This is for my sister...

Amy...my loyal and faithful follower...I apologize for being such a lame blogger.  Thanks for asking me if I am ever planning to post anything.  This one's for you!!!

Why yes...we do have a show tonight!

Do we have a show tonight?  Do we have to be here early for the show tonight?  Are we going to perform the whole show tonight?  What time does the show start?  How many minutes do I have until the show starts?  Has Act 2 started yet?  (All questions asked by students in the show on which I am currently working!)

I am a mom.  I have 173 children.  I am a teacher.  I have 173 students.  Three of these children/students live under my roof, ask a million questions a day, test my patience, ask me for snacks every 5 minutes, and love me unconditionally.  The 170?  Well...they don't live under my roof, but the other descriptors are fairly accurate!

I am wrapping up a musical that I choreographed at a middle school.  I cannot find the words to explain the rehearsal process that actually explain the rehearsal process.  Most people would run for the hills, 2.5 months after school with 6-8th graders...but me?  I LOVE it!  From the time we audition (4 days of watching kids get up the guts to get in front of a large group and sing!) to the time we perform the show (watching kids get up in front of large audiences to sing, dance and act) so much changes in every child.  They grow, they mature, they do things they never thought possible.  And it is SO. MUCH. FUN. to watch! 

As I was watching the school day shows this past Wednesday, I realized that I was bursting with pride...the same type of pride I feel when I watch my own, real life children do something!  I truly felt like I could cry watching the child that has two left feet finally get the choreography.  Watching another make a quick costume change perfectly.  Watching a techie get the lighting cue!  Watching a boy who is super shy, sing confidently in front of the audience.  Watching a "jock" and a "theatre kid" get along backstage because they are working towards the same goal.  Watching a group of boys rehearse for their number backstage because they want it to be great.  Watching kids take notes that you have given them 10 minutes before and incorporate them into their performance.  And the curtain call at the end???  Don't even ask me about it...I always cry at curtain calls.  (Even when I don't know a soul in the show!)  I just know the hard work and dedication that these kids have put in over the past 2.5 months.  The list could go on...and on...and on.  I am so proud of these kids.  I love these kids!

As parents, we want our kids to be loved by their teachers.  I assure you, parents, teachers love your kids like a mom or a dad.  They get frustrated (as we do with our own children!), but they celebrate the accomplishments, they beam from backstage or the front of the classroom, and they truly want to set up each child for success.  When I close a show and look back, I always hope that each child had a chance to feel successful on that stage. So, if you see me crying after the show, you'll know that I am so stinkin' proud of them...because I really do love those kids!

My One Word 2014

This year I have chosen the word intentional. I would like to be intentional in quiet time, family time, and healthy living. I am off to a slow start, but I have been intentional in a few things. Our family has completed a puzzle together. We decided to keep everyone together all day Saturday instead of rushing around from place to place. I am trying to work out more and make better eating choices.  And finally, I am getting most of my bible study done for class. It's a slow process, but it's not meant to be quick. I want it to be on the forefront of my mind all year!  January almost complete...how did that happen?  Let's be intentional in our time...it goes by fast.

Under-exaggerate

I'm not even sure that under-exaggerate is a word...but it is going to be a big part of my vocabulary as a parent. My friend heard a speaker that shared that word as a parenting tip...I LOVE it!  I want to add this as an intentional part of my parenting...a choice that I make!

Kids react the way their parents react. If I exaggerate a fall, they freak out. I will never forget the moment when Ryan fell at camp. He was in the nursery and I was in a staff meeting. The sitter came to me and said that Ryan had fallen off of a chair and cut his lip. Well...turns out he had hit his tooth and it was half way up his gums.  Inside I was freaking out, but on the outside I was calm..."ooo, Ryan, show me your monster face. (So I could see the tooth!). Show Aunt Amy. (So she could see it!). I think I might have to call the dentist to tell him I have a new monster at the house."  He did not totally flip out...and we all survived the situation. In fact, his tooth came back down over the next few weeks...amazing really!

Growing up my mom was drama free. (There was still drama in my house, but my mom never fed into it.). We would cry because we weren't chosen for a part; she would say that's a bummer, but that's the way it goes. We would be worried about what everyone thought of our appearance; she would say no one is really looking at you!  (That would make us laugh. Clearly we would have tons of people looking our way, right?  Right?!  Cricket, cricket!).  We just learned that there was more to life than ourselves. 

And now, looking at my life now, I think my sisters and I under-exaggerate because that's how our mom was. Don't get me wrong, I am a dramatic story teller, but I try to not over exaggerate situations. It is an interesting parent strategy...and one that I would like to see lots of parents adopt!  I hope we all learn to under-exaggerate just a little more. 

Six blog posts a year...that's good right?

Here's the thing, I enjoy writing.  I especially enjoy storytelling!  You would think this would lead to some fun blog posts!  Sometimes real life really gets in the way of what I want to do!  (ha!)  What I do know is that I enjoyed reading my posts from this past year.  To see what was happening in our lives, how I was feeling and where we have come is very encouraging to me.  There were some little details that I had forgotten.  So, here we go...another year, another 6 blog posts.  Who knows...maybe I will make it up to 12 this year!

2014, let's do this! ;) 

~SJP

Letting Go=Simplifying

If you know me, you know that I am a planner.  I love to make lists, I love to plan for today, tomorrow and five years from now.  So this spring, the plan was to sell our house.  If you have read my previous post, we had a lot of showings.  Like 82 total...in 8 weeks.  It was at that time that Mike and I both felt we needed to let go of the idea of moving for the time being.  This does not mean we are staying in this house forever, but it does mean that we need to listen to God's plan for us.  So thankful that we are on the same page!  We took our house off of the market on May 15...two months after listing it.  Right now, we feel like we will wait a year and try again.

That felt so good...changing my plan because I knew that we were being led in a different direction.  The letting go did not stop there.  This past year I have choreographed 10 shows.  For those that are not familiar with theatre, that is a lot in one year!  Don't get me wrong, I love working on shows...the progress you see from start to finish; the relationships you build as you work together to create something for the stage; the audiences that get to sit and enjoy each production.  It's all so satisfying.  That being said, I was gone from my family a lot...after school, evenings, weekends.  Mike and I were tag team parenting, and it was hard.  I saw a quote that said, "Leadership opportunities will always be available to you, but your children will only be this age once."  (Totally paraphrased...)  This led me to realize that choreographing should not be my number one priority...so I resigned from several shows.  Wow!  That was hard, but so freeing. 

So...my one word for the year...SIMPLIFY...has finally started producing the fruit I was expecting months ago.  I was able to say no to some people that I love...my friends/colleagues.  And guess what??  They understood!  They were not mad or frustrated with me...disappointed?  Maybe...I mean I am too!  One week later I feel great about my decisions and I am resting in the fact that I am following God's plan for my family.  Can't wait to see what simplifying will provide for us in the months and years to come!

Parade of Homes Tour...

Our house has been on the market for 51 days.  In those 51 days we have had 73 showings...but who's counting?  This has been a time of excitement and disappointment for Mike and me.  The emotional roller coaster of real estate is really ridiculous.  There was one night we were expecting an offer from a buyer...I was elated.  There was a weight lifted off of my shoulders I flew through my day laughing, frolicking, and thinking anything was possible in my life.  Then we get the call...they decided on another house last minute.  Instantly my list was never ending and everything my children did got on my nerves. 

On Sunday morning I mentioned to Mike that our timing might be off...maybe we were jumping the gun on putting our house on the market.  (Our original thoughts were a year from now.)  We both decided to just pray on that for a bit.  After all, we are in no rush either way.  So we headed to church and I went to teach my 2nd grade Sunday School class.  It is the start of a new month, which means the start of a new virtue...and wouldn't you know, our virtue this month is "patience."  (OK God...I get it!)  Patience is described as waiting until later for what you want now.  What a simple definition for a very difficult word to embrace.  Right now I want a bigger house, I want to know where my oldest will attend first grade, I want to live closer to the schools where I work, and the list can go on.  The reality is that God is asking me to wait...to trust...and to live where I am for the time being.

So the real estate roller coaster continues...and as for the parade of homes tour?  I think we are the most popular house.  Who knows where we will be from this point forward...we are choosing to put our trust in the Lord.  He will guide us...and I pray we are smart enough to listen! :)