Sunday thoughts -- Elder Pace's testimony

Last Sunday was our stake conference. Elder Glenn L. Pace of the Seventy spoke to us. You can read the first parts of his talk here and here. There's also some good stuff on charity here. This post is the last part of Elder Pace's talk.

A few years ago Elder Pace suffered a heart attack. When he awoke in the hospital after his surgery, he had a "soul memory," he called it. It was family. Family. Family. Family.

He knew that his work wasn't finished, but he didn't know what it was, exactly. He joked that it would've been nice if there had been a to do list left on his pillow. Elder Pace also didn't know how much time he had.

He said, "When you don't know how much time you've got, and you know your work isn't finished, you've got to be aware and sensitive to all around you. Because the reason you're still here might be standing in front of you at any time."



Do any of us really know how much time we've got? Are any of us finished with our work?



When you don't know how much time you've got, and you know your work isn't finished, you've got to be aware and sensitive to all around you. Because the reason you're still here could be standing in front of you at anytime.

My children stand in front of me all the time. They are the reason I am still here. I need to do better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elder Pace's testimony was so powerful. I wish I could adequately communicate with the Spirit to you. I'll try my best.

He said that part of his calling as a special witness of Christ was not only bearing testimony of Him, but bearing witness for Him.

"If He were standing here right now, which, He is, in proxy form, He wouldn't see 400 people. He would see us all individually and at the same time."


Think about that. He wouldn't see Elder Pace, then the stake president, then his counselors, then the congregation. He would see us all at the same time, yet individually.


"He knows us intimately and loves us anyway."

"He knows our weaknesses and loves us because of them, and in spite of them."

I know that this is true. Our Savior knows us individually. He knows all that we suffer, and He has been there. He knows my failings and your failings -- failings that caused Him infinite agony, and loves us anyway.

Doesn't that blow your mind? All these little things we do all the time that are disobedient and we think hurt no one hurt Christ. Do we really know that? How can we (I) better remember the Savior when we are choosing to sin? Maybe I should write His name on my hand, like He did mine.

I think we all have little sins that we struggle with. We think they aren't a big deal. Or when our conscious (aka the Holy Ghost) pricks us, we make light of it. Or we think that it's too hard to change.

Really? Do you really want to tell Christ it was just too hard to stop [insert favorite sin]? Like what He did wasn't hard? Harder than we could ever imagine? Because it was. He didn't get through it because He was perfect, or because He was half-God. He got through it because of love. The love and therefore perfect submission and obedience to His Father, and His love for us. Love. Love is all you need.

So how much do we love Christ? Enough to at least try to do better? (The voice of a little green puppet is coming into my head. "There is no try. Only do, or do not.")

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well. I didn't mean for this post to end up like this. I just let my thoughts to the talking and fingers to do the walking. It must have been something I needed to process, because I know where I can do better. I need to be more careful about the media that comes into my home. My children (and I) don't need to hear and see some of the things we do.

Okay. I'm officially stepping off my soapbox. I know that Christ loves us in spite of our weakness. I also know that through His grace (divine help), we can overcome our weaknesses and make them strengths. Only then can we *become* what God wants and needs us to be.

Is it because of the moon? Julius Caesar?

Why do 7 months have 31 days, 4 have 30 and 1 has 28? Shouldn't it be even? Seriously -- who's fault is it?

Those back-to-back 31-day months are SSOOO long!!! I'm okay with December having 31 days. There's so much to do in December that you need every second you can get. But does January have to have 31 days? I mean, the month just d r a g s as it is. Do we really need to add an extra day to the misery? Then have February only have 28 days? What is UP with that?

Then in the summer, it's July and August that are so long. July's cool -- you've got trips and vacations and lots to do. But by August school is starting again. Just get it over with. Make the change, already!!

So who's with me? I think we should write our congressmen. Maybe it can be part of the stimulus package. (I'm not even going to get into how enraged I am by that!!!!)

Startling revelation

Remember how a few days ago, I was all I'm going to get something done today? Well, I did. I got a lot done that day. About the only thing I didn't do was clean my room. But I did that the next day because I still had some momentum from the day before. And then I realized something.

Having a clean house makes me happy.


I know. Shocker.

I have a confession. I'm not a great housekeeper. I keep things tidy enough, but that's it. I'm pretty good about keeping the living room and kitchen clean, but our bedrooms tend to suffer. We don't spend much time in there and I can just close the doors when people come over.

But on Monday when I put all my furniture back in place, I brought in our big toy box. It's a dark wooden toy box that my in-laws made for our kids. I decided to clean it out, put the toys in it that the boys actually play with, and bring it out to the living room. This forced me to purge some of the broken toys and others that kids don't ever play with. It also made me pick up the mess that was on the floor in Spiderman's room. And it's been a while since I've really cleaned his room.

Then I cleaned the Hulk's room. It was mostly trash and didn't take long. On Tuesday, I cleaned my bedroom. It's been a really long time since I've cleaned in there. The dogs had shredded a roll of toilet paper in there that was all over the floor. Shoes, kids toys, and lot of clothes were all over the floor. It didn't take me long at all.

And now that the toy box is in the living room, the kids actually PLAY with their toys!!!!!! And now that my house is clean, it's easy to keep clean!! I don't sit around all day thinking, "I should clean my bedroom.......but I don't want to!" Now it's clean and it's just a matter of making the bed. Too easy.

I've been happier this week. The kids are playing with their toys or making forts all day instead of watching TV. I do a little blogging, and little cleaning, a little folding of the laundry while I watch TV. Easy peasy.

I hope I can keep it up. I still have some areas to focus on. The computer desk is a big one. And keeping the kitchen counter clear. Those two are ongoing battles.

What are your problem areas?

This was going to be a Random Friday, but I don't have time to keep going. Today is PAYDAY which means I'm going grocery shopping. And I get a huge gold star for staying perfectly within my budget this month!! Woo hoo!! I even got a congratulatory call from Superman about it. I only have cash to spend, and I was able to stick to just cash.

Are any of you on cash only budgets? How do you do?

I just have to say that you guys have made me be a better person this week. I'm too lazy to link, so.......sorry. =D But seeing the fun things you do with your kids makes me take a minute to enjoy laughing and playing with them. See the things you accomplish around your house was a HUGE inspiration for me cleaning this week. Knowing that some of you read my scripture blog forced me to read my scriptures and post daily there. I bought a bag of mixed fruit this week in an effort to eat healthier. Seeing all the pictures you take has made me take more pictures of my kids. And just laughing with you is so healthy for me. So I thank you, my bloggy friends, for helping me this week.

Real World: Chet's thoughts on forgiveness

I know that not many of you watch The Real World: Brooklyn. To be honest, this is the first season I've ever watched. I didn't plan on discussing The Real World at all, but something that Chet, "The Mormon," said last night has been bothering me all morning.


Chet (the guy you can see in the backseat) started joking about domestic violence with Sarah (the driver). This was his first mistake, but not the real issue here.


He didn't realize at the time that Sarah is actually a survivor of abuse. She comes out and tells him that her father has sexually abused her in the past, and that she hasn't had him as part of her life for 8 years.

"Do you hold grudges?" Chet asked.

"Because of the history that I have, should I allow him back into my life?" Sarah replied, in a you-really-think-I-should-do-that? tone of voice.

"Don't you believe in forgiveness?" Chet asked. I wanted to reach through the TV and smack the guy.

"If you truly forgive, you have to go on and you can still keep those people close to you," Chet says like he's trying to impart wisdom.

"I can not let that man back into my life. Not going to happen," Sarah says, ending the conversation.


All I have to say is, forgiving does not always mean forgetting.

(What I am not saying: Maybe if Chet hadn't missed so many Sunday School lessons he would know that. But I would never say something rude like that.)

I have to agree with Kristina P. Don't judge all Mormons by Chet.

Someone call Oprah

My son is a hoarder.


Seriously.


My four year old Spiderman hoards things. And more than just bringing the same 4 toys with him everywhere he goes. He hoards treats.


When he gets an M&M he'll lick it till it literally melts in his hand. Same thing with cookies. Lick lick lick. He doesn't hoard regular food, just the sweets. And honestly, it's not hoarding as much as it making it last. But he licks the stuff till it's soggy and I finally have to tell him to take a bite of it.

The other day we got a few things of Reeses for helping take down chairs at stake conference. Spiderman didn't want to open his. He carried it around all afternoon. At one point he said he wanted it open, so I helped him open it. And then he FREAKED OUT. "NO!!! I DON'T WANT IT OPEN!!! I WANT IT CLOSED!!"

"Oh! Sorry bud! You told me you wanted it open, so I opened it. But I can close it again." Thank heavens for packing tape.

It's so funny. I've never seen a kid who makes things last like he does. I'm honestly kind of happy about it, because it makes me think he'll be a "saver." If so, it's definately something he inherited from his father.

Even when he was younger, there were times he'd get a treat and not want it opened to eat, just wanted to hold it. One time he went down for a nap clutching a bag of jelly beans, and woke up with it still in his hand.

He was also very grumpy.

So never mind. Don't call Oprah. We'll just start giving him an allowance to hoard.

cute pics you know you want to see!!

I was tagged by Mechelle the other day. I just have to say that I love Mechelle. She has so much wisdom and love to share. She truly cares about all she comes in contact with.

Here were the rules:
1. Go to your documents/pictures
2. Go to your 6th file
3. Go to the 6th picture
4. Blog about it
5. Tag 6 other friends
6. Smile! Here is my 6th in 6th.....

(Actually, I only had 3 pictures in my 6th folder, so I just did them all.)

I'd say I was probably about 9 months old here.

This is me and my brother, probably 6 and 5 yo. (He's 15 mos. younger than me.) We both have our favorite blankets. We were best friends growing up. I can only hope the same for my children. And how cute is my hair? I had really long hair till I was about 11. My mom would always do fun things with it -- different kinds of braids and stuff. It was the 80s!!

And one last one of my and my brother. I'm guessing we're 8 and 9. This is the lazy susan at my grandma's house.

These photos are almost surreal to look at, and think that was actually me.

And now I tag.......all my photog friends who actually read this blog and haven't done this tag. Kiera, Cally, Michelle, Elisha, Nemiha, and AMa(?).

p.s. About two seconds after posting this, I read that girl in brazil's blog. She had just done the same tag and tagged me. Crazy, huh? (If you haven't read her, DO. She's awesome.)

I'm going to accomplish something today.

My to-do list:

Unload dishwasher
Load dishwasher
Unload dishwasher
Wash another* load of laundry
Fold laundry
Put living room back the way it was**
Clean Hulk's room
Clean Spiderman's room
Clean my room (not likely, but I'll put it on the list)
Vacuum

Superman has three dog-trainings tonight after work, so he won't be home till like 10. (Thanks for working so hard, Superman. I really do appreciate all you do!!) That means I have ALL DAY to work on all this stuff. Should be enough time if I really apply myself. My goal is to have a spotless(ish) house by the time the Bachelor comes on tonight. So NO MORE BLOGGING for me today!!!!

Do you ever have to say "no" to the blogging, or are you already pretty good at moderating?

*We had sick kids over the weekend so I'm behind on the laundry
**I got this crazy idea to rearrange my living room last night, and it's just not working. I'll have to put it all back today, with some minor adjustments. I'd post pictures if I had batteries for my camera.

p.s. this post was inpired by this one

A kick in the pants -- part 1

Elder Glenn L. Pace was the presiding authority at our stake conference this weekend. He is a great speaker. I have 5 pages of notes from his talk that I want to write in a more permanent form. And also for you to see and learn from. (A bit of forewarning: his talk was pretty off the cuff, so if it jumps around a bit, that's why. Well, that, and the fact that I only take notes on the parts I want to remember.)

When he started speaking to us, he told us that he wasn't quite sure what he should say, because he was having conflicting messages come to his mind.

He sensed that some there weren't really there. That they were becoming complacent and apathetic in their spirituality. Taking things for granted. But there were others who had come needing something -- some kind of comfort, or direction. So how was he supposed to deliver a kick in the pants and administer the balm of Gilead in one talk?

"You've been through the temple," he said. "Has the temple been through you?" (zing)

He compared Shakespeare's "Whate'er thou art, act well thy part" to Christ's "What manner of men ought ye to be? Even as I am."

Shakespeare's line is great. It made me think that I need to act better my part as a mother. But with a slightly different spin on the quote, it can be seen as simply "acting" your part. Contrasted to Christ's what manner of men (and women) ought we to be?

Are we just acting, or are we becoming?

A testimony is not enough, he said. A lot of us go through spiritual ups and downs. We all have heard it before -- our testimonies either get stronger or weaker every day. Sometimes, it hits us, My testimony isn't as strong as it should be. So pick up the scriptures, dive in, and try to get our testimonies back where they should be. Problem is, we work hard to get them back where they were, then we think, Alright. I did it. And stop reading our scriptures or whatever we did to strengthen it!! (By the way, this is the guy who wrote "Spiritual Plateaus.")

"Our goal should be more than obtaining and retaining a testimony," Elder Pace said.

It's not enough to have a testimony, or do good. We have to be good.

Have you ever read about the time of Christ, or Joseph Smith, or Moses or some other prophet and thought, "I woulda been great in his time. I wouldn't have faltered!"? Elder Pace has. Really! He joked that he could've knocked 10 years off the Israelites wandering in the wilderness if He had been there with Moses. And the Noah would've needed another ark for all the people he could have preached to. =D It was pretty funny.

Then he got serious. He said that you know something's a revelation when it speaks with power to your soul and it's something you don't want to hear.

One day as he was enjoying one of his "fantasies" about Joseph Smith, he had the thought, "You say you would have died for Joseph. What are you doing for Spencer W. Kimball?"

Zing.

p.s. part 2 is right below this. I didn't want it to be too long and scare you off!!

Balm of Gilead - part 2 of Elder Pace's talk

And now for the "comforting" portion. I'll warn you -- it's not as comforting as I've heard. Honestly, his talk reminded me of Jacob in the Book of Mormon. He was addressing the Nephites and needed to say some harsh things, but also knew that there were many "tender hearts" that he didn't want to hurt.

Anyway. Back to Elder Pace.

He referenced Mosiah 5:2, when King Benjamin's people had "no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."

This sanctification doesn't happen in one instant. It is an on-going process. Elder Pace said that when we're given the gift of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, it's like we're given a piece of sandpaper that slowly works on us. Our endowments give us a finer piece of sandpaper. The sealing ordinance offers us a piece that's finer still. But the finest piece we get comes from trials and tribulations.

Yippee.

In D&C 121, Joseph Smith gives the Lord some pretty tough talk. Why are you hiding, God? You're turning a blind eye to all that your children are going through! Joseph knew that God could stop all the bad things that were happening as Joseph was in the miserable Liberty Jail and the saints (and Joseph's wife) were being expelled from Missouri in the dead of winter. Why wasn't God doing something? Joseph wanted to know.

Then in section 122, he gets the answer. "All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than He?"

Zing.

Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in the sacred grove. Even this most sacred of all experiences didn't sanctify Joseph. He had to do it the old-fashioned way, just like us.

Elder Pace said (tongue in cheek) that we should pray for knowledge, because that can come without pain. Wisdom doesn't. Don't pray for sactification unless you're willing to pay the price.

Am I willing?

Elder Pace then shared a story about some boys in the ward he grew up in. I'll shorten itsignificantly, but here's the jist of it.

Some boys were out ice skating at night. (This was at Utah Lake in the 60s.) One of them went out too far and fell in the ice, drowning.

His best friend, who was there that night, got a job at the lake the next summer. He said that as long as he worked there, no one else would drown in Utah Lake.

Well, there were four girls who were tubing down Provo River, which feeds into Utah Lake. And the current was too strong. The boy saw these girls and went after them. He saved three, but when he went back for the fourth, the current was too strong for him, too. He drowned as well. The second boy from the same ward. Two best friends.

Elder Pace was at the funeral for the second boy. He went through the line and gave condolences to the boys parents. Then he realized who was standing in line behind him. The parents of the first boy who had drowned.

Imagine for a moment what passed between those two mothers. Elder Pace said they grasped hands and just looked into each other's eyes for a moment. They shared an embrace, grasped hands and looked at each other again, then gave small smiles and parted.

go ahead and get a tissue.

"We don't all have to go through the same thing. But we all have to go through some thing," Glenn L. Pace.

We know that we are on our way to a Christlike character (see this post) when it becomes harder for us to pass by someone who's suffering than it is to help them. When offering whatever we can is easier than not offering at all.

We're all carrying around a bag of rocks. Mine may look light to you; yours may look light to me. But we all feel the weight of them. Somehow, one of the best ways to lighten my load is to take one of your rocks and put it in my own bag. (Don't ask me how the physics work.) But it's true.

So embarrassing. The things we do for Sue.

The fabulous Sue is host a Very Funny Friday blog carnival. I wanted to participate, but feel like I have a hard time being funny on my blog. I didn't know what to write about. My last catalogue of minutes was actually an attempt at funny that I think fell kinda flat.

Then I read this goddess's post and knew what I could write about!

It happened back in college. (Always a good start to a story.) I had just started to date a guy I really liked, and we were at a movie. Actually, the movie was The Ring. Seriously the scariest movie I've ever scene. I should've taken that as a sign for my relationship with this guy, but that's a post for another day.

We sat down just as the previews were starting. I leaned toward him and put my arm on the armrest, 'cuz that's what you did to let a guy know you liked him. (Don't act like you don't know.) It was either that or put my hand on my thigh, fingers close to his leg, but I wasn't ready to be that obvious.

So as the previews are starting, my date leans over and says, "Do you mind if we sit closer?"

Do I mind?! That's what I want!!!

"Sure!" I say, scooting a heckuvalot closer to him. Pretty much as close as I could be and still have the armrest between us. I'm smiling and I look at him, pleasantly surprised as his forthrightness. He must really like me! I'm thinking. Names for our children start formulating in my head.

Then I notice his expression. Slightly confused, but smiling.

"Um, I meant closer to the front. This guy's head is in my way."

Oh. my. gosh. I. am. such. an. idiot.

ohmygoshohmygosh(trying not to hyperventilate)ohmygoshohmygosh

"Oh! Uh, yeah! Let's move up there," I say all perky-like, like I haven't just mortified myself.

I'm glad the theater was dark enough he couldn't see the tomato that my face had become.

The end. I hope you're happy, Sue. Not all of us enjoy public humiliation like you do.

Why blogging takes me so long

8:02 Log onto the internet

8:03 Read new comments

8:06 Start thinking about what I want to post

8:07 "MOM! I want some milk!"

8:08 Find a sippy cup, wash it out, fill with milk.

8:09 "I wanna be a ninja!"

8:10 Help child put on ninja costume.

8:11 Still don't know what to post about. Check a few blogs to see if there's anything good.

8:14 "Mom! He's eatin' 'at!" (the dog) "Then tell him 'off!' and take it away."

8:15 "He's still eatin' 'at!" Get up from the computer, remove toy from dogs mouth, walk to child's room, toss toy in and shut door.

8:16 Still don't know what to post. Read a few more blogs. Find out about April's giveaway. Punch out a quick post for that, add the button.

8:21 "He's eatin' 'at!" "Then tell him off and take it away." "I can't!!!"

8:22 Remove dirty diaper from dogs mouth. Put in garbage. Close door firmly to child's room.

8:26 Click "Create" and wait for inspiration to strike.

8:27 No inspiration.

8:28 Remove another toy from dog's mouth, lock door to child's room.

8:30 Read another blog.

8:32 "He's on a couch!! He's eatin' 'at!!" Remove another diaper from dog's mouth, considered cleaning so that dogs have nothing to chew, immediately rejected insane idea. Tell dog to get off couch.

8:33 Child hollars from locked room. Oops. Let child out.

8:35 Read another blog while children climb all over computer desk, actually saying, "I help you see!"

8:36 "What's his name?" Optimus Prime. "What's his name?" Bumble Bee.

8:37 Smiling as Spiderman sings, "Pansfarmers! More an ees an eye. Opmus Crying to a rescue! Bumbee to a rescue!!"

8:40 Start cataloging my minutes, realizing this is all the inspiration I'm going to get.

8:41 "I got hurt!" Give kisses.

8:42 "Mom! He's eatin' 'at!" Take another toy away from dogs. Make sure children are out of room. Lock door. Remind self of great love for husband and therefore resolve not to kill dogs.

8:43 Call it good enough and click "Publish."

April's Giveaway!!!

The ever-so-cleanly April is having a GREAT giveaway!! She has the cutest blog designs and buttons and is giving away some blog TLC, marking some to half price for winners, and is even giving away a great gift basket.

April's also a mega-sweetheart. She's hilarious and is great at responding to comments. She reminds me of TAMN, except that she's real. Which also means she's not afraid to talk about tough stuff. I love this girl.

So go on over and give her some love.

My boys

I want to gush a little about my kids today.

You know. For posterity. Honestly. I originally started this blog to talk about them. I'm just trying to get back to my roots.

The Hulk always wants to help me in the kitchen.

He loves to help me unload the dishwasher.

He also loves to help me cook dinner. Every evening, without fail, you can find him beside me in the kitchen. He pulls a chair from the table, climbs on up and helps himself.

"Whatchu doin', Mom?"

"I'm cooking dinner."

"Ohh! You cookin' dinnah! I help you!"

In this specific picture, I left the kitchen for a moment. Probably to blog. I walked back into the kitchen to find this. Talk about a multi-tasker!! Stirring two things at once.

I love this kid.

I don't always love him in the kitchen with me. More often than not, his chair is right where I need to be. And the dogs are often laying at my feet, hampering mobility.

But I don't want to discourage Hulk's love of the kitchen. I want to foster it so he'll always want to help in the kitchen. His future wife will be so pleased.

And now a few things about Spiderman.

The other day when I picked him up from preschool, he took a bit longer getting to the door. I talked to his teacher for a moment.

She said, "He is such a good kid. He sits there quietly and does whatever we ask. He's about the only kid in the class who does that. I wish we had more like him."

Music to a mother's ears. I never know how he does, and so these little tidbits are gems to me.

He also still loves his scriptures. He takes them to preschool every day.

Picking him about about a week ago, his teacher said, "We've decided that he's going to be a bishop someday. He loves to hold his 'Book a Momon scrip-ers' and calls us 'Sister' Barney and 'Sister' Hanson."

These kids rock my world.

I have a question

How do you eat healthy on a budget?

If I could afford it, I'd eat salads everyday for lunch and dinner. I'd eat fruit for all my snacks.

But I can't afford fresh fruits and vegatables every day. I just can't.

So what do you do? Do you eat healthily? How much do you spend each month or week on quality food?

If you don't eat as healthily as you could, why not?

I want to be healthier, but I don't want to go into debt doing it.

History made

Whether you agreed with his ideals or not,

you cannot deny that this is a great day in the history of America.

History was made today.

May he serve our country well.

p.s. See that ad-looking thing in the top right corner? It's not actually an ad. It's a really easy way for you to protect innocent life. Click and add your name. It takes less than a minute.

May or may not have Monday

I may or may not have watched Confessions of a Teen Idol last night.

I may or may not have stayed up an extra hour and watched Rock of Love last night. (That one I most definately did not do. I don't know what it is about those shows that draws people in.)

I may or may not have eaten a bowl of ice cream while watching reality TV.

I may or may not have napped yesterday afternoon. (Have I mentioned how much I LOVE 9 am church?!)


I may or may not have had my youngest take a 3 hour nap yesterday. (HALLELUJAH!)


I may or may not have lost two rolls of toilet paper to the dogs in as many days.

I'll never tell.

What are you not telling?

Possibly the best compliment I've ever received

Yesterday at church I went to talk to a friend who's got a little boy the same age as my youngest -- about 2 1/2.

First of all, this kid is the cutest ever. His language skills are so developed. He says things like, "How are you today?" and "I'm frustrated right now." And it's not even in baby talk. Every consonant is perfect. He's just adorable. I'm always amazed that he can remember my name -- we don't get together that often! He's a smart kid.

My friend told me that a few days ago, there was some kind of Marilyn Monroe pop art thing on TV. Her son pointed to it and said, "Why is Alyssa naked?"

She explained that it wasn't really me, and that woman wasn't really naked. (At least, not in that picture.)

I told him that was possibly the best compliment I had ever received and that he could come over and play any time.

Socks, sippies, and other things that mysteriously disappear

I know that most people have a hard time keeping tracks of socks. You know. Two go into the wash, one comes out. Where did the other go?

There are many theories about this strange phenomenon.

• The troll who lives in the washer eats them. (Or the dragon?)

• After 18 washes they turn to lint and dissolve in the dryer.

• Jack and Gus-Gus steal them to make pretty dresses for the women they're in love with.

• The dogs eat them. (This has actually gone beyond theory to proven fact, but not everyone has a dog.) (Lucky dog.)

• They simply grow legs and run away to inconvenient places like between the couch cushions, behind the dryer, bottom of the toy bin, the back of closets and toddlers' bag o' treasures.

Losing socks is no fun, but you usually have enough that it's not too big of an issue. Sure they're all mismatched, but how often is matching socks an actual necessity? Only on a third date, I say.


However, I'm finding that I have another problem lately.

I'm losing sippy cups.

For a home with two little boys and a mom who loathes doing dishes, this is a big problem.

We only have five right now. I like to have about 12 on hand. 2 boys, 4 different drinks a day and I reiterate a mother who would rather clean toilets than do dishes, and 12 cups seems about right.


Where do these sippy cups go? I don't pack diaper bags anymore. We don't even take drinks for the boys to church. I've begun buying the exact same kind every time. They have minimal parts -- just a cup and lid. No rubber "stop the drink from coming out" thing because I learned early on that those are just WAY too hard to keep track of and keep clean.

So all the lids and cups match. Over the last 3 years that I've been buying sippies I would say I've bought 30-40 of them. Literally.

And we have five.


I just want to know where they've gone.

Have they been kidnapped? Are they being held hostage? Did I miss the ransom note that held half a lid, brutally cut in pieces?

Did they all melt in the diswasher, suffering a horrible death by fire?

Did the dogs (dirty culprits) get a hold of some and now they've been chewed to pieces and are buried in shallow graves under the snow?

Had they had enough abuse at the hands of my children and ran away to find a better life in someone else's home?

I love you, sippies!! I NEED you. Please come back to me!! I promise to be a better owner. You can stay in the kitchen instead of being lugged all over the house by my sweet but still male children. I'll keep you out of reach of the canines. I'll handwash you as soon as you have been emptied. (No my fingers are not crossed. Quit trying to look behind my back. Stop it now!)

Just come home. I'm tired of replacing you.

And bring the socks, if you find them. They're scheduled for a sock hop tonight, and we wouldn't want them to miss it.

random friday: tv and kids. nothing new.

Since I've done it every day so far this week, I'm going to devote a moment to the tv shows I had the pleasure of viewing last night. I won't discuss details beacuse I know there's a few of you hoighty-toighty people out there with things like DVRS and TiVo and haven't taken time to watch them yet.

But. They made me cry. Well, two of the four. We watched Smallville and the Office. Both good episodes. "Andy deserves to win." Funny stuff. Smallville was interesting. Let's just say I'm intrigued to see where it leads.

Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice were the ones that made me cry. Has anyone seen the end of Grey's? With Major Hunt and Christina? Serious tears there. Could have something to do with the fact that Superman was in the army.

And then Private Practice. The man who had to choose between his kids? And Charlotte and Cooper on the plane? Serious tearage there. Gushing. Of course this is when my husband comes home from watching the office and playing rockband with his colleague. He walks in to me crying and trying to explain. Then all the stuff with Violet that I was trying to explain.......his exact line was, "You watch some weird shows."

I was just surprised that for once, it was Private Practice with the sex and not Grey's. Definately a switch there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My kids were up today at 5:45. Are ya kidding me? They wanted to eat cereal and watch Sesame Street. Since the kids were up I had to put the dogs out, which I felt bad about but didn't know what else to do! It was freezing outside, but the kids were up. And there was no way *I* was going to be awake for an hour I didn't have to be just to keep the dogs from eating the boys' cereal.

So I put the dogs out, got cerea, turned on the aforementioned show and went back to bed. Mmmm......bed. Nice, warm covers. Dark. Quiet. Sleep.


Yeah.


Not so much. The kids were yelling at me every 15 minutes. They wanted milk. Or juice. Or Ice Age. Or for me to wipe a bottom. You know. Kid stuff.

I don't know why I thought I'd get back to sleep. How utterly ridiculous of me!! So now I'm exhausted. The sun is shining, but I do not feel like gettting dressed and ready for the day. I just wanna curl up and go back to sleep for another hour. 5 hours just isn't cutting it for me today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now some random facts I've learned this week.

• You should replace your toothbrush every 3 months, or every time you get a cold.
• When blowdrying your hair, make sure you blow DOWN the follicle, not up. Causes split ends. This seems fairly obvious, but a lot of times when I turn my head upside down to dry the hair, I just shove the blowdryer up there. When I really should be turning the blowdryer to blow down the follicle, from the root. You follow?
• Diet Coke is a spermicide.
• Discuss plans with your husband more often. Otherwise, you might end up without a car on the day you made plans to go places.
• Reading scriptures with kids awake and demanding attention is not a very fruitful venture. Look for a wimpy post on daily bread today.

Oh my freakin' heck I WON A GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

Lolli over at "Life Is Sweet" is my beneficiary!!! I love this girl. She's a great mom and photographer. She blogs frequently and I love that every time I sit down at the computer I can count on a new post from her. She's a sweetheart and my bloggy scripture buddy.

She's sending me a copy of Mamma Mia!!! I haven't seen this yet, but everyone who has just raves about the music. Needless to say, I am quite excited.

Thanks so much Lolli!! You made my day!!

Did you know

that Diet Coke is a spermicide?

My friend did a little post about it.

I'm very glad I hate Coke and love Dr. Pepper.

Alright, class. Your topic: American Idol KANSAS CITY. Let's discuss.

Tell me what you thought of Arizona and Kansas City.

I liked Rocker girl with pink hair and the waitress from KY who was there without family. She had a very unique voice that I liked. Also the 16 yo who did Corrinne Bailey Rae. Those are really the only ones I remember being good.

Oh, and the blind guy at the end! Scott MacIntyre. He had a great voice, and I'm anxious to see him behind a piano.

What did you think of Bikini girl? The new judge Kara? (I like her. A lot.)

KC: Loved Lil Round, Asa (teacher), Danny (widower) and a few others that I really can't remember right now. I've found a blog just about Idol. I love it. I'm thinking most of my Idol chatter will be there this season.

Who did you like?

CELEBRATE!!!!!!

My baby just peed in the potty!!!

I AM SO HAPPY!!!!

Also strongly resisting the urge to take a picture of it.

He was getting ready to take a bath and sat on the potty because that's what we always do and I poured some warm water on him and it WORKED!!!

YAY!!!

Get the scoop -- the next biggest reality show EVER

As I was watching The Bachelor, True Beauty, Momma's Boys, Superstars of Dance, and Real Chance for Love last night, Superman came and sat next to me on the couch.

Now you must understand something about my husband. He hates reality TV. Hates it. With the buring passion of a thousand suns. Really, any pop-culture television.



What's that, you say? You're asking how we ever ended up together? Simple. When we met 10 years ago, reality television was just beginning. We're talking season 1 of Survivor, I think. (And I've never watched Survivor. Please no rotten tomatoes. I'm trying to be nice to my new computer.)

Combine that with the busyness of high school and summer vacation.......I hardly watched any television when we dated. And 3 years later when we were engaged I was too busy to watch TV, too. (I know. My priorites were SO messed up!)

So poor Superman had no idea he had married a pop-culture junkie because when we married, I wasn't one. And how was he to know of the addictive gene lurking behind my facade of utter perfection?

Alright. Fast forward to the present. I can't even count how many television shows I watch regularly, but they include shows on E!, Vh1, MTV, HGTV, TLC, ABC, NBC, Fox, CW and TBS.
Superman is actually quite tolerant of my habits. He enjoys time with the kids, friends, YouTube or sleep (whom he would take as a second wife if we practiced polygamy) while I get my pop-culture fixes.

So last night when he sat down with me to watch the finale of Real Chance of Love, I was pleasantly surprised. We started talking and he told me he was thinking of a new idea for a reality show. And just because I love you all so much, I'm going to let you in on our little idea. It won't be little for long, let me tell you!

You'd have moms with their grown children. The children would try to date a rapper/rockstar/someone who's only famous 'cuz they were on another reality show. The moms would get a say in the dates and whether or not their kids were allowed to date said celebrity. The moms would also try to lose weight in singing/dancing/modeling/fashion designing/cooking/ridiculous Japanese game show competitions and win a grand prize of a hundred MILLION dollars! Doesn't that sound like a great show? You could have racists and hippies and bisexuals and strippers and Mormons and single parents and all the great draws of todays reality shows. Hidden cameras and confessionals and secret challenges would abound with abundance.

We contemplated having the dads participate, but decided that murders on live TV might be frowned upon by the ratings board. And there's no potential for further seasons if Bret Michaels or Real and Chance are killed by enraged fathers. And we MUST have multiple seasons. (Notice I didn't mention current-Bachelor Jason. That's simply because no one would kill him. Far too likeable and gentlemanly.)

So what do you think? Any of you moms with weightloss goals and single kids interested in auditioning? You could meet Jillian and Mary Murphy and Tom Bergeron and Simon and that jerk from Hell's Kitchen!!! If you make if far enough you could even meet Heidi and TYRA (gasp!) If you don't have kids old enough, you could just enter with a single sibling or friend. JJ Abrams would be the producer because everything he touches turns to gold.

If you'd like more details, email me at americasnextsuperdanceidolwithashotatlovebut alsoabigloser dot hilarity dot netcom

p.s. why haven't the date/epic/scary movie guys thought of this yet?!

more random babble.....but that's what a blog's for anyway, right?

So about this Ireland thing. Not happening. Mostly because now Superman's company is thinking they won't send him. He'll just go into the office early and to some conference/tutorial calls on late afternoon Ireland time.

Just a big false alarm. I'm going to go ahead and get a passport just because it's a good idea. You know, like if I need to leave the country in a hurry to escape zombies or Miley Cyrus.

But this also means that Superman won't be leaving for a week, which is a good thing. I've done three weeks without him before and it is not something I EVER want to repeat. (It was for the army.) Spiderman was not quite 2 year old and the Hulk was 3 months at the time. I very nearly lost my mind by the end of it all. Once Superman got back I just want to sit on the couch and have a conversation with someone who could talk! And dinner!!! I had a reason to cook dinner again!!! And get dressed and ready!! I would NOT do well on my own. Sure I'd get out of bed and take care of my kids. But I'd never get out of my pajamas or shower leave the house without good reason. So much effort. You hearing me, Superman?! NO DYING!!!

On a completely unrelated note, I'm not going to be babysitting anymore. The mom's hours were cut and now she's just going to work on her husband's days off. So not only am I losing the little bit of income it brought, but my baby fix is gone, too!!! I'll have to beg some other mom to let me watch her little baby now. There's quite a few in our ward, so I probably won't have a hard time with that. And it will be nice to have my afternoons back.

On another unrelated note, I'm excited for TV tonight! The Bachelor, True Beauty and Momma's Boys. Maybe some dancing superstars during the commercials. And doesn't American Idol start tomorrow? HOLLA!!! Totally pumped! Except didn't they get rid of Paula? I saw her and another female judge on some previews. Why? I mean, I know Paula's crazy and loves everyone, but she was an integral part of AI!! Each one of the judges played a great role and I love the chemistry of the panel. I'm gonna miss that girl. I think they could replace Ryan, but I don't see that happening anytime in the forseeable future.

And I don't know how to close this random post, so............if you leave a comment I promise to comment on your blog today!!

Random Friday

Friday is my favorite day to blog because I can share all the things running through my head, call it Random Friday and it's good. I think Random Friday originally started to tell the 10 random songs that were on your player or iPod or whatever, but I've kinda scratched that part. Since I have no iPod. And my player is on my blog, randomly playing my favorite songs. I know that a lot people aren't big fans of music on blogs, or at least not the kind that plays automatically. But my music is mostly for me, anyway. And I'm lazy. If I see someone else has a player on their blog but it's not already going, I don't start it. Not even if I know and like the song. And you can just forgedaboudit if I don't know the songs. I guess assume most people are like me. So feel free to turn off my music if it bothers you. I won't be offended because (obviously) I won't know. But it is pretty good music, if I do say so myself.

Anyway.................didn't mean to ramble about music for so long.

So about this going to Ireland thing. Superman leaves two weeks from Sunday. I seriously, seriously doubt that I can get a passport in time. We thought that expediting my passport would get it here in 48 hours. Not true. They allow two weeks for delivery. And I've heard from more than one person that I should not trust that it would be here in time.

And I'd like to fly with Superman, but he's telling me now that's unlikely. I'm not scared of dying in a plane crash over the ocean, but just the whole flying internationally for a long time and being bored on the plane thing. It'd just be nice to at least be on the same flight, and I'm kinda doubting that would actually happen

I don't know what I'd do all day long there. I thought I'd just wander around Dublin close the to the hotel, but now I'm not so sure. A friend told me that her mom traveled with her Dad to Ireland a few years ago. She didn't really want to go anywhere alone and was told she probably shouldn't. By the time her husband was done with meetings, it was dark and everything was closed and they didn't exactly want to go pubbing. Do I really want to pay $1000 to sit in a hotel in Ireland and look out the window? And what if they change the dates of his trip, and I have a non-refundable ticket? What if I have the ticket and my passport doesn't come in time? What if I wait to by a ticket till two days before hand and it's $1500?

I really want to go. Like, really really want it. I realize that this is seriously a once in a lifetime opportunity made even better by the fact that so much of it is paid for already. And I don't want to regret it for the rest of my life. But.................argh. It's such a hard decision. I'm pretty reconciled to spending the money because I know that once taxes come back, there are pretty good chance they'll cover it all. I just don't want to spend the money and end up not being able to go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday I was reading Tink's blog and her post about her daughter. It brought tears to my eyes. Spiderman saw me crying and asked, "Mom, you crying?"

"Yeah, sweetheart. But it's okay," I said, quickly wiping tears away.

"Are you red?"

"What? Am I red? ....................Oh, do you mean am I blue?"

"Yeah. You blue?"

I'm chuckling to myself now, all sadness gone. He learned about the color blue in preschool yesterday and that sometimes when you're sad, people say you're looking blue. Just got a little confused on the expression, I guess. Man I love that kid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can't go to the library any more. When we drove to Kansas for Thanksgiving, I checked out some books on CD for us to listen to. And now I can't find one of them. It's beyond overdue at the library, and I don't want to pay the fine!

I know I didn't leave it in Kansas because we started listening to it on the way back. But it is not in my car. Anywhere! Our car isn't big. I checked under all the seats, the trunk, the glove compartment.......I don't know where it could be. We're all unpacked. I wouldn't have brought it in the house because I deliberately remember thinking, "I shouldn't start this book because I don't have a convienient CD player in the house. I'll just check out the hardcover." At that point I took the CD out and put in in the CD case where the music was. (I dont' know why I didn't put it back in the case.) But now I have CD #1, but not the case or the rest of the book.

So I can't check out anything else at the library. Major bummer. I'm consequesntly reading the Twilight series again, just for something to read. And it's fun, because have I told you all that I have a copy of the movie on my computer? We have a friend who had a whole bunch of on his computer that he let us copy and Twilight was one of them.

So Superman has finally seen it, and I get to watch it whenever I want. Yay!!!! And I heard that New Moon is scheduled to be released 11/20/09. And they're keeping the same actor for Jacob Black. I hope he gets big enough! I'm about halfway through Eclipse and forgot how much I like Jacob. This is the first time I've read the series through with the end result in mind. It's fun to read it with a new perspective.

So now you've got your Twilight fix/update. That's all the randomness I can think of. The dogs are still driving me absolutely bonkers going at it all day long. Poor Lacey is looking pretty haggard -- probably 'cuz Max has her head most of the time. She actually just growled at him!! My kids are making a mess of the house, building dog houses with chairs and cushions and laundry baskets. But I can't bring myself to stop them because if they aren't using their imaginations like this, they're watching TV. Lesser of two evils.

What's your randomness for today?

Hypothetically speaking

If you had the chance to travel abroad to, say, Ireland, but weren't sure the funding was going to be there, would you do it anyway?

Would you put it on a credit card and count on your tax return being at least $1000? Or Obama's stimulus checks? You don't have specific plans for your tax return/stimulus, so hypothetically you'd able to pay it all when your return comes in a month or two.

Hypothetically, it would be for a week with your husband who would hypotheically be going there on business. (All expenses paid for him.)

And your mother would probably be able to fly out to be with your children.

Hypothetically, this trip would be just over two weeks away, and you'd have to expedite your passport with no time to spare. (You don't have a passport because you've NEVER been abroad. Not even Cancun or Canada.)

And let's say that your husband only has a 75% guarantee that he's actually going. That his ticket hasn't been purchased yet.

Hypothetically, what would you do?

All I can say is.......

we'd better get some puppies out of this.

(You follow me, dog?)

Lacey's in heat and Max is going crazy. Literally.

Or maybe that's just me. I can't be sure.

If he's not gettin' it on, he's barking at her to cooperate. ALL DAY. (And all night.) Chasing her around the house, panting heavily. Licking at her backside. Not paying attention to his food.

I mean, it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't winter and they could be outside all day. But this looking at it all day is beginning to annoy me. Especially when the kids laugh and say, "They're playing. They're being silly."

And heaven forBID she might want to lie down. (It is lie, not lay, right Annette?) No rest for the weary! Or if one of the kids tries to hug or even touch Lacey? No sir, buster! That's my woman!!!

Is this too much? Have I crossed the blogging line?

Well, if I'm crossing, here goes. All or none..

I'm tempted to make sure they're doing it the right way so we can get some puppies (read:MONEY!) out of this. No more of this "on her her head" business. Do it right and make it worth my while.

Sheesh.

Spirit of '09 Award

I got this award from one of my newest bloggy friends, Lolli. She's got five of the cutest kids, which she so sweetly portrays in beautiful pictures of them. She great at capturing everyday moments on film (or whatever it's called digitally) and recently took some great wedding photos. She is incredibly enthusiastic and I love that she blogs so frequently.



So thanks, Lolli! You really are a sweetheart!!

Ok, here are the rules for this award:


1. You must be a true lover of the New Year to receive this award. The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with the New Year.

2. List 5 things that you love about the New Year. If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space.

3. Pass the award along to as many people as you like. That can be 1 or 50. It's up to you! But keep the New Year cheer going.

4. Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving a comment on their site. Also, link back to the person who gave you the award.


Here are the 5 things that I love about the New Year:

1. I love that I have read my scriptures every day this year. I hope I can continue this.

2. I'm excited to see my kids grow. A little sad about it, I suppose, but I can't stop it. So I'm going to find joy in their milestones.

3. I know this may surprise many of you, but I'm excited to see what (if any) changes take place in our nation with President Obama.

4. I hope that I can see some of my family this year - immediate and in-laws. I really miss them.

5. I probably shouldn't say this, but I'd love to get knocked up this year. =D This subject is still up for discussion at the aMayzing house, so we'll see. (This isn't something I'd normally share, but I couldn't think of anything else that the new year made me excited for!)


And I tag Sher, Ashley, April, and anyone else who feels particularly peppy about 2009.

monday's reality TV

So last night after FHE, I got to watch the beginning of a new season of reality TV!! So exciting.

I watched Superstars of Dance, The Bachelor, and True Beauty.

I like Superstars of Dance. It's like the Olympics for dancing. They have competitors from 8 countries: Argentina, USA, China, South Africa, India, Russia, Australia, and Ireland. There are 3 categories: solo, duet, and group. They slowly eliminate different countries in each categories, based on the judges' scores. It's not exactly SYTYCD or Dancing with the Stars (both of which I love) but it's fun to see dances from around the world. The Chinese duet was amazing -- the ballerina actually danced on her partners shoulders. Balanced on them for almost the whole dance. On her toes. Doing spins. It was incredible, though apparently the judges wanted to see more dancing. (Whatever.)

Now for The Bachelor. The guy they picked this season was a runner-up for DeAnna. Jason. He's the single father. Completely adorable and seems like a really great guy. Fun and sincere and genuine and loves his kid so much. I think this will be an interesting season. He's got two single moms among the competitors -- one's a widow and is 34 (though she looks 43) and the other's got a 14 month old baby and has a pooty-mouth! =D They had to bleep her out like 5 times.

And get this -- DEANNA COMES BACK!!!!!! We already know she's broken up with Jesse, but apparently, she comes to talk to Jason, saying she thinks she made a mistake. There were a few clips of them together, but she was wearing the same outfit everytime, so I don't know if she stays. Maybe they did that on purpose. And then it shows Jason walking out onto the balcony sobbing. It was heart-wrenching!! But we do know he picks a brunette. (He only picked like 2 or 3 blondes last night, so that's not really a surprise or spoiler.)

Needless to say, I'm WAY excited for this season!!!!

After the Bachelor was the premiere of Tyra Banks' and Aston Kutcher's brain-child: True Beauty. They've rounded up 10 beautiful people, who are competing to be the country's most beautiful person. They compete in challenges each week to measure their beauty. The catch is that there are hidden challenges each week that test their inner beauty.

I am SO hooked. It's hilarious to see these people who honestly think they are the hottest thing on the face of the earth. They are SO stuck-up and obsessed with their looks. But to see all the hidden camera stuff -- what they do when they think no one is watching.........wow. It's shocking to see the things they do and say. For some reason, it's really entertaining to me to see beautiful people being jerks, or proving that they're not completely heartless.

Other shows I'll be watching this season: American Idol, Biggest Loser (during AI's commercial breaks, probably), Eli Stone, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, the Office, Smallville, and ANTM. Actually, I don't even know if there's a new season of Top Model this season.

I'm not sure, but this might be too much TV. =D Do any of you guys watch any of these?

p.s. I posted a clip of True Beauty below. Couldn't get it in the same post.

true beauty

a clip of the show for you all

If I had to pick......

.............I'd say my favorite (or least, least-hated) household chore is vacuuming.

Mostly because this is how I look when I do it. {{wink wink}}

Seriously, though, it means the rest of my house is probably pretty tidy. Isn't it funny how the house can seem so dirty with stuff all over the floor, but if all the same stuff is on the couch and the floor's vacuumed, the house feels so clean? Am I the only one who feels this way?

While I was searching for a vacuum pic, I found this chore chart.

How cool is that? You could even just do pictures for kids who can't read - pic of a bed, shirt, hand, comb......whatever. And I must say that I LOVE these magnets. They are so easy -- the hardest part is finding the rocks. Then you just get some clear gluey stuff (I use scrapbooking stuff that makes the paper looks like it's embossed) and stick the paper to the rocks. Then hot glue little magnets on the back. Easy-peasy.

I think I'm gonna do this for us. Maybe. I'll probably have to clear some stuff of my fridge.

What's your favorite (or at least, least-hated) chore? Do you have a chore chart/rotation for yourself? Your kids?

p.s. after an hour of him yelling at me, the Hulk has finally fallen asleep. That's right -- he's taking a nap!! I'd forgotten how quiet it can be with just one kid. I'm a little weirded out, actually......

D O G S

We have two dogs. Max and Lacey. They're both Golden Retrievers.

About a year ago we decided we wanted to get a dog. We wanted a female german to breed. They're smart, and very popular dogs. We knew they'd be easy to sell, and if for some reason they weren't, we could contact police stations, since german shepherds are often police dogs.

We wanted to wait a few months till it was warmer and the dog could stay outside most of the time. (I'm not what you'd call a pet person and was basically doing this to make Superman happy and get some extra cash every now and then.)

The very DAY we decided this, we got a surprise that night. Some people that Superman works with found out it was his birthday and that he was thinking about getting a dog. At 10 pm the doorbell rang and two of his co-workers were at the door with a puppy.



WHAT?!?


I was literally without words. This isn't like parents getting their kid a puppy for Christmas. This was making a major decision for adults!!! "Happy Birthday! Here's a 10 year commitment for you! Hope you like it!!"

We were shocked. Sure he was cute, but it was a puppy. A male golden retriever. Who I was now responsible for house breaking.

Joy.

Fortunately, he turned out to be a pretty good dog. Very smart and obedient. Of course he did the usually messy stuff on the carpet and chewed one of my favorite shoes, but he grew out of it fast enough.

All together now: "Awwww, how cute!!!" Have I mentioned that Max is a good-lookin' pup? He really is. As far as we can tell, they paid about $400 bucks for Max. Quite a birthday present, eh? From two female co-workers. Good thing I know Superman's loyal!

Mid-summer he was big enough that he needed to spend the day outside. We decided to get a mate for him to play and eventually breed with. We found one just about a year older than him that we bought.



Lacey is...........not as good of a dog. She's just not as well-bred. And is simply a dumber dog. She isn't as obedient and just doesn't pick up on Superman's training very quickly. Or at all. Plus, she's really anxious. Always panting heavily and rarely laying down and relaxing. She just has to be wherever you are, begging for attention. (Still with the panting in your face. Lovely.) She's always trying to put her paw on your leg -- something she must've picked up from her previous owners that we absolutely HATE.

Anyway....................now that it's so cold outside, the dogs are spending the majority of the day indoors. The dogs are great with the kids, which is a huge plus. If they weren't we'd probably have to get rid of them. We have baby gates that we use to block off the kitchen where they sleep, and where we put them if we have company over.

But golden retrievers shed. A LOT. Their long blonde hair just falls off all over the house. I have to vacuum before they come in and once they leave so that the vacuum doesn't get clogged. Though it still does. I have now fashioned my own personal vacuum unclogger from a wire hanger. Works quite nicely.

Except that I shouldn't have to unclog my vacuum every other day!!!!



(deep breaths)


And Max is now turning into a man, if you know what I mean. ALL the time. It's kind of amusing and disgusting all at the same time. Poor Lacey just puts up with it. (Just another reason I'm afraid of my boys being teenagers!!)

At any rate, having the dogs inside has definately changed my household behavior. I'm a better housekeeper, because if I'm not, the dogs will get to it. No laundry lying about, no dishes left on the table, or in the sink. Toys have to be put up. The only thing that's now dirtier is the kitchen. They track in quite a bit of mud, which I just can't bring myself to mop when I know it's going to be filthy again in 2 hours. (Though I suppose that's the tale of all housework -- you clean it up, even when you know it's just going to get dirty again.)

Oh. And sitting downwind of a dog?

I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

I know some of you have pets. Am I just damaged because I didn't grow up with pets and therefore don't have the great love for them? Are they a part of your family or something to keep your kids (or husband) happy? Do you clean up after them just like you do with your kids, or is it different?

The witching hour

is already upon me.

• Spiderman's stuffing things under the couch cushions and jumping on them.
• The Hulk who's young enough to still be taking naps but positively REFUSES is whining the day away on my lap. He's seriously draped over my arm as I try to type.
• The dogs are chewing on everything they can find. Spiderman is terrorizing them by punching them and trying to ride them like horses.
• Superman's taking a nap since he got up with the kids this morning. (I had a migraine that pills and an extra hour of sleep fixed.)
• I need to start the dishes and clean up since we've got friends coming over tonight (the only reason I ever clean!) but I'm just restless and lazy and don't want to do my "job" since it's the weekend.


---The Hulk has now gotten off my lap, but went into the kitchen and came out with my scissors. The really sharp chicken-cutting kind. And Hulkster has a serious obsession with scissors. He can spot them easily in stores and throws a royal fit everytime I take them away. (Sounds like he's 2, eh?)

The boys find a toy to play with. Both kids want it. Spiderman's bigger, so he takes it and runs. Then the Hulk just chases him around the house crying.

(((sigh)))

It's days like these that I'm anxious for them to grow up a little bit. But I know that it's not going to be much different when they're 6 and 7. Or 12 and 13. Maybe by the time they graduate?

But I don't actually want them to grow up. I'd actually prefer that they were young enough not to fight over toys. 0 and 1?

Is it too much to ask for my babies back?

But then I don't get to hear the "I love you Mommy"s and see them draw pictures and and tell me who Jesus is and hear their little philosophies on life and see them climb the biggest playground equipment..........

Tammy has a quote in her sidebar that I'm gonna steal. "The story of a mother's life: Trapped between a scream and a hug. ~ Cathy Guisewite"

That's it exactly.

Caught between wishing they'd grow up and that they'd never get older.

Caught between long days and short years.

Random Friday

I miss the sun. I'm okay with clouds in the summer time when they bring much wanted rain and thunderstorms, but more snow and cold? I'll pass.

I think part of my problem is that we have to large windows in our living room and instead of turning on lights, I just let the sunlight in through the blinds. On cloudy days, though, it's just dark all the time. Very depressing and unhealthy.

January 2 and I'm already done with winter. I may have a long couple of months ahead of me.

Especially with my dogs. But that's another post on another day.

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We had a great day yesterday. Lots of napping, eating out, sledding swinging and Superman and I watched some movies once the kids were in bed. Eagle Eye was one of them. It was alright. It made me not want to blog, e-mail, text or talk on the phone again, but whatever. =D I'm a big fan of Shia LeBouf, for some reason. I just really believe everything he says and does -- it doesn't seem like he's acting or memorizing lines. Maybe. I don't know. But I like 'im.

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Now that I have another blog that I've committed to writing on daily, I'm finding it harder to write here. I'm gonna have to figure something out. Sure I could post ahead, but the POINT of the other is to read my scriptures every day. And I like to do it in the morning over breakfast, but it took me an hour and half this morning between feeding the kids and husband, feeding myself, reading, figuring out what I was going to say, searching for music and pictures, and kids climbing all over me. (There was a LOT of that last one and it was getting on my nerves.)

This is my main problem with reading scriptures. I want to do it in peace. No distractions from kids. I could do it at night, but then it's not running through my head all day, and I like that. I could get up early.......(insert whiny voice) but it's so hard!! I don't want to get up at 6:30 if I don't have to!!

But I suppose my day would go better. What's half an hour, anyway? Half the time I'm awake anyway, but I just choose to go back to sleep. Maybe I should try it.

Because when I read my scriptures with the kids running around demanding my attention, I just get mad. At them, at myself for getting mad, at the fact that I have to read my scriptures everyday. Then I think, why bother? I'm not getting anything out of it but anger and resentment.

I'm definately reading with the right attitude. ( insert eyeroll)



Maybe I could read and write the post at night, and re-reading it in the morning would be enough of a refresher for me?

Hmm. Something I'll have to consider.

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I'm VERY anxious to get back to real life. Pre-school, playgroup, babysitting, schedules......this lounging around every few days is really messing with me. Take today, for instance. I'm still lounging, and it's not a lounge day. I should be cleaning, getting myself ready, feeding the dogs instead of cat-napping during Dora while the kids eat goldfish and m&ms for a mid-morning snack.

See, very confused.

I suppose I should get off the computer and do something about all that.

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Okay. I think I'm done.

And for your random music -- it's on my player. For the first few days after Christmas, I was sad that all the Christmas was going to go away. By Monday, however, I was done. Ready for my regular stuff. And it's already making me happy.

I've heard Unwritten, All this beauty, Far Away, Ever the Same, David Cook's Eleanor Rigby, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Chasing Pavements, Where I Stood, Mercy and my newest addition, Flightless Bird by Iron & Wine --> it's the song that Edward and Bella dance to at the end of Twilight.