Early Involvement in the Democratic Process

[I intended to post this yesterday, but I didn’t get my usual computer time.  (We had a glorious family breakfast out, instead!)  Please pardon the verb tenses!]

I’ve been talking to the girls for the last few weeks about the upcoming election.  I know it’s far too big of a concept for them to really grasp, but I’ve done my best to give them an understanding of our government at a three-year old level.

The girls know that we’ll be voting for the office of president.  “We are going to vote because we hope that President Obama can still be the president,” they say.

We’ve talked on a very, very elementary level about some of the policies that are important to us.

I told the girls that a person’s vote is very important, but also very private.  We are very proud of our viewpoint, but we respect that other people may make different choices, and that is OK.

I may have taught them to chant “O-BA-MA!  O-BA-MA!” though…which Hubby fears will get us kicked out of this conservative part of the country.  HA!

The girls have already experienced some disillusionment, though.

The girls’ first disappointment came when they started talking about meeting President Obama.  I realized they thought he would be at the polling station.  When I told them we wouldn’t actually see him, they didn’t quite understand.  “Well where will he be?”  I told them he would probably be in Chicago.  “Well, can we go there?”

I figured that Baby A could go into the booth with me, and B with Daddy, and I told them that they could press the button for the president.

The girls were looking forward to their adventure.  B was talking through the order of events yesterday.  “Mommy will vote, then Daddy, then Sissy, then me.”

I then realized I hadn’t fully explained that you have to be 18 years old to vote.  When I shared that with the girls, my tender-hearted Baby B’s chin started to tremble.  She thought she would get to vote, too!

(Of course I have to interject that our girls are probably as well-educated about the issues as some 18-year olds.  I think they make pretty sound decisions, actually!)  ;)

Despite the couple of misunderstandings, the girls were tickled to go vote yesterday morning.  Unfortunately we had paper ballots, so there were no buttons to press, but Baby A picked out Obama’s name, and she scribbled in the box beside his name.

Both girls fed our ballots into the scanner, and they were super proud of their “I Voted” stickers.  They came home and put them on the refrigerator.

“Why do you still have your sticker?” they asked me later in the day.  I talked to them about it being our civic duty to educate ourselves on the issues and vote for what we believe in.  I tried to underscore it’s something to be proud of.

And last night they asked when we would know if President Obama would still be our president.  I told them it would be after they were in bed, and they were OK with that.  (Mama, on the other hand, had a very late night…not content to go to bed until it was official.)

And this morning when the girls got up, I told them, “Guess what happened last night, baby girls?”  “President Obama!” they exclaimed.

My guess is that their understanding today is no greater than it was a week ago, but I love having involved them in the election process. 

Not just in this exercise, but every day, my hope is that I’m raising my girls to have curious minds…who will learn to think for themselves…and who will ACT with confidence and grace to impact their environments.

Super Stuff on a Monday

What made our week super-fabulous?  So much stuff!  I’m bullet-pointing as best I can to get it all in!

1)      We had such a fun Halloween, all the way around.  The girls loved their pumpkin party at school, and they were ecstatic to get a little treat bag from their teachers.  We had a great time with M&C on Wednesday morning, and they really got into the festivities on Wednesday afternoon.  And perhaps best of all, they were content to come inside and snuggle by the fireplace for a few minutes before going to bed (on time!) Wednesday night.  Bliss!

2)      Baby A’s recap of handing out candy: “Mommy, some kids couldn’t talk, so I talked for them.”  If a kid didn’t say “Thank you!” she very innocently volunteered it for them.

3)      My sweet Baby B’s tender heart…she started tearing up when her daddy said (very nonchalantly) that he would get rid of our jack-o-lanterns the day after Halloween.

4)      Baby A’s prowess at using scissors and tape.  She’s occupied herself for up to an hour on several days, cutting out shapes or pictures from magazines, and then taping them onto a blank page.  She’s such a hard worker!

5)      Baby A was such a great helper during nap time one day this week.  She stuck by me through folding two loads of laundry, and then she made countless trips upstairs to put away socks, washcloths, towels, tshirts…anything she could reach.  Daddy was upstairs, and he said she had such a “business” look on her face.  HA!

6)      Finding Baby B napping one afternoon with her pillow on top of her.  She was so cute…and then she was so proud of being a “turtle” after I woke her up!

7)      B organized the alphabet magnets (from two full sets = 52 tiles) in order one morning.  I think I heard her sing the ABC Song 26 times…but she persisted and did an amazing job!

8)      Hearing the girls jump up and down, chanting over and over, “Hip-hop dancers!  Hip-hop dancers!”  They were giggling hysterically…and so was I!  [I can only surmise they got that from our “ABC’s of NYC” book, where “H” is hip-hop dancer.]

9)      We had our family pictures on Saturday.  The girls did so well…and they even had fun!  I cannot wait to see the smiles on their faces.

10)   Happening upon a marathon during our Sunday morning walk through our neighborhood.  We had such fun stopping to cheer on the runners, and B even got to yell into a megaphone.

11)   We let the girls watch the last couple of minutes of the Alabama game on Sunday morning.  Baby B clapped at all the right times, and she even told Aunt GG on the phone about Alabama’s touchdown!  Mama was so proud!!!

12)   The girls have been golden not to get up until their clock turned green, but they’ve been awake a good 30 minutes “early” since the time change.  This morning B was laughing like mad and talking complete nonsense.  Baby A, who probably wanted to enjoy her “extra” hour, kept insisting, “Sissy, that’s not a word!”

13)   The very first thing the girls said when I went into their room this morning: “Muffins!  Muffins!  I smell muffins!”  And correct they were!  They were so excited with their home-baked treat.

So thankful for another great week with my sweet baby girls!!!

Well-Rested Babies and Warm Ice Cream Memories

I grew up in a teeny-tiny town.  There were only a handful of restaurants, and very little fast food.  We had a Dairy Queen, but I think it must have been independently owned.  They had the yummy ice cream confections, but the food they served was mostly home-cooked meat and veggies.

Growing up, I remember going to the Dairy Queen a few times a month with my parents.  We'd sometimes meet our neighbors there, or maybe one of my friends' families.  I can't remember what I would eat for supper...but I know my mind was always fixated on what I'd have for dessert.  Even my dad -- who has never eaten many sweets -- would sometimes indulge in some ice cream.  Or at least he'd help me finish something I'd ordered when my eyes were bigger than my belly.

The Dairy Queen in my hometown closed long ago, and I don't get back there often, anyway.  I was so excited a few years ago when I learned that we were getting a Dairy Queen where we live!

I seriously love a good Blizzard...the taste of my youth!  But I'll say I've been very disciplined in not making a habit of dropping by the DQ.  Still, I was looking forward to introducing the girls to an old-fashioned frozen treat when they were 18 months old or so.

We've only been a handful of times, but the girls seem to know it's something pretty special.  It wasn't really intentional on my part, but the girls perceive the Dairy Queen as the HUGEST of treats, and that's OK by me!

You may know that my dear Baby A has been boycotting naptime for a long time now...roughly since the middle of August.  I've been telling the girls, if they BOTH nap, we'll go to the Dairy Queen.  They added to the incentive by saying they wanted a cone.  (They've only had a cone once before, as I greatly prefer the less-messy option of a cup.)

Yesterday was the magical day.  After a big morning of family pictures (which I think went pretty well!!!), the girls were both tired.  Even Baby A conceded to try to nap...and nap, they did...almost two hours!!!

The first thing they said when they got up was, "Can we go to the Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone?"  And I was more than happy to make good on that promise.

B: Yes, I really did a good job napping!

A: Ahhh!  I feel so refreshed after my nap...ready to attack my cone!

Look!  Does your sissy have an ice cream mustache?

Both girls did pretty well with their cones.  We got some drips on our "lucky" Alabama shirts, but we didn't have to change before going to the park.  :)  Baby A was very methodical, licking all around.  Baby B chomped into the cone after only a few licks. 

And Mommy got tremendous pleasure from sharing a yummy treat with her well-rested babies.

The Happiness Project in 2013...Wanna Join Me?

Yes, 2013.  No, my blog hasn’t been hacked.  I’m actually thinking ahead…TWO MONTHS!

I’ve actually been thinking ahead for much longer than that, ever since I read “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin last spring.  It was such a fantastic read, and now I’m finishing Rubin’s second book on the subject, “Happier at Home”.

I wouldn’t characterize these books as “self-help” exactly.  They really read like a memoir.  Rubin documents how she tackled different initiatives – basically a topic a month – in her pursuit of feeling “happier”.

I’m not an unhappy person, by any means.  I think I’m generally upbeat, more glass-half-full, usually pretty optimistic.  What really spoke to me about these books, though, is that they play to one of the deepest tenets I hold, that we create our own happiness.

I can’t always choose the hand that life deals me, but I have control over how I respond to those situations. 

I am as happy as I want to be.

I wake up (at least most days) and choose happiness.

There are a few points from Rubin that have really stuck with me…

·         Act the way you want to feel.  (Or, in my words, fake it ‘til ya make it.)

·         Identify things that make you happy, and surround yourself with those things.  That sounds like a no-brainer, but I think it’s a really valid exercise to actively identify – in writing – what those things are.  Make a concerted effort to incorporate them into your environment, or your routine.

·         Identify things that make you unhappy, and work to eliminate those things, or work to develop a new / better response to those things.

To that last point, as an example, one thing that really brings me down is when I have some tasks hanging over my head.  One of Rubin’s happiness boosters is, “Tackle a nagging task.”  It may be tedious, but devote 15 minutes, or one hour, whatever…to accomplishing the task, or making progress towards it.

I was beating myself up for being behind on editing photos.  One of the girls woke me up at 4:30 (and hour earlier than I normally get up) one morning, needing a tissue.  Instead of trying to go back to sleep, I got up and devoted a solid hour to photos.  I felt so accomplished!!!  That sense of accomplishment – happiness!  -- boosted my entire day, more than making up for the hour of lost sleep.

I could go on and on…but ultimately the post of this post is to share that my word for 2013 will be HAPPINESS. 

I want to make a concerted effort to identify those things that make me happy, and those things that bring me down.  And then I want to be intentional about addressing them.

And I want to invite you to join me.

Have you read the book?  Whether you’re up for blogging about it or not, I’d love to have some folks to bounce ideas around with, and maybe encourage some accountability.

Want to read the book?  The first volume is available in paperback, and I think it’s a pretty quick read. 

The books have really helped me think about the world in a more intentional way…have helped me be more AWARE (my 2012 word).

Have you started thinking about 2013 yet?  Or do you want to kick me in the shin for glossing over the holidays that are QUICKLY APPROACHING?  HA! 

I’ll only say, don’t mistake my 2013 speak for me having wrapped up all my plans for 2012...far from it…but I’m “acting the way I want to feel”…organized and on top of things.  ;)

***

Here's a LINK to Gretchen Rubin's website, The Happiness Project.

And here's a LINK to her Facebook page. 

(I'm in no way linked to Gretchen Rubin...I just love her books!)

Our Halloween Fun

Our Halloween fun wasn't just about posing for our annual family photo, of course!  We kicked off the day with a play date with our sweet friends M&C.  

First, there was toilet paper ghost bowling...

 

Look at the concentration on C's face as he let the ball fly!

And then we made some crafts...

Our paper plate spiderweb...

...and these toilet paper roll bats.

And then it was time for lunch!

Owl-shaped sandwich and spider-stuffed eggs...

An awesome veggie tray skeleton!

It got very quiet when lunch was served...guess they were hungry!

Our little goblins, gobbling up their goodies!

A big smile from M!

And owl s'mores for dessert.

 And of course a group picture to cap off the day!

C, A, B, M

After a glorious nap (at least for one of my beauties), the girls were SO excited to get dressed in their butterfly costumes and head out to visit with some neighbors.

Nose kiss following our family photo...I love that little look on A's face!!!

Checking out the bushes for a good place to light.

Butterflies had better watch out for spiderwebs!

Posing with Mommy.

Up the walk to Mrs. N's house.

We don't exactly go trick-or-treating...rather we make a three-block loop to see a handful of friends.  We delivered a few hand-made goody boxes (raisin boxes decorated to look like jack-o-lanterns...and of course I forgot to get a picture), and we got to show off our little ladies.  :)  :)

When we got back home, I had a couple of bags of candy for the girls to hand out.  This was their first time to do so, and they loved it!  They told every child, "Happy Halloween!"  [I had to laugh at what A said over dinner.  "And some of the kids couldn't talk, so I talked for them, Mommy."  After her Halloween well-wishes, if a child didn't say, "Trick or treat!", or later, "Thank you," Baby A would volunteer it for them in a sing-song voice...HA!]

The candy didn't last long, though...as both girls wanted to put a piece in each kid's bag (so two pieces for every kid).  That's OK...it was getting chilly by that time, even with our jackets on under our costumes!

Right as we ran out of candy and were heading inside, we saw our sweet friends M&A and their big brother J.  That was a great bookend to our big day.

J, M, A, B, A

It was such a great day, all the way around...an awesome mix of friends and fun...made even better by how much the girls were able to understand and enjoy this year. 

Until next year!