Some stuff lately

Finals week in our high school is a big deal. It is hard. The kids get out at 12:25 each day to study. Seminary is cancelled. Mutual is cancelled. It feels like finals week at college. It's hard and it's good. I feel it better prepares kids for college. It's also fun to have everyone hunched over tables as I make soup. Blueberry banana buckwheat pancakes are so good. I have made them every single morning because I love the feel of warm blueberries and bananas in my mouth.

Anyway, back to finals. I always have thought that the more time kids are home, better. I love noise in the house. I also like quiet in the house when I can read my book. It's all good I guess.

Why am I caring how Maddie does? She's already applied to college. Will these grades even matter? hmmm. I conclude that they do matter, because you will always know what your high school GPA was when you graduated. Don't you remember what yours was or am I crazy? End in strength!

Ali especially works so hard. Way harder than Spence and Maddie ever had to. I'm really proud of her. She has worked and worked and worked and spent hours with a tutor and stayed up late. Those qualities will serve her for life!

We had a really cool experience last night. We have become friends with the sweetest Korean family over the last few months. A lot of Maddie's friends are Korean. She came home and said, "Mom, did you know that on Chinese New Year, (or Korean Thanksgiving), that my friends kneel down in front of their parents and grandparents, bow and wish them a good New Year and then the parents give them money?" Not fair!

Well, I asked our new friends about it and they told me all about this tradition. They wear the traditional clothes once a year which are really beautiful. They show respect to their elders by bowing. There is a certain way they do it, how long they hold it, etc. The kids become very serious and respectful. The elders sit in a row facing the children. After the children say their New Years Blessings, the parents get to impart their wishes for them and give them advice. Then comes the money. So I told these kids that if they come to my house, and show me this tradition, I would give them money too. So last night, the doorbell rings. These pictures are what followed. They brought an extra dress for Sydney and Jung Yee did her hair and taught her proper hand placement, etc.

We all got a good laugh when Kate came around the corner having put on this...

Ha ha. She knew she was being left out.

I had asked Maddie's high school friends if $5 each was good and they said no. Should be more than that. Most of the time, grandparents give $100 each. It's a big deal. I had forgotten to mention to Brett this fact and when it was time to get them money, as we scrambled to get it, Brett handed me $3. Ha ha. So I gave them $10 each. I think Brett was dying. Then Jung Yee said, "Now you would give Sydney more than $20 dollars." Oh! Syd's eyes lit up. I'm thinking waaaaait a minute.... but go get all I had left which happened to be "over $20." $24 to be exact. As I handed it to Sydney, she couldn't believe it. Better than Christmas.

Then Jung Yee and her children told us amazing stories of Korea, of WWII history, Japanese occupation, of traditions and food and firing squads. All amazing. Did you know that a lot of Chinese and Korean people can trace their ancestry back to BC? She told me that their lines go all. the. way. back. Their children are taught that they are "Parks, 63rd generation.." or whatever. Then they are expected to tell their kids to memorize that they are "Parks, 64th generation." Jung Yee knew all about her ancestors in much detail.

I was so grateful that we happened to be home on a Saturday night or I would have missed it!! Grateful for these experiences.

I also attended a Power of Moms 2 day training/workshop that pretty much will change my life. I'm so excited by what I learned and how I am going to put it into practice! I'll write more later. e

I might write something

Hi everyone. I love the first few weeks of January. Probably my absolute favorite time of year. Why does it make me so happy seeing a sparse home again after the decorations go away? In my mind, less is more. I feel such a rejuvenation and hope for the new year.

Ok. 2011 was a crazy year! Not for me personally, but for the world. Think about the dictators either killed or taken out of power or simply dying (N Korea.) All in one year. The protesters, the economy in every country on verge of collapse, Michael Jackson trial..that alone!, the earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, politics, wall street, anti wall street, windstorms, on and on and on. Crazy crazy year.

I feel a purpose headed into 2012. It involves being smart in the way I teach my kids, in the way I chose to live the gospel, in how I create and maintain a good marriage, in how well I prepare fiscally for possible emergencies, and in how I enjoy the moment! I think I've always been good at enjoying the moment and I'm glad. I love seeing new things and having new experiences. I hope that continues in 2012. Now I need a little more focus in doing the important things I don't seem to make time for because I'm enjoying the moment or moments way too much and for way too long.

So, some things that have been making me happy lately. THE MUPPET MOVIE. If you remember the Muppets on TV, it is such a kick. Same humor. Here's what I especially loved. The music. Surprise, surprise :)  Ok more specifically, one song is brilliant. It's called Man or Muppet. If you itunes it or spotify it, and if you are witty and cool, you will laugh. The two main characters, brothers, one human and one, well let's just say he doesn't know what he is yet.., sing this song. As I watched it, I thought, "Who wrote this? I'm dying to find out." The bridge especially is Ben Foldsish and I thought maybe he did. No...it's familiar somehow. I've got to find out!  I could hardly wait until I got home. Turns out that the main writer for Flight of the Conchords wrote it. DUH! Exactly. If you don't know who they are, just skip this whole paragraph. How did he get asked to write it? What is his process and how fun is it to write like that and get paid? How much did he get paid?

The other movie's music that fascinated and delighted me was the music in We Bought a Zoo. Not only do they use Jonsi for most of the sountrack, but I am always fascinated with the songs picked as fill ins. This  is the sountrack. I know! So great! I'm telling you, if I didn't love love love spending my time with all of my girls and focusing on the moment and all the stuff I talked about above, I would love that job!! (You know what also feels good? That I didn't put that link on there to promote any product or blog.)

Anyway, it fascinates me how music is written. Such talent to be a songwriter of great music. The songwriters fascinate me way more than the artists who sing music that is written by someone else.

We are still on break. So sweet! It's been in the 70s and 80s. I saw the Rose Parade in person! That was cool. It's going to kind of ruin me in seeing other parades. It was pretty darn cool. I want to do it every year now.

I still love my comforter and my bed. I wish I could just curl up in there and read for hours and then watch a movie and then sleep. I think on my b-day I am only going to ask for 4 hours in my bed during the daytime. Right now, I get out of it so dang early and I don't get to get back in until soooo late. Yes, that's what I'm going to do. Only 4 more months until I get to do that.

Lots of my friends are turning 50 this year! It seems like a gazillion people are turning 50. Never heard of so many people turning 50.

So 41 is my official age where my body gains weight unless I'm dieting. At 40, my body only gained weight if I ate bad stuff often. But no, this year at 41, my body now gains weight when I'm just eating normal stuff. If I don't want my body to gain weight, I have to eat dry chicken breasts and kale and I don't know, raw carrots and almonds. I don't really know. I haven't done that part yet because I am still in denial about what is happening to me. I'm just making a mental note for now. 41 is the year the metabolism changed. So far my eyes are still good to go without glasses, so that's always good.

Oh oh the Kindle Fire is so great! I didn't think I would ever want one and that I just love real books, but I was wrong. Brett got me one and I watched Downton Abbey on it while waiting in the car for Ali. I also read the whole 5 Love Languages Book while Brett was sleeping and the lights were off. It didn't even hurt my eyes!

Life is good. People are good. I want to be better in 2012. I want to be there for more people and be less selfish with my time. I want to work a little harder. I want to spend time on things that really matter. But for now, I want to go read my book. Good night. e

My favorite part of Christmas for sure...