Pierced

There was nothing I wanted more at the age of 13 than to have my ears pierced. But my parents wouldn't budge. The magical age was 16. Three more years. I couldn't understand. It's not like I was requesting a beer or that the devil be tatooed on my arm. My best friends had had theirs pierced for years. Plus, it was African custom: all baby girls got their ears pierced. I think the order of operation was clip the umbilical cord, pierce the ears, then bathe, feed, and swaddle. But not with my folks. And they did get asked by a couple of Africans about it. I'm sure the Africans would just shake their heads and say, "Those strange missionaries. How is everyone to know she is a girl if her ears are not pierced?"

Despite the fact that my parents were firm in their stance, I begged and pleaded and cajoled. And I finally got my way. Sort of. We made a deal. If I practiced the piano for a half hour every day of summer vacation, I could get my ears pierced. I wasn't a willing piano student, so practicing every day for a half hour was torture, but I did it.

Kolo, one of the African doctors, did the honors, and he followed the same procedure he would for any African baby. He used a suture needle and threaded a strand of suture thread right through my ear lobe. I wore the tied off thread for the obligatory 6 weeks. It may have looked strange, but it sure was easy to care for since there were no diamonds or earring backs to dodge when cleaning. The only danger was snagging the loop on a brush or comb. And there I was, 3 years earlier than planned, a proud earring wearer.

Later on a furlough to the U.S. and in a fit of rebelliousness, I put 4 more holes in my ears. I still remember that night sitting in my little California apartment room, the Beastie Boys playing softly beside me so as not to attract the attention of my parents. One by one, I pushed the sharp point of a stud earring through my lobes so that I ended up with 4 on my left ear and 2 on my right. Thankfully, I escaped infection. And, surprisingly, I hid all of my piercings from my parents with my long hair. Later, of course, I wizened up and realized that one doesn't need that many extra holes in one's head, so I let them all grow back except for two in my left ear and the solitary beginning one on the right.

Now I have a whole new generation of little girls. While I wouldn't want to punch their ears full of holes at this tender age, I have no Age Sixteen rule either. In fact, when Alex was 3 I had her ears pierced. However, they got infected, I think due to the fact that I was cheap and didn't select the pricier 14k studs. I was working at the kids' preschool then, and spending an hour cleaning up an infected ear every morning was tough on both of us, so I took them out.

Since then, every time we pass a Claire's, I've asked her, "Do you want to get your ears pierced today?" She's always said no, although the Princess, if in earshot, has replied with a resounding "YES!! I do!" Despite Alex's resistance, when her BFF Grace expressed a desire to get her ears pierced, I suggested we have a Girls' Day Out and go together for the piercing. She agreed.

The day finally came yesterday, and we all met in a Claire's crowded with Christmas shoppers. Grace and Alex went first. Both of them turned down the suggestion that the Claire's teddy bear sit in their laps for comfort during the piercing as well as the soothing lollipop after, both ideas denied with a politeness but a slight eye roll just in case anyone would question the maturity of these very grown-up 10-year-olds.

The Princess, however, was more than willing to give the Claire's teddy bear a seat during the procedure.

And I elected to have two Claire's employees accomplish her piercing simultaneously, one on each ear. I was worried that otherwise Audrey might decide one was enough, thank you very much, and we'd be leaving the store with a lopsided princess. She shed a few big, huge crocodile tears after both earrings were secure, but it was nothing that the promised lollipop couldn't fix.

Both girls enjoyed coming home to show off their new ears. Of course, as beautiful as their sisters look, the boys would never admit it with a compliment. However, Daddy's compliments more than made up for silly brothers' neglect.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas. Already.

After picking Alex up at a sleepover yesterday morning, we headed to Sam's, hoping to score a little free lunch. Unfortunately, we were too early for samples; however, we did enjoy roaming the warehouse looking at the Christmas gifts and decorations that already crowd the aisles. Upon returning home, it seemed the only appropriate thing to do was get the Christmas music out.

I love Christmas music. My favorite Christmas album has, for years, been Celine Dion's. Although I'm not Catholic, I absolutely love her rendition of Ave Maria. She sings it beautifully. I also like the assortment of unique songs mixed with traditional hymns, which again, she sings beautifully.


This is always a nostalgic time for me. Even 20 years removed from it, this is the season when I miss Africa the most. Yes, I love celebrating the holiday with the family I have started a world apart from my life in Africa, but every year, I get such a deep longing to be back "home" with my family.


Perhaps this homesickness I feel every year is what has made it difficult for me to obtain that Christmas Spirit feeling many talk about. Over the years I have scoured Family Fun magazines, read blogs, and talked to friends about the season and always feel a little jealous of those families that have this repertoire of holiday traditions that are so definitive of their families. They have lists of traditions their children come to expect every year, meaningful family times the children talk about years later. I've always wanted to be this family, yet I have not found it easy establishing those traditions. I don't know, maybe I try too hard.


This year I am determined to get in the spirit of the season, and I am determined to plan some fun things for us to do as a family. If some of them stick and become traditions, that will be an added bonus. I plan to take a good chunk of time off school in December so we can concentrate on doing fun things and not be burdened by the necessity of plowing through pages of curriculum. We can always school further into the summer.


Last year was probably the toughest for us, for our extended family. Tomorrow, in fact, marks one year since we lost Jennie. Last year we really didn't feel like "doing" Christmas at all, so we celebrated early and then traveled on Christmas Day. No travel plans this year, but my mind is already whirling with ideas for our December.

We won't spend a lot this Christmas. Last year Mark and I did not exchange gifts, and we don't plan to again this year. The kids just got new bikes, which we wanted them to enjoy while the weather has not yet reached the frigid mark. Although I don't know how well they will remember it Christmas morning, we told them these bikes are a Christmas gift. I know, that sounds like a mean trick to play, but don't worry, the children will not feel slighted by Santa, nor will the underneath of the tree be bare. We're just taking it a little easy this year with the economy. And, believe it or not, taking the focus off of gifts can be a good thing! Yeah, you heard me!

So I'm looking forward to a wonderfully meaningful Christmas this year, and as far as I'm concerned, the Christmas season starts now. Of course, I suppose I do need to teach the children, but only for another month and a half before we can take a big break!

This One's for You...

...CrossView and ourgoldenapples. Alright, so I've done it. I've started my story. You asked for it, so don't blame me! You can find the story's beginnings at Growing Up MK. I can't promise this new site will be properly maintained because...

1. I'm maintaining 2, now 3, public blogs and 1 private one. If you haven't checked #2, I'm counting UP A Thousand Blessings. The private one dispenses my deepest thoughts as I journal my quiet times, and it's between me and God. And sometimes the Mr. if he's traveling and wishes to know my heart.

2. I'm trying to stay two steps ahead of a student who is taking English II through Write4Homeschool, even though the class isn't finished. I only hope my children have her drive and work ethic because she's always right on my heels.

3. Oh, and there are also these 4 little people I'm supposed to be learnin' real good.

4. And a house to keep up for the 100s of people who are just itching to get in, see the place, and then snatch it up before the next guy.

But you know what? I'm so glad you all (there, that's one step closer to my just coming out and sayin' ya'll) prodded me into doing this because I am having so much fun visiting my past. That sounded really sarcastic, but it's not. I may only have one post completed on Growing Up MK, but my Bloggy Brain has captured much more. I know because It was busy retrieving and capturing until about 2:00 this morning. Laying in bed, composing in my head is not my ideal night's sleep. But it could also have been the Excedrin Tension I took yesterday evening. The box says it has as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. Since I don't drink coffee, I'm sure the gel caps were a jolt to the system. And what with the way I'm rambling on this morning, you may think the effects haven't yet worn off. Perhaps I should consider the Excedrin Tension gel cap to be my first-thing-in-the-morning pill since I have no cup o' Joe to rely upon. Then I could be going on in this Faulkner-esque way all day. Not that I am comparing myself to Faulkner, although I never really quite got what the big deal was with him anyway.

It's going to be a great day. Imagine if I taught the kids in this frame of mind. 'Course they'd probably get it better than anyone; they're kids, and looks like my attention span is a match today. Hope you enjoy my new old adventures.

ABC Tag

TeacherMommy at Diapers and Dragons tagged me with The ABCs of Me. I love to talk about myself, so I figured why not?

A - Available: Depends what "available" means. Am I available for dating and marriage? Certainly not. Well, except for the dating part. I'm certainly available for that...with my dear husband. Are my kids available? Why, yes they are. When would you like to come over? Hubby and I would LOVE to go on a date.

B - Best friend: My soulmate and husband, of course.

C - Cake or pie: Chocolate cake, chocolate pie. Whatever.

D - Drink of choice: Water. I'm so boring.

E - Essential item you use everyday: I wish I could say with honesty that I use my Bible everyday. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen everyday. I do use my computer on a daily basis, which is a sad commentary on the way I manage my time. And my priorities.

F - Favorite color: Black. My wedding was black. Well, not my dress, people, my bridesmaids' dresses. My mother flipped out when she heard I was going black. "Well," she said, "if someone faints and dies, we can just turn the wedding into a funeral." Afterwards, she agreed that it was the most elegant wedding she'd ever seen.

G - Gummy bears or worms: Definitely the worms. They last longer. You don't just pop 'em into your mouth and they're gone. You can eat them section by section. Much more fun.

H - Hometown: It's the dreaded question any MK faces: "Where are you from?" I've finally reached the "double years" point in my life where I've lived just as long in the US as I did in Africa. That coupled with the fact that I now have my own family, allows me to claim Atlanta, GA, as my hometown. However, I've also lived in Van Nuys, CA (on at least 4 separate occasions); Quebec, Canada; Switzerland; Ferkessedougou, Ivory Coast; Mana, Mali; Bouake, Ivory Coast; Pasadena, CA; Azusa, CA; Birmingham, AL; Athens, GA; Roswell, GA; Norcross, GA; Bethlehem, GA; and now here I am, home sweet home. And hopefully soon to have yet another address.

I - Indulgence: Books, chocolate, and Starbucks' Green Shaken Iced Tea with sweetener. These are the things in which I overindulge.

J - January or February: February, but that's only because there are three birthdays in our family during this month, two of which are hubby's and mine (on the same day!). Otherwise I hate January and February because I loathe the cold, yes, even the Georgia cold.

K - Kids: I've lost count. How many do I have? 4 I think.

L - Life is incomplete without: My husband. Honey, you complete me.

M - Marriage date: 7/2 which, in retrospect was a mistake because now we seldom get to celebrate with all of the other goings-on around that date. We chose that date, however, because we knew we would have MK friends visiting from all over for our wedding, so we chose the holiday weekend. Because we're accommodating like that.

N - Number of siblings: None, and I try desperately to remind my own children how lucky they are to have each other. They're not buyin' it. Yet.

O - Oranges or Apples: Oranges. You know those ones in aisle 5 that come in a blue box. And, if not popped into your mouth, they melt in your hand leaving a gooey, dark, sticky mess that's delicious to lick off? No, really. I'll eat an apple or an orange, though only because I know they're good for me. And quite frankly, I'm so lazy when it comes to eating things that are good for me, that I'd just as soon drink a glass of OJ than peel an orange.

P - Phobias/Fears: Spiders, cockroaches, scorpions. All of which I have found in my house at one time or another. The scorpions really freaked me out. In Africa, the small ones are the most poisonous, so imagine my horror in discovering a tiny scorpion in my children's room when we first moved in. Bug guy told me, though, that these Georgia scorpions are no worse than bees. Hubby can actually testify to that as he was stung by one. I still hate them, though.

Q - Favorite Quote: "I love you" said by any member of my family.

R - Reason to smile: "I love you" said by any member of my family.

S - Season: Summer. Did I mention I loathe cold weather?

T - Tag: I think I'll tag Mare again at Mare's Musings. The last time I tagged her, her rantings thoughts seemed to be somehow therapeutic for her.

U - Unknown fact about myself: Haven't I been rather forthright on this blog? I honestly can't think of anything that would be an unknown and interesting fact (not that everything I've posted is interesting).

V - Vegetable you don’t like: Tomatoes (raw), celery, turnips, avocado, brussel sprouts...Did I mention I don't eat healthy food because I necessarily like it?

Worst habit: Like I'd confess that here! Of the type I'll actually ADMIT to, Procrastination. It gets me in a world of trouble. (OK, and stealing because I stole this answer from TeacherMommy.)

X - X-rays: X-rays? Whatever. May as well have used xylophones.

Y - Your favorite food: Chocolate.

Z - Zodiac: Chocolate. (Just because I think the whole zodiac thingy is rubbish.)

Blog Tagged

I'll admit. I've never done the Tagging Thing before, but my friend Courtney at Life on Courtney Lane tagged me with 7 Random Things About Me, so I'll humor her and likely bore you with my 7 issues that may someday lead me to a therapist's couch:

First, we must put the rules in play:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and put the rules on your blog

2. Share 7 weird or random facts about yourself...

3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and link to their blog...

4. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a note on their blog...

OK, so you know I'm a little quirky because...

1. I'm very particular about how my dishwasher is loaded. Sometimes my dear husband loads it, and I always go behind him and reload it. It's not that I'm ungrateful. And I always do my reorganization on the sly so that he doesn't feel unappreciated. It's just that no one else seems to have any inkling about how to correctly load a dishwasher.

2. My favorite childhood character was Winnie-the-Pooh. What child doesn't love loveable ol' Pooh Bear? Other children, however, probably don't get labeled by their dear parents with the unfortunate nickname of "Pooh". I did. And I'd cringe when Mom and Dad would address me as such. My friends would do a double take and, laughing uproariously and mockingly, ask, "Why did your parents just call you poo?"

3. Even though I grew up in the wilds of Africa, I HATE bugs, especially spiders and cockroaches. Spiders make me break out in a sweat. Literally. Once when Mark was out of town, I discovered a big, hairy, tarantula-like one (I'm NOT kidding) in the baby's room. It took my dear husband at least a half hour on speaker phone to convince me to stop panicking long enough to beat the ugly, nasty critter. Thankfully, my eldest boy who is also the man of the house in Mark's absence rescues me from most killer insects now.

4. I've always wanted to try my hand at waitressing, I mean serving or whatever they call it now. If I was a waitress or server or whatever, I would make sure that if my customer asked to hold the tomatoes, the tomatoes would be held. And if my customer requested a beverage sans lemon, the beverage would be served sans lemon. I would make great tips.

5. Chick-fil-A is my favorite restaurant (fast food at least), and our new one just opened today. We took the kids this morning, and they broke in the playground. I love Chick-fil-A because it appears to be the last remaining establishment in America where service is not dead. I have recently begun a campaign in my home to encourage my little people to respond to "Thank you" with "My pleasure" because, well, it is simply my pleasure to hear such pleasant speech.

6. I am addicted to curriculum and all educational materials.

7. I bungee jumped on spring break in Panama City in 19 90 something. Someday I want to sky dive, but I'll probably wait until the kids are self-sufficient.

So now comes the tagging part. And I know this will be painful for some of you; don't feel obligated! At least check out some of my friends' blogs, though:

Mama Knucker Hatch at Our Golden Apples

TeacherMommy at Diapers and Dragons

Mare at Mare's Musings

Mitzi at The Road Less Traveled

My wonderful sister-in-law at Phoenicie Konnection

Nikowa at Knowledge House Academy

and...although I think she's already done this: Crossview at Crossview Academy

Blooming

It's no secret that sometimes I can be a little bit of a control-freak teacher slash mama. But I'm the first to admit that I need to relax a bit. Today I took a step toward that reform, and the results were amazing. Typically when we have a homeschool field trip, the kids are handed a clipboard of activities they must complete during said field trip. So they enter the aquarium, the zoo, the whatever with a sparkle in their eyes but with a hint of a sag in their shoulders...probably the weight of the clipboard. Today for our trip to the botanical gardens, I set no agenda. I had no "Identify this..." sheets or crossword puzzles printed out. I didn't have 4 clipboards neatly sitting out on the counter for the kids to grab on the way out. We would just go and experience. Then the amazing stuff started happening. Jacob came up with the idea of taking the clipboards along, and the other kids agreed that would be an awesome idea. Who knew?

We got to Athens and enjoyed a little time at Grandma and Grandpa's prior to our field trip, and there we received a little lesson in horticulture. The kids helped Grandma harvest some tomatoes and peppers, and Grandma gave me several plant clippings to bring home and kill with my black thumb.

As we headed to the botanical gardens, I anticipated little enthusiasm. After all, this is a garden, not a science museum or the space center or Epcot; it's just a pathway surrounded by plants. But I under estimated my children. They skipped through the garden with interest and excitement, stopping every few minutes to sketch a leaf or a flower.

As we sauntered along the garden path of bright, cheery blooms and blossoms, it dawned on me that my children are also blooming. Thankfully, a love of learning is being cultivated. I'm so happy to see it because I've had a few anxious moments here and there through the last few years of homeschooling, worrying that a couple of my students (ahem) would never make the choice for learning (at least willingly). Of course, there will be more of those moments in the future, but it's a relief to see some growth!

I tried to explain to the children the significance of the Cacao Tree to me...having grown up in Cote d'Ivoire, I often saw the Cacao Tree in the landscape. Naturally, the kids really didn't care about those details. Alex did inform me, however, that this tree would require Midge Flies for pollination. I do not know anything about Midge Flies, but I learned a couple of years ago never to argue animal or science trivia with my daughter; I never win.

Food Network, Ho Chi Minh, and the Mefong River

We love the Food Network Channel in this family. My husband--for whom cooking is a hobby (am I lucky, or what?)--is probably the biggest fan, but the rest of us have our favorites as well. Jacob often requests Unwrapped, and Alex and I enjoy watching the latest cake or pastry challenges. Just the other day, I discovered a brand new favorite: A Cook's Tour. And the episode I watched where the host visited Vietnam inspired me to abandon our regular studies and spend the day immersing ourselves in Southeastern Asian culture.

We began by finding Vietnam on the map and then labeling and coloring our own map to add to our World Notebook. After mapping it, we read about it. Once we discovered that the majority of people in Vietnam are Buddhists, we read about Buddhism. I was so impressed with Alex as she helped me complete a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting Christianity and Buddhism.

After reading about Vietnamese villages, rice paddies, and the beautiful countryside, it was time to see it for ourselves. I had the kids watch the episode of A Cook's Tour that was my inspiration, and it did much more than just discuss the food in Vietnam, though that of course was the focal point...and what totally grossed out the kids! I'm a little grossed out too by the menus presented: a duck--feathers, blood, innards and all--coated and baked in clay, lobster "blood" mixed with Vodka, and birds' nest soup. Even the narrator almost lost his birds' nest soup after he had forced it down.

So after the kids were completely disgusted, I suggested that we make our own Vietnamese meal. Needless to say, they weren't too keen on the idea as images of bird mucous and beaks ran through their heads. I sparked a little more enthusiasm, though, when I mentioned Vietnamese spring rolls and soup. We LOVE the Vietnamese (cooked) spring rolls! They were a favorite in Africa (we called them Nems), and Mark perfected the Nem long ago.

So my gourmet cook made up the Nem filling and set to work on the soup. While I was rolling Nems, I put my eldest to work on a little writing assignment:

My name is Ha Nguyen. I live in Vietnam. I am eight years old. I live with my mom, dad, sister, and grandfater. My dad is a fisherman. He sometimes brings home a fish or two (that's on special occasions). We mostly eat produce or rice. My favorite place to go is the marketplace. It has good food baskets and dishes. Besides the market, I love to go to my friend's house. Her name is Ha Ya. She's my best friend. I live happily here.

The End

(I provided her with the name of one of my former ESL students. She came up with Ha Ya herself (think Karate when you pronounce it!!).)

Once our dinner was prepared and our homework completed, we cleared an area in the family room, spread a sheet, and got ready to eat Vietnamese-style (or at least as was portrayed on A Cook's Tour). We got out our Asian dishes and chopsticks and settled on the floor for dinner. It was delicious! Now I'm just trying to convince Alex that a good Vietnamese child would probably have fruit for dessert, not peanut butter cookies!

The Amazing Race

I hope you caught The Amazing Race this evening...I suppose I should have posted this BEFORE tonight to encourage you to watch it. Not that it would necessarily have been an exceptional hour of TV for everyone out there, but for us it was. If you haven't figured it out from previous posts, hubby and I grew up in West Africa as missionary kids. What does this have to do with the Amazing Race you ask? Well, the teams traveled to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, tonight, and you should have heard them trying to pronounce that! Too bad they didn't travel a little further south to Ferkessedougou, the town where I grew up! As for Ouaga, Mark lived there for a year and also lived in Bobo-Dioulassou and Santidougou ("dougou" is sort of like our "ville"). It was indeed a treat to see a whole hour of Burkina Faso center stage in pop culture..to see the familiar landscape and the African culture. How I would love to take the kids there, although I'm quite sure they would not appreciate the experience so much as I would hope at this age.

So if you caught The Amazing Race tonight, tell me what you thought. I know one thing for sure--what those Africans were thinking: What on EARTH are these silly Americans up to now? And, Oh cool, I'm on TV! (You see, some things transcend all cultures!)