A Happy Heart

This is more so that I'll always remember it than anything else, but a friend of mine told me she prefers my "story posts" to my photo posts, so I thought I'd throw this one up for anyone who needs a little heart warming.

But first, a little background: Thanks to Pandora, I rediscovered Ingrid Michaelson with this song, and it's been stuck in my head ever since. It also holds a completely different meaning to me as a mom than it did when last I encountered the Elvis original.

Which means: Porter and Nora have both endured my craggy-voiced renditions at bedtime for the better part of a week. (It's a good thing they love me. Andy doesn't even get that much trust; I cock an ear to make sure he's down the hall or watching TV before I sing my kiddos into dreamland if it's anything beyond Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star).

But I digress. So last night, as I was putting Porter to bed (and after trying to explain the meaning behind classic nursery rhymes that, in modern times, read like gibberish...why in the world did the old lady in the shoe whip her kids before bed??? Context please!), I snuggled up alongside my first born and asked what song he wanted for the night. Though I normally get a laundry list of every song he can think of in the span of 30 seconds, delaying sleep as long as possible, last night, as he buried himself in mounds of blanket and my arms, he said simply, "The love song."

And I say this a lot lately, but again, my heart melted.

And with Andy still at a soccer game, I sang my craggiest yet and felt so thankful for this time when my little boy still wants snuggles and bedtime stories and off-pitch songs from his mommy.

Crafty or Not, Here We Come

Even though most of my faithful readers do not live in southern Utah, I'm filling the Burt Blog with a community cause that I hope my local readers will rally around. (And for those of you who thought you knew me so well, you're right, I'm not much of a crafter, BUT as a parent and as the wife of an educator, even I find myself wandering the aisle of our local craft store on a weekly basis.)

Please humor me and read on...

I have heard that the Cedar City Roberts Crafts will soon close permanently. Apparently, their lease will expire in April and the company is looking to consolidate. Cedar City can't afford to lose another store that is vital to our community.

While I can definitely understand the need to be fiscally responsible in these economic times, I think the company needs to ensure they have considered the community impact of this particular closing:

1) Cedar City is an isolated community with few retail opportunities. Roberts is far and away one of the busier stores in Cedar City because its offerings are so unique. In essence, the CC Roberts has got a monopoly -- why give that up?

2) Roberts is the ONLY store of its kind in the area. In addition to those who craft as a hobby, countless teachers, parents, students (from the elementary through university level), daycare workers and small businesses rely upon the supplies available through Roberts for their success. I fear that, especially in the classroom, our community will see a drastic decline in creative engagement and opportunities.

3) Though the Cedar City store may not generate as much revenue as Roberts stores in more metropolitan areas, per capita, I would bet the Cedar City Roberts Crafts is hugely successful.

As a MUCH-NEEDED resource to so many in this region, I think we need to ensure the corporate offices of the Roberts Crafts company responsibly considers the impact this store closing will have on our community. If you are so inclined, I urge you to do the same by submitting a comment to their corporate offices through their website: http://www.robertscrafts.com/default.aspx?PageID=53

The impact of this closing, particularly for students and educators at all levels, could prove very costly to the Cedar City and surrounding communities. Please join me in storming the gates!

Love?

While cuddling with me in bed a few mornings ago, Porter said, "Mommy, I think we are falling into love" in his sweetest almost-four-year-old voice.

My heart melted.

That same day, nearing bedtime and after he had gotten in trouble for not listening for the umpteenth time, Porter walked up to me and said matter-of-factly, "Mommy, maybe we're not falling into love after all."