Tables Turned on Halloween

San Jose, California, 31 October 1984:

I sewed costumes for Halloween. Sarah was Rainbow Brite, Corey was Chewbaca from Star Wars, Amy an Indian princess, and Tim a surfer (the clothes came from his closet, not my sewing machine).

In an attempt to encourage healthy eating (to Tim's embarrassment but today Amy would be proud!), our family treat was small boxes of raisins.

The children trick-or-treated in our new neighborhood. Tom went with them. When they stopped at the Martinez home across the street, they discovered little Jenny was home with a fever and could not go out trick-or-treating.

After our family returned home, Sarah and Amy went through their own bags and assembled a bag of goodies to treat Jenny and her little brother, Anthony. Amy and Sarah walked back across the street and presented the bag of candy to Jenny. She looked at the bag and her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

Speaking of thoughtful kids, the day before Halloween Billy took out three bags of garbage without being asked because he sensed my need. These are, indeed, very special children.

Stay-At-Home Mom

Marina, California, 1978:

The cost of living was quickly escalating. Interest rates on home mortgages were about 9% and other small loans at 14-16-18%. It was becoming increasingly harder to "make ends meet." I watched as many women (mothers and wives) returned to the work forces in order to help their income. I knew that was not the answer for my family and me.

I pondered about how I could help our finances without going to work outside the home, and thought that instead of paying for child care, transportation, taxes, etc., I could concentrate all my efforts at home to SAVE $200 per month, rather than that be my net check.

I found I could cut costs in the following areas:

(1) Clothing: We utilized hand-me-downs from friends and I sewed what I could. All we needed to purchase was socks, underwear, and shoes.

(2) We sold both cars (they were dead anyway), purchased a bus pass and saved the costs of gasoline, insurance, car repairs, etc.

(3) I made food from scratch rather than purchase expensive mixes. We even purchased whole chickens and cut them up rather than pay for more expensive parts.

(4) We made homemade play dough, finger paint, and even made a "hair mannequin" when Amy wanted to play beauty shop.

(5) We bartered for services giving our time, talents, or even homemade jam in exchange for something we needed.

(6) We practiced "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

Was it worth it? Every minute of it. I am so proud of the people my children are today. Was it because I was a stay-at-home mom? I can't take much credit for the great people they are. I just know if they needed me, I was at home.

Cheap Vacation Traumas

San Jose, California, 22 April 1984:


Tom and I planned a Spring Break vacation at Lake Tahoe. Tom had won a company drawing for use of a time share condominium for $15 per night. By cooking our own meals, it was to be a cheap vacation. The day we left home, Sarah came down with the chickenpox! We went anyway with the plan to keep her out of the grocery stores, etc. We'd play games in the condo with just our family and she would not expose anyone else.



On our way up the mountains it started snowing, so hard that chains were required on our tires! We did not have chains, so we turned back (at 10:30 PM), purchased some chains at a hefty price, and then were finally able to drive to our destination.

The condo was really nice with room enough for everyone. We played games inside by the fire and outside we took little hikes in the snow in the forest behind the condo. We had a great time despite the fact that it was more expensive than we planned.



It reminded me of the time we took the family to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. That was going to be a cheap day because a co-worker had given Tom free passes for the whole family for all the rides. Our cheap day became an expensive one when Tom, while body surfing, ran into a girl and tore the inside of his mouth - requiring three stitches and $96!



Lesson learned: Cheap may not BE cheap but it can still be fun.

Burglary at Home

Beaverton, Oregon, 23 Jun 1989:

Our home was broken into this night while we slept. Strangers came into the house through the inside garage door which we had left unlocked. Tom had fallen asleep on the family room floor and about 3:30 AM something woke me up. I noticed Tom was not in bed and thought I'd just go back to sleep, but the thought came into my head, "Just go check on Tom."

I opened my bedroom door. The sound of the door opening may have scared the intruders off. I went downstairs, spotted Tom asleep on the floor, woke him and asked, "What are you doing down here?"

He said, "I don't know. I must have fallen asleep." At that point, he came to bed.

When Tom got up about 7:00 AM he noticed the inside garage door was propped open with the floor mat. Then, he started looking around and noticed the video camera (which had been beside the TV) was gone. He asked me if I moved it. I hadn't.

Then, I noticed my purse was gone. The Ninentendo had the cord wrapped all around it, ready to take, but was left behind.

If they came in while Tom was asleep on the floor, then they walked right past him to get to the video camera. In all they took the video camera, 33 mm camera and flash, my purse will all my credit cards and two checkbooks, plus Tom's wallet with all his credit cards.

I think they could have taken so much more, but were maybe surprised and fled.

The insurance covered our loss minus a $250 deductible. It was mainly an inconvenience. I spent the weekend cancelling all the credit cards, stopping payment on my checks, trying to figure out my checkbook balances, etc. Then, I had to write a follow up letter to all the credit card companies verifying they were notified. It was a major pain.

I'm relieved they didn't take more than they did, and that they didn't harm us. I'm sure we were protected that night.

Lessons from Precious Children

Marina, California, 29 November 1980:

One day Sarah was exceptionally quiet. She had been playing in one of the bedrooms for about 20 minutes - so I went to check on her. She had climbed in her crib for her nap and was fast asleep! (Become as a little child)

Another time we took the children to a movie, and Billy sat next to me with his arm around me! (Love one another)

Amy was a delightful, young lady - creative, helpful, loving, eager to do what's right, and she enjoyed life fully. (Be obedient)

By this time, Tim was almost as tall as me. He was really helpful with Sarah when I'd go shopping with the kids. Other times, he'd babysit for little snatches of time when Sarah was asleep and I needed to run for groceries. He was growing up fast. (Serve one another)

This year Tom had to work when we celebrated Thanksgiving. I cooked a small turkey, but wasn't going to do anything fancy. Amy insisted on a tablecloth, china, and flowers - and I finally got in the holiday spirit. (Show gratitude)

" . . . A little child shall lead them." [Isaiah 11:6] Oh the things we can learn from them.

Tim's First Day of Kindergarten

September, 1976, Marina, California:

It was Tim's first day of kindergarten and he was my first to go to school. Surely I had time to prepare him for his first day, but I was still a bit apprehensive. As the eventful day approached, thoughts swirled through my head, "Would he be okay? Would he like his teacher? Would he find some good friends? Had I prepared him enough?"

That first morning, Tim put on his new school clothes: navy blue corduroy pants and a jersey cotton shirt with a collar. We did not pack a lunch because he would only be attending half day and would be home by lunch time.

After eating a bowl of cereal, Tim, Amy (almost 3) and Billy (1) and headed out the door. We walked about a half of a block. As we neared the school, I saw many other mothers with their children. We found the open-air hallways, traveled past the cafeteria, and around the corner to the kindergarten.

We approached the door to the kindergarten and said our "goodbyes." There would be no public hugging or kisses to embarrass him. I did my job. I did not embarrass him. Tim went through the door ready to begin this new experience, but I lingered outside the room, waiting, peering inside to see if he was okay. Noticing that I was still there, Tim came back to the entrance and said, "You can go now, mom."

Yes. I could go now. He was going to be okay. Did he say it because I was embarrassing him or because he saw my need? It didn't matter. I appreciated his taking the time to assure me that he would be alright.

That assurance has helped me weather scary times with Tim: when he fell off the school's parallel bars in gymnastics class and they thought he broke his neck; when he nearly sawed his finger off in the bicycle chain; when after surfing all summer a mass began to cover his eye threatening to blind him; when he bicycled with the Varsity Scouts from San Jose to Disneyland, and the next year from Oregon to Canada. Now, as a husband, father, and firefighter, though scary things happen, I know he'll be able to handle it.

Blog Tools

I'm going to post the date and place at the beginning of each blog that has a date and place. If you want to read the stories in chronological order, I'm labeling the blogs thus: S [Susan], B [Bruce], SB [Susan & Bruce] - year - month - date. Blogger will group these labels by type, so you can click on S - 1979 to read all the blogs dating 1979. Let me know if you have questions.

Noah's Ark

Marina, California, about 1980:

Our backyard in Marina had a playhouse that was raised up on tree stumps. The bottom of the playhouse did not touch the ground, but instead had a trap door to climb up inside. There was also a latter to climb in the side through one of the windows, but no door for entrance.

One night for Family Home Evening we decided to re-create the story of Noah's Ark. We gathered up all of our stuffed animals, some french bread, cheese, and grape juice, and then climbed into the playhouse. Tom turned on the sprinklers to mimic the flood and while it "rained" we read the story of Noah's Ark. It was such a unique experience with our family that remember it like it was yesterday.

Most of us can vividly remember some experience we've had? What do we remember best? Is it the good times or the trauma? Often, we remember the trauma because it's so vivid. What are we doing to remember good things? If we don't do something to remember them, they may disappear into the fog of the past.