Korea Prep

So far, I have A LOT of things to do to prepare for this remote tour.  I have four different checklists.  I just prepared about fourteen powers of attorney.  I have to get an anthrax and smallpox vaccine, which is gonna SUUUUCK.  I guess it's about time though, right?  When I deployed a few years ago, I had to get a rabies and Japanese Encephalitis vaccine.  I might as well get the rest of the crazy ones. 

I'm not telling the kids about Korea until after the holidays and birthdays.  I've decided to use the time I have with them to create some awesome memories.  So far here's what I've done:

I convinced them I'm a ninja. 

Been trying to do this for a year, but my kids are too smart. 

 

We went to our first college football game.

 

I took them to the top of a mountain

 

We made our first-ever snowman!

We didn't have enough snow to make a big one.

 

We have Grandma here!

 

 

I'm going to keep trying to make opportunities for cool memories.  But more importantly, I'm just trying to make sure that we're spending good, quality time together.  They're worth it.

 

More to come on Korea prep.

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Journal- 9 Nov

Wow, it has been a while since I wrote.  Things have been really happening over the last few months.

In the Summer...

The boys took swim class this summer.

I was super proud of them!

My brother and I joined forces to do the 

**Dirty Dash 2014**

We got really ... gross.

But it was so much fun!

And I got to spend time with my brother.

The boys got bucked off sheep at the rodeo.

Caden did a great job at rock climbing!

They spent lots of time outdoors!

Bruce and I spent lots of time outdoors, too.

Patrick and I got to spend time together... also outdoors.

Fall Is Now Here

Patrick, my handsome man, will be here in two days!!

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Hypnosis?

I wake up a lot during the night. Not for a large amount of time. I just wake up enough to check the time, sigh, pray I don't wake up late, then fall back to sleep. Well I have a hard time waking up every morning because I'm so darn tired. So I did some reading and came across the techniques of hypnosis and meditation. I decided to give it a shot. 

I laid flat on my back in bed.  Arms at my side. 

Made sure my neck and head were comfy. 

Closed my eyes and spoke to myself in my head. 

Relax. Breathe in. Breathe out. 

The kids are asleep. They're safe. 

I'm safe. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. Nice and easy. 

Imagine calming sounds. The beach. A heartbeat. Soft wind. 

I'm going to sleep well tonight. 

I'm going to wake up refreshed and rested. 

When my alarm goes off, I'm going to feel ready to get the day started. 

I'm going to start the day quietly and calmly. 

I'm going to relax. I'm going to sleep. 

I fell asleep. And when I woke up at 2am, I told myself I was going to go back to sleep and that I was going to rest until my alarm went off. When my alarm went off, I slowly sat up, stretched and got into the shower.  I felt nicely rested and at peace. It didn't dawn on me that my technique worked until I was under that nice, hot water. 

Totally friggin awesome. 

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Manitou Springs Incline

I did not want to do it.

 

I argued against the suggestion.

 

Everyone else wanted to go.

 

Finally, because my brother wanted to do it and I wanted to spend time with him, I said FINE.

The Manitou Springs Incline is one mile in length and 2,000 vertical feet.  It is NOT easy.  In fact, before I did it, I thought anyone who climbed it was insane.  I wondered WHY.  Why on earth would anyone want to do this to themselves?

I couldn't understand it.  I mean, it's nothing but STAIRS.  Never ever EVER ending stairs.  At least if you did the stair climber in the gym, you wouldn't die if you fell over.  There was a young couple who kept the same pace as me and the poor girl kept needing breaks.  I heard her boyfriend (or husband, I was too blinded by pain to check if they wore rings) tell her "You keep stopping.  It's making it worse.  You have to just keep going."  I mean, the dude was a jerk.  Every time they stopped, the guy would sigh and look all bothered as if she was an inconvenience to him.  I wanted to push him over. 

I didn't want to admit that the farther up I went, the more accomplished I felt.  I'd look behind me at that awful, torturous line of steps and think, "Holy crap.  I am doing this.  I am climbing the FRIGGIN INCLINE."  I was starting to smile on the way up.  After a while, I didn't even feel like a weakling when I stopped for breaks.  I took in the beautiful site that was at my back as we climbed.

Finally, at the top, I was actually happy I did it.  It took me an hour to get up there.  My brother finished about 15-20 minutes before me.  But that didn't bother me.  He's in the Army and they do this kind of crazy crap all the time. 

On the way down, we took the Barr Trail.  It is about 3 (or maybe more) miles.  It is a really gorgeous, but can be a little dangerous if you don't watch your step, walk. 

In the end, I really was glad I did it.  And you know what?  I'd do it again.  If I could find a sitter.

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Eagle Peak

The first time I heard of Eagle Peak was when I was still new to Colorado.  One of my coworkers said, "Last year we climbed Eagle Peak."  I asked what it was and he pointed to a mountain.  I couldn't tell which one-- there are a bunch of them here.  I guess he noticed the look of confusion on my face because he said, "Yes, it's a mountain and yes we really did climb it."  He said "we" as in our unit. 

Now I like to work out.  If you follow my Facebook or Twitter, you'd notice I like bragging about how many crunches I'm doing and how I try to motivate other moms.  I like working out.  I like being fit.  But I don't like the idea of climbing a friggin mountain.  I mean, really, who the heck does that unless they're training to win some kind of medal or something?

So when our Big Boss sent out an e-mail to the staff announcing that we will be climbing Eagle Peak on Monday, I was a little ticked.  Why the heck do I need to climb a damn mountain?  I mean, seriously, I am perfectly fine with my life.  Climbing a mountain is not on my bucket list.  But I did a groan and kept my thoughts to myself.



We met up at 0700 as a unit and headed out on the trail.  I admit I started with a grumpy attitude.  I didn't growl at anyone, but I was pretty quiet and watched as everyone chatted excitedly amongst each other.  But it was only because I was scared as hell of what we were about to do.  I am not a mountain climber.  I am the girl who will run a mile and a half only because the Air Force tells me to.  And I hate it.  So as everyone else seemed to be skipping with their heads in the clouds, I was freaking out inside.

My attitude changed rapidly, though.  As soon as we entered the woods, my nerves quickly calmed.  The scenery was stunning.  I was in awe of the fact that just minutes ago I was grumbling as I walked a dirt trail and all of a sudden I was surrounded by... peace.  God's work.  The feeling was different, as if I entered a totally different world.  The sounds were that of nature, pure and uninfluenced by man.  Everything stood still, yet everything seemed to be watching us as we navigated these woods. 

Now don't get me wrong, it was not an easy hike.  It was uphill the entire time... okay, okay, I know, I know.  It's a mountain, duh...  It was actually pretty tough!  All the marathoners and younger folks were way ahead of those of us who were not cardiologically fit.  (Like how I just made up that word?)  There were huge rocks to climb over, some lose gravel, and an incline that didn't appear to give us a break.

And then to our surprise, an aspen meadow sprouted in our path and it almost made us forget we were climbing a mountain.  It was absolutely, incredibly tantalizing.  Flowers surrounded us.  Birds flew above us.  And the flat of the land gave our legs a break.  It was almost unreal.  I was scared it was going to turn out to be that meadow of sleepy roses that the witch in The Wizard of Oz got Dorothy to pass out in.  Nevertheless, we smiled and walked quietly through this meadow, welcoming the gift.  What we didn't know was it was really the calm before the storm.

The rest of the way was ready to get us back to work.  The incline seemed to rush at us and many of us were huffing and puffing, pulling ourselves up over even more rocks.  Imagine doing the elliptical ... only with a pretty view.  Once we got past the treeline, it dawned on me.  I'm CLIMBING A FRIGGIN MOUNTAIN.  Excitement swept through me.  I couldn't believe it.  I was really doing it.  Suddenly, I no longer paid any attention to my burning legs.  I felt closer to the friggin sun.

Heck yeah.  I climbed a mountain.  How the heck did I ever deserve such an opportunity!  Have you ever survived something so crazy that when you came out of it, you were so grateful for ... well, everything?  That's how I felt at the top of that mountain.  As if I was this lowly creature who had been given a gift.  I had to work my ass off to get to it, but holy crap would I do it again.  I felt as if I shed a little negativity on my way up and gained more appreciation for life in its place.  The feeling is incredible.


When we got back down to the bottom of the mountain, we all stood around in awe of ourselves.  We congratulated each other, high-fived each other and laughed at the fact that we just climbed a mountain.  Then, we noticed the sign.  Some of us didn't read it before we started.  We learned that we just climbed 1.25 miles to the top of the mountain, 1900 feet in elevation gain.  Crazy!!

 

 

I learned something important this day.

I can do anything I allow my body to do.

And so can you.

 

Some of us were super psyched to be at the top while some of us were simply still trying to take it all in.

 

I thought it would be fun to act like I'm meditating...IN THE SKY!

 

Flowers in the meadow.



 

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Add A Bowl Of Soap

I'm really big on making my home a happy place.  It's gotta look cozy and welcoming, it's gotta smell like food, and it's gotta sound like life.  My home is never pristine and it'll drive a neat freak absolutely bonkers.  But my kids (and anyone else's kids who come over) feel like this is HOME.  And that's important to me. 

When you are having people over for dinner, a BBQ, a party, whatever, hopefully you will want them to feel comfortable in your home.  Here are a few things you might find helpful for the next time your guests are planning on coming over.

What you don't want your guests to walk into:

The Uptight, Don't-Do-This-Or-That-House

You know what house I'm talking about.  And see?  I've already used the word "house" instead of "home."  It's the type of house that's so clean and orderly with tons of those breakable objects and expensive paintings that the average person looking to have a good time with some friends will feel terribly uncomfortable even walking into.  When you're walking into a home like this, you feel as if you're walking into a museum.  The host is probably polite enough, but you feel as if you can't afford to touch anything in case you smudge it with your fingerprint and find out the object you've touched has been passed down from generation to generation and "everyone" knows you don't just pick that up.  What you usually hear from the host or people who've been to this place once before are things like, "Oh we don't sit on that chair, that's an heirloom," "Actually, could your kids stop jumping?  We don't allow loud feet in here," "Oh, excuse me, I'm sorry but we don't walk on the grass."  Unless you're planning a fancy dinner party, don't let your guests feel like they're walking on thin ice the moment they step into your home.

The Real "Don't Mind The Mess" House

Many people say, "Please don't mind the mess" when people walk into their home.  It's a habitual way of demonstrating humility or modesty about one's home.  But when you say it and prayerfully mean it, maybe you should've rescheduled the visit.  Here's what not to do:  Don't leave your laundry on the couch-- even though you've already washed and dried it, your guests simply see a pile of clothes and please don't let there be an underwear hanging out.  If your dog poops on the floor, even if it's on a puppy pad, please please please clean that up before your guests arrive.  And spray some air freshener.  If you have a pot of last night's dinner on the stove-- throw the food out and wash the pot.  Put on a bra-- enough said.  But most of all, if you are a hoarder (a true hoarder) please seek help before letting people come in.  Unless they're trying to get you out of there.  Now don't get me wrong, these are little things individually, but if you're really not ready to have company over, simply give your home a quick pick-up.  Put that load of clean laundry on your bed, clean up any yucky messes and air out your home.  It's good to let your home look lived in, but try not to let your guests feel uncomfortable or gross staying in it.

The House With "That Dog"

I love animals.  I have 4 pets of my own.  But I wouldn't ever want my guests to feel assaulted when I let them in.  My dog doesn't jump on guests-- he'll definitely approach them and hope for some pets, but he doesn't go crazy jumping all over them begging for a treat.  If you're a dog owner, it is a really beneficial thing to train your dog.  He doesn't have to have his Canine Good Citizen certification but he should be well mannered.  Not only would you be showing your guests that they are welcome in your home, but it is really great for your dog!  If you must have people over and your dog is just not a people kind of person, you might want to crate him while people are over.

What You Do Want Your Guests To Walk Into:

The Comfortable, Easy-Going Home

Your home should feel like home to welcomed guests-- and your family!  You don't have to make it look beautiful.  You don't have to feel bad about your kids jumping up and down.  And you definitely shouldn't apologize for even having a dog.  There are a ton of little things you can do to make your home FEEL happy.  Think of your five senses and go from there:

1. See:  Your home should look comfy and cozy. 
1. Put a throw on the couch.
2. Hang a fresh hand towel by your sink.
3. Clean your guest bathroom.
4. Get some fresh flowers and put the vase in the middle of your dining or entry table.
5. Let your kids play!
6. Brush your dog.
2. Hear:  A quiet home is an uncomfortable one.
1. Turn the TV on, not too loud but enough for background noise.  Put on a good, clean comedy.
2. Leave a couple (just a couple) of dishes in the sink so when you let your guests in you can leave them to have a seat and you can wash the dishes.  It lets them relax.
3. Talk to them!
3. Smell:  Food is always a good welcoming gesture.
1. Before your guests arrive, heat up a pan of olive oil and some garlic.  Keep it on low so as not to let it burn.  Garlic, although not a good kissing scent, is a great way to break up any nervousness in the atmosphere.
2. Heat up a candle warmer with some kind of baked goods scent.  I personally like my Scentsy blueberry cheesecake scent.
4. Touch:  When people are nervous, they tend to need something to keep their hands busy.
1. Brush your dog! 
2. Keep a comfy teddy bear on the couch.
3. Have a few books or magazines out.
4. Knick-knacks are great for keeping guests entertained.
5. Taste:  Again, food is always a good welcoming gesture.
1. If your guests are not coming for dinner or a party, have a bowl of chips or pretzels out on your dining or coffee table.
2. Make a good queso or other type of dip.
3. Have a pitcher or iced tea or water out for them.

I'm a huge home person.  I love my home and when people come over I want them to feel at home.  Most of all, though, I want my kids to remember the feeling of home as a good, loving place that they always felt safe in both emotionally and physically.

I keep a variety of soaps in a bowl by my kitchen sink.  It adds color and makes people smile. 

I've seen it!

 

My fridge holds things that makes me smile.  Pictures, art, and good coupons.

I keep my fruit, veggies and bread in baskets on my counter.  It looks busy but also fun!

My home would drive a neat freak crazy!!  My dining room is also a mini-library and art space.

 

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Crayon Art

For some time now I've been saving broken crayons. The boys love to color but they also love to pretend the crayons are swords. So I have been keeping a collection of broken crayons simply because I can't bear to see them go to waste.

Well today I was tired of seeing the box of dead crayons and I decided to do some art with them. I'm a huge nerd so I thought it would be okay to figure it out. But I wouldn't do it on my own of course.

Caden and Sean helped! Well ok, Caden helped and Sean provided us with company. We all had a ton of fun and they were both happy at the end.

We made giant crayon chunks out of the broken crayons!

First we gathered all the broken crayons and began unwrapping them. To make sure we stayed organized we placed the unwrapped crayon pieces in a bowl. Two boys, crayons and crayon wrappers make for a giant mess so it's always a good idea to try to be a little organized.

After wrapping them, we sorted them into their colors. All the greens (light and dark) together, all the reds, etc. This will help you distribute the colors the way you like.

Now that your colors are in order, you can get them ready for baking. Line your cupcake pans with foil and put your colors in each cup.

You will bake them for 10-20 minutes (depending in your preference) at 275 degrees.

If you'd like each cup to be unique, arrange the colors in a selected design. Remember, when they melt there's a good chance they'll stay in the same place--they'll just be gooey.

When they are melted to your satisfaction, take them out of the oven and let them stand to cool completely.

When they're done, you'll take them out of the foil and voila!! Fun crayon chunks!

Caden and Sean are super happy with these. :)

I made some of them into their own individual inspiration for art pictures. I'll post those soon.

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Featured Poem- The Invitation

I want to share this because it is beautiful.

The Invitation by Oriah

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.
I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.
It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.
I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”
It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.

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Got a kid who has lots of questions??

$14.99

Hardcover

For ages 4 and up

Usborne Books & More. Questions and Answers

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Mommy Sells Books Now

In Kindergarten, 100% of the children are reading.  Parents are excited and involved in their children's progress in developing learning skills.  I get super excited when I catch Caden trying to put the letters together to make a word.  We read one book when we get home from work and school and right before I start making dinner.  Then we read another one before bed.  This is normal, healthy parent-child activity.  Most children are active readers even through the next couple of school grades.

But research shows that the 100% of child readers drop dramatically down to 54% once they enter the fourth grade.  When they enter the eigth grade, only 30% of children are active readers.  In their senior year of high school, 19% are readers.  As you can see, after the fourth grade less and less children read at home.  So what happened in the fourth grade?  What stopped?

Some of you may respond by saying that when children hit the age of 9-10, they stop reading and start getting into other activities like sports.  Some may put the blame on video games.  And some may even say the kids at that age just aren't interested in reading.  I think that sure, all of those may be true.  However, there is a common denominator.

If you remember that 100% of kindergarten readers, think about how and when they read.  They don't do it on their own, remember?  Their parents read to them and as the children get better, the parents read along WITH them.  Well, once children are able to read on their own and the school teachers are taking over with guiding the kids into more advanced reading, parents tend to take a step back.  And what happens once you're comfortable with something?  You tend to stop worrying about it... and you become less involved with the maintenance of it.  Well, this is what happens to reading in our homes.  This is why 100% of the children who read drops to only 54% once they finally grasp the concept of reading.  It's time to keep your foot in the door-- don't step away. 

The National Research Council states, "There is strong evidence of a relationship between reading regularly to a child and that child's later reading achievenment."  Research experts predict that in the new millennium, math and reading illiteracy may impede three quarters of American adults chances to obtain any but the lowest paying jobs.  It is time to promote the continuance reading in our children's lives.  We don't have to read TO them like we did when they were in Kindergarten.

Reading together is a wonderful way to bond with our children.  Make it a special activity between you and your child.  Sharing your thoughts about the recently read book is a way to get to know each other as people and not just mom and child.  Reading is important for your child--it should be important to you.

I learned about Usborne Books & More from a friend of mine who hosted a party.  The enthusiasm of the consultant about her books made me interested in the company and when I got to hold and flip through the pages of her display books, I instantly fell in love.  Usborne publishes books so that they are appealing to children of all ages by using vibrant colors, texture and even multiple types of binding so that they offer sturdiness that can stand up to wear.  After receiving a few books I ordered at the party, my childhood love for reading came back to me and I decided to help my own children by promoting literacy.  I became an independent consultant. 

I just started, so I'm not quite successful yet.  However, I didn't do it for the money.  I did it for my family.  Please support me on my journey by checking out my website and consider ordering some wonderful books for your young ones.  If you'd rather start your own journey, I'd be really excited to get you some information on joining Usborne Books & More.

I can't wait to get to know you!
http://www.TheFamilyThatReads.com

Follow my page on Facebook!  http://www.facebook.com/#!/thefamilythatreads

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Capoeira

"Oh cool, I should do that one day."

"Hmm, maybe I should look into that."

"I gotta try that!"

Have you ever noticed how many times you say you're going to try something but never do it?  You're involved in a cool conversation and you find yourself thinking "Wow, I wanna do that."  But you walk away from the discussion already deciding that you'll probably never do it.  It's just something nice to think about.  You make up excuses for why you can't.  Your schedule doesn't allow it.  You don't have enough money.  You can't find a sitter.  Sometimes the reasons you can't are really valid reasons.  And sometimes?  Sometimes they're just excuses.  Well, I'm pretty notorious for making excuses.  Finally a friend of mine kind of cornered me and I couldn't come up with any reasons.  So I did it.

My friend Daniel sometimes talks about his son's Capoeira class and how much fun it is.  I've heard about the Brazilian martial art.  It's incredible- really something that moves you when you watch it.  Capoeira is a martial art that combines fighting, music and dancing.  There's a lot of history behind it and is pretty popular today.  So while listening to Daniel talk about it one day, I said "Man, I gotta look into signing Caden up for a class."  And WHAM.  As soon as the words left my mouth, Daniel already had a response, "Cool, well there's a special right now where the first month is free and if you like it you can sign up for a permanent place in the class."  Uh.... did I really mean it when I said it?

To make a long story short, after a few "Maybe another time" lies, Daniel's wife gave me a discount card and told me exactly where the class is.  I was scheduled to work a late shift the day of class so Daniel said, "I'll switch with you.  Take Caden to the class."

We went last night.  We loved it.  Why was I so hesitant in the first place?  Because I get stuck in my comfort zone, my daily routine.  One more new thing requires a new change to my schedule.  I am pretty darn introverted so I hate new activities that involve being with other people.  But last night I remembered that it's not always about me.  Caden had a blast!  Why wouldn't I want to get him into a class that was different from regular school playtime? 

I guess what I learned out of this is this:  It is healthy and OK to step out of your comfort zone and do something that you think would be fun.  Instead of sitting around thinking how much you wish you could do XYZ, get out and do it.

Caden's teacher told me that Caden will do very well in the class.  She said he is physically strong and agile and will be just fine.  I'm glad I was almost FORCED to step out of my routine to let my little guy learn something new and fun.

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Standing Up for Others

"Hey that's mine!"

I watched from a distance as Sean's face filled with dismay.  His little cheeks were red and his lower lip stuck out in an angry pout.  He glared at the 6 year old boy who had run up to him and snatched his beloved Buzz Lightyear right out of his hands, smirking and saying, "Ha! I got your toy!"

We were at the small playground on our apartment grounds.  It was a fair size, never crowded with children, and I usually let Bruce run off leash since it was gated and he was great with kids of all ages.  The location of the playground was chosen wisely as we never once had the sun beat down on us.  Or maybe it was just because I only took them there when the sun was lower in the day.  

Today there were three other children at the playground... and no adult in sight other than myself.  Two of the children, a boy and girl, appeared to be siblings around the ages of 7 or 8.  They looked alike and played with each other.  The third child was 6; I found that out later.  This third child, a boy, was by himself and seemed to cope with his solitude not by playing nicely with the other two kids who were closer to his age but by immediately sailing to mine who were 4 and 2.  

He was a scrawny looking boy with a very unique haircut.  His head was shaved except for the bangs, which were long and dirty blonde.  He wore a pair of faded blue jeans which were ripped at the knee and a black t-shirt.  All that was missing was the earring.  He was a cute looking boy with bright blue eyes and a smile that I'm sure would melt any heart around if it wasn't permanently formed into a smirk.  He was the playground bully.

He tried to bully Caden by grabbing his plastic robot, which Caden named Crisco (please don't ask why, I have no idea).  But his attempt failed when Caden smiled and said, "You can play with it.  He's cool!"  And the bully just left him alone.  I felt a bit proud of Caden then, seeing that instead of fighting with the boy he avoided trouble by being nice to him.  So the bully moved on.  To Sean.

He ran to Sean, who was just coming off the slide happily clutching his Buzz Lightyear toy, and snatched that toy right from his hands.  When Sean announced his dislike for such an act, the boy fed off this and taunted him saying, "Ha!  I took your toy!"

Instead of rushing to my little guy's rescue, I decided to observe.  I wanted to see not just how Sean would react but how Caden would.  And I was especially curious about the other two children who were there with the bully prior to our arrival.

I didn't have to wait long.  Sean chased the bully with tearful cries for his Buzz and the bully continued to run and laugh at him.  Finally, the girl stepped in the bully's way and said, "Hey, give that toy back to him!  Stop being such a bully!"

Immediately the boy tossed the toy aside and said, "Aw I was just playing with him."  He went on to playing by himself while Caden rushed to his toy.

I was amazed at this.  Caden, who is usually first to come to his brother's rescue, was too distracted by his own activities to check out the problem.  The girl and boy seemed to be talking to each other as the bully was attempting to mess with Caden and they continued to chat as he moved on to Sean.  And it was the girl who took the stand.  It was really interesting.

Most of us have experienced someone standing up for us at some point in our lives.  Maybe not a lot and maybe not recently.  But I'd be willing to bet we would all remember every occasion when it happened.  When I was in kindergarten, I always sat in the front row of the school bus on the way home because there weren't a many kids on the bus and my mom, who worked at an elementary school, was friends with the bus driver.  And there was this fifth grader who always picked on me.  She always told the bus driver that I wanted to be the one to open the door - and I never did!  I hated doing it.  I always felt like people were just watching me and if that handle was too hard to pull, they'd all get irritated with me for not letting them get out fast enough.

One day, I told her that I didn't want to do it.  She leaned up real close to my face and said, "If you don't do it, I'm going to stick a needle in your tongue!"  Friggin meanie!  I was so scared, looking at this crazy fifth grade bully who had big hair and pretty eyes.  I bet she became a friggin cheerleader too.

Anyway, Ben the bus driver, heard this and said, "Hey, get your ass to the back of the bus!  I'm not letting you bully other kids here.  I'm telling your parents what you just did."  He was my hero!  I felt like such a baby, hating to be rescued, but I felt as if he saved my life!  I never had any problems from that girl after that.

I watched as Sean sat in the grass playing with Buzz, smiling with his cheeks still tearstreaked.  I thought to myself, the world needs more people like that little girl.  We need more parents teaching their kids to stand up for others.  And we need to stand up for others more ourselves. Can you imagine what kind of world we'd live in if we stood up for people more often?  If we stood up for what was right?  If a little girl can stand up for a toddler, it tells me that we were born to love.  If she could recognize at the age of 8 that there was a need to stand up for someone else, then it tells me that everyone has that kind of courage inside of us.   I pray that when it's time for me to stand up for someone else, I will find in me what that little girl found in her and become a voice against hurtful actions.

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