Egg Hunting and Preschool Picture Taking

I'm a bit behind in posting pictures. Our Joyful Learning theme this month was Easter so most of our easter-y activities will be in that post but here are some from last week's easter egg hunt at church.

Here's Lucy and her friend Benjamin. They are both a little shy when it comes to big groups I think so I sat with them on the far edge when the youth group gave a little presentation about Jesus. We were so far off that they couldn't really see anything and I'm not sure they knew what was happening, but aren't they cute anyway?!

This shows what the under 4 area of the egg hunt. Basically a field full of eggs, nothing hidden whatsoever, and a bunch of non-competitive kids walking around finding them while the parents are pointing them out and encouraging them to hurry. Just about the time they figure it out, it's over.

It's a classic childhood moment right up there with the scenes of preschoolers playing soccer by swarming around the ball and maybe kicking it in the right direction - maybe not.

Then we tried to take a picture of Lucy and Benjamin. I only photoshopped the best one but I had to include them all because they are just too cute. And trying to get a posed shot of two little kids is like herding cats.

Put the lollipop down.  

Now look at us!

Smile!

Back at us, little smiles now. 

Got one!

In which I try, and fail, to get family Easter photos.

All those cute family pictures people have posted on facebook with all the kids dressed up nice with big smiles and maybe a basket or two. With a happy mom and dad behind them...not happening here. I had such hopes. But then we had 10 minutes before we had to leave for church and Jojo was still napping.

So we tried without him. But Lucy was not really in the mood. We had already interrupted her duplo playing to make her get dressed, brush her teeth, and comb her hair - I know, we're cruel, what can I say.

So of course, she acted like sitting on my lap was torture. This might just be a random blink, or it might be my breath deep keep calm mommy face, I'll let you be the judge.

But of course, 2 minutes later, I was worn out and wearing a fake smile while she was fine and dandy already.

So we tried adding Daddy to the mix but balancing the camera on the couch and trying to take a picture  with a timer when we had literally 2 minutes before we had to be in the car and I still had to wake up Jonah was probably not the best idea but we are all in the photo. And very shiny. Not sure why we are so shiny. The glow of Easter? (This is after I've already toned down the shine with photoshop quite a bit)

After church, Jonah fell asleep in the car so I carried him to bed and got him back to sleep while Craig tried to take a picture with Lucy before they changed into play clothes. The lighting was horrible and it's a but blurry but they are genuinely happy so that's a plus.

And when Jonah and I woke up, we were able to get a decent photo of him too. Too bad it only had 50% of the family in it. Oh, well.There's always next year.

Until then, Happy Easter!

Highs and Lows

What a crazy week full of highs and lows. Craig's just switched back to working weekends so today is my "monday"  although he did manage to take Easter off so it will be a short week. I've got a bunch of pictures to post including Jonah eating sweet potato and Lucy and I decorating eggs but I just have to make some time to get them off my camera and onto flickr. But in the mean time, here's the roller coaster of the last week:

High - Gorgeous day. We spent it at a local park swinging, sliding and watching ducks. Craig even got off work in time to meet us there for a while.

High -  Woke up Saturday morning to news that Neighbor J's baby was born. It's a girl!

Low - Right after that text came a phone call from my bank asking if I was buying groceries in Italy. I wish, but alas, no. This meant that not only was I not in Italy, someone had stolen my debit card information. But on the high-er side, USAA is awesome and is handling everything so it really isn't to bad for me other except I don't have a debit card for 7-10 days.

High - Easter Egg hunt at church with Lucy and her little friends.

Low - Sunday's snow storm meant I was stuck at home all day with kids - and by all day I mean Craig worked until 10 pm so I had to put both kids down myself, and since they have basically the same bedtime, this can only mean one thing - dueling bedtime where one kid is forced to stay up later than usual until I get the other one down. Dueling bedtimes is my nemesis!

High - Craig is home and takes Lucy outside. Lucy wears herself out sledding and making a snowman.

Low - Snow? It's supposed to be spring!

High - Craig scored a new front door at a local going out of business sale. We've been wanting one for a while but were waiting till we had an extra couple hundred books unbudgeted for which oddly never seems to happen but he got it for about 1/3 of the regular cost. Now we just have to find that perfect shade of yellow.

Low - I had to take the kids to the grocery store myself at a "non-cookie store." It turns out our regular grocery store (Shnucks or what Lucy has named "the cookie store" because the bakery gives free cookies to kids) is the source of our debit card woes and it is unclear as to whether they have fixed that issue and I'm not willing to risk it).

High - Lucy didn't mind the non-cookieness and was excited to go to a different store. And it was a gorgeous day so we picked up lunch at Chik-fil-A which happens to be right next to farther away from usual non cookie grocery store so obviously it was fate. Then we went to a park to picnic and play.

Low - Things are particularly rough in the child training department. I've mentioned Lucy's been in a terrible two/three phase for a while but this is ridiculous. It's like we've feed her 10 gallons of soda and haven't let her sleep in days. Also, the accidents. Where is this coming from? Start scouring food labels...

High - Found it! Apparently that box of corn flakes was the culprit. I am 100% sure that certain food additives are an issue for Lucy in the potty training area since the change is drastic (no accidents in weeks becomes 90% accidents within a few hours). I'm less sure about the attitude/discipline stuff since slip ups are pretty rare now but am not ruling it out either.

Low - Frustrated about the accidents continuing even though I know that now that the corn flakes are gone, they'll go away soon. I was sooo careful to weed through her Easter candy and only let her have the ones I knew were safe that I can't believe I let that box of corn flakes through. I was led astray by it's short ingredient list and less than 2 grams of sugar per serving. Arg! Feeling torn between guilt for letting it slip in and then for getting annoyed with Lucy even though it wasn't her fault, annoyance at the fact that I can't buy a simple box of cereal without it wrecking havoc on our lives and then guilt again for getting upset over nothing. I know it's not serious food allergies or sickness and it's just a bit of pee. Geez, MacKenzie, relax a bit.

High - Box from grandma comes full of Mom and Lucy approved treats and clothes! Lucy's favorite parts were "the pink box with the flowers (yep, the packaging!) and all the bunnies (chocolate bunny and Annie's bunnies). Feel like less of a scrooge for refusing her request for corn flakes (she saw me holding the box).

High - Just found out Lee Min-Ho is going to be a new rom-com k-drama. He's one of my favorite two actors so I'm pretty excited about it!

Low - Jonah napped in the car for 10 minutes so of course, was wide awake when actual nap time came around. Lucy refused to nap at all since she could hear him making noises and assumed he was having fun without her.

High - Jonah went down to bed super fast. Lucy and Craig are enjoying a daddy-daughter church night for Good Friday. And that brings us up to today.

Now I'm off to enjoy a little pre-Easter devotional time to myself. Wait - time to myself to spend with God in peace and quiet with no one needing wiping or rescuing from his/her sibling? High!

The Things She Says

Lucy's become a little poet lately. Yesterday in the bathtub she told me her bubbles were like "soft powdery snowflakes" and a couple days before that, she asked me to spread her jam "like a blanket over my butter on my toast."

Her prayers continue to be a source of entertainment for Craig and I. Tonight's: "Thank you for our ketchup and our ranch dip. Amen"

And she knows that God made everything but doesn't quite seem to understand exactly what than entails. She was not really happy about my making new curtains for our bedroom because 1) She doesn't like change and 2) "God made those curtains that we got from the store" (meaning the old ones). Why would I want to get rid of the curtains God made and replace them with ones I'm sewing! But don't worry, once she got used the new ones, she liked them enough to spend 20 minutes reading them bedtime stories.

Lucy: Why are you stopping?
Me: It's a red light.
L: I don't see it.
M: Well, I do.
Light turns green and I start to go
L: Ahh! Red light! Red light! Stop!
M: It's green now Lucy. I'm supposed to go.
L: Oh, okay.

She's really blossomed socially over the last few months. She'll talk to the checkout lady at Target and ask her name and when we had a contractor over to the house a few days ago, she even talked to him about how old she was. We ended up asking her when she would turn three to which she matter of factly replied, "My birthday!" Of course, silly us :-)

She is very deep into terrible twos/threes and demanding her own way and it's now most definitely "little nero" tantrums. In fact, sometimes she creates a situations just so she can disobey and try to be in charge. Just one of several examples I could choose from:

Lucy: Mommy, tell me to come over.
Me: (Confused) What?
Lucy: Say "Lucy, come here"
Me: Lucy, come here.
Lucy: No! I won't! stomp stomp stomp

Gauntlet thrown! Of course, I no longer fall for that trick and have stared responding with something like "You can come over here if you want, it's your choice. Plan foiled!

One more just so we end on a positive note. We've now entered the princess/fairy tale phase.

Lucy: Mommy, tell me a story from your mouth about a princess.
Me: Princess? Hmm, what kind of princess?
Lucy: You know, princesses, girls who get mawwied.

Celebrity Fashion Role Model?

Find a celebrity fashion icon. I'd seen the suggestion several times but never really considered it. Mostly because I don't know enough about any particular celebrity's style to copy it - the only exceptions being people I really really don't want to look like (think Lady Gaga).

 But I recently bought myself a pair of black ballet flats. Paired with a pair of skinny jeans, I instantly knew who I felt like. And in my search for a picture of her, I found several other blog posts illustrating that I was not alone. Care to take a guess?

image  from  imbd.com

Laura Petrie...aka Mary Tyler  Moore's Character on The Dick Van Dyke Show. I loved watching that show on Nick at Nick back when I was a kid and thinking about her character and style, it totally fits what I want to be...casual, feminine*, fun and practical for a mom (most of the time, at least). I'd add in colorful for myself and I can always imagine her outfits were colorful, it's not her fault the show was in black and white. I'm not sure if the advice I saw meant you should go back in time quite so far to find a celebrity fashion icon to copy but it works for me.

Do you have a role model when it comes to fashion and if/so what decade is she from?

*yes, I know that she had a bit of controversy with the pants thing but I still think she's looks feminine. While I do like skirts and am trying to make sure my wardrobe has several, when I'm spending my days playing on the floor with my littles, pants just make sense and I find myself grabbing them first.

Jonah @ 6 Months

A few days late but hopefully the excessive number of pictures makes up for it but I'm not doing a good job capturing his many facial expressions. It seems like whenever the camera is out, he only gives me his "serious stare."

Dear Jonah,

Moving, scooting, jumping, trying to climb things. That's pretty much what the last month has been about. It's getting more difficult to get your picture in the chair without dad around to help.

Oh Jonah, despite what you think, you aren't really that big and you can't climb down off the chair by yourself. 

My attempt to get a picture of him on his hands and knees. By the time I walk away, crouch and get focused, he's already back to me. 

 We've already had to move the coffee table to the basement because you kept trying to pull himself up and I didn't think it was stable enough for that. Now you try to climb up Lucy chairs. You've spent a good part of the month getting yourself stuck in various places.

Stuck under the play table. 

Stuck on a box. You crawled over it but couldn't figure out how to back up or get off of it. 

You love to sit and play. At first you needed a basket as a tripod tool but now you're fine just being plopped on the floor and can get back down to your tummy if you want. Sadly, you totally passed my favorite stage of "plop-able but not mobile" because you were scooting first. Oh well, you're cute :-)

First time sitting up with a basket of goodies as a help. I'm not sure he appreciated my interrupting his fun for a photo. 

No basket needed now - other than to hold my loot!

You've passed all the tests for solids food (age, sitting ability, pincher grasp, loss of tongue thrust) You'e already been sitting in his chair at the table with us for a couple weeks now and enjoy socializing at meal time but the last few days I've actually given you some food. We did a few tries with part of my banana and that was fun to smoosh but when a piece would actually end up in  your mouth, your face showed surprise more than anything. But last night's (softened) carrot stick was a big hit and I think you got at least a teaspoonful gnawed off. Still no teeth but impressive gums!

A few weeks ago. Uhm mom, there's no food here.

Still no food? I promise I did give him some eventually, but our battery died so no pictures!

You're still nursing like a champ. Most often while holding my nose or putting your fingers in my mouth. 

You still haven't quite doubled your birth weight but my mom always said I thinned out a bunch when I started moving, Lucy did when she started moving and now you did too (albeit much earlier than she did). Of course, "thinned out" is relative.

Love that baby chub! 

 You've got my long torso though and combine that with cloth diapers and you're already in 12 month clothes so I'm not worried about your growth. 

You love the kitty. Love love love her. The problem is she loves you too and has a tendency to lie down right within your reach (or your crawl zone). With help, you love to pet her but without help, you end up with a fist full of cat hair in your hand and she doesn't seem to learn her lesson. If I put you down for a nap, as soon as she sees me leave the room, she goes in, finds a spot nearby where she can keep an eye on you. Your friendship is too cute!

You also love your thumb when you are sleepy but not in bed (because oddly, you don't suck your thumb in bed).

 You really like to nap in bed best but will eventually give up in a carrier if I shield you from everything interesting. You are just too social unless I do. You are starting to get a little bit of stranger danger though, especially if your tired, you like your friends but only want mommy to hold you.

Your monthly bath. You don't mind baths, I'm just lazy and you're a fairly clean kiddo. Of course, now that the banana smearing has begun, these will probably be more frequent. 

Brain dump on Arithmetic

I actually wrote most of this post about a month ago - yes, even the quote below! I tend to give myself a few weeks before I publish almost anything but recipes and random pictures of the kids - time to edit and make sure I really want to put stuff out there forever and to give Craig a change to look over it. This post has been sitting even longer than normal because as I state below, I was worried about how it would appear and if it would be of use to anyone but me. But no sooner had I finished writing it, than I started hearing all about the Common Core and I do not like what I'm hearing. My plan was to use the types of things below until first grade then start Saxon. I love Saxon and used it as a kid (note that I did not say I loved Saxon as a kid - but I learned a lot from Saxon as a kid and therefore I love it as an adult!) I even have the exact same Saxon books I used in the upper levels (7/6 through AM) in the basement already. I had briefly considered selling it since we won't need it for a long time but now with all the CC changes infecting homeschooling curriculum, I think I'll keep it. And the resources below are looking better and better. So publishing time it is!

It has become somewhat the fashion to adopt new and fanciful ideas in teaching, and many young teachers are misled into thinking that unless a method is new it can not be the best. It should be borne in mind, however, that change is not necessarily progress. Rays' Teacher Guide

Lucy loves math and working with numbers.She taught herself to count to 10 and what the number symbols were last summer and then I was left wondering where sorts of things we should be "playing" with next. In theory I agreed with the idea that basic arithmetic is best learnt with hands-on experience and manipulatives but I couldn't get a grasp of what that meant in real life and every homeschooler's example seemed to be cooking. Lucy loves to cook with me but there had to be more.

So we counted. And counted. And counted. I didn't really want to count much higher than 10-12 because I think it gets very abstract for a preschooler. We also had fun with shapes and patterns and that is math too, but it doesn't seem to fulfill her need for number fun.

Enter some really neat resources. They are all pretty similar in one regard especially - they are old (1800s, early 1900s for the most part), mostly textbook style, and show how basic arithmetic used to be taught. Simple, easy and fun!

I use them mainly as parental resources, not textbooks. I can see the types of questions I can be asking her when we are playing with manipulatives/toys. And they are all pretty similar but there are some variations so I thought I'd like to them all - and for purely selfish reasons, I don't want to lose them later on.

Arithmetic for Young Children - My favorite of these. It's basically a series of questions/requests that get progressively harder. This is the only one I have actually sat down with her and read through, just to get a feel for it. And she had a really fun time. Once I got the concept though, I started applying it to other situations but looking over it again, we might try working straight from the text again once a week or so - as long as she has fun. (And I've heard that the curriculum Right Start is basically the same thing!)

Everyday Number Stories

The Arithmetic Primer

Ray's New Primary Arithmetic

Ray's Teacher guide: Piney Wood's Homeschooling Blog has done a wonderful service is putting together a document with the Ray's teacher guide in a legible format! This is my other favorite resources and the section for young children is only a few pages long but it had so many lightbulb moments for me.

Most of the direct usefulness of these books will come into play later as Lucy gets up towards 6-7 years old and beyond but they really helped me understand what arithmetic really encompasses and how children's learn math so they did change how we are approaching the subject now at age 2.5.

Before learning this, I was working with Lucy on correlating the number 1 with one object, 2 with two objects, etc. We aren't doing those types of activities anymore and have even taken away her sandpaper numerals (I've left out her homemade Montessori spindle box because she really loves to pretend with the sticks but she never really uses it as intended). I want her to be acquainted with what numbers really are and how they act before bringing in symbolism.

 Instead, we are working on recognizing sets of items without counting (she's pretty good with 1-3 but 4&5 is hit or miss), determining which groups have more/less and even adding and subtracting.  I would never have thought to even attempt addition and subtraction but because it is displayed right in front of her and done oral, she has no problem with these types of questions.

Now she likes to ask her own. It is not uncommon for her to spend lunchtime quizzing me on how many boys are at the table, how many girls, how many ears, what about when Jonah is big enough to eat, how many will there be then, etc. And just yesterday I overheard her playing with two toy giraffes, asking herself outloud "How many horns? One, two and one, two. How many is two and two. One, two, three four. Two and two is four!"

At this point, I'm a little worried this post is going to come off as obnoxious.  I'm writing this neither to illustrate how incredible talented my child is and how we are starting her on Kindergarten math (we aren't!) nor to tell you that to teach your 2 year old to count you need to read a bunch of books (you don't!) and it's not like I really know what I'm talking about (see the purchase of sandpaper numerals and making of the spindle box to begin with :-) so so hopefully it is taken in the spirit it is intended - just my excitement over what I'm learning and desire to share some neat things with you.

Update - I've found a few more interesting math things lately.

Here's a very interesting article on "late start" math which I understand is somewhat ironic of me to post given that I'm talking about what I'm doing with my not-quite-3 year old, but still, I do agree with a lot of it.

And here is what looks like a fun pre-Miquon cuisinaire book printable. I already have a set of cuisinaire rods, passed on from my mom, but we haven't done anything with them yet. This might be something fun to consider for a year or two down the road.

K-drama: Cute, Cuter, Cutest!

I feel like I use the word cute too much in my reviews. But I can't really help it, there isn't a synonym that works as well as cute does in these situations. And Koreans really like cute. Heck, they have their own special kinda of cute - aegyo. And for the record, I'm not an aegyo hater but I do agree with eat your kimchi (which is much funnier if you've already seen You're Beautiful) - it's cute when it's somewhat natural (enrique!), annoying when it's not.

Secret Garden - 3.75

My first body swapping drama. And yes, apparently there is a sub-set of these. This one is a neurotic and arrogant company president with a love of sequined track suits switches places with a poor more feminine than you would expect stunt double. Hilarity ensues. And it is really really funny at times.

I loved Hyun Bin's character Kim Joo Won and his acting, in all his many, boy/girl/young/old roles in this drama. And I loved how his character really developed over the show. It took him a while but the man-child he started out as, with all his little mermaid/bubble crap, was completely gone when he drove into the rain. Although Hyun-Bin is also the male lead in My Name is Kim Sam-Soon but it took my two full episodes to believe it, he looks so different! He's so much skinnier in this one and I never would have look at him in MNIKSS and said he needed to lose weight. He's adorable in both but I want to find him a real life pattissier to fatten him back up.

I liked  Ha Ji-Win as Gil-Ra Im too, but I didn't feel like the writers gave her as much to work with and at some point wished we knew more about how she was supposed to be feeling. I don't think I was the only viewer to feel like they were a bit in the dark and it meant some scenes ended up feeling kinda icky when I don't think they were intended to be seen that way (evidence of this: "kiss" scene was sketchier to me because I was less aware of her feelings than the "bed" scene even though writing those down would make you think the opposite - but if you haven't seen it note that the "bed" scene is not quite what you might imagine it to be.)

I wish the plot surrounding the swap, the who/what/how part, was a bit more fleshed out but I did enjoy the wide variety of results. The humor, including the bathroom humor parts -  you can't put a k-drama with a male/female body switch and not expect that to come into play but it was funny and not overly done for my american tastes.  The skinship - but that's my body I'm touching :) and even the serious and touching (but I swear I didn't cry even when, well, I can't spoil it, but if you know, you know.)

It had some really good scenes and I enjoyed the story but it almost felt like they couldn't decide where to take it. It started out with a lot of slapstick comedy, then decided it wanted to be a tearjerker then back to crazy comedy.

I did however really like the ending (as in last two episodes).

SPOILER ALERT I'm partial to a long complete ending, none of this vague smiles roll credits stuff (my one beef with city hunter was the final scene - that's all I get?! I want marriage. I want babies. And seriously, how cute would those babies have been? That's okay, I can imagine them :-). But we get babies here! But I didn't just like having a full fleshed out ending, I liked this specific ending. None of character's change personalities to clean up loose ends but we still have a happy (enough) ending. Crazy mom is still crazy mom. But the two leads are adults too and I love how they let them be adults but while still being respectful to her crazy self. 

Flower Boy Next Door - 3.75

As third installment of tvN's "Oh Boy!" Flower boy series, I was really looking forward to this series and for the most part, it did well. I find Park Shin Hye to be adorable. Her character is a reclusive and frugal copy editor who secretly stalks her neighbor -  very different from the other roles I've seen her in, but she just makes it seem like a role she was meant to plan. She doesn't even talk much the first 6-8 episodes but conveys her emotions seamlessly.

I'd never seen Yoon Shi Yoon before but fell in love with him too - in one cliffhanger scene, I actually yelled "my puppy" outloud and Craig gave me the weirdest look but seriously, he's a puppy in this show. Bouncy and talkative and you can tell he just wants to be loved, for pete's sake, somebody love him! Oh wait, somebody does :-)

Kim Ji-Hoon is always a favorite and does not disappoint as Jin-Rak, the other boy next door, who secretly loves his neighbor Rapunzel. Plus all the great side characters -  Jin-Rak's dongsaeng, the security guard and ahjumma, the crazy editor (especially the crazy editor!) basically, this show is like unicorns and kitties and panda hats and all that is adorable and cute in the world, smooshed together into one little corner of korea (with the exception of crazy ex-friend and weird stalker fans)

If it ended at episode 12 I would have given it 4.5 stars but alas, it started dragging a bit after that. A few slow episodes is quite common for a k-drama but if it has to drag, I prefer it to do so in the middle and then recover but I do think this one ended well so that's a plus. I think it also hurt it that I was watching QIM  at the same time and it definitely suffered in comparison but still, FBND is sweet and quirky and fun and even touching at moments and I am not even a teensy bit sorry I watched it.

On a side note, this was the first drama I watched simulcast. I'd seen people saying they were waiting until a show was almost over so they could marathon and that seemed really odd to me but now I understand. It's really a different experience than marathoning, even though a few of the dramas I've seen, I've "marathoned" at a slow pace. There are upside and downsides but I think I like marathoning better. While watching it "live" means that I am forced to slow down and therefore have more time to think about what's happening, it also takes you out of the world of the show a bit. But the biggest downside is that I don't know if I'm wasting my time or not. I tend to be pretty picky about what I watch. I want several good reviews from sources I trust before I commit to spending 16+ hours of my life watching something and I obviously can't do that if we are all watching it together. The exception to that is if I'm watching because of a specific actor/actress as was the case here - although even Lee Min Ho couldn't save Faith for me (I bailed at episode 4). So I might try watching live again if another drama comes up staring one of my favorites but for the most part, I'll be sticking with shows that have ended.

Queen In-Hyun's man - 5 stars

I go back and forth about some of the ratings I've given, 3.5 or 4? It was better than that one I ranked 3.5 but not quite as good as that other one I gave a 4.5 to so...but fives are easy. I can go back later and figure out what I loved about it but I know it's a five when I feel like it's ruined all other dramas for me. That's what happened here, I finished this and had no desire to watch another k-drama because I just knew nothing would be as good as this one. And apparently I'm not the only one to feel that way about a specific drama since someone made this:

Source: doctorwho.tumblr.com via MacKenzie on Pinterest

 Why even try, I can't top it?! Of course, seeing as how I've said that 4 times now, I'm probably wrong, I will find another drama that's this good - someday.

But on to the actual drama stuff. QIM is sageuk (historical) fusion drama about Kim Boong-do, a Joseon ere chronicler for the king and Choi Hee-Jin a modern day actress. Seeing as how they interect, there is obviously some time travel involved.

I had never seen a sageuk, fusion or otherwise, and I originally shied away from this despite rave reviews but I'm so glad I gave it. It's so good, y'all. It melts my heart. It's so pretty to look at but it's not a drama that is all slick and no substance. It has some very funny parts and lots of sweet interactions between the main characters, the female lead and her friend, the male lead and his little posse and while the second male lead doesn't stand a chance, he adds to the story without being annoying. You'll laugh and cry - sometimes at the same time (episode 15? 16!?). And the plot didn't have a dull moment. There were two spots where they could have stopped and easily coasted to the end with filler and fluff and I would have been fine with that but things only got more tense from there even up to the very end, I wasn't sure my heart could take it at times and I mean that in a good way. Also, it's another tvN show (yep, same as the flower boy series) and cable = lots of good kisses and cutesy skinship!

But the best thing is the two main characters. Now I love me some I-hate-you until I-love-you couples as much as the next guy gal but its very refreshing to watch a show about two genuinely nice people who meet, are kind to each other, start to like each other and then fall in love. Yes, that does really happen sometimes! Of course, being separated by 300 years is enough of a struggle you don't really need to bring in jerkwadiness into the picture. I know some drama fans aren't the same, but I am a sucker for the "take responsability" line and how that is woven into the story really works because of their respective backgrounds. So basically, this show is about the falling in love and that is such a treat.

And how much cuter is it knowing that they really did fall in love. After the lead actor, Ji Hyun Woo, publically announced he loved his co-star, she responded with "We decided that he will stop being In-Hyun's Man and instead, start being Yoo In-na's Man." I can just imagine then eating ice cream and making little hand hearts - aegyo! 

VAGUEISH SPOILER ALERT:

The ending. It seems you either loved it or you hated it (not necessarily what happened in the end but how it played out). I think people reacted so strongly because the show was sooo good that you couldn't help but be very emotionally invested. I do get why people were upset but I think it worked perfectly. What happened to the talisman had to happen to have a clean ending but I think after that the only option was to have something else replace it and either it would be obvious and there would be no tension or it wouldn't be and you would be surprised. Of course, that surprise still needed to fit within the narrative of the show but I thought it did tie (sorry, really bad pun!) in very nicely - we saw the phone as a link/communication between them multiple times, I think the tie part was necessary to break all the former "wrongs of time/fate/history" that had occurred because of the talisman (the arrows didn't count because he didn't think it would happen, he had a plan then!) and to allow her to form the memories she needed to make that connection, and so that now instead of it being Yoon-Wol's wish, it was Hee Jin's. In the end, it was not fate but rather their choices and their memories and their love, that made what happened - happen.  And I'm so very glad it did.

SSMT #6

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5 NIV

I just love God in this verse (not that I don't love him in other verses :-). I know I'm nothing. I know I lack wisdom. I know I need his guidance and gifts and grace...but still, somethings I feel bad asking for things from Him. I shouldn't...but I do. And He knows it and reassurances us. Yes, he wants to give us wisdom. He wants to give it to us GENEROUSLY. He doesn't find fault in your asking -  he already knows you need it! 

And right now, I need it! I need it in this moment - for how to deal with the little people in my life with patience, love and kindness.  It's not just that I know I lack the patience and self control to respond the way I want (although that's true), sometimes I truly don't know how to best to love my 2 year old in that moment - does she need more grace? More discipline? More structure? More freedom and independence? More tv? (okay, probably not that one but my nerves might need her to have some for a few minutes!)

And I need it for the future? Where are you leading me God? What decisions should I make now to ensure that I am prepared for what you are calling me to do. Give me the wisdom to see past all the day to day stuff that weighs me down so I can see and pursue the real purpose you have for my life.

Give me wisdom and give it to me generously please!

Another item off the list

I love crossing things off my to-do list. This one has been on there for a long time so it felt extra good to get it finished. I'm not sure why it took so long. I wanted a place to display Lucy's art work for a while so I picked up some old frames at a thrift store months ago with the intention of painting them. And they sat there and sat there and finally last week when Craig was painting something else for me, I asked him to do these as well since apparently I have no follow through. He obliged.

Then it only took a couple minutes to hang them up, add some clips inside and voila!

There were two in the bed(room) ...

and the little one said, it's crowded. Move over! 

Well, it is crowded in our little second bedroom, but this is temporary. Two weeks ago, Jojo could randomly scoot around but would end up moving backwards just as often as forwards and often ended up stuck under the coffee table.

How'd I end up here?

Hey Mommy, you gonna do something about this please?

But last week, he turned into a man on a mission.



Normally this mission involves getting over to his sister's toys to do some exploring (and annoying).  He still isn't doing a full crawl but definitely has the army crawl down as well as the the inch worm/ hands and knees face plant maneuver. Mix in some toe pushes and he can cross the living room in 2 minutes if he puts his mind to it. Seriously, this kid is non-stop movement

We don't do cribs, preferring the Montessori Floor Bed concept (doesn't that sound so much nicer and less redneck than "mattress on the floor") for times when co-sleeping isn't the best option. This meant it was time for some changes - I don't want to miss him waking up only to hear a big thud as he lands on the floor :-(

So we brought up another mattress and rearranged things to give him a little napping spot. He'll normally only take one nap in here a day - his first and the only one he consistently takes on his own. His second nap is during Lucy's nap time so Jojo I can snuggle in my bed while she has her room to herself. If he takes a third, and that is getting to be a big if these days, he is normally in the boba on my back or Craig is home from work and I take my chance for a break using Jonah as an excuse.

Don't worry about the stuff on the wall, it's affixed with velcro not nails and isn't going anywhere. And the pillow is for when I'm nursing him, it goes on the floor as extra protection from falls when I leave him there. 

Since we all know how much Lucy loves change, I started preparing her about 3 days before the big shuffle. She still ended up very upset, trying to convince Craig he couldn't open up her door because she had "shut it very tightly" this time" as soon as she caught sight of the mattress. After a few hours she was okay with it though.

Eventually, I think we'll move them to a low loft with a floor bed underneath it - like this. But for now this works. The only toys she keeps in here are her stuffed animals and dolls so the lack of floor space isn't a big issue and right now we still do quite a bit of snuggling with Lucy in her bed and I am hesitant to lose that until we have to. Time is moving so fast that I'm sure Jonah will be in here full time before I can even blink. I don't think I'm particularly happy about that.