Monchhichi, Monchhichi

As I stated in my previous post, I recently celebrated a birthday. Last Sunday, we had our monthly birthday celebration at my parents' house. Dinner was eaten, cake was distributed and the time came to open gifts. My nephew, Isaac, went first, as he shares the month with me. Then came my turn. As my older sis, Nicole, handed me her gift, my brother-in-law moved quickly, prepping his Nikon, giggling all the way. He kept saying, "We have the BEST gift for you!" As if the Michael Jackson vinyl bag wasn't enough, there were 3 other wrapped gifts inside. I started with the locket that my sister made (vintage and beautiful!)--still no camera shots, only giggling. Then came the Amara spa gift card. I would have been fine and good with any ONE of these gifts and gushed over each one, in turn. Still, eyes on me. I proclaimed my thanks all the way and still brother-in-law says, "That's not even the best one." Alas, I came to the last one, and this was my reaction:



And why? Because this is what I got!



Does anyone else out there remember Monchhichis? Not only did I have one growing up, carrying it most places I went, but somehow along the road I picked up the nickname. I was a thumb-sucker, so that may have been why, but it stuck even in grade-school. There was a teacher in our rural Missouri elementary that one day received a very surprising and loud epiphany. As I walked toward her in the school hallway, she gasped and said, "I've just realized what you remind me of! You're my little Monchhichi!" From then on she, and a few others, could be found calling me Melody Monchhichi. I guess back in the day there may have been an unfortunate resemblance. What do you think?



Thanks guys for bringing back some painful, I mean, GREAT childhood memories!

Stop Growing Up!

What a busy past week it was for us! The girls had another dance recital at the Covey Center, and did a fabulous job. I did the flowers for the event once again, so between that and running them to rehearsals and performances, I was utterly beat by this week! Thanks to all those who came and supported them--it means so much to them! As Todd and I started to look through some of the pictures from the weekend, my heart sunk as I realized just how big my girls are getting (could have been all that stage makeup)but still--they need to stop growing! Before I know it, they will be breaking hearts right and left. Softy Dad is going to have to get tough if he is going to compete with the fellas that come knocking! Good thing that won't be for a long while yet, if I have anything to do with it.

Still, it makes me realize just how old I'm getting. This weekend I celebrate my, ahem, 33rd birthday. Am I really? It sounds so old to me because it was the ripe old age that my father lived to. I also look back on my life and FEEL like high school graduation wasn't really 15 years ago, was it? I need to enjoy life's moments a bit more because really, in another short 15 years, I will most likely be a grandma and my kids will be driving, married. . . oh the thought makes my head swim! So, I demand right here and now that they stop growing up, fly to Never Never Land and stay little forever. Because this "swimming head" of mine doesn't need any more gray hairs than it already has!

Sunday Thoughts

About a year ago, my Grandma was not doing so well. In fact, I thought so much that it was the end for her that I begged friends with connections and solicited even the team managers for tickets to a final Jazz game (her favorite team and sport ever!). She had Bell's Palsy, couldn't see, or read (a very BAD thing to take away from my Grandma), her strength was all but gone, she was frequently ill, and prayed for death to envelop her. She has already buried two husbands and didn't see the point in living anymore. I certainly didn't appreciate this kind of talk from her and if you knew my Grandma and how much she contributes to everyone's life around her, you'd understand. It was at this time that she asked her weekly physical therapist, Doug, if it would be considered suicide to just stop taking her medications, lay in bed, stop trying and wait for death. He taught her a valuable lesson when he looked square in the eyes and said, " Was Christ a quitter?" It was all he needed to say and it was a turning point for this 88-year old woman. Since then she has gained strength, faith and seems to be doing better than I have seen her in a long time. I can't remember how many times she has recited the story to me, but each time is speaks of hope.

I think of some of my heroes like Victor Frankl, Helen Keller, Anne Franke, Immaculee' Ilibagiza, Job, Abraham Lincoln and Joseph Smith. Each one of these people was faced with such unbearable, excruciating challenges that I can't begin to imagine and yet, they endured. The common thread through them all was hope. Hope that there would be light at the end of their dark tunnel. How can I, in my simple life, lose hope when such inspiring people endure so much more? A new commitment: to hope more, despair less, for in that hope, I KNOW there is happiness.

Resolutions

I love to see what this young couple has done and the transformation of their house. I'm loving their taste in style. Thanks Kimi for the link to it! If you have a sec, check out this site.


It's a new year and once again I find myself making lists, recording each detail of my conviction to change, to be better. This year, as it was last year, I am once again attempting to organize my home, organize my life. Why? When I feel like everything is in its place, I feel much more joy, much more peace. That and also there are places in my home that I have not touched since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago--those boxes need to be unpacked! My four kidlets and hubby can attest that when I ain't happy, ain't no one happy and clutter make me cranky! Unfortunately, it doesn't take much to push me over the edge these days. I could blame it on hormones, but that just sounds like a cop-out. What else can I say? Um, well shoot, hormones just plain play a factor. I digress. Back to dejunking my life. Why is it that we need all this "stuff" anyway? Quite frankly, I think I could live with a lot less stuff. It just clutters my brain, house and everything in-between. I'm becoming more of a minimalist day by day. Bare walls, clean straight lines; yes, I like these things. I came across a helpful list on www.WebMD.com that will surely help me in my quest. This week I have tackled my bedroom and medicine cabinet. Yikes, was that an undertaking. I'm happy to say that I threw away two large garbage bags of "stuff" and am sending 4 large bags of clothes to charity. Ah, cleansing it is. Maybe Todd can be influenced to do the same? Hmmmm, we shall see. I have many other "projects" on my to-do list. I'll let you know how it turns out. Here's hoping I can keep my resolution going for at least a month or two. . .

Organizing Tips:

Organize in bite-size bits:If the thought of getting organized completely overwhelms you, set a timer for just 15 minutes a day. Knowing you won't spend hours working on an organizational project might make working in small nuggets easier to manage.

Mainstream email: Instead of checking email with each ding of the inbox, read your emails on a regular basis only twice a day. When you open an email, answer it immediately and don't save it for later.

Handle snail mail only once: Create a special time and place to read your snail mail regularly. During the appointed time, open the mail and immediately take action on it. File it with bills, shred it, toss it in the trash, etc. Commit to touching each piece of mail immediately and only once.

Avoid horizontal piles: When possible, avoid putting paper in horizontal stacks in your home or office. Save time and frustration by categorizing and finding a home for paper as soon as it comes through the door.

Purge regularly:This applies to every room in the house but don’t forget the kitchen and bathroom. Check expiration dates regularly on medicines, vitamins, supplements, and cosmetics. Stick to the “when in doubt, throw it out” rule. If you can’t remember when you purchased it, let it go.