How do you spell "cool?"

You probably spell it C-O-O-L.

Or, even K-O-O-L, if you so desire.

But I spell it C-H-A-M-B-E-R-S.

Zeb's teacher, Miss Chambers, took time out of her busy schedule to watch a few of her students play a double header last night.  I can't say enough about how happy those kids were when they saw her in the crowd rooting for them.  She cheered and took lots of pictures of her boys.  During the second game, she even bribed them with classroom incentives if they hit the ball and ran the bases.  IT WORKED!!  Almost all of them had monster hits and we won the game.

...aaaannd then the parents made her take a blood oath saying she'll come to all the rest of their games. 

Baseball players are very superstitious.

{Not really.}

{The blood oath thing, not the superstitions.}

{They are weird about that.}

{Skip wore the same "I heart Mickey Mouse" boxers for his entire high school playing career.}

{I'm not even joking.}

{He still has them.}

Personally {selfishly} I loved having some time to talk with her without feeling rushed by the school clock.  She is incredibly easy to talk to and I am enjoying getting to know her better.  But the way she treats Zeb has earned her a forever spot in my heart!

I am a fan.

Miss C, you ARE one of the c-o-o-l kids!!!

Astronomy fail.

Have you ever had a day where you just saw the world more clearly? Where everything is in focus and sharp. You feel alive and refreshed and really, really AWESOME.

That was last Wednesday for me.

I was ON.

And I was LOVING it because I know how rare those days are for me.

Not once did I lose my patience with the countless, "why's" coming from the backseat. I embraced each of them as a learning opportunity. I taught Wit about shadows and light, sunshine and shade. We stared up at the clouds and saw whales and airplanes and Santa. We ran in a field of dandelions and twirled until I almost threw up.

I just couldn't stop the awesome.

{really hope you can hear the sarcasm here}

Anyway, sometime during the day I realized the source of all this energy.  It came in the form of a white chocolate mocha.  I was fully caffeinated, which is rare.  Days like this make me wonder why I ever gave up caffeine in the first place.

I kept waiting for the crash.  The caffeine coma that happens about 5 hours after a really strong drink.  But it never hit.  I never crashed.  I just kept getting more awesome! {sarcasm, again.}

As I was driving the kids after school we saw the moon in the bright blue sky.  Every time this happens, Wit screams at the moon and tells it to, "GET BACK TO CHINA."  You know, because every three year old cares about time zones and moon cycles.

Oh silly child. 

I thought it best to use this as an amazing opportunity to teach my precious children astronomy.  We pulled into the garage and I proceeded to get two balls, one big and one small.  The big one I called EARTH and the small ball I called THE SUN.

{did you catch that, cause I sure didn't}

I assumed my best teacher voice and proceeded to instruct my two youngest about the daily cycle of the sun rotating around the earth.  With the big ball of EARTH in one hand, I moved the small SUN around it and said,

"We are on the top of the Earth and when the sun is above us, it is daytime.  When the sun rotates below us, it is night for us but day for the countries on the bottom.  And the sun does this every day."

everysingleday

FACT:  The sun rotates around the Earth everyday.  I had visual aids to prove it which immediately makes it 87% more legit.

Somewhere along my unforgettable astronomy lesson, Zeb walked up.  He listened for about half a minute before he interrupted and said,

"Mom, really?  REALLY?  Are you kidding?  Why are you LYING to them?"

He's eleven.  What could he possibly know about astronomy.  This was MY MOMENT.  Mine and my rockin' visual aids.  I'm at the top of my game.


"Son, I am not LYING to them, I am teaching them about how the sun rotates around the earth everyday making night and day."  sheesh

"Mom???  Are you OK?"

"Um, yeah.  I'm MORE than OK.  Why?"

"Oh, I don't know...BECAUSE YOU ARE WRONG!!!  {insert really annoying tween boy laughter.  I am sure you don't have to use your imagination.}  The sun doesn't revolve around the earth AT ALL.  And you have the size of the balls all wrong.  The big ball is the sun and the little ball is the earth.  THE EARTH SPINS AROUND THE SUN AND IT TAKES A WHOLE YEAR.  A WHOLE YEAR, MOM"

Now the tween boy laughter just got louder and louder and louder and more annoying.  In fact, it was starting to hurt a little.  Finally, he walked away.

"Hey, Dad?  You should hear what mom just said about the sun and the earth.  I JUST SCHOOLED HER"

aaaaaannnnd, the teacher becomes the student.

I guess all the awesome had worn off somewhere in the field of dandelions and twirling.

Which, I nailed, by the way.

The four RZ's.

It seems like yesterday that I promised to tell you the story of how our antique store got it's name.  To my surprise, a week has gone by.  Time flies when the kids are home for summer break.  But you are in luck today.  All three darlings have stopped fighting (for the moment) and are playing quietly in separate corners of the house.  So here goes. 

The story behind the name RZ's.

The day had finally arrived.  The day that we gave birth to our first son.

Skip and I woke up at about 4 am on April 18, 2001.  We drove to the hospital and anxiously awaited the next few hours while they prepped me for birth.  I couldn't believe we were about to see our baby boy. 

Our first child.

Finally, the moment arrived.  Our son was born and placed lovingly into my arms.  Tears of joy from Skip and I.  We were parents! 

The nurse gazed upon this new family.  She asked us what name we were giving our new baby boy.

We looked adoringly into our baby's eyes and said, "We shall name him Ralph."


UM, WHAT?!

OK.  OK.  It wasn't quite like that.  But let me explain why we did name our sweet baby boy, Ralph. 

The first Ralph and his sweet bride, Earlene.  Aren't they cute?

Skip's grandpa on his dad's side was named Ralph Zebedee Miller.  By all accounts, he was a gentle, loving man.  His family adored him.  I missed meeting him by just a few months.  Skip and I started dated after he had passed away.  His absence left a huge hole in their family.  All the children and grandchildren revered him.  I am so sad that I never met the man that filled their hearts with so much joy. 

Skip's favorite memory of his grandpa was that he always drove with a lead foot.  When he pulled out of a parking lot, white dust and rock heavily sprayed the area. 

Apparently, this was his signature move!

Anyway, he named his first son Ralph Zebedee Miller, Jr.  That man is Skip's dad.  Probably the smartest and most generous man I have ever met.  He has a tender heart where his family is concerned.  He is a work horse that could have retired many years ago from the family businesses, but is still going strong in his early 80's.  He has a deep passion for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  If he isn't working, he is at some child's activity or sporting event.  He loves to see all his kids excel.

Ralph 2 surrounded by all his people.

Ralph, Jr. also loves to travel and has a heart for adventure.  He has planned 16 "Mystery Trips" for us over the years.  It is always a blast trying to figure out where he is taking this big crazy family after Christmas. We have been to some amazing places!  When he sees all the family together he always squeezes his wife's hand and says, "All I wanted was a movie."  Lovingly referring to their first date.  He is a special man.

Anyway, he had a son that he named Ralph Zebedee Miller, III.  Or, affectionately known as "Skip".  My husband.  And I am crazy about him. My life wouldn't be complete without my best friend.  He is such a good man, great father and a very hard worker.  He carries this family on his back. 

Every. Single. Day.

Anyway, Skip (Ralph 3) had a son that he named Ralph Zebedee Miller IV.  Or, as we call him, "Zeb".  Our first born son.

Ralph 2, Ralph 3 and the newest Ralphie.

Ralph 2,3 and 4 go walking.

This precious name has been in the family for over 100 years.  I hope and pray that it will continue with Zeb and so on down the line.  It is so special to Skip's family.

This picture is priceless.  I can only imagine what Ralph 4 was telling his papa.

Another thing that is special is the family business.  It started back in 1975 when Skip's parents moved to B-Town from North Carolina.  Back in the day, the family sold fabric and assorted merchandise to the B-Town tourists.  In 1988, they started the $1 Shops.  The first store of its kind.  Now you can buy quality $1 merchandise just about anywhere. 

Throughout the most recent years, the company has faced many hardships and cut backs.  Just like everything else in America it has weathered the economic storms.  The face of the company looks different this year, but the family is still thriving and working hard to bring it all back to the glory days.

Ralph, Jr is still the head of the company and many many family members are the arms, legs, sweat and muscle.  So when it came time to name the newest business (the flea market), Skip and his sisters went with the initials "RZ" to symbolize how important the Ralph legacy has been over the years.

And that, my friends, is the story of the four Ralphs. 

Funny side note.  I was laying in bed with Zeb (Ralph 4) the other night talking about this very thing.  I asked him if he was going to continue the name when he has a son. 

He said, "Yes, but I don't think Ralph will ever be a cool name."

He started brainstorming "cool" nicknames for the future Ralph 5.

He came up with "ALF".

Because naming a baby after a furry alien in an 80's sitcom is totally cool.

April Madness.

A basketball tournament fit for a TEN year old.

Every year we give the kids a choice for our present to them. They can either have a friend party or presents from us. Since we have tons of family that shower them with gifts on their birthday, they almost always choose to have a friend party as their gift from mom and dad.

This year, Zeb wanted to have a basketball tournament. He invited 15 boys and made 3 teams of 5. He randomly chose the team captains and then they each chose their teams.  The games were 10 minutes long and they each played each other.  Then they had bracket play. 

(as a girl, I just nod my head and pretend to know about the bracket and the seeds.)

(just smile and wave)

We invited some older boys to be the referee for the games.  Not every call they made was perfect, but they sure did enjoy the power trip!  It was fun to watch them engage the younger boys.  We had a couple of upset boys after the ref's called something a foul, or missed calling something else a foul.  But all in all,  it was pretty fair.

Even little sister was included in the day!

The competition was fierce, but team black swept the tournament!

The boys played with such intensity that Skip had to keep reminding them that this was a fun thing.  He called a huge team meeting after the championship game was over just to make sure there were no hurt feelings and that all the boys were still friends.  Skip did a good job about reminding these awesome kids that it's OK to be competitive, but our character always comes first.  This group of boys is really special and I pray that they will stick together as they grow up.

After "the talk", they were rewarded with hot dogs, chips and a giant cookie cake.

This was the easiest party because Zeb did all the planning.   It was neat to see him process through the plan.  He made a five page booklet of party notes, layout, brackets and schedule.

I think he might have a career!

His favorite gift.

With ten comes great responsibility.

I am not going to lie people.  This is TOUGHER THAN TOUGH.  He has a very strong lid reflex that fights against keeping it open and touching the eye.  That will die away in time.  Each day will get better.  His confidence will grow and the time will shorten.

But he is so proud. 

Me?

I want to shove him back in the womb and pretend ten years haven't gone by in the blink of an eye.

*sigh*

10 for TEN.

My first born turns ten today. I thought it would do my heart good to look back over the last ten years and highlight 10 pictures.

I love this boy so much. He has changed my life and my heart in so many ways. I can't imagine life without him.

To my sweet Zeb.


I pray over you all the days of my life.


I love you forever.


I like you for always.


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

And one to grow on...

Basketball cake.

Zeb is turning 10 tomorrow!

*I'm not gonna cry.  I'm not gonna cry.*

He wanted a basketball cake.

Thanks to the power of GOOGLE, I was given hundreds of bball cakes to choose from.

This is the one I fell in love with.

This is my attempt.

It's sort of lumpy and imperfect.

But he loved it.

That's all I care about.

Snow Day Wish?

Laying in bed with Zeb tonight.

Zeb: "Mom. I have four words for you. NO-SCHOOL-TO-MORROW."

Me: "Hmmm. I think I see the need for school TOMORROW now more than ever."

I blew it.

Monday morning. Fail.

I sent my first-born out the door deflated and rejected.

I am sick to my stomach.

I wake the kids up at 7:15 so they can shower, dress, eat and brush teeth all before 8:20. The reward for doing things fast is to have a few minutes to lounge and watch TV. Langley always moves fast. She is a worker. I love that about her. So she always gets time on the couch and her pick of shows. Hard work pays off for her.

Zeb, on the other hand, is just like me. Procrastinate, much? But even for him today was pretty extreme. He fell back to sleep until 8:00 which left only time for RUSHING AND PANICKING AND TENSION.

The curse of the procrastinator.

My anger rose to the top today. No matter how much I tell myself to stay calm, I can't with him. He pushes all the buttons in me that I have recognized as defaults in the way I am wired. My weaknesses are his weaknesses. And together we ride the tide of emotions and failure.

The same minute that our sweet neighbor pulled up to take them to school, he realized that he messed up his hair putting on his sweatshirt. It wasn't bad but he is a perfectionist and a FREAKER-OUTER. He lost it.

I lost it.

I yelled things at him that I wouldn't say to my worst enemy.

I shoved him out the door and slammed it behind him.

No hug.

No "I love you".

No wave.

Nothing.

I saw him turn back once just to see if I was there.

I wasn't.

Shoulders down, he walked towards the car.

I am a JERK sometimes.

As soon as they drove off I went to find my phone. I needed to call him. I needed him to know that I loved him. Just then, the phone rang. It was Zeb. I cried as I told him how sorry I was about the way I handled this morning. I reassured him of my love for him. But I wonder what damage this might cause. Is this how he will remember me?

I had a choice. Today (*most days*) I chose wrong. I am embarrassed and ashamed.

How can I stop myself from choosing wrong tomorrow?

Jesus, help me. I can't do this without you.

For medical reasons.

The teacher in me is cringing at what I am about to do. But before you judge me please know that I am judging myself.

So, judge on.

(Hello, edge of sanity...nice to meet you.)

Two days ago the doctor said that Zeb's symptoms were caused by a "virus". That 5-letter word is worse than many 4-letter ones I can think of.

Moms? Right?

"There's nothing we can do but wait it out," she says.

"Keep him hydrated and give motrin/tylenol often," she smiles while flushing his college $$ down the toilet.

His symptoms include...sore throat, congestion, dizziness, earache, stomachache, headache and general misery. Not to mention the mood swings.

Much to my annoyment, no medicine for any of the above. But I do think I have a cure for his headache.



His head-to-hair ratio is off the charts.

Appointment at 2:30 pm.

(on a sick day)

(while school is still in session)

(what will the "good" moms think of me)

(*gasp*)

I swear that it's strictly for medical purposes.

And NOT AT ALL because it's bugging the "virus" out of me.

I am sending the bill to Pediatric Associates.

The sun'll come out tomorrow.

Day four. Day four of cabin fever. Two days for snow and two for sick.

Actually, yesterday was pretty pleasant all things considering. Zeb spent most of the day on the couch watching movies. I loved his selection. First, he watched Game Plan with The Rock, or is it Da Rock? Not sure. Cute and predictable but a winner.

Then he moved on to Cheaper By the Dozen. *love* I may, or may not have cried at the end when Steve Martin was standing in the empty stadium and turns around to see his family holding the I LOVE THE COACH sign. Yeah, ok. I cried.

After that I was able to get the other sick boy to bed. Does sickness bring out the WORST in all toddlers? Sheesh! Wit was a handful and I was very glad to get him down for a nap. Maybe that was just me being selfish because I really wanted to lay down and watch Zeb's next two choices. National Treasure both 1 and 2. Very satisfying movie selections.

Not the worst day I've ever had.

Today is day four and I am starting to get itchy. It's still early but I can tell I am going to fight the STUCK AT HOME WHOA IS ME blues today. Fight, Fight, Fight. I am like Meg Ryan boxing the air in You've Got Mail.

Can a nine year old boy watch that?

Anyway, I digress. I wanted to show you one way I am trying to fight my winter's heart this year. I want to fill my days with HAPPY. A couple of weeks ago I won a giveaway from one of my all-time FAVORITE people in the world. Sarah and I have never "met" before but I can tell she is my people. I totally respect and admire her mothering and her recipes are AMAZING!! Check her out. She is wonderful! (***Edited to say that I am not sure why her links are not highlighted. Anyway, just move your cursor and you can click to her site. Go say HI! I know you will love her as much as I do***)

The giveaway was from CSN stores. They basically sell everything including the kitchen sink. I was overwhelmed by it all and really didn't know how I was going to spend my FREE $65. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted something that made me HAPPY...visually happy.



Ya'll. Isn't she lovely?

Not only is it beautiful (and french), it makes me think of Sarah and her SUNNY attitude. Every time I look at it, I smile.

I am going to fight these gray STUCK AT HOME days with everything I have! I am desperate to stay out of the pit.

Here is what I am going to make today so I can put my tea kettle to good use.

Friendship Tea
1 (18oz) jar Tang
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemonade
1/2 cup instant tea
1 pkg apricot jello (could use peach)
2 1/2 t cinnamon
1 t ground clove

Mix and store in air tight container. Use 2-3 heaping tablespoons for 8oz hot water.

Invite your friends over to sit at your sticky table. Enjoy!

Now I am off to check on these sick boys. Wonder what movie we will watch first?

Do you think he would like Anne of Green Gables?

My sick boys.