Nothing

If you have not seen KungFu Panda you must go see it! It's one of those feel good, learn a lesson, moral to the story AWESOMENESS type of shows!!! The unlikely panda bear, Po, becomes a Kung Fu master and it's up to him to defend everyone from the oncoming threat of the leapord! But, what made this panda more special than any of the others? Nothing. The ancient scroll held the secret to his success and future as the Kung Fu warrior. But what did the scroll say? Nothing. It was an interesting take on what makes someone more special or capable of doing great things. Absolutely nothing. The only thing Po had was his determination to fight with the furious five Kung Fu students. Po thought he would need something extremely special, some kind of revelation, to help him defeat the leapord. But, when the scroll was opened, all Po saw was his reflection on the paper. There was nothing there. Po defeated the leapord because he realized "nothing" made him special. The secrets on the scroll taught Po that he, himself, was that something special that was needed to save everyone from the leapord. Nothing made him special. Nothing made him fight better. Nothing was written on the scroll, and nothing gave Po any special qualities. He just simply did what he was asked. It's something you can apply to life. You can apply it to motherhood. You can apply it to any sport, and subject, and endeavor. Nothing is needed to make you more capable of setting out to do what you want.

Raising a boy

My mom and dad in Utah miss seeing their grandson grow up, pass through stages of development, and do cute things that just can't get caught on camera. However, there have been a few cute moments that were caught, so here they are mom and dad. LOVE and miss you.
Sunday morning. He HAS to stand on the chair in the computer room, at least once a day. HAS to. And throws a fit when you make him get down.


A few from bath time! (there are some hilarious pics, but I would have to edit them carefully)



Standing on the John Deere you gave me!


Spring afternoon feeding the ducks.




Little boys are wired so differently than little girls. Raising a boy seems at odds with raising a girl. I only say this because of what I've observed. I am partial to articles and topics of little boys because right now, I only have a boy. I recently read an article called "Boys Will Be Boys" by Michael Thompson, Ph.D. I'll quote him now and then. He explains the development of little boys, and the misunderstanding we have of them that is leaving them in the dust in our society. They love to explore, hit things, bite things, test their limits, roughhouse, jibber-jabber constantly, jump off anything they can climb on, play in toilet water, make car noises, and day-dream. "Parents often see boys as intentionally defiant and deliberately destructive, but when toddler boys throw things, kick someone, or disobey us, it's because they haven't yet developed the ability to resist their impulses." Science has recently proven what we should've already known. Physical activity is their niche. Not that we just say "that's just a boy for ya" but, understand we can teach them, without hindering them. Our society should not fail our little boys with taking recess out of schools, or punish them for wanting to be physically active. That is how they learn. You give a little boy a book and he doesn't want to read it, he wants to figure out if it flies through the air like an airplane. That's not a "bad" thing. "It used to be all about play and social development" in the classroom, but "now because of the emphasis on state testing in the lower grades, kids are expected to read fluently, write legibly, and listen quietly. Boys lag behind girls in all these areas. They also lack self-control compared with girls the same age, so they're more likely to be singled out for bad behavior. And since there are fewer free-play and recess opportunities today, it's no wonder that boys are being left behind." I understand the rules of classrooms, but we should not punish or make little boys feel bad when exploring their own thought processes. Boys learn at a slower pace than girls. Little boys are being held back because they don't talk "as good" or read "as good" or do math "as good" as....as what? Girls? And? Boys are happiest when they day-dream, play, and manually discover the world. They don't need a book to tell them about these things, they need to see them, experience them for themselves. That doesn't take away our responsibility of teaching them to read, but they will learn best when the two are put together. It's difficult to be a boy in our culture because it demands toughness and athletic prowess. You can see that in your own neighborhoods, right? Within your own social groups, correct? Society is worried about "making a man" out of the boy. "Gender stereotyping makes us more likely to miss the vulnerabilities of boys." A little boy's focus should be "quiet time to engage in fantasy play with his favorite toys. That means turning off the television, and providing a clear space. Play is his natural sanctuary, and you need to protect it." Little boys seem to be hugged less, picked up less, and comforted for shorter times than girls. Boys are falling through the cracks because we don't understand their developmental process. People are tougher on them, but they deserve and need as much love and cuddling, listening and praise as the girls we call "princesses." Our boys should be the princes of their mommy's world! Our future generation. We are raising them. Sometimes I wonder how good of a job I am doing. Am I making him happy, does he know I love him, will he want to be a good person in society and play nice with others? Will he talk with me when he's a teenager about all the crazy things boys go through? Their lives are hard. Will he be ready for school, wherever that is? Will he be a sweet little boy who helps others? Will he love his Heavenly Father? Will he have faith in Jesus Christ? Will he fall through the cracks? I know our kids are and will be pounded with everything society throws at them. Will they be ready? Cheryl C. Lant said that "The children's ultimate defense is a testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ." Little boys can be taught this, and learn this as well as little girls. We can help them gain testimonies without stifling their imaginations and physical play. "Boys have always had trouble paying attention in class. But they don't have a problem focusing for long periods of time on things they love." We can help them love the gospel. We can help them jump the cracks in society. Hug your little boys!!!

Melting

It's completely hot here (as most of you know) and when it rains, it only gets more muggy and more humid. And there has been a lot of that since it's tornado season. I threw a picture in here of our courtyard so you could see the torrential rain and "lake random." Click on it so you can see it zoomed in. I have to be honest and say that I miss the Utah summers. I miss cool summer nights, and 80 degrees that heats you up but doesn't melt you. I miss playing with my family's doggies in the yard where the green grass is actual grass. However, I do love the rain storms here. The Uintah mountain (Utah) rain storms are great, but even those don't compare. I'm trying to see the positives in all things...even when I feel like I need a shower mid day.

To cool off we spend our time at the splash pad here in Norman, at the kiddie pool in cousin Kael's backyard or fill up the infant tub and put it on the porch, just for kicks. Coleman enjoys all of it! *Sigh* To be a kid again! What do you guys do to keep cool? Any other fun suggestions?

06-05-04 Anniversary

This is how I felt until I married Chris. Thanks for taking the position of being the pillar and letting me run free. Happy Anniversary & love you!

His goal was to make me laugh every day, because he takes few things seriously and is crushingly funny. I try not to take things too serious, even though I have a tendency to think TOO deeply about everything. So far, so good. I laugh daily. There are rough patches every now and then. Nothing is a fairytale, that's why they are fake Disney productions, but you can still choose to be happy and carefree just as the characters of fantasy. This doesn't take away hard times, pain, and uncertainty, but it allows for life to continue with laughter instead of without. Cheers!

The Link

Sorry. I forgot to include the link. Hey, Tammy, this is for you. Political Compass dot org