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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ive always loved St. Patricks Day. In my life, March 17th has always been a special day. I may only have a tiny bit of Irish blood in me, but every March 17th I celebrate with the best of them. The excitement of the day is contagious and I find myself wanting to stand and be counted among the many Irish Americans in this country. When I married Matt and took his name, in my head and heart it was "on like Donkey Kong". I was Irish - if only in name. But heck, with a name like Lisa McGarvey, no one would deny me going a little overboard on St. Patricks Day, would they? I think not. ;)

These days, the majority of my enthusiasm for St. Patrick's Day is thrown at my sons, Seamus and Finn. Almost every year I do something - even if its just taking shamrock cookies into their classrooms. In years past Ive made pots of gold for the boys to pass out at school. Ive been asked to read Irish legends and share the story of St. Patrick to their classmates. One year we made a rainbow craft with the kindergardeners. Whatever we do, I always try to make it fun. This year I made bead garlands for their classmates and when I dropped the boys off at their classrooms, Seamus' teacher invited me to stay. Unbeknownst to me, the sixth grade class was getting together with their third grade buddies for some St. Patrick's Day merriment. Mrs. Talbot made soda bread (it was delicious!) and told the kids about her family immigrating from Ireland to Boston. She talked to them about St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and discussed how he brought many Irishmen to the Catholic faith. After a small craft, the kids went outside for a scavenger hunt of candy and "gold." I was so grateful she asked me to stay and thankfully I had my camera with me to snap some quick pictures.



The highlight of my morning was when Seamus got up and danced an Irish jig in front of the class. The sixth graders have been practicing Irish dancing for an upcoming school program and Mrs. Talbot asked for volunteers to demonstrate the style of dancing for the third graders. Two girls got up and began dancing along with the traditional music. When Mrs. Talbot asked if any boys would come up and dance, the class began chanting Seamus' name. This scared me at first. I felt bad for him and imagined him feeling unnecessary pressure. But Seamus didnt seem to mind. He smiled at me, walked willingly to the front of the class and began dancing with the girls. I seriously could not believe it! He didnt seem embarrassed or shy. In fact, he looked like a perfect little Irish boy - kicking up his knees and legs with the music. He completely blew my mind! I had no idea he could dance like that.

Whatever you do today, I wanted to wish you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day. And if per chance you are the celebrating type, feel free to have a green beer for me. :)

Happy Wednesday.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

I am not a confrontational person by nature. Its just not part of my DNA. When I do try to assert myself, I usually end up looking foolish and impulsive. People dont take me seriously when I stick up for what I believe. Instead of those around me saying "You know, Lisa has a good point. Lets listen to her," they end up saying "Dude, someone is having a bad day. What a freak!"

You would think as a mother, that I would be different about my kids, right? Wrong. Its an equally unnatural feeling for me to stick up for my boys - be it with other kids, school or family. I can do it when necessary and I have felt that "mother bear" surge before, but mostly it feels wrong. Assertiveness just doesnt come naturally for me.

Given all this information, you can imagine how rare I felt e-mailing Finn's teacher about a grade he received in school. You see, I am not the kind of parent that makes waves. I typically dont question teachers on their procedures and practices. I dont believe myself to be a critical person, but I could be wrong. Usually, I give teachers and educators the benefit of the doubt. However, yesterday Finn brought home a bunch of graded classwork and one assignment struck me as odd. See image below.

A couple things: First, I am so damn thankful to the school and to Ms. Marley for making writing an integral part of Finn's education. It has been my experience that the art of learning to write is not a subject that is taken very seriously in school. When I saw this assignment come home I honestly felt so grateful that Finn was getting exposure and instruction about writing. Too often I feel like we tell kids "Oh... you're still young. You're only 9. You'll learn to better write in high school." In my experience, you need to know how to write by high school, not during it. Secondly, I was overcome with pride not only by my son's ability to write (in cursive, no doubt) but also because of the theme he chose to write about: his brother, Seamus. As I read his letter, I got a little choked up on account of the affection he voiced for his brother. What a freaking sweetheart!

As I was reading, I noticed the teacher's remarks on the first page. They appeared valid to me. Then I turned to the back page and saw what I believed to be his grade: a zero. I flipped back to the front and read again. This was a pretty good letter for a third grader - definitely above average in my mind. It seemed that the class was given directions to write three paragraphs on two pages, but Finn wrote three cramped paragraphs on one page. Did Finn's teacher give him a zero for not following the directions? Surely he didnt get a zero for his writing ability. In addition to this letter there were about three pre writing activities which Finn completed and were stapled to his final draft. For all this effort, it seemed unreal to me that he would receive zero credit. Even though I do not typically involve myself in classroom matters, I convinced myself that I owed it to Finn to ask for an explanation. In my opinion, Finn wrote a very good letter. I can somewhat understand teaching him a lesson about following directions, but to give him a zero on this assignment seemed absolutely unjust.

I emailed his teacher last night before going to bed. I didnt really over think what I was doing, which is rare. I also wasnt emotionally upset by the grade. I was merely confused. When I wrote Finn's teacher I explained that I was puzzled by the assignment and that I would appreciate an explanation why Finn was given a zero on his letter. I further explained that I believed had she done a word count of his essay, Finn's paper would be on par with the rest of the class that did follow directions. I felt like Finn was being penalized for the cramped style of his cursive and I told her that I believed the grade of a zero was unfair. I will admit the email was a mouthful from me, but when I sent it I felt kind of good. Its so rare and awkward for me to voice dissent in this manner, but I felt kind of responsible - like it was the right thing to do.

When I checked my email this morning, a message from his teacher was waiting:

Hi Mrs. McGarvey,
You are absolutely right, his letter did not deserve a zero. In fact, he got an O. What you saw was not a percentage, but rather a letter grade of an O. Finn did a great job with his letter and he was one of only two students who received an O. If you have any more questions let me know.
Thank you.
Ms. Marley.

Oh crap! Talk about feeling like a complete asshole. I went back and re read my email. Did it sound harsh and judgemental? Did I appear upset or overbearing in my writing? Did I come off as a total jerk? I dont believe Ive ever asked her to explain a graded assignment before. Did she think I was a hover parent and will be leery of me from now until the end of the year?

This is what happens when I try to assert myself - I end up opening my mouth and inserting my foot. I swear, Im hopeless. I should just stick to what I do best: avoiding conflict and looking the other way when it arrises.

I am happy for Finn though. Way to go, Buddy!

Happy Wednesday.

My Honor Student

Seamus wanst even 1.5 years old when I realized I needed to celebrate not only his major victories - like walking and talking and his first days of school- but his minor ones too. My road as a parent has not been easy or smooth sailing. Matt and I have been dealt some major challenges and obstacles we had no way of anticipating. We have set some benchmarks very high for our children, but we have also conceded that sometimes you need to celebrate and focus on the small victories. Life for us in Casa McGarvey is often about the little victories.

Last fall I began to see many subtle changes in my son that demonstrated a new found maturity. Seamus seemed to be more cooperative with me. He didnt fuss so much about the little things I asked him to do. He became more helpful around the house, often anticipating the things I needed done before I voiced them. He honestly seemed to try more than I had ever seen him do before. For the first time in my life as a parent, it seemed to me that Seamus wanted to reciprocate for all that he had been given. Instead of expecting without earning, Seamus began giving back.

I thought Shea's behavior was motivated by Christmas. I thought that the idea of Santa Claus and all the religious talk at school explained his change in behavior. Honestly, I didnt care what was motivating him. I didnt overthink it. Instead, I celebrated his behavior at every turn. I was so overjoyed to see this new, mature and conscientious boy emerge that I selfishly took what I was given. I enjoyed every minute of it and showered my oldest with constant praise. He deserved it.

To my surprise, Shea's good behavior didnt stop after Christmas. While some of the everyday helpfulness has died down a little bit, the overall maturity hasnt. Most recently, Shea's positive behavior has begun to show up in his school grades.

Last semester was tough for my new middle schooler. Seamus received a couple bad grades and Matt and I came down with some serious consequences. For the past few months there have been very few distractions between Seamus and his academic load. He goes to homework club everyday and he seems to have finally processed the connection between working hard and receiving good grades. He still has some off days, but for the most part his attitude and outlook has changed dramatically. On Friday, he got reinforcement for his hard work. St. Francis students were sent home progress reports for any grades C or under and for the first time since last year, Seamus didnt receive a progress report. People.... do you know what that means? That means that my 6th grader has all As and Bs right now! Im practically the parent of an honor student!!!

I am a little bit hesitant to post about all this on the blog. I know Seamus is going to have academic ups and downs all through middle and high school. But gosh darnit, this has to be celebrated! My son is naturally smart, but he never seemed to care about how his intelligence was reflected in his grades before this year. In the past few months Shea seems to have made a connection between giving his best effort and receiving good grades. Im not sure if he will pull off the As and Bs for the rest of the year, but I do know its possible. He can do it and he knows that now, too.

Happy freaking Monday, people! :)

If I Had A Million Dollars...

Yesterday my nephew Eli came over after school to play with Finn. The two cousins have been getting along really well lately and I wanted to give them some solo time to connect and play while Seamus was at soccer practice. When Seamus came home around four, the three of us trekked over to our green field up the street. I need to make up a name for the field. Im leaning towards Strawberry Fields because of the Beatles song, even though its not a strawberry field. Anyway,while we were out Jen and Abbey dropped by the house to get Eli but we werent there. Jen called me on the cell and they too came over to the field for a bit. Here are a few shots I got of them yesterday.




I absolutely love that picture above of Abbey above. She was heading into a thick area and when I called her name, she quickly looked over her shoulder. CLICK - a totally lucky shot. Oh... I love this next picture too. The grass is really tall in this field right now - taller than the kids in some areas. The boys like to sneak up like a tiger in the tundra and scare me. Yesterday, I was taking a picture of Eli and Finn attempted to scare me. Randomly, I turned around right as he was coming close and when I saw him I startled him and yelled something like "You sneaker! Dont even think about it." He was overcome with giggles and I got this shot of him running away after being caught. His face smiling...it kills me.

I shared with the boys my dream a few weeks ago. I want to buy that field and make it a neighborhood park. I dont have a chance in hell of getting the money it takes to buy such a large parcel of land in Southern California, but if I had a million dollars Id buy that field so that houses could never be built on it. You can actually see the ocean from the top of the field. Can you imagine how much its worth? Once bought, Id take one small area of the field and dedicate it to garden space. We could build some planting boxes and glow our own veggies and fruits for the neighborhood to enjoy. Kind of like a co-op of sorts. The rest of the field would remain wild. We might put a dirt path so its easier to get around to certain parts, but basically it would be left the way it is. I might also make a short wall out of stones and rocks and ceramics and old tile near the street. We could put sign on it so people would know this is our neighborhood park and to pick up their trash and dog poop.

I better start playing the lottery. :)
Happy Friday.

Me Gusta! - Mrs. Meyers Handsoap in Lemon Verbena Scent

Last year I got to spend some time up in the Central Coast with my lifelong friend, Scarano. She had me and a few of our friends come up and stay with her for a wonderful girls weekend in Santa Maria. Scarano (who's name is actually Jennifer Scarano, but Ive always referred to her as Scarano) has the type of home I love. Its small and comfy. Its got great windows and lots of light. She painted all the rooms in different, vibrant colors. Her guest room is a deep blue and when you sleep in it, it feels like you're sleeping under a midnight sky. Her backyard is also awesome with a wonderful, intimate patio area off the back door. Since Ive left, Scarano has turned her front yard into a "hippie garden." She grows all sorts of organic veggies and fruits out there for the entire neighborhood to view. Her home exudes unique personality.

While I was at Scarano's last Spring, she had a certain type of handsoap in her bathroom: Mrs Meyers CleanDay Liquid Handsoap. I fell in love with the scent immediately. For more than a year, I have casually kept a look out for the Lemon Verbena variety in the various stores I regularly frequent. Vons. Trader Joes. Frazier Farms, etc. Then, last week I was in Target and found the handsoap. SCORE! Target has carried Mrs. Meyers products for a while, but I had never found the Lemon Verbena handsoap among the aisles. When I saw the soap, I quickly bought two bottles and when I brought it home I was positively gleeful to find that scent back on my hands.

Lately, I find excuses to go in the kitchen and wash my hands. The smell is so beautiful to me.

Happy Thursday.

Jumping On the Chalkboard Bandwagon!

I frequent design blogs often and over the past several years chalkboard paint has emerged as a big, style trend. Whenever I see it used in homes, Im always drawn to it. But then my practical side (which usually stays dormant most of the year) weighs in. "I could never do that," it says. On any given day, my house is quite messy. Our home is very "lived in" and along with the wear and tear of our family of four is cat hair, dirt, dust and clutter. Although I love how chalkboard paint looks, the idea of chalk residue on the floors and on the walls is something that was hard for me to reconcile. I had convinced myself it couldnt be done. Not in our house.

Then something crazy happened. In late January during an uneventful weekend, I threw away reason and impulsively painted a small area of our house with chalkboard paint. It was rash and impulsive - totally an ADHD move. ha ha! In my fantasies, there was only one place I could see me using chalkboard paint: in the foyer of our backdoor. We are one of those weird families who never uses the front door; we use the back. Most of our family clutter like jackets, bookbags, umbrellas, hats and shoes end up there. Its a small space and it still had the original flat paint from when we bought our house 11 years ago. Undeniably, the back door foyer is the most used part of our house.

Like I said before, I didnt think much of what I was doing at the time. Im not sure I even asked Matt's permission. I think I believed I would lose my nerve if I didnt seize the opportunity while the inspiration was hot. Throwing caution to the wind, I jumped in with two feet and began painting with very little prep.


You know what? I love it.This little home project took less than a day to do and it has made such a world of a difference in that yucky little foyer. Every time I spy the chalk in that room, I smile and feel grateful. One of the coolest things about the chalkboard walls is that the boys, Matt, and other family members have begun to write things on the wall too. Recently, when Matt left for a week in Virigina he wrote "I love you" as a parting gesture above the doorway. I wrote on the wall "I love Matt, Seamus and Finn" and a few weeks ago it made me smile super big to see that someone (Im assuming it was my sister, though it doesnt look like her writing) extended the sentiment and wrote "Dama Shan, Eli and Abbey" alongside their names. Seamus wrote "Have a nice day" above the back door and everytime I leave our house I see it and smile.


So why am I sharing this? For one, Im proud of how it turned out. I wont lie - part of this post is pure boasting on my part. But Im also sharing this on the blog today because I really didnt think this would be something I would ever do. I had convinced myself that chalkboard paint wouldnt work in my house. But you know what? It DOES work. Im pretty jazzed that I took that leap into the unknown and it paid off.

Happy Tuesday. :)

February Family Picture

Picture was taken in Joshua Tree on Valentines Day.

February recap:
- Dama Shan came out to visit for about two and a half weeks in February. All four of us love her trips out to California. We feel spoiled that we get to enjoy her as much as we do. When Dama Shan comes, Matt gets motivated to do house projects. With Dama Shan's encouragement, he created us a fire pit in the back yard this month. Woooo hooooo! We cant wait until this summer when we can see Dama Shan again.

-Finn finally finished basketball this month. Yipeee! When I asked him if he wanted to do it again next year he said "I dont think so... unless Jeremy and James play again." He's looking forward to swimming lessons at The Wave. Last year we had to skip lessons for financial reasons, but this year we'll be sure to get him signed up in Spring. Finn and Seamus are both getting into the ipods this month too. Dama Teri gave them each one last year and it seems that they are just now realizing how much fun they can be.

- Seamus started playing soccer for the St. Francis School team this month. They have a good sized team and Im excited to watch them play. Its nice to get Shea playing a sport after taking the winter off. Shea also did a 5k run with Matt this month and finished first in his age group. Go SEAMUS!! His grades are doing better. He pulled up his Math grade to a B- a couple weeks ago, but I think its gone down a little since then. Hopefully with soccer starting up he'll be able to balance the studying with the sports.

- Matt went to Virginia for a week this month - work stuff. I missed him a lot, but was excited by the Georgetown hoodie he brought back for me. Matt gave up beer for lent this year and I believe its been a huge sacrifice thus far. Hopefully he can keep it up and stick to his commitment.

- Ive been enjoying the Olympics this month. I watch almost every night with Matt and am gonna be really bummed when its over later today. Matt and I are currently getting geared up for the Canada/USA hockey game this afternoon. Of course I want USA to win, but if they lose to Canada Im cool with that. Canada is rad. I would love to see them take home another gold on their home turf. Of course, if the USA wins, I'll be ecstatic. Im sure I'll cry.

What else? We were able to get a quick trip to J-tree this month which was awesome. Vista has gotten more rain than usual. I dont like it. Matt and I are beginning to solidfy plans for taking the boys over the Atlantic Ocean to Italy. We leave in 33 days. Eeeeeeeeekkkkkkk!

I guess thats it. February was quick, but good.

Happy Sunday.

Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder

Matt found this picture online last week. He got incredible pleasure showing it to me and then having me guess who it was. I didnt have a clue.

Can you guess?
Its my celebu-crush and "get out of marriage free" man, GEORGE CLOONEY!!!

Can you believe that? My God! It seriously blew my mind when I found out it was Clooney. Wow!

Happy Tuesday!

We Are Loving The Olympics!

In Casa de McGarvey, we have been watching the Olympics daily. Matt and I both really love the Olympics.
I didnt realize the boys were into it as much as we were until Seamus brought me this today.

Awwwwwww!
Also, we went to the green field by our house and I got a fantastic pic of the boys. I'll have to share it soon.
Happy Saturday night. :)

I Turn My Camera On

Like many of my friends and fellow scrapbookers, I take a lot of photos of my family. I feel confident in stating that I definitely take more pictures than the average person. Ballpark numbers? I cant be sure, but if I had to guess I'd say Ive amassed 10s of thousands of images. Going digital back in 2002 empowered me to click that shutter button liberally and often. I have not stopped since. It makes me kind of proud that I have created a comprehensive photographic history of our family thus far, but in the majority of our pictures I am not present. Does this sound familiar to anyone out there? In my family, I am the picture taker and like many other family "picture takers," I prefer to be stuck behind the lens instead of in front of it. It is a problem.

I grew up with a mother who also preferred to be behind the camera lens. Thanks to her, I have many quality photos documenting my pre- adult life. However, just like me with my own family, my mother is absent in 99.9% of my childhood photos. This makes me sad. You see, my mom was very involved in my young life. She was the gas that made our family car run, and yet I have no images of her as I remember her. Likewise, I have maybe 2 pictures of her and me together when I was a kid. I am certain that, like me, my mom wasnt really comfortable seeing her image in our photos, but because of her choice to not be in them, I have very few images of my mom.

I do not want to repeat what happened in my childhood photos and I have tried throughout the years to hand the camera over to others during holidays and special occasions. I gotta be honest: its not easy for me. Im not sure if I have a problem giving up control of how the images will turn out or if Im just afraid to see my image in the photos. Is it a vanity thing or is it a control thing? Im sure its both - vanity being more of an issue than control. However, I am happy to say that lately, I have found a way to include me in the pictures without the fear of giving up control. Ive been using my timer. In the past two months, I have used that timer a dozen or more times and in almost every instance Im totally cool with the images.

This past weekend at Joshua Tree, I used the timer for a couple group pictures and I got great results. Yipeee! Towards the end of our stay, I got the most magical picture using the timer. I wanted to share it with you. Its not a technically perfect photo. The "noise" is substantial and the color is a little off, but I squealed with delight when I saw it on my monitor.

Not only did I get a picture with the boys, Matt, me and Dama Shan together (in itself a HUGE feat) but I also got a shot of us by firelight. That, my friend, is what we call lightening striking twice. Oooooooh yeaaaaaah!

I totally love this image and guess what: Im in it. Mission accomplished!

Happy Thursday.

Me Gusta! - Knee Socks

When I was young and a student at St. Francis, I wore knee socks with my uniform every single day. It wasnt a fashion statement. It wasnt even a warmth thing. Knee socks were the required sock uniform so I wore them. Period. I never really thought much about them. They were just something I wore with my shoes.

Its been 2 decades since I wore knee socks regularly, but let me tell ya - they're making a comeback! When I was a kid, knee socks were just something I put on my feet. Lately I have discovered how much I like them! First of all, they're so cute. Who knew they came in so many cool colors and designs? I certainly didnt - not until a few months ago anyway. Wearing these brightly colored socks makes me feel positively cheerful! They're a great pick me up when its cold or raining outside. Im especially fond of striped knee socks. When I wear them it makes me feel like Punky Brewster or the Wicked Witch of the West. Under the hem of my plain ol' jeans is a secret Rainbow Brite soul ready to sing. I like that - I like how the socks make me feel!

Mostly, however, I love how warm knee socks keep my legs. You see, I am a naturally cold person - a side effect from having really low blood pressure. Being cold is one of the reasons I love summer so much. Summer is the ONLY time I feel warm. I literally freeze my butt off from October to April. Lately, the knee socks are keeping me nice and toasty. It feels like I have an extra layer of skin under my pants. Who knew that knee socks were actually functional? I honestly had no idea.

Here is a picture of the clean knee socks I presently own. Dont you love them?

Just looking at them makes me smile.
And yes... those legs in the blue knee socks are mine. I was a little reticent to post the picture because my legs arent as nice looking as they used to be. But you know what - Im cool with it. They havent given out on me yet, so I consider myself lucky to have them.

Happy Tuesday. :)

Valentines Day

We spent February 14th with Dama Shan, the boys, Barry and Eli in Joshua Tree. It was wonderful. We only went up for the day but it was enough for us to get in a couple hikes, soak in the radiant sun and make a campfire. I can't imagine a more sentimental place for me and my love to spend Valentine's Day.

Hope your day was as wonderful as ours.

Happy Monday.

PS - This picture was taken with the timer on my camera which is why its all wonky looking. While it was being taken, Matt was terrified the camera was going to fall off the rock where it was precariously perched. He kept saying "Lisa... its gonna fall. Lisa... be careful... aggghhh....its gonna fall." Thankfully it didnt.

Congrats to Finn!

Somebody finished his multiplication timed tests 1-12 last week.
Way to go Finn!


Oh... and that's red pen on his face. Its not a cut or anything.

Happy Thursday.

Catholic Schools Week

Last week was Catholic Schools Week at St. Francis School. We had Open House, Grandparent's Day, an Art Show and various big projects due. Here is a photo recap.

Open House was on Thursday night. We were excited to be joined by my sister Jennifer's family, my Auntie Lucy and my cousin Nicole's family. Both my sister and my two cousins are thinking of sending their children to St. Francis next year. The idea of all the cousins (there would be 7 of them) being at the same Catholic school makes me smile so big. I dont want to think too much about it because the odds of it happening arent great. Still, I cant help but sneak a few happy thoughts from time to time. What a dream that would be.

Here is Finn showing us some of his work in his classroom. His work was pretty impressive. He had this essay written on the wall about MLK and it made me tear up a bit.


Seamus' artwork. The sarcophagus hanging from the ceiling is the one I talked about in an earlier post.

Here is Elijah and his parents in the kindergarten room.

A close up of my nephew Elijah. Doesnt he look like Finn? When he was a baby I would get comments all the time about how much he looked like his older brother. I didnt have the heart to tell people that Finn wasnt his older brother.

Friday was Grandparents Day. We started the day off with mass and then the kids showed my parents around the school. They also took professional pictures that day. Incidentally, my mother in law, Barb missed Grandparents Day by less than a week. She is here with us now - just got here yesterday. I wish I had known earlier to plan for her to be here to participate in Grandparent's Day. I just didnt see it coming early enough. Im not really good at planning ahead. I will try better next year.


And these last pictures were taken on the way to school one day. Im pretty sure it was Monday morning.


That last picture was taken at a stop light near our house. Literally a half a second after I pushed the shutter release button, Seamus yelled at Finn saying "Finn... your breath stinks! Stop breathing on me!" You can almost see him getting ready to unleash on Finn.

Niiiiiiiiiiice.

Happy Wednesday.