Culture Corner plus BONUS STUFF!!

I thought that for sure that as soon as my semester ended, and I was able to let out the breath that I had been holding in since finals week started, that I’d be able to simply sit down and write. Foolish, I know. Plans usually have a way of staying just that-plans. Reality tends to sneak up on plans and knock them upside the head.

Intensity coupled with an overwhelming need to be perfect dominated my last two weeks of school. (I can hear all my psychologist friends, and my family therapist friends scrambling about for their notebooks, and a pen they can click incessantly as they ask things like, “Tell me about your childhood?” or “Why do you feel you have to be perfect?”) The truth is, I stress out really easily. The second I feel as if that rug is being pulled out from under my feet, I panic. I like knowing what to expect, so I can anticipate my next move. Things like not knowing what’s going to be on a test, or not understanding every aspect of a concept is enough to make me implode. I got through that difficult season, seven pounds lighter, with all A’s, and with a wee bit more confidence in myself.

Shortly after the chaos of a semester ending, we jumped right into the Christmas season.

We did all the normal holiday stuff: We made cookies.

We did arts and crafts.

We participated in a Christmas Cantata again, where I was dubbed the “audio engineer” for being the AV nerd. (My dad had to complete how many years at MIT to be an engineer again….?)

We performed the cantata at the nursing home my grandmother passed away at too. I literally cried on one of the resident’s (the lady in the front middle wearing blue) shoulders as we talked about my grammy. She was just so…wonderful.

We chased cows out of the road.

Rowan cut his foot and had to be bandaged up for a while.

We played games, we shoveled snow, we built with Legos, and we shaved.

A couple of days ago I went and picked up my niece so she could spend Christmas with us, something I’ve been doing for years now. In an effort to save time, here’s a photo recap of our visit so far…my children are delightfully crazy!

Also, there’s this guy ❤ <3:

Culture Corner

This piece about the five senses Rowan just learned today. I read it to him three times, and he recited it back to me. It’s not perfect, but still…sharp as a tack, he is.

Culture Corner

Recently Rowan has begun memorizing, authoring, and reciting poetry. For as long as he allows me to, I will post them on this blog.

Here is tonight’s entry (unfortunately the beginning was cut off, and considering that he’s currently running a moderately high fever, I didn’t think it was fair to ask him to repeat himself.) :

*Clears Throat*

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you a Rowan Gabriel (partly) original:

“Hey diddle diddle,

The cat and fiddle,

The dish ran away with the spoon.

The little dog laughed to see such craft,

And the dish ran away with the halibut.

*bows* 

Thank you.

Your Little Bit of Culture for the Day

Rowan asked me if he could have a Facebook account, something I’m not ready to say yes to. I told him that if he had anything he wanted to tell people, or someone he wanted to send a message to, that I’d be more than happy to pass that along. Just out of curiosity, when would you allow your child to get a Facebook account?

Yesterday was a particularly challenging day, behavior wise. When he decided to pull this little gem out of his pocket, it was just the right amount of cute to help me shake that last little bit of frustration I was hanging on to. Some days are just so exceptionally galling. Yesterday was one of those days.

Rowan asked that I post this video of his poem/prayer, that frankly, I had no idea he knew. It’s from a story we read a few days ago. ONCE! A sponge, that one is.