Parenting Practices: Balancing Act

Recent activities have created a conundrum in my brain.  On Friday and Saturday the 18^th and 19^th we watched Sophie’s dance performance of The Secret Garden.  Since January she has had an extra practice each week, and the last month she has been at dance class on Saturdays from 11:30 to 3:30.  

Then the week of the performance she had a blocking rehearsal Wednesday, a dress rehearsal Thursday and then the two performances.

 On top of that I sewed three dresses for the performance.  Through it all we repeated over and over, “This is too much.  There is no way we are doing the performance next year.”  

These are the three dresses (though you can't see them well)

Two of the three

But then we watch the show (which is pretty amazing) and see Sophie dancing gracefully and joyously it all seems worth it and I am already making plans for “next year.”

House staff Member

Her starring role as a bluebird (sorry about the photo quality.  I didn't have time to learn how to shoot performances)

I know this is super blurry, but you can see form and movement through it...right?

Triumphant after the show.

A new found friend who danced the role of Mary

Exchanging info so they can keep in touch over the summer.

I struggle to know what the right balance is in providing extracurricular activities for the kids.  I value family time and I don’t want to be a roadrunner. 

 So often I see something I want to photograph and I can’t stop to do it because I am in a hurry to get somewhere.  I need more time to stop and smell the roses. 

Or calendula etc...

As a general rule the kids can choose one activity per season to be involved in.  Sophie does dance and soccer.  Jacob does gymnastics and t-ball.  Ben has decided he doesn’t want to do baseball but is looking forward to soccer.  Then factor in church and play dates and time is short.

Ben kind of lives in his own little world so he doesn’t really have a lot of extracurricular interests and when he tries something he often gets frustrated because it is hard for him to focus and feel successful.  I always feel like he gets the short end of the stick socially and emotionally.

So the question is: What is the right balance?  I know I need to sacrifice for my children’s growth and development, but what is the tipping point where we are so busy we can’t take time to focus on the most important things?

L.S.N.E.D: Mercury Dime

This is the 1920 Mercury Dime that we found in the dirt pile.  I found a website that talks about the condition of the dime affecting its value.  This dime is in "very fine" condition based on the visible distinction of the cap from the hairline, the ridges in the feathers and some lines on the back, which I forgot to photograph.

 

Did you know that it is called the mercury dime because the image on the front of the dime was often confused with the image of the Roman god, Mercury?  It is also called the Winged Liberty Dime as the image is actually of Lady Liberty.  This dime could be worth anywhere from $.18 to $200, but is probably worth between $6 and $7.  We'll be  keeping it around though, honored that it choose to surface after so many years.

Deep Thoughts: Drawing a Blank

I think I need to do something different on Sunday's because by the time I am home from church I am beat from primary and I don't feel like I have any deep thoughts.  So today I will share a picture from the back of the cement truck.  For some reason I liked it.  If I knew why I liked it then maybe I could call that a deep thought.  I'll work on it.

I had some fun playing with some of the features on Picasa.

Pencil Sketch

I think the neon is super cool, especially the rust on the bottom.

Family Friday: The "Extended" Family

I hate to be a barnyard biddie, but.....

These two were out ALL night...together...unsupervised. 

I wish I could say that he was a gentleman, but knowing his character, I find it unlikely.

For shame!!!!  He is bragging! Is nothing sacred?

Oh the scandals in the barnyard....what would their parents think?  Youth...I mean chickens these days.....

Reckless Recreation:The Dirt Pile

Last Saturday an excavator came to dig the foundation hole for the new addition. 

Every one was allowed in the pit once.

Sophie was at dance but she did get to go in when she got home.

We had the stump from the tree we cut down last year taken out as well.  We thought it would be trouble and add a lot of time (read $$$) but it came out so easily.

Naturally it became a trench for to take out enemy combatants.

Initially we told the kids that they couldn't play in the dirt pile because we were afraid the dirt would fall into the hole and get in the way of the concrete work.  We very quickly realized that a dirt pile in the yard like this is pretty much a once in a lifetime event.
For days I patiently swept, vacuumed and mopped the floors repetitively.  I washed laundry twice as much and Aaron folded twice as much, but oh the fun that was had.

This stump became the center of a home.  The little nooks and crannies and caves around the roots became cupboards.  Sophie's retainer is probably somewhere in there but has yet to be found.

I happened to get a plastic snowboard free on the side of the road that day and the boys (I think Jacob started it) taught themselves to snowboard...on a dirt pile.

It was pretty cool even if I do say so myself.

Sophie became quite the explorer finding all sorts of treasures in the dirt.

This old bottle was a great find.

Broken glass, cement, rocks, roots, metal...and they still have to go barefoot.  I was torn because feet are a lot easier to clean than shoes, but in the end I made the right choice and made them wear shoes.

Aaron has been moving the excess dirt one wheelbarrow load at a time.  He found a 1920 mercury dime in excellent condition.  It is worth somewhere between $6.50 and $200.00 depending on the website I check on.  Maybe I shouldn't rely on the internet for every thing.

This is where some of the excess dirt is going.

And that is what we do for fun around here.  The kids play and make messes, Aaron does back breaking work and I clean up after everyone.  Ahhhh the life.