Christopher's Obsessions

I'm not sure when we crossed the line between "Really Likes" and "Obsession." Christopher has always liked Blues Clues, and I'm sure I'm partly to blame as when I needed the electronic babysitter and nothing better was on, I'd pop in a dvd left over from my other kids, (you'd think I would have learned my lesson by now.) But he's obsessed with it these days. He prefers it to Dora, or Diego, or the Wonder Pets, despite my best efforts. Oddly enough the little traitor seems to prefer Joe to Steve as well. What can you do?

I think the worst part of it is that Blues Clues is totally out of style these days. 8 years ago the marketing for the toys was out of control, now our best bet to find anything is e-bay. (We haven't resorted to that yet.) Christopher however has confiscated a few things around the house to fill his need for Blues Clues related objects. He started with the notebooks. Any small handheld notebook with a spiral on the top became his. I was actually impressed with his ability to ferret out those little notebooks that my kids would get in their goody bags from birthday parties. I broke down and bought him a pack from the store when those were used up.

It didn't take too long for him to realize that the crayons couldn't fit through the top of the spiral like they do on his favorite show. The spirals are too small. He solved this problem by stealing the stylus from Zach's Nintendo DS after watching him use it. It fits almost perfectly. It is a little thin, and therefore tends to fall out and get lost. I just bought another three pack the other day. I think we have half a dozen lost somewhere in the house and/or car at this moment. Those stupid little sticks are like $2 each. But he NEEDS them. Just try to explain to my two year old that he doesn't. It seems to be getting worse. He now won't go anywhere without his notebook. Church, playgroup, the store. Trying to force him to leave it in the car so the stick won't get lost only results in tears and panicky sobs. Any and all hopes of him calming down and behaving are dashed.

His other (and probably more expensive) obsession is that he has to have all the lights turned on in the house at all times. John and I turn off lights ALL DAY LONG. He hears the click of the switch and comes running to fix the situation. We tell him no, and that lasts for a few minutes until he thinks we aren't looking. AAAARGH.

One of my favorite things.

It's been killing me for the past couple days to not share my new favorite thing! You see, it was my SIL's birthday and I got her the same thing, but I had to ship it to Texas, and although I am fairly certain she doesn't read my blog, I still couldn't take that chance that she might see it on my blog before the package came.

It's called a coffee table box. Isn't it pretty? I've been wanting to get one for awhile. John's sister's birthday was a good excuse for me. The girl who did it is the sister of a friend of mine and I met her (actually I think we'd met before that) but we both had a booth at a boutique at my kids' school, and I saw some of the stuff she does and was really impressed.

You get to pick the words and names you want etched on the box and what color (black or brown) and she does the rest.

She painstakingly arranges all the words and picks the sizes and fonts so that everything looks good without leaving any blank spots. And then she delivers it to you wrapped up all pretty.
This one is my SIL's - I had a hard time deciding what kind of words, cause I stress about those things, but she says she loves it.

My next question was, what do I put in it? It is a box after all. That is in reach of my children. So nothing too irreplaceable obviously, but probably still of some worth to at least us.

And then I noticed the word in the bottom left hand corner- "Travel". I'm not even sure why I picked that word, I wanted something more than just generic family-togetherness-type words (which is pretty much what I told her to do) But I also wanted something else, and so probably because I've been watching the travel channel alot lately, I said "travel."
And then it hit me- Since John has been traveling so much, he picks up a postcard everywhere he goes. We are working on a collection of all 50 states. I think we're up to 30 (in six months). And when we went to Utah, all the kids had to pick out a postcard, and when we went to Europe we picked up postcards everywhere to help us remember what we did. But I had no place to put them. And now I do! At least for now anyway. I could change my mind next week.

Should anybody else be interested, I am posting a link on the side there in my link's list. laserfunaddict.com. Check it out. Her name is Heather.

Firsts

One of the many joys about being a parent is all the "firsts" you get to celebrate with your kids.

Over the years I've managed to capture a few of those moments on film-

First Bath

First Steps

First Birthday

First Snowman

First Love

But I think the one that we (especially his father) have been looking forward to the most, well that first has finally arrived-

First Time Mowing the Lawn

It's enough to make you cry tears of joy.

(Excuse the lighting, it's still best to mow in the evening cause summer is still hanging on.)

Banned Books Week

About three years ago I was taking Eng 102 at ASU and I had to write several papers that semester. They all had to be centered on one topic- "The Media". After about the second paper, and after peer editing dozens of other papers, I was running out of ideas to write about.

One night I went to the public library to look something else up, and that's when I noticed the posters and pamphlets advertising the fact that it was the National Banned Books Week. Curious, I checked it out. Almost instantly, whatever else I was planning on writing about was instantly tossed out, I had found a new topic.

So in honor of the fact that tomorrow once again begins Banned Books Week, I thought I'd share that paper with you. I found the paper a short while ago, and debated posting it, I kept it because I actually enjoyed writing it, and so in a brief moment of courage and braverism I share it with you. FYI- it was a research paper and I left off the "Works Cited" at the end because blogger had some problems with some of the links. So the words in paranthesis are references to the "works cited". Oh and sorry it's kindof long.

Kirsten Berrett
English 102 Essay #2
September 29, 2005


Ban the Books!

I thought that I was doing a decent job in raising my kids, but heaven knows I’m not perfect. I make my kids make their beds, do chores, practice the piano, and wear helmets when riding their bikes. I only allow “E” rated video games, take them to church, and make them eat their vegetables. I don’t tolerate profanity, and I teach them to respect their elders. But little did I know that while encouraging them to read, I was actually placing in their impressionable little hands items that could undermine all I have worked for. I gave them books. Not just any books, books with subtle, dangerous messages hidden within. I am guilty of encouraging, and even at times, bribing my children to read Harry Potter, Junie B Jones, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Shel Silverstein’s poetry, and even Dr Seuss’ The Lorax. Good thing I figured this out before I handed them any Where’s Waldo? books. Many children’s books should be banned from school classrooms and libraries because they promote dangerous ideas.

While visiting our local public library earlier this week, I learned it is “Banned Books Week” for the American Library Association. Curious, I collected the pamphlets they were handing out and went home to do some more research. Of course as a parent I am against pornography and such, but who knew there were so many other evils out there to guard against? I was shocked to find that many of these books are books I have read and enjoyed in my youth and I also own quite a few that are currently being challenged or have been challenged over the years. For instance, Harry Potter is one of the hottest books to challenge right now. In fact, the series was the most challenged of all children’s books in 1999.(Dunne) “According to certain adults, these stories teach witchcraft, sorcery, and Satanism.”(Blume) According to the children’s book publisher, HarperCollins, there are many reasons to ban books. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein “Encourages children to break dishes so they won’t have to do them.” Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh “teaches children to spy”. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein promotes cannibalism. (harperchildrens) The Website Forbiddenlibrary.com offers many more reasons why books have been challenged or banned. The sheer volume was astounding and many of the books were surprising. In 1989, The Lorax by Dr. Seuss was challenged because it “criminalizes the foresting industry”. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was banned in Texas in 1996 because it “conflicted with the values of the community”. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford was removed from schools in New York, because there is a tiny drawing of a topless woman. In 1983, four members of the Alabama State Textbook Committee called for the rejection of Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl because it’s a “real downer”. (Forbidden Library) The list goes on and on.

“Book banning became common in the 1980’s as an easy solution to deal with literature that expresses unorthodox or untraditional viewpoints. The idea is simple: If a book contains references to sex or drugs, evolution without mention of creation, women who behave in unconventional ways, children purposely challenging parents or authority, or anything that can be deemed “offensive”, then the book can be banned.” (Watson) Today however, books are more likely to be suspect for not being politically correct. Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn , and Uncle Tom’s Cabin are challenged today for the use of the word “nigger” as it is offensive to blacks. (Forbidden Library)

Judy Blume, who is one of the most challenged children’s author of our time, came to the defense of Harry Potter by saying that “It’s a good thing when children enjoy books isn’t it?... (but) parents who feel the books promote interest in the occult have called for their removal from classrooms and school libraries. I knew this was coming. The only surprise is that it took so long – as long as it took for the zealots to claim they’re protecting children from evil (and evil can be found lurking everywhere these days) to discover that children actually like these books. If children are excited about a book, it must be suspect.” She did get it right when she said that “In my books, it’s reality that’s seen as corrupting. With Harry Potter, the perceived danger is fantasy (Blume) On the website education-world.com, Berit Kjos said that “Times have changed” and that “children today are more vulnerable to fantasy stories such as Harry Potter because they may view the imaginary world as much more fun compared with the real world.” “There has been a paradigm shift from the social context that was the old biblical view…that shift makes it tougher for children with less biblical knowledge today, to evaluate good and evil or to resist such threats to their faith.” She also added that “It makes me very uncomfortable when (children) are immersed in topics that make witchcraft very exciting. It can be very confusing for them” (Dunne) As an example, in 2002, a Charlotte NC four year old girl suffered a “brain swelling blow” when she fell while attempting to fly on their household broom by jumping from the kitchen cabinets. (ShelbyStar)

I realize that I have actually found a lack of evidence to support the fact that these books are in fact, dangerous. The point, however, is prevention. We need to stop these dangerous books before they reach our children. Wouldn’t even one incident of a child trying to eat their younger sibling after reading “Where the Sidewalk Ends?” be too many? Besides, it might be difficult to actually link future actions to a book read in childhood. Can we actually prove that “The Lorax” causes people to be concerned about the environment? Better to be safe than sorry.
Last week I was saddened by the death of Shel Silverstein. He died in 1999. I found out last Thursday. After finding out all the ways these books are dangerous to my children, I face the monumental task of ridding my house of anything that might conflict with the values I am trying to teach my children. My poor children will be devastated to find me throwing out their favorite books. My son has only read the first six Lemony Snicket books. He just checked out a new one from the school library (maybe I should challenge that?). I even bought him the movie after reading several of the books. (I guess this should apply to movies too?) I am right in the middle of reading one of the Junie B. Jones books to my kindergartner, but those are now bad because the books “model disrespect to parents and teachers” and teach the use of words like “moron” and “stupid” ( ala.org) I am the most upset about the Harry Potter books. I was one of those fans who pre-ordered the latest book ten weeks early, and have been eagerly anticipating the fourth movie. Last week, my biggest fear concerning the books is that J.K Rowling might die in a car accident before she finishes book seven and the world will be left in suspense, now I have to worry about my children becoming Satan worshippers. I planned on introducing my children to the Chronicles of Narnia but those are on “the list” for witchcraft as well. Sitting here at my computer I am trying to figure out what is left for my children to read? If books should be banned based on fantasy, surely Disney should be out of the question as well. If it is only okay to read books that are politically correct, most books before the nineties should be thrown out. As Roger Rosenblatt wrote in an Essay “Ban all the books, I say. They clutter the mind with thoughts. They clutter rooms, indeed whole buildings with dust-collecting objects. As the banners of books know too well, they also promote evil acts…Ban ‘em all. Don’t pollute those readers’ minds, especially the children’s minds. (Rosenblatt)

It's like Christmas

I just love it when you get surprises in your e-mail inbox. This morning I opened up my mail only to find out that one of my very favorite authors, Robin McKinley has just published a new book. I went running down the stairs "John! I have to go to Barnes and Noble, NOW!!!"

She has been one of my favorite authors for years and years. (Like 20.) I've loved her stories way before JK Rowling was a household name. She won an Newberry Medal way back in the 80's for The Hero and the Crown. I never know what to expect from her books, and I have them all. They generally follow a fantasy theme with dragons and such. Sometimes she re-tells fairy tales like Beauty (Beauty and the Beast), Spindle's End (Sleeping Beauty), or The Outlaws of Sherwood (Robin Hood). She did a vampire one once, Sunshine, and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel that may or may not ever come.

I was so surprised that she had just written another book, because she just published one last summer, and she's totally not on the "one-a-year" schedule some authors are. I've waited several years before. So it was with total elation this morning that I found a new book announcing itself in my in-box. John's comment was "so, you gonna be pretty worthless today then, huh?"

Opportunity Knocks

A couple weeks ago there was a knock at our door during the middle of the day. (Okay it was actually the doorbell ringing, but knock sounds better.) I was upstairs either checking e-mail, or blog surfing or whatever it is I do when I'm being lazy, and so at the sound of the doorbell I groaned internally, because it could really be only one thing- a solicitor. And I have to say, I am getting so sick of them. I'm glad we have a key-only deadbolt, so the little kids can't answer the door anymore. We are happy with our bug guy, same with our security company, and no I don't want or need any more magazines. We weren't expecting anything from the UPS guy, and no one just "drops by" unexpectedly anymore, so it had to be a solicitor. Since John was in town, I decided to just let him deal with it. I didn't catch much of the conversation, very little in fact of what the guy was saying, but then John invited him in. Huh? I had to go see for myself. As far as I'm concerned sales people are the enemy and you don't let them cross the thresh hold.

As it turns out, it was a guy from Nielsen TV Ratings. You know, the people that report back to the big network stations on what shows are being watched and by who, and that in turn helps decide what shows make it to another season, and which shows get the pulled. They randomly selected us to be one of those families!

And just in time too! The new season is starting up, and I am getting pretty excited about "my shows." Thanks to re-runs and DVR, I got caught up on Bones this summer, and I am totally loving that these days. And I am eagerly looking forward to the return of shows like Chuck, Grey's Anatomy, and Pushing Daisies. I'm too late to save Moonlight, and I was seriously worried that they were gonna yank Pushing Daisies, cause I didn't know anyone else who watched that show, and I love it! The stories are original and clever, it's something I can let my kids watch, and every once in awhile Kristin Chenoweth breaks into song. Seriously it doesn't get much better than that. Now I get to do my part to keep my favorite shows on the air.

So there's a bunch of guys installing equipment in our house today, and we have to use fancy remotes so they know who is watching what, but they are compensating us for that, not a lot, but we can go out for a nice dinner or two.

I asked, and there are something like 12,000 Nielsen household in the US at any given time, so if Lost or anybody else's favorite show gets cancelled, please don't egg my house. However, see how there are 16 black buttons on that remote? Each member of our family has their own button, and there are 10 guest buttons. If it's that important to you to put your two cents in, feel free to come over and hang our and watch it on our TV. The TV is pretty nice, but the couch is totally ghetto, just FYI.
Oh, and Shhhhhh, it's a secret. I can only tell friends and family, and since pretty much only friends and family read this, I figured it was okay to blog about. But I didn't ask permission.

Maybe I'm just crazy

I've been seeing a chiropractor for several weeks now because my back has been hurting me. It's been bothering me for years actually, and because it seems to get worse during times of stress, John tells me it's all in my head. It's been pretty bad lately for no apparent reason, so I enlisted the services of a professional.

Today I was stretching my back while laying on my big green exercise ball, and Nick walked in on me- "So mom, is that something the psychiatrist told you to do?"

to shop, or not to shop?

I woke up this morning to one of my least favorite phrases, "mommy my tummy hurts." Which of course followed immediately by Zach trying to make it to the toilet, and not quite getting there. MOST of it made it in the toilet, but I still got to spend part of my morning cleaning up puke out of my carpet and wiping up the mess on the bathroom floor (I shall be thoroughly mopping just as soon as I finish here.)

He of course stayed home from school today, and spent most of the morning in bed. Totally pathetic and lethargic, but not feverish. He asked for some water, so I gave him some with a warning not to drink too much too fast, which he either didn't listen to, or we have different definitions of what "too much" is. Up came all the water.

After a two hour nap he seems to feel better. He announced that his arms and legs work. Which is fantastic, although I didn't know I needed to worry about them. He's currently downstairs very enthusiastically playing on his Nintendo DS and has been informing me for the past hour and a half every thing he is missing at school. "My class is at recess right now. I have nine more minutes of morning recess."

So it's school policy that once your kid pukes you gotta wait 24 hours before they can go back, just to make sure they don't pass along any bugs or have some kind of relapse all over the playground. Which is a perfectly sensible rule, and I am grateful for it and happy to comply. And generally think that rule should be applied to most all other areas of life.

Here's my problem though- I'm almost totally out of diapers. I totally was gonna go shopping this morning until Zach derailed that plan. We have most of the other necessities, bread, milk, cereal, but diapers are kinda important around here. After the one he's wearing, I have one left, unless I have one stashed away in the car or the church bag or something. Barring anything terrible like Christopher getting a massive case of diarrhea, we should be okay until Nick comes home to babysit, but with Zach seeming to be feeling better, I admit I am sorely tempted to take him to Costco or Target with me. This one last diaper business makes me nervous. I'm a big believer in Murphy's Law.

Another stroll down memory lane

Last night John and I went on a date to see a play at Hale Center Theater. We used to go pretty regularly, like for years and years and years I have enjoyed season tickets there, but had somehow gotten out of practice these past few years. When I learned that the daughter of a friend of mine was performing in it, I decided that now was as good of a time as any to make my way back to that most beloved of all theaters in the round.

As I sat there last night waiting for the lights to go down, scanning the audience for familiar faces (a habit I have done for years and years) a flood of happy (and sometimes sad memories) came back to me.

My mother had taken me there for almost as long as I can remember. It was our thing. We had season tickets. I remember going to the really old theater in Salt Lake City, way back before the fancy one in West Valley opened up. I think I like the old one better. Sentimental value I think. The new one has more seats, and it has a fancy floor that adjusts depending on the scene. Parts of the floor actually rise and fall, and the center is kind of like an elevator where the cast rises to the stage instead of just entering from the side. And it's a lot prettier, it's like the crown jewel of the HCT family, but I still like the old one better. The line for the ladies room was forever, they were totally inadequate for the place, but the treats were cheap- for a dollar I could get a Sprite and a Twix. (My usual)

At the old one I remember watching Ruth and Nathan Hale star in their very own plays that they wrote. I remember some plays being fresh, and new, and never before performed. I noticed they are doing one of their plays next year- April Ann. They were such a funny, cute couple. We'd get so excited when we would find out that they would be performing that night. I adored them. Nathan died first, many years ago, and we were saddened by his loss, even though we didn't really know him. But Ruth carried on. I admired her strength and wit. One time I even ran into her at a Jamba Juice, and I had to stop her and thank her for her work, and tell her how much I enjoyed coming to her theater over the past several years. She was really nice, and thanked me and told me that I should try out for one of the plays myself. (what a laugh!) She died a few years ago. I think I cried.

I mentioned how before the show starts I have the habit of scanning the audience for familiar faces- well one time when I was younger, like 11 or 12 or so, I saw someone that looked really familiar and I spent a few minutes trying to place the face. I leaned over to my mom, and I asked her if that man over there, on the end, half way up, if that was Thomas S. Monson. And it was. During half time I really wanted to go over there and shake his hand, but he was surrounded by other hand shakers, and I just didn't know what to say. I totally chickened out. (big sigh of regret)

After John and I got married, my mom would buy us season tickets for Christmas, and poor as we were, we still got to go. But after we moved to Arizona I was a tad on the depressed side for awhile. I had left behind everything I had known and loved for my whole life and had a difficult time adjusting. And then miracle of miracles, one day I was reading the newspaper and found this tiny little article saying how they were planning on building a new HCT down here in Gilbert. It was just a small part of what I had lost, but it was something. We were so excited we even went to the city meeting about it to show our support. As it turned out we totally didn't need to, and I think they were scratching their heads as to why this family showed up, but I really needed to show my support.

So I think after last night and this flood of memories I am re-committed to showing my support, and making more of an effort to go back regularly. I also think it's time to start taking my own kids and maybe they will start forming their own fond memories of something that has meant so much to me throughout the years. I think it's fate they just opened their children's theater yesterday. For like half the price of the regular shows I can take my kids to see Cinderella, but long gone are the days where you can get a soda and a candy bar for just a buck.

Oh, and just a side note- Hailey did awesome last night, so if you get the chance, go and check her out.

Music Appreciation

When I was younger I had a hard time understanding why nobody applauded in church. Why when somebody would stand up in front of the congregation and bravely sing a solo, or perform on an instrument so beautifully, why we couldn't clap. I was old enough to understand that any performance was special, and whomever was performing obviously put in much time and effort into into that performance only to be greeted with absolute silence when it was over. It just seemed wrong.

As I got older I understood better that the need for reverence outweighs any need for personal gratification for a song well sung, or a piano beautifully played. And that it's never inappropriate to tell that person afterwards how much you enjoyed their performance. There's a time and a place, that's all I'm saying.

So it is with a mixture of both horror and amusement as each week Christopher feels the need to express his appreciation after any musical number or hymn. Normally it's not so bad, as we are generally found in the back of the room with the rest of the families with noisy little kids, and so I like to tell myself that I don't think that many people notice. This morning at the baptism of the son of our good friends, Christopher let the whole congregation know what a great job they did on all of the songs that were sung by not only clapping but cheering loudly at the conclusion of each song. As the room was nearly silent I am sure most people noticed. Worse yet was the fact that our whole family had a hard time containing our giggling, myself included even as I tried to shush him. So much for trying to maintain a spirit of reverence.

I really hope he maintains his love of music throughout his life, just you know, in a more appropriate kind of way depending on the situation.

My favorite time of year

I'm not sure when it changed, whether it was all at once and I didn't notice it, or whether it was a gradual change over the course of the past several years. My favorite time of year used to be spring. Spring with the warmer weather, and the daffodils and the tulips and the crocuses and all those other lovely bulb flowers with their reds and yellows and purples and every color in between that brighten up your yard after a long, cold, dreary, gray winter.

Sure, a white Christmas is a joy, and White Christmas makes it's way farther up my list of favorite Christmas songs each year. And a good snowfall that covers everything in a blanket of white is beautiful and magical, and you could just spend hours staring out the window at the fairy tale-like picture that materialized outside overnight, but all that beauty and joy is short lived and then you are back to scraping ice of your car, shoveling your driveway, and sloshing around in blackened snow for what seems like an eternity. And then, lovely, lovely spring arrives in all her splendor.

So when did fall become my favorite season?

Yes, the leaves are pretty for like a week when they are changing colors, and I admit to enjoy tromping around in those fallen leaves, but I never really got into it. The joys and freedoms of summer are over, trees begin to look dead, and there's a chill in the air that means winter is on it's way. Once the short lived colorful leaves have fallen of the trees, it kinda becomes a little depressing. Dreary. Drab. Ominous.

But then we moved to Arizona, and my outlook changed.

Spring is still spring with her lovely flowers, and I try to remember that, I do, but now they are a kind of omen for me. Summer is on it's way. Summer with it's heat, and that heat is so limiting to me. I have no desire to cook, to stand in the kitchen in front of a stove, or a heated oven. I don't want to go anywhere, because although my car is nice and air-conditioned, and any place I would like to go is air-conditioned, there's still the walking-from-the-car-to-the-place issue, and back again, and too-hot steering wheels and seat belts. The heat just seems to drain me of energy. I do seem to catch up on my reading though... and worse yet, I can't send the kids outside to play anymore, and then I get to listen to them whine about when am I gonna take them to some public pool where I get to babysit a very small child who doesn't want to be there. Super Fun.

Summer does have it's bonuses- traveling to exotic locales like Paris or Utah, and not having to deal with homework and projects and reports, and summer is the best time for raspberries. We're blessed to have a Costco only a mile or two from our house and I check for raspberries every time I am there. They are the exception to the "I don't bake in summer" rule, because raspberry pie is so worth it. Or with chocolate drizzled over the top. Or even just over cold cereal. Actually, if we are being honest here, fresh raspberries on my cold cereal looks more like a bowl of raspberries and milk with some cereal sprinkled over the top for a bit of a crunch.

And now suddenly, I have discovered that I love fall. As those temperatures start to dip down ever so slowly (it's only supposed to get to 99 degrees today) I find my spirits lifting and my energy returning. Spending time in the kitchen doesn't sound so appalling any more, in fact, I even made caramel apples yesterday. I got creative and spent time cooking and doing something I had never done, JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT. (gasp!) It's been awhile since I've done anything like that. I look forward to taking Christopher for walks again. I could go now, but I really need to start out right after the kids leave for school because it is still on the uncomfortable side. And most of all, I can't wait to use those most magical of all words "Go Outside and PLAY!"

And here's a bonus this year so far- Nick is doing well in school!!! (insert cheers and applause here) It started off rough, I was ready to yank him out of ALP, but he's managed to turn things around. I am hopeful he will have all A's and B's at the end of the quarter. So this year I CAN send him out to play, because if he continues to do this well, he won't be buried in a pile of past-due homework in his room.

Liar, liar, pants on fire

"Zach, have you been eating the Oreos?"

"No."

This is what happens in this house when you get busted for lying. Especially when mom has nothing better to blog about.

Cause I have nothing better to do

Somehow Christopher got a hold of the leftover frosting from John's birthday cake. The how isn't really important. Someone probably left it out after making themselves a soda cracker and frosting sandwich for a snack or something. Anyhow, I found this when I walked into my kitchen.
He didn't actually eat any that I can tell. He just knows how much I love doing dishes. And wiping off surfaces like counters, tables chairs, and benches. Cause I must since I do it all day long. So he thoughtfully dirtied every last clean spoon I had.

I hurt.

I don't know what made me do it, but I gave in and went to a yoga class with my friend yesterday. It was just a level one, but still. She had been kinda bugging me about it for awhile. She's a YOGA INSTRUCTOR out in Maricopa, and she comes out here once a week or so to go to another yoga studio for ideas and inspiration and what-not.

So I finally caved. Still not exactly sure why. I even went out and bought yoga pants (read: tight fitting) and an appropriate shirt (read: tight fitting) to wear. The outfit alone has been one of my primary reasons for staying away. Just the thought of me being stuck in a mirrored room in an outfit like that with a bunch of skinny, toned, fit people for like an hour was enough to keep me away. And that's before you factor in things I completely lack like balance, grace, and flexibility.

So I hurt. And not just my pride either. For the most part it's a good pain though. My butt hurts, and my thighs hurt. They hurt in the "I can tell I really worked those muscles" kind of way. However the right side of my neck hurts. I think I pulled something there. That's not such a "good" pain. The ibuprofen isn't helping much.

Other than that, the class was fun, or at least interesting. The teacher reminded me a lot of Dharma from that old tv show Dharma and Greg. She chanted. And talked about sending messages out into the universe, and how this time of year is a time for change and while change is always good if we don't keep ourselves firmly grounded we could get stuck up in the atmosphere or something like that and she talked in a very zen-like way. She also announced that she is moving to California to take different yoga classes to learn more about the chanting and singing side of yoga, but she had to give away most of her possessions cause she'll be most likely living in her van.

So I hurt. Ironically enough my secret ulterior motive was to see if this might help alleviate some of the back pain that's been bugging me lately. Our insurance only pays for 12 chiropractor visits a year, and after 10 I'm only doing a little better. At least it's not as bad as the pain I felt after this same friend talked me into taking a spinning class with her. The pain from that was so bad I felt positively violated. I didn't go back.

10 Questions

I saw this on someone else's blog and I totally couldn't resist. I had a hard time narrowing down the particular singer/band, for awhile it was a tie between Harry Connick jr, and the Beatles, but Harry won out in the end. However, I did have a hard time narrowing down the answers, so some of them have multiple answers.

Choose a singer/band/group - Answer using ONLY titles of songs by that singer/band/group. I chose Harry Connick, jr.

1. Are you male or female?
She

2. Describe yourself.
Trouble
You didn't know me when.

3. What do people feel when they're around you?
Loved by me

4. How would you describe your previous relationship?
Just a boy
If I only had a brain

5. Describe your current relationship.
We are in love

6. Where would/do you want to be now?
That Party
On the sunny side of the street
Merry old land of Oz
Over the Rainbow

7. How do you feel about love?
Heavenly
Forever, For now

8. What's your life like?
Don't get around much any more

9. What would you ask for if you had only one wish?
Recipe for love

10. Say something wise.
With Imagination (I'll get there)
Follow the music

Play if you want! :)

My other blog

So I have this other blog. I started it a few weeks ago as a sort of experiment to see if there was anything really there, or if it would just fizzle out. It's a blog about food. And cooking. And other such related nonsense. I've tried other cooking journals before, you know to document my successes, my failures, what my family thought about certain recipes, but they never succeeded. For a plethora of reasons. For starters, there was no organization to it, just random notes in a notebook. Secondly, I have lousy handwriting, and half of the time I couldn't even read what I wrote if I wanted to.


So a few weeks ago a friend was talking about wanting to create an on-line recipe book or something to that effect, and it stuck with me, and while I am in no sense setting out to create a recipe book, the wheels started turning in my little head. I could put some recipes in it. And pictures. Pictures are good. (I'm not saying my pictures are all that fabulous, just pictures in general). And stories. I could tell stories about certain recipes. Oh, and I could put labels on my blog posts, so that I could easily go back and read any particular notes I might have made about a certain dish.


At first it was just a private thing. That way I could slowly record certain things, then maybe pass it on to my kids if it was worth anything. But then I thought, what the heck? So I made it public a couple of days ago, but didn't say anything, and then someone found it, and made a comment on it, like the next day. AND I made that computer cake for John, and that thing needs a whole blog posting of it's own, of which I feel the need to share with the world, so here I am confessing all.

So uh, feel free to take a gander. There's a link to the side.

Happy Birthday John!

I just want to wish a simple Happy 34th birthday to my best friend, my better half, the father of my children, my sanity saver, the yin to my yang, the love of my life, my husband, John.

Happy Birthday. Sometimes I think you're all right.

For an even better picture of John, check out our friend Shelly's blog- there's a link on the right there- "Moments in Time".

My geek

After all these years, this still makes me laugh. There's my husband working on two laptops at the same time, and he needs an extra keyboard and mouse. The real story is that he is testing the one on the left to see if it is salvageable (the keyboard and mouse are faulty at best, hence the third keyboard), and the one on the right is his main one. It's taken me several years to finally (but not fully) be able to understand his need or desire for multiple computers. At one point several years ago, we were looking at houses with basements, and while I was envisioning game rooms, and movie theaters, and craft rooms, he was fantasizing about a server room. (yeah raise your hand if that was on your wish list when shopping for houses- anybody? anybody? Bueller? I thought so.-oh and PS we don't have a basement, so no server room here)

He's working off of the end table next to his desk because his desk is full of junk. He's in the middle of a really big purge/organizational effort, and I hope to do a before and after posting on that sometime soon.

He thinks I am just making fun of him, which I kinda am, but in a non-judgmental, "I think all this geeky-ness is somewhat cute and endearing" kind of way. Truth is, I'm proud of him, he's a smart guy and good at what he does, and if a server room makes him happy, I'd never begrudge him that. Oh, I'd make fun of it, lots and lots, but I'd never begrudge him that.

Nothin' much

I try to post something every couple of days as this is the main forum for journaling for me around here. That and I know some of the grandparents like to keep tabs on what's going on. Some days the topics come so fast and furious, I have to keep a list handy, and then other days, like this, there's like nothing going on.

The kids seem to be all doing well in school, they are all trying really hard, and I am holding my breath that it is gonna be a good year. Nick's had his ups and downs already this year, but today we are on an upswing, so I'm happy about that.

Christopher is pretty much the same. He's a funny, happy stinker. All he wants to eat is junk these days and I can't seem to get him to eat anything good. I need to work on that, but that's gonna be a miserable couple of days for the both of us, I can tell. He's so stubborn. He lost my memory card to my camera, I left it in the card reader by the computer, and he popped it right out and took off with it. So my options are to a) ransack the house looking for it (probably in vain) b) steal the card out of John's camera, c) buy a new card, d) use John's camera, e) use my cell phone, or f) any and all of the above. It just bugs me, cause when something is lost it drives me nuts until I find it.

Our weekend was pretty boring. John and I went on a date to get Jamba Juice, browse Barnes and Noble, then do some grocery shopping. Party animals for sure. We took the kids out to their favorite restaurant, Serrano's, on Saturday after a full day of chores and laundry.

Oh, and I did teach a caramel making class this weekend also at another ward's super Saturday thing. It was kind of fun, I knew a couple of people, but I get pretty nervous about this kind of thing. I had new time constraints, (20 minutes to teach something that takes 30-40) so I came up with the plan to do two batches of caramels at once, and start one extra early, so there wouldn't be all that dead time in the middle, where it is a solid 10-20 minutes (depending on the stove) of me stirring, and stirring, and stirring, and feeling really boring and stupid. I brought Madison along to help me with all that stirring, but she burnt herself (not badly), so someone else had to jump in and help out.

I really don't mind teaching, if people are interested, but I think those big classes are somewhat a waste. They can't see anything, a more personal, in someone's kitchen, one-on-one would be much better. I think candy making is kind of a lost art. It's just different, so people are afraid of it. Sorta like how I am afraid of pressure cookers and bottling peaches and stuff. The lady before me was teaching pressure cooking, I brought home a hand-out, but I didn't bother sitting down for the class because I was too nervous to concentrate- I would have been going over lists and lists in my head, and she was using a $200 pressure cooker. Besides the fact that I am not allowed to buy anything for the house beyond what is necessary until we figure out whether or not we are going to be hanging around the good 'ol U S of A for the next few years or not, I'm not sure I would be willing to make that kind of financial commitment to learning a new skill. I guess you can cook a frozen pot roast in like an hour though. And potatoes take like 15 minutes. Still, my trusty crock pot might take 10 times as long, but as long as I remember to do it in the morning, it's no big deal.

Oh and in honor of it being a "lost art" and all, I tried to dress up all fifties (minus the lipstick and pantyhose) I wore a dress, heels, pearls, and my best apron to teach the class. And the outfit wasn't exactly vintage, just what was in my closet, I'm sure the joke was lost on everyone else, but it made me feel better.

John's birthday is tomorrow, but Tuesday is our crazy day with gymnastics, piano lessons, viola lessons, activity days, and scouts, so our Sunday dinner was John's birthday dinner of sorts. Pot roast, potatoes, green beans. He likes pie instead of cake, so I made him his favorite raspberry pie, but I'm still considering doing a cake tomorrow. The kids have been bugging me about this computer cake they found in a cookbook for years now, and I think tomorrow I will break down and do it. I am sure it will turn out ridiculous. I really should take some kind of professional lessons. Stay tuned, I will probably post pics for a good laugh.

cure for PMS

So the other night I was in a cranky mood. Call it PMS, or me just being sick of football, Blues Clues, Spongebob, whiny kids, me having to nag said whiny kids (this list really could go on and on, but you get the idea). So whatever was at the source of my bad mood, I was in one.

I sat down at my computer and checked my e-mail, and my friends blogs for something to amuse me, and I ended up just goofing around on facebook. After a little while I ended up perusing a little section on facebook called "flair". They are like little buttons with sayings and pictures and you can start your own little collection, and send some to your friends. My mood started lifting which each little thing to entertain me. I even figured out that I can search for certain categories of flair. I've got quite the selection these days. Not as much as some, I am sure, but I've been pretty entertained.

For instance I have a ton of Twilight flair, which is totally dominating my flair board because I'm in mourning over Midnight sun. This includes quotes from the books, "Team Edward" stuff, amongst other things like "I didn't get my letter to Hogwarts so I'm going to Forks to move in with the Cullens." Other of my flair categories include, Harry Potter, Pushing Daisies, Monty Python, Princess Bride, Disney, Les Mis, LDS, Wicked, Harry Connick, jr., etc, etc, and then I have a bunch of random ones. One that I had to get because I laughed every time I saw it, was one that said "I tried snorting coke once, but the ice-cubes got stuck in my nose." I know, that's bad. But I totally found it hysterical.

But what really brought me out of my funk was that I noticed a couple friends from jr. high and high school were on-line and so I decided to say "hi." Kinda like the good ol' days, but in a weird, "how'd I get all grown up?" way. To me it felt oddly deja-vu-ish like we were back in science passing notes to each other, except without the whole worrying that the teacher was gonna catch you thing. These were friends I had a lot of classes with throughout school because we were in the smarty-pants classes together (go figure) and we hung out together a lot on weekends and such. Back then I probably would have imagined that I'd still be really good friends with most of those friends, instead of letting all this time go by. Some friends I haven't seen since high school, and others I somehow managed to keep tabs on. Thanks to the miracle of the Internet and facebook, that is starting to become easier, and the distances shorter, but I still wonder how I got here. How I ended up a 32 year old mother to 4 kids, trying to talk to friends from years past and figure out who they are today. I knew the 15 year old versions fairly well, but the friends with the kids and the spouses and the mortgages and the jobs I'm not so familiar with.

So two hours later, after talking to my friends and the flair from one friend that said I was "Chuck Norris Approved" (at least I'm telling myself that I'm the one that is approved, and not just the flair itself) and another one from another friend telling me she loves me like a hobo loves his cardboard box, all those cranky-making things were still there, but I felt better.

Labor Day weekend

In our quest to attempt to move to Europe sometime in the next year, we decided we should check out this state we live in a little more thoroughly before we abandon it for a couple years. (We welcome any suggestions) That being said, we had hoped to have a more jam-packed weekend, but spent the first half of it nursing little tummies back to health. That's okay, there's a never-ending list of chores to be done around here as well. Maybe next weekend.

However, our weekend wasn't a total loss, it was saved on Monday but our friends Shelly and Jayson who invited us over for swimming and a barbecue. We're always excited for that invite. Zach discovered he loves grilled chicken with barbecue sauce - I learned that if I starve the kid before I feed him, he's more likely to eat what's in front of him. How is it that I have been a mother for this long and not have had that lesson really sink in before now? I must ponder that. I think it's my inability to plan ahead. Shelly and Jayson thought it was funny when Nick asked if they had any paprika so he could sprinkle some on his potato salad. Salt...pepper...paprika. It's practically a staple. -Of course I was informed I needed to get their kind, cause it's better. ( I don't doubt it)

I watched the kids get their fill of swimming, except Christopher, he thinks it's much more entertaining to throw stuff in the pool. Toys, shoes, rocks. (Sorry about that, guys, I hope we got out all the rocks.) After throwing in one of Zach's shoes, it somehow managed to get itself stuck in the pool filter. When we pulled it out, we found another special little surprise. A frog! (or a toad, I really don't know the difference- I wish I had taken a picture, but I totally forgot) It was small, could fit in the palm of Madison's hand, was fat, and had spots all over his body. Madison was in love. She is such an animal girl. Having no live pets of our own, she makes do with piles upon piles of stuffed animals. I'm forever threatening to send some to DI or Goodwill or something.

We decided it would be best to relocate the little guy (affectionately named Mr. Froggy) to a pond or lake or something, and Madison took the responsibility herself and held the cup all the way to the lake. There was a park with a lake closer to our friend's house, but we thought Madison needed some extra time with her new friend, so we drove to the lake at Freestone Park where she let him go. It was with a sad heart, and tears streaming down her cheeks that she set him free, but she understood that he would be would be much happier roaming free with all his little froggy friends. She cried the whole way home.