Back to School Milestones

This is a big year of change for my children.  My son is moving upstairs to the Upper School to start 6th grade, and my daughter is entering Rhetoric (high) school as a 9th grader.

Today was Meet the Teacher Day, which is like an orientation or prep day for the first day of school tomorrow. This day was quite different today from what it was like when our kids first started attending this school. When the kids were in the lower (elementary) school, they stayed close by my side as I introduced them to their new teachers. They gladly posed for lots of cute pictures in front of their new cubbie lockers, and I made full scrapbook layouts chronicling this special day. When they moved up to the upper school for 6th grade, they kept a few feet away from me throughout the orientation. My daughter would only allow a picture in front of her locker when no one else was looking, and my son refused pictures entirely.

This year is my daughter's first year in Rhetoric (high) school. As soon as we stepped out of the van today, she completely dissed me until it was time to return home. I took no pictures, introduced my kids to no one, and barely met any of their new teachers.

It's all good, though, because we relish new adventures, and I enjoy watching them embrace exciting changes on their own. If I were to consume myself with sentimental longings to keep them tiny, I might miss those moments that make them mighty.

Bring it on, middle school and high school!

Come for Help

It can be heartbreaking when your strong-willed, independent child refuses to come to you for help, no matter how long it takes that child to figure things out on her own and no matter how many mistakes he/she may make in the process. Why won't she let me help? But I have learned that when things get bad enough, that child will come to the parents she loves and trusts for help, and once she realizes how much easier and more enjoyable life is with you there to guide her, she keeps coming back day after day, grateful for the help and support.

That realization gives me a much greater appreciation for God's love for each of His children, for the trials in life that bring us to the end of ourselves and lead us back to Him, and for the joy our Abba has when we come to Him for help and guidance. It's hard to fathom how the God of the universe could take such delight in such sinful creatures fashioned out of dust, but He calls us His children, and I know it thrills this parent when an independent, strong-willed child comes to me for help at last.

While I can help my child with math, logic, science, civics, and issues of life I have navigated myself through the wisdom of hindsight and God's word, there is so much more that I cannot teach her, for she is gifted in so many ways I am definitely NOT. But God is not weak in any area. He possess ALL wisdom, ALL knowledge, ALL authority, ALL power. He is sovereign over all, and He is all we ever need.

All of us have at some point chosen our own path and stubbornly tried to do life our way, on our own strength, without seeking our heavenly Father's input or direction. And whenever we do, we eventually come to the end of ourselves, overwhelmed and utterly hopeless apart from Him. When/if we turn back to Him, He enthusiastically welcomes us, guides us, and lavishes His infinite love upon us. There is no greater joy or security than abiding in Him in the center of His will. We need only come to Him, trust Him, and receive.

Keeping Youth Athletics in Perspective

It's very tempting in our society, which has made youth sports out to be some sort of religious cult requiring the most extreme devotion,  to lose sight of the true value of sports activities for our kids. Hopefully we did not get them involved so we could live vicariously through them or with the expectation that they will always win and go pro. It's common to get so caught up in winning, gaining elite skills, and pursuing athletic scholarships (which become a huge burden and a full-time job for the student, often taking priority over studying or attending classes), that we forget that the greatest benefit and reason for putting our kids in sports is for their personal character development.  Sports may shape our kids' lives, but they must not consume their lives. 

Sports activities teach kids to work as a team, putting the interests of the whole above one's own interests. They teach patience, dedication, discipline, and perseverance. They teach respect for authority, respect for one's peers, and respect for the limits of one's own physical body. Sports give young people practice overcoming adversities and expose them to important realities about life such as: life isn't fair; things don't always go your way; you are not the best, and you are not the worst, so stop comparing and just be all that God created you to be!

A few weeks ago, my daughter and a few other 8th graders ran a relay together at their first ever high-school polar bear track meet. It was a new experience, and it was cold! It was humbling running against the older, more experienced high school girls (3 out of 4 girls on her relay team had never run track before at all, and our daughter had only run middle school track one short season). It was a great chance for them to develop courage.

Our daughter ran the anchor leg, and by the time she got the baton for the last lap, at least one high school team had finished, which is not surprising given her team's age and experience. Based on the video her coach sent me, she was at least 200-300 meters behind the next-to-last runner. In real life, when most people see no chance of winning or when they see the large gap between where they are now and where they want to be, they give up. Our girl had already run 3 events, and she certainly couldn't win this one, so why strive to eek out more effort when she was already spent simply to lose anyway? That's a typical response for the "entitled" generations. But youth sports instill a different attitude. They teach kids that giving their very best effort is what matters. Sports inspire the determination to never give up. So my girl took that baton, prayed, and gave it her best effort. And you know what? She didn't finish 200-300 meters behind the next to last runner. In fact, she passed the high schooler who probably never expected our team to come close.

 

You just never know what might happen if you simply give your best, not for the purpose of bringing yourself glory, but only for the glory of God. Those are the types of life lessons that we want our children to gain through their sports activities, and I'm thankful for every single one.

How Teachers Can Relate to the Frustrations of my Typical Kid

My 10-year-old has never seemed like a typical boy his age. As early as age 3, he would engage adults in conversations about topics more interesting to adults than kids. He would talk to Nana about gardening, decorating, and the weather. When with Pops, he talks about Duke basketball and mowing the lawn. He talks to his dad about space exploration, nuclear reactors, military strategy, and computers. He talks to me about theology, current events (he's especially interested in N. Korea's nuclear weapon capacity), politics, fitness, and finance - to the degree that he can understand anyway.
His favorite magazine right now is Popular Mechanics, and he also seems to like Money Magazine. He still likes Legos but primarily the programmable Mindstorm kind his dad likes best. When he was 4, he busied himself while I was homeschooling his sister by assembling his father's Lego Mindstorm kit. When he was ready to program it, he logged into his father's computer (apparently he had memorized the password by watching his dad type it in repeatedly over time) and figured out how to program the thing. Lego instructions are in pictures, and he had watched his dad to do that enough, too, I guess.

 

When our school hired new teachers, bought new textbooks, and replaced some chairs, he asked how that increased spending affected the school's debt-to-income ratio. When we spend money on large home improvements, he asks me if we have enough money to do that and today asked how paying mortgage interest impacts our income taxes. He wants to start investing/trading stocks, but he keeps blowing/investing his money on Pokemon cards. He'll get frustrated if you don't take that game seriously, playing by the rules and strategizing effectively.

He likes obeying rules when he can see the utility in them. Rules that seek to maintain order and fairness are his favorite. While his room may be messy, he generally likes structure and order, so when kids his age act like kids his age by running around wild, crazy, and loud when they are supposed to be working on a project, he gets annoyed. And his biggest peeve is when boys do not follow the game rules, cheating during recess. When kids in his project group smash what they are supposed to be studying or use tools inappropriately, he gets aggravated. So, as he was relating to me about his day today, he vented his frustration over the fact that the kids in his class acted like....typical kids.

"Did you lose your temper?" I asked him?

"Yes!" he cried!

"Uh-oh - did you act out in anger and get in trouble?" I asked.

"No, I only lost it on the inside," he replied.

"Did you politely ask your classmates to follow the instructions or tell them how their behavior made you feel?"

"Yes," he said, "BUT THEY WOULD NOT LISTEN!"

"Then now you know how it feels to be a parent or a teacher who gets to endure such behavior by kids all day long. Perhaps you should show some empathy and servant-minded kindness to your teachers and other parents. You could help make their days more tolerable, even pleasant, you know." - I said (or lectured).

While I may think my little man is odd, quirky, or not quite normal, I'm guessing there is no such thing as a typical kid, for they are all wonderfully, beautifully, and uniquely made. And if they behaved according to a predictable pattern, then parenting would be too easy. May we all seek to exude more patience, harness our tempers, love without condition, and find ways to better empathize, but let him not miss out, I pray, on the simple pleasures of just being a kid.
#PracticingPatience #LearningEmpathy

My Girl is Growing Up while I'm Gaining Some Perspective

Her rough delivery left us both black and blue.
We weren't sure she would make it; her APGAR was 2.

13 years ago, she would not eat, making me so uptight.
Now she eats most everything in sight.

11 years ago, bath time could be a battle.
Now her showers take so long the pipes rattle.

10 years ago, she was all about princesses and pink.
Now she collects sports gear and cleats that stink.

8 years ago, she loved reading to her Build-a-Bears
Now she writes fiction and cooks meals she shares.
 
6 years ago, American Girl Dolls were her favorite toy.
Now special needs ministry brings her such great joy.

3 years ago, gymnastics consumed her time.
Now she flips for Christ; in whom her thoughts sublime.

Last year, she matured, both inside and out,
Now she leads with more faith and less doubt.

Strong-willed, compassionate, brave, and bold
What words will describe her as her years unfold?

#GrowingUp #FirstBorn

Words You Can't Take Back

I am vehemently OPPOSED to giving kids (or teens for that matter) smart phones. As long as they  live in my house, I get to choose if they have smart phones, and even if they they pay for the phones and the monthly service, they are presently not allowed!  When we do let them have smart phones, they will pay for the monthly fee and we will be the administrators, with sole permission to set passwords,  install monitoring and blocking software, freedom to inspect every app, email, browser history, and the right to take them away at any time for disciplinary purposes.

I could write a lengthy thesis citing reams of research explaining why I feel so strongly about this issue, covering everything from mental, spiritual and physical safety concerns to lifelong damage done to brain development.  Cyber bullying, low self-esteem, increased suicide rates, pornography, child predators, identity thieves, sexting, severely hindered development of social and communication skills, lack of tenacity or patience, and inability to develop meaningful relationships or to filter one's words all negative outcomes being realized in detrimental ways as Millennials who grew up with smart phones in hand are entering the workforce.

Some links to consider:

• It’s ‘digital heroin’: How screens turn kids into psychotic junkies
• No electronics because I love you and want to spend time with you 
• Teen 'like' and FOMO anxiety  
• Dad Horrified to Find Vile Messages in Popular Game on Son's iPad 
• 8 Scary Social Network Sites Every Parent Should know About
• 7 Dangerous Apps that Parents Need to Know
• Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids — and How to Break the Trance
• 8 Reasons Our Tweens are Without Cell Phones
• An Open Letter to My Boys Regarding Technology (and their use of it)
• No Cell Phones for our Tweens 
• Potential Physical Health Concerns
• Chances are, your teen has sexted

Before I had completed my research on the matter, however, our daughter had saved up enough of her own money to buy an iTouch.  It's not a phone, and we have very strict monitoring and blocking software on it, so at this point, she can only text friends, receive a limited number of emails, and go to websites we authorize,  none of which can have buttons or links to social media sites. We also have our home internet secured with blocking technology to limit whatever friends and family can access when connected to our home internet.

Despite all those safeguards, we still monitor her texts. She must put her iTouch on the charger in my husband's office every night, knowing we could read all her texts.  The parents of her texting friends also monitor their group chats, and we keep each other informed of any texts that seem insulting or convey anything other than a kind and gracious tone.  The girls are learning that words on a screen do not convey body language or voice inflections, so it's very easy to misinterpret someone's words based on how one girl might be feeling about herself that day.

When we see conversation going south, we take advantage of those teachable moments.  One mom misinterpreted something my daughter had said as hurtful.  Upon further investigation, it seems like more of a misinterpretation than hurtful comment with any intention of being unkind. Even so, kids need to understand that when they joke around with each other with nicknames and such, they must do so while edifying each other, for no joke is funny or permissible if it hurts someone else.

To illustrate the power of words sent via any web based  platform, whether email, text, or social media, I bought a brand new tube of toothpaste and told my daughter to squeeze out all the toothpaste, which represents our words.  Then I told her that we accidentally said something we regret, so we want to put that portion of the toothpaste back in the tube. But there is no way to take back words that go out into the web.  Copies are saved by servers and users at any number of levels.  Even the federal government, Obama's shadow government, Google, Amazon, every social media platform, smart TVs and household appliances, and any "smart" device with web access are savings and/or tracking whatever we say or do.  Be careful.  Think before you speak.

September & October 2016 - Catch-up

Labor Day

We seem to be developing a tradition of hosting a cookout on patriotic national holidays for long time friends.  Most recently, the Wises have been here for Memorial Day and Labor Day, and the Stark and Stephenson families joined us on Independence Day. The menu doesn't seem to change much each time. We grill chicken and burgers from the Fresh Market, veggie burgers, and corn with sides of fruit and my southern baked beans with bacon followed by S'mores plus cheesecake for dessert. Our daughter made a hugely popular 7-layer dip as an appetizer which everyone devoured while the meat was grilling.

We rarely get to see the Wises now that we live in a suburb so far away from them.  We attend different life classes at church, and our kids are at different schools, but we treasure their friendship more each year. They have three girls.  The two oldest girls are two grades a part with our daughter in the middle, so they make a terrific threesome. They've invited our daughter over for elaborate play dates many times over the years.  Three is usually not a healthy number since it seems one person gets left out, but for whatever reason, those girls are happiest when all three of them get together.

We had so much fun talking, I did not think to take pictures until it was dark outside and we were roasting marshmallows for S'mores around the fire pit. Their mom is gorgeous model material with perfect fashion sense, Martha Stewart domestic skills, and amazing entrepreneurial expertise.  She turned a new blog into a national sensation in less than a month and got asked to speak on national talk shows.  She turned it all down and shut down the blog when it disrupted her family time, which  she, unlike most moms, recognized as a direct disruption to her quality of life.  How fitting is her last name!   Her E-bay business is remarkable.  In this pic, she has no make-up on and had just arrived after a day on the lake.  Isn't she lovely?  I'm so blessed to call her friend.

Our poor boy was so outnumbered with all those girls there.

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Since school started the first week in August, our kids' days have been filled with school, music, church, and sports.  Out daughter stayed busy playing AAU basketball and middle school field hockey, while our son keeps up an active football schedule.

Field Hockey

Our daughter's field hockey team had the best season ever.  They won nine games, and only lost two games while one ended in a tie. They lost the first one narrowly by a one goal (and they would have tied it had a new layer not been inside some goal line) to an elite Ivy League feeder school, but they came back and beat them on their own turf during the second game.  They also lost to the top school in the state (also the most expensive) which has a feeder program that trains kids in early elementary for field hockey, (whereas our girl's team is comprised of girls who never played field hockey before). No one in our family had ever seen a field hockey game much less understood the rules when she went out for the team.  We are still mostly clueless about the sport.

Here's the team at yet another elite school with over 130 acres of land upon which to practice.  Our school owns only 10 acres and two small fields which are used for all field sports.  They beat them at home and on their opponent's turf.  So far, the team has 8 wins, and 2 losses.

Training at home, last game near the flooded region of the state, and fun bus ride home

Our daughter gives 110% at each and every field hockey practice or game.  After all that exertion, the coach and team mom noticed her wheezing, so we took her to the doctor for asthma testing.  Her other sports (gymnastics, volleyball, swimming, and basketball) have been mostly short sprints stop/start activities without the long term endurance training field hockey requires.  She did test positive for exercise induced asthma and must now use an inhaler before each practice and as needed. We were hoping she escaped all the ailments that plague her brother, but now she has asthma and what appears to be seasonal allergies (although no food allergies yet).

Football

Our son had a great first football season without injuries.  His team only won one game, the last game, but they all had fun.  He received an award for being best in defense. He may be small, but pound for pound, he was the toughest lineman on the team, according to his defensive line coach.

 Last Game

 

Awards Celebration

"Lead Linebacker" with his coach

Food

Our daughter is still enjoying experimenting in the kitchen when she has time.
The tween made homemade meatballs one night, but each person got meatballs stuffed with ingredients representing a different country. We had to guess which country she selected for each of us.

Thank you, Lord, for a daughter who likes to cook and has a knack for mixing spices and other ingredients for the perfect flavor. Thanks also for letting me forget to teach her proper food group ratios with vegetables comprising the bulk of the meal, beef secondary, and bacon added only for accent flavor because she reversed the order to create the tastiest stew I have ever had.

I was trying to talk to the kind lady at Great Harvest Bread Company one day (of many...I love that place!), but she seemed distracted. Apparently, my boy's smile had captured her attention because when she heard him say how much he likes lemon blueberry scones, she wrapped one up for him as a gift. His love language is food.

Critter Updates

Bunny Bath Aftermath

Muffin has been making up new Pilates moves again.

Orwell likes to do what Muffin does. He sits in Muffin's cage, hops around the house, and even eats Muffin's leafy greens. He has a plethora of resting positions of his own, but this pose is the quintessential bunny sprawl, likely copied from Muffin as well. Now let's see if he makes his ears lop for his next ape trick.

I buy my husband's cat all his food, litter, multiple deluxe scratching posts, litter box, toys, etc. I let him live here even after he destroyed all the carpets, expensive area rugs, leather sofas, recliners, chairs, bar stools, etc. which I spent countless hours shopping for to find just the right match for our new home. I even just bought him blue soft claws with shiny sparkles for his next spa day instead of getting him declawed. I organize play dates for him with his pal Boo. I discipline him gently and hang out with him all day long. I even let him take a portion of my husband's affection which should all belong to me. 😍 The cat sheds hair everywhere, but I'm the one to clean it all up. I even let him sleep on or under my luxurious sateen bedspread. But this cat still despises me. I try to be nice to him and play dumb cat games with him, but all I get in return are claws in my skin and sinister hissing. So how fair is it that I am also the one who gets to take this cat to the vet? This fall, he got a boatload of shots, and I continue to be his arch enemy. When can I trade this monster in for a dog?

One compromise we've made since my husband will not let let me get that monster declawed is that my husband has to keep his claws capped with soft claws.  I buy.  He and our daughter apply. This month I chose a blue hue with sparkles. Isn't he pretty with his new pedicure?

School Fun

4th Grade Science Day

4th Grade Fall Assembly

Our boy was so cute in that Neil Armstrong costume, I asked the mom who loaned it to the class if I could buy it from her. She gave it to our boy whose father's dream is to go to outerspace.

Tween Happenings

She's taking selfies now.  Have mercy!

She loves Refinery, our church's youth group program.  She enjoyed the 6th-12th grade girls' Bible study this summer and the weekly Bible study meetings during the school year.  They also do lots of fun activities as well like the Powder Puff  Bowl.  The 7th grade Green Chilis may not have won (or may have come in last), but they had fun while tailgating and playing football at the PBC Powder Puff Bowl.

State Fair

I can't stand going to the loud and crowded state fair where disgusting, dangerously unhealthy foods are overpriced, lines are long, animals are cruelly caged and make everything at the fair smell like feces, and high priced rides make me nauseous. But the kids love it.  So the best kind of friends are those who invite your kids to come with them to the state fair so you don't have to.  Some parenting roles are best outsourced.  And we all had fun!  Thank you, Christine!

Kids Disciplining Kids

I asked my kids why they didn't have as much fun at their friends' house today as the usually do, and the 9-year-old replied,"because [kid's name] would not submit to authority" despite repeated correction from his mom. (He had exceeded his daily screen time allowance and was instructed to "unplug".)

So I asked them how they responded to his behavior, and the 9-year-old said, "I wrestled him for the mouse and hid it so he could not keep playing computer games."

The 12-year-old separated the boys and took the batteries out of all the remotes and electronic devices with screens.

While giggling over their newfound appreciation for the Biblical commands to obey one's parents and to submit to authority, I made a mental note to employ their wrestle, hide, and deactivate strategies next time they abuse their screen time limits.

Then the child's parents called asking where the mouse was for their computer so the father could use it. Oops!

Great Quotes

"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven." - Milton

I know I write about a lot of serious topics, but I hope my writing honestly about the injustice, pain, suffering, loss, tragedy, heartache, evil, corruption, and trials we all encounter at some point in this fallen world does not mask my joy. Joy comes from God and is completely unaffected by circumstances, whereas happiness is conditioned on circumstances or on getting whatever we think we want in life. This quest for happiness often leads to manipulation or coercion but never provides lasting fulfillment or true joy. As we pray for those affected by Hurricane Matthew, I am also praying for others to find true and lasting JOY, whatever the storm.
(Romans 12:2)

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"Legalism is self-centered; discipline is God-centered. The legalistic heart says, 'I will do this thing to gain merit with God.' The disciplined heart says, 'I will do this because I love God and want to please Him.' The true heart of discipline is relationships - a relationship with God." - Barbara Hughes

In other words, legalism never pleases God!

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During the long drive back from his last football game, my 9-year-pld noted all the road construction (NC road projects never seem to end) and asked, "Where does the government get the money to do all these projects?"

Imagine an election cycle in which registered voters (both dead and alive) actually pondered that question.

Articles to Ponder

God Has Not Called Us to be Nice

School, Cute Kids, and Crazy Critters

Middle School
One week I was rejoicing with surprise over how much I had been enjoying parenting the middle school years, but the following week, I realized that we just hadn't reached the difficult stage yet, which apparently begins in 7th grade. So we're donning our Ephesians 6 armor and constantly examining God's word for wisdom and truth. We moms are committed to praying each other through these middle school years, but given the trials that I sense await us around the corner, I thought a before and after picture would be amusing. Here is our before pic taken after only 17 days of 7th grade. How old and worn out will we each look by the end of the school year?

We're already seeing lots of mood swings and friend drama, but she still loves her friends dearly and goes to a lot of effort to decorate her friends' lockers.  It must be the top love language for middle school girls.

Kinderbuddies
The kinderbuddies program is very popular at our school.  Each 4th grader is paired up with a kindergarten student and serves as a big brother/big sister to help the younger students in their transition to school.  In our son's case, two boys are assigned to one younger student because our kindergarten enrollment is down this year.  They officially meet once a week, but they look for each other throughout the school year to wave, smile, and offer encouragement. Our son's class attended their kinderbuddies' flag pinning ceremony last week as well.  During their weekly time together, my son will read books to his buddy, teach him things he is learning in 4th grade (like the bones of the body as shown in the picture below), or help him with a craft. 

 

While driving my son home from school one day this past month, we had the following conversation:

Introverted boy: Sometimes I wish I was the only kid at school.

Me: [Gasping while mentally planning therapy sessions for him until remembering that introverts just need a little downtime after being around lots of people all day.]

Less than two minutes later.....

Introverted boy: I can't wait to go to school tomorrow because I get to read to my kinderbuddy and hang out with him. He's so cool. I sure do love my kinderbuddy time.

Introverts may need their quiet and their space, but they love others deeply with beautiful sincerity. I'm so glad I married one.

4th Grade

Based on his grades, the feedback I'm getting from his teacher who sings his praises, how much he loves his teacher, and pictures being shared on the class website, I think my son enjoys school more than he lets on.  He still thinks homeschooling is better, but he sure seems to have a lot of fun there, no matter how strict people say it is.

Mrs. Gardner's 4th grade class

His best friend Ben isn't in his class this year, but they play on the same football team and see each other at recess and lunch.  They still get together often during the weekends, too.  Here are a few recent outings of those silly guys together.


Middle School Teachers
Our new science teacher is every students' favorite. She's a huge blessing to the school, and I'm doing my best to keep her encouraged.  She's hands-own, organized, and so spunky.  I found this little pun on her classroom wall the other day.

 I hope they also do a lot of laughing in that class like we did in STEM GEMS.

Teachers need all the love and support they can get.

So, I've been trying to love and support another of our daughter's teachers with anonymous gifts and encouraging notes each week.  The gifts usually involve her favorite color and her favorite food.  I'm also trying to get to the school when I can to help her with lunch duty, so she can have a few moments of peace and quiet during the lunch period.  We take the 7th and 8th graders outside to the field house (and field) to release some of their energy and their noise.

My first day helping at lunch felt like a scientific investigation. For that day's sociological research study, we tested the validity of perceived stereotype vulnerabilities associated with 7th and 8th grade subjects with regard to student engagement, degree of respectful behavior, mode of emotional release, inclusive tendencies, and cross cultural, cross gender interactions as complex macro-nutrients are infused into the bloodstream during a brief period of release from the containment area while also being exposed to solar radiation and the scent of well used turf grass. (AKA - Middle School Lunch Duty )

School Pictures
While I know it can be very self-defeating to compare oneself with others and strongly warn against it, I still think it helps give our kids perspective when we share how much worse life was for us at their age or for children in other parts of the world. Out of all my tales of suffering and woe, nothing made my daughter feel better about her situation quite like showing her my 7th grade school picture when she wasn't happy with hers. The feathered wings had her in hysterics. :-) #anythingtomakehersmile #noshameover40 #awkwardyears
 

7th Grade - Daughter (L) vs. Mother (R) - She has her dad's smile!

Guys' Turn - Our son is in 4th grade, and I think his dad is in middle school in this photo.

By the time our kids are seniors in high school, let's hope our daughter doesn't have 80's hair like mine, but I imagine our boy will look like a Bop magazine pin up poster, as did his dad.

Crazy Critters

When the critters play hide and seek but forget who was supposed to seek, I have to find them both.

Orwell likes to do what Muffin does. He sits in Muffin's cage, hops around the house, and even eats Muffin's leafy greens. He has a plethora of resting positions of his own, but this pose is the quintessential bunny sprawl, likely copied from Muffin as well. Now let's see if he makes his ears lop for his next ape trick. #CopyCat

They also both seem to enjoy yoga and/or Pilates. Here is Muffin's latest pose.

 

The vet told our cat he was getting a little pudgy, so it looks like Orwell has started the couch to Christmas tree training program.

I buy my husband's cat all his food, litter, multiple deluxe scratching posts, litter box, toys, etc. I let him live here even after he destroyed all the carpets, expensive area rugs, leather sofas, recliners, chairs, bar stools, etc. which I spent countless hours shopping for to find just the right match for our new home. I even just bought him blue soft claws with shiny sparkles for his next spa day instead of getting him declawed. I organize play dates for him with his pal Boo. I discipline him gently and hang out with him all day long. I even let him take a portion of my husband's affection which should all belong to me. The cat sheds hair everywhere, but I'm the one to clean it all up. I even let him sleep on or under my luxurious sateen bedspread. But this cat still despises me. I try to be nice to him and play dumb cat games with him, but all I get in return are claws in my skin and sinister hissing. So how fair is it that I am also the one who gets to take this cat to the vet?  He recently got a boatload of shots, so I continue to be his arch enemy. 

 Orwell got a manicure earlier this month. He's trying a new color this time. How does blue sparkle work for him? Since my husband loves this cat so much, and I'm always scolding the cat, I jokingly call this the manicure that saved our marriage. (This soft claws were the last straw between the cat and me.  If he didn't stop ruining everything in the house, he would have to go. He still scratches, but these claw covers keep him from piercing so much.)

Two little critters sitting in a (cat) tree

 One is as curious as can be.