Going Greek

Wonder Boy is starting a module on Greek mythology at school. He came home today all fired up about the tale he learned today - all about the Sun God (Helios) and his demigod son (Phaeton). He spun a story about Phaeton's first (& last) ride through the sky in his dad's chariot of fire.

Wonder Dad couldn't help himself. He convinced Wonder Boy that the true point of the story was NOT a tale of creation and how volcanos came to be on Earth, but rather a morality tale about the ills of a son learning to drive.

I confess to a great deal of mirth on my part. I couldn't contain the giggles. The whole scene touched my funny bone in ways I couldn't have guessed.

I am really glad he is so excited about school. We have been introducing the Greek myths through modern fiction, like the Percy Jackson books written by Rick Riordan, for some time now. He is comfortable with the idea of the gods and their half human children influencing life for the rest of us here on Earth. He seems genuinely excited about learning the "back story" to some of his favorite tales.

I always enjoyed mythology myself. It is easy to get lost in the myths. You can imagine yourself with super human attributes, saving the day, creating something grand. What could be more fun?!

I hope there is some homework involved so we can all get a taste!

Judo Boy

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, someone is playing "Sunrise, Sunset." And once again, it is hitting me just how fast time flies when you have a child.

When I was a kid, it seemed like I would never grow up, that time moved so very slowly. Everything seemed so far away.

But since Wonder Boy was born, life has been on fast forward. And it seems like I can barely hold onto a moment before 10 more have flown by and some other milestone has been reached. *sigh*

Please understand that I am not complaining! It's one of those bitter sweet truths of being a parent, I think. And there are moments when it takes me by surprise.

What sparked this particular moment of reflection, you ask? Wonder Boy had a belt test at judo class last night. Yes, that's all it takes.

He passed with flying colors, of course. In fact, I think it might have been his best belt test yet. And I guess that is what you would hope for - improvement with each passing test, each year, etc. But something about his performance last night just struck a chord with me. I don't know if it was the confident way he approached each question, each technique, each opportunity to shine, or what. But whatever the case, it really got me to thinking about how far he has come.

He started martial arts while still in preschool, in a class designed for young kids. He had fun but was always a touch timid. He can be a bit shy. Then in Kindergarten, he started judo and it has been a great fit from day one. Even though he was often the youngest and smallest in class, he was having so much fun, that he rarely seemed to notice that he was so young and so small.

Fast forward though the years to last night and you would never, ever guess that he had ever been anything but completely confident in himself. He just oozed faith in his abilities.

I don't think there was a person there last night that didn't feel it. My heart nearly popped right out of my chest, I was so overcome with pride. Even Wonder Boy's instructor made a point of remarking on his excellent performance. We were all caught up in just how far he has progressed in the many years he has been studying judo.

Wonder Dad and I endured some questioning about starting him in the martial arts at such a young age. People worried he would learn to be a bully. But anyone who has studied the martial arts, ANY of the martial arts, can tell you that the opposite is true. What the kids learn is discipline, self confidence, respect, and patience. True, they learn how to defend themselves. But they also learn how to avoid potentially dangerous physical encounters. And they learn that honor and dignity are much more important than being the baddest guy on the playground.

Wonder Boy has learned all of these lessons and more as he has walked the path of the Martial Way. My hope and dream is that he will continue to walk this path and glean from it the innumerable values and benefits that the martial arts offers.

Year in Review

2012 was a pretty eventful year for us. We moved to a new house. Wonder Boy graduated elementary school and started intermediate school. There were work and home projects, both big and small. We laughed, we cried, we worried, we celebrated. We tried new things and watched Wonder Boy grow. Memories we'll carry with us for a very long time!

As with most years, there is a lot to look back upon. But there just seems to be so much more on the horizon!

I always enjoy the look back over the year. It never fails to amaze me how much things change in 12 short months. But this year, I can honestly say that I am truly looking forward.

I don't know what 2013 holds in store for us, but I'm chomping at the bit to see what kinds of possibilities will present themselves!

Happy New Year one and all! May 2013 be a time of peace, growth, and abundant love!

Concert Time!

After only 2.5 months with their instruments, Wonder Boy and the 5th Grade Orchestra announced that they were ready for their first concert! Wonder Boy had his share of jitters leading up to the big day, but honestly, I think that there was more excitement than anxiety in those butterflies he felt. We got home early from school so that he could knock out his homework quickly. Then we forced him to eat a quick bite before getting dressed and ready.

Wonder Boy gave us both a quick sample of the concert songs (plus a few more of his favorites) at home before we loaded up and headed to the middle school. Apparently there isn't enough space at Wonder Boy's school for the whole orchestra to set up, so we got an impromptu tour of his NEXT school as we found our way to the staging room and then the cafeteria (where the concert was held).

Wonder Dad and I were both pleasantly surprised by the concert! We know that Wonder Boy has put a lot of time and effort into his practice. But we didn't know if ALL of the students put in the same kind of effort. However, we need not have worried for the group came together wonderfully! In fact, they carried their tunes so well that a gentleman in the row behind us couldn't help but sing along.

All in all, this concert left all of us itching for more! How many months until the spring concert?

5th Grade Orchestra Concert

Traditions

Traditions. I can't hear the word without hearing the music from "Fiddler on the Roof."

Regardless of the tune in my head at the moment, we are all about tradition in our little family. Traditions, schedules, routines ... might sound boring to some, but to me they spell order, reliability, and comfort. OK, so maybe schedules and routine are nothing to crow about, but tradition is another matter all together. Traditions have an aura of importance and reverence to them. Traditions are those things that can at once make us anticipate the future and remember the past.

We have many family traditions sprinkled throughout the year, but like in other families, the holiday season is chock full of them. What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

We put up our tree (usually) the day after Thanksgiving. Lights go up on the house fairly shortly thereafter (weather and energy permitting). The Nativity and Christmas village are displayed. And stockings are hung by the chimney with care (sorry, couldn't resist).

These stockings are one of my favorite Christmas displays. When I was even younger than Wonder Boy is now, my mom labored away to create these amazing felt stockings for each member of our family. I looked forward to seeing them each year. Mine had a Santa on it with his bag of toys. She made each toy individually and then stuffed them in the Big Guy's sack. They were sewn in place, but oh how I longed to take them out and play house with them! Every stocking she made for us was equally as detailed, but all these years later it is that sack of toys that comes to mind and makes me smile.

When Wonder Dad and I married, I couldn't wait for the holiday kits to hit the craft store. The first thing I got that year was a felt stocking kit - just for him to hang alongside those my mom would put up. I barely made the holiday deadline, but by the time the ornaments were pulled from storage and the bits and bobbles placed everywhere around the house, Wonder Dad's stocking was ready to hang with the rest!

In years to come as Wonder Dad and I developed our own holiday customs, our stockings hung in our own home. When I found out we were expecting Wonder Boy I made a bee line for the craft store for my next felt project. I was so proud to have finished it in the weeks before he officially joined our family. And even more so when I hung it next to the others that Christmas.

I don't know how many more stockings will find a home over our fireplace in the years to come, but I always stop and check out the new offerings each year. You know, just to be ready.

Sounds of the Season

It is our family tradition to start our Christmas holiday decorating the day after Thanksgiving. This year we put the tree up on Thanksgiving itself since we had some minor changes to our plans for our Turkey Day meal. Usually, we put off all signs of Christmas until after Thanksgiving - I am not one to ignore any holiday and I like to make sure that Thanksgiving gets its time center stage.

But there is one exception! The week leading up to Thanksgiving, I relent and let the Christmas music play. Wonder Boy and I usually start with a playlist or two in the car. After Thanksgiving, all bets are off though and you'll find holiday tunes in the car, at work (my trusty iPod is loaded with good tunes and if I need a change of pace, I'll fire up Pandora and let them deliver up some Christmas classics), and of course at home.

Here are a few of our family favorites ...

Each year Wonder Boy tends to have a different favorite. This one is the one he always wants on the drive to school in the morning:
the Brian Setzer Orchestra perform the Nut Cracker Suite:

Wonder Dad likes a bit more bounce in his tune:
John Mellencamp's "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"

Right now I'm feeling drawn to the classics like this one:
Nat King Cole's "the Christmas Song"

And Wonder Boy watches the Charlie Brown Christmas show almost daily. I think this is his favorite tune from the show: Hark! The Herald Angles Sing

Our list could really draw on and on, but I wanted to share a few of these here with you now.

What are your favorites?

Feeling Festive

Most years, the weekend after Thanksgiving is spent getting the Christmas tree up and decorating the house. But due to some slight changes to our schedule this year, we got the tree up on Thanksgiving day itself. And that left us looking for some special adventure for our long weekend.

After only a short pause, we all agreed it would be a great time to trek south to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Texas Renaissance Festival!

It was a beautiful day, though a bit cool to start off with. Thankfully we remembered our jackets and of course there were stands to buy hot chocolate all over the place.

It's been a couple of years since we were last able to make it to the Ren Fest. And I think this was probably the most fun we ever had there as a family. Wonder Boy was not as focused on the rides this year. Instead, he was much more interested in the comedy shows and the musicians. The first performance we caught was a real fun group called Clan Tynker. They kept us laughing as they performed various acts from sword swallowing to juggling to fire eating! Not a bad way to start the day!

Next we made our way to the Fire Whip Show. If you ever get a chance to catch this guy's performance, you do NOT want to miss it! He is even featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for his amazing skills with the whip!

We couldn't miss out on the Birds of Prey show either. I love the bird show - that is always one of the highlights for me. The hawks, falcons, and even the vultures are pretty cool, but it is the owls that bring me back year after year.

The final show that we were able to squeeze into our day was the Ded Bob show. This is the show that had Wonder Boy clutching his side and laughing his head off (which for me was just as entertaining as the performance)! Again, if you ever have the opportunity to catch Ded Bob and his act - DON'T MISS IT!

We enjoyed the whole day - the weather was great, the shows were fun, the store fronts and vendors gave us plenty to dream about. It was such a nice part of our Thanksgiving holiday. And the time spent walking hand in hand, laughing, and enjoying life together is something for which to be truly thankful!