Life and Times of the Sharp Family

I said to myself when I started this (almost a year ago, holy smokes!) that I would not allow repeats.  Every day offered something unique to be thankful for, and I would acknowledge that by choosing something new and different for which to be grateful for daily. And, wouldn't you know it, I used up the opportunity to be thankful for a snow day nearly right off the bat when Snowpacalypse 2011 hit. I am still thankful that I was able to be home today.  There's no denying that.  I still believe that the snow day is a pivotal component of the mental health, stability, and well-being of a teacher.  But, that can't be the focus of this post, according to my self-imposed rules. Fortunately, there are better things to be thankful for than a snow day today. Like having the time to make homemade loaded potato skins for lunch. Like watching your daughters shake their groove thang to the beats of Yo Gabba Gabba . Like eating Air Heads Sour Strips at...

The drive home tonight was interesting. That's probably not exactly the best word to describe it.  Maybe scary would be more appropriate. I hate driving in the ice and snow.  I shake with nervousness and my knuckles grip the steering wheel until all the color is gone. We had a few slips and slides on the way, but I'm really thankful that we made it without incident. Thank God we're safely home! Dear Lord, thank you for watching out for us tonight on the way home.  Thank you for keeping our van on the road, despite the ice and snow.  Please give us safe travels tomorrow morning as well.   In your name I pray, Amen.

When I was a little girl and got really sick, my mom would always let me snuggle up and watch TV in her bed.  Then, she would bring me some Sprite and Saltine crackers.  It made me feel so loved and taken care of even when I was physically feeling really crummy. Today, I stayed home from school because I am still very sick.  My husband brought me home some Diet Sprite (because I'm too old to drink regular pop anymore).  While I sipped it, I thought about my mom and it made me smile. Thank God for Diet Sprite! Lord, thank you for my mom, who always took such great care of me when I was sick.  Thank you for the good memories I got to have today because of Diet Sprite.  Thank you for my husband, who was thoughtful enough to get it for me.  Please give me strength to face tomorrow.  Please heal my body and help me to feel better.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Tonight, I am thankful for our Christmas tree. You see, we actually got it yesterday, but the whole thing was such a freaking disaster that I couldn't possibly have been sincere in my post if I were to have talked about it. Let's see.  The darn thing wouldn't stand up straight in the tree stand.  It leaned and wobbled precariously forward or to the left.  As we ate pizza in the kitchen (a tradition on the night of trimming the tree), Breslin casually remarked to us, "Hey, the tree fell over."  Indeed, when we got to the living room, there was the tree, lying on its side, tree stand still boldly attached. Luckily at this point there were no ornaments to crash and destroy on the prostrate tree.  We finally righted the tree, which resulted in Colby and I both sweating more than what's normal for being indoors in late November and not working out.  Each of us were covered in sap as well, and had taken many a branch in the eye.  It wa...

Tonight I'm thankful that I have healthy kids. They tend to be a pretty tough lot.  I mean, aside from the occasional cold or upper respiratory infection, they rarely get sick.  This is a good thing, as they do not multiply the number of sick days you get by the number of kids you have.  Shocking, I know. But, what I'm thinking of tonight goes beyond that.  I am so blessed that my children are all unafflicted by illnesses, diseases, or chronic conditions.  My brother was diagnosed with leukemia when he was about Breslin's age, and I honestly don't know how my parents ever managed to stay sane while learning of his dire prognosis.  I don't know how any parent handles the knowledge that your child is battling something that is life-threatening. I'm sure it's only by the grace of God.  But, for now, I'm so thankful that I don't have to worry about that.  I am so blessed to have three kids in good health.  I trust in the Great Physic...

Today, my oldest friend offered to snap some pictures of us as a family. The last time she did that was when Dharia was just over a year old at my mom and Bob's wedding.  In fact, you can see it in the upper right hand corner of this blog. So, yeah, seeing as AJ wasn't even around yet, we were a little overdue for some family photos. You can see how this would be a cause for concern for us as parents.  Colby and I were hoping to get at least one decent picture of us all together so that we could send out a Christmas card this year. I am so thankful for my dear friend, who not only offered to take the pictures for us, but was patient and kind throughout the whole shoot. As you might imagine, it's not easy to get three kids 4 and under to cooperate for the camera. She was phenomenal. We were only hoping for decent, but we received fantastic family pictures. I was amazed by what she was able to do with the little we gave her to work with. I'm not going to spoil ou...

I really, really like Thanksgiving.  In fact, I like it so much that I host it every year.  Well, at least for the past five years.  I love the electric anticipation a huge meal brings. I love that it means putting to good use the lessons my grandmommy (mom's mom) and mom taught to me about preparing food.  Who else would have enough patience to teach me how to prepare a turkey? I love the atmosphere that lighting candles all throughout the house lends to my home. I love the fact that my house is stuffed with people that I love.  I was griping about not having enough space in my house to hold all of my guests, when I realized how lucky I was to have so many people special enough to spend Thanksgiving with.  I love that it ushers in the Christmas season (in my opinion, it is only truly acceptable to begin listening to Christmas music, go Christmas shopping, or decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving has passed). I love sitting on the c...

Tonight, I'm thankful that our house is probably as clean as it has every been.  Man, did we work hard.  Today, Colby and I scrubbed and dusted, washed and swept, vacummed and scoured until everythng was sparkling while the kids were at day care. The house feels so nice.  I feel so tired. To celebrate our clean house, we tried to keep the kids out of it for as long as possible after picking them up from day care.  We did some errands, ate dinner at Wendy's, grabbed some ice cream from Maggie Moo's, and stopped by the Jackson Nite Lights .  Even though our intention was just to prevent the kids from messing up anything at home, it turned into a thoroughly enjoyable family night out.  Without our clean house, we never would have done that.  So, the clean house is a double blessing! Thank God for our cleanest house ever! Lord, thank you for giving us the opportunity to clean our house today.  Thank you for the way it feels.  ...

Tonight our kids got a special treat. My cousin Hannah spent the night with us. After lots of playing it was time for bed.  The kids had no desire to stop playing and start sleeping. When I walked upstairs I found this: God, thank you for Hannah. Thank you that she gets along so well with our kids, and that she enjoys spending time with them. In your name I pray, Amen.

Today, I'm thankful that I wasn't late to school. Because I really thought that I might be. When I woke up this morning, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, the alarm hasn't gone off yet, and I'm not tired, so that means I must have overslept.  CRAP!"  My thought process is surprisingly sound first thing in the morning. Sure enough, when I rolled over, the alarm said 6:35, a full hour and fifteen minutes after we usually get up. We managed to get up and out of the door in roughly fifteen minutes, with surprisingly compliant children.  But that still gave me only 45 minutes to get the kids dropped off at daycare and then to the school.  In the midst of my panic attack, I also realized that being late meant that if I had any chance at making it, I was also going to be fighting bus and parent traffic at the middle and high school complex.  If any of you have ever driven down Dearing Road near the school between 7:15 and 7:40 on a weekday morning, you know exactly...

Yesterday, my kids helped me to put up our outside Christmas lights.  Well, they didn't help so much as run around the front yard while I strung them up and tried not to have a panic attack every time they appeared to be making a beeline for the road. The light job is far from fancy.  In fact, it takes all of three strands of white lights to wrap our front pillars.  But I just walked by, and they looked beautiful twinkling out there in the cold, dark night.  It made me realize, too, that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means that my favorite season in the world is nearly upon us.  I think there is something truly magical about this time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and tonight I'm thankful that a symbol of this time is boldly declaring its coming -- right on my very own front stoop. Thank God for Christmas Lights! Lord, thank you for this season that I love.  Thank you for all that it represents and for the way that ...

Today, I had a prescribed therapeutic massage at my chiropractor's office. Oh, man.  It was too good to be true! It meant one hour of quiet relaxation, where all the tension in my neck, back, and shoulders was rubbed away.  I got to listen to pretty music and smell the essential oils of lavender and lemon. When I got home, I hopped into a ridiculously hot shower and just marinated in my relaxed state for a while. I am so thankful for the opportunity to get a massage!  I am grateful for my in-laws, who graciously watched the kids for me so that I could go. Thank God for a massage! Lord, thank you for the chance to have some me time today.  Thank you for the people who helped to make it possible.  I am so grateful for the opportunities you give me to relax and unwind in the midst of the all the craziness of life.  Help me to savor and cherish these times.  In your name I pray, Amen.

I am an unapologetic morning person.  Okay, okay...so I don't bounce out of bed with a smile every morning.  But once I get going, I'm non-stop in the morning.  I love mornings.  I love the energy I have and the opportunity that each upcoming day presents.  I feel that I am do my best thinking in the morning.  I am more productive in the mornings. When I woke up my dear little AJ this morning, I recognized in my sweet baby the same love for mornings that I have.  She hemmed and hawed a little as I gently shook her awake, but by the time I got to changing her diaper, she was smiling with her eyes closed and saying, "Hi Mama." The kids sit on the steps in the morning to get get their shoes and coats on, and while the older two were still half and sleep and grouchy beyond comprehension, AJ was beaming.  She sang the ABC song and Twinkle Twinkle and giggled when I joked with her.  She wouldn't let Dharia or Breslin's attitude bring her d...

Today, I'm thankful for tongue rolling. It's one of those stupid human tricks that nobody really cares if you can do or not, but whenever you talk about it, people inevitable try it. Tonight, for some odd reason, my kids and I were all doing it...or at least trying to. It was really funny, up until the point where my son called me a crackhead.  I'm not sure if these two things are related or not.  But, I'm grateful for the chance to have some fun with my kids and spend some quality time together.  Oh, and I'm grateful for the chance to teach Breslin that it's not okay to call someone a crackhead before he goes off to school. Thank God for tongue rolling! God, thank you for the chance to hang out with my kids and have some fun together.  Thank you for the silly things we do together that I will always remember.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Today I needed to laugh, and God provided it in the most interesting fashion. A friend and colleague showed me a website called " Awkward Family Photos ".  And, blessedly enough, it wasn't blocked by our school's filter.  Every time I would catch myself grousing about something, I would quickly go to the site and click randomly on a page .  Many times I would be doubled over in laughter, nearly in tears.  By the end of the day, my face hurt from smiling so much. I know this sounds like I wasted a colossal amount of time doing this today, but let me assure you, little time was needed to boost my mood.  I wasn't in the classroom today, so I didn't have to worry about depriving students of my services while getting my fix. I was so thankful for this opportunity to laugh, which came with perfect timing!  Thank God for Awkward Family Photos! Lord, thank you for giving me the chance to laugh today.  Thank you for the stress release it prov...

This is Colby. Tonight I didn't get home until almost nine because of parent teacher conferences.  As a result, I missed one of my favorite times of the day, reading to the kids in bed. Each night I read at least two books to Breslin and Dharia before bed.  Dharia has become a bit of a "book snob", in that she is always demanding new books.  I check out a lot of books from the library for school, so on most nights she does get to go through new books with me. Tonight when I got home I found Alaina with Breslin and Dharia cuddled up in Dharia's bed reading, not new books, but old favorites.  When I walked in they were reading Clifford the Big Red Dog.  Seeing them all huddled together reading made my day.  Thank God for books in bed! Lord, thank you for allowing my family to be able to share our love of reading with each other.  Thank you for giving us the means to provide great books to our kids, and for helping us pass our passion for readin...

Since the first week of school, I have been fighting to keep my voice.  The second and third week of school were awful.  By Friday, I could barely eke out a whisper in my classes.  My singing voice hasn't been quite right in a really long time.  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not an amazing vocalist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do like to sing my girls to sleep at night and sing along to the radio in the car.  It's been frustrating to hear my raspy voice crack.  Not only did it sound terrible, it physically hurt.  I often ended up in a fit of coughing. So, tonight, when I laid AJ down, I sang to her and realized a couple of words into the song that my voice was back!  It was the best feeling!  I really enjoy singing, so I am so thankful to have this blessing back in my life! Thank God for my singing voice! Lord, thank you for the ability to sing.  Thank you for helping to restore my singing voice so that I cou...

My sister-in-law posted this picture today and it gave me the biggest smile, which I desperately needed. Yesterday, as we were playing an intense game of 1-hand-touch football in the backyard, the Jeep came tearing through and we had to have a pause in the action so that none of us players got ran over by the two preschoolers at the wheel.  They cruised back and forth from the playground to the backyard, playing together, taking turns, and being pals. I am so thankful that my sister-in-law took this, because now I will always have it as a memory of these two and that day. Thank God for this picture! God, thank you for this awesome picture and for the good times and friendships that it represents.  Thank you for something to lift my spirits today.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Tonight I got to see West Side Story at the Wharton Center on the campus of Michigan State University.  This was the first musical I ever loved.  As a kid, I watched the movie over and over, listened to the songs on cassette tape and eventually on CD, and drove everyone in my family nuts singing the songs loud and dramatically.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to finally see it live!  The reason I got to go in the first place was because my mom had an extra ticket, as Bob is in the UP at deer camp.  So I was her "date" for the evening.  My brother and sister-in-law went too, so I'm also thankful that I got the chance to hang out with my family tonight, and not just because my brother bought me a chocolate Toblerone bar at the concession stand before the show started.  The guy to our right hacked up loogies the entire performance and asked if it was over after every song, and the lady on our left rocked her chair so much when sh...

At the end of the school year last spring, I went to our very own Western Wearhouse to pick myself up some apparel to wear on casual Fridays and to sporting events, since most of what I owned I also wore in high school.  One of the specials going on at the time was a five dollar t-shirt sale.  One of the select items included in this sale was a simple t-shirt that read "Western Alumni" in block letters with the outline of a panther in the middle.  For five dollars I bought it and have worn in many times since. I was thinking today how cool it was for me to be able to proudly wear a t-shirt as an alumnus of the high school at which I currently teach.  I'm proud to be a graduate of Western and I continue to remember my years there fondly.  I'm also proud to be a teacher at Western, where I hope that I can help make high school a pleasant memory for future alumni as well. So many good feelings, and for only $5! Thank God for the Western Alumni t-shirt! ...

Colby and I have lots of "What the...?" moments in our house.  When I hear Colby say it from another room, I usually brace myself for what it means, because it's usually something wild and that requires a significant amount of clean up. It could mean that AJ has stuffed an entire roll of toilet paper (including the cardboard portion) into the toilet while we weren't looking.  Or it might be that someone has taken every single book off of the bookshelf in our yellow room (that's well over 200 books, by the way). Perhaps Dharia has every pair of underwear that I own strung around her head like a necklace. Or maybe someone has drawn a mural in crayon on the stairwell wall. These are all true examples, by the way. But, tonight, Colby's "What the...?" was not just a cry of incredulity and horror.  It had a bit of a sweet side too. One of our little girls had found the cell phone he had misplaced and had packaged it with a coaster into a...

Every year since I began teaching at Western, I have taken my advanced chemistry class of seniors to Albion College.  There, they are provided with a tour of campus (and lunch!) and are invited to ask questions of the admissions staff.  But the most valuable part, I believe, comes when one of the professors of chemistry treats my room full of seniors as though they are college freshmen taking a chemistry class.  They get a taste of the difference in pacing, depth, and breadth of a college-level class at a nationally-recognized school.  The same professor has been gracious enough to do this for us every year for the past four years, and he is absolutely phenomenal.  I am so grateful that he was willing to do this for us yet again today.  I am also beyond grateful for the amazing admissions staff at Albion, who works with me year and after year getting things set  up and organized.  They are the best!  Today, EVERY student went home with an Alb...

When we got home from school today, Dharia and I made some instant vanilla pudding.  She loves helping me to make pretty much anything in the kitchen, and pudding is about as easy as it gets for a nearly 3 and a half year old with a domestically-challenged mother.  Dump 2 cups of milk in a bowl, add pudding mix, and stir.  That's all it took, but Dharia enjoyed every step to the fullest, chattering about the colors, sizes, and textures of the ingredients and seeking my affirmation through her many questions (i.e.: "Mommy, look am I doing this right, okay?" and "Mommy, you see how good I am doing this and you be so proud of me?" just to name a couple of examples). The rest of the night, she was a train wreck of humanity, wailing over the smallest offense and crumbling into tears over seemingly insignificant details or comments.  So, I'm grateful that this one shining moment of joy and serenity sticks out from my time spent with Dharia tonight. I totally f...

This week, I realized that the calendar on my fridge was in need of an update.  It's one of those wipe-off kinds that you renumber every month with the dry erase markers.  It's nothing special, as most of our planning we now do with Google calendars, where Colby and I can see each other's calendars, edit each other's events, and add in shared events.  It's pretty awesome...we love it.  Anyhow, this calendar in the kitchen is really more for a visual reference, as much of our logistical planning seems to be done in the kitchen (i.e. what day of the week will the 23rd be?).  Plus the kids love it when I draw a little picture representing that month.  Last month, there were pumpkins and ghosts all over. So, like I said, the calendar was in desperate need of an update, since it had been November for almost a week and the ghosts and pumpkins still boldly frolicked across the top. My son took it upon himself to make our November calendar.  He wiped the O...

AJ's vocabulary has been growing exponentially over the past few weeks.  Much of what she says is now not only understandable, but includes emphasis and emotion. My most favorite phrase so far (aside from "Hi, Mama" and "I love you") is "NO, DhariLou!"  We heard it a lot today as an obvious expression of her displeasure with her older sister.  It's packed with power and anger. When Dharia takes something from her or gets in her face, it's one more way that she can stick up for herself.  The girl is turning out to be one tough cookie. Equally hilarious is Dharia's response to being yelled at in this manner by her little sister.  Her jaw drops in surprise and she is instantly quiet.  Sometimes, she even starts to cry.  The dynamics in this sister-sister relationship never cease to amaze me. I had hoped to get a video example of this tonight, but all I ended up with was a lot of screaming and crying.  Not exactly the kind of stuff I w...

Tonight is Western High School's annual "Gold Rush Raffle".  You pay $100 a ticket and in return you get dinner at Gene Davis and Sons and a chance to win $5000.  All of the proceeds benefit the Western Athletic Boosters. Dinner alone is worth it to me. I'm excited to get a little dressed up and go out with my husband tonight.  I'm thankful that we have the means to support this good cause.  I'm grateful that we were able to round up some generous babysitters so that we don't have to be stressed out about getting home at a decent time. And, I'm thankful that for a little while, at least, I have the chance to win $5000.  I  know it won't last very long, but it's nice to think about.  Even if we win nothing, it will be great to hang out with people we know and like, eat a good dinner, and support Western Athletics. Thank God for the Gold Rush! Lord, thank you that we have the opportunity to go to the Gold Rush tonight.  Thank you for all ...

Tonight, I apparently didn't get to my phone as it was ringing. Because, Breslin did notice that it was ringing and answered it himself. According to what he reported to me, the caller asked "to talk to his mom", whereupon he introduced himself: "My name is Breslin!"  After a couple of rounds of this back and forth, he finally made it upstairs where he told me that "someone is calling you!" There was nothing but silence on the other end of the phone, but I checked my call history, and sure enough, I had a received a call just minutes before that lasted about a minute and a half. When I called this mysterious number, I was surprised and amused to find that it was my state-bound cross-country runner, who was just wondering what time I was picking her up tomorrow morning. I apologized for my son, who ultimately did not comply with her request to speak with me.  She was almost as amused as I was, mostly because she doesn't know my son like I ...

The last couple of books that I have ready have been sort-of... "ehhh" (with a shoulder shrug).  I gave it my best, though, and managed to get all the way through them. On Sunday, I got a new book, and all week long I have looked forward to coming home and curling up with it under Grandma Combs or in a Big Girl Bath . I love reading, and I'm so thankful for this opportunity to relax and get swept away in another world.  I'm also grateful that reading is again a pleasure, and not just another chore to be done. Thank God for a book to look forward to! Lord, thank you for the chance to read.  Thank you for providing me with the time to do some reading and relaxing this week.  Thank you for good books and for the creativity of those who author them.  n your name I pray, Amen.

Thanks to my father, AJ can make all sorts of funny noises with her face: I'm thankful that she was able to hang out with my dad long enough for him to rub off on her a bit.  I'm thankful that she's cute enough to pull this off. I'm thankful that she looks at me with that cute smile when she wants me to mimic her. Thank God for AJ's new trick! Lord, thank you for my daughter and her personality that has started to shine through so much lately.  Thank you that she was able to hang out with my dad this weekend and that she still remembers the fun she had with him.  Thanks for silliness and the chance to laugh after these long days.  In your name I pray, Amen. Speaking of her emerging personality, I had to put up this video of AJ singing and dancing to the ABC song.  Too funny not to share...

Dinner at our house isn't exactly easy.  I'm not trying to whine here, just paint you a picture of what our typical evening looks like.  By the time I get all three kids and their stuff in the house, put said stuff away, start dinner, eat, get three kids to eat, and get everything cleaned up from dinner...well, the night's pretty much over at that point.  The only thing that there's time left for are baths (maybe) and bed.  So, tonight I am thankful that I managed to get dinner ready for tomorrow.  It's white chili that's sitting in the crock pot in my fridge.  All that I have to do is plug it in before we go to school in the morning.  It's one less thing to do tomorrow when I get home.  For that, I am so grateful! Thank God for dinner tomorrow! Lord, thank you for something to look forward to tomorrow when I get home.  Thank you for the extra time it will grant me to spend with my kids.  Thank you for giving me a chance to ge...