moved in. It was wonderful.
Though we had other reasons for it, we had a nice visit yesterday. In theory we were there to pick up some of the stuff that had been left behind. The kids were going to have a chance to play together again, which was great for all of them. Finally, we were going to pick up her snake, Akasha, who she had been looking to rehome. Personally, I think of it more as "extended snake sitting" because I would be happy to send Akasha home any time, but I understand how it is when you no longer have the time to give a pet as much attention as it needs, and Akasha needs a lot of love and attention. Supposedly this was the only reason we were visiting, but if you know good friends, all of that is just an excuse to spend some good, quality time together.
Our visit was wonderful (aside from my friend feeling like her allergies were drowning her!), even though her husband wasn't there. As much as everything's changed so much, there's still that feeling that nothing's changed at all. In so many ways, it was like jumping back into the friendship again. She and I have been exchanging text messages today and it feels like we're back to normal again.
Our families have so many differences that at one time I would have doubted we could even be friends. We have different views on almost everything. Our lifestyles are shockingly different. On the outside, I'm sure many people would think we couldn't mesh so well, never mind being so close we're like family. I think of her as my sister and her husband as, well, that kind of cooky brother-in-law that doesn't quite share that special, close bond of family, but definitely fits in his own way! What can I say, I love them! They're wonderful people, and I'm not only glad I met them, but I didn't realize just how important they were to me until there was some distance. It's one of those things where "you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone." Well, until I didn't feel like I could just text or call any time something made me think of her, or until I could no longer see her all the time, I didn't realize how incredibly special our friendship was. After not talking for nearly a month, I've realized just how much I've missed them, and just how wonderful my friends are.
I guess for some people, one would think this is a friendship never meant to be, but I thank all the powers that be that I've got these two wonderful people as my friends, that I consider their family to be my family, and that we haven't just let everything fall apart. If any of you are reading this, just know that I love you all very much, and I'm so glad we're back to talking again. My life somehow seems lacking without you.
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