Friday, December 30, 2011

Seven Quick Takes


1.

It is weeks like this, weeks when the kids are out of school that really convince my how much I despise homework.  My seven year old is bright, probably not gifted, but well above average.  She gets most of her written homework done in after school care but even so, but the time we study spelling, read for the reading log and practice her math facts, plus work on any projects that are due, it is bath and bedtime.  My sixteen year old is in a magnet school for bright kids and spends three to four hours a night on homework.  While I can't honestly say how much of that time is solid working and how much is checking facebook on her ipod, it just seems excessive to me--and she is by no means a straight A student.

2.

I was serving refreshments to the Lifeteen group at church, a group in which my daughter participates.  As part of their Christmas social they were invited to share about family Christmas traditions.  She didn't share anything.  On the way home, she said she didn't think they were looking for her favorite tradition in our family--the yearly nerf gun fight among the (supposedly) adults.  This year I bought everyone rubber band powered airplanes.  Now the ones that aren't broken are in Grandpa's toy box.  


3.

One nice thing about living in New Orleans is that the Holiday season is not almost over--it is just going low key for a while, until parades start.  Kings day marks the start of Carnival, a time of King Cakes, balls and parades, climaxing on Mardi Gras.



4.

One of my favorite things about Christmas is baking.  I make many of the same things my mother used to make and my little one loves to help.  



5.

I need some New Year's resolutions.  The  usual "lose weight" is there--I did well with that for about six months last  year, and I still have 20-30 lbs to go.  I guess I'll drag myself out of bed Saturday morning and head to WW.  They don't know anything the rest of the world doesn't, but the discipline of stepping on that scale every week is really helpful in making me do what I know I need to do--kind of like going to confession regularly tends to discourage repeated stupid sins (I guess there is  worthy resolution).

6.

I'm reading a really interesting book written for parents of daughters about the dangers of non-marital sex.  Why is that so easy for me to see as a married adult and so hard for unmarried teens to realize?

7.

My big Christmas present this year is a new sofa for my den.  What do you think of these?



7 comments:

  1. I like the sofas! I think I like the top one better, looks nicer. Both are very stylish though.
    I love the baking picture. It looks like you guys are having so much fun!

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  2. I like the top one better as well... white???? are you ready for that yet? :)

    we got a new espresso machine and a tornado shelter for Christmas :)

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  3. I love that your family has a nerf gun fight! That sounds like lots of fun :)

    Hooray on getting a new couch. I like the one on top too, although they both look super comfortable.

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  4. I like both of the couches.

    The book on teens and sex- tough topic. Both of mine said the books (which I placed eye level by the computer) helped with decision making- but the group dates kept them where they felt comfortable. It helped that they were opposite sex and a year apart in school. They each had dates- but almost always doubled,

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  5. The sofas are a little more off-white than white and I'm still debating. This is what I like, of what they are showing now, but as you said Renee, I'm not sure we are ready for white now, though they keep telling me how easy leather is to clean. Brown leather looks too law officeish to me and since I spend my days in a law office, I'd rather a different look for my home kwim?

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  6. i recommend "real sex" by lauren winner -- it's the book i would give to my church teens to read.

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  7. I think the sex thing is so difficult b/c our hormones aren't raging as badly, and we've had more years to see the world and make the connections that tell us extramarital sex is Bad News. Solutin? No earthly idea. Start young, and start with concepts of holiness in the body, I guess.

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