A couple of weeks ago, Jimmy and I attended a meeting at Madi's school, and I feel the overwhelming need to share this organization and their message with you.
KidSafe is a prevention education program that provides an alternative for our children to the "stranger danger" message of the past. The reason--70% of child exploitation and molestation happens from people known to a child. Scary, huh? 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be exploited before the age of 18, most often by a trusted adult that they know and love.
Yuck. Let me take a moment to clear my mind before I vomit.
The KidSafe program teaches children, beginning at a young age, a variety of lessons over an 8-week period, including: safe and unsafe touch/body boundaries, circle of safe adults, check first, safety first reporting and the buddy system.
The parent meeting was a real eye-opener. While the founder promised not to scare our children during their lessons, she revealed that her job was to scare the heck out of us. And she did. The statistics of abuse are staggering, and the odds are definitely stacked against our children. There were only 9 parents present at the meeting, which saddens me. I wish more of the parents could have been there to hear about the amazing training our children are receiving over an 8-week course.
The most incredible part--to me--is that a set of Kindergarten parents anonymously donated the program to the Kindergarten classes (and maybe more classes, I'm not sure...).
10 classes x 18 kids per class (avg) x $26.00 per child
I'd say that's a pretty generous act of goodwill. I sure wish we knew who to thank for protecting our children. But since we don't, we'll just have to thank God for people like that in this world. We feel pretty blessed. Based on the odds, that means a lot of children might be spared from harm. I wish more schools would enlist KidSafe to "arm" the children.
The KidSafe Foundation also has a couple of children's books to reinforce their lessons. We will definitely own those for the kids. For more information about the KidSafe Program, please visit their website: www.kidsafefoundation.org or call them at (855) 844-SAFE.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The Festival
The SVF festival was a blast, as usual. This year, we purchased wristbands for Madi and Jimmy only knowing that Charlie might not be quite "into it" yet. We also opted to leave him home with a sitter Friday night and ventured out with Madi to give her some special time with Mommy & Daddy.
Accompanied by Bubba, Grandpa, Grandpa Murphy, and Miss Suzanne, we had the best fish fry on earth for dinner, and Madi was pumped that Grandpa Murphy wanted to go on one of the craziest rides with her.
My favorite part of the night was the bumper cars. Jimmy went in a car with Madi's friend, Isabelle, which left Madi and her friend, Olivia, in a car together. Madi was the designated driver. It hadn't occurred to me that Madi wouldn't know what to do until they started the ride. Hilarious. She was totally stuck and just started spinning the car in circles, and Jimmy and Isabelle kept slamming into them. I tried to take pictures, but I was laughing so hard (almost peed my pants) that I couldn't see through the lens. I figured it best to just enjoy the moment. Finally, Madi developed a determined gleam in her eye, and quickly figured out how to drive that car. Her mission then became revenge, and she tore after Daddy's car every chance she could. Oh my my, I haven't laughed that hard in a while.
We returned on Saturday after Charlie's nap. Daytime was a much wiser choice of introduction to the festival for Charlie. His eyes were wide as saucers as he watched the rides in disbelief. I think he just couldn't grasp why anyone would do such a thing! Madi could hardly wait to get him on some rides, but we had a feeling he'd be frightened. She and Daddy took him on two of the kiddie rides, and we quickly discovered that his favorite "ride" was his stroller! He stayed there pretty much all night, except when he was comfortable enough to get out and run, jump, or dance around.
Madi went on this super-scary ride called the Extreme. It looked like a big pendulum/crane/claw thing, and Madi looked like a tiny ant in the seat. I was a little worried about her. After the ride, she was quite traumatized and felt sick. She vowed not to go on that ride ever again. We treated her ailment with some french fries figuring perhaps she was hungry. Two hours later, she was back on that ride with Daddy and a friend. She was obviously not going to let that thing beat her!
The Miami Dolphins cheerleaders were there to sign autographs. One of them, Casey, is the daughter of a teacher (and friend) at SVF, who helped to bring Charlie home through the fundraiser last November. It was pretty special to have him photographed with her! Madi enjoyed it, too.
Accompanied by Bubba, Grandpa, Grandpa Murphy, and Miss Suzanne, we had the best fish fry on earth for dinner, and Madi was pumped that Grandpa Murphy wanted to go on one of the craziest rides with her.
My favorite part of the night was the bumper cars. Jimmy went in a car with Madi's friend, Isabelle, which left Madi and her friend, Olivia, in a car together. Madi was the designated driver. It hadn't occurred to me that Madi wouldn't know what to do until they started the ride. Hilarious. She was totally stuck and just started spinning the car in circles, and Jimmy and Isabelle kept slamming into them. I tried to take pictures, but I was laughing so hard (almost peed my pants) that I couldn't see through the lens. I figured it best to just enjoy the moment. Finally, Madi developed a determined gleam in her eye, and quickly figured out how to drive that car. Her mission then became revenge, and she tore after Daddy's car every chance she could. Oh my my, I haven't laughed that hard in a while.
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| Before the bumper cars |
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| On the apple ride |
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| Charlie's favorite ride |
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| Jumping! |
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| After the ride |
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| The "Extreme" with Madi on it! |
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Bucket Fillers
Madi came home from school the other day all pumped up about a new book they read in class. It was about how we all carry a little bucket with us, and when we say or do something nice for someone, it helps to fill their bucket. It also fills our own bucket, because we feel good having done something nice for someone else.
Conversely, mean words or actions can empty one's bucket, and our own.
We all became so excited about filling each others buckets that we couldn't stop talking about it. All three of us vowed that we will work hard at being "bucket fillers."
So if you see us out and about, and we are disgustingly nice, sickeningly sweet, and oozing with goodness, we might be trying to fill your bucket!
Conversely, mean words or actions can empty one's bucket, and our own.
We all became so excited about filling each others buckets that we couldn't stop talking about it. All three of us vowed that we will work hard at being "bucket fillers."
So if you see us out and about, and we are disgustingly nice, sickeningly sweet, and oozing with goodness, we might be trying to fill your bucket!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Jump Rope for Hearts
The "Jump Rope for Hearts" event, sponsored by the American Heart Association, finally took place at Madi's school on Friday after being rescheduled from a rain-out the previous week.
Any event supporting heart causes is obviously very close to our hearts here in the Murphy household. Madi planned to jump for Daniel, and she raised some money for the cause from family members.
I arranged for Bubba to babysit Charlie so that I could surprise Madi and volunteer for the event. When I arrived at school, her class was just returning to class from lunch. When Madi saw me, she smiled from ear to ear. God, I love that girl. I went to her and told her why I was there, and she beamed even brighter. It feels so good to be her Mom.
When I got to the sports field, it became clear that "Jump Rope for Hearts" at this school was more like a field day. Apparently because there are so many children, many of which cannot jump rope, they decided to tweak the event and make it more of a "Exercise for Hearts," and it seemed to work out fine. The kids loved it.
I'll take any chance I can get to spend time with Madi at school. I wish I could be a fly on her classroom wall every day. It was a blessing to be there.
Any event supporting heart causes is obviously very close to our hearts here in the Murphy household. Madi planned to jump for Daniel, and she raised some money for the cause from family members.
I arranged for Bubba to babysit Charlie so that I could surprise Madi and volunteer for the event. When I arrived at school, her class was just returning to class from lunch. When Madi saw me, she smiled from ear to ear. God, I love that girl. I went to her and told her why I was there, and she beamed even brighter. It feels so good to be her Mom.
When I got to the sports field, it became clear that "Jump Rope for Hearts" at this school was more like a field day. Apparently because there are so many children, many of which cannot jump rope, they decided to tweak the event and make it more of a "Exercise for Hearts," and it seemed to work out fine. The kids loved it.
I'll take any chance I can get to spend time with Madi at school. I wish I could be a fly on her classroom wall every day. It was a blessing to be there.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Valentine's Day Play
We were so proud of Madi and her classmates on Valentine's Day. Miss Maldonado worked with them to put on a play called, "The Mystery of the Valentine's Box." It was rather long and complex actually, for a group of Kindergarten students. Madi played the part of the popular victim, whose Valentine's cards were missing. I know...sounds rather dark for their age group; however, it ended on a sweet note when the culprit was found to have spilled glue on all the Valentine's and was afraid to get into trouble for ruining them. We were quite impressed with these future drama students!
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| School party! |
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| Madi with Miss Maldonado |
Thursday, February 16, 2012
A Valentine's email from Madi...
...As dictated to Bubba. I can only imagine that Madi was talking very fast without many breaths in between words! This was a very special gift for us:)
TO MOM I LOVE YOU TEL DAD THAT I LOVE HIM TOO HAPPY VALENTINES TEL CHARLIE THAT I LOVE HIM TOO I LOVE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH MOMMY YOU ARE SO PRETTY TELL DADDY THAT HE IS THE BEST DADDY AND HE IS FUN AND CHARLIE IS THE CUTEST BABY AND THE FUNNEST BABY AND CHARLIE IS SO CUTE AND WHEN I GET HOME I WANT YOU TO PAINT MY NAILS AND THE COLOR I WANT IS PURPLE AND I WANT ALL MY NAILS SPARKLES AND THOSE LITTLE STICKERS AND I WANT TO DO STICKERS AT HOME BUT I WANT THEM TO BE THE SCRATCH AND SNIFF STICKERS AND WITH BUBBA I WENT ON BARBIE.COM BUBBA PRESSED A BUTTON ON THE COMPUTER THAT MADE 'D'S COME ON THE NOTE AND I HAD A THIN MINT I WORKED VERY HARD ON THIS EMAIL BUBBA TYPED AND I DID SOME INVENTIVE SPELLING - BUT NOT ALL DON'T YOU SEE THERE IS SO MUCH ON THIS EMAIL? TELL CHARLIE THAT WHEN I GET HOME I WILL PLAY WITH HIM.
LOVE
MADI
TO MOM I LOVE YOU TEL DAD THAT I LOVE HIM TOO HAPPY VALENTINES TEL CHARLIE THAT I LOVE HIM TOO I LOVE ALL OF YOU SO MUCH MOMMY YOU ARE SO PRETTY TELL DADDY THAT HE IS THE BEST DADDY AND HE IS FUN AND CHARLIE IS THE CUTEST BABY AND THE FUNNEST BABY AND CHARLIE IS SO CUTE AND WHEN I GET HOME I WANT YOU TO PAINT MY NAILS AND THE COLOR I WANT IS PURPLE AND I WANT ALL MY NAILS SPARKLES AND THOSE LITTLE STICKERS AND I WANT TO DO STICKERS AT HOME BUT I WANT THEM TO BE THE SCRATCH AND SNIFF STICKERS AND WITH BUBBA I WENT ON BARBIE.COM BUBBA PRESSED A BUTTON ON THE COMPUTER THAT MADE 'D'S COME ON THE NOTE AND I HAD A THIN MINT I WORKED VERY HARD ON THIS EMAIL BUBBA TYPED AND I DID SOME INVENTIVE SPELLING - BUT NOT ALL DON'T YOU SEE THERE IS SO MUCH ON THIS EMAIL? TELL CHARLIE THAT WHEN I GET HOME I WILL PLAY WITH HIM.
LOVE
MADI
Monday, February 13, 2012
The Year of the Dragon
I'm a bit late posting about Chinese New Year because I left my camera at my Father-in-Law's house last weekend.
It has become an annual tradition to celebrate with our friends, who graciously cook an amazing authentic menu each year. The kids make the wontons for their wonton soup from scratch!
The festivities were complete with the making of a New Year's craft, the release of Chinese lanterns into the sky, the exchanging of red envelopes, and a dragon dance with an authentic dragon mask for the kids to parade around in.
Since it's the year of the dragon, we dressed Charlie in Daniel's handsome cherry red suit with a golden dragon on the front. Daniel always looked like a little warrior in that suit, and it looked equally precious on his little brother.
We feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends to help us carry on such important traditions in our children's heritage!
It has become an annual tradition to celebrate with our friends, who graciously cook an amazing authentic menu each year. The kids make the wontons for their wonton soup from scratch!
The festivities were complete with the making of a New Year's craft, the release of Chinese lanterns into the sky, the exchanging of red envelopes, and a dragon dance with an authentic dragon mask for the kids to parade around in.
Since it's the year of the dragon, we dressed Charlie in Daniel's handsome cherry red suit with a golden dragon on the front. Daniel always looked like a little warrior in that suit, and it looked equally precious on his little brother.
We feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends to help us carry on such important traditions in our children's heritage!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Accepting the Award
I've been "tagged" by my blog friend, Amy, of Learning to Fly with Chopsticks. Thank you, Amy. This is the first time I've participated in anything like this and feel honored to receive this little "award" that's been circulating in the blogosphere.
The rules of the award are this: 1) Thank the person who gave you this award. 2) list 7 things people may not know about you. 3) pass it along to a few other bloggers.
Trying to come up with seven things to share about myself was not an easy task. Quite painful, actually. Most of the things that instantly come to mind are not worth sharing, or just things that I've been trying to forget! Thanks, Amy, for giving me this grueling task of self-discovery!
So...let's see what I can dig up (or care to, anyways)
1) I'm 65% deaf in my left ear and blind as a bat. Thank goodness for the invention of contact lenses, but the hearing thing is just something I've learned to live with. My husband will tell you that I have "selective hearing," but I can assure you that my deafness has been medically proven. What? Did you say something?
2) I have a phobia of being late. As a child, I would show up at the bus stop about 25-30 minutes early. Soon after, I would develop a horrible stomach ache for fear that I'd missed the bus. Relief arrived daily, about 20 minutes after, when another kid would finally come to the bus stop. And the vicious cycle continued...
3) I took tap dance lessons with my friend Sherril...when we were almost forty!! It was pathetic, to say the least. We did just fine at the recital, but we looked like a couple of drag queens. Never again. The funniest part was that I dragged Sherril into it, and she was fine. It was I who was a total wreck before the recital. Just moments before, I began yawning incessantly (later to find out that was my body's response to obtain oxygen in such crisis), and I felt like I had to use the restroom. Like, really badly. After the recital, I didn't even remember what had happened on that stage...
4) I have two pairs of stretchy, black Adidas "Mommy pants," and I wear them virtually every. single. day. Except, of course, on the "rare" occasion that they are in the wash (just kidding, I do wash them every couple of days). Yes, it's true. Think "Caillou's Mom." She's my idol. Those who see me on a regular basis have already observed this trend...for several years now. Sure I have other choices, but it's just so easy for my fashionably-challenged brain to reach for those comfy, all-weather duds. And they go with almost any t-shirt that I pull out of my drawer...
5) Up until last year, I could still do a split. Is that impressive?? The days of my paltry attempts at adult gymnastics (cartwheels, round-offs, splits) are now over. After I blew my knee out last Summer at Bible camp doing the obstacle course with the five-year olds--ALL DONE. I wouldn't even risk trying.
6) I was a bossy and controlling little girl. My husband would tell you that I still am. I used to host "clubs" at my house as a child, and then I'd order all of my unsuspecting "guests" to read books like I was some psychotic domineering teacher-gone-bad. If they failed to comply, forget about it. Well, honestly, they were too freaked out not to comply, so that really wasn't an issue. The club didn't last very long since all my little friends went home crying day one. I was very little. Perhaps a Napoleon complex was rearing it's ugly head...
7) I'm the happiest I've ever been - RIGHT NOW. I guess it's because, at 45, I love who I am, and I love where I am in my life. I'm thankful for my relationship with God, and I love my family and my friends immensely. With age, comes wisdom.
There. I did it. Please don't ask me to come up with more. I'm sure many of my friends would be happy to divulge some "bonus" shares about me, but please spare us all...
Now...for my blog picks to carry the torch (if they so desire)...I'd like to pass on this award to...(drumroll please)...
1) Miss Jennifer over at Praying Adam Home
2) Miss Ann over at Crazy for Kids
3) Miss Ana over at The Gigster (she hasn't posted in a while, and she's very funny...)
The rules of the award are this: 1) Thank the person who gave you this award. 2) list 7 things people may not know about you. 3) pass it along to a few other bloggers.
Trying to come up with seven things to share about myself was not an easy task. Quite painful, actually. Most of the things that instantly come to mind are not worth sharing, or just things that I've been trying to forget! Thanks, Amy, for giving me this grueling task of self-discovery!
So...let's see what I can dig up (or care to, anyways)
1) I'm 65% deaf in my left ear and blind as a bat. Thank goodness for the invention of contact lenses, but the hearing thing is just something I've learned to live with. My husband will tell you that I have "selective hearing," but I can assure you that my deafness has been medically proven. What? Did you say something?
2) I have a phobia of being late. As a child, I would show up at the bus stop about 25-30 minutes early. Soon after, I would develop a horrible stomach ache for fear that I'd missed the bus. Relief arrived daily, about 20 minutes after, when another kid would finally come to the bus stop. And the vicious cycle continued...
3) I took tap dance lessons with my friend Sherril...when we were almost forty!! It was pathetic, to say the least. We did just fine at the recital, but we looked like a couple of drag queens. Never again. The funniest part was that I dragged Sherril into it, and she was fine. It was I who was a total wreck before the recital. Just moments before, I began yawning incessantly (later to find out that was my body's response to obtain oxygen in such crisis), and I felt like I had to use the restroom. Like, really badly. After the recital, I didn't even remember what had happened on that stage...
4) I have two pairs of stretchy, black Adidas "Mommy pants," and I wear them virtually every. single. day. Except, of course, on the "rare" occasion that they are in the wash (just kidding, I do wash them every couple of days). Yes, it's true. Think "Caillou's Mom." She's my idol. Those who see me on a regular basis have already observed this trend...for several years now. Sure I have other choices, but it's just so easy for my fashionably-challenged brain to reach for those comfy, all-weather duds. And they go with almost any t-shirt that I pull out of my drawer...
5) Up until last year, I could still do a split. Is that impressive?? The days of my paltry attempts at adult gymnastics (cartwheels, round-offs, splits) are now over. After I blew my knee out last Summer at Bible camp doing the obstacle course with the five-year olds--ALL DONE. I wouldn't even risk trying.
6) I was a bossy and controlling little girl. My husband would tell you that I still am. I used to host "clubs" at my house as a child, and then I'd order all of my unsuspecting "guests" to read books like I was some psychotic domineering teacher-gone-bad. If they failed to comply, forget about it. Well, honestly, they were too freaked out not to comply, so that really wasn't an issue. The club didn't last very long since all my little friends went home crying day one. I was very little. Perhaps a Napoleon complex was rearing it's ugly head...
7) I'm the happiest I've ever been - RIGHT NOW. I guess it's because, at 45, I love who I am, and I love where I am in my life. I'm thankful for my relationship with God, and I love my family and my friends immensely. With age, comes wisdom.
There. I did it. Please don't ask me to come up with more. I'm sure many of my friends would be happy to divulge some "bonus" shares about me, but please spare us all...
Now...for my blog picks to carry the torch (if they so desire)...I'd like to pass on this award to...(drumroll please)...
1) Miss Jennifer over at Praying Adam Home
2) Miss Ann over at Crazy for Kids
3) Miss Ana over at The Gigster (she hasn't posted in a while, and she's very funny...)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Happy Birthday, Little Groundhog
Today is Groundhog's Day.
It is also Daniel's birthday.
There is a little four-year old celebrating up in Heaven today.
These pictures are from China when we celebrated Daniel's 2nd birthday
with him at the Safari Park in Guangzhou.
Happy birthday, Daniel! Thinking about you today and every day!!
with him at the Safari Park in Guangzhou.
Happy birthday, Daniel! Thinking about you today and every day!!
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