Blue Ridge Drive

Post Written by Marchus, Spencer, and Eli Crosland.  We woke up early Saturday morning and decided to go hiking.  We went to Ragged Mountain.  We saw all of the pretty leaves.   Last time we went on this hike, we discovered ruins of a very old home.  There are two chimneys with very little of a foundation.  We went straight to the chimney.  Then Marchus told a story about Taily Po, a Halloween story, he had heard from school.  He was able to recite the story almost verbatim.  Then we saw a canoe upside down by the lake.  We collected acorns that were beginning to sprout and brought them home to plant in our yard.  We saw two black moths sitting on a rock.  We hiked back to the car.  Then we drove up to the Shenandoah to drive along the Blue Ridge Mountains to see the beautiful leaves.  On the way, we stopped and had an acorn fight.  Then we drove back home and carved pumpkins for Halloween.

2010 First Day of School

Today, I sent a 1st Grader and a Kindergartner on the bus. I have been excited for them to start school and to get back into a routine. What happened next, I wasn’t prepared for. I sprang a leak in the corners of my eyes. I miss my kids terribly when they are at school. After the bus drove away, I took my 3 year old and 11 month old for a walk. Eli kept whining that we weren’t going home and Charleigh kept climbing out of her seat.

About 10 minutes after we got home, I received a telephone call from the elementary school. My BNWT (Brand New with Tag) Kindergartner had a clear plastic squirt gun in his backpack. The teacher said it is not an item that can be sent on the school bus. She had to confiscate the item and asked me to pick it up at my convenience.

Charleigh and Eli were in the backseat of the car on the way to the school. My 11 month old was rubbing her foot on her 3 year old brother’s newly shaved head. She was in a constant state of giggling since it tickled her foot so much. I love being a Mom!

Today, I failed!

Today, is garbage day and our third day of summer. So currently, I would have a hard time telling you what day of the week it is. I missed the garbage pick up this morning. So, I put my garbage can on a street perpendicular to me. (Thank goodness for second chances!) A half hour later, I cleaned up my Mother's Day vases and wanted to throw the dead flowers away. I put them in a small bag and proceeded to take them to my outdoor garbage can up the street. This gargantuan dog came charging down his driveway and barked at me like I was his prey. I stood still for a few minutes and then calmly walked away from the situation. I only had fifteen more feet to place the receptacle in the container. This particular neighbor has two large, thunderous dogs. They manage to never leave the yard; so to my best guesstimate, there is an invisible fence. I am so confident of this, I tell my children this belief.
When it came down to the moment of truth in facing my fears or being more brave, I failed!

Why Kaizen Ethos?

Kaizen - Japanese for "improvement" or "change for the better" refers to a philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement.

Ethos - To the Greeks ancient and modern, the meaning is simply "the state of being", the inner source, the soul, the mind, and the original essence, that shapes and forms a person.

These definitions are found in Wikipedia. Both of these words have been important to me throughout my life. As I get older, I feel inspired to bring these two forces; which drive me to improve, and blend them together. I desire to continuously improve my spirit and mind through earthly experiences and learn from them.