2013

This year I hope to:

Read:
Falling to Heaven, by James L. Ferrell
The Peacegiver, by James L. Ferrell
Bonds that Make Us Free, by C. Terry Warner
The Anatomy of Peace, by The Arbinger Institute
To Draw Closer to God, by Henry B. Eyring

Exercise:
30+ minutes per day, 4+ days per week, every week

Take time to:
Enjoy the small moments with my family and friends.
Be still.
Study Brazilian Portuguese.

Maybe:
Go to my birthplace, Western Samoa, to visit my parents on their mission.
Become a Foster Parent.

Olympic Dreams

Once school starts, this will be the first time, in a decade, that I will have both kids gone for a majority of each day.  Admittedly, I have felt somewhat lost, and have wondered what to do with the rest of my life.  I shared this with my mother, and she expressed that she was having similar feelings of her own.  My older sister just graduated from college, and is seeking a job, and my younger sister has been under-employed for a while now.
All of this was on my mind as I watched the olympics yesterday, and I think I've hit on some inspiration!  I have decided that the four of us should become the world's first synchronized tandem diving team!  Honestly, I can't believe that this hasn't been a sport yet, but I will totally use that to our advantage!  Think how the media will eat it up: four people, two generations from the same family, ranging in age from 35 to 70, deciding that it's never too late to follow your dreams!  We will inspire millions!
Now, there are some obstacles that we will have to overcome, but that just adds depth to the story, don't ya think?  Take me, for instance, I don't know how to swim, am terrified of heights, and I really dislike being seen in a swim suit.  We live in four different states, and three of us don't even have swimming pools (well, one of us has a pool as part of their HOA, and one of us has a 42" deep above ground pool)!  But those are the biographies that we find most inspiring-- when the athletes have to overcome insurmountable obstacles!
Now, while I'm trying to figure out how to break it to my younger sister, that we will all be moving in with her for the duration of our training, why don't you tell me what the Olympics has inspired YOU to do?

Ego Check

James asked me to start blogging again.  Touched, I said, "Oh, you've missed my posts?"  He said, "Well, I have, but I think it's a really good way to record our family history."

It kind of reminded me of two Sundays ago at church.  I received a new calling which would take me away from Young Women's where I have been teaching since about mid-December.  I have struggled to feel like I've really connected with the girls, even though they are great girls.  So, when one of them  asked, "You're not going to stop teaching us are you?"  "Aw," I thought, "She actually likes me." 
"I'm sorry," I said.  "Ugh!" she moaned, "we've been through SO many teachers!"

Not the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer

When I was on my mission, there was a man in line at the soup kitchen where my companion and I were serving a meal who declared that I was "a couple books short of a full Bible." He went on to say, "You's missin' Axe and Duterominy."  Unfortunately, I've proven him right MANY times over the years. 
Tonight, I was playing a game on my cell phone: Shape Shift.  I've already deleted it twice from my phone because I waste WAAAY too much time with it whenever I open it up.   It consists of a screen made up of many boxes; the boxes can be one of four colors, and on each box is one of three shapes (circle, square, or triangle).  You move the boxes around by choosing two boxes with the same shape on it (i.e., a green box with a triangle, and a yellow box with a triangle) and the game will then switch their places on the screen.  When you have 4 boxes of the same color touching, they explode and disappear, and new boxes are fed in from the top of the screen.  Silly, I know, but something about it is highly addictive.  Maybe it's the explosions, or the consequent explosions that your initial explosion can cause, because as the exploded boxes disappear, everything above it shifts down to fill in the gaps.  If that shifting causes more boxes of the same color to connect, they too will explode.
 In "Classic" mode, you have the added excitement of bombs inside some of the boxes, with timers on them.  If you fail to get three (or more) boxes of the same color to touch that bomb's box, before it gets to "zero", then you lose and the game is over. 
As I was playing, I had a bomb quickly counting down to zero, and I was getting a little frantic trying to get the right color/shape combination over to it before it hit zero.  Ben, who was sitting next to me observing all of this--and who, to my knowledge has never played this game--says, "You don't need to get all stressed out about it, it's not a timer.  It just shows how many moves you have left to take care of that bomb. Did you see it go from 5 to 4 when you did that?"
Excuse me?  Who has played this for too many hours to count??  And who has just been observing for five minutes??
Patronizingly, I responded, "No, it is a timer, and if you don't take care of it before it goes off, you lose.  It has nothing to do with moves."  I go on to explain, slightly more patiently,"It's not in seconds, though.  You have to keep your eye on the bombs, because sometimes they count down fast, and sometimes they count down more slowly."

Um, ... ya, after a few more minutes playing, with his observation starting to penetrate my thick skull, it became apparent: he was right.  How could I have never figured that out??  It must have been in explained in "Duterominy."

Let's Play Catch ... Up

So, seriously, where did summer go?  My kids go back to school in a week and a half.  They are excited (or is that me?)  So, what did we do in the summer time?

Let me sum up:
Brianna had a birthday, turning 5 years old!!  She is growing up so much! 
Things I admire about Brianna:
* She is able to speak up, no matter the situation, in order to get help/information, get a random kid on the playground in trouble with his/her parent, voice needs/wants/likes/dislikes.  This is a skill that I admire greatly, because it is incredibly difficult for me to do, even as an adult.
* She is fun.  She just attacks life with a fun, playful, and intense attitude!  Sometimes I think I've forgotten how to be fun; I'm pretty sure that's part of why God sent Brianna to me -- to help me remember. :)
* She has a kind heart, and quickly forgives.
* She has a smile that lights up a room, and a laugh that makes the sun shine!

Brianna starts kindergarten this year, and is SO excited!  I took her school clothes shopping the other day, and she was so cute about it all.  She had very definite opinions about the clothes, but fell in love with nearly EVERY shirt that she saw.  I had to limit her choices for her.  During the limiting process, she explained to me multiple times that her teacher would be SO disappointed if she didn't get this or that item. She felt so important and happy as we shopped that she literally was skipping down the corridors at the mall. 

O.k., so this is sort of a mish-mash of catch-up. 

Ben started the summer with a week at his Grandpa and Grammie's, which he LOVED!  (He has since expressed that he wishes THEY were his mom and dad). 
He and Brianna then had a week of soccer camp, with a week of golf camp following for Ben.  Ben decided on his birthday this year that he wanted to take up the great game of golf.  He really enjoyed the lessons, but hasn't had much of a chance to practice his skills yet.
Throughout the whole summer, my kids have been blessed to be able to have swim lessons at a friend's pool, with a girl in our ward teaching them.  They have both made a lot of progress this summer, and while Michael Phelps they are not, they can both pretty safely enjoy a pool now.

Things I admire about Ben:
* He is really growing up.  He is no longer a young child, and yet, he's not a teenager.  He is sort of caught in the in-between stage (I suppose that this is what people call the 'TWEEN' stage, but I don't like that word.).  Sometimes he is so grown-up, and his conversation and his humor just delight me.  But there is still enough of a child inside that needs time to play and imagine and explore. 
* He enjoys yard work.  (That doesn't mean that he does a lot of it, but he does enjoy it.)  I think he gets a lot of satisfaction out of trimming a shrub, and being able to see the immediate results of his work. 
* His gospel understanding still continues to amaze me.  He really understands far beyond his years.

This summer we also were able to attend my family's GrandKid's Birthday Bash where we all gathered at a Barn/Lodge-ish facility and camped and waterskied and jetskied in celebration of all of the Grandkid's birthday's on my side!  It was a wonderful time for all who were able to come!

We had one of my brothers and his family come for a visit, and we ran them ragged with a Brazilian feast and jetskiing!  It was so fun to have them here!

We attended our neice's baptism and visited with James' side of the family which was super fun and special.  Brianna and two of her girl cousins (and two other girls) sang at the baptism and did a beautiful job!

James ran a half-marathon that he had been training for all year and did 2 minutes better than his goal-time, which was a lofty goal!!  I am SO proud of him!  He did that yesterday, and is pretty darn sore today.  After his race, we came back, grabbed our jetskis and met our good friends at the lake for a fun time!  We played until the sun went down!

Coming up this week is some girl-time for my mom, sisters, sisters-in-law, and me!  Can't wait!  Then, the next week, James and I will escape to celebrate our anniversary in Bryce Canyon, at my best friend from High School's parent's bed and breakfast!

In the midst of all of this, we unexpectedly found out we were pregnant!  What?!  Who knew that that particular marital activity between James and I could actually produce a pregnancy??  Crazy, eh?  Well, as it turns out, it was not a viable pregnancy (meaning no baby actually formed) and I ended up having a d&c in mid-July.  It was sad and difficult, and we still have pangs of sadness at the loss sneak up on us, but overall we have recovered well and are moving forward, ever grateful for the two beautiful children God has blessed us with.

Whew!  No wonder I'm tired.

Random...

Questions
*If a "smart phone" is SO smart, why didn't it call me when I put it in the washing machine?
*Why don't below freezing temperatures kill weeds, instead of crops?

News
*The birthday party was a success! ... I think.
*I placed my VERY CLEAN phone in a bowl of uncooked rice for about three days, paid my tithing, and it works again!!

Pictures with explanations/stories
James is training for a half-marathon. He signed up to run a 5k the morning of Ben's birthday. I, ever so smartly, thought, "hey, the kids and I could walk the 5k, rather than just sit around waiting to cheer James on as he crosses the finish line. And it would be something healthy we could do as a family!" Great thinking, right?
Well, in my defense, it could have been a great family activity. Unfortunately, it had rained a bunch, and was still raining. As we left the house, we thought, "o.k., rain. That's no big deal. We can walk in rain." However, when we arrived we found that the 5k track was unpaved. It went around some planted fields, and the mud was like clay. It was truly SO HEAVY. And slippery.
Well, I realized that I had to make a choice, knowing that how ever I chose to handle this situation, it would teach my kids a lesson (whether positive or negative). So, I acknowledged that it was muddy and gross, but that we could do it. The mud didn't change the distance, and we knew we could do the distance. Ok, so technically the mud didn't change the distance, but walking with 10lb weights on each foot did change the dynamic. So, while James did run the 5k, and actually came in 3rd in his division, the kids and I finished approximately a 3k, and were very proud of ourselves for doing that. As we walked to the car, the mud finally won and actually sucked Ben's shoe right off of his foot! He was very upset, and complained that it was the "worst birthday of his entire life". We tried to help him to understand that, while it had been pretty miserable, it was only an hour out of his life, and besides, his day could only get better from there!
At the end of the day, Brianna asked Ben if his birthday had been terrible, and he said that it had been great, except for one hour. :)
Here is Ben, at the abandoned soccer field, with one of his "treasures" that he found in the garbage can.
Here is the rickety old swingset that our backdoor neighbors gave us when we moved in. It was so rickety, and Brianna swings so hard and high, that I was always worried that the joints would finally come apart, and the big bar would fall on her sweet head. (The whole thing would swing from side to side as she swung back and forth.) So, I listed it on CraigsList for free to whomever would come and haul it away. I called it a "vintage metal swingset". You would never believe how many calls I had for that baby. I even disclosed that it was very rickety. It was gone within 48 hours!
And, last but not least, I sent the kids upstairs to change their clothes the other day. When they came back down, they had indeed changed their clothes. Ben changed into Brianna's clothes, and Brianna changed into Ben's clothes. It's hard living with a house full of comedians! :)

I Seem to Have More Issues than Time magazine

I am having major birthday party anxiety. Ben's birthday party is coming up this Saturday.

A couple of years ago, when we were still pretty new here, and Ben was having trouble adjusting, I decided to throw a Star Wars themed just-for-fun party for him and some boys from school and the neighborhood. It was AWFUL!! Two guests showed up. That is fine with me, except for these two decided that ANY planned game or activity was STUPID and BORING, and were VERY RUDELY VOCAL ABOUT IT.

Next, came Ben's birthday party. Well, after that fiasco, I wasn't about to be responsible for another party FLOP, so we planned it at Chuck-E-Cheese's. Perfect for a seven-year-old birthday party, right? NONE, I repeat, NONE of the invited guests showed up. We literally ended up recruiting a kid from our ward, a younger sister of one of Ben's friends, and some dear friends who happened to already be at Chuck-E-Cheese's for a birthday party which had just ended, to be Ben's "guests". It was great that they stepped in and helped to save the day. It sucked that none of the friends he had invited came. I felt just sick inside.

So, last year, we planned it at Banana's Fun Park, with laser tag, bumper boats, mini golf, etc. We did have a great turn out, and I think everyone had fun. It cost a small fortune, and I had anxiety the whole time, because I kept worrying that I'd lose a kid. Fortunately, we did not lose anyone.

This year, Ben decided that he wants to take his friends to a movie and then have pizza, cake and ice cream and open presents. He has had three RSVPs. Two can't come, one will miss the first half of the party. I'm worried about getting to the movie with everyone, including the best friend, who is the guy coming late. I'm worried that maybe the movie will stink. I'm worried that no one except the late best friend will be coming. I'm worried that if I hear how STUPID or BORING anything is, I might lose it. Mostly I'm worried that Ben is going to have another birthday party FLOP, and that my poor birthday party planning skills are going to scar him for life.

(Btw, one of the fiends, oh, I mean friends, that he handed an invitation to, wadded it up and threw it away without even reading it. Now, I know this kid, and honestly, he seems nice. But seriously, even if he didn't mean to hurt feelings, that is just plain MEAN. Ben handled it well, He got the invitation out of the garbage, smoothed it out, took it out of the envelope with that boy's name on it, and gave it to a different friend.)

So, do you think I can get a prescription for xanax just for party situations?

Wedding Photographer

I got to be the official wedding photographer at a wedding I attended this morning. Let me just say that weddings are a LOT of work! I feel sorta bad that I didn't take ANY video, but I hope they'll still be pleased with the results. Besides, you get what you pay for, and I did it for free.
They had quite a crowd. It was standing room only! So much love was in that room!

Now, don't judge the girl sitting on the floor too harshly. You don't know anything until you've walked a mile in her shoes, and can I just tell you that those are ballet TOE shoes. Ya, try walking a mile in those babies! You'd be sitting on the floor too, buster!

And the magical first kiss as husband and wife!

money, motivation, and mistakes

Aaaaah! So, I've been thinking that it's wrong to pay your children to obey their parents and to get along with each other. Plus, I'm listening to the book Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink, and now I KNOW that it's counter-productive to PAY your children to obey their parents and to get along.
In fact, I've learned that paying your children to do anything suggests to them that the task is undesirable in some way, AND once they've been paid to do something, they are FAR more unlikely to ever do it again without pay.
I haven't finished the book yet, but I'm sufficiently worried about what damage I may have already done, and thoroughly confused about how to teach my kids to handle money, and about how you get paid for what you do, etc., without messing up their internal motivation for doing things.
Parenting is hard.

It's a Wonderful Life!

I love this time of year!

I love my Savior who loved each of us enough to come to earth and live a mortal life and atone for our sins.

I love that He made it possible to be free from pain, sorrow, guilt, grief, illness, etc.

I love that Brianna still believes in Santa.

I love that Ben can't contain his Christmas secrets. (I love it, but won't trust him with any more!)

I love that James still has a little boy in him, and that I get peeks at that (mostly when he has a weapon -- bow & arrow, or gun-- in his hand.)

I love that my new dog is SO mellow.

And that he doesn't pee and poop in the house.

I love that we were able to spend Thanksgiving with James' family, and that we have a great party coming up with my side of the family as well!

I love that I love ALL of my family members! What a blessing that is!

I love that I can see. I mean I can SEE! LASIK is fabulous!

I love that Ben is LOVING third grade!

I love that I can take pictures with my phone! Afterall, it allowed me to capture these beauties!

The night Ben received his Bobcat!

Ben receiving his soccer trophy! His coach likes to give them a nickname each season. This time, he called Ben Mr. Fundamentals. :) Ben scored a goal on his last game of the season!

(Brianna did great in soccer this year as well, and she, too, received a trophy, but those pictures were on a different camera!)

Obviously, it's very difficult to get Brianna to pose for a picture!

Poor mannequin! I guess she learned too late that you NEVER mess with a 4 year old pirate!

If you break up your writing, does that make it poetry?

A black cat

ran across the road

in front of me

today.

I just laughed

because

he had missed his cue.

You see, it was YESTERDAY that

I backed my car

into another car

in my driveway;

destroying my back bumper

and their front bumper.

And it was earlier this morning when

I went to my scheduled pre-op appointment

for my LASIK procedure

on Monday,

that they informed me that my surgery is on

TUESDAY!

"No," I said, "I'm scheduled for MONDAY."

"No," she said, "We never do that surgery

on Mondays!

"I don't know where

You would have gotten that idea." she said.

"You wrote it on my paperwork." I said.

And I showed her the paperwork.

I still don't know

if I will or will not

be having surgery

on Monday.

When I got home

a person near and dear to my heart called

in tears.

Her burdens are heavy.

Her hope is slim.

I reminded her to breathe,

And I counted my blessings;

For they are many.

So, little black cat,

wherever you are,

thanks for the laugh.

Six Random Thoughts in Ten Minutes

1. Why is it so easy to break a good habit, and so hard to break a bad habit?

2. Caspian is gone. We placed him with a family with grown children. :(

3. James is off hunting and fishing. I miss him.

4. I am a good cookie maker.

5. Brianna is going to visit Grandma next week. I am really going to miss her.

6. Funny story: This morning there was some debate about whether Brianna needed to shower. She wanted to, but had just showered last night. I tried to convince her to just get dressed. She headed upstairs, and soon called down to me. I thought she said, "I picked out my clothes and got all dressed." So I said, "Good job! Come here and let me see you!" But, what she really said was, "I picked out my clothes and got UNdressed." So, in bursts my naked little exhibitionist. I exclaimed, "Brianna, get upstairs right now!" and I headed for her, knowing that she had won and I would be throwing her into the shower. She giggled, and said, "Oh no! I better hurry or you'll spank my lovely little bottom!"

In Which Hormones are like Smoking Pot

Each month, for about a week at a time, I experience amotivational syndrome which occurs concurrent with PMS.
Well, to be perfectly honest, I looked up "amotivational syndrome" to make sure I was using the term correctly. You see, I use it to mean: lacking motivation of any kind (i.e., I should probably shower at some point today, ... meh; I should probably feed my children, ... meh; etc.). I have been using this term freely for a good decade or so, but somehow, wanting to put it into writing, I felt I better know what I'm talking about.
This is what I found on Wikipedia:

"Amotivational syndrome is a psychological condition associated with diminished inspiration to participate in social situations and activities, with lapses in apathy caused by an external event, situation, substance (or lack of), relationship, or other cause."

Oh good! I was using the term correctly. But, then it goes on to say,

"empirical studies suggest that there is no such thing as "amotivational syndrome", per se, but that chronic cannibas intoxication can lead to apathy and amotivation."

No such thing??! But, ...but, ...but there HAS to be, because I experience it. My dishes and laundry pile up, we live in jammies, we eat frozen meals or whatever is readily edible from the pantry. And then, one morning, after about a week, I wake up and again feel like cleaning and doing laundry and reclaiming my home from the clutter-monsters (they're like dust-bunnies, only scarier).

Did you know what "cannibas" is? I had to look it up. It's marijuana, pot, Mary Jane, whatever you want to call it. So, I guess that somehow the same hormones that cause PMS are equivalent to smoking pot for a week at a time, once a month.

At least for me.

The Parable of the Guy on the Side of the Road (re-run)

As I said my prayers this morning, I was feeling down, and the words that I used to describe how I was feeling were “robbed” and “beaten”. (And they were, perhaps, a bit dramatic.) I didn’t mean them at all in a physical way, and it wasn’t until after I had said them that the connection to the parable of the Good Samaritan came into my mind. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the man on the side of the road had been robbed and beaten, physically. I realized that we usually just try to relate to the Good Samaritan in the story. Suddenly I felt that we should remember that we are all, at one time or another, the guy on the side of the road.

This life can be very hard. There are many ways that we can be, or at least feel “robbed”: robbed of time with loved ones; robbed of experiences we longed for; robbed of opportunities; and “beaten”: beaten by circumstances beyond our control; beaten by the cares and worries of life; etc.

With this in mind, we can each be the Good Samaritan as well. In the parable, the Good Samaritan could see the wounds, and the physical needs of the man were evident. The parable states that the Good Samaritan had compassion on this man and went to him and bound up his wounds, and gave him relief and placed him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

Our dear Sister Hinckley has said, “Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a battle." Remembering that, and realizing that the wounds of those around us are often invisible to the naked eye, our “binding up of wounds” and our “giving of relief” must truly be guided by the compassion of our hearts and by the Spirit. Compassion is an attribute of Christ. The more we practice this attribute, the more we will become like Christ. Perhaps that is why there is so much opportunity for practicing this in the world. Perhaps there are so many chances to be both the guy on the side of the road, and the Good Samaritan, because there are so many lessons to be learned from both sides of the street—so to speak.

P.S. I'm really o.k., the Lord, Himself, is very good at binding up wounds when we allow Him to see them. I'm feeling much better. Plus I felt like I got a nice insight.

The Quiet Heart (re-run)

There is a line in a hymn that I love that says, "In the quiet heart is hidden sorrows that the eye can't see." I love that. It is so true. We all have sorrows past or present. We all have trials and hardships, challenges and difficulties. Some are more obvious to outsiders, and some are perfectly hidden.

There are parts to each of us that we would prefer others not know about. Usually things that we dislike about ourselves or refuse to accept. Some are things we can (or think we should be able to) control, and others are beyond our control.

I believe there is an innate fear surrounding these hidden sorrows. A fear of rejection should anyone discover. We each long for acceptance and true love, but fear holds us back from sharing with one another the things that we believe would bring about the feared rejection. Then, ironically, even when we find "acceptance" and "love" we don't fully trust it, believing that "if they only knew the real me," this love and acceptance would be lost.

In reality, the more we share with one another, the more mutual understanding, the more connected, the more actual love and acceptance we find. I'm not advocating T-shirts advertising our greatest weaknesses, or any of our hidden sorrows. I'm only observing that, in the right time and place, sharing with one another those sorrows that we usually keep hidden can actually be a validating, freeing, and therapeutic exercise. I think exercise is a good word for that, because it's not easy or comfortable.

In the MTC, they taught us not to share 'past transgressions', which I lovingly dubbed, "trans-pastgressions". I do believe there is wisdom in this for the most part -- especially as missionaries who carry that mantle and are teaching those with the first tender shoots of budding faith. There are times, however, when the lessons learned from our trans-pastgressions can and, perhaps should, be appropriately shared; times when that sharing could actually help lift another. Definitely discretion should always be used in this.

I used to put people up on pedestals and think they were completely infallible. Then, when I would find out, to my horror, that they were just regular people, I would be crushed. Boy have I come a long way! Much of my journey came through the trials of my life. I am grateful for the things that I have learned along the way. They have blessed me with more compassion and empathy, and with the sure unwavering knowledge that we truly each have our own sorrows hidden in our quiet hearts. No more pedestals here, just a lot of slack! Slack that I hope is afforded me in return.

Something You Never, NEVER Want to Hear

"Mom! Mom!! Mom!! The BEST news EVER!! They had babies!! They're so cute!!"


Yes, what are the chances that the two snakes he would have for only TWO WEEKS would have FOUR BABIES!!?

I'm outta here .....

Random Thoughts

* "Man cannot live by bread alone" ... just curious, does that include zucchini bread?

* How 'bout banana bread?

* Since living here, we've gone through (which is the detached way of saying "killed") something like 4 toads.

* I'm thinking of putting up a sign on my front door, "Home Sweet Home, the place where amphibians come to die."

* That will also make it easier for PETA to find me after they read this post.

* Does it make me a good mom or a bad mom that I've allowed Ben to catch and keep two snakes?

* We're pretty sure they're not rattle snakes.

* I'm also pretty sure that I'll need a longer sign for my front door: "...amphibians AND reptiles...".

* Does it make me a good mom or a bad mom that I fed my children zucchini bread for dinner last night?

* At least I kept saying, "Eat your vegetables!!"

* James is having a birthday next Friday.

* I think I'm all done shopping for him.

* Although he did give me another gift idea after I said I was done.

* He has a beard.

* He's a babe with or without a beard!

* I'm pretty sure Ben gets his fascination with and lack of fear of reptiles and amphibians from James.

* I think I'm gonna take my kids to a movie this afternoon.

* I'm doing a terrible job being creative with my kids this summer.

* I have taught them how to sort laundry.

* And make their beds.

* Brianna and I cook together a lot.

* Ben can now make great lemonade,

* and strawberry smoothies.

* And we have had a lot of fun this summer.

* But it's the regular day that is most likely filled with too much TV, too many snacks, jammies for most of the day, etc.

* And for that, I beat myself up regularly.

* It seems like I should have amazing activities planned for every day.

* I should be feeding their minds and their creativity.

* Instead, we're mostly hanging out.

* Hmmm. Never know where random posts will lead.

* Have a great day.

* If not, have a great piece of chocolate!

Puppy Love?

Considering getting a puppy? Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I have a camouflage colored shag rug? (Inevitably a favorite place for the dog to poop -- must remind him of grass.)

Do I have children who will unwittingly step in poop that is incredibly camouflaged in the said camouflage colored shag rug?

Would said children stand still and yell for you if they did unwittingly step in said poop which is incredibly camouflaged in the said camouflage colored shag rug?

Or would said children who stepped in said poop on said rug then run throughout the house looking for you to clean up the said poop on the said rug, but which is now unwittingly spread THROUGHOUT the WHOLE HOUSE??

Not feeling much puppy love at the moment.

It's All MY Fault

This morning, I woke Ben a little after six; laid out his clothes for him; turned on the gas fireplace (his favorite place in the morning); put a blanket on the hearth; put his homework with a pencil next to the blanket; made him breakfast; packed his lunch; combed his hair; and, miraculously, got him to school on time.

Ben, for his part, got dressed; went by the fireplace; worked at a snail's pace on the homework that he ignored yesterday, despite my repeated instructions to get it done; threw a major fit, which included knocking over kitchen chairs, and looking at me with complete hatred in his eyes; refused to get out of the car at school; caused us to be late, even though we were to the school on time; caused me to go into the office in my jammies and glasses to sign him in late; and sobbed when I left him to be taken to class by an administrator.

We captured this photo during another of Ben's meltdowns.

I need a hug, a massage, and some chocolate. Ben could probably use the same.

Conversations with Brianna

Brianna: I wish I were the George's kid, instead uh yours.

Me: You wish you were the George's kid, instead of mine?!

Brianna: Ya.

Me: O.k., ... why?

Brianna: Weyw, I don't wuv you in your jammies. I do wuv you in your dress, but I don't wuv you in your jammies.

This was all said matter of factly, and without malice. I guess my tendency to lounge around in my jammies for half the day is getting to her.

**********

Brianna: Where we goin'?

Me: Well, we're going to run home, and check some things, and then we're going to run some errands.

Brianna: I don't wanna run some errands. I'n too busy to run errands today.

Me: You're too busy?

Brianna: (Big sigh) Ya.