Creative Writing Assignment
NameDavid Stahlke
Answer each question about the alien you illustrated. Use complete sentences.1. What is this alien's name?It's name is spy.
2. Where is this alien from?It's from a spy planet.
3. How old is this alien?It's 949 years old.
4. What was this alien's life like before it came to Earth?It's life was veny bad.
5. What does this alien like to eat?It likes to eat cat hair.
6. What does this alien like to do for fun?It likes tospy on people.
7. What is one thing you hope to learn from your alien friend?What kind of people itspies on.
8. What is one thing you hope to teach your alien friend?How to eat proper food.
________________________
Later this summer, when we visit my sister and her family near Washington, D.C., I'm going to lobby for a visit to the International Spy Museum!
Exercise
Lots of food preparation yesterday
(I do my own cooking to save money):
7 sack lunches +
7 scrambled eggs +
32 brownies for Adam's class +
32 brownies for Adam's baseball team +
1 chocolate cake for Adam's birthday at home +
1 trip to the grocery store for some items that were used up +
2 pizzas, since our oven time is running out with summer coming +
=
14,000 steps on my pedometer
(my highest count in three months)
Birthday Greeting
We are celebrating Adam's 13th birthday today. Most of our ritual for birthdays is completely American--cake, candles, and gifts. Each child buys a $5 gift for the birthday sibling, while Jonathan and I purchase a bigger present as their family gift. Combined with gifts and cards from friends and family, it's quite a celebration.
I also make cupcakes or brownies for the child's class. This year, Adam has a baseball game on his birthday, so I've cooked a triple batch so that the team gets some goodies, too. This year at Garfield, however, a new rule states that all birthday treats have to be store-bought and wrapped. They are distributed at the end of the school day, so that the parents can control if and when they are eaten. Food allergies, especially to peanuts, are the stated reason for the change, but I'm sure liability is also a factor.
The first year that the kids were here, they would often yank on the birthday child's earlobe really hard. It was pretty uncomfortable, and the child doing the pulling seemed more delighted about it than the one on the receiving end. I'd like to know more about the meaning of this particular birthday greeting from Ukraine!
Postscript: Slow Down
For those of you here at Trinity, it was Randy, not pastor, who assisted God in writing that note last Sunday.
Slow Down
After lots of high church music on Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, our services on May 25 featured several piano pieces and low church hymns. That meant that I got my exercise running between the organ in the balcony and the piano at the front of the sanctuary. My pedometer counts are always high on Sunday anyway, but May 25 was impressive even for a Sunday.
The timing of the communion hymns was a little tricky, since the length of communion is dependent on the number of people attending the service. My goal was to play the hymns on the piano and then walk to the balcony to play the post-communion canticle. At the 8:00 am service, the smaller attendance meant that I had to move quickly (i.e., run once I was out of the congregation's sightlines). I jumped on the organ bench and immediately started playing. It became clear right away that no one was singing, but some of our liturgical pieces are new, and the congregation isn't very familiar with them yet.
The post-communion canticle ended, and I played the pitches for the pastor's chant. Instead of chanting, however, he spoke the post-communion prayer, and I finally realized that I had just played the offertory for the second time!
_________________________
Later that morning, I returned to the organ for the 10:30 am service. On my music stand, I found the following note:
MARY,
DON'T FORGET TO TURN THE PAGE!
GOD
Postscript: Bits of Ukrainian
"Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-OAnd on his farm he had a _____"Eight-year-old David lay in bed, looking up at me. As usual for this bedtime song, I waited for him to pick a farm animal. Instead of the horse, pig, or dog that he usually chooses, he said "mom."
Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on his farm he had a mom, E-I-E-I-OWith a ___"David, what kind of sound does a mom make?"
I held my breath, and my heart started pounding.
What would he say? What words does he think I often say to him?
He took a
long time to respond, looking up at me while he thought.
Imagine my intense relief when his answer was "Good boy!"
With a "Good boy!" here and a "Good boy!" thereHere a "Good boy!" there a "Good boy!" Everywhere a "Good boy!" Old Macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
Bits of Ukrainian
When we attended Easter services at the Ukrainian church, I heard many familiar words for which I no longer remember the meaning. We hear so little Ukrainian at home now--only a few sentences on Saturday after Ukrainian school. But I'm hoping that a lot of vocabulary will come back to me when we travel to Ukraine to adopt Kola.
As I was doing dishes a few days ago, a glass started to fall off the counter. Involuntarily, I reached to catch it, yelling "Ne, ne, ne!" That's a bit of Ukrainian still in my unconscious! I wish that "Tak, tak, tak" came as easily.
Using positive language while disciplining the children is one of my goals:
"Walk!" vs. "Don't run"
"Use your inside voice" vs. "Be quiet"
"Say something nice to each other or don't talk at all" vs. "Stop fighting!"
It doesn't help that in the first few months here, I heard the kids using a beautiful-sounding Ukrainian word: "ro'-seh-kree." After hearing it for a while, I had to find out what it means. To my dismay, they answered "SHUT YOUR TRAP!"
Postscript: Double Scheduled
Am I ever glad we decided to keep our second car!
Double Scheduled
Here was our schedule last Saturday (May 10). I have not included the times for picking up kids after events, which I DO include in my calendar. The entry for May 10 in my calendar was very full and quite difficult to read, so Jonathan and I plotted it out on a big piece of paper.
__________________________________
9:00 - ?Track meet in northwest Chicago (Paul) near O'Hare airport
9:00The start of the class day at Ukrainian school near the Loop
(Rachel, Sarah, David)
9:30 - 11:30Shredding event for personal documents as a fundraiser at Grace Lutheran School--we weren't able to go
10:30 Baseball batting practice (Adam)--he wasn't able to go
11:00 Mother's Day performance at Ukrainian school
(Rachel, Sarah, David)
12:00Funeral at our church for a young mother, which was very sad on the day before Mother's Day. I was asked to be the organist, but had to find a substitute because of our children's performance at Ukrainian school. Due to a communications mixup on our part, I mistakenly received word at 9:45 am that my substitute organist couldn't play the service. So I drove first from the track meet to our home in Forest Park to change clothes, and then to Villa Park for the funeral. At 11:00 am, as the Ukrainian Mother's Day program was beginning, I got word that my substitute organist could play all along and would arrive in plenty of time for the funeral. So I hopped in the car and immediately drove to Ukrainian Village, slipping into my chair at 11:30. You should have seen the looks of relief on my children's faces! And at 11:35, the first of my kids got up on stage. Thank you, God, for getting me there on time!
1:00The start of softball practice for Rachel. She arrived late.
2:001) Playdate at Kiddieland (Sarah with a neighbor's family)
2) Baseball game (Adam)
3:30Soccer Game (David)
5:00Open House to see how one of our neighbors decorated her home (she's a professional designer)--the whole family was invited, but I attended with Adam, Rachel, and David
6:00Cook supper and eat
7:00Meet Sarah at Grace after her Kiddieland playdate
7:30Theater performance at Grace for the 7th and 8th graders (Paul)
8:00Performance of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which Jonathan attended with friends. He had already seen Paul's play on Friday, May 9.
9:00School dance at Grace for the 7th and 8th graders (Paul)
_____________________________
Last year at this time, I prayed for rain. This year I went to Office Max and bought my first calendar with a WHOLE DAY on each page. Did I ask the price of the calendar? No!
Postscript: Vocabulary
The trivet is indeed very, very beautiful!
Repeated Calling
Jonathan and I met at Starbucks last Friday for an hour-long "calendar" session. It was long overdue, and luckily we found only one glaring example of double scheduling. (That story will have to wait for another blog entry!).
Jonathan is scheduled to see the dentist in a few weeks, and we didn't know the exact time of his appointment. He pulled out his cell phone and called the dentist's office. He didn't look up the telephone number, and my computer-averse husband doesn't program his cell phone with telephone numbers. Besides, he knows the dentist's telephone number from memory!
Vocabulary
"Mom, do you like hot pads?"
"David, do you mean the small electric pad we used for the baby squirrel a few weeks ago? I borrowed that from a neighbor until we could take the squirrel to the wildlife rehab center. We don't actually own a hot pad ourselves."
"Mom, not THAT kind of hot pad."
"Do you mean the thick plastic bags that hold hot water? Those are called hot water bottles. We do own one of those. It's great for my shoulders when my tendonitis is bothering me."
"Mom, that's not it either! It's the thing we put on the table under a hot dish of food."
"Oh, you mean a trivet!" [
I couldn't remember the term "hot plate" on the spur of the moment!]
"YES!! Mom, do you like trivets?"
I looked at David's eager, wide-eyed face and thought quickly. "David, I LOVE trivets. They are really wonderful!"
David beamed from ear to ear. I'm sure I'll be receiving a trivet tomorrow for Mother's Day!
A Conversation with Masha
Jonathan telephoned Masha today. There's an eight-hour time difference, and he called her at 1:00 pm Chicago time, which is 9:00 pm in Ukraine. She told him that the documents in our dossier are all in order--accurately filled-out and complete--and that her translation work is done. She has not yet been able to submit our dossier to the SDAPRC (State Department for Adoptions and Protection of Rights of the Child), which is the branch of the Ukraine federal government which handles international adoption. We know from the U.S. embassy website (kiev.usembassy.gov) that the submission procedure is detailed, and Masha is working with it as fast as she can.
Masha asked Jonathan about the extension of our U.S. visa (I-171H). The current visa expires in July, and we can obtain one free extension. Our home inspection yesterday was one of the steps in getting the visa extended. Masha was pleased to hear that the extension was in process. We are now waiting for DCFS to process our case worker's report from yesterday. DCFS's time frame for this work is about three weeks.
I'll keep you posted as events unfold.
Another Home Inspection
Our case worker comes to the house today at noon for another post-placement visit. She will check that our tap water temperature is not too hot or cold. We also have to show that all our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order. Lastly, the hallways have to be clear for fire egress.
While she is here, we talk about the children's challenges and achievements, for she is very experienced both in child development and adoption issues. She is also the expert on whom we rely for procedural details of Kola's adoption paperwork in Illinois.
So . . . we spent a lot of time yesterday cleaning. The children's rooms and the upstairs hall look about the best they've been since the children came. The basement is another story, however, since the bags of trash and discarded toys go there until I can sort through them. It's amazing what the children inadvertently throw away. Luckily, the basement is not the part of the house that our case worker needs to inspect!
Mr. Rabbit
Several of you have asked about our dog Dakota, especially since we lost Alabama. The two of them were best buddies for twelve years. First of all, Daokata knew she had died since Jonathan took him to the vet's office with the children to see her body. So Dakota didn't wonder why she never came home from the animal hospital. In the first weeks after her death, he was showered with lots and lots of affection from Jonathan, me, and the children. Periodically, he would escape to a quiet bedroom just to get some alone time.
He's getting older, too, and will turn 14 in June. His hearing is poor, and he sleeps a lot, but overall he's in good health. Dakota is not as constantly exuberant as he once was, but he still shows his sunshine on occasion. Food, and especially treats, are a source of great joy for him. I've had to work hard to keep him from howling in the morning for his treat--he could wake all the children sleeping on the second floor, even from the first floor kitchen! And if the kids get up early, our whole morning is off-kilter, with delays ranging from clothes selection to sibling bickering.
Many years ago, Dakota had a severe infection whose toxins caused his retinas to begin detaching. In only two days, he went blind, and only through quick medical care and massive doses of steroids were we able to save his sight. He was on steroids for an entire year, with the side effect of ravenous hunger. Before this treatment, he would only eat dogfood and "doggy" treats like meat. During and after treatment, just about anything tastes good to him.
I've learned that when I'm making lunches in the morning, it pays to be careful when I take things out of the refrigerator. The kids will awaken from his howls of joy at the sight of a cucumber! I was relieved the other day, however, that a piece of grapefruit went untouched in his dish. Looks like we own a dog, not a rabbit, after all!
Postscript: Easter Vigil!
Several times a week, I read the online version of the Kyiv Post. Today's issue features an Easter photo of the Ukrainian president and prime minister greeting a Ukrainian orthodox priest. The priest's vestments look very similar to the ones we saw a week ago at the midnight service here in Chicago--beautiful white and gold with a hat that looks like a crown. To take a look, see:
kyivpost.com/popup/teaser
Seasonings
When we lived overseas and then returned to the United States, Jonathan and I noticed immediately that many American foods and drinks are quite sweet. In fact, in the mid-1990s when we returned to the U.S., it was difficult to find non-sweet drinks in convenience stores unless you chose coffee.
When our kids first came, they would beg for fruit or chips instead of cake or cookies. "Mom, it's too sweet!" And peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches have taken years to catch on with them. I feel a little guilty changing their healthy habits!
But their taste for salt rivals our craving of sugar! At the dinner table, we've relinquished the salt shaker very reluctantly. But this morning, I allowed Sarah to salt her own eggs. To my dismay, she quickly shook the salt shaker three times, not once. I immediately traded plates with her, and when she complained loudly, she earned a timeout.
Sarah's eggs were so gritty with salt that I could hardly eat them. Now I understand a phrase that the kids have used since they came, which is probably a direct translation from Ukrainian:
"Mom, this food needs more salt! Will you let me have some more? I can't FEEL the salt!!"
Stashing
Before the children came, Jonathan and I took the DCFS training course provided for foster parents. A valuable thing I gained from these classes was an awareness of the terrible behaviors our children might exhibit due to abuse and neglect. Now when we face challenging behavior from our children, I remind myself that it could be much, much worse.
The adoption literature mentions hoarding as a very common behavior among children from orphanages. Personally, I prefer the less negative term "stashing." We have been spared the stashing of food--our DCFS classes described peanut butter and jelly sandwiches left under a mattress for months! In the food category, the worst we've faced is candy wrappers and an occasional chocolate piece in someone's pants pocket.
Clothes are another matter, however. In the orphanage, our children did not have clothes of their own. Every week, clothes were distributed first-come, first-served. Now our kids have an abundance of clothing, thanks to the many generous parents who donate used clothes to us. But some of our children hide this clothing--just in case. Last night I pulled twenty items out from under one of the children's beds, after being told (twice!) that everything was folded and put away!
About six months ago, while cleaning the living room, I lifted up an armchair to vacuum underneath it. The bottom was sagging, so I took a closer look. There was a hole in the netting that stretches underneath the chair, and when I reached my hand inside, guess what I found?
Numerous toys, which is understandable, but a hammer?
