Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen random things, thoughts, or ideas.

1. Just because you can cartwheel doesn't mean you should do it in the house.

2. Playing hangman at school should not involve calling the
"hangman" the name of a child who "bugs you and is mean".

3. A piano horn is just as annoying as a recorder if your 7
year old plays it as loudly as she can.

4. Fall weather is wonderful. Wonderful that is, when it
goes below 75 degrees.

5. I am a human dictionary to my 7 year old.

6. It's a good thing the 7 year old doesn't ask me to spell
words that are any more difficult than "because or I'm".

7. If you drove your parents nuts when you were a teenager,
they will drive you nuts in their 60s.

8. Mothers never stop giving advise. Wanted or not.

9. You can never have too much cheesecake.

10. Homework stinks.

11. Just as you begin to enjoy the quiet, you realize it's too quiet.

12. The Spongebob theme can easily get stuck in your head.

13. Why would you use that toothbrush for the dog?

Lucky 7

Now you can call me Lucky 'cause Lucky's my name
Singin' and dancin', that's my game.......

I was born 'neath a lucky star

They said I'd go far.....

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Yup. The Pipsqueak is 7 today. I still can't believe how old she is. Seems like yesterday that a little, scared 17.5 month old came off the plane from India and was handed to me.

So Happy Birthday Little Girl. I know you'll go far.

Monday, Monday

Today is Monday. Monday is today.

Today it reached 90+ degrees. In the midwest. In October. What in the world is up with the weather? Ninety-plus degrees in the midwest in October is so wrong on so many levels I'm not sure where to start.

First, the leaves. They should be changing. Some are, most aren't. It's a bit depressing to know you should be seeing the lovely autumn hues and instead are trying to keep the air conditioner running at a decent temperature to avoid heat exhaustion.

Pumpkins. Where are all the pumpkins this year? I should be able to stop almost anywhere on a country road and buy a pumpkin. I can't find them. I refuse to spend $6.00 for a grocery store pumpkin when I am surrounded by farms on which I know pumpkins grow. I think I'll be heading to an Amish farm this week to see if I can find a pumpkin- or I'll be heading to the local pumpkin farm that supports our local schools field trips.

Fall clothing. Summer clothing. They are one in the same thus far. I'm never quite sure what to dress the Pipsqueak in for school in the morning- so I send her in layers. I'd love to be able to start wearing the fuzzy sweaters and sweatshirts. Will I ever be able to wear my favorite flannel shirt again?

I've just heard the weather report- 70 degrees tomorrow. Oh how I hope the weather folks are right.

In the Classroom

Things I never thought I'd hear myself say. Ever. (In the elementary classroom)

1. Math manipulatives don't go up your nose!

2. If you hadn't put the rubber band around your head, we wouldn't be in this mess right now.

3. Why, why did you put your head through your desk? (In which the boy proceeded to get stuck and have to be gently tugged out.... it was an old-fashioned desk btw)

4. Do you stand on the toilet seat at home?

5. Get the crayon out of your ear!

6. You are not a dog. Please stop chewing on your pencil, shirt, paper, etc

7. Child: "She called me the K word." Me: "What's the K word?" Child: "Krazy!" Me: "Oh"

8. Why did you lick his shoe?

Anna Mae Custody

I found out today that Anna Mae Baker/He was returned to her biological parents in July- after 8 years of living with another family in Tennesse. I wrote this when the Tennessee supreme court treated Anna Mae like a piece of furniture rather than a child in their decision in January.

Alot of wrong was done on both sides... if you aren't familiar with the case- simply google Anna Mae Baker or Anna Mae He.

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It doesn’t matter now who was right and who was wrong in this situation.
What matters is an 8 year old girl who is aboout to be taken from the only family and only country she has ever known.

Anna Mae isn’t Chinese. She is Chinese-American. She doesn’t speak Chinese, she doesn’t “think” Chinese, or “act” Chinese. She is American in this.

To take her from her family and give her to complete strangers- which the Hes are to her is unfathomable.

I know that bloodline is important in Chinese culture. To Anna Mae- bloodline is what is ripping her from her parents and siblings. Because folks- the Bakers are HER family… in HER mind- that is her family and no judge, no bloodline can change that.

Perhaps legally Anna Mae belongs with the Hes.. emotionally, she is with her family. To send her back to them- only to then have her go to China- I can’t imagine her fear. She is a U.S. citizen- she should not have to go to a country she doesn’t want to go to- perhaps an immigration attorney will take up the fight to keep her here based on emotional damage… who knows?

This is a mess- but the deed is done and Anna Mae needs to know that there are 2 families who love her. Perhaps if the judge had offered to cut Anna Mae in two- we would have seen the “real” parent step forward.

The Bakers and Hes should probably share custody of this child- it is what is in the best interest of her.. .she is not a coffee table. She is a child and she has a family and I can’t imagine how she will cope if taken from her family.

Sometimes legal right isn’t moral right.

And this case just amplifies one reason I chose international adoption… because I KNEW that 1 year, 4 years, 7 years down the road- I would NEVER have to deal with a bio-parent coming back and saying- I want my child. I made a mistake, I didn’t understand what I was signing.

It’s awful what we do to children in this country in regards to adoption and custody.

Thursday Thirteen

So, Thursday 13. I guess this is my first venture into that arena. I'm still not sure how to link to the site where this originated, but hopefully I'll learn in time.

Since we're slowly moving into fall where I live, I decided to write about my 13 favorite things about Autumn. They are, in no particular order.

1. The sound of leaves beneath your feet.
2. The smell of burning leaves.
3. The leaves changing colours.
4. Sweaters.
5. Sweatshirts.
6. Halloween.
7. The local hometown Halloween parade.
8. Visiting the pumpkin farm with my Pipsqueak.
9. Decorating pumpkins.
10. "Fall food"- such as chilis, soups, beef or chicken w/noodles and mashed potatoes, etc.
11. The new T.V. season.
12. Longer bike rides.
13. Sunny fall days.

Much Ado about Nothing

What to say? What to say? What to say? Therein lies my dillema as of late.

I like the idea of a blog, I really do. It's just that things seem to go by so quickly that I want to blog about, I mean to blog about- but then it never happens.

I'm not sure if it's time mangement issues or just a general lack of blogging/alone time and having the worst cold ever standing in my way.

Anyway- I figure if I'm really going to blog, then I need to do so. Blog, I mean. Write. Write about something, anything, nothing.

The results of course, are this entry.

Not bad, not good, but a start I think.

Yes, a start. And that's good enough for now.