naomi (and ruth and boaz):

Here is the painting Naomi did for an art display at church.  Volunteers, preschool through adult, were asked to come up with artwork depicting various parts of the Bible story.  I wasn't sure if she'd want to do it, but she was all for it, and naturally chose the one with the women and also her namesake.  It's pretty straightforward, with Naomi and Ruth on the road and meeting Boaz.  I like the bold colors.  I also like how hairy Boaz is, and how Naomi has a basket.  I asked Naomi what those things were in their clothes, and she said they were pockets.  :)

sick:

I guess with all the direct contact with Lucas (i.e., his coughing directly into my mouth), I was bound to get sick.  I started feeling fatigued on Monday evening.  I had spent about three hours cleaning before L came over with her project partner to do a test/demo with Naomi for a class.  Naomi helped me a lot, but I probably overdid it.  That evening I felt very tired, and the brick wall hit Tuesday.  I figured I'd get all the work and schooling done and lie down around 4 p.m.  I barely lied down for two minutes when the power went out. The kids screamed in delight and scrambled for the flashlight and some board games.  It was back on a half hour later, but by then I'd missed the window, and it was time to prepare dinner and do other chores.  The rest of the week has been the same--taking the kids to the park, class, the library, doing projects and school with Naomi at home while still chasing much-needed rest.  Naomi's ISP had a field trip to watch a Ben Franklin play at the local theatre (don't know why, I have a hard time spelling it "theater").  I would've liked to go, but I was pretty sure Lucas wouldn't make it through even half the play.  I'm glad I didn't sign up in the end; I probably would have had to skip it.  I'm feeling a little better now, just a little fatigued with a slight runny nose.  I think I'll be okay for going out tomorrow.

weekend trip and growing up:

I've never gone out of town overnight on my own since Naomi was born, but Manny offered to watch the kids so I could go fly out to visit my best friend and her family for the weekend.  It's not something I would normally do, but I haven't had many opportunities like this to see her.  Lucas got sick last Wednesday, and his fever was gone by Friday after my round-the-clock efforts, so I was thankful I didn't have to cancel.  I truly appreciate my husband and kids' support.  We were a little nervous, except Naomi, who was counting down the days till I left.  I don't doubt her love for me in the least, but she's a daddy's girl.  

I reserved a shuttle, which was easier, especially with the pouring rain.  I think I ended up with a shuttle driver from the Twilight Zone.  For example, he parked in front of a Taco.Bell for several minutes before I spoke up.  I had taken a peek at his monitor and saw that he was at the wrong address.  While an airport pick-up from a fast-food institution is certainly possible, it didn't seem likely.  He managed to lock himself out of the shuttle not once, but twice.  Then when we arrived at the airport, he couldn't decide where to park and almost backed into someone.  So he ended up parking on the crosswalk!  The airport worker trying to cross with full carts told him he couldn't park there.  He got out and yelled at her and claimed he had no place to park (even though there had been a long stretch of spaces right ahead).  The sign at the entrance had clearly said that my domestic flight would depart from the international terminal.  He shooed me back into the van when I tried to leave with everyone else at international.  Not wanting to argue, I let him drop me off at domestic and ended up backtracking quite a bit to get to the correct terminal.  At least I still had plenty of time to eat and wait and miss my family. 

My JetBlue flight felt pretty great after that ordeal.  I landed at the airport, and my friend's dad came to pick me up.  I remember when he used to pick me up when I was a teenager with the same car.  He was bopping and singing along to Top 40 radio, which I thought was so fun when I was younger, and here he was doing the same thing 20 years later. Back at their house, the college basketball game was on, her mom asked me a bunch of questions, and everyone kept telling me to eat more.  C's sister's friends were there as well and looked the same.  It was surprising how little had changed.

C's family treated me like family from the beginning.  Theirs was the only house my parents let me stay over (yes, my Tiger Mom did allow those few sleepovers).  And when my parents couldn't come to my high school and college graduation ceremonies, they had flowers and gifts for me and took me out to celebrate with them.  Actually, they remind me a lot of my in-laws, who did the same when I graduated from grad school and have also always made me feel welcome.

My friend and I are in our late 30s now.  It's hard to believe.  I was 11 when we'd first met in school.  We used to give each other dirty looks in class before we were forced to work together in student council.  A field trip to Catalina Island in the 8th grade solidified our friendship forever.  We used to think we were SO mature way back when, and now we're realizing how much more we've yet to learn.  As sad as it is to think, moving away from our hometown and each other was probably what we needed to really find ourselves and grow up.  Not that we were bad influences on each other, but we probably still needed to be off on our own.  We grew up with each other, and then we grew up without each other.

She's mostly the same, but I also got to see what a wonderful mother she is now.  We celebrated her son's second birthday with one of their huge family parties (another way they're like my in-laws)--tons of Filipino food that I miss so much.  My favorite dishes turned out to be the homemade ones.  The party was supposed to be 3-6, but I think in their time, it was more like 5-10, so my late arrival was right on time.  :)  Her mother kept feeding me, as always, and I fell into a food coma.  Sixteen of us played this exciting dice game called LCR.  I didn't win, although at one point I was one of the last two (last man standing wins).  It gets your heart racing.  C's cousin paid for my spot in the game, so I wanted to win for him.  When the party was over, everyone was gone except C, her sister, two cousins, and parents.  It was like old times, except we weren't playing cards or Monopoly.

Her sister and husband had flown in from the east coast, but C's husband couldn't make the trip out this time.  He did call often, so I thought I ought to call home as well.  When I called on Sunday, I think I made Lucas really sad, so I stuck to texting again after that.  I slept on the couch, but was a bit too excited to sleep.  Or maybe it was indigestion.  Everyone hung out in the morning and then went our separate ways.  I had a great time hanging out with C alone, which I haven't done in almost 15 years.  My greatest memory of the trip was when Rocco, their dog, escaped from C's dad just as we were getting in the car to go to the airport Sunday afternoon.  At least the heavy rain had died down, so we chased him for several blocks in the cold before he finally turned at a dead end.  We came at him from either side of the street so there was no escape, hopefully.  C scooped him up, and as we headed home, I remembered how we walked down those streets as teenagers.  We laughed about how out of shape we are now.  :)  Then we headed off to the airport.  We almost made a wrong turn toward my old house, which was right by the airport.  It was bittersweet to think she still wanted to make that turn out of habit.  It was also a little sad filling her in on my parents' move and their current situation.  I was delayed only by about 15-20 minutes by the dog chase.  I said goodbye to C as the rain came down, and she drove off in the old car they bought almost two decades before.  I was so glad to see my beautiful friend, but also couldn't wait to get home to my beautiful family.

I was only gone about 30 hours, but I was beyond excited to see Manny and the kids again.  C had given a number of gifts that had accumulated as we kept missing each other when we were in town, and the kids loved their presents.  She definitely has the gift of giving.  Out where she lives, she has her own family, and another best friend.  I'm happy for her in her new life and wish we could see each other as much as we thought we would when we grew up, but I'm just thankful for all the years we did have, and that we'll stay friends and sisters even in heaven.  :)

Having a meal, as Manny suggested, at peaceful and relatively empty SFO.

Contrast that with LGB, where I had no place to sit and there aren't shops or restaurants.

So much good food.  I didn't even have room left to try everything.

Happy birthday, N!

Kissing Lolo (Grandpa).  He follows his grandpa everywhere!

About half the family that was there.

Trying out the gifts we got him.

That look before he knocks it all down.

So many years of photos by their fireplace...(and so many years of unintentional matching).

Rocco says happy birthday!

Yay, the perfect presents!

Cool!

daddy date:

Here are some photos from the kids' out with Manny (when I attended the special ed conference).  Looks like a great time with Papi!

Making frames at Home Depot.

Out for pizza!  Half veggie for Lucas and half ham and olives for Naomi.

They ate the whole thing!

sunday:

We went out to lunch on Sunday with a friend B from church, a pretty cool guy.  We're just getting to know people better as we dine with them (hospitality is important!).  The kids were much better this time around.  We got to have some authentic Philly cheese steak.  B and I have both lived in or around Philly, so it brings back nice memories.  Also, with our lifestyle changes, we don't eat like that often, so it was a nice treat.  I accidentally had some chili peppers in my cheese steak, and I'm allergic to the seeds.  Even though I picked them out, I must have had some with the first bite, so I was increasingly sneezy and itchy.  I forgot our Benadryl had expired as well, so I just tried other means of flushing it out of my system.  All's well now, though, so I'm glad it wasn't a repeat of the burrito incident 10 years ago.

The sermon on Sunday was good and timely, as usual, and the pastor talked about how much we're like the Israelites of Samuel's time, being distorted in our faith while readily pointing the finger at others.  We just go through the motions (like how the people thought they needed the ark to make God happy to win the war, like how people packed churches after 9 11), go with the crowd (like when they asked for a king "like all the other nations have"), do things halfway and sometimes panic (as Saul did when he didn't wait for Samuel and made offerings on his own).  A couple weeks ago, the pastor pointed out how it says that Samson did not understand the the strength of the Lord had left him, and it's unlikely that he didn't realize all his hair was gone, but more that he just took it for granted.  This week, he gave us more food for thought in Hannah's prayer, where she says in 1 Samuel 2:10:  He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.  This was likely a prophetic prayer, as Israel had no king and had no anticipation of a king at this point.  Also, Hebrew word "the anointed" is translated as "Messiah" or "Christ" in other parts of the bible.  So even in Hannah's prayer, we can see forward to the coming of the Christ.

Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 1 Sam 15:22

photo time:

Well, three weeks late, but nothing like a 8-cent print sale to get me moving on uploading photos.

February 2012 - M's housewarming, birthdays, Valentine's, anniversary, Manny's day off, Chinese NY festival, children's museum with friends.

prayer request:

For those who pray, please keep my mother-in-law in your prayers.  She is having back surgery on Monday.  Thank you!

Update:  She came out at 11 am okay.  Please pray for her continued recovery.

catch-up brunch:

We had brunch today with my old college roommate/friend T.  Even though she lives just 15 minutes away, we seldom see each other.  We used to be very close, but over time we sort of drifted apart, and both of us let it happen.  We'd actually been trying to arrange a meet-up since last May, and it took all the way until this month to find a common time.  It was really good to see her and catch up anyway, except that the kids sort of started losing it after they were done eating.  I tend to feel bad about their "off" days, especially with people who don't have kids.  It tends to happen at this particular restaurant, too, so maybe we'll take a break from it for a while.  I even forgot to take a photo of our reunion.

I didn't go out of my way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day today, and only Naomi wore green.  I considered making corned beef and cabbage, though.  Maybe next time.  Oh, and I missed putting in my picks for this year's bracket.  I was sort of waiting for the email with the reminder and instructions, but Manny sent it to everyone else, probably figuring I'd just know by telepathy since we're married.  Haha.  That's okay.  Too much on my plate at the moment anyway.

piano recital:

Naomi had an informal recital to mark the end of her piano class.  She's just starting to read notes and play with both hands.  The teacher didn't really spend much time with her as it's a group class, and Naomi is the youngest/newest student.  It's early, so I don't feel we have to put her in private lessons yet.  This was more to test the waters and to encourage her to stick with something even if it's not that fun or exciting for her at first.  Plus, Naomi would much rather be in a group class.

I talked with Lucas the day before, the minute before, and he agreed to not disrupt the performance, but as the first student played, he began laughing uncontrollably.  I had to take him out of the class to discipline him  and return when it was Naomi's turn.  He still tried to cover the camera, so some of the video was cut off.

The best I could do with Lucas interrupting.  Naomi handled it very well.

Afterward, we shared our chocolate chip banana bread we brought for the party.  What party, wondered the parents?  The class had been informed for the past three weeks that we were going to have a recital and an after party.  However, some parents had no idea about the recital, and we were the only ones that brought anything for the party.  A couple of the parents who were there were on their phones the entire time.  I don't know; it just made me sad.  They weren't even hiding that they weren't paying attention.  Oh well, I guess it's the busy climate of this area.  Speaking of climate, the rain was really coming down between the conference, home, and piano (same day).  I don't mind rain, but it's certainly "different" managing kids in it.  :) 

march parent-teacher conference:

We had another good conference with Naomi's ISP principal.  After we finished going over Naomi's social studies work, science experiments, book reports, and math skills, Naomi got to show her the book she wrote and illustrated last year (A Fairy's Life, with places such as the Fairy Fair and the Fairy Job Center).  Naomi did a great job answer the questions.  More importantly, she was very respectful to the principal as well, something we've been working on.  Both homeschooling and ISP have been very enjoyable for us this year.

In this exercise, she had to identify the next numbers in the pattern.  This will help her both with addition and multiplication.

Double digit addition--the curriculum has Naomi learn to do it in her head first.  It takes her some time, but she's able to do it!

We do a lot of science experiments with household items.

Red cabbage juice is purple, but turns red with the addition of acid.  It can be used as a pH indicator.  We just started learning about acids, so we haven't done bases, but if you pour baking soda (a base) in, it should turn the cabbage juice blue.  The orange seemed to have the least amount of acid.  

parenting seminar:

A pastor introducing the speaker.

I attended a Confident Parenting seminar Sunday afternoon at another church.  Manny stayed with the kids again.  I took home some great lessons, challenges, encouragements, and some funny anecdotes to share with Manny.  To be honest, much of what I read in books and hear from teachers, I've already heard from Manny, but it's affirming and helpful to have someone else elaborate on it (Manny's a very straight-to-the-point type of person).  I like discussing what we agree or don't agree with, and that type of discussion strengthens our marriage.

It didn't even seem like three and a half hours.  The speaker has written a book that covers more if you're interested.  Actually he's authored several books, but I haven't read any yet to offer my opinion, except for God Made Your Body, which was pretty good.  I knew a little about him, but it was interesting to hear that he was one of the developers of D.A.R.E. (drug awareness program we did in school).  He has quite long resume, actually, but most importantly he is the father of three grown women.

Just a few miscellaneous points because it'd be tough to type out 3-hours' worth of material:

Affection, warmth, and encouragement (a.w.e.) must be the atmosphere of the home.  Overcommitment, yelling, nagging, chaos, lack of communication, and lack of family time and rest (i.e., an overcrowded life) will work against this.  Bring honor and security to your home by speaking the blessing, believing the blessing, being the blessing, and celebrating the blessing.

Some of us are a "transitional generation," learning to overcome some of the negative family patterns we were raised in.  For example, for me, my parents never told me they loved me when I was a kid, probably because that's how they were raised, but I tell our kids multiple times each and every day, because I think it's important.

The Jewish Shema (reciting of Deutoronomy 6:4-9) teaches loyalty to God, transmission of faith and love to our children, and keeping a constant mindfulness of the teachings and presence of God.

Be a thermostat and set the tone rather than the reactive thermometer.  Take the lead; don't just try to be your kids' best friend.  Pick your battles, but win them.  We as parents have to exercise and establish our authority with patience and lovingkindness; i.e., not yelling and shaming.  Peer influence will happen, but we must try to help them find positive influence rather than negative pressure.

As parents, we go through stages as our children grow, from catering (when they're babies) to controlling, to coaching, to consulting, and to caring as they become adults.  We have to think of how we are preparing and training them up for their future--are we nurturing or enabling?

For purity, he doesn't recommend just keeping silent for many years and then springing "the talk" on them and then letting them continue with mixed messages afterward.  With the internet, predators, culture, and other factors, it is best to get the child more comfortable communicating with us about their bodies early on, and then start talking to them about marriage and babies when they're 6 to 9.  At a right age, perhaps 10 and older, it would be the time to discuss with them in greater detail or do a purity weekend trip as some parents I know have done.  The discussion, just like discussions about drugs and alcohol, should continue throughout their teen years.

Listen to what they (your children) listen to, watch what they watch, and read what they read.  Get with their times, because it is different from how we grew up.  Although we can't depend on others to raise our children, it doesn't mean we have to go it alone.  Bear one another's burdens.

the christian argument:

An acquaintance made an interesting post on F.acebook about why he turned from Protestantism to secular humanism.  Initially he wrote about there being no satisfactory evidence of God.  However, as he went on to describe the hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and blind faith he saw in the church, it became clear that he was more disenchanted with the lack of evidence of God in the Christians themselves.  The post resulted in a long discussion (currently 120 comments with a few derailments), including responses from three intellectual Christians, one of whom used logical arguments while the another sometimes took a slight "One True Scotsman" approach.  The second person also used reverse logic, sort of to prove the point that Christianity is not unreasonable.  A third Christian took a more objective approach, although denominations were named, and I'm sure that's problematic for those who already see a lack of unity and clarity in the church.  I've been inclined to use similar approaches in the past, but I've come to understand that neither facing off nor writing off is productive for me.  I'll leave that to others.

I remember that a friend, after enduring hours of my bible-thumping as a new Christian, told me that it was never anything I said, but the change she saw in my life that was evidence to her that it was something apart from me.  I think of Esther (in the bible), who won the king and others over by her exemplary conduct.  Our greatest testimony is always the life we live. 

I responded to the acquaintance, more or less saying I was sorry that Christians aren't always a better reflection of Christ, and sometimes we've made our own religion, but that doesn't change who He is--the way, the truth, and the life.  He is love, and sometimes we don't show that love correctly, but He is working on us.

It's not that I don't have arguments or counterarguments for creation or the existence of a higher power, but while it may make a person think, it won't cause anyone to suddenly believe the bible is true.  While there are logical reasoning, archaeological evidence, and historical evidence, a debate is not going to make anyone love Christ (let alone picket signs and megaphones). I also found this out early on in my Christian life, trying to engage in a my science vs. your science discussion with two Caltech students.  I later searched for one of them online (he's a brain surgeon!), to apologize for the heated exchange.  I think what you know establishes who you are, but who you are is more important than what you know.

I'm not a fan of combative phrases like, "You don't believe in God because you can't see Him?  You can't see your brain; does that mean it's not there?"  First of all, you can see a brain if a doctor opens up a skull or takes an x-ray, but what I'm more bothered by is the gotcha attitude behind such catchy phrases and clever comebacks.  Like Manny has tried to tell me time and again, when you have it in your head that it's a battle of intellect prowess or verbal wit, then you've already lost. 

We downplay the Spirit as well sometimes.  The Spirit is what makes us "get" the bible and want to live it.  If you use the bible to prove itself, that makes sense to a Christian, but to someone who believes it is fallible and errant, it doesn't hold water.  Someone can have the entire bible memorized and yet it may not make a difference in their heart.  Having knowledge just makes you knowledgeable, but it doesn't make you a Christian.  Going to church doesn't make you a Christian (although if you're Christian, there is usually an innate desire to worship Him as He's called us to). You have to give your life to Christ to be a Christian.

We ought to know why we believe what we believe, at least for ourselves.  Some people were really offended by the documentary Religulous, but what's really offensive in the movie is professing Christians not knowing why they believe what they do and just taking heightened emotions and sensations as evidence of faith.  We've seen it repeatedly throughout history--a person insecure in their beliefs attacking another person and never really answering their questions.  Perhaps it's out of laziness, fear, or trying to convince themselves what they believe is true--I can't speak for them--but it's still unproductive.

So, brethren, if we don't have a calling to the fields of science or archeology, it's okay.  And it's okay to admit we don't know what happened to the dinosaurs.  Are we more worried about looking stupid or about sharing the great news?  We should first be living out the gospel.  Remember that others will know us by our fruits and our love for one another.  Work out your heart first--that is what prepares you and truly shines the light.

moms' game night:

The Stay-n-Play group at our church hosted a Bunco night on Saturday night.  I'm not actually part of the group because Naomi has class at the same time, but people are just kind enough to invite me.  I'm thankful for Manny being able to watch the kids.  I got there a little early and was able to make myself useful.  We had a delicious taco salad and some sweet treats.  Bunco is fun because there's no skill or strategy to it, so no one has to feel bad.  It does require a lot of brainwork to keep score, though, especially when you're tired.  I decided to have some caffeinated tea, and that probably wasn't a good idea for the night I would lose an hour of sleep.

I was certain by the end I wasn't the winner, and I was right, but I still went home with a prize!  It turned out I was tied for third place and the first two winners already claimed prizes.  So they had us do a roll-off, and I won a giftcard to Subway.  I mention my wins on the blog to remember all the little provisions I've been given throughout my life.  Still no desire to play the lottery, though.

special education expo:

I recently attended our district's first Special Education Expo.  Manny encouraged me to go while he watched the kids the whole day.  They really enjoy their time with their dad.  And as much as I miss them, I like being able to get out on my own more often now that they're older.  

I met a few people, including a couple whose second child has dyslexia and ADHD.  I mentioned that I felt I had attention problems when I watched a lot of TV, and they said they might try that.  The wife became quiet when I mentioned I was homeschooling, but once we sat next each other at the workshop, we were chatty again.  The workshops were held in high school science classrooms, giving me a case of deja vu.  It's hard to believe it's been almost 20 years since I/we graduated!

The first workshop I attended covered positive ways to handle behavior issues.  I've heard many of the mentioned methods before (visual charts, redirecting bad habits, being more precise with instruction, discipline instead of punishment, etc.).  It was a good presentation, and a reminder to be patient with the kids and actually focus on them when I tell them I'm listening.  However, it didn't address specific special needs, so some of the attendees were a little disappointed.  When we got to the Q & A, many parents wanted to get into the details of their child's specific situation.  

The afternoon workshop--we could only choose two of six--helped me understand how evaluations and diagnoses are made, and how we can help children with a variety of issues.  The three presenters were education specialists with various degrees and backgrounds.  One discussed learning styles.  Many of you may know Fleming's categories for learning:  auditory, visual, or kinesthetic.  Apparently, a researcher expanded the list to include additional categories.  I found it interesting that he had added social learning, or learning through interacting with and observing people, because I think this is actually how I myself best learn.  I see some of that in Naomi as well, although currently I would say she tends to remember best what she hears.  I'm not sure about Lucas yet, but if I had to choose a category, it would be kinesthetic/tactile. There's some debate over how much teachers should accommodate students who learn "differently," but for the special needs students in our district, accommodation as agreed upon in their education plan is required.  That seems a bit unfair at first, but I sometimes modify some of my teaching style to optimize Naomi and Lucas's learning, so it makes sense.

After the overview of disabilities, the speakers discussed methods of helping the child be more successful.  There was one called a "humanist" method, which probably wouldn't be something I'd follow for younger children.  This method contrasts with a "behavior" method, which you probably know means correcting behavior through a consequence or a reward.  I think we have to use the behavior method for our children when they're young, but I do understand that for certain special needs children like those with autism, it may not be very effective.  

The main idea of the method is to try to get your child to tell you on a scale of 1 to 10 how they feel about something and then tell you what they imagine a higher number would look like.  They gave an example of a child who is despondent over not being able to make friends in school.  You probably could not correct that with consequences or rewards, but you might be able to get him to communicate so that both of you will understand the situation better and perhaps work towards a goal, identifying some changes, decisions to make, or even acceptance (the last sentence is not their words, but what I inferred from the discussion).  

In between the workshops, during the lunch/vendor section, I sat with a seasoned speech pathologist.  She was pretty much able to describe Lucas to a tee.  Although she hasn't evaluated him personally, her suggestion was that I intervene when people do not understand him.  I've often heard from other parents that our intervention could slow down Lucas's speech development.  However, the pathologist believed the embarrassment may actually cause him to not want to try.  She was looking at it from the perspective of reinforcing his confidence to speak, rather than facing consequences when he doesn't.  When we don't understand Lucas, he usually just laughs nervously, so maybe he is more likely to be embarrassed than frustrated.  Lately, Lucas's speech has improved a lot.  Every now and then he says, "See, me know how to talk!  Me big boy!"  Ah, my little Tarzan.

They held a door prize drawing, and I won a free lunch at Togo's.  :)  I was also happy to buy a grocery bag made by a special ed student.  Our community is going to ban plastic bags this year.  Of course, I chose one with cupcakes all over it to delight Naomi, which it did.

The other half of the room during lunch.  In total, there appeared to be about 100+ attendees.

Informative session.

math surprise:

Naomi left this doodle on the whiteboard, and it was a surprise because 1) she doesn't like math 2) she usually likes to draw scenes and write stories.  At the start of last school year, she could barely count to 20, or perhaps she had no desire to do so.  Now with our switch to the RightStart math curriculum, and our ability to spend more time on a subject at home, she's making strides in her conceptual understanding.  This was the result of a lot of effort, sometimes sitting at the table for hours.  She has had do something she simply doesn't love, but she's done it.  No flashcards, no calculators, no objects to count--this is all based on rearranging numbers in her head.  Maybe she'll never go into chemistry or math like Manny and I did, but if she does, this type of problem solving will help her tremendously.  

Know your limits, but don't confine yourself in a box.  Don't dismiss people, things, or even yourself based on a couple initially discouraging incidents.  It was tempting to just resign ourselves to the fact that she would always struggle with math, just like how I often feel like I'll never be good with my hands, but sometimes once you get the heart attitude right, you just might surprise yourself.  

3000 squats:

I joined my friend Angie in a March 3000 challenge where we will be doing 100 squats a day.  I break it down into three or four sets rather than 100 all at once.  Good thing Manny caught me locking my knees, because I was starting to get sharp pains.  I've had knee problems as long as I can remember.  Once I stopped locking my knees, the knee pain went away, leaving only the welcome agony of burning thighs.  :P  Anyway, we'll see how I did at the end of the month.

little critters:

On an afternoon walk, which I was reluctant to take because I had a schedule to keep, the kids and I were treated to gaggles of geese, one after another, flying over our heads toward newly discovered food on a baseball field  (I guess when they're in flight, they're no longer called a gaggle but a skein or flock?).  Their honking was like gridlocked taxis in New York.  I'd never before heard the rhythm pumping of their wings up close, some only about a yard over our heads.  I was so taken aback, I didn't think to pull out the camera until one of the remaining groups took off.  We followed them to the baseball field, where they quickly went from being these powerful, amazing creatures to filthy vermin overrunning our land.  Loose feathers and droppings began to multiply.  Sometimes the backdrop is everything.

Fast forward a few days to when we went to drop off a meal for a family from church.  I was very thankful the kids were able to accompany me and see it as normal, even though I had a terrible attitude at first, worrying about having to drag them along.  Afterward, we went to a pet store with a doggy day care.  It's like a little zoo.  The cats were all gone, though, perhaps adopted.  I'd thought to get a betta fish or one of those tank frogs, but I know Naomi would prefer a furry animal she can interact with.  So we left empty-handed.  The kids would like a mobile pet, but 1) we really have no room for them anywhere in our home 2) we really have no room for their poop.  We went to Toys R Us afterward, and were unsuccessful in finding a normal-looking Z.hu Zhu Pet on clearance.  Most were sporting punk or 80s fur.  They're not "in" anymore, so one can find ZZ items fairly cheap.  The kids did well the whole day, never begging me for anything or whining.  I point this out because every time we go to Toys R Us, without fail, there is a child screaming for something and refusing to leave without it.  I ended up getting Naomi a ZZ Starter Kit for her early birthday present.  It's $14 now, and was $30-$40 at the height of their popularity.  She gave it a new name (it comes with a name, but she changed it to Pipsqueak, a different ZZ's name) and she's completely happy with it.  She was happy to announce to Manny when he got home that he'd never have to deal with her little Pipsqueak peeing or pooping.

Watching the ducks below, most of them still paired off.

A flock of geese, one of the last called over, taking flight.

I think I counted 52 of them.  Looking more like pigeons than swans on that field.

These lizards were very attracted to Lucas for some reason and moved everywhere he did.  When Naomi and I tried to get their attention, they ignored us.

Cute hamsters, but we'll have to settle for a toy one for now.