Mrs. H

The Truth That (almost) No One Is Telling You About Sea World

I stood there today, with tears in my eyes. The injustice and what’s being done about it was just too much emotion for this mom of two to handle. What I was witnessing was just shocking. A killer whale being abused? A dolphin being mishandled? Nope. I saw kids. And adults. Unable to walk, some even unable to move their arms and legs at all – skiing. On the water. It wasn’t some crazy stunt I witnessed out on the lake at Sea World today. No, it was something more amazing than that. And it was something that very few people will take the time to write a blog about. And that’s why I AM taking the time. Because the world needs to know THIS truth – of the amazing things that are being done for paraplegics and quadriplegics here in San Antonio. The kids and I watched as boat after boat went out with three skiers safely attached behind – two highly trained, experienced performers, and one dreamer finally seeing their dream become a reality.

I even got to speak to the mother of one of the skiers. He’s 35 and has not walked in his life. Ever. Bound to a wheelchair, she said he lives for this day – and has participated in the program the past six years! Six years! How did I not know this program existed?!?! She said that there will be six different sessions this week – two specifically held for military wounded warriors. It’s so amazing that folks can exhaust so much energy talking about horrible injustices to animals that were done twenty and thirty years ago, but noone is talking about the injustice so many humans are born with (or are caused in war-time situations or other catastrophic events)… and what Sea World is doing to make their lives a little more enjoyable! I don’t care what anyone says, I am a PROUD annual pass holder to Sea World San Antonio, and will continue to be for many years to come.

Becca Says the Darndest Things

I have, in the past, read Art Linkletter’s book, “Kids Say the Darndest Things” and laughed hysterically. This was of course, while I was teaching, and I swore I could write my own book with the same title. And I could. Really. Until now. When every DAY of life seems to be its own separate novel… and I’m never sure whether the next chapter will be a comedy or a drama… because Becca is just that un-predictable. So, I’ve started taking note of some of the little things she says, and have decided to share some of them with you. I have a friend, Jenn, who blogs, and every Friday shares funnies from her girls, so I thought I would start sharing funnies occasionally. Here’s hoping these give you a chuckle. (Want to check out Jenn’s blog? You can find her here.)

Please note: some of these things might be more funny if you could hear the expression and see the look as they are being said… so if you don’t think it’s funny, then sorry for not entertaining you.

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While sitting on the floor in the foyer with me, nowhere near the bathtub, nowhere near any toys, just chatting: “This is bath land. The octopus is gonna get clean. There’s lotsa bubbles and he’s goin under to get clean.” Alright, I’m sure glad that octopus is gonna get clean! That’s important. Cleanliness is next to godliness, ya know.

While playing cars: “He gonna go to Chicken fila and then he gonna go get whole car full of bunny rabbits!” Because we always go get a car load of bunny rabbits after we visit Chickfila… don’t you?

Playing with those little shiny craft pom pons: “This for Baby Brother. (Puts one in my hand because I’m holding him.) This for Becca Joy Hinnant. (Sets one aside.) This for Daddy. This for Mommy.” (Puts two in my hand because, well, Daddy was at work, so I might as well hold his too, right?) Everything right now is for Becca Joy Hinnant. Everything.

Upon turning the corner in our neighborhood coming home from the store: “Dere’s Becca Joy Hinnant’s house!” Like I said, everything is Becca Joy Hinnant’s.

While reading books as I did the dishes: “Ok I read a book about penguins. They bwack and white all over!” Yes, yes they are. And a newspaper is black and white and read all over.

Her response to anything out of this world: “Oh WOW that’s nEAt.” or “Oh my GOODness!”

While working puzzles – she has this puzzle that is a farm, and the pieces are the barn doors that cover up the animals. So she begins to sing this to the “Where is Thumbkin” tune: “Where is ducky? Where is ducky? Here he is. Here he is. How you today duck? Good good thank you. Run away. Run away. (spoken:) He runned away, Mommy! (as she hides the puzzle under the couch.)”

And last but definitely not least, after talking about how the word largest also means the same thing as the word biggest, and small vs large concepts, several hours later (after going to the farmers market and a birthday party and taking a nap), I went to get her from her room and she said: “Look, Mommy! I put them in order. (As she points to her toys.) This is the smallest (points to her puzzle) and this is the biggest (points to her toy box with the block bucket and toy house in the correct size spots). Is small, is little. Is big, is large.” You speak truth, young Padawan.

Activity Trays

This blog post contains affiliate links. I appreciate you purchasing items from this post! Thank you in advance.

So I’ve seen several posts from Deb Chitwood over at Living Montessori Now that included trays. Activities on trays. Hmm. Sounded interesting, and looked interesting. And boy, has that been the best $9 investment I’ve made in a while! Lakeshore had a set of four craft trays on sale for $8.99 as a doorbuster sale (lasts through Aug 31, 2014, if you are reading this before then!) that are normally $14.99. (You can find a similar product here…affiliate link.)Anyway, so I got them. And wow. It’s SO nice to be able to put an activity in the tray and it not go accidentally rolling off in the floor, and it’s super easy to clean up and then get back out later because it’s as easy as picking up the tray and putting it somewhere else. I’m looking forward to having Becca do lots of activities on her trays, and eventually Grayson, too! They are super sturdy and fabulous quality, so they’ll be around long after the kids are in school, I’m sure.

Here’s a few pics of the things the trays can contain:

Her race car mats (click here to check out that post)

Her alphabet and number foam puzzles

Her shapes for sorting

Her popsicle sticks for building shapes

Or, the contents of an entire busy box! See more information about my activity boxes (or “Busy Boxes” as we call them) here.

Race Car Number Mats

Becca LOVES her Matchbox cars. So much so that every night at bedtime when she says her prayers, she thanks Jesus for cars to play with on the rug. Not kidding. Jesus knows very well how much Becca loves her Matchbox cars. So when I was wracking my brain trying to think of more things she could do at the table (confined in her booster seat) to occupy her academically, I knew I had to do something with her cars. So, I came up with a Race Car Number Mat book (not shown in the binder in the pictures, but I’ve since punched 3 ring holes and put it in one of those cheap poly binders from Walmart). She can use her cars to form the numbers, as well as count the cars on the page, and read the sentence at the bottom. So far, they are a BIG hit. The second day of playing with them, I drew arrows on them for how to correctly form the letters so that she could practice the correct way. Needless to say, they are a BIG hit. And she is already asking for them again and again – “Can I drive on my numbers now, Mommy?”

The set goes from 0-20. Want the file? Download the pdf here. (You’ll have to add your own arrows if you want them.)

Dear Daughter-in-Law

I danced with your husband today. I lead him around the dance floor to the sound of the waves. He laid his head on my shoulder, and I kissed his cheek. As I laid him in his crib, snuggled him in his little football blanket, and adjusted the volume on his sound machine, I thought of you.

And I thought of her, and how amazing it is that in this moment I know exactly what she felt- how her heart was going to explode and overflow when she danced with my husband forty years ago.

I don’t know your name. I don’t even know when you’ll be born, or if you already have been here on Earth a while. I don’t know what color your hair is, or what hue your eyes. I don’t know how you’ll meet him, or what it will be about you that draws him to you. But I’m praying for you. I have been for a while now, and I won’t be stopping until I’m no longer on this planet. Because you are the woman who is his heart. You are his wife. His helpmate created by God to be his completion- his “better half.”

I know how Sherry felt, but not completely, because I haven’t met you. I haven’t felt the catch in my throat as the whole church turns to watch the bride walk in, and I turn to do what I always do at weddings- to look at the groom, to see his expression the moment he first sees his Love. I haven’t seen my baby boy become that man at the altar. I am so thankful for the relationship I have with her, and for the man she raised, and I pray that you will feel the same.

I pray that one day, you too, will dance with your tiny little man, and snuggle him close, and understand the catch in my throat as I think about the day I will one day have to share his heart with you. Genesis 2:24 says that one day he will leave, and I know why and it’s ok. But I still feel that catch in my throat, and the hint of a tear in my eye when I think of how fast the days, weeks, months, and years will fly by.

And so I’m praying for you, that you will grow in God and have a strong faith. That you will be there for him when days at work are long and tiring. When there is very little money, and when there is surplus. I pray that you will be the friend he needs and that you’ll make him laugh as much as he brings you laughter. I pray that you will love him with the fiercest love available, and that your love will deepen over time. I pray that you will be the iron that sharpens him, and the pillow on which he can rest his weary head. I pray that you will be a godly mother for his children, and that when you suffer losses of any kind, you will grow stronger in your faith and in your marriage. And I pray that you will dance… That you will rest your head on his shoulder the way he rests his head on mine, and feel his strength and his comfort when you need him most.

I don’t know anything about you, but I know your husband. And I love him with my whole heart. He is one of the three greatest gifts God has given me, and I will treasure him always. And I’ll dance with him – as long as I can – until it’s time on that beautiful day to let go of his hand, and watch him dance with you. God bless you, sweet daughter-in-law, whoever and wherever you are.