Kairos Time

It's Great Lent. Time to slow down and focus more on God.

I did something hard. Something big. Something scary. I vowed to sign off of FB for Lent. Whooo! I think I'm addicted (I know I am) to the Internet. I LOVE my iPhone. Love. It has made my life easier. But, it also gives me 24/7 instant Internet contact. I love FB. I think it fun. I enjoy keeping up with family and friends. The sharing of ideas and triumphs and woes and laughs. And the photos. Love the sharing of photos. But, I've been spending too much time on FB. I get worried that I'll miss something in somebody's life. I check it a bunch of times a day. I walk around the house all day with my phone. Yikes, that's a scary confession. Sad but true. I don't want my kids to remember me with my face and attention away from them and focused on FB. Nope.

Breathe. I need to breathe and get my face out of a computer screen (or iPhone). How ironic that I'm typing all of this while staring at a screen. Ha! But, writing is good for me. It lets some of the swirly crowded thoughts in my head out....helps me breathe. So for Lent I'll be off FB but I will be writing on my blog. So, if you have BIG news or a HUGE catastrophe...please call me, email or just drop by for an old fashion cup of coffee and company. Please do. I'll miss all the FB updates.

I wrote in my last post about Kairos. I want to notice more Kairos moments. It helps to get through the Chronos time. Here's the wikipedia definition:

Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies a time in between, a moment of indeterminate time in which something special happens. What the special something is depends on who is using the word. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative nature.

See what I mean? Kairos. I have another way of describing Kairos moments. It's like seeing God. There is a great country song I heard on the radio. I don't know the name...sorry. Anyway the guy sings about how he saw God today. For example when he sees his newborn daughter. Seeing God. This is what I'm aiming for in Lent. I have a gratitude journal that I've used off and on for about a decade. I'm going to record some of the Kairos moments each day. I'll post some Kairos moments on here too.

I'm looking up and out and not at my screen so I can notice God's beauty and love.

Kairos moments today

1. Holding Baby George on my lap after he just woke up. He was all warm and snugly. I was looking at the strawberry blond hairs along his hairline and the way the sunlight lit them up. Beautiful.

2. While driving through town I saw two eagles soaring together above the trees. Majestic.

3. My sweet dog Kali "smiling" and the kids giggling at her. Tickled

These are the tiny snippets in my day that fill me with joy and God's love. What were your Kairos moments today?

Reflection

Memorial Day. I want to say thank you to all the veterans, past and present. Thank you for your service and dedication. Thank you also to the amazing families who support our veterans.

 

 

This pic of Busy Guy is from the Memorial Day Parade 2009. What a moment to capture on film. Truly a Kairos moment to treasure.

 

 

In the comments section Deborah asks, "Are there moments, days, when you KNOW we are right in the palm of God's hands?". I love this. I think it's a statement and a question. This is the essence of the Kairos moments that I post. Kairos moments are when time seems to slow or stop and we see glimpses of God and His beauty.

 

 

Kairos moments:

 

 

On a bicycle ride I passed a house and saw a woman combing her daughter's hair out in the front yard. They were standing in the welcoming sunshine all bathed in light.

 

 

At our bonfire last night Cam hollered to me that there were two eagles "coming in hot". I looked up in time to see two eagles flying low and chasing a bunch of crows RIGHT over our house and yard. Amazing!! I screeched and hooted. Such a sight.

 

 

On a walk one morning I saw a whole flock of goldfinch fly overhead.

 

 

During prayers last night I glimpsed Sis with her head resting on Cam's shoulder and her little hands around his neck.

A Litte of This and That

Tuba just went to his special dance that his school puts on each year for the kids in Special Education.  He had to get all new clothes because he has grown so much. He was thrilled...he's a real clothes horse. He especially loves shoes! The bow tie was my idea...isn't he cute?! He danced his heart out and was a very tired boy the next day. Happy and tired.

Sis was playing "Vet" with our sweet dog Kali. She put the dog up on a table and then was dipping a stick into a glass of water and running it up and down the dog's body. Kali stood still and let Sis play. 

Spring is here. The weather has been been off an on with sun and rain...and you know what that makes?! The kids all ran to the window and yelled, "Rainbow!!".

Time for me to revisit Kairos moments. It's nice to write them down as it helps remind me to look for them.

Kairos moments this week:

Holding a newborn baby and petting his soft downy hair.

On my date with George he was smiling and his eyes were all lit up with excitement as we played Eye Spy in the coffee shop. 

While scolding Moses I caught sight of his big brown beautiful eyes. A Kairos moment that softened my response to him. 

After book club I crawled into bed quietly to keep from waking Cam. As my eyes adjusted to the dark I could see his face peacefully sleeping. 

Two brown capped chickadees were chasing each other all around my front yard. 

What is your favorite Kairos moment this week? Leave it in the comments.

Sunshine Outing

I love sunshine and I love a family outing.

We got the heck out of the house and had a fabulous time a few weekends ago....family and sun! 

Our favorite pizza place is a ferry ride away. Good thing we all love a ferry ride adventure.

Lunch out is a nice time to visit and snuggle.

Then a short walk to the beach to look at the water. 

I love this picture. Tuba's coat looks so bright with the red building on the pier. The kids all ran up and down the pier.

The view was amazing. 

I've stood in this same spot many time and it's always a beautiful view. It was a Kairos moment standing there with the sun warming me.

Several times a week....and sometimes several times a day I note a Kairos moment.

Recent Kairos Moments

I was stopped at a light and looked over to see a big dog asleep on the back of a sofa in the window. He was so cute. He looked like he fell asleep watching the world go by....or maybe waiting for his master to come back home.

At dinner the light shining on Moses's skin was so beautiful. He had put coconut oil on his skin and it was magnificent. What a beauty that boy is.

The frogs have begun to sing and croak. I love to hear them. I was sitting in the kitchen while the kids were all at school listening to the sound of a frog in my yard. 

I'll send with this pic of my sweet dog. Truly....It's a Dog's Life

Dancing King

Saturday was a special day for Tuba! It was the Honor Society's annual Spring Dance. They invite the kids in the special needs programs to join them as their special guests. It is an amazing night of dinner and dancing. This is Tuba's second year attending the event. So fun!

The girls all get a day of beauty. They get hair, nails and makeup done. The boys this year wore shirt and tie instead of tux. Tuba loves to dress up and was thrilled to show off his outfit to his teacher and fellow students.

Tuba rocked out! When we arrived to pick him up he was dancing and sweaty and wild! He could have gone another couple of hours.

Can you say Party Animal? Yep! He had a blast.

I was so touched last year by the kindness and tenderness of the kids who put on this event. This year I wanted others to know how special it is. I contacted our local newspaper and they covered the night. The photographer got so many great shots of the kids dancing. For anyone who thinks teenagers are rotten or selfish....let me tell you....these are the nicest kids! There is goodness and love in the world and it's in the form of teens in my town!

Kairos Moments:

Tuba's shy sweet face as a pretty girl was talking to him.

Watching Cam trying not to cry as he watched Tuba dance.

More Kairos from life:

Three yellow finches flying.

The white baby hairs on Baby George's head in the sunlight.

Sister putting her arm around my neck and telling the person behind us, "this is my Mama".

Vacation Kairos

Kairos Moments from vacation....in photo form.

The scenery was beautiful. I had stopped with Mr. P to listen to the birds and take a picture. I could see Cam up ahead on the trail pulling Tuba.

We were sitting around in our pj's one morning watching Mr. Bean's vacation (hilariously funny) and I looked over to see Baby George hanging onto his Papa. So sweet. It made me get all teary to see his sweet hand on Cam's knee and shoulder.

I was standing bare footed in a swimsuit in the snow to get this photo of my favorite people. Love this family!

Kairos

Holy Week was full of Kairos moments. This is my favorite.

Kairos in Spring

Spring is in full swing. It's beautiful! It's a full on Kairos opportunity.

I enjoy and appreciate the beauty of Spring a little bit more each year. I notice more each year older I get.

I love hearing the birds chirping. I can hear them before the sun is even up. When I take the dogs out to potty in the morning I like to stand still in the yard and listen to all the chatter of birds. I have several bird feeders up and I get so excited to see the birds at them. I can't wait to see my first yellow finch of the year! I've also noticed crows flying with twigs in their beaks. They are shoring up their nests for Spring time chicks.

This year the frogs have been very loud. I adore them! There are places in the neighborhood where the congregate and as I walk past I like to stand and listen. It's funny though if I get too close they all stop. Once I move on they begin the croaking again.

I enjoy looking at the trees and bushes and flowers sending out new buds and blooming. Everything bloomed early this year so we have had a lot to enjoy.

Kids are playing outside more, especially since it's light out until almost bedtime. It's nice to sit on my deck and watch my kids run and play. I also like to hear the sounds of other kids in yards up and down the street out playing. I don't have toddlers any more so appreciate the neighbor kids who are. Even when they are pitching a fit in true toddler fashion I enjoy it. Is that evil of me?! Hey, I've experienced plenty of those moments and am far enough away from them that I do think it's funny again.

The dogs are happy to find sunshine to curl up in...even if it's on top of the picnic table. Sheesh Rocket! I don't know how I'll break that bad habit. He also stands up on it so he can look in the window and say, "HEY, ya gonna let me inside now?!". Stinker!

The kids are growing by leaps and bounds. Spring is the season of high water pants. I think everyone needs new pants but I always just wait it out until summer when they give up pants for shorts. Even their pj pants are all looking like capri length pants.

Deck time has begun. It's been warm enough to sit out on the sofa and soak up some sun. Soon the rest of the furniture will come out. It's on of my favorite places.

So many warmer weather things to look forward to...and so much to enjoy right now.

Bedtime Stories

One of my favorite times of the day is story time....right before bedtime. The kids are all snugly in pj's and cozy next to me. Or, they are wiggly and talkative. It's always a bit of both.

It's been a challenge the last few years to have story time with a wide range of ages. The big boys like a chapter books. The little ones like picture books. Some of the kids can sit very still and listen....some (Sis) wiggle and talk and run off.

Cam and I have tried different things like splitting up and each taking separate kids to read. But, lately it has mostly worked to have everyone in the living room to sit and listen to the same story. I try to read the younger kids books during the day or right before we settle for the main story.

We just finished reading Charlotte's Web. I loved it! The kids did too. I figured out along the way how to best get the little ones (Sis) to sit and listen. Get a rope! No, just kidding....a little. These are the rules:
1. Pick a place to sit, you have to stay there the whole story time. NO getting up.
2. No talking. Thank you.
3. Sis MUST sit next to me. :)

With these simple rules it goes much smoother. When someone gets chatty I just give them my Teacher Look. Cam really appreciates getting The Look.

Back to the story. Love, love, love. What a beautiful story. I love the characters. I love the descriptions of the farm and of the changing seasons. The friendships are moving. And yes, I cried at the end.

It made things extra special that while reading the story we had two big spiders right outside our picture window in the living room. For weeks we watched them catch bugs in their webs...and grow fatter. The kids were fascinated watching the spiders working on their webs.

A couple of nights the little ones would drop off to sleep while listening. Sis just wiggles, jumps, twists, spins, shouts right up until the moment you make her sit still and then she is out! Story time has been a great quiet end to the day.

 

Sweet baby boy all tuckered out from school and hard playing all day long.

 

 

A Kairos moment. We were getting in the car at the preschool and saw these beautiful webs. The morning dew was making them glisten...just like in Charlotte's Web. My cell phone camera does not do them justice.

 

Other recent Kairos moments:

 

I got lost looking into my sweet girl's milk chocolate eyes. Beautiful!

 

The thick fog blanketing the islands outside my bedroom window.

 

We are trying to decide what to read next. What are your favorite books to read your kids?

Up and Down

If I'm not taking pounds off...I'm gaining them. That is the truth. It's one or the either. There just doesn't seem to be anything in me that can maintain a weight. Ugh. Sometimes it's up 5 down 5, or up 10 down 10. Right now it's a bit more than 10. Yuck! I really hate the take the pounds off part. Not fun. The put the pounds on part...now that's fun.

I was at a party recently and turned down a glass of wine. My friend asked me why. I told her I was trying to take off some weight. She instantly wanted to know what I was doing to lose weight. I told I am eating less and moving more. Silence followed. Yep, it's this amazing diet that works.  It's called the Eat Less Move More Diet.

A gal at the party overheard me. She is a personal trainer and so we started talking about my magical diet secret. She added that as we age we have to Eat Less Less and Move More More. Wow. Now that is some good news. Wha-wha-wha. What a party downer.

Then today I was reading Self magazine at the gym....while doing the Moving More part of the diet. Here's what Self says,

40s to 50s Metabolism dips. Your cells aren't turning over as fast, and there's a decrease in muscle mass, reducing your calorie needs. Dr. Pavone says. If at 25 you weighed 130 pounds and ran 3 miles five times a week, at age 45, you need to run about 4.5 miles five times to maintain that weight and not diet.

Wow! More really good news. That is so inspiring. It made me want to get off the treadmill and eat a piece of cake. Ummhmmm.

The photo? My precious son taking in the view of our front yard. Kairos Moment when I saw him sitting there. Other Kairos moments today, hearing birds singing this morning as the sun came up, and watching BG talk and noticing his little lisp on words ending in s.

Ships in

How cool is this?! This is the USS Nimitz coming into port. The pic was taken from our house! That is cool! The kids had no school and we all gathered in the window to watch. The Coast Guard was escorting the ship in and a Navy Helicopter was flying overhead. Look closely at the photo...the little black dots lining the ship are the sailors. So COOL!! From the window bench in our bedroom we can see the port and the base. Each day the kids checked to make sure the ship is still there.

Kairos moment

My sweet Mr. P picked these out for me. I love tulips. They bring me moments of calm and joy each time I gaze at them.

First Day of School

Okay the first day of school was over a month ago. But, I'm finally done posting about vacation and now on to school!

Mr. P is in 5th grade, Moses in 3rd, Sis in 1st and George in K!! It's going to be a very fun year with all four kids at THE SAME SCHOOL!!

Tuba is back at the high school and has transitioned into job skill training. He is loving his first job. He delivers inter office mail at the school district headquarters. 

George is off to a wonderful start. He is loving K. He goes half day so then spends his afternoons with me. It's nice to have some one-on-one time together. It's also a little boring for him some days. He should probably be doing the all day class but it is expensive ($3,000) so we opted for half day for free. Free school Becky...that's the mantra Cam kept repeating. After seven years of paying for preschool it is exciting.

Sis is having a fantastic year!! She has an amazing teacher that is a perfect fit for her. Last year was a hard year for Sis. The K teacher last year was not a good fit and Sis struggled all year. This year is like a complete turn around. She is loving school and is blossoming. She won an academic achievement award last week!!

Moses is enjoying school too. It's hard to get details out of him. So far I know that he goes to lunch and recess. Seriously! So glad conferences are right around the corner.

Mr. P is thrilled to be in 5th grade....the big kids. He loves his teacher. He has signed up to be a mediator....helping younger kids solve disagreements on the playground. 

I'm excited for my time volunteering in the kids' classrooms. I truly love my time at the school.

Now that I'm practically caught up with blogging I'm at a loss for what to post next. I do want to share my new deck, my new art station, and fall inspiration. What do you want to read about. I do miss my lists of favorite things and Kairos moments. Is there an old post that you enjoyed? You pick it....I'll blog it. Leave it in the comments. 

It's Friday!

Friday is here! Cheers!

I'm laying here in my cozy bed. Just had hot pomegranate tea and dark chocolate....brought to me by Cam.

I'm feeling so very happy and so very lucky. I live in a beautiful place. I have an amazing family that I love immensely. Thank you Lord for all I have.


Kairos Moments

Mr. P telling me he loves me SO much.

Watching Baby George intently looking at children's picture books of Christ's crucifixion.

Busy Guy hugging me tight.

Tonight I held Sis (with freshly painted toenails) and tickled her back until she was asleep....and then held her a little while longer.

The look on Tuba's face as he sits in the window and watches for Mr. P to come home.

Reading list

Tuba and my sweet niece (the one I got to deliver!). Getting so big. 

Book club selection this month is Lisa Scottoline's Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog. It is hilarious!! So funny. If you could use a good laugh....get it!

Last month we read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Wow! It was very good. Very Interesting. Very sad. Very moving. Very informative and all true. Read it!

I'm also reading Parenting With Love and Logic. It's good too. I'm trying to gain some new skills. Each new age brings new challenges....and each kid is so different. Why do they gotta be like that? So far I've learned that Helicopter Parenting produces kids who grow up and can't succeed and Drill Sergeant Parenting produces kids who can't think or do for themselves. They end up being teens who follow others. Not good. Not my plan.

I fall much more into the drill Sergeant category. Painful to read about and see myself in that light. The truth hurts huh. But, there is hope. I'm reading so I can learn new techniques to get my kids to do what I want (and what they need to do) without "Sergeanting" them. Letting go is hard. HARD. I am learning through this book how to let go and allow my kids to choose, act, succeed...and sometimes fail. Hard. For example....I sent a kid to school this week knowing that he did not have his homework done. I gave a reminder and he didn't follow through. Ouch. It killed me to send him off unprepared. So hard for me. I practically had to duct tape my mouth. The child? He wasn't bothered so much. Read on!

Kairos moments

Seeing my sweet dog Kali sleeping with a pile of Beanie Babies stacked up on her. She is so gentle and tolerant.

We were out for a country drive and passed some birds alongside the road. They were huge birds sitting in a yard. We couldn't figure out what kind of birds they were. We turned around to get a better look. As we pulled to a stop about 20 feet away the birds spread their wings and took to flight. The were female bald eagles. Whoa! They were HUGE! So cool to see so close up. I really love eagles.

Enjoying a piece of my favorite dark chocolate with sea salt and almonds. Yum. Makes all the diet sacrifice a little sweeter.

The Unexpected

There are many things in life that are unexpected. Some of them are hardships and some of them are thankfully gifts.

I didn't know that when I had kids I'd meet so many wonderful families and make so many friends. It's been a true blessing.

I have lots of groups of friends...I really like people! There are family (which most of them are my friends too), my close girlfriends, church friends, couple friends, childhood friends, neighbors....and the awesome school community, sports community friends. And of course lots of overlap of all those groups.

Several school families we first met when our kids were in preschool. It's been fun to watch the group of kids grow together.

There were several years that the only adult interaction I had on a daily basis was chatting with the other parents at drop off and pick up. I'm telling you...it saved me!!! Now I get out more but I still love seeing all the friendly faces each day....and chatting. And the teachers! So many of them I now call friend. 

Then there are the sports parents. Love them! I look forward to each season so I can chat and catch up with those groups of friends. Plus, the carpooling is a life saver!

I am blessed by so many terrific families and their friendships.

Kairos Moments - Haven't blogged that for too long!

1. Driving in the van to church and looking at the swollen river full of debris about to breech the bank. There was beauty in the swirling waters.

2. At church the priest's wife was standing next to her sister who was visiting for the day. The hugged and embraced with arms around each other. The love was palpable.

3. Feeling Sis's warm hand in mine on the way to the car after school.

4. Sunshine on the fall trees.

5. George's smiling face after scoring a goal in soccer. The pouring rain running down his shining face.

What Doin'?

Okay, I just went a little nutty trying to find the link to write a new post. I could NOT find it....and then I got panicky....

What if I am really losing it?

Why can't I find it?

What if something is wrong with my brain...or eyes...or brain?

Where is it?

Oh my gosh....okay, don't freak out....holy cow...seriously!

Oh, there it is. 

See Becky...you're fine...no brain tumors.

So how have you been? Me? I've been wearing the Landlord Hat, which apparently is making me question whether or not I have brain issues/diseases. We have decided to sell our rental house. **Please take this time to send up prayers that it sells.....quickly**

We feel (hope, pray, beg) that the market is good now to sell. Plus, we are really not so good at being landlords. It's a lot of work to maintain two houses when really I only have the time to do a good maintenance job on a kid's playhouse.....or maybe dollhouse.

I will be SO glad when the house sells and I can throw away my Landlord Hat.....it's ugly and hats always wreck my hair. I've spent the last two weeks dealing with The Rental. Cleaning, fixing, repairing, hiring repairers (yes, it's a word) is exhausting. We are trying to get The Rental in tip top shape. 

The downside to selling is that we will be paying two mortgages without the benefit of rent coming in. Hmmmm. Very NOT good! 

So, in the spirit of saving money having enough money to eat we are cutting out all fluff. What is fluff? Let me tell you. No TKD, No YMCA, No gymnastics, No piano lessons, No Weight Watchers, No dinners out, No entertainment. 

And yes, Christmas is just around the corner. I've told the kids that we will have really yummy food AND love each other all day.

The end.

I'll leave this rambling post now with this lovely picture. I've been taking photos of things I see while I'm out walking. Walking is exercise...plus, it's free!

Kairos moment when I saw this lovely trellis covered in hops. Beautiful. 

Sweat it out

Look at these beautiful guys! I'm so blessed to have them in my life. Beautiful!! I love to look at their faces every day.

I'm working hard to get these extra pounds off. I'm not having fun. I lost less than one pound last week. ARRRRHH! I lost 0.8 to be exact. I have to keep telling myself that any weight lost is good. It's better than a gain. I was hungry all week and I hate to feel hungry. I worked hard at the gym four days too. So frustrating. I know, I know. Keep at it. I'm impatient. I'd like it to go QUICKER!

I tried something new this week. I ran. I usually walk on the treadmill. I walk fast and at an incline but I have been wanting to try running for a while now. I have a bad knee so I was afraid my knee couldn't take the impact from running (plus I was afraid I'd look stupid, I'd jiggle too much, I'd die). But, I finally tried it and it's been fine on my knee....and I didn't die. I did jiggle a lot but I just closed my eyes and pretended nobody could see me. Running has been great for increasing my heart rate....and getting my sweat on! Woo! I am starting out slowly with walk/run intervals on the treadmill. This morning I headed outside and did 40 minutes of walk/run in my beautiful neighborhood. It is cold and drizzly out but I feel better for doing it.

I read a couple quotes this week that I keep repeating....getting me through my day or my workout.

No amount of exercise can undo a bad diet.

Wow! That really puts it in perspective. Even when I work out hard it's not an excuse to eat too much.

Sweat is Fat Crying!

Yes! I like to think it is crying and DYING! Die fat die!! Muwahahahaha!

Send me your favorite diet/exercise quotes. I could use some more inspiration!

Kairos moments:

While driving I saw a huge eagle nesting in a tree overlooking the water.

Tucking Tuba into bed I was amazed at how beautiful his eyes are. The light was shining on his face and he was smiling his radiant smile.

Mr. P came up to my room and yesterday morning and asked to snuggle with me. His warm cuddly body was a nice was to start my Saturday.

This morning when I woke up I looked over at Cam and he opened his eyes and smiled at me. Another great way to start the day.

Open Joy

Poor Tuba suffers from bad bloody noses in the winter time. This last week he has had several. His nose is sore and stuffy and swollen. He might also be fighting a cold. He is cranky.

One day Cam had to go pick him up from school due to a nose bleed that took a long time to stop. Then yesterday his teacher called to tell me he wasn't feeling well. He was very crabby, didn't want to eat and...was very crabby. 

Cam and I went to pick him up. He didn't have a fever and seemed happy enough once we got into the car so we decided to stop at the library. 

We ordered hot drinks for a treat and sat for a while. Tuba loved his hot cocoa and perked up a bit more. 

As we entered the main part of the library Tuba noticed these amazing origami birds. He was entranced. It was a true Kairos moment seeing his face and the joy he felt watching the birds twirl. My eyes got all misty as I watched my sweet boy. 

It reminded me that a friend of ours once said that Tuba is Open Joy. She told it to me in Greek and even wrote it down for me.  He truly is....Open Joy. Pure. Even when he is crabby.

We always go to the Children's department to see the fish. Tuba loves watching them swim. 

We stopped at the grocery store and Tuba had a ball pushing the cart around for us and saying hello to everyone. 

Once home he got into his cozies and Cam built him a big fire to sit in front of. Bliss. 

Today he still wasn't feeling great. He stayed home with me. We puttered around the house cleaning and decorating. He was a good helper. 

I'm reminded when my babies were....well babies and a little part of me enjoyed it when they got sick. It's nice to slow down, snuggle up and enjoy time together. 

Looking Ahead

I'm always looking ahead. Planning and preparing for the future. I just registered the wee ones for pre-school for next year. It will be their second year at the school. Next year they will go four days a week for 3 hours a day! Whoa! Do you know what that means? It means more than twice the "free" time I have this year! Woot!! I can up my volunteering time at the big kids' school to once a week instead of every other week. My BIG plans include going to the gym and then coming home to an empty house to shower and dress....ALONE! I can't believe it! Four days a week I will have a shower without breaking up a battle or wiping a hiney! Amazingly awesome!

Other things I'm planning and working on are birthdays and holidays and vacation plans. St. Patrick's Day is getting close...a birthday and a Patron Saint celebration! Easter is getting close too. I bought the kids items for their baskets today and I spent yesterday ironing about a zillion dress shirts and pretty dresses. Getting ready for Holy Week and nicer weather. Vacation too! We get to go back to the ocean this summer and stay on our favorite beach. So much to look forward to. This summer is also Tuba's Sweet 16 birthday. I'm planning a big backyard party to celebrate. I'm thinking about themes and the menu but it will surely be all things Tuba loves. You know there will be a BIG bonfire!

Kairos moments from the last couple days.

Driving last night and looking up at the bright beautiful moon.
The same beautiful moon slipping behind the islands this morning.
The smell of Baby George's hair when I kissed him goodnight.
Watching a Robin carrying twigs to build a nest.
Hearing the frogs croaking in the yard.



Correction

I need to correct myself. I was wrong. On my last post I said we saw some female eagles in a field. My friend Paula asked in the comments section what led me to think they were female? Ummm....they were wearing lipstick....wearing pink dresses....taking care of babies.....ummmm....No.

This sounds like I'm passing the buck but actually what led me to think they were females was my husband. :) When we turned around to get a better look at the birds (huge brown and white splotched birds) he said they were female eagles. I know what he was thinking. So many birds look different depending on the sex of the bird. Like Mallard Ducks. Males have the green head and females plain brown. Yes, I fact checked that bit of info to make sure I'm correct.

After I read Paula's comment I thought, how silly of me. Of course I know that Bald Eagles both male and female have the white heads and tails. So, I was back to wondering what the heck were those birds? I looked here and found out my mystery birds are juvenile Bald Eagles! Wow! Kid eagles and they were already HUGE! And that explains the two adult Bald Eagles that were circling overhead. The juveniles flew off the join them.

And that is your science lesson (and mine) for the day. To see some great photos of these majestic birds head over to Paula's blog. Beautiful.

Kairos moments:

Listening to Mr. P read a book to Baby George.
Sitting in front of the roaring fire with my family.
Rinsing Sis's hair and looking at her gorgeous curls stretch down her back.

For giggles: Here is Woo (that's what Sis calls her) getting "pigtails". Pretty!