If an assignment seems like too much work, maybe just don't do it.

At 4:00 yesterday afternoon, Shulamith received an email from Swen's 7th grade teacher. It was a group email sent to parents of all the kids in the class, reminding them that their kids had a big family history assignment due the following day, one that is worth a lot of points toward their final grade. This was news to Shulamith, so she went right upstairs to ask Swen about it.

Shulamith: Ms. Jacobs emailed to remind us that you have a big family history assignment due tomorrow. How's that coming?

Swen: Oh, that sounded like way too much work, so I decided not to do it.

If you are laughing right now, it's either because you know Swen, or you know a kid like him. If an assignment seems like too much work, maybe just don't do it.

Fortunately, Shulamith is the the kindest mom on the planet and likely laughed at Swen's response (just like you did, and I KNOW you did!). Then she went right to work to help him!

The assignment involved finding someone from your family history and learning all about them, then creating some sort of electronic poster to present the information you find. Kennedy, the Canva expert, joined the task force and began to look for a template. 

You may call this coincidence or luck or whatever, but I'm gonna call it one of my favorite scenarios: Jesus in the details! It just so happened that only a day before, Swen had visited a family history center with his church group (called Young Men's, though none of the kids in it are actually men, young or otherwise. They are just boys). Swen came away thoroughly disgusted with his mom and me. Here is the laminated family history chart he brought home:

Swen (to Shulamith): Look at this chart! Just look at it! On Grandma and Grandpa's side, there are names. All the boxes are filled in with names of people in their family. But look at Her's side. Nothing. Nothing but blank boxes. Her's mom is still ALIVE, and SHE isn't even on here. You and Her have done nothing!

Noted. 

Yeah, family history....not really my vibe. Or Shulamith's.

But it wasn't lost on me that maybe we're not so different from Swen. This seems like an awful lot of work. And when something seems like too much work, maybe just don't do it.

(P.S. for those wondering, Swen found some guy from the Monsons' side of the family and, with Kennedy's help, made a lovely poster on Canva. Hooray!)

Theodore's Themes - Part VII

 

158. Shulamith: Theodore, Her told me that when you slept at her house, all she gave you for breakfast was mints and Diet Coke.

Theodore: Yes! Her asked me what I wanted for breakfast, and I told her mints and Diet Coke, so that's what she gave me.

159. Theodore and Kennedy stayed overnight here last week. Swen was at diabetes camp, and Shulamith and Matt were celebrating their anniversary. The two of them have never spent the night here together, only separately. Kennedy was very concerned that Theodore would keep her awake all night because the tends to roll around in his sleep.

Kennedy: You are not sleeping in the middle between Her and me. You can sleep in the floor.

Theodore: I'm gonna sleep in the middle and roll back and forth from one side to the other.

160. I dropped Theodore off at school late one morning last week.

Me: Okay, just go into the office. They'll say "Hi, Theodore!" and they'll check you in and tell you to do to your class.

Theodore: They wont't say "Hi Theodore." There are 800 kids at my school, so they don't know my name. 

161. When a picture speaks a thousand words:

162. Theodore: Can I sleep at Her's house tonight?

Shulamith: Yep, as long as you take church clothes so you can ride to church with Her.

Theodore: Never mind. I want to go to church late.

(I always go to church on time. The Webster-Monsons? Not so much.)

163. Theodore recently got Phase 1 braces to help prepare his teeth for Phase 2 when all his permanent teeth are in. The expander in his mouth has been challenging for him to adjust to; food routinely gets caught up underneath, making Theodore panic. Poor little guy. He's only 8. He and Shulamith have been praying nightly that Theodore will adjust to his braces (especially the expander) and be able to eat normally. This past week, on out Alaska cruise, Theodore and Seth were comparing each other's pain, as Seth also had an expander back when he had braces. He said he lost 5 lbs. the first week he had it because it was too hard to eat. Later that night, he talked about it with Shulamith.

Shulamith: Theodore, you're going way better than Seth did. He lost 5 lbs. because didn't eat much for a whole week. You were doing pretty well eating after only a couple days.

Theodore: I think that's because Seth didn't remember to pray about it.

164. Me (in Target): Let's go look at clothes for school.

Theodore (heading to the toy aisle): I don't want to look at clothes.

Me: But you need clothes to cover your body.

Theodore: I have on clothes that cover my body.

165. Apparently, though none of us remember anything about this, Theodore found himself lost on the ship at some point during our recent Alaska cruise.

Theodore: Mom, we were in a store, and you all left me, but then I walked out and saw Seth. Seth saved my life!

166. Jane and Theodore were in a discussion about human growth and how Jane will become 4.

Jane: I will eat lots of healthy food, and then I will turn into 4.

Theodore: No. The days will go by for a year, and then you will just turn into 4. That's how it works.

Kennedy says - Part IX

 

119. As long as Kennedy has danced, she has been given the "lift" parts. That means that at some point in most of her dances, two people lift her up high as she does a dance move. But last night, in one of her dances, another girl was chosen to do the lift. Kennedy is not happy about this.

Kennedy (after she got home): This so so unfair!

Shulamith: What isn't fair?

Kennedy: Another girl gets to do the lift. I ALWAYS do the lift.

Shulamith: But isn't it fair because other girls should also get their turns to do the lifts?

Kennedy: NO! What's not fair is letting me do the lift every single time and then just suddenly taking it away from me.

120. Kennedy was exhausted this morning. It's a crazy busy week for her preparing for an opt-in dance performance next week, while taking her regular company classes. She did not want to get up and ready for school.

Kennedy: Why is school at 9:00? That is way too early. What kind of people would make a school where kids have to go there at 9:00 in the morning?

121. Kennedy auditioned for her dance company's spring performance of Hansel & Gretel. She is now (im)patiently awaiting the email that announces everyone's roles.

Kennedy: If other girls in my company get lead parts and I don't, I will NOT run up and congratulate them at our next class. I will not tell them I'm happy for them. I. will just sit in the corner and cry. And think about how I want to go trip them. 

122. Kennedy is sometimes a bit out of sorts when her mom drops her at dance these summer mornings. She's always sleepy because her mom had to wake her up. When they arrived at dance yesterday...

Kennedy: I'm not going in if I don't see someone from my class. I don't want to be the only one there.

Shulamith: Look! There's a girl from your class walking in now.

Kennedy: I hate her!

Shulamith: Why?

Kennedy: Because her dancing sucks!

123. We just returned from a week-long Alaska cruise, during which Jane stayed glued to Kennedy about 90% of the time. Jane is skilled at controlling what Kennedy does, under serious threats. 

Jane: If you don't do [xyz], I won't play with you anymore.

Me: Kennedy, you don't have to let Jane control you. You know her threat won't ever actually happen. 

Kennedy: Oh it will. She's done it before.

124. Kennedy: Jane made me eat fries on the cruise, even though I don't like them. 

Shulamith: Why did you do it? You don't have to do everything Jane tells you to do.

Kennedy: She told me she wouldn't love me anymore if I didn't eat them. She wouldn't love me but only love Theodore.

125. Kennedy goes to dance class four nights a week, and more than that when her company is preparing for a performance. Shulamith tries her best to do everything Kennedy wants her to do, but sometimes, Kennedy has to step up and do some things herself, such as her hair. For ballet, that means a bun. Kennedy strongly prefers that Shulamith put her hair into a bun;  however, one day a week, that's just not possible. 

Shulamith: Okay, tomorrow's Wednesday, so I'll pick up you and Ronan at school and take you right to dance. Be sure you pack your dance bag with your hair stuff, so you can change and do your hair after I drop you off and before ballet starts.

Kennedy: Mom! How's this gonna work?!?! Am I gonna have to do my own hair every week???