Day 73 Orphaned in Haiti.

I came across this story Orphaned in Haiti at Heather's blog. Take a minute to read it and pray for this family. There has been SO much tragedy in Haiti that we can not even begin to wrap our heads around what's going on. This story put some faces to just a piece of it. I can not even imagine all the emotions that this little boy has been feeling. The fear, excitement, disappointment, relief, the unknown? How about his adoptive parents? They really are amazing people. The love for a child. Isn't he handsome?

I knew immediately, there was no question, that we wanted to help. I read the story to my kids and we talked about what to do. Their money for some toys at dollar tree, welcome cards, a new outfit from Target, and a handmade fleece blanket seemed perfect. Gina at Blessed in Red Headed Bliss immediately jumped right in to help too. She's that kinda girl! Thanks G.

Shawn was doing his thing, singing at a concert for Courage House Ministries (another amazing amazing story) last Friday night. The kids and I went shopping for this sweet boy and went out to dinner, together. We talked about Haiti and Ronel off and on, all night long. The conversations were priceless as we discussed the strength Ronel must have, the courage of his new parents, and how scary that earthquake must have really been. They asked a million questions to which I usually replied, "well, what do you think?" They always had an answer. These kids jumped outside of themselves ALL night long. It was awesome.

First stop was the dollar tree. The kids all pitched in and bought 2 puzzles, a ball, a yo yo, and a car.

Next stop was Dos Coyotes...YYUUMM...then off to Target where we acquired this killer little Shaun T White ensemble... and decided every boy needs to have his own soccer ball and bubble gum, for sure!

Final stop was off to Joann's to get some yummy, cozy fleece.

Emma picked out these two patterns, all on her own. Taylor and I put the blanket together.

There is nothin' like a new fleece blankie and we sure

 hope Ronel feels cozy and safe under his new one.

This morning during school, the kids all made cards...

and we packed up his items and went to the post office...

A box full of goodies is on its way to Ronel and his new family. We wish them ALL the best. People like this are inspiring and we hope these few small things can put a smile on their face. We sure had fun putting it together. Thank you Heather for sharing their story and allowing us to be a part of it.

Now there are just 97 school days left until summer.

Sleep Like A Baby?

Where DOES that phrase come from?
It is just plain weird. 

Each of our kids have been SO different in their sleep patterns, right from the beginning. Cameron had to cry himself to sleep EVERY nap and bedtime for quite some time. Taylor was a fantastic sleeper from the beginning. She slept through the night for the first time, her 3rd week of life (o.k. she was 10.6 lbs at birth, that probably helped). Emma's sleeping has been nothing short of chaotic, just like her wonderful eclectic little personality. She is 5.5 and is still napping a solid 90 minutes a day. However, she suffers from frequent bad dreams at night. The screaming, sweating, waking up in a sheer panic kind. It breaks my heart. Her other sleep "issue" since baby-land is this...Looks peaceful enough, right?

Here it is just seconds later...

and seconds after that...

and a few more seconds after that...

This child is so rough in her sleep. She tosses and turns and thrashes all night long.

I find her in the most interesting positions ever.

See what I mean? Who can fall asleep like this?

Some things never change.

Day 65. Recess Rocks.

When you are doing school with your three children and you see a face book post from their dad like this:

Shawn Struckmeier I am dragging today...seriously need some coffee.

Stop immediately. Take a Recess.

Suggest to the kids that perhaps since daddy works so very hard for all of us, we could do something nice for him by going to buy a coffee. Throw out there the following shocking information: "if you would like to, I think it would be very nice for you to all pitch in some of your own money to help buy it. However, it's your choice."

(Cameron brought .10 cents, Taylor brought .50 cents, Emma brought .11 cents. Cameron excused himself and came back with .50 more cents.)

Take all your hard earned

 and go get one of these

 treat the kids to one of these, (split by 3)

Wish for your childhood metabolism back while simultaneously downing one of these instead

Console yourself with the fact that you look a whole lot classier then you did carrying around an am pm big gulp type cup.

If you do all of these things you might just receive a great big

 from the most important person in your life...

 May I always model for my kids a love and appreciation for their dad who does so very much for us all. Always teach each one of my kids that living with other's needs before our own is the best way to be...even if it is aiding with a horrible life sucking addiction like caffeine consumption.

Now there is just 105 school days left until summer...

The Naked Wandering Woman.

Written a couple years ago. Something I don't want to forget...

So, today on the way home from Chuck E. Cheese, I notice tons of smoke near my neighborhood. Ever since I was a little girl, anytime there was any sort of disaster my dad would hop in the car and go investigate. I always went along!!! So, I have passed this tradition on to my three children as well... Cameron goes very nervously, the girls are all for it. Today was no exception, we went in search of the fire.... 

Well, we hit major defeat... there was NO way we, or any of the other curious people, were getting anywhere near these fires... so we gave up, and turned down Gerber Rd. to go home. 

All of sudden (as we were going about 10 mph in major traffic) I looked to the right to see a thin young girl maybe 20 or so, very attractive, walking down the street completely and totally naked in broad daylight. She looked like she was just truly enjoying her afternoon stroll, with not a care in the world. She was clearly a bit delusional. Not only was she walking naked in front of numerous onlookers, but she was walking on the hot asphalt, sticks, rocks and yuck through a construction zone, and didn't even seem to notice. 

Two cars behind me was a cop and sure enough not more than two seconds later he made a sharp turn off the road right near her. The naked woman looked at the cop car and turned and started wandering into the fields... WHAT would a poor cop do when he got to her? Do they carry extra clothes for this type of situation...I can hear it now, um ma'am, do you realize you have no clothes on? 

I was so stunned and engrossed in these thoughts that I completely forgot for a moment that my kids were in the car. As I looked in the mirror to see their reaction the silence was broken by my 3 year old, Emma... 

" aww mommy, that's not fair. I want to grow up and be a mommy and have big boobs and walk naked down the street with no shoes on......." 

The flu cycle of '07.

A little tale written a couple years ago....

So, there is a new, almost nightly ritual goin' on in the Struckmeier home. It all begins during the wee hours of the night. It starts with just a simple cough. At the onset of this sound, my husband, leaps forth with enormous zest, untangling himself from our down comforter, and flies down the hallway while simultaneously shaking pretty much the whole upstairs. I think he is halfway down the hallway in pursuit of the cough instigator before he is even awake. He scoops up his victim and has them dangling over the toilet in about 2.2 seconds. I have never experienced anything like it. The speed at which he gets there is incredible. Truly admirable. Being a born and raised San Jose girl, earthquakes are a way of life to me. By the time I wake up from his dramatic exit from the bed, realize I have moved to Sacramento, and am not experiencing an earthquake, he is a million steps ahead of me. I slowly drag my butt out of bed, find the action and take over. You see from the birth of our first son and his first vomit experience with Mountain Mikes Pizza, we quickly discovered that when it comes to illness: Shawn takes the bottom end and I take the top. Anything else can result in one of us joining in the fun.

A slight variation occurred from the normal recently. I heard the usual steps,

but all of sudden heard Emma literally yelling at Shawn, " Daddy I am NOT throwing up". Poor thing. Imagine being yanked out of bed from a deep sleep and hung over toilet just because you coughed! Oops. Although, after a month of this flu, its a very justified behavior from Shawn. Cough and he is on the run. I applaud him. Since vomit clean up is my job, I sure appreciate the many carpets he has saved. My hero.

Tonight this ritual has occurred again. This time with my 9 year old son. I hear the cough, experience the exit from the bed, and take my walk down the hallway wondering which one of my children it is tonight. I was surprised to see Cameron this time. The next victim in our endless cycle of flu this season. As I quicken my steps to get to him I step right in the vomit, as Shawn's scoop and hang method is not so effective with a 3rd grade boy. Cameron has not thrown up in years. Therefore, the hallway carpet became the casualty this time. He almost made it to the bathroom linoleum. Almost. As I sat at 4 a.m cleaning all of this up, all I could think was what a difference 6 more inches would have made.

Life...According to Tay

I read on a another blog a couple days ago, that a woman was having a conversation about her daughter with her friend. She said that when her daughter grows up, she wanted to be a writer....her friend who was listening said...she already IS a writer, isn't she?

Such insight, really. Stop and think about that. Why do we often talk about our children as if they will become people in the future? Aren't they already?

Speaking of which...my Taylor came to me that same day (freakishly strange coincidence)...she wrote her "life rules to live by". Here they are, just as she wrote them.

1. Just because something is popular, doesn't mean it's good.

2. Snot rockets don't make u an astrounaght.

3. Lying NEVER solves anything...EVER.

4. your only a big baby if you let yourself think your a big baby

5. You know you have a best friend when they don't tell your secrets. Even your tiny ones.

6. always try your best. Even if you feel discouraged.

7. Begging a plant to grow, will never make it grows faster.

8. You should always help someone who is going through a hard time.

9. at least try to be creative in things you do.

10. never judge a book by its hot pink cover.

11. make some secret handshake with your friends

12. try something new... at least everyday,or 2 a week.

13. school is important, even if it doesn't feel important

14. It is plain weird to pretend you are at a beach party in the middle of winter.

Children are already amazing people.

Love you Tay.....xo.

Day 51. The Teacher Becomes The Student.

We are all in school. All four of us. The kids are studying books. I am studying them.

What makes them feel?

What motivates them?

What makes their heart sad?

What makes their eyes sparkle?

I need to know these things. I desperately want to have deep meaningful relationships with my children all throughout their life. I am sure this is something that every mother wishes, but I wonder how often it comes true?

As an adult, I think about the relationships in my life. There are some that are my safe place.

I know what I will be met with when I go to them. An open heart. It's that simple.

Those are people that will drop anything to help you. No questions asked.

They have your back...and they have my heart too.

A beautiful example...a dear friend of mind offered to take my kids every afternoon for a whole week so that I could detox myself off caffeine. To allow me to go home and nap or be cranky.

Or maybe just to nurse my inevitable migraines. Her idea. Her suggestion. People like this amaze me. Inspire me. That is what makes me feel. This is what motivates me.

(and yes I am taking her up on it after Christmas!)

Those are people I cling to and want to be with. They watch for ways to help you. Not in something that will fit into their convenience or their plan. Just investing in each other. It's how I long to live my life, as well. Living outside of yourself. Living by loving people.

I need to invest time in my kids now. Lots of it. Being there, with no expectations on what I

will get back from them. No agenda. Loving them and becoming the safe place for their heart....For now and the days to come.

Today was an awesome family day. All home together. Multiple lasagnas made and in the freezer. Multiple loads of laundry completed. Multiple miles run on the treadmill and lot's of school done. Taylor particularly rocked her work today. 100 % on 2 quizzes and 2 tests. (earned her 12 sticks!)

I let Emma do art all day long. I was speaking her love language for sure. Just look at those eyes.

Now there are just 119 school days left until summer.

(and 2 days left until Christmas break, but who's counting?)

Chill Time.

Chill time started in my house years ago. I don't remember when or how it got it's name, but it is an almost everyday happening in our world. I think it is actually more for me, then the kids. When the older two started outgrowing their nap time, I made up a quiet toy bucket that they could take on their bed for chill time. Now as they are 9 and almost 11, I don't make them sit on their bed anymore. However, they are to be in their room and not come out unless they are bleeding or throwing up. That's the actual rule.

Emma still naps for me. Hooray. She usually sleeps 1.5-2 hours each day. So, the kids have chill time while she is napping. When I started the school year this year, I did school sometimes in the afternoon and put Emma to bed in her "nap spot". Yeah, that's outlawed now. After just a short time homeschooling the inevitable claustrophobia has set in. I HAVE to have some down time each day. It's a must. So chill time/nap time is sacred. My hope for 2010 is I can join a great gym in town. It's $100 a month for me and the kids. However, that includes childcare, child classes like b-ball and cheerleading, and sanity for me. We shall see.......

Children's Place Outlet.

I have never found deals quite so amazing at any other store than this one. When the kids were in toddler sizes, I frequently would buy items for .66 cents a piece. It's hit or miss, but when it's on they are great deals.

I ended up at the Children's Place Outlet in Folsom yesterday and they had lots of rounders for 1.99 and 3.99. I purchased $340 worth of clothes for $80. Several t shirts for next summer and some winter things too! Good enough for me!

Day 33. Let it fly.

Emma had a girl date with her friend Ella and her mommy Gina today. They went to the mall...rode the merry go round, had cookies, shopped Hello Kitty! Yay... for girl time. Sounds perfect to me.

I kept Ella's 7 month old sister at home with us and did school with Cameron and Taylor. We had some fun stuff today. Cameron presented his science report and we did some experiments with light (in our closet under the stairs). My favorite though was our Bible project. It was due today.

Every week we will be taking a character trait and doing an activity with it. This week was creativity. Our lessons this week were about creation and how creative our God is. So, I challenged the kids to figure out this week what creative gifts that God has given them and then to demonstrate it. That was the only instruction they had, as part of the assignment was to be creative.

Taylor made a picture and wrote a story called "The Creative Columnist". Emma made a picture. Cameron built a rubber band gun. He demonstrated it. It was unbelievable how fast that thing shot. Shawn is off work today, so he was able to witness the project presentations. It was fun to have him in the classroom.

It was an interesting dynamic to watch the kids do oral presentations in front of just our family. I would often go into the classroom at school and watch the oral presentations they would give. Cameron was always very nervous, Taylor was usually not. I was surprised to see that Taylor, our outgoing daughter was very silly-esque today when presenting. Almost embarrassed. It fascinated me. I think perhaps it was that she really exposed a piece of her little heart in her story. Even with the comfort of her family surrounding her, it was tough to throw her heart on the line. The risk is there, that someone will do or say something that will hurt her feelings. Whether its intended, or not is not even the point. It is just scary. I think most school reports were not an issue for her because they were usually straight facts.

I wonder how to best to instill confidence into these kids. One gift I am not sure how much I can control, but desperately want to give my kids is the ability to know who they are and the confidence to live that out. There are too many adults who live safe. Afraid to get hurt. This is masked in many ways, but you can see it in their eyes. My good friend Nicole, often says that everyone has an inner freak flag that they are dying to let fly. It sounds ridiculously funny. However, it is so true.

I stumbled across a Bible Study a couple of years ago that will forever be monumental in my life. It is by Angela Thomas, called, "Do You Think I'm Beautiful?" She compares our lives to a dance. Challenges us on if we are wallflowers or really living. This is a section that impacted me deeply when I read it for the first time. It so eloquently says, exactly how I feel and what I want to instill in all of my kids...

"Dancing for me, means living in the fullness of my gifts and passions. Drinking deeply of relationships, adventure, and learning. Dancing means being fully alive and in step with the movement and plans of my Father. I don't want to miss anything God had in mind for me. I want to grow and become and change. I call it dancing in His arms."

Now there is just 137 school days left until summer.

Day 25. To Each His Own.

One thing that has always been super important to me, ever since the kids were born, was to give them permission to be good at something as well as permission to need to work at something. We can always improve and we can always struggle. Its o.k. You are loved unconditionally in this house. We are all different.

Cameron is my inquisitive child. He misses nothing. He is a human sponge. Taylor was born to demonstrate the meaning of the phrase "stop and smell the roses". Her contentedness with life is inspiring. Then Emma... the level to which she jumps in at whatever she is doing is unparalleled. One of my friends says she goes from zero to psycho in seconds. It's both her greatest asset and her biggest weakness. Shawn has a quiet peace about him and a passion inside that gets brought to life every time he steps on a stage to lead people in worship. He is my rock. I, on the other hand, have nothing quiet about me. I can't get enough of people. I love loud, fun, and adventure.

I think that it is so important, even as adults to know your God given strengths and know your weaknesses. To genuinely accept both about yourself. I have tried to instill this in our kids by regularly, but not too frequently, talking openly about this.

Boy this is testing me right now. Self control is an issue. Perfectionism is the culprit. I pray daily for wisdom in how to help my son grow in this area. The pace that school work is getting accomplished is dramatically different between my kids. Now that the "remember what you learned last year period is over", our classroom has had a different tone. Doing things that are difficult has proven to be a lot harder than doing things that are easy. It has been unbelievable to me to witness so clearly how fast having a negative attitude can suck positive results right out from under you. Teachers have an interesting perspective and seriously I have a new found respect for them. One of my friends said to me at the start of the school year..."Wow, you are going to learn a lot this year." My response "like you wouldn't believe". I pray that I don't miss a thing. I pray that I not let my negative attitudes get in the way of what the Lord wants to do in my heart and in the hearts of my family. I pray that this year I can devote the time, patience, and wisdom to help all my kids make huge strides in their growth as uniquely created children of God.

Just 145 school days until summer.

Day 24. Baby Mine.

There are some things that I absolutely adore about home school already, while the list of things I don't, still remains. First on my love list is time. Each day I watch Emma learn the simplest of things like drawing a straight line and sitting still. I think how I missed that kind of thing with my older two. Its fine that I did, as I know there are benefits to having them learn to function in a group setting, that I can not duplicate at home. I just find it so interesting to watch her learn and grow each day. I love the extra time I get with her. After all, she is my baby.

All the kids have ended up with songs that I secretly would sing to them when they were little. It was not intentional, it just happened. Emma's is Baby Mine. As I write this, I hear it on repeat in her bedroom while she's sleeping. That song forever will remind me of Miss Emma Grace. I wonder what she will grow up to be?

Now there are just 146 school days until summer.

Random Drumming.

My trick for handling classroom wide frustration moments came to me yesterday. As I told you, I spent the day teaching on the floor with a pillow. In the middle of my pseudo nap, I accidentally hit the leg of one of the kids desks. It made a pretty sound. So, being the fabulous role model that I am, I continued. It Interrupted our studies and before long the four of us were having a jam session. Pencils, rulers, markers all were tested. Random Drumming was born.

From now on, anytime I say random drumming, everyone has ten seconds to drum away. When I say stop, everyone must stop. Frustration diffused. You can't help but laugh. I think I'm on to something. Workplaces should consider this.