It's the Small Things

I like the big moments in life as much as anyone, I guess, but the small things are where my happiness truly lies. Here are some from today.
1. Things that make me smile #1: going into the master bath and seeing a random tiara left there. I guess princesses have to potty on the go, too.
2.  While I like a few of the newer holiday songs, I'm really a seasonal traditionalist. It's not really Christmas music to me unless it includes Nat and Bing.
3. Things that make me smile #2: Watching two kids dressed (for no good reason) as Harry Potter and Princess Jasmine decorate the Christmas tree.
4. I love NPR, and on a short trip to return library books it taught me that 10% of a dog's brain is dedicated to smelling. Ethan believes that 50% is dedicated to eating.
5. Neither nail polish remover nor lacquer thinner gets Super Glue off your hands. On the upside, I've had so many toxic chemicals on my skin today that I think I have a great excuse for any questionable behavior in the next week or two.
6. When you forget to buy candy for the kids' Advent calendar, that collection of Halloween candy leftovers goes from being a giant bag 'o tooth decay to a blessing that prevents one more trip to the store.
7. Jerome has had to correct Katie's pronunciation multiple times today...but I secretly like "ormanents" better.
8. Ethan is learning to cook a meal all by himself and has committed to cooking one night per week. Seeing the kids learn new skills makes me feel satisfaction on a level I never knew existed.
9. We have a color theme for our Christmas tree but it's largely a sentimental collection of ornaments. It reflects our lives, I think: some organization and forethought and a whole lot of holding onto what we love.

The Ethan Update, Around the World in Twenty Minutes edition.

Our ten year old, Ethan, has been at Servant Camp at our church all week, which means each day he did a service project in the morning and then did something fun in the afternoon.  So he has helped at a soup kitchen, spread mulch at a park, played bingo with elderly folks in a nursing home, given homeless pets some exercise at a shelter, and so on.  He has such a loving heart and I’m so proud of him.  I’m grateful to attend a church that helps kids learn to serve others.  This morning, I dropped him off at camp and the drive over gave us some time to talk.  NPR is usually on in my car and Ethan began asking questions, so we discussed Edward Snowdon, seeking asylum, and how people disagree whether what he did was good or bad for the country.  We talked about Nelson Mandela, what apartheid was, and why Mr. Mandela is such a great man (I got in a recommended reading plug for “Long Walk to Freedom” for when Ethan’s older).  And we wrapped up our tour of current events with gay marriage.  Not bad for 20 minutes on a summer Thursday.