Thanks

L taught the Family Night lesson this week. It was awesome. It was on being thankful -- a good lesson for the week of Thanksgiving. As part of the lesson, she split the group into two teams and gave each team a piece of paper; then she gave us 90 seconds to write a list of things we are thankful for. It was really interesting, because you think of the "big things" fairly quickly -- family, church, health, a home, etc. And then you begin to think of things that are easy to overlook when you're thinking of your blessings--things I tend to take for granted every day. Each team ended up with a list of about 45 items, things like:

1. family
2. friends
3. church
4. laughter
5. mp3 players
6. beds
7. blankets, and pillows
   
8. chocolate
9. other treats (cookies, cake, brownies, etc.)
10. grass
11. cell phones
    
12. bike helmets
13. brains
14. computers
15. airplanes
16. trees
17. the internet
18. ribs
19. wireless internet
20. music
21. cars that work
22. roads
23. indoor plumbing
24. seasons
25. flowers
26. scriptures
27. fire/heat
28. food
    
29. memories
30. carpet
31. refrigerators
    
32. maps
33. good health
34. DVD players
35. sunset & sunrise
36. prophets
37. microwaves
    
38. stoplights
39. books
40. chairs
41. buses
42. good movies
    
43. storytelling
44. dishwashers
    
45. couches
46. windows

Simple things--things I don't usually think to be grateful for. This week, L's lesson has reminded me to be thankful for them.

And, in a culture that focuses so fully on what we DON'T have, L's lesson reminded me of how very much we've already been given.

Try it! Take 90 seconds and actually write down things that you're thankful for. It can be an eye opening experience!

MOJ

Our Family Is Growing

This month, our family grew has grown substantially. Our newest (and feather-iest) member is Birbie, a parakeet that our friends gave us. Apparently, the family had TWO parakeets and, for some reason, that made Birbie rather cranky. She became a biter (which, as many of us know, does not make one very popular in most social circles). The pet store owner assured the family that Birbie would become a delightful parakeet again if she lives in a loving home that is (except for her) parakeet-free. As a result, the family made some assumptions about the love--and parakeet--levels of our family and asked us if we would take Birbie in.

So we have become a part of a social experiment--to see whether parakeets can be reformed or whether, once they show a penchant for violence, they are destined for ongoing lives of brutality.

There is also a human-development experiment going on--to see whether children who beg and beg and beg their dad to allow them to have a pet will REALLY live up to the lofty promises they make about caring for said pet. As a first-year law student, I naturally had L sign a contract regarding pet care. I made sure that we included the consequences for breaching the contract, and that the "damages" would involve chocolate.

Would it be unethical for me to sabotage her from fulfilling the contract?

MOJ

p.s. I'll try to post photos of Birbie and the kids some time soon.

The "Song Game Boy"

One of my classmates gave away a set of LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnets (FOR FREE!!!) today. I brought it home and J has had a ball with it. When he's not actively playing with it, he carries it around the house, saying, "I wuv my new pwesent" over and over.

Here's a clip of him playing with, as he puts it, his "Song Game Boy":



Man, that kid's got MOVES!

MOJ

Big Celebrity -- Little Hair

L has become a big celebrity writing little books.

A week or two ago, she wrote and illustrated a miniature comic book about a superhero named Super Crush and his arch-enemy I.M. Crush. I wish I could post it here--it was hilarious. It was followed by several more Super Crush books, some with surprising twists and each one ending with a marketing-guru plug for the next book: "Check out other Crush books!" or "Coming soon: Zombie Dance!" It's great!

The books have been an instant hit. When she announces that a new book has been finished, S and R literally race to get their hands on it first. It reminds me of the craze surrounding the release of famous books, like the Harry Potter installments. The crowds may be smaller, but the excitement is still palpable.

She keeps the books in her Li'lbrary (Little + Library = Li'lbrary), where family members can come and check them out. We all have Li'lbrary cards with our own "namecodes" and numbers, and she keeps a detailed log of which books have been checked out. She has even begun adding new types of books to the Li'lbrary, including how-to books on math and poetry. It is quite complex, and it's been fun to watch her develop this intricate system for her books! She is so creative!

Here is a video clip of her and S at the Li'lbrary--don't worry, her eyes aren't closed through the whole clip.



You might have noticed that the new celebrity has short hair -- she recently got the biggest haircut of her life. It has not been this short for years and years. And though it had grown really long and needed to be cut, she wanted to keep letting it grow so she could donate it to Locks of Love, an organization that makes hairpieces for kids with medical hair loss.

Problem is: in order to donate it, you must have 10-12 inches of hair to send. And when (a) you're only 4 feet tall and (b) you have inherited your dad's ultra-thick, frizzy hair, well . . . that means you're locked in the choke hold of incredibly long, impossibly-unmanageable hair!

So I was counting the days until we could cut it off! Imagine a nearly-36-year-old asking the grown-up version of "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" One night, she suggested she MIGHT be ready to get it cut. And before she could finish the sentence, I had grabbed a ruler and a pair of scissors and had sent 10 inches of hair flying in every direction!

(Oddly enough, the most recent book in the Super Crush series involves a dramatic haircut. Coincidence?)

Now her hair is ready to be sent off to California. And while it seems like such a simple thing to give away hair that you're not even using any more, I was touched by her thoughtfulness in providing this simple service for needy children.

She's a sweet kid, and I'm proud of her!

MOJ