DWTS Premiere!

We Sansoterras are so excited for the newest season of Dancing With the Stars!  We allow the kids to stay up late and watch the first half of the Monday shows.  Emily and Megan dance along and RJ makes sure that I don't miss a single cool move.  Its less than 15 minutes into the show and I already have several observations.

• Where's Derek?  He is one of the best of the male professionals on the show and he's absent.  Maybe he's on to bigger and better things like his sister...
• What is up with Brooke's dress?  Too odd and badly cut to be pretty.
• Chelsea Kane - DWTS definitely made a smart move having another Disney kid on.  Kyle Massey was extremely fun to watch last season and Chelsea got a great start in her first dance of the new season.  She was home schooled too - which gives her extra points in my book!  Score:  21
• Wendy Williams - I've never heard of her, already she cries A LOT, and her dancing is just as smooth and captivating as Kate Goslin's or Bristol Palin's (sense the sarcasm).  Score:  14
• Hines Ward - I've never heard of him either, but then again I don't watch football.  He's got some great moves on his first dance and great charisma too.  He looks like he's having a lot of fun and he's a lot of  fun to watch!  Score: 21
• Petra Nemcova - Thailand tsunami survivor is already tugging at people's hearts, due to pain and limitation sin flexibility that she's still experiencing from her injuries 7 years ago.  She dedicated her dance to the people suffering in the Japanese tsunami last week.  Her performance was a bit flat, but she is naturally quite elegant and graceful, so that may keep her in the running for a bit longer.  Score:  18
• Romeo - Back after being replaced in season 2 by his dad, Master P.  The disconnectedness is on par for week 1, but their Cha Cha is a little too hip-hop for the ballroom, in my opinion.  Score:  19
• Sugar Ray Leonard - Will he 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee' in the competition?  The technique was definitely that of a first week dance, but Anna is a great teacher and it was fun to watch too!  Score:  17
• Kendra Wilkinson - Hmmm...Can the former Girl Next Door rise above rise above her hoochie mama, club dancing roots?  She seems stiff, jerky and even a little forgetful.  Score:  18
• Ralph Macchio - He looks exactly the same as he did 30 years ago in Karate Kid, except he's taller now - talk about aging well!  His foxtrot was wonderful, he had great technique and elegance, especially for week 1!  Score:  24
• Chris Jericho - Here's hoping the WWE wrestling champion doesn't accidentally body slam Cheryl.  His Cha Cha was interesting, not great but not horrible.  Score:  19
• Mike Catherwood - Radio host with a sense of humor.  His foxtrot turned out pretty good for week 1 - he's got some redeeming to do next Monday. (On a side note, I'm not too crazy about Lacey's aluminum foil dress.)  Score:  13
• Kirstie Alley - I liked her on Cheers.  And that's about it.  She's beyond obnoxious and Maksim is the extremely cocky bad boy.  I see DRAMA in the coming weeks, as they danced a surprisingly good cha cha!  Score:  25  

It looks like its going to be a fun season!

St. Patrick's Day Fun!

We had a wee bit o' fun with St. Patrick's Day today!  We started the day with a discussion about why we celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  Thanks to Megan's recent obsession with Veggie Tales:  Sumo of the Opera, which has a short film about the history of St. Patrick, RJ and Emily were able to tell me and my Mom the history of this great man.  (See the YouTube video below)

For our art project, the kids had fun transforming themselves into leprochauns and making their names "Irish".  They also did some St. Pat's themed word puzzles and coloring sheets.



For dessert, I made mint flavored, green cupcakes with green buttercream frosting and Skittles rainbows.  Thank goodness we didn't give up sweets for Lent!  (Well, Matt gave up candy, but not desserts, so he can have a cupcake without a rainbow.)  They don't look "Cupcake Wars" worthy, but they sure do taste yummy!

Here's the Veggie Tales St. Patrick short film:

 

 

 

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields and,

Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

~Irish Blessing

The Invisible Mom

My Mom sent this to me in an email today and it really moved me.  After doing a little bit of internet research, I found that it is called "The Invisible Woman:  When Only God Sees" and is written by Nicole Johnson, a speaker at women's conferences. 

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going... she's going... she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.'

That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

This writing reminds me of a passage of Matthew that we read with our Lenten devotional this week.  In Matthew 6, Jesus is in the middle of His Sermon on the Mount.  He instructs us to not call attention to or to seek reward for our righteous acts, prayers, and fasting.  Throughout the passage (vs 1-8), He repeatedly tells us that these things should be done discreetly, "in secret".  "Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." 

Any mother can surely relate to this feeling of invisibility.  It can sometimes be challenging to look beyond the invisibility of "right now" and see the benefits that will come in the future - our children's lives. 

The next time you feel invisible, remember that Someone is always watching.

Why is it 'Wrong' to Teach Kids Responsibility?

One of my favorite mom blogs is written by Dawn Meehan - Because I Said So. She posted awhile back about the responses she received from her readers about her having her older children help pick up the younger children's toys. Apparently, some of the readers were appalled that Ms. Meehan would have her older kids help the younger kids out. I completely, utterly and thoroughly do not understand that opinion.

Why isn't it OK to teach kids responsibility?

Why isn't it OK to have kids help with chores?

Why isn't it OK to teach kids to help each other out?

In my opinion, Ms. Meehan was completely right to ask her olders to help the youngers out. American society, in general has really lost most important aspect of family which is that families are supposed to function as a team. No, families don't get along ALL of the time, but we are all supposed to pitch in and help each other out.

Our society is so wierdly kid-centered: parents work hard and then give their kids everything and anything they want.  Often times to relieve the guilt not being able to spend alot of time with their kids (Can we say viscious cycle?). WHY?  As a result, a lot of kids these days are just overly self-involved and self-centered.  No, I'm not some 60 year old, complaining about "whipper-snappers".  Working in a fast food restaurant for 12 years supplied a huge amount of teenagers for me to observe. 

Kids need limits, boundaries and responsibilities!!!

When I was 5, I was standing on a chair, washing dishes every night after dinner.
When I was 12, I made at least one dinner a week.
As I grew older, I was responsible for doing my own laundry.
When I was 16, I bought my own gas and car insurance - and car.
I was responsible for sweeping, mopping and cleaning the bathroom regularly.

As a result, I learned that satisfaction and self-esteem can be gained from a job well done.  I also learned that the things that are most important require hard work to achieve.  Shame on my Mom for instilling a healthy work ethic in me and my brother! 

My olders, who are 8 and 6, are responsible for helping around the house. They have to clean their room about once a week. They clean the youngers' toys up once in a while. They have set the table. My son helps shovel snow and he cleans the litter box. They help clean walls, windows and scrub floors. And they make their beds every day.

In working within our family as a team - Mom and Dad are the coaches, as well as players.  I hope to instill in my children a sense of responsibility, ownership and family values.

Homeschool Mardi Gras Party!

A serious amount of cabin fever necessitated a break in our same ol' same ol' schedule.  Mardi Gras provided an easy opportunity to plan a fun day around.  We've never celebrated Mardi Gras before, so I did some research and came up with some fun activities to do this morning. 

Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" and the celebration stems from the French tradition of parading a fat ox through the town square to remind the people that they were to abstain from meat during the Lenten season.  Through my research, I learned some of the many ways that different cultures celebrate Mardi Gras, most including parades, masks, beads and more. 

We donned on clothes in the colors of Mardi Gras:  purple, green, and gold and we started the party with a brassy jazz version of "When the Saints Go Marching In".  For breakfast, we had a pancake party.  Our pancakes were covered in whipped cream and topped with purple and green sprinkles.  After our pancake party, we started in on our arts and crafts.  The kids made colorful pictures of Mardi Gras masks, a Mardi Gras bunny paper craft, and we all made crowns to wear for our mini-parade.  After our parade, we played a simple Mardi Gras board game. 

Pancake Party!

Mardi Gras Arts & Crafts



Mardi Gras Fun For Everyone!



Our first Mardi Gras party was great fun!

What's the Point in Giving Up Stuff for Lent?

Meat

Chocolate

Coffee or Caffeine

TV, Video Games, Computer

Sugar or Other Desserts

Soda

Saying Alleluia

These are all things that we hear people talking about "giving up" for Lent.  Lent begins this Wednesday - Ash Wednesday - and lasts 40 days (not counting Sundays) until Easter Sunday, April 24.  The 40 days recall the 40 day fast of Jesus in the wilderness after his baptism (Matthew 4 and Luke 4).  Giving things up on Lent isn't solely to have us suffer like Jesus, but to remove some of our daily distractions so that we can draw closer to Jesus.  In a crazy, chaotic, overstimulated world, Lent provides a place of simplicity and solace wherein we can reflect on our baptism, and focus on Jesus teachings and trials right up until he died on the cross for our salvation. 

Some might ask, "Why bother to give something up if you're just going to go right back to it on Easter anyways?"  Good question!  In a culture of instant gratification and over-indulgence, I'm hoping that giving up something that I focus entirely too much of my energy on will help me to either: a.) determine that I don't "need" it at all after Easter, or (more realistically) b.) have that something in my life, but in a more balanced way.  In my opinion, there's absolutely no point in giving up something for Lent if you're just going to go back to "life as usual" on the Monday after Easter. 

Does a person need to give up something for Lent?  No.  There is no specific Biblical mention of the custom of Lent.  The Bible does, however, have several instances of fasting, repentance, mourning and reflection.  I believe observing Lent in this way is a personal, spiritual choice that should be approached in a prayerful way.  If you feel led or convicted to abstain from something for Lent, by all means, do it - don't let denomination get in your way!  If you don't fell led to give something up, don't.  One of the most powerful lessons I've learned recently is that God convicts me in a way that is different than the way He convicts you.  Just because I'm giving up something for Lent doesn't make me a better person than a person who doesn't.  

The most important thing to remember is that Lent is a journey that leads to Jesus Christ, dying on the cross to save us from our sins.  What better way to remember Jesus' journey to the cross than by drawing closer to Him on our own Lenten journey?




Click on the picture for a Lent Calendar for your kids!