Harry Potter, Hard Lockdown, Humility

Matthew suddenly decided that Harry Potter books were no longer scary. I read something about brain development...or did I hear it from the Garners?...that about age 8 is when kids really start getting the difference between reality and fiction. Things get a lot less scary when your brain can clearly discern true threats from fictional ones. I may have just made all that up. Don't quote me.

Anyway, Matthew is really enjoying the Harry Potter series for the first time in his life. We've been reading it out loud together, but Matthew and James also listen to it at bedtime. He watched the first movie and loved it! The second movie is PG-13 (bah humbug), but the third is PG (wahoo!) so we'll watch that together once he's finished the third book. 

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The high school got an anonymous, but highly specific, threat of violence on Tuesday that caused it to go into hard lockdown. Alex was at lunch in the commons, no teachers around, when the order came down. Rumors spread like crazy, "There's a shooter in the building." "No, I don't hear anything, he must be outside." "They wouldn't put us in hard lockdown if there weren't a clear and present danger."

Within the hour, the restrictions were reduced to soft lockdown and they could go to the rest of their classes that day. By the last period, Alex said most of his classmates had been picked up by parents. It was just him and four other students left with the teacher. 

Investigations by the police, FBI, and school administration all determined that there was no real threat to any of the students or staff on campus at any time. This was the second threatening incident, however, in the last couple weeks, so the superintendent called for a couple e-learning days yesterday and today. Alex has been doing his lessons online. He's enjoyed the change of pace. The work is easier, more time for goofing off, and he gets to make a hot lunch as fancy as he wants it. He also gets a lot of time to hang out with me. He still likes talking to me one-on-one, so he looks forward to that :) Yesterday, in fact, he talked to me for 3 hours straight. Today, it was only a couple of hours. 

Alex suggested we take some of his fancy hot lunch to Sandy. She was really pleased at the gesture! As we got back into the car, Alex said, "This is why I like to make food. It's not about the food, it's about making people smile and seeing them enjoy the things I make. Every time someone tells me how much they liked something, it just makes me want to cook for them more!"

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Robert asked me about an algebra problem he got wrong on a test. When I solved it one way, I got the right answer. When I solved it another way, I got the complete wrong answer. But, to me, following the rules I remembered, I couldn't see why that would happen. Both methods were completely valid. I was missing something. I had forgotten something. I didn't like that feeling. I didn't like feeling vulnerable in front of Robert or Bobby in a subject I loved so much. It made me really, really grouchy all of a sudden. After some thought, I realized the grouchiness was a learning opportunity. A chance to experience humility. I confessed out loud (and hopefully in good humor) that I don't enjoy reminders of things I've forgotten, but it happens in life, and I was willing to relearn the thing I had forgotten...

...a little begrudgingly...

...but, the kids are getting older and the problems are getting more complex (school work and life in general). I'm going to have plenty of opportunities to experience vulnerability in front of them. The trick will be staying honest and humble and diligent through these/my learning opportunities. 

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I wrote an email to my friend Rachel the other day. I thought it was a pretty good cross section of my life at this moment, so I'm copying it here. You don't have to read it. This blog post is pretty long already. I just want it here for my own future reference :)

Yesterday, when you asked me what was going on at my house, I could only think of the types of activities you guys do at your house, and since my kids aren't out and about as much as yours and I'm not as driven and meticulous as you are, it felt like not much to talk about. 

But, after some thought, I finally have a satisfactory reply.

I'm doing all the winterizing yard work. Raking leaves, bagging them, and delivering them to the community garden for us to use as mulch next season. I've been doing Erin’s lawn, too, since she's out of town until December. That's a lot of hauling.

I'm working on being more diligent with personal study, exercise, and hygiene. 

Personal Study

Every day, I read a chapter from the Book of Mormon, pray earnestly, and spend some time studying the attributes of Christ in the Preach My Gospel manual. All of this happens when I'm home alone so I can give it my full attention. I also have to force myself to do it before I start my to-do list, or it doesn't get done. I also do it with a full spectrum light because I'm susceptible to S.A.D. All of this takes about 30 min a day.

Exercise 

Three mornings a week I'm scheduled to work out. Sickness and holidays and school emergencies cause me to skip it periodically, but I've been doing alright at least 2 mornings a week since school started. It takes me about 1.5 hours...45 cardio, 45 strength. I can tell I'm getting stronger, even if I still have a muffin top. This week I'm spending more attention on calorie counts. Ballpark numbers, not exact. 

Hygiene

Shower on gym days. That takes diligent effort. It seems like another frustrating expenditure of my precious alone-at-home time, but it doesn't really take that long and I always feel better afterwards. I'm working on a set morning and evening routine that now includes washing my face and taking meds.

I walk the little boys home every day. They rarely have homework. They use their free computer turns and sometimes do the extra work to earn their second. Robert gets home and does his OCD routine: snack, homework, computer turn.

Alex comes home and goes to his room for homework and down time. 

Bobby gets home, makes dinner (Hello Fresh or Food Nanny or something we all love like breakfast or Nachos or Grilled Cheese) and we eat about 6pm. Then Alex goes back to his room and the rest of us play and read and practice piano and do whatever until 7. Then there's the bedtime routine with PJs, toothbrushing, 12-15 verses and explanation from the Book of Mormon, and family prayer. Bobby reads fun stuff to the little guys while I read and discuss the Book of Mormon with Robert in his room. He asked me to do that with him starting a month ago and I really, really like it. Alex showers. We're all done about 7:45. If I don't have an evening activity, A and R come out to play games or chat with me until 8:30. Then Bobby and I go to bed usually about 9:30 or 10.

My evening activities are Guitar Jam on Mondays, Book Group or RS activities on half the Tuesdays, everyone has youth activities on Wed (we have an abbreviated bedtime routine), RS presidency meetings on most Thursdays, Fridays are reserved for Bobby and me, Saturdays are PG13 Movie night. Sunday is games with Bobby, Alex, Robert and me. 

This last week, Robert was moved up to a more challenging math class. He's frustrated that he doesn't know everything, but I'm confident he'll get it. He's been asking me for a little bit of help on his math homework. Mostly just to check his thinking process. 

Also, last week, Robert and the boys took an interest in aluminum foil. They're fascinated with how small they can crush it, using hammers. And they sand it to make it shiny. 

Alex announced that he'd like to dye his hair. He priced it out and decided to wait for Erin to get back from Texas and help him do it himself. Salons charge a lot!

I volunteered to help with the school's Battle of the Books. I'm the only adult with a team of 8 4-5th graders reading a list of books and practicing for a quiz competition at the end of the year. It's only one afternoon a month. 

I'm working on family history again, now that gardening and long rides are done. Made some great progress yesterday just before our call. 

I joined the ward choir (hasn't started yet) and the stake choir (done after Stake Conference this week).

I'm kind of looking for more to focus on, something productive and fulfilling, but the holiday season is upon us.

As a counselor in the RS presidency, I attend weekly Missionary Correlation meetings and all Temple and Family History meetings. I'm trying to get more excited about Missionary work. It's hard. The other counselor manages RS teaching and activities. I feel like I dodged a bullet, there.

This week, I purchased mini bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes and delivered them to all of the primary leaders, teachers, nursery, and music folks as a thank you for their thankless and isolated and absolutely essential work in Primary. It didn't seem like a large enough gesture. There isn't really a large enough gesture. 

Rand McFarlands memorial was Saturday. I was stressed because I wanted the luncheon to go well.  I shouldn't have worried because three other very capable women had volunteered and the four of us were a dream team. I even had fun! Bobby is Sharon's ministering brother and he's been taking Robert to do the sacrament at their house for the past few months. 

So that's what's been going on at our house this week. It just takes me a day to gather my response 😁 

Susan