Public vs. Private

Rick and I have decided to send Millie to public school. The only reason I was considering private school was for the respect factor that I thought would be enforced better. Rick and I both went to public school though and we turned out fine so that helped with our decision. That, and I am cheap which is no big secret there. Millie does, however, go to a private Methodist Preschool right now. I have been very happy with it, Reed goes there as well. Well, today Millie came home from school with an interesting 'treat'. I am not sure why but she brought home a small nurf gun. When it wouldn't fire, she said "This freaking thing won't shoot!" I was already very unhappy she came home with a gun. I am not a gun control freak, but I kind of have a thing about kids playing with toy guns, I feel that it is inappropriate. Would you let them play pretend drug dealer with fake joints, would you let them walk around puffing on toy cigarettes or let them sell plastic cans of beer out of their fisher price kitchen? No, of course not. So, that is my stance on toy guns. Anyway, in addition to the new gun in our home, she busts out with the word "Freaking". I asked her where she heard it and she said from Garrett...the teacher's son. Fantastic.

So, this pretty much reinforces my opinion of public school. It is just fine and private school is probably no better, just a bigger price tag. A child is not going to learn good or bad behavior at school, it starts at home and you as a parent are your child's main teacher and role model.

On the other hand, maybe I should look at it this way. If my child brings home a toy gun from a private Christan preschool, what in the world will she bring home from public school? Maybe I should be worried...

Tennis, Here We Come

Millie is trying to get a little taste of every sport she can. First it was gymnastics, then soccer, followed by baseball and most recently, basketball. Some might think she has a problem sticking with something or gets board. Well, this is not the problem. She wants to do all sports and so far she has been great at all of them. I have a "One Activity at a Time" rule so when she is finished with one session of a sport, we find a new one for her to play. Next week, she will be starting tennis at a local tennis club. I was hoping this approach would weed out some activities that she was not interested in or was not excelling at but it seems to just add to the things she wants to do.

I have to admit, I am pretty excited about tennis. In case you were wondering, no, I did not play tennis. And just so there is no confusion, I have never excelled at any sport, not even close. I can hold my own on a golf course but that is where it ends. Rick holds all the athletic ability in our family, well, he and Millie at this point. I think Reed even has more athletic ability than I do. Anyway, back to tennis...Some people think watching tennis is boring but I really enjoy it. I watched my share of matches in college when the UE men played. There is just something about the calm of it, the silence, sunny days, rhythm and did I mention silence that really appeals to me.

So wish us luck! This is the first activity other than gymnastics that has not had a 'season' so it will only end when I or she wants it to. Maybe in a year or 2 she will wonder when she gets to do something else...

Reed and Miss Audrey

The kids and I have been meeting with a small group from church to play since our oldest kiddos were 1, that would make it almost 4 years. Millie and Miles have been great friends from the start, always holding hands when we are at the zoo and just being silly together. Well, our second round of kids seem to have taken a liking to each other as well.


Miss Audrey was staking a claim on Reed this week at play group.


Lucky for her I guess, she was the only girl around and Reed is pretty laid back about things so he just let her tell him what do.


I just had to laugh and I told Reed to get used to it, the women will always be the boss.

Computer Hog

One of Millie's favorite things to do these days is to send e-mails to her Mammy and Daddy. She is getting better at spelling the words by herself but I still have to help quite a bit.


She was very serious here, with Reed's hat that was too small for her. And I noticed, just like me, her feet were moving and wiggling the whole time she was typing.

Martha's Tall Show

I am an odd height, I am taller than average but not tall enough to be super tall. I can't find clothes to fit because I am too thin to actually buy tall size clothes. So my sleeves are always short, my shirts are never long enough and my pants are never long enough. Oh, and try being shy when you are tall and feel like you can not 'hide' in a room. I just want to thank Martha Stewart for having a show today that was all about being tall! And, here is a must have item she showed on her show today. Cooking has always hurt my back because I have to stoop slightly to do anything. If you have a tall friend who likes to cook, you must buy them one of these, they will love you forever.

Photo Mystery

I hate winter. I could lay on the couch, covered up with multiple blankets and read for 3 months straight. I don't even want to get up to eat. This would also explain why I don't blog much in the winter. It's just too much work. You have to get the kids doing something silly, get up and get the camera, find the cord to get the photos on the computer...it's just too much work for me to even think about. So, I was pretty happy today when I was uploading some card photos to e-mail to a client (I was only doing this because I didn't have a choice, I have to earn my keep around here or Rick may kick me out). Much to my surprise there were photos of the kids! Rick must have gotten brave when I was out a few weeks ago and actually used the camera. For Rick to even consider taking a photo without me asking him to is pretty amazing. I am very proud of him, and grateful.


So, while I am at it, I guess I could update everyone on the kids. They are as wonderful as ever. Millie is getting ready to start tennis in a few weeks. Her favorite things are reading and sports right now. She is getting cabin fever and really wants to get outside and play baseball. She is also looking forward to the swing set Rick is going to build her this spring. She earned it by learning her words and reading books. We had a chart for her and she filled it up this winter so she gets a play set when the weather is warm.


Reed is just so cute I can hardly stand not to snuggle him all day. He seems to have other plans though and is too busy to just sit with me. He still loves to play trains but his favorite things to do these days is to throw and kick balls. He loves balls. If his arm continues to strengthen like it has his first year and a half, he will be pitching in the majors or throwing the football across the field in no time. He is picking up new words all the time, almost daily. He is not able to speak as well as Millie did at this age but that doesn't stop him from trying. He has his own language which oddly enough, I know exactly what he is saying. Too bad no one else does.