If you’re one of my 6 loyal followers you might have clicked on the yummy treats link yesterday. In which case, you might have seen a website called Making Things Fun. This blog is the brainchild of my soon-to-be-7-year-old.
It is completely her baby. She has learned how to click all the right links, answer her emails, and even tweet about her new posts. She’s worked really hard on her posts, too - since she isn’t a great typist, it takes her forever to get one done. Occasionally she’ll let me help with something mudane like a hyperlink, but for the most part she wants to do it all herself. And I love her determination.
She has a couple dozen idea posts saved up in drafts, and every day she writes down a new one. I’m not sure how this project will pan out, but I admit to having the occasional fantasy that this is the beginning of her child-prodigy entreprenurial career. She is destined for greatness in one way or another – maybe this is it.
Regardless, I think it’s a worthwhile endeavor. She’s practicing her writing, spelling, and grammar. She’s expanding her computer skills and becoming a better typist. And she’s making her little 6-year-old dream come true.
She came up with the name herself (and the domain was available – score!). She sifted through hundreds of templates until she found the perfect design. And she’s seeing her world in a whole new way.
Instead of just doing her chores, she’s looking for a way to make them fun so she can write about it. Instead of flying through a craft on her way to the the next activity, she’s slowing down to take pictures of each step. Instead of going through life on autopilot, she’s pausing to take note of the details.
We all need to appreciate the details.
So check out Making Things Fun when you get a minute. Follow her on Twitter, too – @MakingThingsFun And drop her an email or leave a comment if you can - she loves that. She responds to everyone! And if you have a family-friendly blog and you’d like to join her blogroll, let her know that too. We’d be happy to add your button to her sidebar.
Annie’s 1st grade class is working on a pen pal project. In 21st century style, though, it’s not really about the pens. This project also involves audio, video, a school tour, and a smartboard. It’s pretty cool, and the kids have been really excited about it. The principal thought the project was so unique that she called the local paper to do a story on it.
This is the first time I’ll point out to you that we live in a small town.
So one day last week, a reporter came out to the classroom to take pictures and ask questions about the project. He asked the teachers if they had a particularly expressive child that he could interview, and wouldn’t you know, my little Annie was the one he talked to. ‘Expressive’ is definitely a word that suits her.
I was told to look for it to run in the Sunday paper. And as it turned out, being a small town, this story was worthy of the front page. Pretty impressive, right?
Well.
So I read along to find my girl, and I come across this lovely little tidbit.
Student Annie Roberts-Nault has already found out about several similarities she shares with her pen pal, Emily.
“She likes to play in PE in school … I told her PE was my favorite class, too,” Roberts-Nault said.
Dogs are a common feature in both households as well, with her pen pal having one pup while Roberts-Nault’s family has three. According to Roberts-Nault, however, more does not necessarily equal better as one of her pets, Rigley, possesses a bad habit. The canine has a tendency to poop on her family’s deck, a definite defecation no-zone.
Props to Annie for landing us on the front page of the newspaper with a story like that.
I would like to clear up a few things now.
Wrigley is spelled wrong. Cubs, people, it’s the Cubs.
She is not my dog.
She is 9 years old and this has only happened twice in her life. It’s true that I can’t stand the dog, but even I can say that this is not her major problem.
She is a 25 pound black lab mix, up to date on all her shots, and ready for a new home at any time.
Did I mention we’re a very small town? A last name like ours really doesn’t blend in. Not to mention Annie’s such an extrovert that half the county knows who she is already. Absolutely no chance of anyone not seeing this one.
How great for us to now be known as the family with defecation issues!
I am, of course, still proud of her.
And, of course, concerned about her inability to filter for appropriate content.
At least she didn’t tell them about the time Daddy kicked Mommy and Mommy was crying on the floor of the closet. [Catie actually told this to her pre-school teacher. That the kids are still in our possession at this point is remarkable.]
So it could have been better, but it definitely could have been worse, too.
The article ends by stating
Technology, it seems, no matter how advanced, is never perfect.
We are big supporters of Locks of Love in our house. My hair used to grow so fast that I got it cut every year to donate! The last time I did was this past fall, but it’s not growing very fast this year. Wonder why?
Anyway, Annie and Catie have both donated their hair in the past. Annie gave 14 inches last time, and Catie gave 16 – it was the first-ever haircut for both of them. But they both said immediately that they would do it again, and for Annie the time had come.
Grama snips the first ponytail
And here is the end result!
12 inches!
Annie has very thick, healthy hair that will make a beautiful wig. She’s also a very tiny person, so while the haircut does make her look older which Mommies never like, I think it also shows off her precious little face. I didn’t realize it until after the cut, but she was a little bogged down by all that hair.
So tomorrow I will mail the donation in, and send Annie’s picture to the local paper which prints stories like this. Is it wrong of me to want to brag? I don’t want her to do the right thing for the wrong reasons, but I’m so proud of her selfless heart. This kid is a real prize. Lucky me.
Occasionally I am frustrated by things here. The slower pace took some getting used to. Especially when I lived in Alabama, where they take slow to a whole new level. Buying 3 things at the grocery meant at least 28 minutes in line, since the cashier would be so unbelievably chatty while scanning items ever-so-painfully-slowly. But you adjust, and it’s nice to be laid-back, right?
Tonight I was reminded of one of the biggest things I love about living where I do. It was the school talent show, and we had a great time. Most striking were the song selections. As a former Yankee, I can assure you that there would be some uproar up north, but down here no one bats an eye when 6 year olds in public school sing songs about God. Love that! We got to hear Annie singing and signing ‘Awesome God’, and other children singing songs like ‘This Little Light of Mine’ and ‘I’m in the Lord’s Army.’ Also, this being the south, we were treated to young’uns singing drinking, cheating country songs as well. Awesome.
Seriously, there was no screenage of the lyrics for appropriate content. I don’t know what some of the parents were thinking. They ranged from the mildly out of place (5 year old singing Hannah Montana’s ‘If We Were a Movie’- can’t the star-crossed lovers bit wait until at least 1st grade?) to the moderately strange (1st grade boy singing Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ – sample lyric: you be the prince and I’ll be the princess… ooookay.) to the downright what in the sam heck are these parents thinking? (Another Taylor Swift moment – 6 year old girls singing ‘Should Have Said No’ – yes, a lovely cheating song with the refrain: You should’ve said no, you should’ve gone home You should’ve thought twice before you let it all go You should’ve known that word, bout what you did with her Would get back to me…And I should’ve been there, in the back of your mind I shouldn’t be asking myself why You shouldn’t be begging for forgiveness at my feet…You should’ve said no, baby and you might still have me) Only in the south. Up north we’d have heard rap. Or heavy metal.
But back to my main point – only in the south would no one bat an eye at Christian music being sung in public school. (ssshhh, don’t tell, but there’s even a nice little note on the bathroom mirror about God watching over your day. I say a little prayer of thanks every time I see it.)
Other great things about the south:
-gun racks in trucks. Now hang on a minute, don’t leave me. These are actually wonderful things. Those gun racks belong to redneck men who know how to use those guns, and they aren’t afraid of doing so. If I’m attacked in the Wal-Mart parking lot, I can guarantee you that one of those gun-toting guys will come to my rescue in two seconds flat. Seems counter intuitive to city folk I know, but guns all around do not make me nervous, they make me feel secure. You just have to be rural to appreciate that.
-y’all. I know that’s so basic, but I love it. I’ve always been a y’all kinda gal, even when I lived up north. Where I’m from everyone said y’uns, like ‘Are y’uns guys going to the game?’ That just doesn’t flow like y’all.
-panic over even the slightest snowfall. It’s ridiculous the way these people fall apart if we get an inch of snow. Yet for a girl who knows how to drive in the now, it’s kind of empowering too. I feel empowered so infrequently, I’ll take it however I can get it.
-the Bible belt. Sort of like #1 I know, but it’s worth repeating. I love the way professions of faith are part of normal everyday conversation here, and they roll off the tongues of complete strangers in line at the bank. I am surrounded by believers who are so open and honest in their faith, it’s truly inspiring. As I write this post I have the news on tv, and after a tragic story the anchor just said, ‘When something like that happens, all I can do is pray.’ To which the weatherman and the other anchor immediately added ‘Amen.’ I never saw that in Pennsylvania.
-getting directions. Forget route numbers or compass directions. Down here you’ll need to know landmarks, including those that are no longer there, and in fact have not been there for decades. I lived in Louisville for about a week before I could tell you where the old Sears building was. There’s no way to get to Target without knowing that. Asking how to get to the farmer’s market will involve an answer something like ‘After the cornfield, turn left at the red mailbox and go down until you see the cow pasture, then take a right by where old Marshey’s barn used to be before the fire [of '86] and go ’bout a mile or so until you run into a bunch of pines on the left side of the road. Slow down and look out for a gravel road. You can’t miss it.’ Beautiful.
-chivalry. It’s not dead people, it’s just concentrated. Down here. Gentlemen are in the south! Men who will still hold a door open for you, offer to let you step in front of them in line, volunteer to carry heavy packages, reach things on high store shelves, and call you ma’am while they do it. Just yesterday, as I left the grocery store with 3 kids and a cart full in the pouring rain, a nice gentleman insisted on unloading my bags for me while I buckled up the girls. And he took the cart back for me too. And no, he didn’t work there. In fact, he wasn’t even leaving, he was on his way in to the store when he saw me and offered to help. Chris has been out of town and it’s been a long week, and let me tell you my friends, at that beautiful moment I could have cried with gratitude.
So there you have it, my top 7 reasons to love living down yonder. I’ll be adding to the list in the future – stay tuned. And y’all come visit us down here!
PS) Since I know you are dying to see it…
Don’t forget to turn off the music player at the bottom of the page first!
Annie is always a helpful girl. She’s a born pleaser – she just wants to do things to make you happy. A great quality, really. So it should have come as no surprise when she brought this paper home from school yesterday:
She just wanted to back up my story.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go jreeing my coffee. And work on my annunciation.
1. Jesus’ birthday 2. Christmas morning breakfast 3. giving presents 4. making cookies 5. the gingerbread house 6. wrapping packages 7. Santa 8. new toys 9. playing games 10. being together with her family
I was touched to see that Jesus ranked #1 and Santa was #7. And highly amused to see that the extended family get-together was at the bottom of the list. Can’t say I blame her for that one!
I am too busy to blog, but because I hate to leave this little project completely unattended, I’ve made time to list out 5 completely random things that entered my mind today. Call it a meme and copy if you’d like – I’d love to hear your thoughts.
1) What’s with pants these days? Is it just me or do they all fall down? Trust me, I’m not buying them too big. I wish I could say that was my problem, but it isn’t. I have several pairs of properly sized pants – sweats, track pants, casual capris, jeans, the whole gamut – and they all slide down, and require that constant hiking up. Which is so tacky. I know. But what’s a girl to do?
2) I love privacy director. Caller id combined with privacy director has made our home completely free of unwanted calls, and I love that. Thank you Bellsouth.
3) Why does the puppy always take forever to find the proper spot to pee when it’s raining? Sunny and warm, she’s done in 10 seconds flat, but 40 degrees with a whipping rain and she has to sniff around for 10 minutes.
4) Catie is hysterical. I’m trying to teach the girls good table manners, and chewing with your mouth closed is at the top of my list. A certain spouse does not always do this, which drives the other spouse crazy. But I digress. Anyway, after watching Molly eat breakfast Catie turned to me and said, “Mommy, Molly doesn’t have good manners. Did Daddy teach her to chew?” ROFL From the mouths of babes.
5) I live in fear of head lice. We got a note sent home from school earlier this week that lice was detected in Annie’s classroom. For the second time this year. Now my head itches just thinking about it. From extensive googling I’ve learned that they attach more easily to clean hair, so the poor baby’s shampoos are few and far between now. They are also apparently repelled by vinegar, so I added white vinegar to the laundry. Unfortunately we may repel our friends and neighbors as well, since who wants to walk around smelling like vinegar? But if the alternative is to walk around with a head full of bugs, I’ll take the stink.
Annie’s school had a fun storybook pumpkin contest just before Halloween. Each child got to pick one of their favorite stories and decorate a pumpkin to look like the character. It was tricky because they didn’t want the pumpkins to rot, so the skin could not be pierced. We opted for acrylic paint and TONS of hot glue. I think it turned out really cute!
For the first time ever we used these really cute Disney jack-o-lantern patterns. They are cute, and surprisingly easy. Nest year I’ll buy a battery powered cutter rather than doing it all by hand though.
The last one was after trunk-or-treating. Yes, I know, I still haven’t posted pictures. Behind as usual!
Crafty Stuff, My beautiful daughters | Heather February 11, 2010 | 
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