Dr. Pudding & Nurse Sugarbottom

Last night, like most every night, I asked the kids to turn off the Wii and get ready for bed. They argued and said they needed to do one more thing before they turned it off. I hear this ALL THE TIME and got aggrivated. Needless to say, they were both grounded for not listening. Anyway, the real reason for this post was for what happened afterward. I walked into Bubba's room and laid on the bed just listening to them talk about silly stuff. Keep in mind, they were grounded now. Secretly, I kinda like when they're grounded ;) They're so sweet and humble without the extra-ness of all the technological junk that gets in the way of great kids nowadays. In the middle of a thought about how precious time spent with them is, I was pounced on by a young gentleman who called himself Dr. Pudding. He called for his nurse to assist him with his patient, which I had unknowingly become. A 13-year-old girl waltzed into the room wearing a toy carpenter's belt containing child-like tools. Hidden inside her pants and underneath her shirt was a volleyball. She dubbed herself Nurse Sugarbottom. I was told that I would be a patient with an infection inside my left leg. After a lot of prodding and poking with his 'tools', Dr. Pudding estimated that his hand was not long enough to reach the infection. His new prognosis: he would have to cut open my foot and pull the infection out. Lol They were SO cute! For an hour we enjoyed each other's company. I let all things 'adult' go and just had fun with my kids! And even though people tell them they're too old to play such games, my own Dr. Pudding and Nurse Sugarbottom owned that surgery room for the hour it was occupied on July 14, 2009!

Orange - Like the Juice ッ

A couple of weeks ago we took a personality test called True Colors in my Methods of Early Childhood class. Like previously-taken assessments, it was designed to give insight into what motivates a person and to what their values are. What I liked about this particular exam was its simplicity. True Colors divides our values/choices into four different colors (Orange, Gold, Blue, and Green).

I had my family take the test to see what colors they would be. If you know them, you'll understand why their colors were what they were :)
Jeremy was a mix of Orange and Gold with both numbers adjacent.
I was a strong Orange with Blue as my near second color.
Nicole was all over the board with mostly Blue.
And Kristian was another strong Orange, close Blue.

I’ve been watching these traits play out and think it notable to mention how accurate I think this test really is! It’s so interesting to me that I want to know everyone’s colors! Click here to take the adult test and here for the child's version. Once you’ve learned your results, click on your color link above to view traits about your personality. Also visit Traits That Frustrate to view a list of things we do that frustrate other colors. Don’t forget to holla your sound outs! Lol ~I'm a dork!~

Puppies and Old Souls

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays have bluntly become a monotonous ritual. Most every drive home from school consists of me flipping through channels on the XM, occasionally stopping on talk show programs. The week before spring break, I encountered a deep conversation on what channel I couldn't even begin to tell you. The host spoke about why we are the way we are and how we're each different from one another. I was extremely intrigued and felt it further expanded my yen for knowledge of the human race. The speaker mentioned about how some of us have old souls and that some of our souls are more like young puppies. I'll explain in my own way but am positive will do no justice to what they conveyed.

OLD SOULS: They know amazing things; they know things they shouldn't know. They comply with their world in ways the 'puppies' only dream of. They understand the unknowing, and they 'get' that there really is more to life. They evolve through personal growth, through writing, and by purely bringing beauty to the world around them. Oh, how I wish I could be an old soul. They seem so mature and so willing to accept whatever comes.

YOUNG SOULS: I loved the comparison of them being like young puppies. They're spontaneous, easily bored, always ready for whatever new thing is taking place, and have driving ambitions to acquire their desires. Young souls are compulsive about appearances and strive to buy the biggest, the best, the fastest, and the most. They are greedy and competitive. Their egos are fully engaged, and they are constantly in a state of unrest. They’re picky, critical, careful, and thoughtful. Among the greatest downfalls of the young souls is their despising deposition of others telling them what to do.

Adopting these views as my own, I’ve made some conclusions over the last two weeks.

Nicole is definitely an old soul. She just seems to 'get' things. She's more often than not in awe of simple facts and revels in the midst of accomplishing tasks when others would be frustrated. She beautifully portrays an image I’d love to be. The way she handles trials with such grace renders me speechless. I love her so much, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was given to me for a greater purpose. Thinking back to when she was two, even then she would question my motives and correct me. It’s funny to remember that long ago.

Kristian is a perfect example of a young soul or a 'puppy'. He flitters around (partly ADD, partly personality), never accepting of the way things are. He and I are alike in many ways and, as his mother, I feel that it is my highest duty to mold him into being a better person than I. The boy has such confidence in some aspects of life and such low self-esteem in others. I tell him every day how much I believe in him and hope with all of my heart that he believes what I'm saying to be true. I wish every parent could have a child with a learning disability. Maybe then, they would understand the pain that goes along with it. Even so, I refuse for him to accept his ADD as an excuse. Kristian, ultimately, makes Kristian's choices. He too, I believe, was given to me for a greater purpose. Even with clashing attitudes and stubborn arguments, I thank God for him every day. His presence has rounded me into a more accommodating person. He's taught me that no child is perfect but will always assume that position through a mother's eyes.

In conclusion, carting what we’ve learned into adulthood, inevitably, we all screw up somewhere along the way. Most of us have untapped strengths and potentials and only discover them when slammed by some major life challenge. If we run around 'fixing' things for our friends and family, we're simply enabling their ability to become the victim. As always, I'm leaving this post in full wonderment of life. What a grand game!