Baby Gets Baptized

We are really excited to get e baptized this weekend; however, knowing little miss e and her inability to sit for anything but Dora, it should be interesting.

Fingers crossed that e can hold out long enough to get anointed:-)!

Wish us luck.

p.s. sorry for the lack of writing - sleepy times, dudes. Last night, JB and E and I were out at the mall, and we took the elevator up to floor two at the mall...And I asked JB where the elevator DOWN was. (Kinda like an escalator).

And it was that moment I knew. I am useless past six p.m. PERIOD.

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Things that make me Happy....

These days I feel like I've reverted back to being a child; that is, now, once again, the world I see is often through my baby e's lens. It's awesome.

When I was a child, I went to church once a week. It was my favourite: I got to dress up in my favourite dressy clothes and then I got to people watch and socialize.

But most importantly (besides all the holy stuff, of course), I was with my family.

There was a comfort, a sense of belonging: to my family, to (gag if you must) God's family.

I now go with e (thankfully, though, there is a daycare for her, because I cannot seem to keep her in a pew longer than two minutes before she's going mental).

We go 'together' and then when it's time for communion, I get her from the daycare and I bring her up to get blessed. After that, she runs around like crazy (after my failed attempt to keep her in the pew, of course!) - and she goes to the hall for her little tim bit.

She is happy.

I am happy.

And then, as of late, she goes down for a nice three hour nap afterward.

So mass has re-entered my life once again. But it is through that need to belong that I was motivated to really put forth an effort to attend.

That feeling I had as a child has once again returned.

Only I am the mommy now.

And I am providing this new routine for my child (and God willing, future children).

And it's awesome.

Now to get jb to feel the same...

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What Stifles Creativity?

I was reading an article about unschooling one's children. Have you ever heard of this?

The basic premise is to not give your children boundaries, schedules, routines, etc. And certainly do not teach them anything curriculum. Everything they learn must be of their own choosing, and any direct teaching is forbidden. The idea is not to stifle the child's own curiosity and direction...

But, I ask...What is creativity that is not harnessed and directed? How can anyone learn without being taught?

Seriously, learning by accident, in my 30 years of learning, is pure myth to me.

Unless a teacher outright told me what they expected of me, I missed the mark.

I am one who believes in teaching boundaries, skills and expectations and then letting the student find his/her creativity within this structure.

I used to think creativity could not be found in structure. I deplored any teacher who gave me set rules on anything.

And then as I got into my later years of English, I started to lose my way as a writer. I was floundering, trying to be all creative, and my work lacked focus and flow.

I remember one friend who was determined that if some famous author can say 'F*CK the RULES', then why couldn't we?. Well, being older and wiser, I realize that these famous authors almost always stayed within the confines of grammatical and structural writing rules...

Their creativity was directed.

I remember my first practicum in teacher's college when I saw a teacher telling students exactly how to do a project. Right down to how she wanted the title to look. I was appalled. My creative free spirit was all, how dare you tell them what they have to do? What happened to their own creative thoughts?

But now I am the teacher who does that. I figure my students are still young and need this structure and guidance.

In three years when they are off in high school and university, my structure will be nothing but dormant knowledge, but it will still be in there, and students may become a bit more creative, but their creativity will have guidance and order.

Sigh. I am a Restoration girl, I suppose. I thrive on order and believe only within its confines can anyone communicate creativity in a manner that is understood.

Even dance has strict rules and poise and discipline. Its beauty is in its perfect lines and movements.

Thoughts?

Happy Friday all!

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Why I NEED to be a Working Mom

One week in and I am already reminded how much I thrive off of working. It's funny how fickle (or maybe it's forgetful?) I am when I am off with my intoxicating little e. I think to myself how could I ever leave her? And then I am back at work - after leaving my baby girl in tears, no less - and I am so so happy to be there. To be productive. To be somebody to somebody who can communicate their gratitude! 

Let's face it, family's great, but my role is mother and wife - who needs to be grateful for this given? (I kid!)

It's just different.

I also think that I was born to work.

I started babysitting regularly at eleven.

I had my first cleaning job at age 15.

I started in the service industry at the age of 16.

And I've worked more than fifteen jobs (none from which I've been fired) since then...

I thrive off jobs that force me to run off my feet and that ensure that all my synapses are firing full tilt from start to finish.

Oh the adrenaline rush - I am an adrenaline junky!

And teaching is nothing short of all the things I love combined: busy, people oriented, hopeful, changing, creative, unpredictable, always challenging...

You get the idea.

So, as much as I love my daughter, my husband, my home, I need to be away and amongst crazy busy-ness to feel vital in my life. For me.

For them, too, really. Because truly, my job actually revs me up; it does not drain me (usually). So I come home more full than I left, and then I give all of it to my family!

I may not give my full cup to the cooking and cleaning (because who are we kidding? I hate those things with all my might and I will never feel a sense of self or accomplishment or whatever natural born domestic goddesses feel when they have perfectly pressed clothes and perfect lines in their freshly vacuumed rugs) but I will be a happier mom and wife to those who mean the most to me!

And a happy wife, my friends, as we all know, means a happy life! 

And how!

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I hope I can do it.

Well, dudes, back to school tomorrow.

Time to face the real world and my job...

Makes me sad to say goodbye to my very indulgent e and me time...

Wish us both luck as we disentangle ourselves from the summer fun and pursue our social selves!

Happy back to school!

P.s. I love fall...

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