What is character?

In our house, recently, we've been having a problem with a little person lying to us about things--silly things, not significant enough to cause major damage, but important enough to cause concern for the root of the problem.  We are laboriously trying to instill in her (oh, she'd be mortified that I am sharing this with you, but maybe when she's in her teens and reads this, she'll appreciate that it was a teachable moment) the values of honesty and trust, but for some reason I can't seem to see the reason or cause of the lying.  Maybe I can't see the forest for the trees, but this has been a tough parenting lesson for me.

So far, we have survived

The first two weeks of school are completed, and the Bishop family has survived!  Yea!  Ella seems to like her teacher, Mrs. Bates, and Brennan thankfully has the same Kindergarten teacher that Ella had, Mrs. Granger with her assistant, Mrs. Fry--teaching together for 18 years! (Yes, Brennan picked out this outfit--he was adamant about wearing a tie to school.  I talked him out of the sport jacket and convinced him to wear a dapper pair of jeans rather than dress pants.  He loves fashion. Hmmm....)  Dan stayed home last Tuesday which helped my aimlessness significantly.  We went on an afternoon date with lunch and a movie!  Really cool!

Since that first day, I have gone into school several times to help the little ones get through the lunch line (a very daunting experience if you don't know what you are doing) and to help out Brennan's teachers--with 28 students, many of whom have never seen the inside of a classroom or preschool, much less know their own name, these wonderful women are overwhelmed by what needs to be done everyday.  I am also now an official substitute for Prince William County, but I will only be working at our home school and one other in the neighborhood.  I will also help out at the kids' preschool as a sub, because they have a hard time finding people to help.  So, I'm sure that life will fill up with busyness, and I won't be feeling aimless.

It's a bit silly, I know, to have been so completely obsessed and anxious about school starting, especially when we had an earthquake, flooding, and economic disasters all at the same time (Friday, Sept. 9th was even cancelled due to flooding in our area).  But, I admit that I was.  I guess I just take my job very seriously!  When I completely believe in something, I become very passionate about it--many of you have seen me this way about education, lia sophia, the Coast Guard (Semper Paratus!), etc.  Momming (like teaching, driving--you know what I mean) is a calling and a passion of mine.  And I won't apologize for being so overwhelmed and outspoken about it.  I hope that's okay with you. 

Thanks for reading!
Anne ;)

So long . . .

The title could suggest so many different things.  If you're a Looney Tunes fan, you might think it means goodbye.  If you're tired of the way things are going in your life, it could mean that what you're going through is taking too much time.  If you're a mother with young children, this may decscribe your day.  If your husband or wife is deployed, this could feel like the time until you're reunited.  For me, it means a lot at this moment.  First, it's been so long since I've posted on my blog, that I think many of my readers have left.  Second, my journey of motherhood, so far, has seemed so long as I tried to raise and teach 2 small but wonderful children how to be decent, loving, smart and good people.  Third, the time since last night has dragged on while my little girl has been at her first sleepover party--at a boy's house (I promise to explain that.).  And, in several months, we'll probably be saying so long to Northern Virginia for a place yet unknown.