on point

One week ago yesterday, Miss J performed in her fifth ballet recital. She rocked it!

And because it's all about the bun and the tutu...

center of cool

No. Not me. I'm definitely not cool. Not in any sense of the word! Summertime has hit early in my little town. We're already in the low 100s and it's expected to get warmer. I finally gave in and turned on the air conditioner today when the inside temp hit 90 degrees.

I'm longing for a cool, calm mountain lake...

Miss J wading in Center Lake, Mt Lassen two summers ago

mommy claws

My mommy claws are out. Miss J was going to be in the school talent show with another little girl in her class. They've been talking about it for weeks. The parents had the form for a week. Yesterday was the deadline to turn in the form. No form turned in by the other parents. Now Miss J can’t be in the show.

What’s really got me is Miss J was going to have her first sleepover. She was soooo excited. It was set for this coming Friday. She’s been cancelled. The other little girl got invited to a birthday party for a girl in their class (which J wasn't invited to - another thing to get my claws out over) and cancelled J’s sleepover so she can go to the party. Not even a phone call from the Mom to me explaining the situation. This has all been relayed through the little girls.

I know part of growing up is learning how to face disappointment. And Miss J is soooo disappointed over the situations. It is so hard to stand by and watch the child you love more than the world feel hurt and rejected and sad. How do you help and protect your child while not getting in the way of their growth...

snapshot of Miss J

taken a couple of days ago

7-year-old poet

J wrote me a poem today...

Blossoms remind me of you. 

The blossoms in the Winter are sweet like you. 

You are nice and the blossoms love you, too. 

You are like the blossoms, sweet and generous.

then and now

I needed some inspiration today. Couldn't come up with something exciting to blog about. I asked J what I should write about and she said "you." Well, that's not very exciting. So instead I decided to write a post about her.

I've been thinking a lot about the ocean lately. We went to the Sonoma Coast for a couple of days last week, but I want more. J loves the beach, as well. She hated it when she was a baby and toddler - too much noise, wind, and the waves were too much for her. I was devastated that my daughter didn't love the ocean as much as I did. Through the years, I've brought her with me, letting her stay in the car if she preferred. When she was about 3 or 4, suddenly the love of the ocean clicked in. Now she loves it as much as I do. Yay!

then - January 2006 - and now - August 2012

off

J and I are headed to Petaluma for a couple of days - to visit Grandma, to visit the fair and carnival, to visit the ocean. We both love seeing Grandma, of course. The fair and carnival is for J. When the fair came to our town, I was in the hospital with pneumonia and couldn't take her. So, I promised to take her to the Sonoma County Fair when it came around. The ocean is for me. Well, J loves it, too. But I need it! We'll probably go to Salmon Creek, maybe Goat Rock. I don't know. Maybe every beach along the Sonoma Coast!

Here are some photos of Salmon Creek. Taken the day after Christmas last year.

BTW - there won't be any posts on Wednesday and Thursday. I won't have my computer. Be back Friday with a free foto...

going for the gold

J and I have been watching the Olympics. She is entranced. This is the first year she is old enough to really understand what is going on. She can watch swimming and gymnastics endlessly - everything else is "kind of boring." Yesterday we watched the woman's water polo team. J was so into it. What a combination - water and a ball! We may have a future water polo player on our hands...

Not diving, not swimming, not water polo, just J jumping from the diving board at the public pool. 

Taken last summer via iPhone.

barbie creativity

This afternoon J, her grandmother, and I dressed J's Barbies. Of course, that wasn't enough for me - or J. We had to photograph them as well...

little artist

J was playing around with acrylics today. Sometimes she amazes me...

little miss j

The other day I mentioned J wasn't feeling well. I took her to see the doctor this morning and it turns out she has a little pneumonia in both lungs. One lung is partially collapsed due to the amount of mucous. She's usually such a dynamic child. Right now she seems so little. Of course, at one point this afternoon, when she didn't have a high fever or tummy ache and wasn't coughing, she put on short shorts and a little tee, pulled on my high heeled boots and started strutting around the house like a model. She was so grown up. I kept thinking, "Where did she learn to move like that?" and "Please, stay my little girl. I'm not ready for you to be grown up!" Ahhh, motherhood....ups and downs...joys and worries...the best adventure of my life.

J, taken last Thursday during her class's field trip

fever

My precious girl has a fever. She was fine during the day, but started having chills at dance class. By the time class was over, she had 102 temp. This is her night to be at her Dad's. Up till now, whenever J was sick - no matter whose night was scheduled - she stayed with me. For whatever reasons, her Dad wants her with him tonight. It feels so wrong to know my little girl is fighting a fever and I'm not with her...

91

at Mt. Lassen with J

Happy Birthday, Grandma Ruth!

the greatest gift

J was in a school play tonight. The first graders put on Stone Soup - a story about hungry travelers meeting up with townspeople who didn't want to share their food. In the end, they came together and made soup. All the kids were magnificent. J was a traveler. I - and her teachers and other relatives - was in awe of the musical talent and stage presence this usually shy little girl exhibited. I'm a proud mama tonight...

The greatest gift is to share,

To tell a neighbor you'll be there,

To show a friend you really care,

The greatest gift is to share.

For alone we have nothing,

We could lose our way.

So, reach out to others,

Sisters and brothers,

You'll find a better way.

That's what this world is about,

To meet a neighbor, help them out.

To trust a friend when you're in doubt,

That's what this world is about.

happy easter



decor

I was working on photos on the computer. Miss J was entertaining herself. It was really quiet - that should have been a clue. I turned around to find she had decorated. Apparently she was tired of the blank, white walls. The walls are blank because my landlord won't let me hang anything. Oh, well. I like what she's done...

This is the wall above our sofa. Sorry about the quality of the photo.

table mountain

Today there was a break in the rain. Not just a break, but sunshine. Taking advantage, I piled J and my Mom - who is visiting for the week - into the car and headed up to Table Mountain in Oroville to see if the wildflowers were in bloom. They are only beginning, but J and I had a grand time tracking through the boggy land, climbing on fallen trees, and visiting cows. My Mom - who is arthritic - stayed in the car and napped! It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. Tomorrow, it's back to school for J, back to crosswords and mystery novels for my Mom, and back to the jury box for me.

J's favorite part was splashing in the puddles...

My favorite part...the cows...

retail therapy

A little out-of-sorts today - nothing important, just anxious, I embarked on what my niece calls "retail therapy." I've been looking for awhile for a couple of astrological inspired prints for J and me - one Scorpio, one Libra. I almost always dislike the artwork for both signs. Tonight I came across a couple of cards on Etsy with sweet designs - not too cutesy, just right. They're cards so the size is right and the price is right. I'll mat and frame them and they'll be perfect in our respective bedrooms.

Val Draws

leprechauns

I am not crafty. Miss J isn't either. She would rather be doing other things - like dancing, running through the sprinklers, changing her clothes - over and over, or begging for chocolate. "Momma, what can I have that's chocolate?" We had to do a craft project for school. Apparently, leprechauns are a big problem at school, causing havoc on St. Patrick's Day. So, each child in J's class has to design and build a leprechaun trap. We can't call it that, though, because leprechauns are all around and might overhear. We're calling it a kitty trap. I have jury duty next week so we had to get our project done today. After a trip to the back shed to find a box the right size - not too big, but deep enough to trap the little guy, a trip to Cost Plus for bait - gold covered chocolate coins, and a trip to Michael's for green wrapping paper and something we could use for a ladder, J and I began our work. It was fun. J is proud of her work. Our trap turned out beautiful - aesthetically, at least. I'm not sure it would actually trap a leprechaun. Here's the result...

baby baby baby

I miss my baby. Okay, she's not a baby anymore. She's six. And I'll see her tomorrow. I still miss her - and, I admit, sometimes I miss the time when she was a baby.

100

Today is the 100th day of J's school year. The whole school celebrates. The Kindergarteners and first graders create 100 day projects made up of 100 things. Last year J and I put together 100 feathers in a hand-painted styrofoam block.

This year the project had to be arranged in either twos, fives, or tens. J had the idea to display 100 photos of her - 10 as a newborn, 10 as a toddler, etc. Good idea until she considered that her friends would see pictures of her in her diapers! I suggested we take photos of her with her toys since she had so many. It was a go! We spent a Saturday afternoon taking photos of her with 100 toys - 10 teddy bears, 10 stuffed kitties, 10 stuffed puppies, 10 miscellaneous stuffed animals, 10 barbies, 10 McDonald toys, 10 horses, 10 balls, 10 babies, and 10 musical instruments. She was pretty tired by the end of the afternoon, but we got some great shots. I printed and cut them and she arranged them on a board. The result...

I put together a photo collage of my favorite picture from each category...